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!

• had a very insane and hectic day at the office
• went to happy hour with a dear old friend from high school
• came home and wrote a chapter of my book

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.

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.

(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.

Just what I needed to help me forget the insanity of this day.

From the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore.