First I Am Four filmed in literally the next town over from where I grew up, now the last installment of Christopher Nolan's Batman series had chosen Pittsburgh as its summer shooting location.
GO PA!
I'm actually pretty excited about this, esp because The Prof and I are planning a week home in June, and you can be damn sure the we'll add trolling The Dark Knight Rises shooting sites to our itinerary.
Bursting. With. Pride.
Wow, so the Stillers are playing in their third SuperBowl since I've lived in New England! I am so excited and very proud of my hometown Black & Gold ("gode",) but have to admit a little enhanced homesicknesses today. How fun would it be to watch this game in PA -- instead of in the land of Patriots?
Meanwhile, it's all chipped ham bbq, pierogies, and Yuenglings...sounds like quite a night in the Steel City. Le sigh. The Prof and I are going to a SuperBowl party here, and I'll be wearing my colors proud.
GO PITTSBURGH!
I'm there in spirit anyway.
C'mon, black and gold, do me right when it really matters
Family (2010)
The long haul to PA always means Wegmans subs for dinner. DE LISH.
Presenting Miss Niamh with her amazing new 5th birthday acquisition, a piano that's also -- wait for it -- a makeup vanity. (I'll let you decide on whether the black and white format is either a blessing or a curse, as it disguises the total pinkness plastic-ness of the entire assemblage, although I think the turrets speak for themselves.)
We met my childhood friend Shannon, her hubs, and two kids at the Northmoreland Park Labor United Celebration as a final "hurrah" to our weekend at home. The weather was moody, much like me after being told that we had to leave The Boys in the car. While waiting for my Polish Platter, I saw two people with dogs. Harumph.
Extra credit:
As a young Blogorelli, Poison's "Open Up and Say...Ahhh" played in heavy rotation on my tape deck...so imagine my excitement when Mom-orelli told me that Bret Michaels was playing at the Heinz Field Rib-Off this past weekend while The Prof and I were home visiting! Though I feared Mr. Michaels might have lost his skinny bop, nope, he's still got "it."
Extra credit:
Before the Riboff/Concert, we stopped at the Rivers Casino for a cocktail
Here we go Stillers!
The ribs were ok...we chose the Kansas City booth and waited almost THIRTY MINUTES for our half rack (?) with (canned) cole slaw, beans and (cold) corn bread. Hmm. I guess if there's a next time, I'll try a different vendor and maybe the BBQ chicken?
I never thought the day would come when my hometown had a vintage/antiques emporium that was enviable to any I'd ever seen in my many travels. Ruman & Kraft Antiques opened on this past December 7 (Pearl Harbor Day) and I finally had a chance to check out the store this weekend.
AMAZING! Aside from being styled to perfection (I could spend hours studying all of the various displays,) the store is also curated to cover basically any collecting niche from 1800 onward. Every case and corner is full of objects ranging from Victorian portraits, to Bakelite, to Mod lighting, Russel Wright dinnerware, Depression Glass, Pyrex, matchbooks, the original lawn Flamingos, classic black rotary phones, vintage tablecloths/fabric/Hudson Bay blankets, to...
The owners have been buying/collecting for 20+ years, and had stores on Lombard Street and Haight Street in San Francisco; they purchased the space in Leechburg five years ago and spent two years just restoring the interior before the meticulous merchandise arranging began. I plan to go back over Christmas break and ask to do some photographs of the store because I want to write a more in-depth post since this store is just too good for a brief summary.
More to come (hopefully!)
When I was visiting home about six weeks back, I heard a bit of townie news that might be the most exciting in years: DreamWorks Studios will be setting up shop in Vandergrift, PA, to film "I Am Number Four."
Aside from being right next to my hometown of Leechburg, PA, Vandergrift also has the distinction of being designed by landscape architect Frederick Olmstead, the very same one who designed the Emerald Necklace in Boston and Central Park in NYC.
From the Vandergrift Public Library:
"Founded in 1895, Vandergrift was the first successful planned industrial town designed to be sold to its workers. George McMurtry, president of the Apollo Iron & Steel Co., Apollo, Pa., needed to expand his successful galvanized steel operations. Beset with labor problems and unable to acquire additional land, he selected a 650-acre farm site a few miles downstream on the Kiskiminetas River, some forty miles from Pittsburgh.
He than approached the designer of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, Frederick Law Olmsted, to design a town that would be "something better than the best." The result was Vandergrift, (named for Capt. J.J. Vandergrift, a director of the steel company) a town with gently curving streets that follow the natural slope of the hills. Everything was made ready in advance...In 1895, this was a unique idea in America--that a company would build a town entirely in advance and then turn over its control to the workers.
The spirit of Frederick Law Olmsted, the famed landscape designer who worked in partnership with nature, is evident in Vandergrift's natural layout--in its curved, tree-lined streets, in its parklets, and in its wide mall leading from the old railroad station to the historic Casino town hall."
For a local who knows how hard hit the area has been by the downsizing and closing of steel mills, I find an even better aspect of the filming to be that the crew will be revitalizing the town's main street (and leaving everything behind after filming is complete) while pumping money into the local economy (may I recommend an excellent restaurant?)
"I Am Four" will be based on a novel written by James Frey ("A Million Little Pieces") about nine alien teens who come to Earth after their planet is destroyed by an enemy species. I can't wait until the movie hits theaters in 2011 (and I might even read the book beforehand)!
Swelled with PA Pride,
Blogorelli
The end of a great (relaxing but not particularly productive) weekend...today started with a rainy trip to Todd Farm in Rowley. Despite being "Open," there were only about three vendors out braving the weather; Cho and I plan to return on a sunnier day. A nap and some laundry loads later, The Prof and I ended up at Pleasant Cafe for some pre-game pizza and beer before the game.
GO CELTICS!
This is just wrong on so many levels that I can't even begin to discuss:
Pittsburgh-based Heinz is changing its ketchup recipe by using less salt to create a healthier condiment. Company officials say the new recipe cuts 15 percent of sodium, and is the first significant change of the ketchup formula in nearly 40 years.
Am I going to have to switch to 365 Organic, or, God forbid, HUNTS? I need a moment (after which, I will be going out to the grocery and buying multiple bottles of Heinz full salt ketchup to hoard.)
"Georgetown" used to be a little, well-kept neighborhood between Leechburg and Gilpin, and my grandmother's brothers ran a bowling alley there. The building still stands, and I like to walk past (although I've never mustered up the courage to go in; it's condemned obviously.) If you look closely, the beginning of the word "BOWLING" is still visible on the upper left facade.
"You know you're in PA when"...this is the basement
Happy happy joy joy -- I have a week before I start my *new* job, so The Boys and I are driving home to PA for some quality family time!
So cookie tables have officially come into their own, with this New York Times article. Of course, everyone in PA knew that no matter how good the music or how open the bar, no wedding is complete without a few thousand cookies. Ask my husband -- he helped Mom-orelli plate the 3,500 cookies for our table. Or ask my Mom, or don't, because she was a little irked that the cookies got mistakenly put out during happy hour, which meant that most of them were eaten (or boxed up for taking home, classic PA move) before we even cut the (cup)cake!
"For as long as anyone here can remember, wedding receptions in Pittsburgh have featured cookie tables, laden with dozens of homemade old-fashioned offerings like lady locks, pizzelles and buckeyes. For weeks ahead — sometimes months — mothers and aunts and grandmas and in-laws hunker down in the kitchen baking and freezing. Then, on the big day, hungry guests ravage the buffet, piling plates high and packing more in takeout containers so they can have them for breakfast the next day."
A few shots of the Murforelli cookie table (which was replenished several times during the reception.)
Linc with his Nana, eating one of the few remaining cookies. But the reason that I really love this shot is because Beth (who sent me the link to the NYT article, thx Beth!) is plating her take-home cookies.
Left, a present from The Prof --> father-in-law...right, a present from my dad --> son-in-law
I'm attempting to decrease the amount of athletics in my Personas, this might be my last sports post unless the Stillers reach the Superbowl...but I just couldn't resist:
Grrr, Billy, grrr. In Pa Proud-related news, The Prof and I head back to the land of Black and Gold in three days!
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
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 !
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...
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)
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 250th 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.
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.
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!
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.)
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.
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.")
Tonight I head out for an extended weekend visit with the family in PA. While I am completely looking forward to visiting with everyone and eating lots of brick cheese, this trip will mark my first return home since Nona's funeral and so, in some ways, I am hesitant. I know that the happiness of my visit will be tinged with sadness for the one person that I can't see.
Still, with planning The Prof's party, work, weddings, and miscellany, life has seemed hectic lately. I'm definitely planning on using the next few days to relax, reflect, maybe take a drive in the country to "leaf look", hit a few church sales (plus the thrift store of course,) AND watch the Sunday Steelers' game with my Gammy.
I might post from PA tomorrow, but if not, have a relaxing weekend!
A few autumnal Pennsylvania scenes (from the Inter-net):
The Labor Day Weekend Heinz Field Kickoff and Rib Festival...I mean, come ON, does life get much better than
- Coors Light
- ribs
- Bad Company (!!!)
- Steelers Experience + a chance to meet mascot "Steely McBeam"
- PovertyNeck Hillbillies (who, coincidently, were on my radar a solid year ago; at least they aren't playing Walmarts anymore)
This, fellow Americans, is the Western Pennsylvanian existence at its best. And I won't even be there to experience the festivities! The Prof and I are heading down to the Cape for two days of hanging out with Frankie Nacho and his (fairly new) ladylove Tracey at his parent's vacation house.
Luckily, the Steelers ("Stillers") are playing on the Columbus Day weekend and I've already bought my plane ticket to go home for a visit. Could fate finally hand me the sweet dream of seeing my first Black-and-Gold game?
I'm back from PA. The past week+ have been some of the hardest and most heartbreaking days ever for me. As my aunt said sorrowfully when she saw me coming up the church steps at Nona's funeral on Saturday morning, "This is the saddest day of my entire life."
I agreed wholeheartedly.
But together, as a family, we proceeded. We greeted those who attended the church service, we walked up the aisle after the casket, we released her soul (in an official Roman Catholic capacity, although I know that her essence was already long gone and soaring.) And Dadorelli went to Communion! Talk about a miracle on Earth just for my grandmother.
We said "goodbye."
I said (in my head,) "Talk to you Sunday?"
My father and I cleaned out her house, I went to the cemetary every day after the motley crew waiting outside the small on-site chapel buried her. But, nothing ever felt better at home...or easier. I couldn't believe that this thing I worried about and fixated on my entire adult life had finally come to pass. They spelled her name wrong on the death certificate; maybe if I went over to her house, she'd be there waiting on the porch in her turban and Greta Garbo sunglasses? Would my aunt keep the three small plastic tubs that she had left in the freezer labeled "Sauce" in distinctive script? What if I forgot her voice?
I eventually exhaled and just came back here to Boston.
Recently, I've had ok and really-not-ok days, which I guess that I expect for some time. Grief is such a sly constant companion; its sneaking attacks are unexpected and swift. At least soon I won't have to spend nights alone anymore since The Prof is moving into my teeny apartment until we find a place together. I'll have a companion, a portable human space heater, and a night light. Hee hee. We'll be in cramped quarters, but if that means I won't be alone with my thoughts then I welcome the distraction of Red Sox games and constant playback coverage, er, I mean of having another person here.
Anyway, I mostly wanted to say a heartfelt *thank you* for all the kind emails, cards, and calls that I received over the past week...you know who you are. I might not have responded (yet,) but I truly appreciate the sweet thoughtfulness.
So I'll conclude with a pretty photo of some peonies that I found on Flickr; Nona had a vase of these flowers in plain sight of her bed so now I feel affection for them as they might have lifted her spirits when I couldn't be there.
A hope for cheerier days ahead,
Blogorelli
Alvena Delpoio Gorelli
February 11, 1915 – May 30, 2007
My father was with her and said her passing, peaceful. She took one large breathe and two small, and finally exhaled right to heaven...where we all know she's belonged this whole time.
"Sometimes when I lay down at night
I swear I can see to heaven
For it's in dreaming that the things
I always knew
are the only thoughts I have
And when I look up at you, love
Handsome as a magazine
Wild as the sun, like nothing below
could ever pull you down"
I flew home last night to the "America's Most Livable City" with The Prof in tow, and we plan to relax and eat our way through the weekend with my family...celebrating my stepfather's further matriculation and visiting the Nona (who unexpectedly went into the hospital last week. She's home now.)
Until I return, a few things to ponder:
– has anyone seen the Beijing Olympic's mascots, the Fuwa? I like the amount of thought that went into these little creatures...they'll definitely make the world forget that the games are being held in a heavily polluted, Communist country. And they even teach phonics!
"Designed to express the playful qualities of five little children who form an intimate circle of friends, Fuwa also embody the natural characteristics of four of China's most popular animals -- the Fish, the Panda, the Tibetan Antelope, the Swallow -- and the Olympic Flame.
Each of Fuwa has a rhyming two-syllable name -- a traditional way of expressing affection for children in China. Beibei is the Fish, Jingjing is the Panda, Huanhuan is the Olympic Flame, Yingying is the Tibetan Antelope and Nini is the Swallow.
When you put their names together -- Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni -- they say 'Welcome to Beijing,' offering a warm invitation that reflects the mission of Fuwa as young ambassadors for the Olympic Games."
– City Yard Sale...why did I not think of this idea? (Thx P. Natty for the link)
– SATees...no word is big enough to express their cuteness!
Eighteen hours of driving, five thrift stores, many Yuenglings, and one decapitated deer head on Interstate 84 later, The Professor and I have returned from our mini-vacation in Pittsburgh. Road trips can make or break a coupling (ahem, The Orange) but I must admit that, if anything, the past four days only endeared him to me more.
Gag.
I love crossing "The Independence State" because Pennsylvania changes not only its slogan but also advertising campaigns quicker than a motorist can blink an eye. Stinks for those inmates pressing the license plates, eh? The new ad campaign, which pairs a truly non-grammatical "So Whatcha Wanna Do Is..." with non-color corrected photographs of unruly Pennsylvania fisherman, hunters, and race car drivers (?) promises to bring the least amount of tourism OR transplants to PA yet. Well, that campaign or the new winning bumper sticker, "I Break for Shoofly Pie" (a Dutch Country favorite.) Sadly, the contest's press release proudly relays that "The exciting competition was neck-and neck until the final minutes; the winner barely edged out the runner-up, 'Pennsylvania - State of Independence.'
WHAT?!?
People, that's just the state's name and slogan -- did anyone notice? Holy farkin' shizat. Personally, I thought some of the runners up had snazzier idears, namely whoever came up with "PA ROADTRIPS...ARE YOU THERE YET?" and " YINZ LOST?"
Come on!
Below, a few photographic highlights of our trip...
Here, I use a diorama of sparring elks to signify The Professor and I's "battling iPods" during the drive.
My boyfriend or a grizzly? Tough call due to similar amounts of facial hair on both...
Squirrel Hill's finest dive bar, "The Squirrel Hill Cafe", known to locals as "The Squirrel Cage", re-named by me as "The Squirrel Hole"
What you find in a Western Pennsylvanian squirrel's hole: DEEP FRIED HOT CHEESE BALLS! Heh heh.
Mom-orelli despises my art direction when we take photos together...but here I managed to get her to do a modified Chin (#31: Casual Support Hand)
The Professor, pondering the "Game Night Special" and about to ingest more fried food than he has since college
I know, it's like you can't throw a stone near me without hitting a baby these days! Geesh. Here, I catch up with my favorite townie girl, Kendell
I can't believe she's already almost 6 months old, the little minx!
The Prof is on Spring Break next week and I knew that by the end of March, I'd need a getaway from the gray Boston winter. Where to go? First we tried planning a trip to the delightful Santa Fe, but the dates didn't work. Next idea (mine) involved taking advantage of the cheap spring tickets and have a jolly high tea in Londontown, but we realized maybe that was too much "trip" since we're both on fast-tracks to pay off credit card debt.
The many debates almost drove me to take a solo "decompression" trip to Austin. Finally, though, we worked out an itinerary. Where did the 557 miles that we drove yesterday bring us? Right here...to Pittsburgh. Yep, we're taking a mini-vacation in my wonderful hometown. Upon arrival, we were greeted with "Mexican Night," complete with margaritas and my mom's delish homemade chicken quesadillas. This morning, Mom and I are hitting the thrift stores while The Prof finishes his final grading, and then the three of us are taking on Pittsburgh for an afternoon of going underground, having a Yuengling in a neighborhood spot, and possibly even discovering something new.
So this weekend, I get to have conversations like this:
BLOGORELLI: "Sweets, I'm gonna make you an appointment at 'Headlines' salon tomorrow morning for a hair and beard trim. And while you're there, I can go to Big Lots...it's right next door!"
THE PROF (sarcastically): "Oh boy!"
But next year, oh glorious 2008...I will TRAVEL THE GLOBE.
Spending seven whole days basking in the glorious-ness that is western Pennsylvania made my holiday season truly perfect. Since our planet is melting from global warming, the weather for my drives to and from the great city of Leechburg consisted of sunshine and mild temperatures (unlike last year , shudder.) Also, Nona finally wore the fashion-fabulous turban that I bought her as a gift last year, so visiting her likened an audience with Greta Garbo!
I lugged Johnny5, my eMac, home with me in the lame hope that I would write "oodles and oodles" of posts in my spare time. I did manage to organize my entire iPhoto Library dating from 1/1/2003. However, after my second round of trips to local thrift stores, eating a ham salad-and-brick cheese sandwich for nourishment, and preparing to do some tequilla shots that night...I realized that, eh, this blog wasn't getting any lovin' until 2007.
My PA accent came back after only one day, at which point I decided I was ready to hit the local KMart and buy Mom-orelli a little supplemental gift that I'd been scoping out from afar (or my local Somerville KMart.) I bought the surprise -- on sale even! -- carried the box home and wrapped it. In my family, we have this tradition of the "Open Last" gift. Usually, the package consists of cash and some obscure present put on the someone's list only in the long-shot hope that one of our parents lost his/her mind and blew the budget to buy you that Sonicare Xtreme Dental Hygiene System (oops --> me last year.)
So, on Christmas morning, we went around and around in the rotation of gift opening...but I made sure that Mom-orelli didn't open my brainchild until almost the end. She ripped the paper off, and there it stood...
The Nostalgia Electrics LPF-210 LIGHTED PARTY FOUNTAIN! Woo Hoo!!!
Now, before anyone accuses me of being a complete moron by purchasing a party fountain for my 40+ year-old mother, I should explain that my mom has a group of teacher friends and each month they congregate and drink specialty cocktails at someone's house (great Roasted Toasted Almond*, btw, ladeez.) So I thought she could really 'wow em' by having this party fountain full of booze going strong when everyone arrived. Sure, the box showed college students in midriff shirts and pimp-tastic gold chains...but wasn't Mom-orelli hip enough to have a Party Fountain? And more importantly, 'street' enough to have a daughter to even be all right with her mom doing Goldschlager shots?
Unfortunately, my inspired gift turned out to be for naught when my Mom expressed horror (and more than a little bit of confusion) at The Party Fountain. I tried to explain how many kinds of alcoholic beverages could filter through the tiny holes and dance poetically in the illuminated bowl...but, turns out, Mom-orelli is old school and prefers a shaker or blender.
No matter, though. Even in PA, I can take it there. Or, as it turned out, back there...as The Party Fountain was returned to KMart on December 26, 2006.
(Below: two of the Blogorelli family's seven complete and decorated trees. Overall, chotckes included, Mom-morelli managed to display 30+ trees(!)
* Roasted Toasted Almond: 1 shot Kaluha, 1 shot Amaretto, 1 shot Vodka / Add milk or cream until light tan color / Put into blender with ice cubes / Blend until smooth
or it could be at least, I guess, in Western PA...
The weekly Steelers' News & Notes for gameday (Sunday, 8:15 pm, against the Chargers) means that another weekend is upon us. And I am especially excited because, thanks to JetBlue realizing (unlike UsAirways) that consumers don't want to spend $263 for a one hour plane ride, I get to spend the next three days at home in Pittsburgh!
I was feeling all fuzzy and relaxed until The Mad Hungarian just incited me into a rage by forwarding this news item about Sienna Miller slamming the Steel City, where she is currently shooting The Mysteries of Pittsburgh with Peter Saarsgard.
In a nutshell:
"The Pittsburgh Post Gazette reports that citizens are boycotting actress Sienna Miller for failing to recognize Pittsburgh as the Pennsylvanian nirvana that it obviously is. As we reported yesterday, in an interview in this month’s Rolling Stone, the actress – who’s in town filming the movie The Mysteries of Pittsburgh – has taken to calling the city 'Sh-tsburgh.'
'Can you believe this is my life?' she complained to Rolling Stone’s
Jenny Eliscu, over a plate of garlic-parmesan Buffalo wings at a
Pittsburgh hotel bar. 'Will you pity me when you're back in your funky
New York apartment and I'm still in Pittsburgh? I need to get more
glamorous films.'"
The article goes on to say that, after hearing of Miller's comments, 41% of Pittsburghers say they have no desire to see the movie. This should be a reassuringly familiar scenerio to the actress, whose movies to this point (hello? Alfie and Cassanova) have both sucked and blew.
This FoxNews story notes Pittsburghers' fierce loyalty to their town...a fact of which any reader of this blog is well aware. I guess that I can only say to Sienna: in order to get more glamorous films, you need to be a better actress, something that all evidence suggests will never happen. Oh, and take your skinny boho ass back to your nanny-fucking boyfriend in London...because if I see your blonde smirk this weekend, I'll smash your face into an ode bowl of Heinz ketchup and throw you into the crick.
Please, someone make a "Pittsburgh hates Sienna" t-shirt so I can buy one when I'm at home.
Luckily the little guy wasn't in the stands for yesterday's game when the Bengals took my boys down 28-20.
Man's Lost Gnome Attends Steelers Game
…"The latest letter, which Snyder received this week, included photos
of the gnome in the company of Steelers fans attending Pittsburgh's
football home opener.
"You never took me to any games," the note said. The letter ended: "Have to go now. Boarding a plane. Now, finally, broadening my travels."
Three thoughts:
1. "Gnomey don't play that"
2. Control the gnome population: Spay or neuter your gnome.
3. Travelocity's Roaming Gnome campaign — inspired by the movie "Amelie" ?
Though I never thought I'd enthusiastically utter the phrase, "Let's go to the sports bar and watch a game"…that is exactly the place where I may be tonight as the Steelers play their first game of the season, against the Miami Dolphins.
Despite a less-than-stellar pre-season and an "Oh Shit!" moment last week when QB Ben Rothlisberger went in for an emergency appendectomy which took him out of the starting line tonight, I'm still looking forward to throwing on the old t-shirt, grabbing my Terrible Towel, and cheering on my hometown boys.
NBC is televising the game at 8:30 pm, with the "special pre-game show" at 8 pm.
One more burning question for all the "Stiller" fans out there: anyone think that Big Ben had, erm, some "work" done when he was already under the knife for repairs from his recent motorcycle accident? I saw a photo of him on television when I was in PA last weekend, and he looked…different (in a good way.)
GO STILLERS!
Re-entry from the Mid-Atlantic region has made for a rough workday…I'm not sure if it's a little case of the blues from familial separation, or the exhaustion of having to wake up at 4:30 to catch my 7:20 a.m. commuter flight back to The Bean.
Despite rainy weather, I had a fun visit — and productive to boot. During the first day alone, I managed to hit all my favorite thrift stores, eat a chipped ham sandwich, visit my grandmothers, drink a Yuengling AND observe a sentence containing both "younz" and "ekspecially."
Heaven!
Hearing the nuances of my native tongue reminded me that I've wanted to share this New York Times' article for some time now. See, everyone? I don't have freaky "lazy tongue" speech patterns...in fact, my verbal quirks are a delightful testament to "the Galapagos Islands of American dialect."
Another "ekspecially" sweet morsel from the article:
"Pittsburgh is a special case," Professor Labov said. "Generally, local dialects have been absorbed by larger regional ones. But Pittsburgh, though part of the Midland, has retained its own speech patterns. In fact, Pittsburgh does things no place else does, like pronouncing 'ow' as 'ah' and very often dropping the 'l' when it comes at the end of a word." (Radial, for example, winds up sounding like radio.)
but Dawn Spring, a waitress working at Tom's Diner (East Carson Street/Pittsburgh,) truly put it best:
"We in Pittsburgh may not speak proper English, but we know what we're saying. And that's what matters, right?"
- - -
(below: some nifty panoramics of my small town that I found on the Inter-net. Click to enlarge.) 
Apologies for going MIA again at the beginning of this week…I had a bit of family "dram-er" (as they would say here in The Bean) happen involving my brother, the Hairy Fat Worm.
Brandon had moved to L.A. two weeks ago with the plan to attend school out West, and pursue some music stuff in his spare time. On Saturday evening, I received a frantic message from my mother saying that he was thinking of pulling an about-face and coming home before the first day of classes. Now, the offspring of my family (that would be H.F.W. and myself) have a "special" history of trying to flee stressful stiuations and head straight back to the biological nest. I know the feeling of being alone and tentative in an unfamiliar location; I mean, I had my Carnegie Mellon transfer papers filled out by the end of my first week of classes at U.Cincinnati.
Still, I stuck with college…and I've stuck with Boston (thus far,) despite a few anxiety-triggered episodes where I threatened to leave. And through everything, I really think that I am stronger and have a fuller life for riding the bumps and not turning the car around, so to speak. As such, I was determined to convince my brother that he could make it in a new, exciting city, too. I mean, hell, who wouldn't want to live the student lifestyle next to the ocean in Cali?
After nearly two hours of intense phone conversation where I picked his brain clean of all doubt, irrational fear, and restored practicality and order, I turned my nightstand light off at 1:37 a.m. I had fulfilled my role as The Older Sibling. I was supportive, logical, reassuring.
Sunday was quiet…eerily quiet.
On Monday evening, I got another message from Mother-elli that Brandon hadn't even gone to the first day of classes and was coming home, like, as we spoke. The two months of rent paid? The textbooks bought? The available West Coast college frosh? All squandered and disregarded. Suddenly, I felt like a pretty lame big sister. Harumph.
I guess my brother will likely beat me home since my flight doesn't arrive in Pittsburgh until Thursday evening and he's been on the road for over two days now. I'm sure we'll have words, although I'm almost too sad and disappointed and confused to engage. What makes a very capable someone freeze and bolt repeatedly?
I love my brother, but I hate his patterns of behavior.
One thing is for sure…it's time for some tough love. So if that kid stays in the shower for longer than 15 minutes while I'm at home, he's getting a bucket of freezing cold water poured over his head and me screaming, "How's California lookin' NOW?!?!"
The two things Pittsburgh is best known for at this moment:
1. Ben Roethlisberger exploits the motorcycle helmet law, crashes his motorcycle but is (thankfully) in stable condition following surgery.
2. These guys...THESE GUYS?!?!?! "PNH can be seen at various Wal-Mart locations in the area..."
Sigh. Get me a chipped ham sammy and some consolation, immediately.
(Below, the accident scene with blood, courtesy of the AP, Poverty Neckhillbillies, in all their sleeveless glory)
Me!!! And of course, everyone at home...
My first admitted hometown reader AND she sent a photo collage! Gotta love the kindred PA spirits...
"Thought this was a better pic of Big Ben but don't appreciate the muddy lookng waters of the rivers.....some of that could be from an attempt to colorize the photo in gold tones.
Go Steelers and hope you enjoy the chipped ham sammitches.
From a ' Burgh blogorelli fan!"
Dear Everyone I Know and Love,
Please, no one else send me this link that shows Ben Roethlisberger partying with some ladies. Am I supposed to be disgusted, attracted, or both? (which I am)? He's TWENTY THREE YEARS OLD. Let's all reflect on some of the nights from our 23rd year and recall whether those evenings involved pouring Sauza Tres Generaciones Añegjo tequilla down some overly fake-tanned girl's throat, eh? (This is directed towards you "gentlemen" out there.) Exactly.
Which one do you suppose he took home? I'm going with the raven-haired one leaning on his shoulder in the back, partially hidden by the "over-anxious" girl up front, although that little blonde with the unfortunate Rachel cut looks hard to shake. And, if these pics were taken in Pittsburgh (which is possible, although people, inexplicably, party in basements both in PA and OH,) does everyone see why I'd be far married by now if I still lived there? Finally, I hate to play this card (not at all, really,) but he IS actually from OHIO, you know, if that says anything.
At least someone enterprisingly made a clever tee about the whole thing.
As if anyone had a doubt of this weeks' query...
FRIDAY MEDAL ROUND: Top three food/drink choices for 2006 Superbowl parties
(I'm looking for a good dip recipe here, people.)
BLOGORELL: Well, below are the top things that *I* will be serving at my Superbowl party, after the BKP and I put on our matching sweatshirts and face paint (it's still up in the air as to who will be black/gode.)
1. To drink: Iron City. Ice code, of course.
2. To snack: Snyder of Berlin chips, the gode medal of spud crisps
3. To eat: Chipped Ham BBQ Sandwiches like we used to enjoy down by the crick in the summer
Honorable-Mention-Because-This-Is-My-Blog-And-I-Can
To dessert: Klondike Bars (created in Pittsburgh!)
Yes, I grew up on top of a mine...is that odd or something?
Vienna Secession was onto me (and Centralia) way before kottke. Three years ago, post-layoff, I went back to PA for a month to contemplate possible permanent relocation. I received a card with an article enclosed about the PA mine fires, clipped from the NY Times. The unspoken message: "You want to live around this...full time?!?"
photo courtesy of http://pruned.blogspot.com
