amand_r | Entries tagged with pittsburgh

( Yeah. Chinese New Year. )

Current Mood: calm

Say These Words: Aunt, Route, Wash, Oil, Theater, Iron, Salmon, Caramel, Fire, Water, Sure, Data, Ruin, Crayon, Toilet, New Orleans, Pecan, Both, Again, Probably, Spitting Image, Alabama, Lawyer, Coupon, Mayonnaise, Syrup, Pajamas, Caught

Now answer these questions:

What is it called when you throw toilet paper on a house?
What is the bug that when you touch it, curls into a ball?
What is the bubbly carbonated drink called?
What do you call gym shoes?
What do you say to address a group of people?
What do you call the kind of spider that has an oval-shaped body and extremely long legs?
What do you call your grandparents?
What do you call the wheeled contraption in which you carry groceries at the supermarket?
What do you call it when rain falls while the sun is shining?
What is the thing you change the TV channel with?

1. Jesus, I'm only into three episodes into season 6 of The L Word, and I completely understand why everyone wants to kill Jenny Schecter. OH MY GOD. edit Finished it. I'm glad she's dead. I really am.

2. MBABB WC: 57,980+. FINISHED %: 15-20. HEADDESK: EMINENT.

3. THIS IS GOING TO BE SO BAD IT WILL BE BRILLIANT. YES PLEASE.

4. GET OUT OF THERE! (thanks, Snaxi!)

5. The thing they be doing here, I like it:

6. ( pockeh_slasha asked me questions. )

7. Pittsburgh: Solving your 'Who should I drunk dial?' issues since 2006.

Current Mood: exanimate
Current Location: really, what does that mean?
Current Music: I look it up all the time, but i forget

1. Most Badass alphabet ever. (h/t

sivatheminty)

2.

adjovi told me about this at lunch Saturday, and Jesus, it's comedy gold: Man tried to revive dead possum; alcohol involved. That last bit—YOU THINK?

4. And because it came up, I remind you once again, LIKE A BOSS.

5. Thursday was cooking night! ( Steamed pork, souffled mac and cheese, etc. )

6. Saturday was the day for shopping in the Pittsburgh strip district. ( I documented for posterity. )

7. Spike? It's you. It's really you! My therapist thought I was holding onto false hope, but... I knew you'd come back. You're like... you're like Gandalf the White, resurrected from the pit of the Balrog, more beautiful than ever. Ohh... he's alive, Frodo. He's alive.

Current Mood: grumpy
Current Location: the double r diner
Current Music: it figures

Dear

pittsburgh comm.

We get it. some of you have a bug up your ass about the parking chair.

Jesus christ, do we care what Californians think of the PPC? I think not.

If you're going somewhere where the lot is plowed, then great.

So, if I'm just going down to Giant Eagle, and I dug my car out and I have my six month old with me and I would like to have a space when I get back in thirty minutes so I don't have to dig out for another hour with her strapped to my back, that would be okay with you? I just want to make sure it's okay with you and your new position as Parking God of Pittsburgh. I'll make sure to pick up some incense for your altar while I'm over there.

Also, my friend from Germany thought it was quaint and off and wtf when I told him that you can get a sandwich with the fries and the coleslaw on it. Should I consider what he thinks the next time I go to Primanti's?

I smell a) non-native and b) someone who took a spot and feel guilty about it and c) someone who Has An Opinion despite not having a car or d) someone who wasn't smart enough to use a chair and is all stropped about it.

( Everything is a little unwieldy, so click the cut to read my stupid today. )

Current Mood: bouncy
Current Location: BARROWMAN COUNTRY
Current Music: DEXTER SEASON 3

I take back all the mocking I did. I have never seen it like this. If you live in a place that get a lot of snow, feel free to mock me, but I just wasn't prepared for:

SNOWPOCALYPSE 2010

1. Lost power (re: heat) at 2 am. Ate the kid for warmth.

2. I kid, we did that huddle for warmth thing.

3. Discovered all coffee was unground. Used mortar and pestle.

4. No method of heating water. Did you know that when water is hot enough to burn you in the shower, it is still not hot enough for coffee?

5. Drank coffee anyway.

6. Went outside. ( Pics included! )

7. Went inside, peeled off clothes (PLUS: I have lost so much weight that I was able to wear my fleece pyjamapants under my old size 14 jeans. MINUS: COLD)

8. After lunch. POWER RETURNS! HUZZAH! COFFEE FIRST, CHARGE CELL, RUN DISHWASHER.

Current Mood: chipper
Current Location: snowpocalypse
Current Music: snowpocalypse

1. I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about this.

2.

bluejeanius has created fanart for the great JB VS NPH BIG GAY BATTLE on afterelton. And it's headlining their Wrap-up post! LOL!

3. HIGHLANDER PEEPS! WHEN WAS RICHIE BORN? HE WAS LIKE 17 IN 1992 OR SUMMAT, RIGHT? 1975?

4. Thanks to whomever nommed Gold dust for a CoT award. THREESOME CATEGORY. AWWWW SHEEEIT.

5. I want to do that "What do you think if these fandom tropes?" Meme, but I'm fairly sure that you all know what I think of that shit, and even if you didn't, you wouldn't care.

6. QUESTION: WHAT THE SHIT IS THIS? ANSWER: FUCKING AWESOME.

7. And while we're on the subject, Santa Jaws is coming to town .

8. Took the snickerdoodle to the National Aviary on New Year's Eve…Day. I bet you didn't know that Pittsburgh is the home of the NATIONAL AVIARY, DID YOU? SUCK IT. WE HAVE FREE-FLIGHT ROOMS.

Okay.

( PENGUINS. )

Current Mood: numb
Current Location: cold feet town
Current Music: my feet are cold.

1. ANOTHER REC I FORGOT. WELL, TWO:

51stcenturyfox has been a busy girl, with two fics that I read early in December and fell in love with. I had the pleaseure of seeing them in varying stages and hnest to god, Foxy writes like a dream.

Zihuatanejo (I had to c/p that title) is the story of Red and Andy after Shawshank ends and Red gets to the small town of Zihuatanejo. I loved the Red voice, the atmosphere of it, and it was sweet and rewarding at the same time.

Never Love A Wild Thing is her

reel_torchwood entry, with Breakfast at Tiffany's. Her Holly voice is perfect, and she tells of an encounter, well, I shan't spoil it for you. More a crossover than a fusion, really, but a damned good one.

2. I want to rec every fricking story on

twsecretsanta but I'm pretty sure that you've all read them all. But go over and read them, a phat 21 of them I think. BLACKJACK!

3.

wherepiesdie GOES LIVE WITH A DISCUSSION OF THE TWIN PEAKS PILOT ON THURSDAY, JANUARY 7TH. I AM WATCHING AND TAKING NOTES THIS WEEK! After this Thursday we'll have an episode discussion every Monday and Thursday. See the post in the comm for a detailed schedule. We welcome newbies and those who are watching again, and will have a spoiler cut code for discussions that jump ahead.

4. Another rec: New Things by

xtricks It's JACK/ALONSO AND JESUS IS IT GOOD. AND THE ENDING IS LIKE MY FAVORITE THING IN THE UNIVERSE TODAY. YES PLEASE GOD MAY I HAVE NOTHER.

5. IT IS COLD HERE. SEND HELP. ONE OF THOSE ST BERNARDS WITH COCOA IN A BARREL UNDER ITS NECK. MMMM COCOA.

6. OMG for Crimmas

emquilxy got us a cooking class, and we just picked which one we're taking today: HOW TO MAKE PIEROGIES. FROM SCRATCH, BITCHES. Right now my pierogie cooking skills are pretty much: "Boil water; add frozen pierogies." BUT THAT SHALL CHANGE.

OMG IF SAM COOKE HAD EATEN PIEROGIES, THAT SONG "A CHANGE IS GONNA COME" WOULD HAVE BEEN ABOUT THEIR POTATO-FILLED GOODNESS AND MY NEW-TO-BE MAD SKILLZ THAT PAY THE BILLZ.

Current Mood: cold toes!
Current Location: why are my toes always cold?
Current Music: OMG MY FECKING TOES!

1. As I was linked to a rec for Heat Goes To Cold and One Thousand yesterday, the recs mentioned that the stories were ten years old, and it took me aback for a second. They ARE ten years old. At least. They might have been posted in 1998 (the notes say 1999 and 2000, but by 2000 I was living in my flat, and I had posted them before that, so I might be wrong.). I forget. Holy fucking shit. TEN YEARS in online fandom at least. And people are STILL READING them. Thanks people!

2. I feel slightly old.

3. I noticed a few days ago that LJ changed their search function. It now sucks balls. Some journals I would just look up whenever I wanted to see them, and now I can't do that, because they no longer show up in any search function.

Thanks lj, for becoming completely fucktarded. And don't bitch about how I'm a whiny fandom person because I said nothing all through strike through, nipplegate, the plus account/ad bullshit and the recent gender!fail crap. I hate you because your code is stepping backwards, like someon moron deciding they need to throw out their Blue-Ray player for goddamned Betamax.

I have just proven that poem about how when the came for my neighbour, I did nothing, and then they came for mah other neighbour and I did nothing, and then they came and took my Bagelfuls and I uh, I dunno. I forget that poem.

Or that other porn about how if I keep my head when chaos is all around me, then Jackie Aprile might shoot me in the head at a card game. Wait. No.

Sooper secret response for

arsenicjade Dr O: (sigh) sometimes I just get so overwhelmed, I don't know whether to start from the left or from the right.

4. I want Burger King. I KNOW YOU THINK I MEAN THE FOOD, BUT NO, I MEAN THE BURGER KING. ROWR.

PSYCH, I WAS KIDDING. I WANT ME A WHOPPER. THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID. NO I MEAN THE BURGER. BUT WITH ONLY CHEESE, ONION, KETCHUP, MUSTARD AND PICKLES. IT'S LIKE ASKING THEM TO MAKE YOU A CHEESE BURGER THAT IS 2X THE SIZE! BOO YAH!

5. Yet another reason why Pittsburgh is an awesome place to live. Excerpt: "We wanted to do this street theater to energize people," said Mr. Buba, who wore a name tag bearing the name of UPMC board member G. Nicholas Beckwith III for the mock meeting. "The zombie link works because zombies have an insatiable appetite for human flesh and UPMC seems to have an insatiable appetite for chewing up our communities."

6. It started to snow here in the evening. I put on Ashokan Farewell and stood outside in the drift for about 20 minutes. Good times.

7. I bought this and lost it years ago (I might have given it to a co-worker in the English Department and never got it back; we're squirrely like that.), and I think I might get it again. LOL that amazon remembers that I bought it on April 13, 2003. Oh sad sad sad. :(

8. I'M GONNA SPEND MY MUTHERFUCKING CRIMMAS WITH A MUTHERFUCKING DALEK, BITCHES.

9. I take back all the bad things I was thinking about Dexter. I just got to the point where he tells Cody he'll go to his school for his report on Saudi Arabia.

10. DEAR CRUENTUM, I AM NOT YOUR SANTA, BUT I WROTE YOU FLUFFY SCOTT/JB RPS. No, it wasn't me. I wish it had been.

Current Mood: mellow
Current Location: the snow
Current Music: shoveling

1. You know what I miss? Witch Hunter Robin. I'd like to see that again.

2. And for those of you who don't believe that Pittsburgh is unique and strange, I bring you the Pittsburgh cookie table, a must at every wedding. I am told mine was good. I wouldn't know because I ate one cookie and when I returned, drunk, it was empty.

3. ( Sometimes it's good to remember what some music and a good voice over actor can do. )

4. You know, if you have time to read and comment on other stories in the fest, you have time to read and comment on your gift, even if you didn't like it. You just say "Oh thank you!" Mention a few things you liked (Jesus, even if most of it is suck, there's always something redeemable. I found redemption in the Biscuit story), and bob is your goddamn uncle.

5. Before I forget, THANK YOU to

beeej,

bluejeans07,

bethcarielle, and

solsticezero for the spankin' cards! God we're all so effing creative, and beth, your kind words were heartening, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Beeej! HIGHLANDER CARDS RULE. I wanted to do a post-it HL card, but my creative well had run dry. :(

Current Mood: discontent
Current Location: BOE
Current Music: OTIS, BABY

Thanks to Xiao di di, I now have WONDERWALL GOING THROUGH MY HEAD, AND THE ONLY THING THAT CAN SCRUB IT CLEAN, LIKE A MISTER CLEAN MAGIC ERASER IN MY SKULL, IS MIKA. I HATE YOU, NICHOLAS H. CRUENTUM. I COME FROM THE LAND OF COAL; YOU'RE LUCKY IT'S SO FUCKING HEAVY OR I'D SEND YOU A BIG OLD LUMP OF IT. I was going to make a joke about squeezing it so hard you make a diamond to present to JB at panto, but it involved buttocks, and that's just not funny.

( Sometimes I surprise the fuck out of myself. Today is not one of those days. )

I bet some days you wonder why you even click on my lj cuts. :P I know why you do, you saucy minxes.

Current Mood: stripper
Current Location: gene splicing
Current Music: xzibit. 'paparazzi' (what else?)

I spent yesterday procrastinating and writing and finishing my crimmas cards, which, if I do say so myself, are pretty fucking funny. I'll post them sometime closer to the holiday, because they need to be shared.

But I get ahead of myself! Today! ( UPDATE! BY! NUMBERS! )

That is all. There aren't the droids you're looking for. There aren't the droids we're looking for. You can go about your business. You can go about your business. Move along. Move along.

Current Mood: ditzy
Current Location: the province.
Current Music: oasis, 'don't look back in anger'

A NOTE: I do not participate in zombie apocalyptothon day. Because that's like the boy who cried wolf. Someday you're ALL GOING TO REGRET EVER HAVING FAKED BEING ATTACKED BY HOARDES OF THE UNDEAD WHEN IT REALLY HAPPENS AND NO ONE EFFING BELIEVES YOU.

STOP THE PRESS-- remember the air guitar competition? Well! Meet: AIR SEX COMPETITIONS! Yeah, you wanted to see it. (Their official site.) I HEARTILY APPROVE! (Especially of contestants "Thrustin" and "Otto Erotica")

Unovis: Another porn battle?
Amand-r: ONE A MONTH.
Unovis: Damn I need to start writing again
Amand-r: YOU TOTES DO.
Unovis: I can't write porn in [CURRENT LOCATION].
Amand-r: YOU SHOULD WRITE FOR THE PORN BATTLE.
Unovis: [CURRENT LOCATION OF HIDDEN BUNKER] is the anti-porn.
Amand-r: DRUNK!SEX! EDGING!
Amand-r: THREESOMES!
Unovis: Sounds like landscaping.
Amand-r: Two of mine are almost done. I cheated and wrote early. [OMGS CONFESSIONZ LULZ.]
Unovis: Owen/Methos/Jack
Amand-r: YES.
Unovis: Owen/Methos/Gwen
Amand-r: OH GOD YES.
Unovis: Srsly, Methos banging Owen's shit in the alley of a barbecue joint.
Amand-r: MAKE IT EDGING. THEN NO ONE HAS TO COME.
Unovis: If no one had to speak it would be easier. I couldn't make Owen sound like Owen without immersion in the source again.
Amand-r: I don't think you have to. It's porn. Start with the sex. Then end with it.
Unovis: mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Amand-r: Do eeeeeeeeeeet.

UNRELATED FANDOM NOTE: I have a confession to make,

lawsontl. That's right, you, zombie-killing, gun-toting lady. Even though I know the origin of your user name, in my head I have now named you "Lawsuntl." Law sun tlll. It's awesome. BUT IF YOU WANT ME TO STOP, YOU'LL HAVE TO SUGGEST SOMETHING ELSE. ::smishes::

( RAEWHIT'S ADVENTURES IN THE UK, AS RELATED TO ME! )

and_suddenly says: "so, do we have some sort of record for holding both the stanley cup and the super bowl victory in one year? is there such a thing? pittsburgh: MORE AWESOME THAN YOUR CITY FUCK YEAH"

kel_riley, do you still love me? I'm sorry. ::googly eyes::

Current Location: THE HIDDEN BUNKER
Current Music: abba, 'the dancing queen'

On a complete super sekrit note, this is a shout out to all mah peeps on the CE: thanks for being there. I have rediscovered the joy that is Highlander Fandom. I think I have to finish Tongues of Angels after all. Funny too, because I was so disgusted with it that I was just going to post a craptastic ending like, everything blowing up nonsensically, a la Sealab 2021.

I'm in Pittsburgh. It's cold here. The roads are clogged with drivers and it is overcast. It might snow. The roads are curved and sometimes one way. There is construction.

God, it's good to be home. I actually broke into tears when I saw the Ohio from the plane. Tears over the river. Is it possible to be tied to a place so much? I mean, I've lived here all my life. I was rereading "Blades Talk" the other day, and I was struck by some of the comments that Methos makes about the city, and some that Sean makes, because in a way, I think I left character there, and it was blaringly obvious.

It's the horribly bland and mysterious things about Pittsburgh that make me love it: the broken mills, the winding rivers, the way that the city almost feels like the grinding of steel gears, and the sky gets an amazing hue at sunset because I think we tore something with all the pollution of the past. I love the iron bar bridges and the barges that crawl down the river, lazy and spewing black pillars. I love the hills most of all, these huge hills so big that tourists from the midwest call the mountains. But they haven't seen the real mountains, the ones that start when you get thirty miles south of the city limits.

And the food! Screw Cuban and Mexican food. I want pirogies made from scratch, swimming i butter and onions, or perhaps some real cannoli, not that shit made by Little Debbie.

People who live in Pittsburgh, who were born into the lower middle class families have a bold way of seeing and responding to the world, a rough one that they probably got from their parents, who got it from walking up and down fifteen flights of stairs to and from work every day.

My grandmother told me that when she was a nurse in the Westinghouse mill, she used to treat a common injury wherein molten metal would splash on workers' skin, usually the arms. She told me that she would have to wait for the metal to cool before she could get it off, and that it simply took layer upon layer of skin with it. Then they just went back to work. What else could they do? They need the money.

That is where we come from. Grit and sweat and labor and aluminum siding coated orange with smog. Amen.

This concludes the maudlin hour. Sod off.

Current Mood: nostalgic
Current Music: warning: I'm a sap.