.....you should probably watch this video. It is hilarious.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
I'm a user!
A Netflix user that is!
During the "to get cable or not" decision-making process, I realized that how fantastically Netflix could solve all my problems. It's only $9 a month - not $45. I can stream from the internet. There are entire seasons of TV shows available. AMAZING.
I put off signing-up until my internet was fully functional, and yet I am already a believer. So far, I have watched season 3 of The Office (I got seasons 1 and 2 for my birthday and just couldn't stop!) and I have created a "Q" of movies that I want mailed to me.
Technically, I'm still in the "free trial" stage, but I will shortly be a full-fledged paying customer!
Also, I'm going home tomorrow! Britt Goes to Columbus!
Until tomorrow,
B
During the "to get cable or not" decision-making process, I realized that how fantastically Netflix could solve all my problems. It's only $9 a month - not $45. I can stream from the internet. There are entire seasons of TV shows available. AMAZING.
I put off signing-up until my internet was fully functional, and yet I am already a believer. So far, I have watched season 3 of The Office (I got seasons 1 and 2 for my birthday and just couldn't stop!) and I have created a "Q" of movies that I want mailed to me.
Technically, I'm still in the "free trial" stage, but I will shortly be a full-fledged paying customer!
Also, I'm going home tomorrow! Britt Goes to Columbus!
Until tomorrow,
B
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Nerd-Alert!
This past weekend when I made my journey to Cedar Point, I decided that I actually needed a book-on-tape and picked one up at the library. (I'm telling, they make drives sooo much better!)
The b-o-t that I checked out is called Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult who's most famous book is probably My Sister's Keeper. Without looking at the b-o-t, I checked it out from the Carnegie Library and planned to start it on my car trip. Bright and early Saturday morning, I opened the b-o-t case and discovered that there are SEVENTEEN CD's to the freaking thing. I then, for the first time, flipped over the case and discovered that the total run-time is TWENTY-ONE HOURS. Seriously! So on my 6-hour trip, I only got through 4 CDs. The bad thing is that the book is really good, like if it were a written book, I would be reading it constantly. It's not a written book, though, and I also haven't had to use my car at all this entire week. As a result, I have started listening to the b-o-t in my apartment. On my DVD player. All the time. It's kind of like I would imagine listening to the radio would have been before TV existed, except that TV does exist and there is not a single reason to actually listen to a b-o-t on a DVD player.
Countdown to my trip home: 2 days
Countdown to the start of medical school: 11 days
Where has summer gone?!
<3, Britt
The b-o-t that I checked out is called Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult who's most famous book is probably My Sister's Keeper. Without looking at the b-o-t, I checked it out from the Carnegie Library and planned to start it on my car trip. Bright and early Saturday morning, I opened the b-o-t case and discovered that there are SEVENTEEN CD's to the freaking thing. I then, for the first time, flipped over the case and discovered that the total run-time is TWENTY-ONE HOURS. Seriously! So on my 6-hour trip, I only got through 4 CDs. The bad thing is that the book is really good, like if it were a written book, I would be reading it constantly. It's not a written book, though, and I also haven't had to use my car at all this entire week. As a result, I have started listening to the b-o-t in my apartment. On my DVD player. All the time. It's kind of like I would imagine listening to the radio would have been before TV existed, except that TV does exist and there is not a single reason to actually listen to a b-o-t on a DVD player.
Countdown to my trip home: 2 days
Countdown to the start of medical school: 11 days
Where has summer gone?!
<3, Britt
Monday, July 26, 2010
Cedar Point/the Cleve
This weekend was spent at Cedar Point and in Cleveland and as a direct result was a huge success.
Before I get to that action though, let me say that my lab continues to be amazing. On Friday, at 2:00, we all went to this sports bar called Buffalo Blues and ate, drank, and played darts for over four hours. I'm actually not bad at darts which is extremely surprising considering that a large amount of aim is involved, and I'm generally not allowed to toss anything, ever. I capped off that evening with a walk around the neighborhood and some laundry.
On Saturday, things really started to get interesting. Here's something that baffles me. It takes me just over three hours to drive from my apartment in Pittsburgh to my house on OSU's campus. It took me just under three hours to get from my apartment in Pittsburgh to Cedar Point. Confusing? I definitely think so, yet magically I left my place in the 'burgh at 7:00 AM and arrived in Cedar Point's parking lot before 10.
Before I continue with tales of my day, let me give you some advice. Never drive into an amusement park by yourself. I was in the car alone because the rest of my party was en route from Columbus. I got some of the saddest looks ever. People's faces read. "Oh, that's sad. She came to Cedar Point by herself." When I pulled up to pay for parking, the girl who took my money leaned forward to look into my car, as if she was trying to determine if I had actually come alone. I wanted to say, "I'M MEETING PEOPLE!" but it didn't seem worth it.
When my Andrew and my roommates Darci and Amanda and Amanda's fiancé Eric and Eric's coworker Kevin (crazy group, huh?) arrived, I was waiting at the gates, trying to look engrossed in my map and avoid looks of pity from passers-by. The six of us moved through the park pretty efficiently. We hit all of the coasters that I was looking forward to - Millennium Force, Magnum, Raptor, and the new one, the Maverick. For those who haven't been to Cedar Point since the Maverick opened, I would strongly suggest riding it, even if you have to wait in line for an hour. Speaking of lines, I freely admit that I am somewhat annoying to wait with because if the line is long enough, I will make people play games. Even if they don't want to at first (which Darci didn't), my persistence is such that by the time fifteen minutes have gone by, they will give in (which Darci did!). We played the alphabet game: I'm going on a trip and I'm bringing aerosol hairspray, and Brittany, and carrots, and so on until you get to the letter z (zookeeper!). I loved every minute of it. Plus, I am a firm believer that game-playing makes the lines seem shorter.
The only major downside to Cedar Point was the heat. I'm not sure how hot it actually got, but the forecast was over 90, and it definitely felt that way. Halfway through the day, we escaped to Snoopyland to eat at the Joe Cool Cafe simply because it was indoors and (weakly) air-conditioned. While we were in the cafe, our waitress asked if we would be doing one big check or separate, and we responded, "separate." Andrew and I were just getting a pizza and splitting it though, and when the waitress came to us, he said, "Well, we're ACTUALLY together." (major emphasis on the actually, like "believe it or not but we're together"). He knows how to make me feel special! Our whole table got a pretty good laugh out of it.
Following Cedar Point, I made the hour and fifteen minute drive to Cleveland where I spent the rest of the weekend with my family and my good friend, Chris, who I met on a short term study abroad trip to London my freshman year and who also was a fellow OSU tour guide.
Now, I'm back in Pittsburgh with only two weeks to go until orientation. It's crazy how fast this summer has gone!
Until tomorrow,
Britt
Thursday, July 22, 2010
The 12 types of medical students
This is definitely worth sharing:
http://theunderweardrawer.homestead.com/twelvemedstudents.html
I would love to hear speculations on which one I'll be :-)
http://theunderweardrawer.homestead.com/twelvemedstudents.html
I would love to hear speculations on which one I'll be :-)
The world we live in
Two really incredible shifts happened this week that I'd like to share.
1) China has overtaken the US as the leading consumer of power. This seems scary to me.
2) There are now more electronic books sold on Amazon than actual cover-pages-cover books. This seems sad to me.
Personally, I think that both of those shifts speak volumes about the way in which our world is changing.
In local "Britt Goes to Pitt" news, my efforts to watch AFI's top 100 movies continue, and I can now cross Casablanca and Singing in the Rain off of my list. I'm trying to get a hold of the number one movie of all time, Citizen Kane, but it's checked out at the library.
I also will make a triumphant return to hot yoga tonight. To prep, I have been drinking water all day. Bring on the sweat!
Britt
1) China has overtaken the US as the leading consumer of power. This seems scary to me.
2) There are now more electronic books sold on Amazon than actual cover-pages-cover books. This seems sad to me.
Personally, I think that both of those shifts speak volumes about the way in which our world is changing.
In local "Britt Goes to Pitt" news, my efforts to watch AFI's top 100 movies continue, and I can now cross Casablanca and Singing in the Rain off of my list. I'm trying to get a hold of the number one movie of all time, Citizen Kane, but it's checked out at the library.
I also will make a triumphant return to hot yoga tonight. To prep, I have been drinking water all day. Bring on the sweat!
Britt
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Driving, driving, driving
So, this past weekend, I drove home and back. The drive only takes around 3 hours, which honestly isn't that bad. It's MUCH more tolerable if you have good music or a book on tape (b-o-t) to listen to. I had intended to check a b-o-t out from the library last week, but I completely forgot and I left my ipod in Pittsburgh, so I was stuck with the static of the radio between the Pittsburgh and Columbus stations. This left me some serious time to think about my drive. Here are my thoughts:
1. When the department of transportation workers make the exit signs that tells what's available at each stop, they're really really liberal with the word "attraction." For example, is the Southeastern Pennsylvannia Trolley Museum really attracting a significant number of guests? Are there people in the world who see that listed under the attractions section of a road sign and think, "MAN! I NEED to get off at that exit!"?
2. Whoever decides when to do road construction in the state of West Virginia should really consider a different career. Right before I got to Wheeling, I was forced to get off of I-70 and onto I-470 for a stretch of about 10 miles. Apparently, I-70 is under construction and is limited to local traffic only. Well, that's totally fine, BUT when I switched to I-470, it was shut down to one lane due to construction. To me, if you make one highway a detour for another highway, you should promptly start construction on both. If I'm going to sit in construction at all, why the heck did I change highways to do it?
3. "Pittsburgh highways must have been designed by a kid with Roller Coaster Tycoon" - my father. Truer words were never spoken.
Additionally, I have internet at my apartment! For those of you wondering "Gee Brittany, if you didn't have internet, how have you been posting at night?" I would like to plead the fifth. It was a huge ordeal to get it set up though. I opted, based partially on price and terrible reviews of Comcast, to go with Verizon as my internet provider. They send you everything you need to set up the internet, and then you do it yourself (meaning no $100 installation fee!) I got the box in the mail, and then waited until my installation day (July 19th) arrived. The set-up seemed really easy. It was along the lines of 1) plug in modem 2) connect modem to phone line 3) connect computer to modem. Once that was completed, the green "internet" was supposed to flash on the modem, meaning everything was correct. My green light did nothing. I tried multiple power outlets and phone line jacks. Still nothing. Frustrated, I called the number provided for tech support on my instructions. As a part of their calling prompts, I was asked to give the phone number of my account, so I keyed in my cell number. All of a sudden, this recording came on that says "As of July 1st, Verizon is no longer the internet provider of your service. Your provider is now Fronteir, and their number is 1-888-blah-blah." Then, the call was ended. The recording left me confused, but I figured I might as well try the other number. I got ahold of someone at Fronteir, and he asked which state I am in. I replie, "Pennsylvania." He answered, "We don't actually service your state through this call center, but I can transfer you." At this point, I was really getting angry, but I kept my cool during the transfer. Again, I was prompted to key in my phone number, and again I got the "you're-now-with-Fronteir-call-this-number" message, and the call ended. I called the Frontier number again, and explained what to operator number 2. He finally pieces everything together. Frontier did buy out Verizon internet in Ohio, which matches the area code of the phone number I was keying in. They did not but out Verizon in Pennsylvania. Right as he was going through this explanation, my green internet came on, all of its own free will. Not kidding.
Tonight I plan to craft and watch Casablanca - should be a good time :-)
Britt
1. When the department of transportation workers make the exit signs that tells what's available at each stop, they're really really liberal with the word "attraction." For example, is the Southeastern Pennsylvannia Trolley Museum really attracting a significant number of guests? Are there people in the world who see that listed under the attractions section of a road sign and think, "MAN! I NEED to get off at that exit!"?
2. Whoever decides when to do road construction in the state of West Virginia should really consider a different career. Right before I got to Wheeling, I was forced to get off of I-70 and onto I-470 for a stretch of about 10 miles. Apparently, I-70 is under construction and is limited to local traffic only. Well, that's totally fine, BUT when I switched to I-470, it was shut down to one lane due to construction. To me, if you make one highway a detour for another highway, you should promptly start construction on both. If I'm going to sit in construction at all, why the heck did I change highways to do it?
3. "Pittsburgh highways must have been designed by a kid with Roller Coaster Tycoon" - my father. Truer words were never spoken.
Additionally, I have internet at my apartment! For those of you wondering "Gee Brittany, if you didn't have internet, how have you been posting at night?" I would like to plead the fifth. It was a huge ordeal to get it set up though. I opted, based partially on price and terrible reviews of Comcast, to go with Verizon as my internet provider. They send you everything you need to set up the internet, and then you do it yourself (meaning no $100 installation fee!) I got the box in the mail, and then waited until my installation day (July 19th) arrived. The set-up seemed really easy. It was along the lines of 1) plug in modem 2) connect modem to phone line 3) connect computer to modem. Once that was completed, the green "internet" was supposed to flash on the modem, meaning everything was correct. My green light did nothing. I tried multiple power outlets and phone line jacks. Still nothing. Frustrated, I called the number provided for tech support on my instructions. As a part of their calling prompts, I was asked to give the phone number of my account, so I keyed in my cell number. All of a sudden, this recording came on that says "As of July 1st, Verizon is no longer the internet provider of your service. Your provider is now Fronteir, and their number is 1-888-blah-blah." Then, the call was ended. The recording left me confused, but I figured I might as well try the other number. I got ahold of someone at Fronteir, and he asked which state I am in. I replie, "Pennsylvania." He answered, "We don't actually service your state through this call center, but I can transfer you." At this point, I was really getting angry, but I kept my cool during the transfer. Again, I was prompted to key in my phone number, and again I got the "you're-now-with-Fronteir-call-this-number" message, and the call ended. I called the Frontier number again, and explained what to operator number 2. He finally pieces everything together. Frontier did buy out Verizon internet in Ohio, which matches the area code of the phone number I was keying in. They did not but out Verizon in Pennsylvania. Right as he was going through this explanation, my green internet came on, all of its own free will. Not kidding.
Tonight I plan to craft and watch Casablanca - should be a good time :-)
Britt
Monday, July 19, 2010
Birthday Happenings
Here's the timeline of my 22nd birthday:
Thursday, July 15th, 2010, 8:00 AM - I woke up as a 22 year-old.
Thursday, July 15th, 2010, 9:00 AM - My marathon drive to work began. I live approximately 3 miles from my lab building. Usually, I can get there in 10 minutes or so. Not so on Thursday. The street that leads down to my lab has two bridges over it, one is a highway and the other is a pedestrian bridge. Well, on my birthday morning, a very large truck thought that he could fit underneath the bridges. HE WAS WRONG. He got himself stuck, as I watched in terror five cars back. There was nowhere for me to go; literally, I sat there for a half hour, watching a truck trying to free himself.
Thursday, July 15th, 2010, 1:00 PM - I met up with Alyssa, a good friend from undergrad who works across the river from me at AE. We ate at the Cheesecake Factory and split Kaluha cheesecake which the waitress put a pink candle in (clearly, I exude a love for pink!) Overall, birthday meal #1 was a fantastic success!
Thursday, July 15th, 2010 4:00 PM - I left work. Unfortunately, as I was driving, I realized that I really had to pee (too much water at the Cheesecake Factory!). When I arrived home, my keys were no where to be found. Without them, I have no way into my apartment building let alone my own apartment. I brainstormed when I had them last and remembered setting them down on the shelf above my work station at the lab, meaning I had to go back. At that point, though, I really needed to use the restroom, so I first drove to the Giant Eagle down the street, walked in, did my thing, and walked out. The security guard gave me a very funny look. Embarrassing, to say the least!
Thursday, July 15th, 2010 5:30 PM - I met up with three lovely med school friends at the Church Brew Works (www.churchbrew.com). The place was AWESOME. It's an old church that has been gutted and turned into a bar/pub/restaurant. The old altar has been replaced with beer brewing equipment. Oh, and the pizza there is amazing! We got Pittsburgh pierogi pizza and chicken/spinach/alfredo pizza; both pies were incredible. Dinner was also a wonderful birthday meal - I really like hanging out with other grounded, non-crazy med students - it gives me hope for the coming year!
Thursday, July 15th, 2010 7:30 PM - I went to Sam's house! (Reminder - Sam is my Ohio State roommate that is from the Pittsburgh area) She was home because this weekend also marks her 22nd birthday (Happy belated birthday, Samantha!) We vegged and watched Wipeout and SYTYCD (So you think you can dance!) and drank Asti and ate Buckeyes. Her mom had assembled a "cake" of Buckeyes that also had a pink candle in it!
Friday, July 16th, 2010, 4:00 PM - I arrived in Ohio! This was my first weekend home since I moved, almost one month to the day. To celebrate my birthday, a group of my OSU/Pickerington friends went out to Cazuela's and Little Bar. At Cazuela's all five girls ordered the same thing - Chimicangas - BUT we each had our own specifics like both beef or one chicken/one beef or both chicken or no beans - and when they all came out, trying to match each person with their order was logic puzzles. I was one scoop of sour cream away from making a grid system and using X's and O's to figure it all out. We finally just had to compromise that not everything could be perfect (essentially, Darci had to suck up and leave the beans on her plate!)
Saturday, July 17th, 2010, 1:00 PM - Family birthday celebration. Let me begin by listing off my family's birthday presents to me (keep in mind that I asked for all of these things, my parents were not trying to punish me):
Toaster, Popcorn maker, Swiffer, Swiffer wetjet, Swiffer refills, Kitchen scissors
I am officially old and boring. Lunch with family went along with presents, and my mom and I went Easton, where I found some amazing plates that will be used in a wall display (pictures will follow!)
That was all that really comprised the birthday aspects of the last few days. The rest of the weekend was spent between my family, Andrew, and his family. Oh, I also saw Inception, which you should go see NOW if you haven't already. Then, you can tell me your opinion of the ending :-)
Tomorrow's entry will be centered on musings from drive to Ohio and back and a fantastic story about setting up internet. Look forward to it!
Until then,
Brittany
Thursday, July 15th, 2010, 8:00 AM - I woke up as a 22 year-old.
Thursday, July 15th, 2010, 9:00 AM - My marathon drive to work began. I live approximately 3 miles from my lab building. Usually, I can get there in 10 minutes or so. Not so on Thursday. The street that leads down to my lab has two bridges over it, one is a highway and the other is a pedestrian bridge. Well, on my birthday morning, a very large truck thought that he could fit underneath the bridges. HE WAS WRONG. He got himself stuck, as I watched in terror five cars back. There was nowhere for me to go; literally, I sat there for a half hour, watching a truck trying to free himself.
Thursday, July 15th, 2010, 1:00 PM - I met up with Alyssa, a good friend from undergrad who works across the river from me at AE. We ate at the Cheesecake Factory and split Kaluha cheesecake which the waitress put a pink candle in (clearly, I exude a love for pink!) Overall, birthday meal #1 was a fantastic success!
Thursday, July 15th, 2010 4:00 PM - I left work. Unfortunately, as I was driving, I realized that I really had to pee (too much water at the Cheesecake Factory!). When I arrived home, my keys were no where to be found. Without them, I have no way into my apartment building let alone my own apartment. I brainstormed when I had them last and remembered setting them down on the shelf above my work station at the lab, meaning I had to go back. At that point, though, I really needed to use the restroom, so I first drove to the Giant Eagle down the street, walked in, did my thing, and walked out. The security guard gave me a very funny look. Embarrassing, to say the least!
Thursday, July 15th, 2010 5:30 PM - I met up with three lovely med school friends at the Church Brew Works (www.churchbrew.com). The place was AWESOME. It's an old church that has been gutted and turned into a bar/pub/restaurant. The old altar has been replaced with beer brewing equipment. Oh, and the pizza there is amazing! We got Pittsburgh pierogi pizza and chicken/spinach/alfredo pizza; both pies were incredible. Dinner was also a wonderful birthday meal - I really like hanging out with other grounded, non-crazy med students - it gives me hope for the coming year!
Thursday, July 15th, 2010 7:30 PM - I went to Sam's house! (Reminder - Sam is my Ohio State roommate that is from the Pittsburgh area) She was home because this weekend also marks her 22nd birthday (Happy belated birthday, Samantha!) We vegged and watched Wipeout and SYTYCD (So you think you can dance!) and drank Asti and ate Buckeyes. Her mom had assembled a "cake" of Buckeyes that also had a pink candle in it!
Friday, July 16th, 2010, 4:00 PM - I arrived in Ohio! This was my first weekend home since I moved, almost one month to the day. To celebrate my birthday, a group of my OSU/Pickerington friends went out to Cazuela's and Little Bar. At Cazuela's all five girls ordered the same thing - Chimicangas - BUT we each had our own specifics like both beef or one chicken/one beef or both chicken or no beans - and when they all came out, trying to match each person with their order was logic puzzles. I was one scoop of sour cream away from making a grid system and using X's and O's to figure it all out. We finally just had to compromise that not everything could be perfect (essentially, Darci had to suck up and leave the beans on her plate!)
Saturday, July 17th, 2010, 1:00 PM - Family birthday celebration. Let me begin by listing off my family's birthday presents to me (keep in mind that I asked for all of these things, my parents were not trying to punish me):
Toaster, Popcorn maker, Swiffer, Swiffer wetjet, Swiffer refills, Kitchen scissors
I am officially old and boring. Lunch with family went along with presents, and my mom and I went Easton, where I found some amazing plates that will be used in a wall display (pictures will follow!)
That was all that really comprised the birthday aspects of the last few days. The rest of the weekend was spent between my family, Andrew, and his family. Oh, I also saw Inception, which you should go see NOW if you haven't already. Then, you can tell me your opinion of the ending :-)
Tomorrow's entry will be centered on musings from drive to Ohio and back and a fantastic story about setting up internet. Look forward to it!
Until then,
Brittany
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Most Fantastic Birthday Present EVER!
Tomorrow is my birthday. More specifically, tomorrow is my 22nd birthday. The very idea of birthdays becomes significantly less appealing once you pass 21, so I had relatively low birthday expectations.
Those expectations have already been exceeded by leaps and bounds. Today, I got THIS in the mail:
Until then,
B
Those expectations have already been exceeded by leaps and bounds. Today, I got THIS in the mail:
Yes, everyone, that is a pink stethoscope! My bff Amy sent it to me in the mail. When i opened the package, there was a box with a black stethoscope on the outside. Then, when I opened the box, I realized that it wasn't an ordinary stethoscope, it was a PINK one.
Thanks Ames for a great present!
To anyone in the Ohio State area, I will be celebrating my birthday on Friday night in Columbus, let me know if you're interested in meeting up.
When I write my next post, I'll be a 22 year-old! :-)
Until then,
B
Baby, when the lights go out...
....it is really hard to do research. (Yes, that is a reference to the band Five, famous for approximately 13 minutes while I was in middle school). Yesterday, the power went out in my lab building. This is highly unfortunate considering that many of our supplies and experiments require temperature-controlled environments. I was worried about my cells (that I have been growing for a full week to prepare for an experiment!) Luckily, the cell incubator was connected to an emergency outlet, so they made it through the outage. Unfortunately, I had been analyzing some data in an excel document and had even generated a pretty graph which was all lost when the computer shut off unexpectedly. I can't complain too much though - the extra half hour that I spent redoing that was much better than spending a week to regrow cells.
As promised in my last post, it's picture time!
As promised in my last post, it's picture time!
I'm embracing my heritage in the Irish room at the Cathedral of Learning!
Ellie, looking intense, in a fancy chair.
Darci and Ellie behind bars in the Romanian room.
Showing some Siena love in the Italian room.
I can't remember which room this is, maybe Slovakia?
We rode the incline to the top of Mount Washington!
Pittsburgh's really pretty :-)
Until tomorrow,
B
Monday, July 12, 2010
Didn't we JUST drive on that road?!
This weekend made for some adventures. Darci and Ellie, two of my best friends from college (and in Ellie's case elementary school through high school), came out for a visit. They arrived around 10 pm on Friday, and we kicked off the weekend at the Harris Grill, a great restaurant on my street. We sample the spinach artichoke dip and pierogies. (For those who do not know, I have a sick addiction to spinach artichoke dip. To prove to you just how much I like it, I will divulge the number of times I have had it since moving to Pittsburgh. FIVE.)
On Saturday morning we went to Strip, the same market-style place that Andrew and I had visited. We also visited the Cathedral of Learning, one of Pitt's most recognizable buildings. It's a huge tower (37 floors!) that contains all sorts of classrooms and offices. The inside of looks like something from medieval times and/or Harry Potter. On the first and third floors of the Cathedral, there are a series of rooms known as the Nationalities Rooms. Each is decorated in the style of a different country. We wanted to check out these rooms, but promptly found out that they are locked to anyone not on a guided or self-guided tour. Deciding that we didn't want to actually go on guided tour, we opted for this huge tape recorder thing that had a key attached. The idea was that you listen to a recording in each room and then move onto the next one. Well, there's only so much you can listen to lady tell you about the way in which artisans carved a particular chair or painted a particular wall, so we eventually ditched the recording and just explored on our own. Maybe I'm biased (actually I'm DEFINITELY biased), but I liked the Irish and Italian rooms a lot. (Pictures will come tonight of the Cathedral!)
Saturday evening, we decided to check out the Southside area and ride the Mt. Washington Incline, which is essentially a trolley that goes up a hill across the river from downtown and has spectacular views. Prior to leaving, I took a look a google maps to determine how to get there. Unfortunately, Andrew has my GPS as a result of the drive to Charleston, so google maps is the best I can do. As we were driving over there, I got caught in a turn only lane, and ended up entering the freeway, which I most certainly did not want to do. There was no real way to back track, and I knew that I needed to cross the river, so I took the first bridge that I came to. This was apparently a mistake. Getting off of the bridge, there were two choices. 1) Go through a tunnel (I knew we did NOT want to do this). 2) Turn right. I took option 2, and we turned onto a road that promptly started a rather steep uphill drive. As we were driving, the city just kept getting tinier and tinier. We came around a corner, and all of a sudden, there was the incline station. At the TOP of Mt. Washington. Essentially, we had driven all the way up the hill. While we were driving, I was yelling at Darci and Ellie not to look out the windows so the incline trip would still be something of a surprise. Luckily I was able to find a way back down, and we drove down the opposite side of the mountain and finally got ourselves straightened out.
When we actually rode up the incline, we could look down and see all of the roads we'd mistakenly been, but we got some fantastic views of the city to make up for it! Pictures of that will also come soon.
That's all for this post!
Britt
On Saturday morning we went to Strip, the same market-style place that Andrew and I had visited. We also visited the Cathedral of Learning, one of Pitt's most recognizable buildings. It's a huge tower (37 floors!) that contains all sorts of classrooms and offices. The inside of looks like something from medieval times and/or Harry Potter. On the first and third floors of the Cathedral, there are a series of rooms known as the Nationalities Rooms. Each is decorated in the style of a different country. We wanted to check out these rooms, but promptly found out that they are locked to anyone not on a guided or self-guided tour. Deciding that we didn't want to actually go on guided tour, we opted for this huge tape recorder thing that had a key attached. The idea was that you listen to a recording in each room and then move onto the next one. Well, there's only so much you can listen to lady tell you about the way in which artisans carved a particular chair or painted a particular wall, so we eventually ditched the recording and just explored on our own. Maybe I'm biased (actually I'm DEFINITELY biased), but I liked the Irish and Italian rooms a lot. (Pictures will come tonight of the Cathedral!)
Saturday evening, we decided to check out the Southside area and ride the Mt. Washington Incline, which is essentially a trolley that goes up a hill across the river from downtown and has spectacular views. Prior to leaving, I took a look a google maps to determine how to get there. Unfortunately, Andrew has my GPS as a result of the drive to Charleston, so google maps is the best I can do. As we were driving over there, I got caught in a turn only lane, and ended up entering the freeway, which I most certainly did not want to do. There was no real way to back track, and I knew that I needed to cross the river, so I took the first bridge that I came to. This was apparently a mistake. Getting off of the bridge, there were two choices. 1) Go through a tunnel (I knew we did NOT want to do this). 2) Turn right. I took option 2, and we turned onto a road that promptly started a rather steep uphill drive. As we were driving, the city just kept getting tinier and tinier. We came around a corner, and all of a sudden, there was the incline station. At the TOP of Mt. Washington. Essentially, we had driven all the way up the hill. While we were driving, I was yelling at Darci and Ellie not to look out the windows so the incline trip would still be something of a surprise. Luckily I was able to find a way back down, and we drove down the opposite side of the mountain and finally got ourselves straightened out.
When we actually rode up the incline, we could look down and see all of the roads we'd mistakenly been, but we got some fantastic views of the city to make up for it! Pictures of that will also come soon.
That's all for this post!
Britt
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Hot (aka SWEATY) Yoga
It should come as a surprised to no one that "hot yoga" was an incredibly hot experience. I showed up in shorts, a t-shirt, and tennis shoes. This was breaking unwritten yoga rules #1 and #2. People do not wear shorts to yoga class. Instead, they wear yoga pants. I will concede that they must be called "yoga" pants for a reason, but I struggle to see why anyone would wear pants in a 90 degree room. Additionally, people do not wear tennis shoes to yoga. Instead, they wear flip flops AND as soon as they get in the door they take their flip flops off. I was completely clueless.
When I finally untied my tennis shoes and headed into the room, I tried my hardest to blend into the crowd. Since I am brand-spanking new to yoga, I do not own a yoga mat (unwritten rule #3), but I had read on the yoga studio's website that I could rent one. Glancing around the room, I saw a row of hooks with yoga mats dangling from them. I walked over to grab one, when I hear a voice say, "No honey, you don't want one of those, they're used." Sure enough, my hand landed on a gross, wet mat that was covered in someone else's sweat. The man who had spoken directed me toward the front of the room. I found out later that he was the yoga instructor for the day and mentally renamed him yoga-instructor-man (or YIM for short).
Class got going, and YIM started calling out poses. It was a beginner's class, so luckily he described them in detail as well. It seemed like everyone else in the group already knew what do to though. As he called out directions, the YIM also said vague things like "this is something that will help you pick up your grandchildren when you turn seventy." Ummm, I'm pretty sure "picking up my grandchildren" is far from a priority, but thanks anyway YIM!
Another of the YIM's duties is to walk around a correct people who aren't doing the pose right. At one point we were doing some intense leg lifts, and the YIM comes over to me. He says, "You really need to bend your knees more to put your weight on your fingertips." I'm pretty sure I gave some kind of death stare that read, "What you are suggesting is physically impossible." The YIM left me alone for the rest of the class.
What's weird about "hot yoga" is that even though you know from the name that is is going to be very hot, you can't physically imagine how much you will sweat. At one point, I changed poses, and sweat that had come from my wrists and collected in the crease where my wrist meets my hand literally dripped off of my fingers. Leaving, I felt so soaked with sweat that it was as if I took a shower with my clothes on.
Even after all of that, I actually kind of liked it. I had one of those intense feelings of accomplishment when the whole thing was over, and I'm pretty sure that I want to try it again next week!
Britt
PS - Milestone!!! I have reached 1,000 views!
PPS - Exciting weekend in store, Ellie and Darci are here to enjoy some Pittsburgh tourism!
When I finally untied my tennis shoes and headed into the room, I tried my hardest to blend into the crowd. Since I am brand-spanking new to yoga, I do not own a yoga mat (unwritten rule #3), but I had read on the yoga studio's website that I could rent one. Glancing around the room, I saw a row of hooks with yoga mats dangling from them. I walked over to grab one, when I hear a voice say, "No honey, you don't want one of those, they're used." Sure enough, my hand landed on a gross, wet mat that was covered in someone else's sweat. The man who had spoken directed me toward the front of the room. I found out later that he was the yoga instructor for the day and mentally renamed him yoga-instructor-man (or YIM for short).
Class got going, and YIM started calling out poses. It was a beginner's class, so luckily he described them in detail as well. It seemed like everyone else in the group already knew what do to though. As he called out directions, the YIM also said vague things like "this is something that will help you pick up your grandchildren when you turn seventy." Ummm, I'm pretty sure "picking up my grandchildren" is far from a priority, but thanks anyway YIM!
Another of the YIM's duties is to walk around a correct people who aren't doing the pose right. At one point we were doing some intense leg lifts, and the YIM comes over to me. He says, "You really need to bend your knees more to put your weight on your fingertips." I'm pretty sure I gave some kind of death stare that read, "What you are suggesting is physically impossible." The YIM left me alone for the rest of the class.
What's weird about "hot yoga" is that even though you know from the name that is is going to be very hot, you can't physically imagine how much you will sweat. At one point, I changed poses, and sweat that had come from my wrists and collected in the crease where my wrist meets my hand literally dripped off of my fingers. Leaving, I felt so soaked with sweat that it was as if I took a shower with my clothes on.
Even after all of that, I actually kind of liked it. I had one of those intense feelings of accomplishment when the whole thing was over, and I'm pretty sure that I want to try it again next week!
Britt
PS - Milestone!!! I have reached 1,000 views!
PPS - Exciting weekend in store, Ellie and Darci are here to enjoy some Pittsburgh tourism!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Cinema in the Park, Number 2
Last night, I went to go see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in Schenley Park with three med school friends. Then, I had a dream that I went to medical school at Hogwarts. This is my new number one wish.
Honestly, that was about the only exciting thing that I did yesterday. Well, I guess going to the pub at 2:30 to watch soccer was somewhat exciting, but the game turned out to be pretty boring, and the spinach-artichoke dip that I ordered was fairly lack-luster.
In somewhat exciting upcoming news, I will giving "hot yoga" a try tonight. You might be thinking, "What is 'hot yoga'?" It is a type of yoga that is done in a room kept at 90 degrees F. Supposedly, it's a really good work out and way to "center" yourself. Honestly, I'm pretty nervous about it considering my flexibility is limited to touching my toes AND I get really sweaty in a normal temperature environment while I work out. Nevertheless, I think it is definitely worth a shot. Look for an update (if I'm not too sore to type) later tonight!
Britt
Honestly, that was about the only exciting thing that I did yesterday. Well, I guess going to the pub at 2:30 to watch soccer was somewhat exciting, but the game turned out to be pretty boring, and the spinach-artichoke dip that I ordered was fairly lack-luster.
In somewhat exciting upcoming news, I will giving "hot yoga" a try tonight. You might be thinking, "What is 'hot yoga'?" It is a type of yoga that is done in a room kept at 90 degrees F. Supposedly, it's a really good work out and way to "center" yourself. Honestly, I'm pretty nervous about it considering my flexibility is limited to touching my toes AND I get really sweaty in a normal temperature environment while I work out. Nevertheless, I think it is definitely worth a shot. Look for an update (if I'm not too sore to type) later tonight!
Britt
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Britt Went to Charleston
I realize that Charleston doesn't have quite the same rhyme power at Pitt, but that's where I disappeared to the last few days. My aunt, uncle, and their four adorable children (all 6 and under!) live in Charleston, and I try to get down there at least once a year. My dad and I were just down there over Spring Break, but this time we went down for a family visit/retreat to Kiawah Island along with my mom and Andrew. It's the perfect type of trip: family, good Southern cooking, and the beach. Here are a few highlights:
1. I got pulled over. Yes, as in by a police officer. Andrew and I woke up early on Friday to leave from Pittsburgh. We made it into West Virginia and turned off of I-19 onto a more local highway that doesn't follow the standard 70 mph speed limit. Well, I decide that I'm going to maintain my cruising speed of around 76 anyway, completely oblivious when a cop pulls up next to me and drives alongside our car for a while, "tracking" my speed. Before I know it, there are flashing lights in the rear view mirror, and I'm freaking out, and Andrew's totally calm (which by the way is TOTALLY ANNOYING). The officer walks up to the car, and here's how the conversation goes:
Police Officer: "Do you know why you were pulled over ma'am?"
Me: "Um." (nervously shaking uncontrollably) "Probably because I was going a little too fast"
Police Officer: "You were going 11 mph over the limit, I was riding right beside you."
Me: (Blank stare)
Police Officer: "Usually, people don't speed when I ride right beside them."
Andrew: (slight chuckle)
Police Officer: "Where are you going?"
Me: "South Carolina."
He then takes my license and Andrew's registration, and we sit and wait. Before I know he's walking back up to the car.
Police Officer: "Are y'all going on vacation."
Me: "Yes, we're going to visit my family."
Police Officer: "Well, I don't want you to start out vacation with a ticket. Here's your warning. Don't speed."
Me: (incredible sign of relief)
Andrew swears that if he were driving in my place, he definitely would have received a ticket. I guess it's lucky that I'm a girl :-)
2. My cousins are adorable. When we first got to my aunt and uncle's house, Emmett (who is almost five) introduced me to "HIS little brother and HIS little sister" (even though I have been to their house four times in the last two years since the twins were born). Emmett also told me at one point that he had "never had a bagel in his whole entire life," and was ecstatic when he got to eat one at our condo on Saturday. While we were at the beach on Sunday, Nora (one of the two year-old twins and the only girl in the family) spent a large majority of her time getting whoever would give in to walk her bucket down the ocean, fill it up, and give it back to her so that she could dump in a huge hole in the sand. I was a sucker and made the trip at least six times.
3. Andrew and I rocked the euchre world.
4. My dad can cook. We had a delicious shrimp boil (true to Charlestonian form) and brats with pierogies. How much better can it get??
5. When Andrew, my mom, my dad and I all sporcle together, we do a pretty darn good job. (check this out if you're unfamiliar with the verb sporcle - www.sporcle.com)
Despite those highlights, my vacation came to a screaming halt today when I had to fly to Pittsburgh for class and work. Andrew is still down in SC with my parents, earning his position as the new favorite O'Neill child. My parents are staying for the full week, but I think Andrew is heading back by Thursday.
Now that I'm back in the 'burgh, look for regular daily updates again!
Britt
1. I got pulled over. Yes, as in by a police officer. Andrew and I woke up early on Friday to leave from Pittsburgh. We made it into West Virginia and turned off of I-19 onto a more local highway that doesn't follow the standard 70 mph speed limit. Well, I decide that I'm going to maintain my cruising speed of around 76 anyway, completely oblivious when a cop pulls up next to me and drives alongside our car for a while, "tracking" my speed. Before I know it, there are flashing lights in the rear view mirror, and I'm freaking out, and Andrew's totally calm (which by the way is TOTALLY ANNOYING). The officer walks up to the car, and here's how the conversation goes:
Police Officer: "Do you know why you were pulled over ma'am?"
Me: "Um." (nervously shaking uncontrollably) "Probably because I was going a little too fast"
Police Officer: "You were going 11 mph over the limit, I was riding right beside you."
Me: (Blank stare)
Police Officer: "Usually, people don't speed when I ride right beside them."
Andrew: (slight chuckle)
Police Officer: "Where are you going?"
Me: "South Carolina."
He then takes my license and Andrew's registration, and we sit and wait. Before I know he's walking back up to the car.
Police Officer: "Are y'all going on vacation."
Me: "Yes, we're going to visit my family."
Police Officer: "Well, I don't want you to start out vacation with a ticket. Here's your warning. Don't speed."
Me: (incredible sign of relief)
Andrew swears that if he were driving in my place, he definitely would have received a ticket. I guess it's lucky that I'm a girl :-)
2. My cousins are adorable. When we first got to my aunt and uncle's house, Emmett (who is almost five) introduced me to "HIS little brother and HIS little sister" (even though I have been to their house four times in the last two years since the twins were born). Emmett also told me at one point that he had "never had a bagel in his whole entire life," and was ecstatic when he got to eat one at our condo on Saturday. While we were at the beach on Sunday, Nora (one of the two year-old twins and the only girl in the family) spent a large majority of her time getting whoever would give in to walk her bucket down the ocean, fill it up, and give it back to her so that she could dump in a huge hole in the sand. I was a sucker and made the trip at least six times.
3. Andrew and I rocked the euchre world.
4. My dad can cook. We had a delicious shrimp boil (true to Charlestonian form) and brats with pierogies. How much better can it get??
5. When Andrew, my mom, my dad and I all sporcle together, we do a pretty darn good job. (check this out if you're unfamiliar with the verb sporcle - www.sporcle.com)
Despite those highlights, my vacation came to a screaming halt today when I had to fly to Pittsburgh for class and work. Andrew is still down in SC with my parents, earning his position as the new favorite O'Neill child. My parents are staying for the full week, but I think Andrew is heading back by Thursday.
Now that I'm back in the 'burgh, look for regular daily updates again!
Britt
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Cinema in the Park
Note to self: You can't really handle seeing a "thriller" movie late at night in a park. It makes you scared to get out of the car when you get back to your apartment.
Explanation: Last night, I went with two friends to see State of Play, a recent Ben Affleck/Russel Crowe/Rachel McAdams movie. The movie was pretty good. It was a little cookie-cutter, like the whole time we knew a big twist was coming, we just couldn't be sure what. Definitely worth a watch though if you enjoy politically-charged thillers. In fact, there were only two small downsides to this outing.
1. Most movies that are shown late at night in parks are happy. In fact, the entire summer, this is the only movie showing that is rated PG-13. Most of them are things like How to Train Your Dragon. This movie, however, was definitely not happy. There were creepy guys with guns, drug deals in dark alleys, you get the picture. Not exactly uplifting. In fact, kind of scary. This left me jittery the rest of the night. Luckily, I live in a safe, well-lit area. If not, I might have spent the night in my car.
2. It was frigid last night. Flip flops and a light sweater were a terrible idea. Next time, I'm taking Uggs and my winter coat.
Other than that, my days have been pretty normal. Tomorrow, things will get a little crazy because I'm heading to sunny South Carolina for a long 4th of July weekend.
In case I don't get a chance to access internet before - HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY! AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO AMY (she shares her bday with the US of A!)
Brittany
Explanation: Last night, I went with two friends to see State of Play, a recent Ben Affleck/Russel Crowe/Rachel McAdams movie. The movie was pretty good. It was a little cookie-cutter, like the whole time we knew a big twist was coming, we just couldn't be sure what. Definitely worth a watch though if you enjoy politically-charged thillers. In fact, there were only two small downsides to this outing.
1. Most movies that are shown late at night in parks are happy. In fact, the entire summer, this is the only movie showing that is rated PG-13. Most of them are things like How to Train Your Dragon. This movie, however, was definitely not happy. There were creepy guys with guns, drug deals in dark alleys, you get the picture. Not exactly uplifting. In fact, kind of scary. This left me jittery the rest of the night. Luckily, I live in a safe, well-lit area. If not, I might have spent the night in my car.
2. It was frigid last night. Flip flops and a light sweater were a terrible idea. Next time, I'm taking Uggs and my winter coat.
Other than that, my days have been pretty normal. Tomorrow, things will get a little crazy because I'm heading to sunny South Carolina for a long 4th of July weekend.
In case I don't get a chance to access internet before - HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY! AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO AMY (she shares her bday with the US of A!)
Brittany
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