Since my mind is always dreaming of ideas for the next adventures, I thought I'd share what some of those might be within the next few months...
1. Tampa, FL - The bro just returned from the war, so my parental desire to go visit him. Additionally, my mom has it in her head that she may want to retire to Tampa, and she's heard that you can dive with the manatees in Crystal River (equi-distant from Orlando or Tampa). Thus, my mom is combining all of these into a week long trip in March. She wants me to come and make it a family reunion, but it will just depend on how much time I can afford to take off of classes and how much money I have after Italy!
2. Chicago, IL - This year the Forte Conference will be held there in June. I'm hoping I get a stipend again (and a day off of Amazon) so I can go out there for the weekend. I'd love to see Wrigley Field, the Bean, the trains, Sears tower (I know it's been renamed, but who cares), etc.
3. Las Vegas - I know I've been a million times, but it's always a good time. My darling friend Holly (who lives there) is getting married there this summer, so it's a great excuse to go. Also, my friend Katie (who is also getting married this summer) is having a bachelorette party there sometime within the next few months!
Friday, February 26, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
Sailing off the British Virgin Islands...
My fabulous friend Sally (AKA my partner in crime here in grad. school) and her sister are licensed sailboat captains, and occassionally decide to rent out a boat. This year Sally decided it'd be fun to get a group of our classmates together to go on a week-long boat trip in the British Virgin Islands for a crazy week of tanning, snorkeling, scuba, and leasure. We got together a group of 10 (5 guys, 5 girls) and are headed down to Tortola right after classes end (and we all go our separate ways for our internships) in May.
Since Sally and sis are captains, we don't have to hire any crew members, and we were able to get round-trip flight tickets for only $500 from PIT - score! Plus split 10 ways the boat/food/alcohol was a totally reasonable price.
Here's a picture of the boat we are renting:
I am so excited! Just now have to get in bathing suit shape and figure out how to get a tan!
Friday, February 5, 2010
Seattle here we come...
I have wanted to go to Seattle for as long as I can remember, but can never find a good excuse. Well now I finally get to go! My good friend Katie is getting married there in May, so I had planned to go for a few days anyway, but today I found out that I got the internship I wanted (Product Management) with Amazon.com this summer, so I get to move there for 12 weeks! I am very excited to see the city in the summertime and hopefully make some great contacts so I can move there after I graduate. Hooray!
EDIT:
It looks like I will be living there from May 22nd - Aug. 17th, so feel free to come visit me during that time!
Additionally, my great friend Sally also got an internship with Amazon in Seattle this summer, so it looks like we'll be sharing a place in the Corporate housing to save money on rent.
EDIT:
It looks like I will be living there from May 22nd - Aug. 17th, so feel free to come visit me during that time!
Additionally, my great friend Sally also got an internship with Amazon in Seattle this summer, so it looks like we'll be sharing a place in the Corporate housing to save money on rent.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Traveling solo for the first time...
I've just decided to go on a trip to Italy over Spring Break. Probably not the greatest idea on a student budget, but a close friend is studying abroad in Florence (where I could stay for free) and the flights are really cheap right now, so I've decided to go for it. It would mean traveling solo and spending a few days by myself, which I admit scares me to death, but it also means 4 days in Rome and 3 days in Florence.
Have you been to either of these cities? Recommendations of restaurants / shops / hostles?
Have you been to either of these cities? Recommendations of restaurants / shops / hostles?
Friday, January 22, 2010
Pittsburgh - I still like it, but it is so backwards...
Now that I've lived here a few months I feel the desire to share my new opinion of Pittsburgh. While I am still a fan of the city for the most part, there are just so many odd things about this place that I felt the need to elaborate them for all of you:
1. Pothole central:
Traveling across the country to move out here I saw every variation of roads, but I think Pittsburgh sets a whole new record. I am truthfully shocked that I haven't yet shredded a tire from a pothole, but I imagine it is only a matter of time. To emphasize how bad this problem is, the last mayor actually made it part of his election campaign that he would get X amount of potholes fixed. I know they blame it on the fact that the snow cracks the asphalt, and I do get that and give some leeway, but really? This is ridiculous. BTW - the sidewalks are just as bad - walking in heels is just plain dangerous, it's highly possible I will break my ankles walking on of these days.
* I actually have a whole series of rants dealing with driving in Pittsburgh (parking is practically illegal - don't ask how many tickets I've gotten since moving here; the PA version of the DMV far outweighs any inefficiency I have ever seen before, you may get lost even using a GPS, etc.), but I will save you from all of those for now.
2. Alcohol:
PA is one of the few states that still doesn't allow you to buy any sort of liquor in the supermarket. You have to buy wine / liquor from a Wine and Spirits store (think a mini BevMo) and beer from a Beer distributor (and in no quantity smaller than a case). If you want a six-pack you can buy it from a bar or a restaurant for a significant mark-up, but only 2 packs at a time. Want more than that? You can get through a loop-hole in the law by exiting the bar and coming right back in. There is a really tight restriction on the numbers of liquor licenses, so many restaurants cannot serve liquor. However, they call themselves "BYOB" restaurants and let you bring your own liquor. Of course, then they tend to charge you a corkage fee. Gotta love that.
3. Public Transportation:
So the bus system is actually not scary like in California, but they are completely sporadic. There is no way to know when they will show up, and when it snows there is a good chance they will just pass you without even slowing down because they are full. (The other day I got passed by 4 buses and was thus very late to school - not cool.) There are also only 4 taxis in the city. Ok so I don't actually know how many there are, but there aren't nearly enough. Suffice to say if you call for a taxi on a Friday or Saturday night expect them to tell you it will take at least 2 hours to get you, or more often than not that they are "full" for the evening. What?
4. Apartments:
I will start by saying that rent is REALLY cheap - I didn't have to pay any sort of deposit (including for Mooshu), my place is 2x the size of what I had in CA, and my heat is included in my rent (a big deal here). That being said, the buildings are old, could use some serious repairs, and in my case, was disgusting when I moved in (think mold all over the bathroom, trash still in some of the cupboards, no flooring in my bathroom). To answer your question, yes, I cried when I moved in. Don't get me wrong, I moved into one of the nicest places I looked into, it isn't like I picked a slum to live in. My neighborhood and the location are prime and after some serious cleaning the place works, but let's just say this would never fly in CA.
5. Culture / Food
The local Pittsburgh people are referred to as Yinzers. Due to the fact that their phrase is yinz, instead of "you guys" or "y'all". As in "Yinz gonna come out tonight?" - wow. This is supposedly just a Pittsburgh insult though (to be called a Yinzer). Also, back from the days of the Steel workers having only one clean hand to eat lunch with, they started stuffing everything (coleslaw, french fries, etc.) into their sandwiches. Thus, it is still that way today. French Fries are in EVERYTHING - though I hate to admit I actually liked them in a salad I had the other day. Though that totally defeated the purpose of eating a "healthy" salad.
1. Pothole central:
Traveling across the country to move out here I saw every variation of roads, but I think Pittsburgh sets a whole new record. I am truthfully shocked that I haven't yet shredded a tire from a pothole, but I imagine it is only a matter of time. To emphasize how bad this problem is, the last mayor actually made it part of his election campaign that he would get X amount of potholes fixed. I know they blame it on the fact that the snow cracks the asphalt, and I do get that and give some leeway, but really? This is ridiculous. BTW - the sidewalks are just as bad - walking in heels is just plain dangerous, it's highly possible I will break my ankles walking on of these days.
* I actually have a whole series of rants dealing with driving in Pittsburgh (parking is practically illegal - don't ask how many tickets I've gotten since moving here; the PA version of the DMV far outweighs any inefficiency I have ever seen before, you may get lost even using a GPS, etc.), but I will save you from all of those for now.
2. Alcohol:
PA is one of the few states that still doesn't allow you to buy any sort of liquor in the supermarket. You have to buy wine / liquor from a Wine and Spirits store (think a mini BevMo) and beer from a Beer distributor (and in no quantity smaller than a case). If you want a six-pack you can buy it from a bar or a restaurant for a significant mark-up, but only 2 packs at a time. Want more than that? You can get through a loop-hole in the law by exiting the bar and coming right back in. There is a really tight restriction on the numbers of liquor licenses, so many restaurants cannot serve liquor. However, they call themselves "BYOB" restaurants and let you bring your own liquor. Of course, then they tend to charge you a corkage fee. Gotta love that.
3. Public Transportation:
So the bus system is actually not scary like in California, but they are completely sporadic. There is no way to know when they will show up, and when it snows there is a good chance they will just pass you without even slowing down because they are full. (The other day I got passed by 4 buses and was thus very late to school - not cool.) There are also only 4 taxis in the city. Ok so I don't actually know how many there are, but there aren't nearly enough. Suffice to say if you call for a taxi on a Friday or Saturday night expect them to tell you it will take at least 2 hours to get you, or more often than not that they are "full" for the evening. What?
4. Apartments:
I will start by saying that rent is REALLY cheap - I didn't have to pay any sort of deposit (including for Mooshu), my place is 2x the size of what I had in CA, and my heat is included in my rent (a big deal here). That being said, the buildings are old, could use some serious repairs, and in my case, was disgusting when I moved in (think mold all over the bathroom, trash still in some of the cupboards, no flooring in my bathroom). To answer your question, yes, I cried when I moved in. Don't get me wrong, I moved into one of the nicest places I looked into, it isn't like I picked a slum to live in. My neighborhood and the location are prime and after some serious cleaning the place works, but let's just say this would never fly in CA.
5. Culture / Food
The local Pittsburgh people are referred to as Yinzers. Due to the fact that their phrase is yinz, instead of "you guys" or "y'all". As in "Yinz gonna come out tonight?" - wow. This is supposedly just a Pittsburgh insult though (to be called a Yinzer). Also, back from the days of the Steel workers having only one clean hand to eat lunch with, they started stuffing everything (coleslaw, french fries, etc.) into their sandwiches. Thus, it is still that way today. French Fries are in EVERYTHING - though I hate to admit I actually liked them in a salad I had the other day. Though that totally defeated the purpose of eating a "healthy" salad.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Flying with Mooshu
After I decided to fly home for Christmas, I realized that this would be my first time flying with Mooshu and I wasn't really sure what to do. I read all the rules and was shocked at what a pain it was:
1. You have to get a paper signed by the vet within 30 days of flying certifying your pet is healthy
2. Pay a $150 fee to take her on board (this is just for in cabin, underneath the seat - not even to put them in the cargo area) - I find this ludacris, people don't pay to take their babies on board and they are normally WAY more of a pain.
3. Fill out paperwork certifying the last time you fed them / let them go to the bathroom
Ok, so I did all this and then just assumed Mooshu would be fine. She's spent hours in the car, and is one of the most mellow dogs I've ever met. That being said, the vet had given me Xanax for her to help her sleep. I didn't really want to drug her, but I thought it could be a good idea to help relieve any anxiety from flying / vibration from the plane. Moral of the story = bad idea. Her poor little heart was beating 3x its normal speed the entire trip, she cried from descent all the way into the terminal, and she never once slept in the whole 5 hour flight. Oi, what a disaster.
At one point I decided she would calm down if I just took her out of the carrier and held her. She calmed down and finally started to doze off in my arms. Then a nasty (and I think drunk) flight attendant came and yelled at me that she needed to be in the carrier under the seat (really, what harm was she to anyone?). Needless to say on the return flight I didn't drug her. She still cried a little but it was SO much better.
1. You have to get a paper signed by the vet within 30 days of flying certifying your pet is healthy
2. Pay a $150 fee to take her on board (this is just for in cabin, underneath the seat - not even to put them in the cargo area) - I find this ludacris, people don't pay to take their babies on board and they are normally WAY more of a pain.
3. Fill out paperwork certifying the last time you fed them / let them go to the bathroom
Ok, so I did all this and then just assumed Mooshu would be fine. She's spent hours in the car, and is one of the most mellow dogs I've ever met. That being said, the vet had given me Xanax for her to help her sleep. I didn't really want to drug her, but I thought it could be a good idea to help relieve any anxiety from flying / vibration from the plane. Moral of the story = bad idea. Her poor little heart was beating 3x its normal speed the entire trip, she cried from descent all the way into the terminal, and she never once slept in the whole 5 hour flight. Oi, what a disaster.
At one point I decided she would calm down if I just took her out of the carrier and held her. She calmed down and finally started to doze off in my arms. Then a nasty (and I think drunk) flight attendant came and yelled at me that she needed to be in the carrier under the seat (really, what harm was she to anyone?). Needless to say on the return flight I didn't drug her. She still cried a little but it was SO much better.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
New York City - city of amazing, fattening food!
Since I got a Forte Fellowship to Grad. School, I got the opportunity to go to NYC for the annual conference. I gave myself an extra day and a half to check out the city before the conference - but what to do? So many choices, so little time! I was a little worried about traveling by myself, but figured between the awesome subway and the fact that I'd be doing totally touristy stuff I would be fine.
When I arrived in the city, I made my way to my hotel in Soho by way of an extra long taxi ride. It was really easy to do until my taxi couldn't figure out where we were going.
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