(bitter) sweet

This morning I woke up and saw a dusting of snow had accumulated on the roof. :( It made me long for the beautiful weekend I had in Columbus, OH reminiscing with my Phi Mu sisters almost 20 years after I pledged.

I stayed in a lovely B&B, the Short North Bed and Breakfast, about 1.5 blocks off High Street right in the heart of the neighborhood shopping district. It's a nicely maintained inn, although it's not a historic home, just a standard 1930s red brick duplex converted into a 7-room inn. Even though the walls are a bit thin and it is family friendly, I had a nice stay in the spacious extra-large room (with queen+twin beds and large full bath), and the breakfast was very good. It was also quite convenient to have free on-site parking during a gallery hop weekend.

Friday night, Jen took me to Nida's Thai on High, just a few blocks from the inn. It's a small place, but it didn't feel crowded because the atmosphere is clean and bright. We had friendly service, superb cocktails, a spicy Tom Kha soup, and plenty of small plates. The peanut sauce was dynamite. They even have sushi!

Saturday morning I had some time to wander around the neighborhood to see what was still there and what was new. I was very pleased to see Jeni's Ice Cream was just a block from the inn. That came in handy later when the weather warmed considerably during a lengthy walking tour of the OSU campus.

At lunch I got together with some of my best buddies from back in the old college days for lunch at Eddie George's Grille 27. We talked for hours while the server desperately tried to get us to order drinks and food. Afterward we walked around campus reliving the glory days.


The reunion "dinner" was served at Due Amici. I got to see a lot of old friends and look at photo albums.


I anticipated a sit-down dinner, but was instead treated to a cocktail party so we ordered a pizza post-party.

The following morning we gathered again at La Chatelaine, and enjoyed a sunny brunch on the patio. I amused myself with a fruit tart and good coffee while browsing more photo albums.

I was sad to leave, but there were promises of a gathering next year, and some subset of my sisters may appear on my doorstep much sooner, I hope!

Yin and Yawn

Jackie and Mr. M are curled up on the futon behind me while I work this morning. The mornings are still pretty cold so this may last a few more weeks.

Dave and I had a pretty standard weekend. We went to check out JoJo's in the Strip for breakfast Saturday. The prices were dirt cheap, but the food was not very exciting, and they don't heat the place. It was freezing! People rave about this place, maybe they were drunk?

Later in the day we stopped in at Games Unlimited on Murry Ave, and picked up a jigsaw puzzle of San Francisco.

Dave is so proud!

I started clearing the garden bed on the south side of the garage yesterday. This was a bed I let run wild last summer because I just didn't have the energy to tackle a jungle of morning glory.

Before (last summer):

Watch it bring you to your
shun n,n,n,n,n,n,n knees, knees!

I didn't even get very far because there are so many weeds to root out, but it's a start.

After-ish:

I'm digging in the dirt
Stay with me I need support

The weather got fair again over the weekend, and another crocus came up.

I love purple!

The neighbor's cats are back outside on their tethers on a daily basis. They're much friendlier now that they know I have the power to give them treats.

Oden begs for a tummy rub

Catchup

For my birthday on November 7th we really hadn't settled on anything special to do, so I proposed going to the monthly Friday evening gallery hop, called Unblurred here in Pittsburgh. Dave ended up working late and I was tired, so instead we decided to go to Ma Provence, a romantic-looking French bistro right in our neighborhood.

The restaurant is very cozy and the service was nice, the food was good if a little uneven in flavor. Dave's Mignons de Porc au Raisin et Bacon was wonderful but the weekly special steak dish was nothing special. We also had butternut squash soup which was also very yummy, and the charcuteries plate which was so-so as the pate was very cold and stiff. For dessert we had a slice of apple tart which was nicely presented but nothing special.

The bread service was unusual. The server would come by and offer you a slice every now and then. The bread was awesome, but it was a bit odd to serve it in this way. I suppose it was to make sure that the fresh and warm bread would come straight out of the oven and onto your plate.

Since the 7th was very quiet, I decided that we had to go down to the Strip on Saturday morning to breakfast at the locally famous greasy spoon, DeLuca's, shop with the crowds at the various shops, and check out the farmer's market.

DeLuca's was jammed at 8:15am so we breakfasted in another cafe just a block up the street that had yummy French toast. I wish I could remember the name of the place. Just a few doors down was a chocolate shop with novelty chocolates and chocolates from around the world. I settled on a bacon-chocolate bar, and a 100% cocoa bar.

Mmmmmm, choclate and bacon together at last!

We also stopped a lot of other stores, but there was only so much shopping I could handle and it was very cold out. On the way back to the car we stopped by the farmer's market, which was a sad little affair in a tiny parking lot next to a bar, and no one was shopping there--nothing like the crowded overflowing bounty of the Mountain View farmers market, but I suppose this is how it goes in late fall around here.

Here are some pictures of the cats acting cute:



It's been snowing off and on all week. Here's the view from our front porch:

Doing Lunch

I went to a couple of new-to-me places this week for lunch:

Zaw's in Squirrel Hill. One word--CHEAP! This is not a place to dine in. There is a counter you can sit at, but it's not a pleasant place to sit. There's a lot of smoke from the open kitchen, and it's not at all clean. Still the food is very good and lots of choices. I really enjoyed the kung pao chicken with fried rice.

City Grill in the South Side also has nice prices. Good pub atmosphere and great service. I really enjoyed the pulled pork sandwich and the skin-on fries were perfect.

Restaurants

I wanted to mention before I forget that we went to a couple new places in the past week.

Wednesday night we went to Cafe Du Jour, a French-ish place in the South Side. It didn't look like much. It's a tiny restaurant, and the open kitchen is right there in the front of it. Looks like a converted coffee shop. But the FOOD! was so GOOD! We started with the mushroom soup which was pretty good, but too many herb sticks floating around in it, and the baked brie plate with apples, honey, bread and prosciutto, which was delish and really all we needed to eat. Dave had a chicken thing stuffed with cheese and herbs, and I had the pork chop (me and my pork chops). It was awesome!

Saturday we went to Sakura, a Japanese place in Squirrel Hill. The atmosphere is very welcoming but quiet, and the service is very friendly, so we really liked it right off the bat. I had sushi and Dave had clay pot, and we were both very pleased with our food. The prices were reasonable, and it's not too busy on a Saturday night at 7pm, so this may become a regular spot.

Faux Hawk

The flea stuff I put on the cats makes them look like they've been gelled and spiked.

Things have been pretty quiet around here for awhile. I guess that means we're all settled in. Here are some more Mr M pics from the last few days:


The best thing about Mr M is that he loves to snuggle. He doesn't care if your arm or leg is in the spot where he wants to be, he'll just sit on top of it.


Or if you want to share more of his space he's happy to oblige.


Last week I started my regular volunteer work at the East End Food Co-op. I shelved boxes of cereal and milk substitutes for 2 hours Wednesday morning. I've never heard of most of the cereals, and I was stunned by the array of soy, almond, and even hemp milks available. It earns me a 10% discount on my purchases there, and it gets me out of the house in the morning.

Saturday morning Dave and I went down to the South Side for breakfast at Tom's Diner. My frittata was awesome, but the hash browns were barely warmed, and Dave's "super cinnamon" French toast platter was cold and disappointing. The service was brusque, and the prices make it hard to justify a return visit.

Pittsburgh's South Side neighborhood reminds me of the Short North in Columbus, OH. Bars, cafes, restaurants, tattoo shops, music stores, imports, arts and antiques line both sides of the street for several blocks.

We're also cat sitting for the next-door neighbors this week. Contrary to their personalities when they're tethered outside, Puck is very friendly and greets us at the door, but Oden is shy and nervous.

We've been to see Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, and while the music was good the movie was completely forgettable. We also saw Ghost Town, and yeah the ads looked incredibly stupid, but this is actually a good movie because Ricky Gervais is hilarious and the plot takes some interesting turns.

Please Pass the Steak

Mr M. frequently sits next to the table waiting for a scrap. Or he's hiding in one of the pushed in chairs waiting for an opportunity to surprise us. Last night he was trying to behave like a proper dinner guest. Maybe he thinks we won't notice he's a cat and give him a plate too?

Went back to Square Cafe for breakfast this morning. We love this place.

Nom Nom Nom

Jackie has nearly destroyed her favorite feather toy over the last 3 months. This afternoon I finally found a pet supply store that sells these things in a town only 7 miles away.

On that trip I stopped in at Hooters for lunch. I've never been to Hooters, and I might never have been curious, but an intelligent, liberated female friend of mine said she liked to go to a Hooters in every city she visited because the food was good. So, what the hell.

It turns out that the women working at Hooters aren't wearing tops any more daring than I might wear myself. The real eyebrow-lifter is the micro mini skirts reminiscent of tiny cheerleader uniforms that reveal a LOT of ass cheek. I was expecting the orange short shorts shown in the ads, but I guess this franchise has its own dress code. No cellulite-bearer need apply within! And please wear clean underwear!

The person who recommended this place to me is clearly insane. The food wasn't all that great either. I probably won't be back.

Last night Dave and I went to Ali Baba for dinner. We're still trying to find the Pittsburgh version of Afghani House or Kabul, or even the crazy Rose Market bbq stand, but this place isn't it either. The menu looks really good, and the price looks right, but the portions are very small, and the grilled meats are unmarinated and dry.

Hard At Work

Mr. Moustache likes to sit on my lap while I'm working, so I can't type or reach my coffee cup.

Lunch today was at the Murray Ave Grill for a Cobb salad. It was a pretty good meal, and now that it's non-smoking I can picture going there regularly.

Dave was busy Monday night grading his first test. On my own for dinner, I decided to wander the streets and see what grabbed my eye. I have passed Mr. Willy's BBQ several times, but there's never anyone in there so it can't be any good can it?

Only one way to know for sure. I ordered the 1/2 chicken with sauce, and I wanted the greens, but they were out, so I settled on broccoli cheddar casserole. They threw in a slice of corn bread, too. Since it was completely empty, I didn't feel like eating at the restaurant, so I had them pack it to go.


The meat wasn't bad, but a little on the dry side. The sauce was quite good, but I would not recommend the broccoli cheese stuff. And the cornbread? Well, nobody makes cornbread like my mama does, so I was not expecting to like it, and I was not surprised when I didn't.

I made it back to the CMU gym again yesterday and today. I swam on Tuesday for 20 minutes again, and I didn't have to stop and tread water as much or for as long to bring my heart rate down from heart attack threshold.

This morning I decided to see what's what in the weight room. I wasn't shocked to find that there wasn't an extensive free weights area, but I was a little surprised to find no barbells, only dumbbells.

I tried to do deadlifts with the 30lb dumbbells but it's hard not to bang those into your shins. I found that I could still bench press with the 25lb dumbbells so I have not regressed so badly in strength as I feared.

My cardiovascular fitness is another story altogether. It does not take much work to get me winded and sweaty. This I need to work on.

Political and Stuff

Last week I joined the Obama volunteer effort in my neighborhood, so now I'm entering canvassing and phone bank data into the big PA voter database. I'm doing this mainly because I'm not too keen on canvassing or phoning the good citizens of Squirrel Hill myself. It's kind of exciting to be part of a political movement, and doing this also helps me feel more like a member of the community.

In my quest for community, I also signed up to be an East End Food Co-op volunteer, and my first opportunity came this Sunday at Art Harvest, a co-op sponsored arts and crafts bazaar. That morning I helped the artists unload their wares and display stands from their vehicles for a couple of hours, and I learned how to use an old fashioned popcorn machine (like the ones you see at old movie theaters). I sufficiently impressed the volunteer coordinator, so she's going to put me to work in the produce section some select mornings so I can learn all about where the food comes from.

Saturday afternoon, Dave and I decided to check out the Robinson mall. It's a pretty decent mall with Macy's and JCPenny, and plenty of decent stores for clothes. Lots of teenybopper clothing stores but no shoe stores. We had an nice relaxing time just strolling up and down the corridors, stopping in to browse here and there (Spencer's Gifts was a fun distraction). Here I am enjoying some Starbucks and a card game with the photographer:



Saturday night was the first meeting of the book club. For this meeting we read Lopsided: How Having Breast Cancer Can Be Really Distracting, by Meredith Norton. It was very funny in a David Sedaris kind of way. In between the harrowing details of her breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, Norton tells hilarious (and sometimes disturbing) stories about her French husband, his family, and her own family in California. This story leaves the reader wondering if it is the French culture or the state of French socialized medicine that took Norton to the edge of sanity.

Friday night we ate at Chaya, a Japanese restaurant in Squirrel Hill. I had a combo of sashimi and sushi, and everything was wonderful. I haven't had sushi since early June, so I was bouncing in my seat until the fish came out. Dave was not as excited about his beef and soba soup, so I have the feeling I'll be visiting this place on my own with the occasional sushi lover.

Two Great Tastes

We've had really good luck with restaurants recently!

First was Spice Island Tea House in Oakland on Wednesday night. Parking is really a bitch in these parts because it's right next to Univeristy of Pittsburgh (aka Pitt). There are a few places on Atwood Street worth visiting, so unless you are willing to take a bus, plan on a 20 minute tour of the neighborhood to find parking.

The ambiance reminds me of San Francisco cafes, or the old location of the Winds Cafe in Yellow Springs, Ohio. The restaurant is a single large room filled with mismatched tables and chairs, and the darkness makes it feel cozy and private. The menu is a blend of south east Asian cuisines. Dave had the lemon grass beef curry, and I had the Burmese barbequed chicken. The servings are not large, but they are generous with the meats, making it a nice light savory meal.

Our second find was the Square Cafe in Regent Square on Saturday morning. We went expecting a sad dingy old-school diner with surly waitresses, and it was sort of retro 50s, but bright, shiny and clean, and the wait staff were very friendly.

Dave had the challah french toast which he loved, and I had the veggie overload omlette with brie, which was delicious. We also enjoyed some excellent coffee drinks which were served in large interesting stoneware mugs. We're definitely going to be there often, even though it's not a cheap place.

Te Quiero Barcelona

Friday it was too hot to cook so I drove over to CMU to pick up Dave and we walked over to Joe Mama's in Oakland. It doesn't look like much on the outside so we did not have great expectations, but the menu was much more extensive than I imagined, and we were both pleased with our meals (Dave had the gnocchi and I had the Crispy Chicken Milanese).

The sauces were tasty and the portions were generous. The salad was weak (served us a big bowl with a tiny amount of salad, dressing on the side in the Pittsburgh fashion), but the waitress offered to bring us more with no prompting when we finished the first bowl. The only really bad part of the meal was the 1/2 lb. meatball which was not very hot and kinda too dense and chewy. The weekend brunch menu looks good so I think we'll be back for that.

Question for you Pittsburghers: Is dressing on the side a Pittsburgh thing? Even when I request it tossed in I still get it on the side, usually in a plastic container.

Saturday we breakfasted at Kazansky's, but I think this was the last chance we're giving them. The weak french toast ensures that Dave will not want to come back, but the bagel, lox, and eggs breakfast was great.

We went to the Fair in the Park over at Mellon Park. It was the usual arts and crafts village of tiny white tents, just like a smaller Castro Street Mountain View art and wine fest with the same pottery, photos, hippie skirts, and jewelry. The thing that made it pleasurable was the musical performance, Cellofourte, which we are so glad we got to hear while strolling around the aisles of tie-dye scarves and hand-woven tea cozies.

We stopped for lunch at Point Brugges where we have been to dinner before. It was very busy so we understood that it would take some time to get seating, but once we were seated it took 30 minutes to get water. The food was good and we'll be back, but the service was very sloooooow.

Not willing to take any more risks, we went to dinner at Alladin's. We just can't go wrong there.

Afterwards we saw "Vicky Christina Barcelona" at the little theater on Murray. It was enjoyable but not very thought provoking or memorable. The acting was odd and stilted most of the time, but Penelope Cruz stole the show as the crazy murderous ex-wife.

Of course it wouldn't be a Woody Allen film without some annoying song running through the whole show. Thankfully there were plenty of beautiful classical guitar songs throughout the movie, but the "te quiero Barcelona" line from the annoying song is the one stuck in my head today.

Well that's the stuff that happens around here. Today is a boring day of chores and errands. I'm making chicken broth and planning the week's dinner menus. Soon I will start the laundry and nag Dave into vacuuming.

Food, Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co., Furniture, Fusion, and Flowers

This week was another adventure in Pittsburgh cuisine, hanging with friends, gardening miracles, and our new couch and bedroom furniture finally arrived.

Last weekend we went to the Mediterranean Grill on Forbes in Squirrel Hill. It's hidden in a basement, and the street level sign is very small, so we'd missed it before. The food was very plain and overpriced for what it is, so we think Aladdin's Eatery is waaaay better.

On Tuesday evening one of Dave's friends invited us to her apartment for dinner and games. We decided on Settlers of Catan since none of us had played it before. We set up the beginner layout and read the Almanac to learn the rules. It took hours to finish the game (Dave won in a shocking comeback when he took my Largest Army card), but it was interesting.

On Wednesday our new couch arrived. It's bigger than I thought it would be:


It totally dominates the room.

The cats wouldn't sit directly on it for a couple of days (although they would sit on ME on it, or on a blanket). Today Jackie had a breakthrough moment and gave herself a bath on the chaise lounge.

Wednesday night we went to Walnut Grill in Shadyside. We meant to try Doc's Place because they advertised 1/2-price entrees on Wednesdays, but realized that it was just a bar on two levels and didn't look like a pleasant place to dine what with all the smoking. So we went across the street and found the Walnut Grill, which I think will become our go-to restaurant for casual dining.

Today the bedroom furniture I ordered 2 months ago finally arrived.



I haven't attached the drawer pulls yet.

I found a fantastic massage therapist in Squirrel Hill who really knows what he's doing: Jack Schmitt of Fusion Massage Therapy on Murray Ave. This is no mamby-pamby aromatherapy relaxation to the sounds of Enya massage. Jack goes right for the tight sore spots and releases the trigger points causing headaches and backaches. Turns out he and his wife are also co-op members, and they produce the organic plant starters for the store so we had a lot of Pittsburgh food activism news to talk about during my therapy.

In gardening news, the pumpkin vines are about 6 feet long now, and there's a tiny female pumpkin blossom beginning to form on one of them.


One day this tiny bump will become a great pumpkin!

We Have A Winner

The Taj Mahal! Dave and I finally found an Indian buffet that satisfies both my desire for huge variety and buttery palak paneer, and his for hot fresh breads and a good stock of boneless meats. The butter chicken sauce wasn't all that, but the rest was so good (they even had crispy masala dosa!) I'm sure this will become a favorite when we're in the North Hills.

Dave's First Day At School

I really don't know how people get any work done at coffee shops. I decided that I need to get out of the house during the day, and a change of environment might do me some good to get the old work ethic going. I went first to the Squirrel Hill branch of the library, but I couldn't connect to the VPN over their wireless network. My next stop was the 61c--a great neighborhood coffee shop and a haven for laptops and their unsocialized owners. Most of the laptops are untethered here since there are only a couple of outlets at the front of the shop.

In other news the pumpkin and zucchini vines are finally budding. The pumpkin vines are long and healthy looking and I can see them each supporting a full grown pumpkin. The zucchini "vines" however are stubby little saplings with 4 leaves each. I'm not sure how they're going to support the squashes, but it'll be interesting to find out.

Also we finally bought a real couch [goodbye futon!!!] at Levin. We went with a 2-piece sectional that has a small chaise lounge on one end and a wide wedge on the other for lots of slouching. We're expecting delivery in a couple of weeks.

On the dining front, we went to a couple of restaurants this weekend. Saturday night we went to an Italian place in Shadyside called Pizzuti. It claims to be a good place for a first date according to the sign. It was quiet and cozy and nicely decorated for a romantic Italian meal. We were initially seated next to the beverage station which normally isn't a problem, but because we wanted to talk about the quirky service we asked to be moved.

We were helped by two waiters who I will refer to as Waiter A and Waiter B. Waiter A greeted us soon after we were seated, and told us about one special, and informed us that we could have a complimentary glass of chianti or pinot grigio. I had to think about that so I didn't ask for wine immediately. Then Waiter B came by and told us about 2 specials (where did that 2nd special go the first time?), and I asked if I could have that glass of pinot grigio, but Waiter B said they only had chardonnay and chianti on offer, neither of which appealed so I went without. Shortly afterwards we ordered a spinach salad, the veal amaretto, and the chicken marsala. Then we switched tables for obvious reasons.

Not too long afterwards our salad came out. It was OK but nothing even close to cheapo Pasta? spinach salad. Then we waited. And waited, and waited. after about 30 minutes Waiter B came by to tell us our food would be out in a few minutes. 10 more minutes and the manager came over to tell us our meal would be ready in a few minutes. Several more minutes went by while we played cards. Finally our meal arrived and it was good. Not great but good. Dave actually used the decorative steak knife to cut into his veal.

Whyyyyyyyyy can't you get a decent Italian veal dish for under $25 in this city???

Sunday we did a LOT better. We met some new friends (our second "date") at Maharaja Indian buffet in the south hills in a Day's Inn. It was a very good buffet with plenty of variety and BUTTER CHICKEN. Dave's only complaint was that the naan was kinda weirdly colored and not tasty.

Oh yeah, before I forget, today is Dave's first day at school! He has 3 lectures today, so be sure to wish him well. :)

A Taste of Nightlife

We got our first taste of Pittsburgh nightlife last night in the South Side. I had heard through one of the Pittsburgh mailing lists I signed up for that Mark Kozelek of Red House Painters was playing in a club there, so, Wednesday being our date night, we decided to make an evening of it.

We started with dinner at Bruschetta's because we are ever in search of a replacement for our beloved mid-priced yet almost-gourmet Italian meat-based entrees that we enjoyed so much of in California. There was no risotto but the meat offerings looked pretty good, although traditional touches like Marsala wine sauce and mushrooms were not on offer, so we decided to go with Veal Zurich and Chicken Saltimboca.

Before the food arrived we were presented with a bruschetta, which was a surprise, but I suppose appropriate given the name of the restaurant. Shortly afterwards we received a big basket of cold white bread. This seemed a bit odd, but whatever. On arrival the food looked very good and the portions were just right. The chicken was nice, but the sage had an off flavor that kind of killed the taste, and Dave was not that pleased with the veal.

After dinner we walked over to the club to wait for the show to start. The Diesel club resembles a tiny version of San Francisco's DNA lounge. There were several chairs arranged in front of the stage as if a small black wedding was about to commence, but they were either all taken or right next to a loud speaker, so we stood behind them near the bar.

Mark Kozelek was the only act performing that night and he started promptly at 8. The music was entirely acoustic and it was beautifully played if a bit repetitive. On stage there was another guitarist who was introduced at some point, but although Mark was talented at singing his haunting romantic lyrics very clearly, the same could not be said for his speech. This became a problem throughout the set because Mark barely spoke about himself or the music, and when he did we couldn't understand a word of his mumble, so I got very little out of it.

Throughout the set the audience stood completely still and silent. About 45 minutes into it my back could take no more so I went to walk around a bit. I headed toward the restrooms and lo and behold there was a small lounge off to the side with cushy leather seats and only 3 people in there.

As I sat there stretching my back and resting my legs, the couple in the room began to chat with me, and I soon discovered that the man was Mark's dad. So we had a chat about how Dave and I came to know of the Red House Painters, and how we came to live in Pittsburgh. Not long afterwards several more of Mark's family and friends showed up in the room. This was surreal!

Dave found me back there not long after, and when the show ended he sat with me and waited in hope that Mark might come back and mingle. But after awhile he didn't turn up so we went home.

Rocking the Casbah

I meant to post about this earlier, but you know how life is. Saturday night we went to Casbah, a fancy Mediterranean restaurant in Shadyside. This place is part of a group of restaurants called Big Burrito, which I find hilarious.

The atmosphere is very cool and dark, and the outdoor seating is actually in a tented area out in front of the entrance, so you're not dining under the stars. We requested an indoor table and were placed in a dark cozy corner out of the traffic. Later it got so dark that I couldn't see my food.

Apparently, the menu changes daily so you never know what you're going to get, however we found that the online menu was identical to that evening's offerings. We started with a plate of spreads and grilled seasoned pita bread that included hummus, baba ghanoush, and some roasted red pepper stuff (the favorite). I also had a mojito that was very refreshing.

For dinner we decided to split a couple of entrees: the Elysian Fields Farm lamb loin with polenta and stewed eggplant and chickpeas, and the Casbah double-cut pork chop with risotto and kale. The meats were wonderful, although we were very disappointed by the size of the lamb portion, which was maybe 2 ounces at best. For the price I wanted to dig into a thick juicy steak.

I usually prefer grilled polenta, but the grits that were served were nice and fine. The pork chop was topped with crispy green onion strips that I really enjoyed, but I don't think Dave was thrilled with them. Neither of us is a kale fan so we left that on the plate.

Although we didn't leave stuffed, nothing on the dessert menu was very tempting, so we headed home. I'd go there again if someone else was paying.

Carlos Times

Friday, August 8
Carlos (renowned coin flipper, and editor of The Carlos Times) arrived in the evening. The three of us got dinner at the Murray Ave Grill and then filled Carlos with ice cream at Bruster's, which turned out to be a great find.

Carlos made good on his threat to bring Virg some NY memorabilia.

Mr. Moustache closes his eyes and muses that Carlos is simultaneously
half alive and half made of Coke.

Saturday, August 9
A day of ill. Virg made sure Carlos had the full midwestern experience by stuffing him with Bob Evan's breakfast food in West Mifflin. Then we drove up the Mt Washington lookout to stand above the Pittsburgh skyline, and headed home. Afterward, Carlos and I went for a long walk around our neighborhood, CMU and Shadyside, making sure to stop for the obligatory Coke to keep Carlos running at peak efficiency. Then we all attempted to finish off an extra large pizza at Aiello's and found room for dessert at Aladdin's. We also taught Carlos to play Big Two, which he insisted on playing for the rest of his visit.

Sunday, August 10
Began the day with coffee and muffins at the nearby 61C Cafe. Then Virg took us to the Andy Warhol museum. We had heard from people here that it's so much more than a museum, that there's so much to do there. Wrong. It was your standard art museum. If you're willing to stretch the meaning of the word "art" to include the works we saw there.

Carlos was deeply moved by this painting.

We then introduced Carlos and ourselves to another essential Pittsburgh experience--hot dogs at The Original Hot Dog Shop near Pitt. Supposed to be the most incredible hot dogs. Wrong. They were hot dogs. Nothing original about them. And the place was hot and dirty.

Greasy french fries. How original.

Having filled him with hot dogs, pancakes, coke, and ice cream, we sent Carlos on his merry way back to the futures that awaited him in NY.

In the evening we ate healthier at Rock Bottom and then watched Shaun Of The Dead on DVD. It was entertaining, but no Hot Fuzz.

Making Friends

Monday, August 4
Ravi's stay with us ended. Virg and I tried India Garden in Oakland, supposedly the best Indian food in the city. The food was pretty good, though not amazing, and the waiters were impressively unpleasant. Watched the Bourne Ultimatum on DVD in the evening. It was entertaining, but I think if you never saw a Bourne movie, you wouldn't be missing out.

Tuesday, August 5
On their way back from DC, Virg's parents stopped by for lunch with us at Aladdin's.

Wednesday, August 6
Tried Lucca's pizza for lunch. It was a much nicer place to eat than the many other pizza places near us, but the food wasn't nearly as good.

Many of our friends have tried to fix us up with their friends in Pittsburgh. We've now met a couple "friends of friends" here. It's pretty much like going on a blind date, where at first you're not sure who in the restaurant you're supposed to be meeting with, and in the end you're wondering how long you should wait to call them again. The asymmetry is that we need friends and they don't.

We met some friends-of-friends for dinner at Ka Mei--a chinese restaurant so close we can almost see it from our home. Had a nice time there, and the food was ok.

Thursday, August 7
We ate a delicious but microscopic lunch at the Tango Cafe. Then I had dinner with a high school student of mine at the Union Grill.

Friday, August 8
Another friend-of-friend meeting. We met a tech writer for lunch at Tamarind, not far from CMU. The Indian buffet there was delicious, and we had a good time chatting with her. Then Carlos arrived in the evening.

Celebrating 2 Years and 2 Computer Platforms

Monday, July 21
When my dad, Hilary, and I walked around Shadyside a few weeks ago, Virg felt sure we'd return with the Chococat lamp she desperately needed from the Hello Kitty store there. We didn't, so it was inevitable that we'd have to go back to Shadyside for her silly lamp, and we used this trip as an excuse to try out lunch at Cappy's, which turned out to have delicious subs and salads.

a lovely tech writer finds illumination

When I checked my email in the evening, I learned that I had finally been assigned an "Andrew ID." Not sure what an Andrew ID is, but apparently it's a prerequisite for doing just about anything at CMU, so having one now is very very good.

Tuesday, July 22
I got a key to my new office, which is pretty dumpy--a windowless little room with broken furniture, broken lights, and broken ceiling tiles. And it's an ergonomic nightmare--a problem I really have to remedy soon.

Wednesday, July 23
I gave in to the power of the dark side--and got a Mac. But I swear I didn't want one. CMU intro CS classes are taught in rooms full of Macs, and I needed to make sure I could handle them. So I stretched my computer budget to include both a desktop PC for my office and a MacBook to use in class. And so it happened that, as a young hotshot computer science professor, I found myself glancing uncomfortably at my new Mac and asking the CS department's computing services manager, "Um, how do I turn it on?"--among other insightful questions. Turns out: the power button.

Then I remembered I'd need a VGA adapter cable in order to connect the Mac to a projector, so I got an insider's look at the long chain of bureaucracy required to spend $17 at CMU's bookstore. A few administrators, forms, and 30-digit account codes later, the computing services guy and I reached the end of the red tape at the bookstore, where they put our newly purchased cable in a bookstore plastic bag. When we attempted to decline the bag, we were told that the store's crazy rules required them to give us the bag even if we didn't want it, but that we could return the bag to a different cashier on the way out of the store. We did, and the employee there sighed, "I don't know why those guys at the computer counter insist on giving everyone bags." Ah, CMU... How many little slips of paper and plastic bags must we exchange just to move a 4-inch cable from one building to another?

By the way, the Mac has proven to be a little quirky, but I'm really liking it.

Dave embraces thinking different.

In the evening, Virg and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary by using a gift certificate at a Thai place in Shadyside called Thai Place, that claims to be one of the top ten Thai places in the country. We think not, but we did enjoy it very much. Then we had a nice walk around Shadyside, and ended the evening by wolfing down some Great Wall Of Chocolate cake in a big pool of delicious raspberry puree at P. F. Chang's at the Waterfront. It was the closest thing we could find to our wedding cake on short notice. We had a really nice evening together.

P. F. Chang's Great Wall Of Chocolate
[as stolen from someone's Internet photo album]

Thursday, July 24
Tried out lunch at Uncle Sam's Gourmet Subs at Forbes and Murray. Turns out they really only have many varieties of a single sub, and it was hardly gourmet. But it was a delicious cheesesteak that I'm looking forward to having again!

Friday, July 25
Back to CMU to get an ID card, so that I can get into the buildings on the weekend. Next month I get a new one which doubles as a bus pass, which, like so many things at CMU, I can't get until the official start date printed in my offer letter: September 1st. Which is stupid, because I start teaching classes in August, and need most of those things before then.

In the evening, Virg's parents came to visit, but of course you know that, because you've already read her blog entry about it.

Saturday, July 26
A month ago, when I learned that one of my new favorite bands, Lights Out Asia, would be releasing their third CD, I set an alarm on my Yahoo calendar so I could buy it the day it was released. So, when my package from the band's record label arrived, I tore it open excitedly, only to find they had shipped the wrong CD. I emailed the record label, and they didn't express any interest in having me send back the CD they'd sent me accidentally. And when the correct CD finally arrived a week later, they accidentally included yet another random CD with it. Not a good business model, but the music is excellent.

Of all the albums not about men dressed as bats,
this one is currently my favorite.

Virg and I spent the night at Pittsburgh's 4.5-star Omni William Penn hotel as part of our anniversary celebration. We had a great time there, even without our Lights Out Asia CD. The hotel treated us like royalty, and the room was really nice--a suite with great views of downtown. We enjoyed some room service for lunch. Then we discovered our room rate included free dinner at the Terrace Room downstairs, which turned out to be quite good.

in the hotel lobby, after dinner

We enjoyed free Sunday brunch there the next morning, and then walked around downtown for a bit before reluctantly heading back to real life at home, where an AP Workshop awaited...

Virg poses by a fountain in front of the hotel where we stayed