it's been quite some time...

...because I've been so busy with graduate school.

I love living in Pittsburgh, although it's quite cold right now (not nearly as cold as Chicago, nor as cold as Vermont usually was, but my apartment...well...she makes me cry).

tired, broke and going to blog about it.

Since no one reads this blog except for me (hello, empty room!), I'm going to blog about how crummy I feel.

I am broke.
My eyes are twitching (yes, for real. The right one is kind of...twittering, on and off).
I think this is from reading too much.
Yesterday, I cried in front of some of my grad-school 'friends'.
And I put friends in quotes because, well, they're not really friends.
They're people I talk to in class.
They are very nice, and very supportive, but I am still by myself in my apartment. With too much homework.
Going a little crazy.
I am waiting for the cable man because Comcast screwed up.

So what will make me feel better?

Boston Terriers. Any dog, really.


Fall, especially in Vermont.


Scarves.



Hot chocolate.


I feel slightly better already...

shelf reading.

Lots of homework, these days, and schedule that keeps me up (and wakes me up!) at odd hours. I rarely have time to surf the web (tear) and keep up with blogs and readings I enjoy (mostly reading things I don't enjoy). A coworker at the library turned me on to this amazing site, and I had to look through it.

Pitt and several partners have collaborated to create digital archives of historic Western Pennsylvania. One archive in particular, the Smoke Control Lantern Slides, is absolutely breath-taking. Before 1941, at the height of industry, Pittsburgh (which basically sits in a bowl in the earth) had ridiculously terrible air-quality. Apparently men who worked downtown brought 2 shirts to work because by midday, the first show would be completely soiled. You can read about the legislation passed to clean the air on the site, and see shocking before and after pictures.

This one is my absolute favorite.



(photo Smoky Church, ca. 1940, creator unknown, via the Historic Pittsburgh Digital Library as cited above)

Good night!

pgh.

So far I'm really liking Pittsburgh. I had a chance to explore last weekend when my sister came out here with me, and then when E visited for a few days.

There are some really neat things to do and see:
*the strip district (this gritty, wonderful market area; fish, flowers, cheese, pasta, spices, you name it)
*funicular trains (Pittsburghers take them to work up the mountain!)
*lots of yummy restaurants (Pho Minh, D'z, Primanti Bros.)

I had two days of orientation after E left; I'm excited about my program and the people in it. My particular concentration (school librarianship) has a wonderful set of women (yes, all women!) who seem perfectly suited for what we're doing. I think everyone is pretty dedicated to this, and I am, by far, the oldest person in the program. I'm a little worried about this whole writing papers thing.

All that said, I really miss Chicago. Odd, since I was having plenty of it the past year. I also miss E, and I know that this first month is going to be hard.

With that, I leave you with this amazing photograph that put a lump in my throat.

(via maplesyruponly's flickr photostream. thank you, it's beautiful)

one foot out the door...

I'm always a little bummed out when 'Teen Jeopardy!' is showing. While it signals the start of a new Jeopardy! season at it's end, the Teen tournament leaves me feeling bad about myself. One one hand, I gloat when I get the questions right. On the other, I feel really terrible about myself when I don't know the answers. It's a lose-lose situation. One thing I love about this season, though- the 'Ask Alex' bit during the commercials. Viewers get to ask Alex Trebek things like 'why did you shave your mustache' and 'what do you think of Will Ferrel's impression of you on SNL?'. Love it.

This morning we moved most of my things- packed boxes, posters, some furniture- into my mom's 1985 Westfalia VW camper. Most of it fit, thank goodness. We're going to have to do another trip later in the month, but it won't be as much stuff. Still, I'm a little nervous. I'm really going to miss...

E, of course
this tasty, delicious can't-get-enough gelato
the metallic earrings at Penelope's
Napoleon

my neighborhood, at night especially


Mario's Ice on a cool day
and a host of other things...

still...packing...

Feeling a little overwhelmed, but that's how it goes.

I spent the last six days in Vermont, my yearly pilgrimage to see my extended Vermont family. The main reason for celebration? Carmen and Matthew's wedding! Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures (E took his camera, mom's was out of batteries, and I'm too cheap/broke to buy one) and the wedding photog is taking his sweet time posting the pictures he took. It was a really lovely time, starting Thursday night all the way through Sunday (whew!). Carm had asked me to sing, and I did. my favorite part? Halfway through the ceremony we had to move it inside (unpredictable VT weather!) and I was asked to start singing the song I had just sung to help Matthew and Carm down the aisle, again. I started singing and everyone joined in! It was one of my favorite moments.

More later...

never lived by myself...

While I'm packing for Pittsburgh, I'm making piles. Oh, piles of things to give away, to throw away (straight to the rubbish bin!) and to perhaps sell in a yard sale that will most likely never come to fruition.

Making piles, listening to back-logged This American Life podcasts (what a crime!) and thinking about how I might decorate my new place.

Really, this should be the last of my thoughts, as I still have this book to finish for a discussion on my first day of grad student orientation. There are more pressing issues, I know, but what to put on my walls?! Where to put the (yet to be purchased/found on craigslist) sofa?! I've never lived by myself and this is a serious conundrum.

I know for sure I'll put up some pieces that E has drawn for me (and framed! What a nice beau) but I was thinking I might steal some of his Mat Daly prints, too.

(This is off the CHAIN in person! via MatDaly.com)

Mat and E have a sort of mutual admiration thing going and often trade posters (that's, apparently, the thing to do around here. I must say, there are loads of great poster artists in Chicago). I really, really love his work.