b l o g o r e l l i

STIIIIILLLERSSSS!!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS to my hometown boys from Pittsburgh for a record *sixth* Superbowl victory. Of course, in honor of the game, I cooked up three pounds of bbq chipped ham, broke open the ketchup-flavored potatop chips, hung black+"gode" balloons on the porch...and invited one and all over for the big event. Did I mention that I also compiled a mix of Steelers songs and polkas for pre-game? Why, yes I did.

What else to say? Well, maybe something like this, about the halftime show (via Stereogum):
"Also it was an amazing night to have HD picture because when the Boss thrust his crotch into the camera I think he impregnated my eyeballs. That was very sexy, and totally one-upped Prince's dick-guitar. LIke the thriller of a game, and like Springsteen's pelvic camera crash, Bruce did not disappoint, turning his 12-minute allotment of halftime-time into a full on barnburner."

(image from BruceSpringsteen.net)

I guess our society's true visionaries (the video game industry and our shiny new Mr. Prez) were right in their predictions about the game.

As Lincoln succinctly pointed out while Bobby Crocker put his coat on to leave at the game's conclusion, "What a mess!" But SO worth the clean up, BBK...

Basking in the glow until next year,
Blogorelli

Here We Go

Yes! The Steelers are, once again, in the Superbowl. As such, we will be hosting a Superbowl pahr-tee at Castle Murforelli on February 1, 2009...plenty of chipped ham and Yuengling for all. Plus, we could possibly get my Gammy on speaker phone, which I guarantee will make everyone's night.

G O  S T I L L E R S !

Offline Noel

So, guess who forgot her laptop charger and had to be without online interaction for seven days straight in the iPhone "one bar reception" land of Western PA? Yep, yours truly.

After spending at least two hours on the phone with Comcast multiple times, driving to the Comcast office for the self-installation kit, and more time on hold with tech support (that was The Prof, actually,) we finally got my Gammy's house 'online.' Later that night, when my computer died from lack of juice, I couldn't find my charger and realized -- in horror -- that I might actually have to relax this Christmas at home!

Our trip was totally fun and chill, and I have to acknowledge that Mark did allow me to use his PC laptop. I found my charger last night, by the way -- in the bottom pocket of a bag that I was unpacking from our trip. Yep, I had the thing that whole time...maybe I should blame heavenly intervention for some much-needed escape away from the electronic chatter?

Photos, stories, and more to come tomorrow...

Amiamo Steelers!

Thank you, Giovanni Poggi, for flying all the way from Italy to see your first Steelers game...and letting me know where I have to stop for a Peroni the next time that I jet to Rome.

Beware, big world, fans of the Black & Gold are everywhere — really!

(Thx, Beth, for sending the Steeler love my way)

15 Minutes...Next Time

One thing that we missed this past weekend in Pittsburgh (besides the bagpipers) was the new Andy Warhol Museum's exhibit, 1958.

"As part of the continuing celebration of the 250^th Birthday of the City of Pittsburgh, The Andy Warhol Museum will mount an exhibition titled 1958 which will chronicle the events of that year when Pittsburgh last celebrated a momentous anniversary. The exhibition will be a pop cultural exploration of the trends, both high and low, which mapped out the aspirations and antics of this prime year of the U.S. Baby Boom...

...All of the above will be juxtaposed with a brand new portfolio of photographs by the artist-duo McDermott and McGough entitled 'Detroit 1958' which evokes the coming-of-age, dreamy vignettes of the car capital�'s upper class teens."

I definitely plan to take a look over the holidays, since the exhibit closes January 11, 2009 (!) Until then, I'll just satiate my retro cravings with some reading and looking about Lou Dorfsman, CBS's (eventual) creative director from 1946-1991.

The Quinto Quintet Take It There

Well, I'm just going to "own" this one, before anyone tries to use it against me and my Keystone State-lovin' self...

"When customers arrived at the Quick Check in Swatara Twp. for bread, milk or Pennsylvania Lottery tickets Wednesday, they found five people dressed as giant fingers dancing at the front door.

There they were, in pinkish costumes, with big, cartoonish eyes and smiles on their big, round fingertips. A sale on Halloween candy? No. They are the mascots for the Lottery's newest game, Quinto, in which players pick five numbers for a drawing that features a grand prize of $50,000.

Customers displayed the same reactions. First, hesitation. Then, acceptance. If you wanted a free Quinto ticket, and a chance at the loot, you had to pose for a picture with the fingers -- the "Quinto Quintet" -- that would appear on the Lottery's Web site."

Apparently, some people think that the Quintos look like penises, but everyone seemed to love taking photos with the baldies regardless (see my favorites below.) Pennsylvanians love their Lotto...and the Lotto loves to take it there.

Back from PA

Sorry that I sort of checked out last week, post-engagement announcement, and jaunted away to PA for my cousin's weekend wedding. Of course, I had my typical packed-to-the-brim (with activities and food!) visit.

More photos to come...

I would never think that my teensy hometown would merit a "Greetings from" postcard...

Not only was the church bazaar in full swing, but it's almost time for Kennywood Day...

And Gammy made my favorite: chicken + dumplings, which I managed to eat for three days straight!

36 Hours in Heaven

Ok, let's just pretend that my allusion to adolescence worked there in the title and get to the big news: The New York Times featured Pittsburgh in this past Sunday's "36 Hours" column!

Though a bit Strip District-centric, the article covered most of the essentials, including the Warhol Museum, Duquesne Incline, Oakland's universities and museums, and PNC Park. One definite oversight -- eating the classic Pittsburgh sandwich at Primanti Brothers. I am, however, interested to check out 16:62 Design Zone when I return home in August for my cousin Kris' wedding to the lovely Melinda (on their farm in a classic airplane hangar they're redoing for the reception, which is so cool.)

I think this part of the NYT article says what I've been preaching all along:
"Pittsburgh has undergone a striking renaissance from a down-and-out smokestack to a gleaming cultural oasis. But old stereotypes die hard, and Pittsburgh probably doesn’t make many people’s short list for a cosmopolitan getaway. Too bad, because this city of 89 distinct neighborhoods is a cool and — dare I say, hip—city."

WOO-HOO -- go PA!

(photo from Flickr, by NearDC...see more of his Pittsburgh shots here. Thx to JennJ for the heads up in the Comments, although I amazingly and coincidentally did see the actual printed article.)

I Love Pittsburgh

Don't say that I haven't warned: Pittburghers' civic pride is...effervescent?
"If 'yunz" ever come to Pittsburgh, it's for sure you'll want to stay..."

Truly a must-see.

Smitten Minus A Mitten

Ever see a lone glove sadly lying next to the stairs near a T entrance, dirty and flattened by hurried commuters' soles? Me too! Luckily for all those Desperately Seeking Snowmittens out there, warm-hearted Pittsburgh transplant Jennifer Gooch started OneColdHand.com.

For Gooch, a student pursuing her Master's of Fine Arts degree at Carnegie Mellon, the collection of "forlorn, abandoned lumps, useless without their mate" started with a single lambskin glove. She picks up hand coverings of all sorts around CMU's campus and the city in general, replacing them with a cute cartoon sticker asking if anyone is"MIssing a Glove?" She even has collection boxes around the city for strangers to turn in strays.

I especially love the "REUNITED!" announcements on the OCH blog and the fact that Gooch is franchising to other cities. OneColdHand Beantown sounds like a plan to this collector of discarded treasures!

(below, a OneColdHand collection box, and a few other things that promote pairings -- shoes from Finland for a parent + child to dance together, a similar idea for mittens [link unknown], and the eye-catching results of a Flickr search for "mittens.")