Winter--I Think I Like the Song Better

Don't know what the weather has been like where you live, but it's been miserable here (see pic of my side courtyard). I have to admit, here in Pittsburgh we've been spoiled the last couple of years with mild winters. But I just heard on the news last night that we've had the eighth snowiest winter on record--whoo-hoo, let's pop open that bottle of Dom!

I had lunch with my friend Jen yesterday, and we were commiserating about the cold and she also thinks about moving out of Pittsburgh. Of course my first choice would be Barbados, where cold weather there is about 50 degrees, but unless I've forgotten about some money buried in my backyard, or a winning lottery ticket I possess, that won't be happening any time soon.

So the more practical solution is DC, where you've got one month in the summer of horribly hot weather, but the winters are way milder. And, as Obama has already found out, when there is any snow to speak of, the place just shuts down. Snow days--it's like being in fourth grade again! So I have about 10 months to figure out how to either sell or rent this house and move somewhere else, either buy a house in Pittsburgh or move elsewhere. It will all depend on where I end up getting a job.

Speaking of jobs, my interview this week went well. It was conducted by a CPA, so it was unsurprisingly short and to the point. The next round is actually the final round, which will be in-person interviews. So I like the process so far, unlike many other places which favor the 4-5+ interviews.

Unfortunately, I did discover that Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh's offices are not where I had thought. I thought they were on Parkway Center Drive (a/k/a Foster Plaza in Green Tree) but it's actually Parkway View, which is RIDC Park West--waaaaaay out in the middle of nowhere. There is bus service there, but door to door it would be at least 90 minutes each way (factoring in the travel by foot to get to the stops and transferring from one bus to another). Right now I can't be too picky about location and I figure: why get all stressed out about something that hasn't happened yet?

The good news is that RIDC Park is HUGE, so I could very well find someone to carpool with. So I'm not ruling it out, and I'm continuing to look other places, too. We'll let the Interview Gods decide my fate!

Only 331 Days 'Til Christmas!

Yes, I am officially one of those people that you hate, because last night with a single phone call, I did almost all of my Christmas shopping.

What would provoke me to do such a thing? A sale, naturally! For a while I bought a lot from the Eddie Bauer Outlet--I'd get the email from them about the take an additional 30% off the clearance price--and I'd be there faster than you can say, well, just about anything. My Dad and brother-in-law especially benefited from it, and my Mom liked the shirts I'd get that "you don't have to iron--just jerk them out of the dryer, and they're ready to go" (her words, not mine).

But lately it seemed that even if I got to the website right away, pickings would be slim. So last year I changed tacks a bit and ordered from the Metropolitan Museum of Art catalogue. It sounds like a super fancy place to buy Christmas gifts, but they actually have a nice collection of things, exempting the expensive costume jewelry and their bizarre predilection towards women's scarves and throws (who wears those any more, anyway?). The note cards and stationery are particularly lovely.

I can't tell you what I got (since family members read my blog), but suffice to say, nearly everything was half off. Online you can save even more by taking an additional 20% off (I got a free tote bag instead when I ordered by phone). Those who have known me know how incredibly cheap I am so when I say they're offering good sales, they're offering good sales!

While I'm on the subject of online shopping, here's a great website to check out. It's called Ebates, and once you register (it's free and easy to do), you get cash back from literally hundreds of stores online. So before you order something from Amazon.com, for instance, go to Ebates.com, log in, and navigate to Amazon through Ebates. Your cash back goes into your Ebates account, and once you reach the minimum (I think it's $5 or $10), you request the money and they cut you a check.

I thought it all sounded a little fishy, but it was featured in a special issue of Consumer Reports where Ebates was mentioned as one of the seven web sites that could save you thousands. Saving thousands could be a stretch, but if you combine using Ebates with paying with the Discover Card (which also offers a cash back bonus) you could end up easily saving 10-20%.

So get shopping, because they're only 331 days until Santa Time!

The Moment You Wake Up, Before You Put On Your Make-Up

Yes, after months of sending out resumes, submitting applications, and biting my fingernails down to the quick, it's happened: I have a job interview.

It's with Rebuilding Pittsburgh, part of the national Rebuilding franchise. Working with tradespeople, volunteers help repair and renovate the homes of needy elderly people throughout Allegheny County. As you might imagine, the demand for this kind of service is huge. I saw on their website that for their "Rebuilding Together" day last April, over 300 households applied for help and only 30 were accepted.

The job is for their Executive Director, and honestly I think the only reason I was able to get a first interview is because PSVN provided volunteers for two "Rebuilding Together" days, and through this work I had a cordial, telephonic relationship with their ED. Since the aforementioned ED is helping with the search for her replacement, she may have helped nudge my application closer to the top of the pile.

But, really, who cares? I don't! I'd just about make a deal with the devil to get a job that a) I like and whose mission I can support; b) has decent benefits/salary; c) the people are reasonably sane and nice to work with.

To make sure I don't have to contact Lucifer and sell my soul for the sake of viable employment, just say a little prayer for me (you can thank me later for having that song stick in your mind all day!).

I'll let you know how it goes in a future post. In the meantime, keep your fingers crossed!

Two Surprises Re: Taxes

I got my real estate taxes in the mail the other day, and as I'm opening up the envelope, I'm wondering how exactly I'm going to pay for them. Pittsburgh has notoriously high real estate taxes (I pay roughly the same as I did for my house in DC--which was assessed at a value four times higher than my house in Pittsburgh).

Anyway, I open up the bill and I find that my taxes have actually gone down. Yeah, I couldn't believe it, either: down, as in about 25% less. Upon closer inspection of the bill, it appears that the City of Pittsburgh (and School District) is joining Allegheny County in utilizing the homestead exemption act. So all told I'll be saving hundreds of dollars that I don't have. Whoo-hoo!

My second surprise came in the form of my federal income taxes. I had seen on the IRS' tax site that many companies are offering free e-filing if you meet certain income qualifications. After trying one site (too many whirly-twirly things made it too slow on my dial-up connection), I gave Free Tax USA a try.

They were, in a word, GREAT! It's super easy, and I felt like I was starring in one of those Turbo Tax ads where the guy gushes, "Turbo Tax found deductions I didn't even know existed and got me hundreds more!" Well, Free Tax USA did the same thing for me, and I didn't even have to buy fancy Turbo Tax software. The coolest thing is the window in the upper right corner--as you progress in your tax preparation, it shows your refund due: and the number keeps increasing (at least in my case).

Free Tax USA got me every penny back that I paid on Federal Taxes, plus essentially doubled my refund when they calculated an Earned Income Credit. They also prepared my PA Tax Return and it turns out I'll get a refund there, too. Both refunds will pay for about two-thirds of my real estate taxes this year.

I really recommend e-filing, especially if you take take advantage of free e-filing. Now if they could only help me with my job search......

PA Bill RE: Cell Phone Use While Driving

Honestly I cannot believe that we continue to debate banning (or limiting) cell phone use while driving. A well-known study by the University of Utah concluded that people who talk on the phone--even while using hands-free headsets--are just as impaired as people driving while drunk (you can read more about this study here).

The data is staggeringly against drivers talking on cell phones: countless studies have proved that cell phone users drive slower, cause gridlock and are twice as likely to cause rear end collisions. According to a study by the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, cell phone distraction causes 2,600 deaths and 330,000 injuries in the United States every year.

So why exactly are we still arguing about this? While I favor a complete ban of cell phone use while driving, requiring cell phone use be limited to hands-free would at least be a step in the right direction. And I have yet to hear an argument advocating cell phone use while driving that makes any sense when weighed against the evidence of it causing such a dangerous environment.

Ten years ago few people had cell phones and we all got along just fine without be plugged in 24/7 to our phones. I will grant you that cell phones provide convenience in a busy life: being able to call someone en route when running late or needing directions, for example. And let's be clear: there's nothing stopping anyone from still having your cell phone in your car--just pull off the road and yak to your heart's content, you can still have your cell phone with you in an emergency, etc.

I applaud the state legislators that have authored/sponsored bills limiting the use of cell phones while driving, especially Senator Conti from Bucks County, who's been trying to pass legislation since 1999. If you feel as strongly as I do that legislation needs to be passed limiting cell phone use, contact your local State Representative and Senator. My fear is that if a bill isn't passed and enforced once it becomes the law, accidents and fatalities will increase exponentially. And do we really have to wait until some Hollywood starlet--or your sister, or daughter, or mother, for that matter-- gets killed by a cell phone using driver when legislation is on deck to help prevent tragedies now?

BHO is my new BFF!

It's still sinking in that we have a new president. The campaign went on so long that I got caught up in the process of electing a democrat (I first supported Richardson, then Obama) that I'd forgotten what that outcome actually means. I see Obama on TV and it's slowly sinking in that he's president now. I was talking about the gestation time between new episodes of Lost being so long, but it pales in comparison to this last presidential election cycle--it was, what, more than two years?

I keep seeing the little news blurbs on Yahoo! re: Obama and think, "boy, he's not wasting any time." Then my alter ego/evil twin says, "No, Stupidhead--he's had more than two bloody years to figure out what he was going to do as President!"

I know this is clearly the honeymoon period; I mean, the man has been president only a few days. But he's getting right down to it, isn't he? Today he signed an Executive Order that overturned the ban of giving federal money to international groups that perform abortions or provide abortion information. This will no doubt be controversial with some people, but it shows me that he's not going to shy away from these kind of controversial issues.

Of course, he's got to work on the E (Economy), but what would you like to see Obama do? These days, I'm all about another E: the environment. My ideas include:

• bumping up (or initiating) tax credits or zero percent interest loans on people installing solar panels, wind turbines, solar-heated water tanks, or other clean energy appliance, or buying energy star appliances, such as an energy star refrigerator.
• providing tax credits and/or zero percent financing on people buying hybrid, all electric, or natural-gas fueled vehicles (new or used!).
• Increasing the luxury tax for those who continue to buy cars that don't meet a minimum MPG.
• providing tax credits for those people who car pool or take public transporation to work (don't know how you can prove this, but BHO is a smart guy and he can figure it out!).

Of course, there can also be similiar incentives for businesses. And while I don't personally support a bailout of the auto industry, I am pragmatic enough to realize that they're going to get the loans they need.

But - let's put some tough conditions on the money, like producing more fuel efficient cars and not allowing their CEO's to spend over a million dollars redecorating their office, like the former CEO at Merrill Lynch (you can see why they needed that bailout). Even local "nonprofit" UPMC has the presence of mind to spend a more appropriate $65,000 or so for CEO Jeffrey Romoff's new office (although the new signs on USX Tower cost $750,000). I think other companies can show similar restraint...

Oscar Nominations!

I just checked out the Oscar Nominations for this year and I realize that I have a lot of movie watching to do! I either didn't see a lot of movies this year, or a lot of crappy movies this year. Either way, I think the only nominated movie I saw was The Dark Knight, and I was underwhelmed with it.

I was glad to see Richard Jenkins nominated for The Visitor. He is a great character actor, and while I have not seen the movie, he is a consistently good actor. I was disappointed that Tell No One was not nominated for Best Foreign Language Film. It's probably on DVD and I highly recommend it. It has one of the best foot chases I've ever seen--and it's not even a James Bond movie!

I'm not surprised that Heath Ledger got nominated. He was a talented actor--I thought he was extraordinary in Monster's Ball, for instance. But I just don't think this role--or the movie for that matter--was Oscar worthy. I will admit that the comic book action genre is not my bag, but Iron Man was waaay better than Dark Knight. Hey, my opinion and a couple of bucks will get you a Coolata at Dunkin' Donuts.

I may have a get-together Oscar night--in the meantime, I've got a whole lot of watching to do!

[Julie] in Chains, New Baby Born Today!

How Do You Like Them Apples?

I was at Home Depot the other day, getting new filters for my furnaces, when I thought about big box stores. My hometown of Warren, Pennsylvania, did not have any national chains when I was growing up. But that changed when Pizza Hut came in 1978. It opened to such fanfare that the first month it was open, our little town of 10,000 managed to outeat every other Pizza Hut chain in the entire country. In the years following, Warren generally steered clear of restaurant chains and big box retailers. So while residents may have all been feasting on Pizza Hut, we'd still buy clothes at Levinson Brothers, groceries at Quality Market, and furnace filters over at the Lawn & Garden Center.

Levinson's and Quality have long since closed, but the Lawn & Garden Center is still open. While my parents like supporting local businesses, it's tempered with pragmatism: "We're retired and have to watch every penny," my Mom declared. A few years ago a new shopping complex opened, anchored by Aldi's and a Super Wal-Mart. My Mom quickly discovered that shopping at these two stores reduced her grocery bill by about 30 percent, and it's hard to argue with that kind of savings.

A Pittsburgh-based business has made it easier to buy local, a nonprofit called Good Apples (you can read more about them here). The upfront cost will likely be higher than buying at a grocery store, but since it's fresher (with a longer shelf life and less waste), it will probably end up being about the same. This is the perfect time for Good Apples to open, since Farmers Markets don't operate in the winter. So instead of going to the Strip for fresh, local produce (ugh), they deliver it to you. And any way to put more money in local pockets can't be a bad thing.

A Delivery (Nearly) Nine Months in the Making

I am, of course, talking about (drum roll, please) Lost. The new season is starting tonight, and with the last new episode airing in May, 2008, the gestation period has almost been as long as a human pregnancy.

Why am I so addicted to Lost, you might ask. The simple answer is the story: the writing is sharp and smart, the characters are well drawn, and the myriad details--from the complex back stories of all the characters, the set design (the story takes place in real time on an island, but flashbacks and flashforwards take place all over the world)--simply boggle my mind. It's written and designed much like a movie, and you know it's done its job when you forget they shoot the whole thing in Hawaii. The story (and set) transports you to such disparate places, including Iraq, Australia, Korea, and Berlin.

While some people like me, REALLY get into the show and appreciate all of the subtle nuance and influences, you can also watch it just as an interesting and entertaining show and not think about how the Swan Hatch was really a kind of Skinner Test (see what I mean?).

So what is Lost all about? Here's a truncated version of what's gone on for the last four seasons. Lost is the story of a group of survivors whose plane has crashed on an island in the South Pacific. Two strong leaders emerge: Jack, a doctor who deals in fact and doesn't believe in fate, and Locke, a man on a lifelong mission to find his place in the world, who believes it is destiny that brought everyone to the island. All of the survivors are flawed people, and have unresolved issues with their parents, especially their fathers. Even the seemingly nice and normal people have dark secrets.

Soon after the crash, the survivors soon discover two things about the island. First, the island is inhabited. Second, that the island has strange properties and has a spooky and dangerous entity they nickname "Smokey".

The survivors eventually learn that people have lived there for presumably hundreds of years, not unlike the ancient Mayans. The Survivors also learn that about 30 years ago, a group of scientists came to the island and built many structures, including homes and an intricate series of buildings (called hatches or stations) to be used for specific experiments, taking advantage of what they call "the unique qualities of the island." These experiments included studying electromagnetism and even the possibility of time travel. This group was called the DHARMA Initiative.

While the original island inhabitants had a seeming harmony with the island and "Smokey", the DHARMA Initiative claimed the island for their own purposes, and referred to the original inhabitants as "Hostiles". A boy raised in the DHARMA Initiative named Ben befriends the leader of the Hostiles, whose name is Richard. Ten to 15 years after this initial meeting, Ben leads a plot to kill all of the DHARMA scientists, including his own father. After the DHARMA people are killed, Ben becomes the leader of the group the Survivors call "the Others."

The Survivors meet a man named Desmond, whose sailboat crashed on the island about 4 years ago. He was rescued by a man named Inman (presumably a DHARMA person who survived the earlier purge) who works at one of the DHARMA stations. When Inman dies, Desmond continues to work at this DHARMA station. About a month after the Survivors crash, they discover this station, and Desmond. Along the way, the Survivors find also Ben, capture him, and imprison him in the station.

As the Survivors learn more about this Station, they debate amongst themselves whether the work of the Station (entering a numeric code into the computer at regular intervals) has a real purpose, or if it's just some psychological experiment. Opinions are divided and eventually they stop entering the number--and the station implodes. No one is killed, but the release of pent-up electromagnetism allows the world, for a split second, to reveal the island's location.

One person who is looking for the island is named Penelope, or Penny. She is Desmond's girlfriend, and the daughter of a wealthy industrialist, Charles Widmore. Penny is convinced Desmond is missing, not dead, and launches an effort to find him. When the location of the island is revealed (it's assumed Desmond's boat had some tracking beacon), it put her one step closer to finding him.

The actual mission of the Others is unclear, but it is clear that they are serious stewards of the island and don't want the Survivors or anyone else compromising their work, whatever that work is. While some people's health improves while living on the island (a paralyzed man can walk again, a woman's cancer goes into remission), the Others are not so lucky. About 4-5 years before the plane crash, pregnant women are dying before giving birth, and the Others are facing their own self-extinction. A fertility doctor from outside the island is brought to the island to help figure out the reasons for this phenomenon. The doctor's name is Juliet.

Just as there is dissention amongst the Survivors regarding the purpose of that DHARMA station, there are fractures showing amongst the Others. Eventually Juliet leaves the Others and lives with the Survivors.

Of course, the Survivors' main mission is to get off the island. Two groups of people arrive on the island and their purpose is revealed: to study the island and also to capture Ben, the leader of the Others. They are under the employ of Charles Widmore (coincidentally? the father of Desmond's Penelope) and they'll capture Ben at any cost. These people are called the "Freighter People" because they have a freighter about 20 miles from the island.

However, some of these Freighter People are sympathetic to the Survivors situation. With their help, they start ferrying Survivors from the island by zodiac boat to the Freighter. The Freighter also has a helicopter--Desmond and six of the Survivors are on that helicopter when they witness the Freighter exploding--and the island disappearing. Everyone who was ferried over to the Freighter is presumed dead. The Survivors who were still on the island are still alive.

The helicopter is ditched in the water and all survive and are on a liferaft from the helicopter. They are picked up by a boat, helmed by Penelope.

On the boat, they concoct a scheme to fit the story the public at large has given about the plane crash. Desmond and the helicopter pilot stay on Penny's boat, and the Six Survivors (called Oceanic Six), on the same liferaft, travel to an inhabited island. Once rescued, the Oceanic Six make no mention of their experience on the island, and they point to a different island as the one where they crashed. Even one of the Survivors, Kate, claims a baby who survived as her own, even if she's not the mother.

Ben also gets off the island and is actually responsible for the island disappearing. With Ben leaving the island, Locke takes his place as the leader of the Others. It seems that Richard has been following Locke from the time he was born. Locke finally has found his place in the world.

But has he? In the last season through a flashforward three years after the Oceanic Six get off the island, we learn that Locke has died, that bad things have happened to the Survivors left on the island, and that Jack has to convince all of the Oceanic Six Survivors that they need to return to the island--with Ben as their guide.

Whew! I skipped over a lot, but didn't want this to be a million pages long. Tonight there will be a similar recap at 8:00 p.m. of what's happened from the time of the crash to where the last episode left off. It's worth an hour of your time to check it out. Then the season premiere is at 9:00 p.m. Enjoy--I know I will!

Inauguration Day!

Inauguration day has come and gone, and what an emotional and moving day it was. To see that great swarm of people--estimates I've heard say about 2 million, possibly more--full of joy and jubulation over seeing history being made, and all of us watching from work or home, sharing in the hope that this will be the beginning of a brighter day for us all.

I heard on CNN that not one arrest took place. How many times can you get 2 million people together in the freezing cold, standing and sitting for hours, and not have someone get a little out of hand. What a great testament to everyone involved. And I hope that this will encourage more people to visit our capital and take advantage of all the great things it has to offer.

I thought Obama's speech was good; people were grousing a bit that he wasn't specific about plans and what our responsibilities as citizens will be. But I thought it was plain speaking, pragmatic, and set the scene for future speeches and plans that will spell out specifics.

Of course, I was wrong about the dress color, which I predicted would be subdued and blue (Malia actually wore blue). Michelle's dress was nice and appropriate for the weather, and she was very brave going sans winter coat. But the teal colored shoes and greenish-yellow gloves were a bit of a head scratcher for me.

The Inauguration gown I liked more. It was pretty and feminine and reminded me of the Grecian gowns Jackie Kennedy favored. When I first saw the dress, I thought it might have been made by Carolina Herrerra. She designed Caroline Kennedy's wedding gown, which had very similiar applique work. But it's actually Jason Wu, a 26-year old designer. What a coup for him to have his design chosen.

While many of us watched the ceremonies and celebrations today, I know one lady that did not. Her name is Dee, and she is coordinator at the Food Pantry on 36th Street in Lawrenceville. Her days have been busier lately, she told me, because more people are out of work and it's getting harder for everyone to make ends meet. During the speeches and the swearing ins, she was at her job as usual, quietly passing out food, encouraging everyone to take a sack of potatoes, and some fresh green beans, too, along with the bulging bags of groceries already assembled for patrons.

Dee is one of those unsung heroes from my neighborhood, laboring with quiet dignity to try to make people's lives a little bit easier (myself included). My wish is that come next Inauguration Day, Dee will be working somewhere else, because by then the need for food pantries will have all but vanished. An unrealistic wish, I know, but wouldn't that be great?

Quinoa and Sacred Ground

Part I: "You say Knee-Wha, I say Quinoa"

Quick - name a staple that's always in your pantry. Although the quantity of items in my pantry always pales in comparison to that of my parents' (which I affectionately refer to as the Bomb Shelter--you know where I'll be headed in the event of a nuclear disaster), those new kitchen cabinets (right) allow for much more room for the staples on my list: mac & cheese, brownie mix, and Chef Boyardee Mini-Ravioli's.

China Millman (surely this is a pseudonym and not her actual name), Restaurant Critic of the venerable Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, seems to philosophically disagree with my offerings and came up with a list of her own. It includes, amongst other things, salumi, quinoa, and sriracha hot sauce. You can see the article with the complete list here.

I am by no means a gourmand, but it's pretty sad when I have to go on the Internet to figure out what half the items were (salumi, in case you were wondering, is an "artisan cured meat"). Quinoa I did know as a grain associated with Native Americans, although I did not know it was pronounced "Knee-wha", until my friend Nut Bar (not his real name) happily corrected my mispronunciation.

I'm sorry if I disappoint Miss China, but while I may indulge in some quinoa, bulgur, cous cous, or similar in a restaurant, I won't be stocking my pantry with some any time soon. I am many things, but Martha Stewart I am not.

Part II: Plans for Sacred Grounds Grounded

With leads me to Part II of this blog, Sacred Ground. You might remember ever since Flight 93 crashed on 9/11 in a field in rural Pennsylvania, there has been an effort afoot to build a memorial there.

Well, it seems that the owner of that parcel of land, Mike Svonavec, has lawyered up, gotten himself incorporated, and wants what he considers to be "fair compensation" for the land, and I'm assuming an associated Right of Way to build/access a road to the memorial site. His idea of fair compensation is -- are your ready for this? -- $10 million dollars. Unless he was raising chickens on that land that laid golden eggs, I'd say he's trying to capitalize on what was one of the darkest days in American history.

But, hey, that's just my opinion. If you'd like to tell Mike what you think, you can: just look him up on switchboard.com -- his address and phone are right there. I told Nut Bar this story, and he suggested Eminent Domain, which I think is a stellar idea. I'm all for compensating the guy for people tromping through his property, but asking $10 million? That's my definition of chutzpah.

Welcome to My Blog!

And Happy Inauguration Eve! All I can say is, it's about bloody time - and boy, am I glad I don't live in DC at the moment. If I did, I'd rent my house/apartment for an obscene amount of money, get on the first flight to Barbados and start sipping rum at this beach (lovely Miami Beach) while everyone in DC was a) fighting traffic and tourists, b) standing in the freezing cold, then c) realizing that while standing at the mall is historic and all that, the best seat is probably plopped in front of the tv in your warm and cozy home.

But since I don't live in DC, of course this is all a moot point. And while I'll be at my house in Pittsburgh, it won't be warm and cozy, but being unemployed means I can plop down in front of the tv and watch history in the making.

Any guesses what Miss Michelle will be wearing? My guess is blue and simple. She seems to like to wear bright colors (love that J. Crew ensemble she wore on the chat shows) but I think that since she (sorta) wore red on election night, it will be a semi-subdued blue for inauguration day. Anyone else have any predictions?