And The Bubble Goes Pop

I have been busy trying to re-employ myself, visiting the wave pool (which mocks my beach but is better than the lake), and learning about my new city. I am so glad that I made my move and each and every day I learn something new. Some things surprise me, others dont. But what I have discovered is this: my new reality is that my old reality of Pittsburgh was not a reality at all. Got it? It was a perfect bubble of what I thought Pittsburgh really was. Now, I am learning what it is like to actually live here and my perfect little Pittsburgh bubble had to pop faster than I could scream "JAGOFF!" Am I ready to leave? Not for a million bucks. What I am ready for, however, is to fill you in on what my new life is encountering.

Previous bubble buddy; new reality:


1. Wasps and/or Hornets and/or anything else that flies, buzzes and stings. They are everywhere!! And in mass quantities. Pools, doors, cars, porches, water fountains. You name it, they will be there. Crazy. I think I may introduce some wasp and/or Hornet and/or anthing else that flies, buzzes and stings spray to these folks. It really does work if  you use it.


2. Speaking of wasps and/or Hornets and/or anything else that flies, buzzes and stings, there are the oddest bugs up here. They have tons of spiders, flys, beetles and lightening bugs (not sure of their "proper" name) as well as these horribly ugly creatures:

The house centipede. I about flipped my lid when I first encountered one of these coming out of the drain in the bathtub. Thankfully I was still dressed and could scream for backup. After looking them up, I now see that they can sting similar to bees and wasps. Go figure.


3. Heat. Folks were lying when they named Florida the 'Sunshine State.' It is sunnier and hotter here than in Florida. I cant count the amount of times I have heard "Oh you are from Florida so you must be used to this heat, right?" Um, heck no. It is a different kind of heat. One that sizzles your skin like its frying up bacon... and, with no ocean breeze, you can even smell it frying! Horrible. But I am fond of the lovely shade of tan I am turning. Thank you, sun of Pittsburgh. By the way, I cannot wait until fall. Ahh...

4. People. They are nice. I was correct when I said that. They are alot more friendly than those in south Florida. Strangers will have conversations with you, people actually may wave when you drive by, etc. But, I have encountered my fair share of rudeness. Dang it, Pittsburgh, I liked my prior perception. Now I know that rude people have infested all parts of the country. Hip Hip Hooray.


One thing I have noticed is that I find myself being friendlier at times. I contribute this to the fact that I have about a 90% chance of getting a kind, friendly response here vs. a 10% chance in my prior city.


5. When I said you can purchase Steelers stuff everywhere, I wasnt joking. Even in July. I was at the grocery store... Giant Eagle... and after I paid for my groceries and was leaving, look at what I saw:

Their own little store inside the grocery store. Unbelievable.


Need a new purse? How about one of these 'new-for-summer styles':

Raining? Dont forget to pick up an umbrella or poncho:

I cant wait until I go back and read this blog 3 years from now as I finish washing my black car with yellow pinstripe and black and yellow spinners. Oh, and, of course, my "Go Steelers!" bumper sticker. This will have all been done while wearing my Rothlesberger jersey and black and yellow flip flops.


Then again, I shall not be a traitor. I will keep reminding myself of this so that I do not fall under the spell of Pittsburghers' black and yellow brainwashing!


6. Learning my way around has not been as difficult as I thought it would be. Thus far, I have not gotten lost. I can say, though, that having a car with a large hood makes it difficult to see as you are going around curves that are going uphill. It makes it feel like my car and I shall be dropping off into the unknown on the other side. Scary, but fun.


Thats about it for now... more to come as my new reality forms itself...


Sees ya!

"Im one of those regular weird people" ~ Janis Joplin

1,118 Miles of a Truck's Butt

1,118 miles. That is how far the trip was. Let's see... once I  left Florida, we went through Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia and finally Pennsylvania. It was one heck of a long drive.

Most of the trip was rather boring... trees and road. In fact, my view was this:

Yes, I followed this yellow Penske truck for 1,118 miles. At first it was kinda hard following something for so long that I couldnt see beyond... but by mile 542 I found comfort in the little truck. My eyes stared into the yellow sea of nothingness and daydreamed about the adventure I was embarking on. I was told over and over by the person behind me that my car was swaying all over the road. Perhaps that is why!

The Carolinas were beautiful. This warmed me, in more ways than one:

I LOVE cajun boiled peanuts. And, since I could never get them in south Florida and I surely wont be able to find them in Pittsburgh... picking them up when we stopped for gas was a MUST. And, to top it off, while I was chowing down on the boiled peanuts, I was staring out at all of the wildflowers that were found in the Carolinas. Beautiful! If my hands werent sticky from the nuts, I wouldve taken a picture!

Next up? Virginia... which had a very welcoming sign in their "Welcome Station" Rest Area:

When you walk into the bathroom, this sign was on every single mirror. It made me want to run to my car, put on my seatbelt and speed through their state to get to the other side. Um, Im not going to be the next fatality. How dare you even think like that! It had somewhat of a Final Destination-type effect on me. "Welcome to Virginia... its time to play... you are the next contestant on 'Are You Virginia's Next Traffic Fatality'!?!" I guess that is how they keep outsiders away.

Oh, West Virginia... how you are not much better, maybe even worse than regular ol' Virginia. Mountains, mountains, and more mountains. Did I mention there are mountains in West Virginia? Speaking of such.... Never Again!!! I felt like I was on a roller coaster for hours! My stomach spent most of the afternoon in my throat and in my hand I held a plastic bag so I could vomit as I drove. Awful, eh? We had to stop just to let my stomach settle. And... dont forget my ears were clogged and popping and my face felt swollen from my sinuses. Lovely. I dont think I will be re-visiting anytime soon. If ever.

All in all... It took us 3 cars, 2 days, 1 overnight hotel stay, and 6 people.... but we made it to Pittsburgh, unloaded the truck, unpacked, and got settled... in less than a week.

So far I havent had time to confront those worries... but I will keep yinz posted as I knock them down, one by one, with my mad ninja skills.
  

"Im one of those regular weird people" ~ Janis Joplin