Quick update from the road. Wade and Jessi had a beautiful wedding in Farmville, VI, with close friends and family coming in from all corners. I've been in Pittsburgh for the following week, working and catching up with old friends. It's been a little hard to keep up the pace of work that I have at home with fun distractions like meeting friends for lunch, but I'm glad I chose to make this a working trip because it means I can spend more time here.
My manuscript (the bulk of my graduate work has been unpublished so far) was submitted, and FINALLY accepted. This is the last thing that needed to be finished out from my time in graduate school. There is still some discussion of other brilliant ideas we might toy with later, but getting that paper published will actually make by CV look like I am a scientist again.
But the real reason I opted to come at this time was for my labmate and classmate Karen's defense. That happened yesterday. She was very poised, and gave a very thoughtful, scholarly seminar. Her defense took hours, but was very friendly. She emerged as a doctor, and the lab swept into action to make a big departmental party. It was perhaps not quite as amazing as the party I had, but we are all holding back since she is hosting a party this afternoon. There is going to be inflatable jousting. It should be fantastic.
Showing posts with label Pittsburgh. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pittsburgh. Show all posts
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Monday, November 14, 2011
I live in Kirkland now
My last few weeks in Pittsburgh were a whirlwind of excitement and activity, leading up to a big event at the science center and a big send off from my good friends there. It was a lot of fun, but if you can picture how tired I was at the begining of the going away party, and then picture that I stayed awake until the shuttle arrived at 3am to take me to the airport... well, I am still tired is where that is going. We'll call it jetlag. And delicious food overdose. I haven't really been hungry since I got here either.
But I am here! Matt came to get me at the airport, and Man, I still really like seeing him. It was ok while we were apart, we both had things going on, it was a short period of time (I was staying with a friend who had to wait out her then-boyfriend's deployment to Iraq, so...perspective). But finally seeing him, and getting to catch up on all the new things in our lives and see the direction our new life is taking... it's been really exciting. Our friend Shaoshu came over last night to hang out a bit, and Jeffrey and his adorable son (who isn't a baby anymore) came by after work today. Even though I didn't leave the house, I sure don't feel lonely. I do need to get focused on job hunting again, however in the meantime I am just so pleased with all the other aspects of my life that being unemployed doesn't seem as awful as it once did. Some of you have seen the new place already, it is a two story duplex, and in the stairway there is a skylight, which streams in that cozy gray Seattle light that seems like it is always filtered through evergreens and rain. While I was unpacking, I found a Rie Munoz picture (girl throwing her blueberries in surprise when she finds a bear in her blueberry patch), and I hung it in the hallway in that calm grey light and I just felt like this is exactly as it was meant to be.
There is still plenty of unpacking to keep me busy for a couple days. Matt has the house fully functional, but that's just a start reminder of how much stuff we own that we don't really "need" persay. The upstairs rooms (all three of them+ 2 bathrooms) need the most help, mostly because there is lots of space to divide our things into. The cat seems to like the constant change in scenery as boxes get unpacked and moved around, creating new landscapes to be conquered. Frankly, the toddler liked it too.
Matt is trying to help me get oriented to the neighborhood, and we are exploring it a bit more together. I'll keep you abreast of any big finds. Tonight we found that we are only a couple minutes from both Woodinville and Bothell, which means I need to spend more time looking at the map.
But I am here! Matt came to get me at the airport, and Man, I still really like seeing him. It was ok while we were apart, we both had things going on, it was a short period of time (I was staying with a friend who had to wait out her then-boyfriend's deployment to Iraq, so...perspective). But finally seeing him, and getting to catch up on all the new things in our lives and see the direction our new life is taking... it's been really exciting. Our friend Shaoshu came over last night to hang out a bit, and Jeffrey and his adorable son (who isn't a baby anymore) came by after work today. Even though I didn't leave the house, I sure don't feel lonely. I do need to get focused on job hunting again, however in the meantime I am just so pleased with all the other aspects of my life that being unemployed doesn't seem as awful as it once did. Some of you have seen the new place already, it is a two story duplex, and in the stairway there is a skylight, which streams in that cozy gray Seattle light that seems like it is always filtered through evergreens and rain. While I was unpacking, I found a Rie Munoz picture (girl throwing her blueberries in surprise when she finds a bear in her blueberry patch), and I hung it in the hallway in that calm grey light and I just felt like this is exactly as it was meant to be.
There is still plenty of unpacking to keep me busy for a couple days. Matt has the house fully functional, but that's just a start reminder of how much stuff we own that we don't really "need" persay. The upstairs rooms (all three of them+ 2 bathrooms) need the most help, mostly because there is lots of space to divide our things into. The cat seems to like the constant change in scenery as boxes get unpacked and moved around, creating new landscapes to be conquered. Frankly, the toddler liked it too.
Matt is trying to help me get oriented to the neighborhood, and we are exploring it a bit more together. I'll keep you abreast of any big finds. Tonight we found that we are only a couple minutes from both Woodinville and Bothell, which means I need to spend more time looking at the map.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Terrible and good
I spent a heartbreaking morning sharing hugs with friends at a funeral. This was awful, in a way that made me so grateful for my friends, and grateful that my friends also have such good friends in each other. Does that make sense? But, as much as it made me feel very close to this group I've been with all these years, seeing my coworker's family grieving together made me really want to be closer to my family for some non-mourning activities. It was a very sad funeral because this guy was such a spark of life for so many people. Sigh. For some reason I didn't think this would be such a tough day for me, but seeing some of my other students from bioethics in such a state of grief really ripped me up. I do feel better after the service, though.
And of course, the rest of my life in in a giant shake up right now, as always. Dr. Rockstar offered me a 6-month post-doc position in his lab (too late, I'm not tempted, but it did make me feel nice). In other awesome news, I got a major title promotion at the Science Center. I am to be the first ever Scientist in Residence at the Science Center, which they are hoping to make a more accessible position to bring in collaborative interactions with the local professional community. This is great for me, clearly, but I think it will be a really good move for the science center. One of the things that sold the Director on the title was the fact that I have provided them with access to my professional network. Need volunteers, or info, or to borrow some equipment? Everyone I know here is a scientist, so that hasn't been a problem for me to find these things. We'll be hashing out a description for this title this week in order to provide a framework for recruiting other Resident Scientists for relevant volunteer work and interactions. Hooray, I am valuable!
And of course, the rest of my life in in a giant shake up right now, as always. Dr. Rockstar offered me a 6-month post-doc position in his lab (too late, I'm not tempted, but it did make me feel nice). In other awesome news, I got a major title promotion at the Science Center. I am to be the first ever Scientist in Residence at the Science Center, which they are hoping to make a more accessible position to bring in collaborative interactions with the local professional community. This is great for me, clearly, but I think it will be a really good move for the science center. One of the things that sold the Director on the title was the fact that I have provided them with access to my professional network. Need volunteers, or info, or to borrow some equipment? Everyone I know here is a scientist, so that hasn't been a problem for me to find these things. We'll be hashing out a description for this title this week in order to provide a framework for recruiting other Resident Scientists for relevant volunteer work and interactions. Hooray, I am valuable!
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Hanging around the 'burgh
While Matt has started his new job (which is going well, and they like him), and started getting used to living in Seattle (seeing lots of friends, exploring our neighborhood and generally having a good time), I am still in Pittsburgh, doing all my own favorite things and hanging around with my friends. And occasionally looking for work or going to the science center. The work at the science center is going well, and I am trying to find lots of ways to add value to the programs and my position. I am excited about our upcoming events, even though I am feeling nervous about them as well. We expect 4,000 visitors next week to a demo on genotypes and phenotypes (basic genetics here). And while I have the confidence to put together learning objectives, I don't have the finesse to think about what type of linens we should get for our tables or how to "display" ourselves well. That's where the guy I am working with takes over, so I am learning lots.
On a much sadder note, another reason that I am grateful that I am still here is to share my grief with my coworkers. One of our recent graduates, a very bright undergrad who took my class and asked me to write a letter of recommendation for his medical school application, passed away suddenly this week. Obviously, this was unexpected, and shocking and all of those terrible things when a young person with so much life and potential passes on. While he was an energetic, funny, caring guy who will be sorely missed by his friends and family, because I knew him in a professional context, the part that seems most unfair to me is that he was going to make a great doctor someday. It's a great loss, but I am glad to be able to share that with my friends and coworkers who also knew him.
On a much sadder note, another reason that I am grateful that I am still here is to share my grief with my coworkers. One of our recent graduates, a very bright undergrad who took my class and asked me to write a letter of recommendation for his medical school application, passed away suddenly this week. Obviously, this was unexpected, and shocking and all of those terrible things when a young person with so much life and potential passes on. While he was an energetic, funny, caring guy who will be sorely missed by his friends and family, because I knew him in a professional context, the part that seems most unfair to me is that he was going to make a great doctor someday. It's a great loss, but I am glad to be able to share that with my friends and coworkers who also knew him.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Moving on out...
The movers came. I haven't participated in a professional move as an adult, and I gotta say, it was BY FAR the best move yet. Over the last week we'd been making lame attempts at decluttering, dusting, and compacting some of our stuff. It was just enough to remind me how flustered I get during a move. Do I still want this stuff? Can I bear to throw it away? Is there a better place for it than the trash can? How will I get it there? This resulted in basically trashing the house- we removed all the 'stuff' from the spare room to leave Raoul enclosed in during moving day.
Monday morning, three GIANT dudes show up (like, duck through the doorway guys), they walk around the place, have a short conference in the truck and bring in heaps of boxes. I went to the Science Center, since Matt was here and there wasn't much for him to do anyway. I came home in the early afternoon to see the crew finishing up for the day, everything we owned in boxes. They covered the floor in plastic to prevent tracking dirt, left aisles in the boxes and had an extra box for us to put our overnight stuff in. During the day, Matt said they would ask/remind him about things he might like. Will you need an alarm clock tomorrow? Coffee maker? Allergy meds (so glad someone thought of this- the dust is killing my allergies)? The boxes were stacked in these comical towers (who puts two wardrobe boxes together? They go higher than a door), probably because they were all stacking up to their own eye level.
Today the same guys came back, parked a big truck in front of the house, one guy doing inventory, one guy packing some last boxes, and the third guy hauling HUGE boxes out of the basement. I'm really relieved someone will unload these too, because I could not move most of them, let alone put two on my back and haul them out. The furniture was plastic wrapped, and the truck was densely packed. Of course, having standard size boxes and copious packing material probably helps, but these guys clearly knew what they were doing. They did the whole house in about 5 hours, including the basement and garage. Paper work was exchanged and we'll see our stuff in Seattle in a week or so.
The cat is dealing with this remarkably well. The movers did kinda scare him (big voices! big feet!) so he mostly hung out under the bed in the spare room. But once they left, he took a look around and was back to his usual self. He did make the most surprised sound today when I let him out into the empty apartment, the same sound he makes when you sneak up and poke him. Now he is hanging out with us while we do some cleaning and organizing of our remaining things. It gives me confidence that he'll weather the move ok.
Matt and Raoul leave Thursday morning, and will be at the new house Thursday afternoon. I'll be giving our car the bon voyage that afternoon, and will be staying with some friends while I do some more work at the Science Center. It looks like I might be able to continue some occasional volunteer work with them after I leave, which is good since they keep suggesting other things I could do if I were around longer. But, I have this exciting life to look forward to in Seattle! Starting soon!
Monday morning, three GIANT dudes show up (like, duck through the doorway guys), they walk around the place, have a short conference in the truck and bring in heaps of boxes. I went to the Science Center, since Matt was here and there wasn't much for him to do anyway. I came home in the early afternoon to see the crew finishing up for the day, everything we owned in boxes. They covered the floor in plastic to prevent tracking dirt, left aisles in the boxes and had an extra box for us to put our overnight stuff in. During the day, Matt said they would ask/remind him about things he might like. Will you need an alarm clock tomorrow? Coffee maker? Allergy meds (so glad someone thought of this- the dust is killing my allergies)? The boxes were stacked in these comical towers (who puts two wardrobe boxes together? They go higher than a door), probably because they were all stacking up to their own eye level.
Today the same guys came back, parked a big truck in front of the house, one guy doing inventory, one guy packing some last boxes, and the third guy hauling HUGE boxes out of the basement. I'm really relieved someone will unload these too, because I could not move most of them, let alone put two on my back and haul them out. The furniture was plastic wrapped, and the truck was densely packed. Of course, having standard size boxes and copious packing material probably helps, but these guys clearly knew what they were doing. They did the whole house in about 5 hours, including the basement and garage. Paper work was exchanged and we'll see our stuff in Seattle in a week or so.
The cat is dealing with this remarkably well. The movers did kinda scare him (big voices! big feet!) so he mostly hung out under the bed in the spare room. But once they left, he took a look around and was back to his usual self. He did make the most surprised sound today when I let him out into the empty apartment, the same sound he makes when you sneak up and poke him. Now he is hanging out with us while we do some cleaning and organizing of our remaining things. It gives me confidence that he'll weather the move ok.
Matt and Raoul leave Thursday morning, and will be at the new house Thursday afternoon. I'll be giving our car the bon voyage that afternoon, and will be staying with some friends while I do some more work at the Science Center. It looks like I might be able to continue some occasional volunteer work with them after I leave, which is good since they keep suggesting other things I could do if I were around longer. But, I have this exciting life to look forward to in Seattle! Starting soon!
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Science Bloggers for Students
I am really excited about the stuff we've got going on at Steel City Science these days. I hope you read my latest diatribe about polyomavirus research, but today I want to point you to something I am even more excited about. There is a movement in the science blogging community (which our blog is hoping to break into) to support a non-profit called DonorsChoose. If you have not heard of this group, they help teachers gain money for small scale projects, and individual donors can support part or all of these projects. $10 for pencil sharpeners in a third grade classroom, $25 towards purchase of a laptop in a middle school, $100 for new textbooks. The donor chooses what they want to support and to what extent. Cool right?
Every year there is a challenge called Science Bloggers for Students, that allows different blogs to seek donations and encourages competition to maximize funding. I was heartbroken to see that Pittsburgh has 18 projects which are largely unfunded, including some really important requests for basic supplies (scientific calculators, ouch). So we've decided to jump into the challenge, check it out at Steel City Science. Or just follow or donation page here. From there, you can also track our brilliant successes, and I think track our progress against other blogs and blogging networks. Yeah, we are up against WIRED blogs, so we *might* not win. But if we try at all, hopefully students win, right?
Science Bloggers for Students, Steel City Science Page
If there are other projects you are more interested in supporting (the African drumming class needs drums. Ouch, my heart.), if you follow my link, it still counts towards our total.
Every year there is a challenge called Science Bloggers for Students, that allows different blogs to seek donations and encourages competition to maximize funding. I was heartbroken to see that Pittsburgh has 18 projects which are largely unfunded, including some really important requests for basic supplies (scientific calculators, ouch). So we've decided to jump into the challenge, check it out at Steel City Science. Or just follow or donation page here. From there, you can also track our brilliant successes, and I think track our progress against other blogs and blogging networks. Yeah, we are up against WIRED blogs, so we *might* not win. But if we try at all, hopefully students win, right?
Science Bloggers for Students, Steel City Science Page
If there are other projects you are more interested in supporting (the African drumming class needs drums. Ouch, my heart.), if you follow my link, it still counts towards our total.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
New Blog! Steel City Science!
One of my friends, who is a talented scientist and great writer, has decided that Pittsburgh needs a new blog, a blog to cover the exciting science happenings in town. It's surprising that there isn't something like this already, frankly. There are a lot of "Pro-Pittsburgh" blogs etc., supporting this great online community of people who like to shine a light on what makes Pittsburgh unique. There are dozens of research institutes and museums here, with cool science for Nerds and the Public alike, but no single place where all these great things get highlighted. Her idea, then, is to publicize it a bit more. Short news features from cool seminars, updates about great public events written for the average yinzer to understand. And she asked ME to help! I'm so excited!
The new blog is called Steel City Science, and you can follow us on twitter @SteelCitySci. Obviously, the twitter is mostly me. My posts are written by drsandlin (obvs), and the other bloggers (so far) are former coworkers.
I'm excited about this 1) because it gives me a good excuse to go to events and science stuff still, and 2) because it is a new way to think about science. AND it's giving me an excuse to learn some new skills- I'm the defacto PR person (uh, Kels, expect some calls). For example, I am linking here because I know you all LOVE to see what I am up to, but also because we need some more google cred to climb the rankings. Share the link, send me Burgh related stories and prepare to be excited by the awesome science coming out of Pittsburgh!
In other news- I'M GOING TO TEXAS TOMORROW! Don't leave your babies unattended or they will be kiss-tickled into hysterics.
The new blog is called Steel City Science, and you can follow us on twitter @SteelCitySci. Obviously, the twitter is mostly me. My posts are written by drsandlin (obvs), and the other bloggers (so far) are former coworkers.
I'm excited about this 1) because it gives me a good excuse to go to events and science stuff still, and 2) because it is a new way to think about science. AND it's giving me an excuse to learn some new skills- I'm the defacto PR person (uh, Kels, expect some calls). For example, I am linking here because I know you all LOVE to see what I am up to, but also because we need some more google cred to climb the rankings. Share the link, send me Burgh related stories and prepare to be excited by the awesome science coming out of Pittsburgh!
In other news- I'M GOING TO TEXAS TOMORROW! Don't leave your babies unattended or they will be kiss-tickled into hysterics.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
It's snowing
Did I tell you they are filming the next Batman Movie- the Dark Knight- in Pittsburgh? Among the locations for the shoot, the building across from here (CMU's Biology department) is being used to stage a giant fight scene outside the Gotham City Courthouse . In mid winter. Even though the rest of us are standing around in shorts and flip-flops, it is snowing on the great columns and the fighters below.
I also got to see the New Batmobile- the Tumbler they are calling it- all three of them.
One of the buildings downtown had a Bat Signal broadcasting from it the other night. It's all very exciting.
Traffic is completely messed up, but mostly people are really excited that this project is being filmed here.
I also got to see the New Batmobile- the Tumbler they are calling it- all three of them.
One of the buildings downtown had a Bat Signal broadcasting from it the other night. It's all very exciting.
Traffic is completely messed up, but mostly people are really excited that this project is being filmed here.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Job Hunting isn't a very fun hobby.
I'm feeling quite mixed up these days. Some of this is because my boss refuses to admit defeat (experimentally), and partly because I am such a contrarian that I've become an utter-defeatist in spite of him. Some of it is because I realize we will be leaving Pittsburgh soon, and while I am so ready to leave, there are a lot of things I will miss about it. We've been recruiting grad students this weekend, which forced me to remember all the reasons I chose to come here, and all the reasons I think it is cool here. And I'm also feeling acutely worried that we actually won't be leaving soon, I'll just be unemployed for a while.
Job hunting has quickly become my primary hobby, and I've also become incredibly unfocused. I'd rather have a mediocre job than not, which means I keep digging up jobs that are tangentially related to what I want to do, or think I could get hired to do. And from there I can imagine being plenty happy, living in Redmond being a biotech sales associate, even though that is completely unrelated to what I've been thinking my goals have been. While I feel very strongly that science needs better advocates in the policy arena, I'm not very confident that I can be successful at that (or be taken seriously during my transition). It's hard to keep my prioties in order- is it more important to live out west than the have the perfect policy job? Apparently, since I can't make myself look at jobs in WA DC. Then is it more important to stay in policy than just be paid well? And Matt is confident that he can find a job anywhere I can, bless his flexibility, but this means I get to (have to?) set all the limits. Where do we go? What would I be willing to do there? It is hard to get to the business of enjoying what may be our final months in Pittsburgh when I feel guilty for every hour of leisure I am not combing job listings or polishing cover letters.
Job hunting has quickly become my primary hobby, and I've also become incredibly unfocused. I'd rather have a mediocre job than not, which means I keep digging up jobs that are tangentially related to what I want to do, or think I could get hired to do. And from there I can imagine being plenty happy, living in Redmond being a biotech sales associate, even though that is completely unrelated to what I've been thinking my goals have been. While I feel very strongly that science needs better advocates in the policy arena, I'm not very confident that I can be successful at that (or be taken seriously during my transition). It's hard to keep my prioties in order- is it more important to live out west than the have the perfect policy job? Apparently, since I can't make myself look at jobs in WA DC. Then is it more important to stay in policy than just be paid well? And Matt is confident that he can find a job anywhere I can, bless his flexibility, but this means I get to (have to?) set all the limits. Where do we go? What would I be willing to do there? It is hard to get to the business of enjoying what may be our final months in Pittsburgh when I feel guilty for every hour of leisure I am not combing job listings or polishing cover letters.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Ambrosias are the best, Braeburns are the worst
Matt and I had a visitor this weekend! Half of our favorite couple came between weeks of training to relax and catch up. Turns out her new job is pretty cool, although it is hard to say if she will really like it, because, well- she hasn't been at the office for more than a couple days. They've sent her to NY for training. Anyhow, it is cool to think I know people who can leverage their hard work and experience into valuable and rewarding employment, which gives me a feeling of hope.
We got to spend the weekend catching up and doing fun things. We fought the crowds of Steelers Fans in the Strip District to buy some Steelers stuff (big game coming up, y'know), and farm fresh apples, and sample the wares at the public market. We went ice skating at the outdoor rink downtown- I'm not awesome, but I didn't fall down. And we went out to a favorite bar that recently got a serious upgrade to meet a bunch of her old work buddies. We've liked this place since before, it is spacious, seems to attract and older, mellow crowd who tend to idly watch whatever sporting event is on and drink boutique beers and eat really good wings. Now the beer selection got crazy huge, so we were happy to hang out there.
We even got to have breakfast at our favorite place for pre-exam breakfasts, Pamela's. I've got a lot of affection for those giant greasy pancakes, and it's sentimental to share them with my study buddy. A good weekend was had by all, and we were terrible sad that it's over.
We eventually had to take her back to the airport, (why?? It was just like old times again!) and Matt and I stopped at the new BIG grocery store that is out in the urban sprawl. I'd heard this place was pretty epic, but it never seemed like a good idea to drive out of town for groceries, but since we were there anyway... well, dang, but this place is big. And it definitely gives the Austin Whole Foods a run for it's money, at least is terms of volume and diverse offerings, if not for organic quality. There is a charcuterie, a cheese-monger, an amazing collection of 'eat in foods' that include a creperie and a pizzeria. We indulged in some small cuts of rare and interesting cheeses, and also decided to test the array of apples. Matt has been eating a lot of apples lately, and he doesn't actually know what kind he likes. In recent years, I realized that Red Delicious is the worst kind of misnomer, and vowed to avoid them, but otherwise I can't remember what kind I like. Matt picked 8 kinda of apples to sample, and we made notes. Because we are dorks. The highlights: the Ambrosia and Jazz were our favorites, but the more common Honeycrisp and Fuji placed well. Braeburn and Cortland were both incredibly disappointing, and not yummy with Peanut Butter. I'm sure we'll have tasting notes on the cheeses soon too.
We got to spend the weekend catching up and doing fun things. We fought the crowds of Steelers Fans in the Strip District to buy some Steelers stuff (big game coming up, y'know), and farm fresh apples, and sample the wares at the public market. We went ice skating at the outdoor rink downtown- I'm not awesome, but I didn't fall down. And we went out to a favorite bar that recently got a serious upgrade to meet a bunch of her old work buddies. We've liked this place since before, it is spacious, seems to attract and older, mellow crowd who tend to idly watch whatever sporting event is on and drink boutique beers and eat really good wings. Now the beer selection got crazy huge, so we were happy to hang out there.
We even got to have breakfast at our favorite place for pre-exam breakfasts, Pamela's. I've got a lot of affection for those giant greasy pancakes, and it's sentimental to share them with my study buddy. A good weekend was had by all, and we were terrible sad that it's over.
We eventually had to take her back to the airport, (why?? It was just like old times again!) and Matt and I stopped at the new BIG grocery store that is out in the urban sprawl. I'd heard this place was pretty epic, but it never seemed like a good idea to drive out of town for groceries, but since we were there anyway... well, dang, but this place is big. And it definitely gives the Austin Whole Foods a run for it's money, at least is terms of volume and diverse offerings, if not for organic quality. There is a charcuterie, a cheese-monger, an amazing collection of 'eat in foods' that include a creperie and a pizzeria. We indulged in some small cuts of rare and interesting cheeses, and also decided to test the array of apples. Matt has been eating a lot of apples lately, and he doesn't actually know what kind he likes. In recent years, I realized that Red Delicious is the worst kind of misnomer, and vowed to avoid them, but otherwise I can't remember what kind I like. Matt picked 8 kinda of apples to sample, and we made notes. Because we are dorks. The highlights: the Ambrosia and Jazz were our favorites, but the more common Honeycrisp and Fuji placed well. Braeburn and Cortland were both incredibly disappointing, and not yummy with Peanut Butter. I'm sure we'll have tasting notes on the cheeses soon too.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Big game tomorrow
It's been a while (all season?) since I've posted about the Steelers. Tomorrow is the Conference Championship game, which decides who goes to the Super Bowl. Since the Steelers are playing in that game, the city is rife with frothy excitement. I have no idea what our actual chances of winning are, but if the fans are to be believed, we will win because we are the best. We will win because the Jets suck. We will win because it is (long time former announcer, may he rest in peace) Meyron Cope's 82nd birthday.
We are going to watch the game at a friends, in our black and gold, and hopefully spend more time munching chips than biting nails. Hopefully there is more to say about the play off run on Monday than "Everyone is angry and sad."
And Noel- I'll leave you to moderate the comments on the Kendama post.
We are going to watch the game at a friends, in our black and gold, and hopefully spend more time munching chips than biting nails. Hopefully there is more to say about the play off run on Monday than "Everyone is angry and sad."
And Noel- I'll leave you to moderate the comments on the Kendama post.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Boohoo! We're all alone!
Sadly, the fam just left Pittsburgh. Speaking only for myself, I had a fantastic week. I never cooked, except for apple butter and apple sauce. We indulged in great food from ALL my favorite ethnicity (Mediterranean, Thai, Indian, Italian, Ethiopian...) and I got to show off some of my favorite places in Pittsburgh. But mostly I just got to enjoy being with my family. Nana hemmed some pants for me, we drank some hot tea and laughed at the cat. It just felt like normal time with my family.
Nana's photos got posted to Snapfish, and at some point I'll create an album of the pictures I took too. Then maybe we can talk about all the fantastically fun stuff we did all week. In the meantime, I need to mope around a bit more since I have to go back to cooking AND working next week and no one is hanging out at my house anymore.
Sigh. I leave you with this one happy memory, of dinner at the Church Brewworks.
Nana's photos got posted to Snapfish, and at some point I'll create an album of the pictures I took too. Then maybe we can talk about all the fantastically fun stuff we did all week. In the meantime, I need to mope around a bit more since I have to go back to cooking AND working next week and no one is hanging out at my house anymore.
Sigh. I leave you with this one happy memory, of dinner at the Church Brewworks.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
You are jealous
Right this very minute, I am waiting for the arrival of Mom and Nana. Yes, here, to my very own apartment. It feels pretty adult to be receiving guests in your home who aren't college buddies that would have happily crashed on the couch. We are Hosting. They are going to visit me for a WEEK (with Dad showing up at some point too), which means good times are sure to follow.
Our things to do, outside of eating gobs of ethnic foods and showing off the city in fall colors, include: Making some stuff with the half bushel of apples I picked last weekend, hemming some pants, seeing Nana's pictures from China, Skyping with the siblings (or anyone else who wants to get on Skype), cheering Matt at a Mtn Bike race, meeting our friends, showing off my lab and the ceramics studio. We've cleaned up our house and we are totally ready for fun times. I'll try and update with pictures as we go, but it might be ahrd to take a break from all the fun and stuff. You might just have to wait until everyone goes home to hear about how fantastic it was. Or Skype us. Your call.
Our things to do, outside of eating gobs of ethnic foods and showing off the city in fall colors, include: Making some stuff with the half bushel of apples I picked last weekend, hemming some pants, seeing Nana's pictures from China, Skyping with the siblings (or anyone else who wants to get on Skype), cheering Matt at a Mtn Bike race, meeting our friends, showing off my lab and the ceramics studio. We've cleaned up our house and we are totally ready for fun times. I'll try and update with pictures as we go, but it might be ahrd to take a break from all the fun and stuff. You might just have to wait until everyone goes home to hear about how fantastic it was. Or Skype us. Your call.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
If I go to baby showers, does that mean I live here?
I mentioned in my last post that I was headed to a baby shower. It struck me as I picked up one of my coworkers that it was a fairly sitcom worthy idea that I would drive nearly an hour out into the suburbs to attend a baby shower. It seems like such an adult thing- having friends in the suburbs. Who are having babies.
Going to Matt's company picnic, and now this, were quiet reminders that it really sucks to live so far away from your family. At the shower, I knew a couple of my coworkers, but mostly my pregnant friend had invited a whole host of people, family and a lifetime of friends, I'd never met before. Enough to make for a comfortable but lively shower atmosphere. So while part of me was moping that my family is so far away, there was another part of me that felt like I'd arrived. This is obviously a really significant time for my friend- and I was there. I was significant enough to participate in this important event with her. I was one of the intimates. Maybe I've been doing more here than just whiling away the hours whinging about work and daydreaming about vacations. Maybe, despite all my bellyaching, we've actually set up a life here.
Sometimes I wonder if Pittsburgh will someday be like Bellingham- full of very fond memories but difficult to go back and visit. Most people I know here plan to move away within a few years. In 5 years, will I have any reason to come back? I suppose rather than worry about that, I will just keep living as large as possible.
Going to Matt's company picnic, and now this, were quiet reminders that it really sucks to live so far away from your family. At the shower, I knew a couple of my coworkers, but mostly my pregnant friend had invited a whole host of people, family and a lifetime of friends, I'd never met before. Enough to make for a comfortable but lively shower atmosphere. So while part of me was moping that my family is so far away, there was another part of me that felt like I'd arrived. This is obviously a really significant time for my friend- and I was there. I was significant enough to participate in this important event with her. I was one of the intimates. Maybe I've been doing more here than just whiling away the hours whinging about work and daydreaming about vacations. Maybe, despite all my bellyaching, we've actually set up a life here.
Sometimes I wonder if Pittsburgh will someday be like Bellingham- full of very fond memories but difficult to go back and visit. Most people I know here plan to move away within a few years. In 5 years, will I have any reason to come back? I suppose rather than worry about that, I will just keep living as large as possible.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
What to do on the hottest days of summer?
A) Participate in a Soccer Tournament
B) Go to a company picnic, and participate in a shop tour
C) Take in the movie theatre's AC while watching Despicable Me
D) All of the Above
If you picked D, you would have a perfect description of my weekend. Yes, several very bad choices to combine with heat, and lots of fun. As for the Soccer Tourney, my Canadian friend had decided to organize a tournament for the department. Six labs and groups organized teams, and I decided to go out an cheer. I decided to cheer before I realized it would be 95, and then I decided I should probably go to ply my coworkers with cold water before they became delirious. The tournament itself seemed like a lot of stress for my friend (an opposing goalie slide tackled several of our players, someone had a non-departmental player, another group showed up and thought they had the field reserved), but everyone else had a good time.
Saturday was the 100 year anniversary company picnic at Matt's work. They've been talking about this for month, but Matt just recently decided we should go, so I went to be supportive. I did meet some of his coworkers, see his cubicle, and wander around the "shop floor" which is really a compressor factory, which converted to a giant oven for the occasion. Very industrial scale. We attached ourselves to one of his friends whose whole family came out to participate. The grandad said that when he worked in the steel mill, they used to have this type of celebration every year, and so they all felt quite obliged to be supportive. Matt wanted me there to show me where he worked, I don't think to show off, but just so I could get a picture of it. But we passed hundreds of other family groups, proudly showing the impeller things they designed, or casings they milled. I think the PA mindset is more receptive to this type of event. Celebrating the great things Corporate has done for us made Matt a bit uncomfortable, but everyone else happily embraced it. By the time we left, the thermometer on the plant was reading over 100.
After a nap (well, Matt went to see the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix car show), we decided to do something sensible, and go see Despicable Me. I laughed a lot (but I always do). We saw it in 2D, but there were several scenes (roller coaster ride?) that might make you sick in 3D. It was a sweet story, and while it wasn't quite as funny as I wanted it to be, I did enjoy it a lot.
For the rest of today, I am off to a baby shower while Matt stays a home trying not to get too hot again.
B) Go to a company picnic, and participate in a shop tour
C) Take in the movie theatre's AC while watching Despicable Me
D) All of the Above
If you picked D, you would have a perfect description of my weekend. Yes, several very bad choices to combine with heat, and lots of fun. As for the Soccer Tourney, my Canadian friend had decided to organize a tournament for the department. Six labs and groups organized teams, and I decided to go out an cheer. I decided to cheer before I realized it would be 95, and then I decided I should probably go to ply my coworkers with cold water before they became delirious. The tournament itself seemed like a lot of stress for my friend (an opposing goalie slide tackled several of our players, someone had a non-departmental player, another group showed up and thought they had the field reserved), but everyone else had a good time.
Saturday was the 100 year anniversary company picnic at Matt's work. They've been talking about this for month, but Matt just recently decided we should go, so I went to be supportive. I did meet some of his coworkers, see his cubicle, and wander around the "shop floor" which is really a compressor factory, which converted to a giant oven for the occasion. Very industrial scale. We attached ourselves to one of his friends whose whole family came out to participate. The grandad said that when he worked in the steel mill, they used to have this type of celebration every year, and so they all felt quite obliged to be supportive. Matt wanted me there to show me where he worked, I don't think to show off, but just so I could get a picture of it. But we passed hundreds of other family groups, proudly showing the impeller things they designed, or casings they milled. I think the PA mindset is more receptive to this type of event. Celebrating the great things Corporate has done for us made Matt a bit uncomfortable, but everyone else happily embraced it. By the time we left, the thermometer on the plant was reading over 100.
After a nap (well, Matt went to see the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix car show), we decided to do something sensible, and go see Despicable Me. I laughed a lot (but I always do). We saw it in 2D, but there were several scenes (roller coaster ride?) that might make you sick in 3D. It was a sweet story, and while it wasn't quite as funny as I wanted it to be, I did enjoy it a lot.
For the rest of today, I am off to a baby shower while Matt stays a home trying not to get too hot again.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Still blogging
I hope no one interpreted the suspenseful lapse in blog updates since Sunday as any indication that this self renewing Mother's Day gift would not be re-gifted again. Of course we'll keep blogging, I just wanted to have something worth blogging about- but everything just pales in comparison to jet-setting across Europe.
While I haven't personally been up to much (Doctor Who re-runs?), the entire rest of the city is at this very moment, wrestling with the now obvious fact that we will not be bringing home the Stanley Cup again this year. And I know what you are thinking- it's May, why is anyone playing ice hockey?? It's only those teams still fighting in the playoffs, which no longer includes Pittsburgh due to this unfortunate loss in Game 7 to the Montreal Canadiens.
Matt and I, non-native to the core, were in Trader Joe's like the last yupppies in the ghost town when the Muzak switched to sports radio broadcast. Our check out guy asked if we were avoiding the game, (nope, just clueless), and said sometimes folks get aggitated to hear the game broadcast everywhere across the city (picture Sidney Crosby's personal propaganda state). But he figures, whatever, just remember what flippin' city you are in. Of course sports are going to be on.
Hockey is really hot this year. Last year's win did a lot for the fan base, but this is also the last year in Mellon Arena, which our avid readers will remember as the location for anything the Penguins ever did ever. Some people even consider it historic. I'll put it to you this way, my undergrad, the loyalest, most optimistic Penguins fan told me with great regret that he had not been to a single game all year. He was thinking about (spending an exorbitant amount of money) going to the final game, and one of our co-workers said "Don't. There is a 50-50 chance of great disappointment."
To which he replied "The way I see it, it's win-win. Either we have a great Game 7, win, and move up in the tournament, or we lose, and I get to see the last game ever played in Mellon Arena."
While I haven't personally been up to much (Doctor Who re-runs?), the entire rest of the city is at this very moment, wrestling with the now obvious fact that we will not be bringing home the Stanley Cup again this year. And I know what you are thinking- it's May, why is anyone playing ice hockey?? It's only those teams still fighting in the playoffs, which no longer includes Pittsburgh due to this unfortunate loss in Game 7 to the Montreal Canadiens.
Matt and I, non-native to the core, were in Trader Joe's like the last yupppies in the ghost town when the Muzak switched to sports radio broadcast. Our check out guy asked if we were avoiding the game, (nope, just clueless), and said sometimes folks get aggitated to hear the game broadcast everywhere across the city (picture Sidney Crosby's personal propaganda state). But he figures, whatever, just remember what flippin' city you are in. Of course sports are going to be on.
Hockey is really hot this year. Last year's win did a lot for the fan base, but this is also the last year in Mellon Arena, which our avid readers will remember as the location for anything the Penguins ever did ever. Some people even consider it historic. I'll put it to you this way, my undergrad, the loyalest, most optimistic Penguins fan told me with great regret that he had not been to a single game all year. He was thinking about (spending an exorbitant amount of money) going to the final game, and one of our co-workers said "Don't. There is a 50-50 chance of great disappointment."
To which he replied "The way I see it, it's win-win. Either we have a great Game 7, win, and move up in the tournament, or we lose, and I get to see the last game ever played in Mellon Arena."
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Greek Food Festival
A quick search of the blog would suggest that I have never blogged about St. Nick's Greek Food Festival before, which is both a travesty and perhaps the reason we don't get more visitors in May. Just around the corner from my department is this big Greek Orthodox Church, St. Nicholas. Mom and Dad stopped there once for a luncheon during the ordination, but they completely missed the lines threading around the hall, out the building and up the street that are so essential to this Greek Food Festival.
Dad has told us stories of how Nana used to expose the family to culture by taking the kids to all the church dinners- the Swedish meatballs, an the Italian spaghetti and the horror of the pancit noodles that looked too much like worms. This church dinner is nothing like that. St. Nick's, being well endowed with Greek people, and Greek appreciating people, makes a once a year fund raising bonanza, opening their doors and kitchens for reasonably prized Greek food. There is a Gyro tent outside, tables full of pastries piled high with mountains of baklava and long buffets of Greek classics. This is where I developed my affection for tiropita- like spanikopita, it's a casserole made with layers of filo dough, but the filling is just cheese- not even diluted by creamy spinach like its near cousin. They've got Greek wine, and will even make you a baklava sundae. The festival is open all week, serving lunch and dinner- so you can imagine that I've been there 3 times already, brought home leftovers for Matt twice and am still keeping my options for tomorrow open.
St. Nick's is a great host, there are cheery church volunteers hefting industrial pans of moussaka and pastitio into the various make shift kitchens. The shockingly long lines move quickly, and before you know it, you've got a armload of loukamades (fried honey balls), souvlakia (lamb kababs) and dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves). The city is happy to turn out in force to support the event, not because there are so many lapsed orthodox folks, but because despite many Mediterranean restaurants, there is very limited truly Greek food in town. The only way for the kalamata deprived masses to get their fill is to visit one of the regions many Greek Orthodox food festivals, of which St. Nick's is the biggest and arguably best.
Dad has told us stories of how Nana used to expose the family to culture by taking the kids to all the church dinners- the Swedish meatballs, an the Italian spaghetti and the horror of the pancit noodles that looked too much like worms. This church dinner is nothing like that. St. Nick's, being well endowed with Greek people, and Greek appreciating people, makes a once a year fund raising bonanza, opening their doors and kitchens for reasonably prized Greek food. There is a Gyro tent outside, tables full of pastries piled high with mountains of baklava and long buffets of Greek classics. This is where I developed my affection for tiropita- like spanikopita, it's a casserole made with layers of filo dough, but the filling is just cheese- not even diluted by creamy spinach like its near cousin. They've got Greek wine, and will even make you a baklava sundae. The festival is open all week, serving lunch and dinner- so you can imagine that I've been there 3 times already, brought home leftovers for Matt twice and am still keeping my options for tomorrow open.
St. Nick's is a great host, there are cheery church volunteers hefting industrial pans of moussaka and pastitio into the various make shift kitchens. The shockingly long lines move quickly, and before you know it, you've got a armload of loukamades (fried honey balls), souvlakia (lamb kababs) and dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves). The city is happy to turn out in force to support the event, not because there are so many lapsed orthodox folks, but because despite many Mediterranean restaurants, there is very limited truly Greek food in town. The only way for the kalamata deprived masses to get their fill is to visit one of the regions many Greek Orthodox food festivals, of which St. Nick's is the biggest and arguably best.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
The Trifecta of Mayhem
Pitt just had it's graduation. Although only a couple of the undergrads in our lab are moving on (to better things!), commencement just puts you in the mindset of accomplishment and achievement and recognition. I, for one, am clearly fixated on my own graduation, fighting for every day, every hour, I can move up the clock. But it is nice to take a step back and consider the passing of another year- except that this weekend, we took a step back into a marathon. Literally.
This weekend was Pittsburgh's trifecta of traffic mayhem. Graduation brings thousands of families in from out of town and on to campus to celebrate. Unfortunately, the main routes in to town were blocked by the Pittsburgh Marathon course, which runs a loop around town, crossing each river, entering many neighborhoods, and giving the athletes a tour of some of the cities main thoroughfares. And while certain segments of the city will take any excuse to cheer for local folks doing something great, a lot of that energy was already directed at the Penguins playoff game. While I personally still struggle to follow hockey, this is the time of year when hockey fans come in to their own, and head down to the arena to watch. Picture it, access to Campus and Downtown are choked off to single through way that is crowded with tailgators or race cheerers.
We had the pleasure of following the marathon to see our good friend J run. She did fantastic, finishing her first marathon before any of her joints gave out. Hooray!
This weekend was Pittsburgh's trifecta of traffic mayhem. Graduation brings thousands of families in from out of town and on to campus to celebrate. Unfortunately, the main routes in to town were blocked by the Pittsburgh Marathon course, which runs a loop around town, crossing each river, entering many neighborhoods, and giving the athletes a tour of some of the cities main thoroughfares. And while certain segments of the city will take any excuse to cheer for local folks doing something great, a lot of that energy was already directed at the Penguins playoff game. While I personally still struggle to follow hockey, this is the time of year when hockey fans come in to their own, and head down to the arena to watch. Picture it, access to Campus and Downtown are choked off to single through way that is crowded with tailgators or race cheerers.
We had the pleasure of following the marathon to see our good friend J run. She did fantastic, finishing her first marathon before any of her joints gave out. Hooray!
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Essential to my upbringing
I had a conversation with another graduate student who was from Florida once- it was the middle of the Steamy Hot Summer, and we went for lunch and she ordered HOT soup. I could feel myself passing out just looking at it- but she said growing up in Florida, she never ate soup to warm up- she just ate soup. And I realized, that growing up in Alaska, I never eat ice cream to cool off- in fact, I find it disconcerting to have your ice cream melting faster than you can eat it. Keep that in mind.
A recent and welcome addition to the neighborhood is a new Frozen Yogurt shop called RazzyFresh. In a area blocks from a Coldstone, Baskin Robbins, Ben&Jerry's and a Rita's (regional favorite), this seems like a fool hearty venture. But it is SO much better than any of those. You pay by weight, which makes it fun- you can pick any of the flavors of the week, in any quantity that seems sufficient- and ooo the fruit flavors are to die for. Honeydew tastes like fresh melon, raspberry tastes like summer and the Original is a tart 'unsweetened yogurt' flavor that I wish I could eat for breakfast. Swirl a few of those together, and THEN, take it to the toppings bar. Oh yes, a salad bar with an array of fresh chopped fruits, nuts, syrups (including sweetened condensed milk and honey) and all the crumbled cookies and chocolate goobahs a 6 year old could ask for. I've heard other places have similar ventures- if there is anything like this near you- I highly recommend you try it. We got a punch card when the opened at the beginning of last month, and let's just say we are well on our way to getting out 10th free. It such a nice and refreshing treat, and a nice excuse to go out together.
So tonight, oblivious to the 50 degree weather- we walked up to try some (more). It's a teeny little place- just enough space for a couple tables beside the toppings bar. By the time we assembled our raspberry, cheesecake, taro-original swirl with a veritable fruit salad on top, there was no where to sit- so we walked down the street to a bench to share out yogurt. After a few weird looks I suppose it might be considered weird to eat fro-yo with a coat zipped up to your throat, but what do I care? It's delicious.
A recent and welcome addition to the neighborhood is a new Frozen Yogurt shop called RazzyFresh. In a area blocks from a Coldstone, Baskin Robbins, Ben&Jerry's and a Rita's (regional favorite), this seems like a fool hearty venture. But it is SO much better than any of those. You pay by weight, which makes it fun- you can pick any of the flavors of the week, in any quantity that seems sufficient- and ooo the fruit flavors are to die for. Honeydew tastes like fresh melon, raspberry tastes like summer and the Original is a tart 'unsweetened yogurt' flavor that I wish I could eat for breakfast. Swirl a few of those together, and THEN, take it to the toppings bar. Oh yes, a salad bar with an array of fresh chopped fruits, nuts, syrups (including sweetened condensed milk and honey) and all the crumbled cookies and chocolate goobahs a 6 year old could ask for. I've heard other places have similar ventures- if there is anything like this near you- I highly recommend you try it. We got a punch card when the opened at the beginning of last month, and let's just say we are well on our way to getting out 10th free. It such a nice and refreshing treat, and a nice excuse to go out together.
So tonight, oblivious to the 50 degree weather- we walked up to try some (more). It's a teeny little place- just enough space for a couple tables beside the toppings bar. By the time we assembled our raspberry, cheesecake, taro-original swirl with a veritable fruit salad on top, there was no where to sit- so we walked down the street to a bench to share out yogurt. After a few weird looks I suppose it might be considered weird to eat fro-yo with a coat zipped up to your throat, but what do I care? It's delicious.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Way past culture shock
In an effort to embrace our urban lifestyle, Matt and I often walk out for breakfast on weekend mornings. One of our favorite places is the Bagel factory, but there are plenty of other good breakfast choices nearby. This morning we were gearing up to go, and I said I didn't feel like bagels, but you know what would be nice? Blintzes. Where can we get good blintzes? Oh, Kazansky's or Smallman St. would both be good. And I reveled for a moment that is is so nice to live somewhere we have such good breakfast choices in walking distance, before I realized how seamlessly we'd incorporated Jewish food into our diet. Much like when I tried to make pierogies in Spokane for the assembled family, only to find that not enough polish people live in Spokane to warrant keeping any Mrs. T's available.
We've been here long enough that it is inevitable that we'd assimilate a bit, I guess I surprised myself by how much. We are never without a kielbasa in the fridge, and usually also some type of Italian cured meat (currently prosciutto and sopressata). Like many people, our errands revolve around sporting events (although, we prefer to wait until AFTER the game starts to get to the store), and so I know a lot more about the Penguins and the Steelers then I EVER knew about the Mariners, Huskies or Seahawks. While we don't make weekly trips, I would be at a loss without a good asian market, quality deli and Italian grocer on hand- and we used to think the height of ethnic food was Mexican! Who can even imagine how our life would be different if we lived more than 2 blocks from a pet store and a bus stop, or within walking distance of a drug store?
But don't think we've gone soft- I carry my rain coat in the bottom of my bag with an aged clif bar like every good northwesterner. I continue to ignore Washington sports teams and am overzealous about nice weather. I'm sure we'll learn to cope when we come back home.
We've been here long enough that it is inevitable that we'd assimilate a bit, I guess I surprised myself by how much. We are never without a kielbasa in the fridge, and usually also some type of Italian cured meat (currently prosciutto and sopressata). Like many people, our errands revolve around sporting events (although, we prefer to wait until AFTER the game starts to get to the store), and so I know a lot more about the Penguins and the Steelers then I EVER knew about the Mariners, Huskies or Seahawks. While we don't make weekly trips, I would be at a loss without a good asian market, quality deli and Italian grocer on hand- and we used to think the height of ethnic food was Mexican! Who can even imagine how our life would be different if we lived more than 2 blocks from a pet store and a bus stop, or within walking distance of a drug store?
But don't think we've gone soft- I carry my rain coat in the bottom of my bag with an aged clif bar like every good northwesterner. I continue to ignore Washington sports teams and am overzealous about nice weather. I'm sure we'll learn to cope when we come back home.
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