Oh, you’re still here?
I’ve pretty much just set up shop over at christinacann.com — maybe you’d like to join in the fun there? I blog regularly. Mostly about writing and reading, sometimes about how infuriating it is to turn on the heat on October 7 (am I right or what?!).
Thanks for reading me here. This will probably stay up until it’s time to renew, which maybe I’ll do and maybe I won’t. I’m just such an enigma.
Ciao.
Broccoli and cucumber courtesy of my garden; cocktails courtesy of Boyd & Blair.
Downloading iTunes. (Yes, I know it’s 2009. I haven’t downloaded a song since Kazaa was king, which means since my sophomore year of college.)
Ordering a Dirty Pickle the next time I go to a classy bar, which is to say, perhaps sometime in the next five years.
Making kale chips with the ungodly amount of greens I am still receiving from my CSA every week.
Painting my toenails.
That is all.
OMG, where have I been? Can I really not have updated my blog since [checks...gasps...] January? What the hell have I been doing?!
Let me tell you!
I turned 25, and received a cake worthy of recognition on Cake Wrecks, although I haven’t sent it to them. (In case you can’t read it, it says “Happy Birthday Christina Welcome to Your Quarter Life Crisis.”)
Even a teal-lover knows when to stop.
My husb got me tickets to the Penguins, and I saw this amazing car when we parked near the arena.
A kindred soul.
Then, the Penguins won the Stanley Cup and I collapsed in a huge heap of sobbing/laughing/screaming/hyperventilating mess on my living room floor. Less than twelve hours later, I was holding the Cup with Coach Bylsma.
GAHHHHH!!!!
(I’ll give you a second to recover from the sheer awesomeness of that picture. I needed a week to recover.)
I went to Houston for a friend’s wedding and SOMEHOW BECAME PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
"Look, I'm the President, and if I want to change the national anthem to "Take A Chance On Me," I WILL."
I also met this feisty little guy, painted on the ceiling of where the wedding reception was.
Yee-haw.
I’ve been doing a whole lot of writing and editing, and actually gave my manuscript to some people to read, which was hella terrifying. So far, no one has handed it back to me and then proceeded to laugh in my face for ten minutes, so that’s good.
I started another blog (Hi, my name is Christina, and I’m a blogaholic who doesn’t follow through), where I’ve been thinking through some writing stuff. Follow me there…if you dare. Of if, you know, you’re interested in me blabbing about writing. I also occasionally contribute to the very amazing Only in Pittsburgh blog, for which my spouse is the main contributor. If you have a picture that belongs there, what are you waiting for? Send it to us!
KTHXBAI
We’ve been through this before (that one ruined my 9th birthday, I’ll have you know, and it’s far worse than anything Jeff Verszyla is predicting right now). We are located in southwestern Pennsylvania, not southwestern Florida. We receive snow between the months of October and March, sometimes up to 6″ at once.
So why, for the love of all that is good, have I not seen a single plow or salt truck out tonight? Why is it that I, along with two very kind friends, had to push my car home while my husband tried not to run over us?
Seriously, WTF? Maybe the Manchild Mayor should stop focusing on appearing as ridiculous as humanly possible and actually take care of the city?
Hugs and kisses,
Christina
(Picture from stephjoyous.)
Over at Marginal Designs, the husb did a meme via Andrea and Cynthia. The rules:
Leave a comment and I’ll give you a letter. Post ten things you LOVE that begin with that letter. Then give a letter to anyone who leaves a comment for you… and the cycle will continue.
I decided to participate too and he gave me the letter M, but switched up the rules: I had to name 10 things I love about Pittsburgh that start with the letter M, not just things in general. So, without further ado, my list.
1. Marginal Designs: Yet more shameless self-promotion. But I seriously love the fact that two people can put the face of a local celebrity on a t-shirt in the style of the Che Guevara shirts and people will totally support it. Yinzers rock.
2. Masloff, Sophie: The first (and so far, only) female mayor of Pittsburgh and a revered local icon. On a related note, I love the WearPittsburgh t-shirts that support a potential Masloff run for President. I’d vote for her!
3. Mount Washington: A gorgeous view of our gorgeous city. I love bringing visitors up to Mt. Washington. It’s a visual rebuttal to the “Pittsburgh is dirty and smoky and gross” stereotype that somehow persists even in 2008:
(Picture from DeathByBokeh)
4. Most Livable City: I totally agree, Pittsburgh is the Most Livable City in the United States. We have great museums, a low cost of living, and friendly neighbors. What more could you ask for?
5. Mario Lemieux: I belong to a Facebook group called “Mario Lemieux Just Might Be God.” And it’s not an exaggeration AT ALL. Mario was an amazing hockey player despite all his setbacks and contributes meaningfully to our community.
6. Monongahela River: Together with the Allegheny, it forms the Ohio River at Point State Park. Without it, national sports broadcasters wouldn’t be able to say that Pittsburgh lies at the confluence of three rivers, and then how would they show off their extensive vocabularies?
7. Miller, Heath: A solid football player and reliable tight end on the Steelers. He rarely misses any of Ben’s passes, which is more than I can say for some of the other players on the team. (cough, Santonio Holmes, cough)
8. Mr. Rogers : I cried the day Mr. Rogers died. He was an integral part of my childhood and he lived right here in Pittsburgh. My favorite Mr. Rogers story: When he was baby-sitting his grandson, his car was stolen. The news stations reported the theft and the next day, or maybe a few days later, the thief returned the car to Mr. Rogers. That story really speaks to the good he brought out in people.
9. Myron Cope: A Pittsburgh original, creator of the Terrible Towel, award-winning journalist, and owner of perhaps the most distinctive voice ever. Myron, we miss you.
10. Mary Cassatt: I love her paintings. Anything that places value on the often unseen lives of women is awesome in my book. And she’s from Pittsburgh, too!
Leave a comment if you want to write your top ten list with a Pittsburgh twist!
Things I did today:
Therefore, I am tired.
But here’s a picture of one of my cats!
He’s cute, look at him! Don’t mind me, curled up in the corner here … with the comfy bed … and the pillows … and …
I love weird old Pittsburgh houses that have been converted into weird old Pittsburgh apartments.
Seriously, this week has been a freaking killer. I am so glad it’s over. This weekend, I plan on working on my book A LOT, cleaning the apartment, and generally hanging out with friends and enjoying not being overdrawn on my bank account anymore.
I leave you with this picture of a sunstar flower I bought at Trader Joe’s a couple weeks ago. It’s bloomed magnificently.
See you Monday.
During an odd quiet spell in the office today, I got a phone call from my former landlord’s bank. Turns out the whole “bounced check” thing was a bank error, not the fault of a deadbeat realty company, and they’re sending me a cashier’s check today for the original amount.
(When I was on the phone with the bank rep, and she said it was a bank error, all I could think of was that Community Chest card in Monopoly – you know, “Bank error in your favor, collect $200” – and how, once again, that godforsaken game had set me up for a life of broken promises.)
So that made me happy, and it’s quite possible that all my overdraft fees are going to be refunded, and I didn’t come home to a lake in my kitchen, and no one got laid off at work. Altogether, a much better day than yesterday. Plus, awesome weather! Although I did feel like a giant idiot because I wore my galoshes today (what?! the airguessers said there was a 70% chance of rain and thunderstorms!) and had to march around downtown with these things on my feet:
Hawt.
