Splish Splash

Happy Spring! Pittsburgh had quite a bit of rain this week. In kindergarten, we read lots of books about spring activities, which mainly seemed to focus on animals jumping on puddles. So, I should not have been surprised when my favorite bus line friend, whose hand I was holding to keep him from impulsively rushing out into the street and getting crushed by a school bus, spotted a puddle and did a flying leap into it, creating a large splash that soaked my shoes and pants.

In other cute kid news, we started the bug unit in science. This involved all the primary teachers receiving boxes marked "perishable" that contained hundreds of squirmy little insects like meal worms. Mmmmm. Needless to say, some of them were feeling a bit squeamish about this. But the kids absolutely love it. Yesterday, two little boys, as they arrived at school, announced that they had worms in their pockets, that they found in the cemetary. But the best part was when they pulled out special presents for their teachers (cookies) from the same pockets. Thanks, kids!

THIS must be the solution....

McKeesport plans to lure prospective homeowners to the area of White Oak by changing the name of the school district. But a rose by any other name....well, you know what I mean.

This is an interesting example that draws out the complexities of education reform. The Mon Valley in general has experienced a decline in population, increase in poverty, loss of jobs, crumbling of the infrastructure and in the cases of Duquesne and McKeesport, some rather scandalous education problems. But what happens in our schools is directly related to things that happen in our communities: property value, crime, taxes, transportation, population shifts, jobs. You cannot adjust one without affecting the others.

I can see where they got this idea. Most people sort of raise their eyebrow and give a nervous cough when I tell them I work in McKeesport. And Penn State recently changed its campus name from McKeesport to Greater Allegheny. But McKeesport, a town that has historical significance for the entire region, not to mention its recreation possibilities with the Great Allegheny Passage bike trail rolling right through it along its rivers, will not be built up by pretending that it's not McKeesport anymore!

This sort of happened with the Friendship neighborhood of Pittsburgh's East End, in the nineties. Not wanting to be identified with East Liberty or Garfield, the neighborhood association pushed for its own borders and name, and the area is indeed experience quite a rebirth.

Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me

On Thursday night, we went to the Byham Theater to see the taping of the NPR radio quiz show, Wait, Wait, Don't Tell me. Pricey, but worth it. I have not laughed that hard in a long time. They air it on Saturday, so if you tune in, you may be able to hear me.

Drumming, Chanting at the Warhol Museum

Several years ago, packed in a tiny, Central Phoenix music venue, I stood entranced by the drumming and chanting and noodling and jamming of the Akron/Family. I was pretty excited when I found out they were coming to Pittsburgh. In the much more sterile environment of the theater at the Andy Warhol Museum, the Akron/Family seemed to have a little more trouble drumming up audience participation, at least for the first half of the show. Perhaps they were distracted by the giant newborn baby, resting upstairs, glistening with afterbirth. But everybody was into it by the end, and I came away equally excited by the discovery of Megafaun, who played along with them. I do have to say that the sound in the Warhol theater is excellent, but I am not a fan of the seats, especially for shows that start so much earlier than my bedtime. (When I go to something like, say, my brother's band that won't even start playing until midnight, I have to sit down while enjoying the music.) But the opening band went on precisely at 8, and the entire show was over before 11, stopped rather unnaturally by museum staff who turned on the lights before there was even an encore. Oh well, the show still rocked, and I definitely plan to see these guys again.

Happy Springer Day

One Year Ago Today...
I had just spent the day climbing Springer Mountain and was lying shivering, but too exhausted to care, in a tiny purple and green tent right next to Stover Creek. We ate chili for dinner and crawled into bed around 6 pm, as it was getting dark and very cold and we were not sure what thru-hikers were supposed to do in the evenings. I was wondering if the pain radiating through my body was normal, or at least average, or if this venture might actually kill me, and now was the time to turn back. Then I fell asleep.

Today...
Alone in my apartment listening to records and feeling very much at peace with myself. The weather was suddenly and unseasonably warm, and earlier, I wandered down Liberty Avenue to Crazy Mocha. My brother just happened to be coming down the street at that exact time, so we had a cup of coffee together. That's what I love about the living in the city....the possibity of just Running Into Someone and grabbing a cup of coffee is very good. M is away in Boston on business, and I'm sure he is learning all kinds of interesting things about coding. I miss him, but we are sort of cosmically connected now, after walking all that way in each other's shoes, so it doesn't feel scary or weird like it once did.

Ahoy, matey!

Today, while waiting for the bus, one of my most challenging kindergarteners climbed up a few stairs, brought his hand to his forehead and intensely glared out over the cafeteria. I thought he was saluting, or perhaps about to take a dive. I went over to him and resisted the urge to yell.

"Ahoy, matey!" he said.

Ahh, he was pretending to be on a boat.

"Ahoy!" I replied, "Are we anywhere near land, captain?"

He squinted his eyes and gave the cafeteria another hard look.

"No," he said, "Not yet."

He looked a bit worried to be so far out at sea.

"You better check in the crew," I told him, "They're getting restless."

"Arrrhhh," he said, as he wandered back to the line.

He is much better behaved as a captain. The only trouble we had until the bus came was when he refused to put on his backpack. ("This is not a backpack, this is my steering wheel!")

Potluck Parties and Why You Should Have One

1. Convenience - you do not have to wait for a national holiday or your birthday, you can hold it any time.
2. Inspiration - it gives you a reason to sample new foods and exchange recipes.
3. No pressure - many parties held today require the purchase of cookware, jewelry, etc., but a potluck is free of order forms and the hard sell.
4. Communion - it is good to break bread with friends.
5. Sobriety - easier to avoid drinking too much or at all, when there is good food to eat.
6. Beauty - a table laden with colorful foods is a sight to behold.
7. Leftovers - people will leave all kinds of stuff at your house.
8. Housecleaning - it's a good excuse to do a thorough one before your guests arrive, and as long as you keep up with the dishes, your house will be just as clean when they leave.
9. Introductions - it's a comfortable way to invite new people.
10. Friendship - never put off spending time with friends and family. Life is precious, and life goes on for a limited amount of time for each of us.

Sunburn Nose, Suburb Ride

Why would I have sunburn in the middle of the bleak and cold winter?

If you recall, yesterday was a beautiful sunny day, with a clear blue sky. M and I went with Matt and Loren on a long bike ride out to the suburbs to Loren's parents' house. We rode from Bloomfield to Natrona Heights and back - about 40 miles. The temperatures were brisk - 19 degrees when we left. I had to wrap my feet in plastic bags to keep them from freezing in the wind. Does anyone know if the Highland Park bridge is in the City of Pittsburgh? I plan to call 311 today to report that the sidewalk is treacherous and to find out what it would take to get the city to salt some of these public walkways.

Duquesne Incline

Thom sent us so photos from when he and Madeline were in town. I think this really captures the feeling of Pittsburgh.

A Trip to the Health Department

Yellow Fever is a nasty viral infection transmitted by mosquitoes that can cause acute kidney failure and death. There is no cure - you just get sick and either die or get better. Luckily, Walter Reed developed a vaccine for it, as this disease has a history of wiping out large segments of occupying armies in Africa and South America.

Yet another wonderful thing about Pittsburgh is that we are not at risk for a Yellow Fever pandemic. Too cold.

But if you are traveling to certain equatorial regions of the world, you have to go get vaccinated. You even have to carry proof that you've been vaccinated.

By the way, M and I are going to Uganda this summer. More to follow on that.

Getting the vaccine is a big deal. Because it's a live vaccine, it's very dangerous, so they only administer it in certain locations. One such place is the Allegheny County Health Department. They just redesigned their website and it looks pretty snazzy. They have to mix up the vaccine right before they administer it and it's only good for an hour, so you have to go at very specific times, like Wednesdays from 6-7. The first time we went, there were about a hundred people waiting in line, but this week it was snowing and the clinic was nearly empty.

Before they stick the needle into your arm, you are warned about the possible complications from receiving this vaccine. Like, your throat might swell up and you die. Hmmm. After I got it, I was definitely paranoid all night wondering if I was, in fact, still breathing normally. My throat felt scratchy and I had a fever. That turns out to be the normal, non-life-threatening, reactions, though. In ten days, I will be immune from Yellow Fever!