A funeral, a plumbing disaster, and a minor fire...

It's been a heck of a week. We had airport duty last weekend and spent some lovely time on the Parkway West, shuttling relatives who were in for Grandma's funeral. Soon after my sister arrived, so did the plumber, to unclog our bathroom sink. Unclog it he did, but the pipe broke in the process. Just to make sure that the pipe was really broken, he ran gallons and gallons of water into the sink, until it began pouring down through the living room ceiling, right on the head of my poor, jet-lagged sister, while I shrieked, "it's dripping, it's dripping!!!"

All week, we had to brush our teeth in the bathtub, because the plumber could not return until Friday. To fix the pipe, he had to cut through the living room ceiling and the bedroom wall. And plumbers only break walls, they don't fix them. All you experienced homeowners probably knew this already, but it was news to me. Once everything was hooked up again, he discovered that the pipe Was Still Clogged. He snaked the pipe again, luckily not busting anything in the process, but he did issue an ominous warning..."I got through this time, but I hit something that scares me." Hmmm. So, we might be going ahead and replacing that bathroom sooner rather than later.

After I let the plumber out, I heard Megan in the kitchen shouting "my toast is on fire!" Well, not really shouting, she was remarkably calm. However, her toast really was engulfed in flames. If you ever find yourself in this situation, do not blow on the toast, it will not make the flames go out. It is also not the best time to realize that you do not have a fire extinguisher. Luckily, Megan is brave, and she picked up the whole flaming unit and carried it outside into the driveway, where it would not catch anything else on fire. I have blackened many a piece of toast over the years, but never have I seen bread burn like this. Very strange.

Here's to hoping the next week is not as exciting.

Rest in peace, Gram...

My grandma, Norine McKinley Benzenhoefer, died early Saturday morning after a long illness. She followed this blog closely, and when I visited her last week she asked me what my latest posts have been about. This post is for you, Gram!

I grew up five doors down from my grandparents, and their kitchen table was often a destination to stave off summer boredom. When I think of Grandma twenty years ago, I imagine her drinking tea, with a blue Salada label, the kind that has a little fortune on the back. If I was lucky, she might offer me an oatmeal cookie or a Nilla wafer.

My Gram was never what I would call a "touchy-feely" type, in fact I don't remember ever hugging her until after she got sick, although I know that I must have. But she always asked about what I was doing, and better yet, listened to everything I had to say. She told me about her childhood, which I found fascinating, especially after I moved to Bloomfield, where she had grown up. She told me about her father's dogs, and what it was like when her sisters were small, and all about going to Catholic school (we graduated from the same all-girls, Catholic high school system).

Since M and I moved back to Pittsburgh, Grandma periodically called us to see if we needed furniture. I now have my Grandpa's recliner chair in my living room, along with his reading lamp, and a strange set of golf themed high-ball glasses. I often read at night in her original rocking chair, the first one she had with the low back, that she told me, "wasn't so good for rocking babies", something she spent a good many years doing with five children. She made Grandpa get her a new one with a high back, so she could have something to rest her head against. These are treasured possessions for M and I.

My Grandma showed me what I'm going to look like when I'm old, which I realized when she gave me a framed photo of herself, my mother and me on my wedding day, and it was like looking at one person at three ages. I never thought we looked that much alike, but in that photo, the jaw line, and the eyes are what really makes it.

When I was ten or so, my mom and aunts made me put on her wedding dress for their anniversary party. I know for a fact I could never get into that today...she was tiny back then!

Grandma was pretty tech-savvy for her age, and we exchanged a lot of emails over the years. At first, they made me laugh, because she would write in all lower case letters and keep it very short...like a telegraph. But recently, they grew longer. We "swapped prayers" - her idea - when we were closing on our house and she had a big doctor's visit on the same day. She always, always complained about winter weather, and I think heaven for her will look like the sunny days of late May, when it isn't too hot, but there is absolutely no danger of snow.

Grandma taught me to knit and to crochet, and she passed along her old needles to me. Cousins, if you want a knitting lesson, come on over!

Park Place Supper Club

Last night we attended the Park Place Supper Club and ate way too much delicious food. Emphasis on the way too much and the good. And I decided that I am in love with my neighborhood. I liked it well enough before...you can't beat having the Co-op across the street, Frick Park down the way, easy access to the Parkway, and six bus lines to Oakland. But throw in friendly neighbors who are fantastic cooks, and you have me sold. It's always good to be sold on a neighborhood where you already own a house.

It's also a really different feeling to know I'm going to be here for a long time. Especially in the past few years, we've had the experience of moving frequently (sometimes as frequently as every night!). It's kind of nice to watch the sun come up every morning in the same place.

Steeler Nation

First, a "woo-hoo!" Then, a "shame on you!"

The frenzy of football excitement culminated to hurricane proportions during the last five minutes of the Super Bowl. We shouted. We waved towels. We lit the rally candle, and performed all kinds of superstitious rituals. We ate black and gold food. I have to admit that I did not follow the Steelers much before I moved to Phoenix. Although, I do remember watching Super Bowl XXX with my Grandpa and Aunt DC and my cousins. And my father claims that I participated in the Super Bowl XIII celebrations in utero. In any event, my social life for the last five months or so, has largely revolved around football. So, it's kind of sad to see all these empty Sundays laid out in front of me. But the celebration is not over yet...Mayor SteelerStahl is hosting a parade after all. And apparently jerseys and super bowl t-shirts will be acceptable business attire for the next week or so.

Now, for the admonishment. Shame on you, Pitt students for breaking down the bus stop on the corner of Forbes and Bigelow. Shame on you for smashing up Hillman Library. Shame on you for destroying every bit of landscaping around the Union and
And don't you dare call yourselves part of the Steeler Nation. Youths in other countries hold demonstrations like this when ousting murderous dictators. It is a game. Drink some beer and wave a towel. Take your shirt off and paint your chest. I personally think that Chancellor Nordenberg could send a very strong message by expelling every single student who was arrested on Sunday night. Although, universities are shameless money making ventures, so it is unlikely that any tuition-paying student will be kicked out. But I digress.

Anyway, the point is, it's been great fun watching this team play this year, and nice to be in the city of champions once again.

Silence....

Ok, ok...sorry for the lack of posting. I was waiting for M to put up the new blog...he was waiting for me to pick some pictures. And I feel like I'm spending a lot of spare time shoveling my sidewalk. Ahh, homeownership. Nothing too exciting is going on, so I'm going to tell you:
1. 1 fact about me
2. 1 book I'm reading
3. 1 somewhat inspiring story

First, a fact. Although I can be astoundingly cheap about many things - it would not occur to me to replace socks with holes - I often splurge on cut flowers. I love having them in my house, and I especially love having them on the mantle in my bedroom.

Second, a book. I have been eagerly awaiting Scratch Beginnings, which I requested from the library weeks ago (again with the cheapness...I am a total bookworm but rarely do I purchase books). This book is the same sort of social experiment that Barbara Ehrenreich did with Nickel and Dimed, except this guys starts out with even less, and actually sets out to dispute her conclusion that it's basically impossible to work yourself out of working class poverty. I'm on chapter 2 and so far, he's living in a homeless shelter eating fantastic food that volunteers make for them, and is basically getting screwed by the temp agency he is trying to work for. Didn't see that one coming. Anyway, it's kind of interesting to read in the current times, with so many people losing their jobs.

Finally, a somewhat inspiring story. I volunteer at a school. I took a few weeks off for the holidays and when I went back last week, all the kids shouted my name and gave me hugs. This is especially adorable because they are all third and fourth grade boys in a learning support classroom. That is to say they are normally making strong efforts to swagger around like gangstas and look tough, but they have too much babyfat to look anything but cute as buttons. After the warm greeting, one of them came up to me and said, "Remember how you taught me the difference between just guessing the answer and knowing which one to pick...I still do that." I did remember...the students in this class work on the computers every day, but I noticed that they mainly just click the buttons on the Very Expensive Educational Software that the district has carefully selected for them. They are so good at guessing and clicking, that it almost looks like they might be learning something. And there are so many shiny animations that they stare mesmerized, temporarily distracted from harassing their classmates. Win-win, right? Well, I spent a very long morning trying to explain to R the difference between what he was doing, and the way that the software was meant to be used...and he listened. Cue inspirational choir music.

The Times, They are A'Changing

Work on a new version of WHBOMAK is underway... stay tuned for a better blog in the coming days (weeks?) as this one is migrated.

Better here, because it was never great?

This article, from the New York Times, caught my eye this morning. At first, it made me want to give myself a high five for moving back here during these Woeful Economic Times. But is Pittsburgh really safe(r) from recession, unemployment, downsizing, and foreclosures? Or were Yinzers never greedy enough (or ambitious enough) to buy into the artificially inflated economy? And why does everybody outside of this region seemed obsessed with continuing to label us as the Steel City? It's been ages since that was a reality - by the time I got out of diapers, the Burgh was already being nominated as most livable city.

The truth is, things are still rocky here - even the sturdy university and healthcare sectors are laying off workers, or at least in the case of Pitt, instituting hiring freezes - but it doesn't feel as bad to fall, because we aren't falling very far. I think people like to romanticize Pittsburgh's steel history, but even though that era is long gone, remnants are every where, from the broken down towns along the Mon, to the smokestacks that tower over the Waterfront shopping development. Maybe once you suffer an economic collapse that great, it makes sense not to aim too high. Maybe the whole country could benefit from this lesson.

Winter Hiking?

So, I did end up going out this weekend to do the last 30 miles of the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail. M was not feeling great, so he stayed home, but Caveman of Ohio came with me. They were calling for rain, but we mostly dodged it, making it to the Grindle Ridge Shelter about an hour before the torrential downpour started. By morning, it was clear and sunny, and warm enough for short sleeves. The trail was pretty wet, though. On Sunday, we made it to within a mile and a half of the car before we had to put on our pack covers and rain gear. A nasty cold front was blowing in, and this photo shows the wind really whipping me around as I pose for a photo on a rocky outcropping overlooking the Youghiogheny River. I did take some video footage this weekend and am in the process of splicing together the highlights.

The forest is different in every season, and even though the weather was unseasonably warm this weekend, the sun still cast long, winter shadows, and very few birds or other animals made themselves known. Every now and then, the roaring noise of miles-away wind on the next ridge reminded me that no matter how much clear cutting or strip mining is done to a place, the forest and the mountains will reclaim themselves as wild places.

M is feeling better and we are enjoying the holiday break. He noticed my mood was greatly improved as a result of a little fresh mountain air.

2008

Yes, it's that time to reflect on another year come and gone. Here are some personal highlights from '08, the Year of the Rat, according to the Chinese Calendar.

Given my feelings at the end of 2007, I have to say that much of what happened in 2008 was not expected.

1. M and I celebrated five years of marriage and 12 years of general togetherness. We celebrated the occasion by taking a secret, last minute trip.
2. I joined Facebook, and found that a bunch of old friends are doing lots of awesome things.
3. I earned a 4.0 in my first semester of grad school.
4. I finally got my PA teaching certificate. Now, the question is, where should I try to get a job?
5. We went to Africa.
6. We bought a house.
7. We got a tv. And a Wii.
8. We made lots and lots of pierogies.

One Weekend in the Woods....

Over the summer, we foolishly attempted to hike all 70 miles of the Laurel Highlands Trail in three days. This might have been ok, if it hadn't included the time required to do a 70 mile car shuttle, not to mention all the additional miles hiked in and out of shelter areas in search of water (who puts a shelter 1.5 miles off trail???). We started off strong, but due to some unexpected footwear problems (I did not expect boots I had successfully worn the summer before for over 500 miles would suddenly not fit), we only ended up doing the first 40 miles of the trail, and went home a day early. We hope to return to the Laurel Highlands next weekend to finish the last 30 miles. This video tells the story of part 1 of this adventure.