The Blurgh

My final semester at Pitt has begun, and it has begun with a bang. It’s only my second day, and I’m already feeling completely overwhelmed!

I have always loved the first week of classes, and I thought this would be one of the best. Besides my directed study with Dr. Lemley and internship at CRR, the rest of my classes were just ones I needed to take to finish requirements. I was looking forward to professors handing out syllabi and dismissing the class early, but starting with my first class, it wasn’t meant to be.

Almost everyone I know took Intro to Biotechnology to satisfy their science requirement, and they all said it was a piece of cake, but my professor is new and seems to be on a mission. To make my life hell. The first class was yesterday, and we already have to read chapter 1 and be ready for a quiz on Friday. I mean, people are still in the add/drop period, so what’s she going to do when a new student comes in Friday who just signed up? I feel sorry for that kid already…

I also couldn’t resist taking another history class, the History of Peacetime. Its basic premise is that long periods of peace should be studied just like wars are, which sounded very interesting to me. After looking at the syllabus, I need to think about how much “interesting” is really worth. There are short writing assignments due every other week, and 3 large essays spaced out during the semester. Yikes.

My last class satisfies one of those cross-discipline requirements I need to finish my psychology major, and I picked Sociology of Gender. I haven’t had a class yet, but I’m hoping against hope that it doesn’t fit the same pattern as the rest of them.

I am excited about my internship, though, which will start later this week, and I’ll be meeting with Dr. Lemley soon to plan out our directed study. I’ll keep you posted!

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 nonprofit in DC that deals with poverty issues in the district. Now he’ll be working in a job that’s somewhat similar to his old one, but at a large corporation.

“Wow! Why the switch?” I asked. “I thought you loved, you know, working on the poverty stuff.”

“Yeah,” he replied, “but this is just such a better fit. I’ll be doing a lot of the same types of things I was doing there, but for a lot more money, which is definitely nice.”

Later, when I ran this exchange by Frank, he didn’t seem too surprised. He has a cousin who used to work for a nonprofit in Philadelphia but switched jobs because her salary was way too low for her to even get by in the city.

It really got me thinking about my job. As you know, I work for a nonprofit - and a relatively new one at that. My salary is by no means exponential, but it’s fine. And I’m not the only one in the city in this situation. Plenty of people I went to college with now work for small nonprofits throughout the city. When the tech firms started moving in a few decades ago, they brought with them more money to be spent on charitable efforts. They also caused salaries at nonprofits to increase a bit in tandem with the increasing salaries being earned by those working in the technological industry.

Thanks to all this, I can live comfortably on my entry-level salary at the Pittsburgh Women’s Foundation. Frank and I can afford to live in our pretty cozy digs downtown while still managing to save money to buy a house at some point later on. We never have to choose between paying the electric bill or buying groceries. Living together helps keep our costs down, but my brother had been living with three of his college friends in DC and he still felt he wasn’t making enough money. The phone call from him today really made me understand how lucky I am to be living in a city with a low cost of living while still working at a job I really love.

Also - sorry for not posting the past few days! I’ve been sick with a gross bronchitis/sinus infection thing and Frank has been taking very good care of me. We’re hoping to be posting on our regular schedule for the rest of the week and into next.

A couple months ago, I wrote about the organization that my mom is involved with called Breaking Down the Digital Divide (B3D).  A few friends of hers founded it, and my mom getting a job with them was the main push that brought my family, who were originally from Western PA but living in DC at the time, back to Pittsburgh.

I was asking my mom a little more about the founding of the organization a few nights ago, and she told me an interesting story.  Before B3D started, one of the to-be founders was a prominent blogger in the then new but quickly growing Pittsburgh blog scene.  She blogged mostly about technology issues, but as time went on, her blogging became more and more focused on political and community issues.  She got a couple other Pittsburgh bloggers together, and they discussed ways they could start doing something about what they perceived was a problem common to all of them.

That problem, as I mentioned in that earlier post, was the digital divide in Pittsburgh.  At the time, Pittsburgh wasn’t in the best of shape.  The population was in decline, the public schools weren’t doing well, and the city was very segregated and socio-economically divided.  The combination of these issues meant that a lot of disadvantaged kids were getting left behind just as the digital age was really ramping up.

All of the bloggers felt that teaching these kids about technology, and particularly blogging, would be a great way to help prepare these children to better compete in the job market as they got older, give them a way to express themselves, and provide a tool for them to tell their stories in a way that was productive for them and society.  It would also help make Pittsburgh’s already growing blog scene even more dynamic and influential.  This was the definition of win-win.

But, as my mom put it, a lot of people have great ideas, but turning those ideas into reality is much more difficult.  Initially, the bloggers thought just that–it was a great idea, but how are we going to do it?  They started thinking about all the problems they’d encounter, and generally began to discourage themselves.  In the end they decided to put a few feelers out and give it a shot.

The part of the story that really amazed me, though, was what happened next.  Once they decided to step away from the keyboard and do something about their convictions, people got excited.  One blogger knew some technology people at Pitt, and they quickly pledged to donate computers.  Another blogger knew some people in community organizations, and they pledged space to setup computer labs.  Before anyone knew it, they had equipment, space, instructors, buy-in from the community, and most importantly, a huge group of excited and motivated people.  Soon after, B3D was officially born.

These are the kinds of stories that make me think…what does it take to make things happen?  There are a million different factors, but one that seems universally constant is having enough guts to push past the doubt and various mental barriers we put up and just start making it happen.  I hope that after I get my career started, whatever that may be, that I have the guts to do just that.

Last weekend, Gretchen and I were lucky enough to score tickets to The Tubes concert, and it was awesome. Neither of us have seen The Tubes since they made it big nationally and, as I’m sure you know, tickets were not easy to come by. It just so happens, though, that they recorded their first album at Washie’s, so my dad was able to pull some strings to get us in.

The Tubes have a great 80s/funk fusion kind of thing, and they somehow find a way to incorporate an accordian into almost every song they play. I also can’t imagine a better place for them to play in than Venue 13. It’s on 13th and near Sarah in the South Side in this crazy old police station. There was a big fire in it that gutted the place decades ago, and it was abandoned for a long time. When things started happening in the South Side, a clever investor bought the property for practically nothing, and over several years renovated it into an intimate but large venue. It’s great because it attracts national acts but still has the feel of a small club.

My Dad told me that he remembers sneaking into the building before it was sold and goofing around with his friends. It tried to get more details on what exactly he meant by “goofing,” but when I asked, he suddenly remembered he had something to do that was “very important…”

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 the stairs and bask in the relative warmth below. Once I reach the platform, an unusual sight greets me. A dozen Amish women and several young Amish girls are patiently waiting for the next train to arrive.

When the yellow line train pulls into the station, I get onto the same car as the women and sit down close to them. I wonder where they’re going, what business they have in the city today. I am intrigued by their simple life and wonder what I would be life if I lived in the country with my small community, rather than this imposing city and its thousands of strangers. Would I enjoy the simplicity of it? Would the silence drive me insane? Would I wonder what my life would be like if I lived in the city?

We arrive at my stop and I walk past the women and their children. One small girl in a long blue dress gives me a shy smile. I give one, shyly, in return.

Happy new year to everyone! Here’s hoping that 2028 will be the best year ever. Regular posting resumes tomorrow, after we stuff ourselves silly with pork roast, mashed potatoes and sauerkraut.

Since I’ll be starting an internship at Community Recycling and Renewables (CRR) in a few weeks, my days at the Castle are coming to an end.  It’s been awesome, and I’m going to miss the money a lot…I don’t know if you knew this, but there is quite a pay differential between bartending and interning!

It’ll actually work out all right, because starting in January, the Castle will be undergoing some renovation and expansion into the adjacent store.  Because of that, a large part of the bar will be unavailable, so they are cutting back on the number of people working every night.  I will miss it though, and I might try to start working there a few nights a week again after the semester’s over.  By then all the work will be done, so they’ll definitely be in need of people.

And I have to admit, I’m a little proud of myself–one of the main reasons that the owner decided to expand was to increase the capacity of the theatre and stage, and that’s largely due to the overwhelming success of the Rocky Horror night back on Halloween (my idea!).  The owner is planning on sponsoring an Indie movie night at least every week and also booking some bigger local bands as well as national acts to come play when the new and improved stage is done.

If you ask me, that’s something that Oakland desperately needs.  The South Side, Lawrenceville, the North Side and other neighborhoods already have big venues, but Oakland hasn’t had anything since Laga closed over 20 years ago (at least that’s what my Dad said).  He told me a story about sneaking in there to see P-Funk play when he was 16 or something…that must have been fun.

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 last night’s Pens-Flyers game at the arena.

I have been a huge Penguins fan since I was a kid. When I was little, I played street hockey with my brothers and cousins and got totally hooked on the sport. This naturally progressed into following the Penguins, and I try to attend games whenever possible. (Living downtown definitely helps – it’s nice to be able to leave for the game at 6:45 and be in your seat at 7.)

Anyway, the Pens are doing really well this year. This is the second year that Sidney Crosby’s been the head coach of the team – he was an amazing hockey player back in his day, and after he retired the Penguins asked him to join the coaching staff as an assistant coach. Last year, he took over the head coach position and the team has just seemed really inspired ever since. Crosby is just the most amazing person. He was drafted by the Pens when he was just 17, and he’s stayed here ever since. I love seeing that kind of dedication from such a gifted athlete – it really shows his character.

We had a great time at the game. We wolfed down Primanti’s sandwiches like there was no tomorrow and washed them down with Iron City beer (regular for Frank, IC Light for me). And – best of all – the Pens won in a shutout, 4-0!

Sorry for the lack of posting during the last week, Gretchen and I have been busy entertaining family. We convinced everyone to meet in Pittsburgh like we did over Thanksgiving, although it was a little more difficult this time around because the Florida and California family were scared of the snow! The big event was held at my parents’ house, and it went really well. It really was big, too–besides immediate family, a good chunk of both of our extended families came to town.

On Christmas Eve, we all went down to the Strip for the annual activities. Most of the extended family that came hadn’t been in Pittsburgh for decades, and they were amazed at all the differences. They really enjoyed taking the train to different places, and they kept commenting on how they don’t remember seeing so many people out, especially so many families with young children. The Strip was a madhouse, but everyone there was in such a good mood that it felt more like a party. There were a couple people playing music in the streets, including a guy playing an accordian, and Gretchen and I had a little fun and started polka-ing. After a little bit a few more couples joined us, and our families started snapping a crapload of pictures, many of which I’m sure will embarrass!

One thing about getting together with family is that you get the inevitable questions on what you’re doing with your life. I’ve always hated those, but now that I’m a senior, the questions seemed a little more pointed. When I’d try to give the old answers of, “Oh, I’m not sure, maybe I’ll go on to grad school,” they just didn’t seem good enough, and I guess when it comes down to it, they really aren’t. I’ve been trying not to freak out about graduating, but it’s starting…what the hell am I going to do? I feel like I should have a good idea of what I want to do if I’d go to grad school, and even if I did want to apply for next fall, I’m already late. I hope having a few days off to think about it before the semester starts will help.

Gretchen and I will be occupied with holiday festivities until the 26th–Happy Holidays!