Another New Photo for a New Year

Reflections 1, originally uploaded by lcuy2 (Jenn).

Phipps Conservatory, Oakland, Pittsburgh PA.

A New Photo for a New Year

Reflections 2, originally uploaded by lcuy2 (Jenn).

Taken during a recent trip to Phipps Conservatory

Penguins vs Maple Leafs

J and I took a friend's son to see his first hockey game Friday night. JM is from South Carolina, where there is not a whole lot of hockey, but has been sports exposed enough to know about Sidney Crosby. BM has seen professional hockey before, but the Columbus Blue Jackets actually make the Penguins look competent, so watching a game in Mellon Arena was a whole new experience.

The Penguins returned our investment by beating the Maple Leafs 4 – 1, the first time they have managed to win a game against Toronto, at least on home ice, since 2001.

If you want to introduce someone to the sport of hockey, I cannot think of a better way to do it then take them to a Leafs game. Leafs fans travel well, an attribute you don't normally see in hockey. This is a product born of the difficulty and expense in obtaining tickets in Toronto and the relatively close distance of teams in Buffalo (Sabres), Detroit (Red Wings) and Pittsburgh (Penguins). I'm not sure if they go the distance to Columbus, but I would not be surprised if they did.

It makes for a fun game, as the number of fans from the opposing team is audible, enthusiastic and friendly, from singing “Oh Canada” to good natured taunting of happy Pens fans on the way home about the team's imminent departure from the city of Pittsburgh. Ouch.

JM even got to watch a fight. Between Jarkko Rutuu and Ben Ondru during the second period.

Have a safe and Happy New Year.

Christmas 2006

Day 1 – December 23

In which we successfully dodge the family ambush...

We decided to get the family visits out of the way, while I am still sick enough to easily justify staying home in bed. Trying to wrap presents Saturday morning was a chore, as my mind and reflexes were stuck on one speed – molasseses, with a memory retention of five minutes. Rare is it for me to be so out of it, even when I am feeling unwell. J ended up wrapping the majority of the gifts for both of our families.

After some tea we set off for my parents home in DuBois (the home the hot dog stuffed with peanut butter, in case that monstrosity has slipped from memory) to drop off gifts. My parents had us open our presents. Then we hit the road again to make it to a Christmas party hosted by J's cousin.

But first, a stop at J's parents to drop off another load of gifts, complete with the frantic scramble to remember the alarm code. After tucking the presents underneath the tree, we headed to J's cousin for some holiday merriment.

J's family Christmas celebrations are usually dry affairs. Imagine my shock to discover that J's cousin stocked the garage with beer, the counter with liquor and wine and the fridge with plenty of soda, seltzer and water for mixing.

It turned out I needed the single Strawberry Daiquiri I imbibed during dinner, as J's aunt ambushed him for an explanation as to why we would not be attending Wigilia this year. The ambush continued as we went through the process of saying our goodbyes. In spite of J's repeated assertions that we would not be spending the night, would not be having dinner with the extended family on Christmas Eve and had most of next weekend booked with activities with friends, various family members simply refused to believe that any of his statements were true.

By the time we made it home it was late, we were exhausted and I had a massive headache.

Day 2 – December 24

Last Minute Shopping...

J woke earlier to visit the Strip District to pick up the ingredients for Christmas dinner while I slept. When I woke, it was a clear head and more energy than I've had in the past two weeks, enough energy to finish the last minute shopping I had been putting off because I was so tired.

Sundays in winter mean Steeler games, and Christmas Eve was not exception. The Waterfront was quiet, the traffic almost manageable, the general population of shoppers congenial. As a bonus, I found a dress to wear on New Year's Eve.

It took me most of the afternoon to finish up. As the day was beautiful and most people were merry, I did not mind wandering aimlessly around in the sunshine.

The highlight of the afternoon was an exchange with a shopper in the line at Giant Eagle. As we waited for the cashier to ring up her groceries, we overheard a conversation in the next lane over, in which two women mocked those (myself included) who would use a check/debit card to pay for small purchases. As the cashier announced the (substantial)total on the woman's groceries, she turned to me and said “Do you think the debit card police would approve of me?” which made us both laugh.

I made J open one of his presents early, a volume of Animaniacs cartoons on DVD. We spent the evening watching episodes from the DVD.

Day 3 – Christmas Day

Holly, Jolly, Peaceful Christmas...

After opening gifts, J happily set up train track in the dining room to terrorize the three cats and alternately nagged me to crack open the iPod Shuffle he gave me so he can see how it works.

I have a 40GB iPod which I use to back up all my music and take on trips. I asked for a smaller one to take to the gym, and he obliged. He also raided my Amazon wish list for ideas, so I now have an enormous pile of books to read, mostly non-fiction. He even managed to track down some obscure hockey books from my list and special ordered them (although some have not made it to our door yet).

I did nothing today. It was glorious.

Be Careful What you Wish For

I had hoped for some semi-cataclysmic event (like a snowstorm) to trap me in my house over the holidays so I could stay home guilt free.

I got the flu. From J's niece.

Not the event I was hoping for. Damn.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Ten A.M.

10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, December 20th is when the State Gaming Control Board will award the single slots license for the city of Pittsburgh.

It is also the hour when fans learn whether the Penguins will stay or go. It is evident from events of the past several days that it is an either/or situation. Either Isle of Capri is awarded the license and the Penguins get a new arena, or the team will be moving.

I have a lot more to say, but it will have to wait.

I Have Nothing to Say

Seriously. I've been so tired the past week that I'm falling asleep at 9:30 pm. It is not as it there has not been interesting things occurring in the past week. I've just been too tired to write about it.

In the past week I've managed to fight off an ambush to our holiday plans, learn how “yinzer” some of our friends are and been thrown into managing a project at work with absolutely no experience, without a raise in pay.

The ambush came from J's family last weekend, when we went down to spend the day. J forgot to tell me that he had told his parents we would be spending Christmas Eve and day in our home. When his mom started making assumptive statements about our attendance at dinner, I lied and told her we were going to my parents.

Whoops.

The ambush continued at lunch, with J's sister urging me to drop our New Year's eve plans and drive to Latrobe to have dinner with them instead. I lost track of the number of times I explained that...

1. We already had dinner reservations.
2. With eight other people.
3. At 9 pm.
4. As we have done for the past five years.
5. And no, we were not changing them.

Later in the week we learned how “yinzer*” one couple we socialize with is when they decided (after we had made the reservation) to forgo dinner and watch the final Steeler game of the season. Because the Steelers might still be in the running for the playoffs. And it could be Bill Cowher's last game. And a true fan obsessively watches every damn game, even when they have HD cable television and a DVR recorder.

And just to round the week out my boss resigned. Effective December 22. In order to cover her projects, I have been thrown into managing a small project passed off from a co-worker with no experience communicating with clients and only a fourth of a clue as to what I am doing.

And I still have to make cookies.

*A “yinzer” in this context is a stereotypical Pittsburgh native who also happens to be a rabid Steelers fan. “Yinz” is a contraction of “you ones” thus taking bad grammar to a whole new level never imagined by William Safire.

Voted Least Likely to Lead a Coup d'etat

How evil are you?


Kind of sad that even in a foul mood, I can't muster enough evil-ness to fake an internet quiz.

I'm Curious...

To discover whether the usual right-wing suspects get into an uproar over last night's episode of Scrubs in which a very pregnant Jordan tells J.D and Kim that she had an abortion at the age of 19. And says she did not regret it. And is matter-of-fact about it. Then goes back to cuddling her son.

Just a thought.

FYI - I just became hooked on the show several weeks ago and have been catching up by watching the re-runs on Comedy Central.

Ice Storm

My first exposure to the hysteria that surrounds bad weather was in the South. In Pennsylvania, it is assumed that winter will be accompanied with its share of bad storms. In North Carolina, people always seemed to be caught off guard, even when they had days to prepare. Every storm warning provoked a last minute rush to the grocery store for milk, bread, eggs and toliet paper to stock up in case the electricity went out.

Early February 1996, halfway through my first year of graduate school the Piedmont Triad Region of North Carolina was hit by an ice storm that knocked out power to 100,000 homes and businesses for several days.

At the time I was living on the first floor of an old house on North Spring Street with a roommate from Atlanta, Georgia.

S was one of the more interesting roommates in my history of sharing a space with another human being. She waited tables at a local pizza joint and spent a good portion of her spare time lying naked in her bed smoking and watching cable television. She quit her job to move to Greensboro so she could be closer to her (married) boyfriend, who was a city police officer.

Day One
S decides, after several hours of ice that we do not have enough candles. I drive my roommate several miles over icy roads to the only open K-Mart to stock up on candles, flashlights and batteries, just to shut her up.

I wake in the early hours of February 3 to flashing lights and the sound of multiple sirens. I discover that the Charles Ireland House, a historical landmark separated from our apartment by two lots, is burning down. The firemen are unable to get the blaze under control because the water keeps freezing. The house is destroyed beyond repair and is eventually torn down.

Day Two
I somehow make it to work, finish my shift and spend the remainder of the day making arrangements to stay with a family friend and studying as the apartment gets progressively colder.

S decides it would be fun to spend another night in the apartment, sans heat. Unwilling to allow her to freeze to death on her own, I elect to stay also. I pile every blanket I own on my futon, dress in multiple layers and wool socks and climb into bed. Lucy, my kitten, also climbs under the covers and remains firmly curled into my chest the entire night.

Day Three
I have the day off. I make sure that S is still alive and discover that her fish tank has frozen solid. I pack my clothes, my kitten and some supplies into my car and head to a classmate's room to review some notes. Matt is kind enough to allow Lucy to run around his room while we review. After we finish, I bundle the kitten into the car and head for warmth and safety.

Aftermath
S refuses to remove the now dead fish from the tank. It sits for several months, until the smell is almost unbearable. I elect to find my own apartment.

Slow Work Day

This morning I walked into my building to find two of my co-workers and several of the other office dwellers staring intently at the elevators. Normally the lobby is empty at seven a.m., so a crowd made me curious. I asked one of my co-workers if something was wrong with the elevators. She turned to the security guard to ask him if there was something wrong with the elevators. While this mini drama was developing, I decided to push the UP button.

And the elevator door opened. Instead of trying the doors for themselves, my co-workers and the other office dwellers took the word of one woman who claimed to have called the elevators. She had. By holding down the Down button.

Because today was spent trying to write a training document, I had a little more down time than usual to catch up on news in the world. Not necessarily on the most important subjects, but entertaining nonetheless.

Topic 1: A, You Sexy Finn*, This One is For You

Because every time I hear news from/about Finland I think of my friend from graduate school, A.

From Finland, via CNET News, comes the report that Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen, dubbed as "Finland's sexist man" by French President Jacques Chirac, dumped his girlfriend via text message.

Out of curiosity I checked Vanhanen's biography on Wikipedia. The photographs show a man who is cute in a Clark Kent sort of way and has terrible taste in ties. While reading, I came across this gem of a statement, under the section Personality: "Vanhanen has been characterized as uncharismatic and even boring..."

Are Jacques Chirac's standards really that low? Is uncharismatic, boring and reprehensible taste in ties** considered sexy in Finland?

*With apologies to the second-luckiest-woman in the world, A's wife, K.
**A really is one of the most adorable men (behind J) on the face of the planet. Especially when he wears his knit baby-blue ski cap with little white designs. A hat which screams for pom-poms on top.

Topic 2: File Under Greedy Bastards

As scholars begin debating the viability of the IRS taxing online gaming assets such as virtual loot.

Topic 3: Score One for the Democrats

John Bolton will be leaving his post as U.S. Envoy to the U.N at the expiration of his recess appointment. Even better, he resigned.

Poor Dennis Prager

Lamenting on Headline News about how he has not had a chance on eat in the past two days because he has been making the rounds of the talk shows.

Poor Dennis Prager (1), so offended because Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, has requested a Qur'an instead of a Bible when taking the oath of office for the United States House of Representatives.

Prager's only argument against using the Qur'an to take the oath of office is 'tradition'. Apparently every member of Congress ever, including Jewish and atheists, have laid their hand on “the most revered book in American history (2)” to take the oath of office.

I hate to taint my blog by linking to Prager's post at Town Hall or WorldNetDaily, but in the interest of fair and balanced discourse, I will grit my teeth this once. In the further interest of full disclosure, I must admit that I stopped taking him seriously after the phrases "because the act undermines American civilization" and the implication that taking the oath of office on the Qur'an was the moral equivalent of allowing a racist to use Mein Kempf (3).

Common sense dictates that if an American citizen is permitted a choice of holy books (the Bible, the Torah, the Qur'an) when taking an oath in court, then the choice of holy book used when taking an oath to upload the Constitution of the United States should be irrelevant.

(1) Yes, I am aware that Prager is Jewish.

(2) I respectfully disagree with this statement and posit the theory that the most revered book in American History is, in fact, Mark Twain's Huck Finn.

(3) For the love of all that is sacred, learn how to write or get an editor! Kill the hyperbole and remember that a book title, such as Mein Kampf is underlined, not placed in "quotations."