Author Archive
Sunday, January 16th, 2028
Meeting with Councilmember Marsdale
Last night, I decided to be a patriotic Pittsburgher and meet my City Council member, Andrew Marsdale. He’s a relative newcomer - only elected a few years ago - but I like him a lot and he manages to do a lot of good for the Downtown area.
The meeting was held at a small café […]
No Comments » - Posted in Public Transportation, Life, Students for a Sustainable Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Development by Gretchen
Monday, January 10th, 2028
Surviving on a nonprofit salary
I got a call from my brother today. He went to college in DC and stayed there after graduating three years ago. When I answered my phone, I could practically feel his excitement coursing through my veins. Turns out, he got a new job. Previously he had been working as a program associate at a […]
2 Comments » - Posted in Life, Gretchen's Fam, Personal, Pittsburgh Development by Gretchen
Sunday, January 2nd, 2028
Scenes
The wind saws at my legs as I pull my winter coat close around my body. This is one of the few disadvantages of living downtown - the wind tunnels caused by the tall buildings. One of these days I’m going to blow away.
I hurriedly press on toward the Wood Street station, eager to descend […]
1 Comment » - Posted in Life, Writing, Personal by Gretchen
Monday, December 27th, 2027
Let’s Go Pens!
Frank and I had a wonderful time hosting Christmas this year, but that’s not to say that we didn’t heave a giant sigh of relief when everyone had made their way back to the places they live. And to celebrate our renewed solitude, we decided to head out with thousands of other fans and catch […]
2 Comments » - Posted in Penguins, Pittsburgh Sports, Downtown, Out and About by Gretchen
Monday, December 13th, 2027
Ice Skating at PPG Place
Last night, some friends were over at our apartment, eating cookies and laughing at our cats trying to bat ornaments off of our Christmas tree, when someone suggested that we go ice skating over at PPG Place. I love ice skating there - it’s so cool to be in the middle of a city with […]
4 Comments » - Posted in Life, Downtown, Personal, Out and About by Gretchen
Saturday, December 11th, 2027
Season’s greetings!
Yesterday afternoon at the Pittsburgh Women’s Foundation was freaking adorable. I was in charge of helping the girls I work with make Christmas cards for their families. Red and green and white construction paper, fancy white-ink markers, and silver and gold glitter everywhere. (Seriously. Everywhere. I rode the yellow line home and when I got […]
2 Comments » - Posted in Life, Pittsburgh Women's Foundation, Pittsburgh Development by Gretchen
Monday, December 6th, 2027
So very long ago
Today, I’m sharing some of the writing I did when I was still a lowly college undergrad (as opposed to now, when I’m a lowly entry-level professional). The piece I’m sharing was written during my senior year of college for a class that focused on reading your work to an audience. I read it once […]
2 Comments » - Posted in Writing, Gretchen's Fam, Personal by Gretchen
Saturday, December 4th, 2027
The moment of truth
So I blogged a few weeks ago about having a new book idea since my old one had become boring even to me. In that last post, I didn’t mention what the book was about, since the idea was so new, but I feel more comfortable talking about it now. Basically, it’s a young adult […]
1 Comment » - Posted in Writing, Personal by Gretchen
Monday, November 29th, 2027
Scenes
A woman boards the yellow line. It’s the Mercy Hospital-Duquesne University stop. She wears a crisp navy blue pantsuit and pearl earrings. Sits down beneath the map of Pittsburgh. Stares straight ahead.
Her cell phone rings and she glances at the name. Her eyes roll skyward but she answers. She speaks quietly into the receiver for […]
No Comments » - Posted in Life, Writing, Personal by Gretchen
Saturday, November 27th, 2027
Pittsburgh Women’s Foundation
I realized that while I’ve blogged about my job before, I’ve never really explained how the Foundation began or what all it does. And it is super awesome, so here goes.
Back in 2013, Alicia Mulraney, a sociology major at Pitt, and Janessa Crosby, a women’s studies major at Carlow, had internships at the Pittsburgh YWCA […]
