The Rest of the Weekend (including the TV stand from Hell)

I was planning on updating last night, but I ended up watching It Happened One Night, an old black and white movie that I got at the library.  I've always wanted to watch the movies that were listed by the American Film Institute as the top 100 and figured that this would be a great place to start.  It's really unique movie because it was the first (and one of three total) to win all five major Academy Awards - Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, and Screenplay.  After the movie, I was exhausted and headed to straight to bed.  


OK, back to the update - Saturday evening, Andrew and I headed to Hofbrauhaus in Pittsburgh's Southside Works.  The food was pretty good - the pretzels and bier cheese were the best.  Even though we enjoyed it, I would say it placed third out of our the four places we went over the whole weekend.  It probably would have ranked a lot higher if either of us enjoyed beer more.

Following dinner, we went to see Toy Story 3.  It was SO good.  I'd recommend it to anyone, but based on Rotten Tomatoes reviews (rottentomatoes.com) it doesn't seem like 3D would be worth the extra money.

Sunday started out really well.  We walked to another Pittsburgh institution, Pamela's in Shadyside.  This place was awesome.  They had amazing hotcakes that were really thin, almost like crepes.  I ordered three of them and couldn't believe how delicious they were.  As a girl who also enjoys breakfast meats, the sausage was also great!  A friend of mine had said that Pamela's gets super busy later in the morning, so we went around 9:00 AM and got done eating by 10:00 or so.  We had planned to go to mass at Pittsburgh's cathedral, which is right between my house and the university, but the next mass didn't begin until noon.  This left us a lot of time to kill, and we decided to spend it back at my apartment putting together my TV stand.  Andrew's graduation present to me was a new TV for my living room.  Because I already had enough stuff to move from Columbus, we decided that it made more sense to wait and buy the TV in Pittsburgh while he visited.  With no TV,  I hadn't yet put together the stand (it was one of the many IKEA purchases from my parent's trip).

Andrew and I got to work.  It was definitely slow because I own one screw driver, so we couldn't really work simultaneously.  We got a system going; one of us would use the screw driver and the other person would look ahead to next step and get things ready for it.  It took over and hour, but finally we had almost all of it together.  At that point, we flipped it over and realized that two of the pieces on the front of the stand were flipped around and their unfinished sides were exposed to the outside (it looked SO stupid).  What's worse was that the two pieces were some of the first to go on, meaning there was NO easy way to fix it.  Essentially, we took the entire stand apart and then put it all back together.  Andrew told me that it was his nightmare - I was just glad that were able to fix it!

After dealing with the stand, we went to mass at the cathedral and lunch at Mineo's.  I think Andrew would agree with me in saying that this was the best meal of the weekend.  Mineo's is a famous, award-winning, over 50 years old pizza place in Squirrel Hill, about 2 miles from my place.  I found it on multiple websites that listed the best pizza in Pittsburgh.  I will definitely be making return trips there!

The rest of the afternoon was spent TV shopping and movie watching - (As Good as It Gets, again free from the public library!)

Brittany

The Strip, a somewhat disappointing meal, and a very disappointing game

Following the Ukranian party on Friday night, Andrew rolled into town a little before 11:00 PM.  That didn't leave much time for exploring the city, so we postponed until the morning.

We started with a trip to the Strip, best described as a market meets ethic grocery stores meets interesting boutiques meets food-on-a-stick.  We didn't have anything in particular we really wanted to do or buy, it was more about taking in the sights and smells.  Our Strip visit started with a visit to the Pennsylvania Macaroni Company, a local staple.  It hits close to my heart because it's an Italian grocer that has almost everything imported.  One of the best things about Penn Mac is the cheese room.  Literally, it is a room with a giant cheese counter.  People grab numbers and wait patiently for longggg periods of time to buy fairly exotic cheeses.  I wanted to take a picture of the whole thing to post on the blog, thinking that a picture would be easier to understand than my explanation.  So, I whipped out my camera, snapped a few shots, and Andrew and I started to head to the next room.  Andrew then stopped, and said "Um, Britt, I'm pretty sure he's trying to get your attention." I looked over, and there was an older, incredibly intimidating Italian deli-man who was flagging me down.  We made eye contact, and he said, "Did you take a picture in here?"  My stomach dropped.  I knew that I probably just broke some unwritten century-old rule about photographing their cheese.  Now, I was in deep trouble.  He just stared at me, and I slowly nodded.  Then, he got this goofy smile on his face and laughed, "Did you get my good side?" *WHEW* Scary run in with potentially angry italiano averted.

As it was nearing lunch, Andrew and I decided to grab food.  There were so many stands selling everything from gyros to calamari to ribs, but we ultimately settled on giving Primanti's, an actual restaurant, a try.  For those of you who are unfamiliar, Primanti's is a Pittsburgh institution that is famous for sandwiches that have the slaw and french fries right on them.  I'd see it on the Food Network and heard about it dozens of times, but I hadn't yet tried it.  Andrew and I each ordered one of the sandwiches -  he got the cheesesteak, and I got the turkey and cheese.  People around us really seemed to be digging their food, so we started to get excited about our meal.  Unfortunately, (and I know native Pittsburghers may hate me for saying this!) I just wasn't that impressed.  There was very little meat and the fries were mushy and unseasoned.  On the bright side, the bread was great, and the meal definitely filled me up.  Leaving Primanti's, Andrew and I said almost the exact same thing: "I'm glad we tried it, but I don't really feel the need to go back."  The good news is that we did end up eating some excellent food later in the day and the next day - more on that tomorrow!

From the Strip, we met up with some of my med school friends to watch the US-Ghana game.  Man, was that a toughie.  I read on someone's facebook (I wish I could remember who!) that the theme song for this World Cup should have been "Quit Playing Games with my Heart."  It's so true.  

Well, that's was the first half of Saturday - the rest of the weekend will be detailed tomorrow!  

(Quick side story from today - I went for a run, and it started pouring after the first few minutes.  I decided to ignore the rain and finish.  When I got home, I immediately took off my wet shoes and socks.  Apparently, during the run, a scab on my foot had come open.  In my efforts to get dried off, I didn't realize this at all.  I then proceeded to walk around my apartment in an effort to find my cell phone.  It turned into a multi-room search.  At some point, I stopped to think about where I saw before I left for the run.  While I was thinking, I noticed something on the floor.  Looking down, I then thought "Hm, what is that red mark on the floor?"  It was blood.  Coming from my foot.  And it was everywhere.  Literally, 15 blood footprints were in random spots around my apartment.  It was both disgusting and a little creepy.  I disinfected everything and couldn't help but think that maybe this was a higher power's way of telling me that I'm better off not exercising.)

Oh!  Almost forgot - pictures!

Cheese room!

Andrew preparing for his first (and likely only) Primanti's experience

Excited Brittany! 

Until tomorrow,

Britt

"We make Ukranian party"

I have SO many updates from this weekend.  Let's start with Friday night, a night that will go down in infamy.  One of the girls that I work with had a party at her house, partly to celebrate her birthday.  She's from the Ukraine, and the email that she sent out said "On Friday, we make Ukrainian party."  I could tell that I was in for a treat!

We showed up at 6:00, and she had quite a spread!  There were potato pancakes, kabobs, and fresh mozzarella cheese.  Our host told us that were two requirements to meeting Ukrainian standards of hospitality. 1) Your guests must leave full.  2) Your guests must leave drunk.  She was especially emphatic about point number 2 and described the two ways that Ukranians drink vodka as "quickly and very quickly."  (Don't worry, as a driver, I was very responsible!)  There were also "Ukranian contests" at this party.  Two of them to be exact.

Contest number 1: One person is the "guesser."  A number of ping pong balls are placed in one of those flimsy produce bags they have at the grocery store.  The guesser doesn't know the number, but everyone else does.  The guesser has to figure out how many ping pong balls are in the bag by sitting on the bag and using his or her hiney.  I wish, deeply, that I was kidding.

Good news: I was one of three people to guess the number right.  Though, I'm not sure if that is something to brag about.

Contest number 2: A pen is attached to fishing line.  The fishing line is tied around the contestant's waist so that the pen hangs down from the contestant's backside.  The contestant tries to lower the pen into an empty bottle.  This one made for some fantastic laughs!

The jury is still out on whether or not either of these games are authentically Ukranian.  I'm convinced she just googled "How to make your party guests look and feel ridiculous."

Overall though, the party was an absolute blast!  More updates from the weekend (including details of Andrew's visit!) will be coming soon.

Until tomorrow,
Britt

I'm a survivor!

It only took a reclining chair, two boxes of cranberry juice, and an extremely nice phlebotomist - my blood is draw and my TB test is complete!

A good night and a rough morning

Last night was a blast.  I went out with a friend I met at Second Look Weekend, a weekend in May when all of the admitted students are invited to help make their final decisions.  She's also a starting first year working in a lab for the summer.  We got dinner at Harris Grill, a restaurant on my street.  The onion rings were to die for!

This morning will not be so great.  I have to get a TB test.  Apparently, starting medical school involves lots of immunizations.  It makes sense, after all I will be around a lot of sick people in the next few years.  This TB test is such a big deal because I have an irrational fear of needles.  I know what you might be thinking, "How can you be afraid of needles and become a doctor?"  Let me clarify, I'm NOT afraid of sticking a needle in someone else - I could stick a needle in someone right now.  I AM afraid of having a needle stuck in me.  I'm trying to tell myself that it will be quick and painless, but I'm not sure that fear has subsided.  Honestly, my main goal is "do not pass out." Updates will be provided following the shot.

Some exciting news: Andrew (my boyfriend) will be here this weekend!

Britt

Um, Earthquake?

Here are the top three stories from my life on June 23rd, 2010:

1. Natural Disasters.  Today, a little before 2:00 PM, there was significant seismic activity near Ottawa, Canada.  The aftershock reached both Pittsburgh and Columbus.  This is the only earthquake of note that I have had the opportunity to experience, and I didn't feel anything! Seriously, nothing!  Obviously, earthquakes can be extremely serious and dangerous.  Today's earthquake, as it was felt in Pittsburgh was no such thing.  Some people said their cubicles shook, or their coffee table moved and inch or so - definitely nothing life-threatening.  I just wish I could say that I felt a quake, and this might have been my one chance.

There was also a terrible thunderstorm today.  It started while I was taking a shower which made me instantly nervous.  I have always thought that if you're in the shower when a thunderstorm is going on, there is a risk that lightning could strike your building and travel through the shower water to kill.  This could just be one of those stories that your parents tell you for no good reason (like the way my parents told me that the teeth at the top of the escalator would bite you if you didn't jump over them).  Good news: I ended my shower alive.

2. Soccer.  I spent my morning over at my lab director's house for the World Cup.  If you didn't see the game, find someone who DVR'ed it and watch it.  Seriously, it was that good.

3. I used my microwave.  OK, I know this sounds really insignificant, but it was actually a big moment.  One of the first things I thought upon seeing my kitchen for the first time was "Man, that is one old microwave!"  Ever since, I've been putting off microwaving at home for fear that it will fall apart or explode or something worse.  Today, though, I took a leap of faith, and it actually worked!  Granted, my microwave's "high" setting is like a normal microwave's "super low" setting (if such thing existed).  Even though it took a lot longer to cook my food, it tasted fabulous when it was all done.

Later after dinner, I was feeling curious about my microwave, and did some googling.  I determined that my microwave model was made in 1980!  Yes, that's right, 1980!  Thirty years ago/eight years before I was born/when Jimmy Carter was President.

Today's lesson : Kitchen appliances apparently can live as long as people.

Until tomorrow,
B

"I promise my apartment is in Pittsburgh, can I please just have a library card?"

As promised in my last post, today was library day!  The Main Carnegie Library is almost exactly halfway between my apartment and school, so I made a plan to go visit today.  I love reading/libraries/getting new cards for my wallet, so it seemed like a perfect outing.

Let me start by saying that even though I pass the library almost daily, I completely missed the bus stop and ended up getting off about a half mile away and walking.  Luckily, this walk did not involve any hills or multiple bags of groceries as my other walks have seemed to lately.

When I arrived at the library, my first thought was "I need a card!"  I went to the card desk and discovered that I needed two different things to get a card. 1) a photo ID (check!) and 2) proof of an Allegheny county, Pennsylvania address (um, what?).  Apparently, if your ID is not Pennsylvania-issued, you have to prove that you have an address in the area.  Having only obtained library cards in central Ohio, I've never dealt with this whole "your driver's license doesn't match our state and so you need to show you actually live here" thing.  Not preparing for this, I didn't have any accepted forms of proof, like a bill or lease copy on me.  However, I certainly did not walk .5 mile and get sweaty and take an extra bus to be told that I couldn't have a card.  Taking a chance, I walked up to the circulation desk, explained my issue, and asked if I could use the internet.  The helpful librarian got me logged into a guest account so that I could print off a copy of my lease that I had stored in my inbox.  Feeling triumphant, I headed for the customer service desk with both required items.  There, a helpful man-brarian (a librarian that's male) informed me that my lease did not actually have my apartment's building address on it.  UM, WTF?  It's an apartment lease, how can it not list the apartment's address?  Sure enough though, the man-brarian was right, and my triumph at demonstrating resourcefulness was starting to wear off.  The man-brarian must have sensed my anxiety, and he came up with a brilliant idea. My lease did state which building I would be living in, so he used the name to look it up on my landlord's website.  Finally! I got my card!  I profusely thanked the man-brarian and proceded to check-out four movies and seven books.

Unfortunately, there is no picture of the day today.  I had plans to photograph the library, but I left my memory card in the computer last night.  A camera sans memory card doesn't do much of anything.

Tomorrow morning my whole lab group is meeting to watch the World Cup again - should be a great game!

Until then,
B