Photo Blog: Pittsburgh through Photos

View of downtown Pittsburgh as seen across the Ohio River

This view looks amazing enlarged ~ the blog photo does not do it justice. :-/

Catholic Church as seen from our room.

The trees actually change color!

My Fellow Travelers

Dear Fellow Traveler,

I am in need of advice. Not just any advice but very specific advice about my next trip. Having recently returned from a trip to the East Coast, I am reminded of how arduous a task packing ones suitcase is. Make sure you have essentials, but don’t take anything you really don’t need. Wear your comfortable (and usually, heavy) shoes on the plan to conserve both space and weight. It is such a job! Now, as you may or may not know, on February 12, 2009 I embark on a thirteen day tour of Europe. Needless to say, I am very excited to finally see the many national landmarks that, up to now, I have only read about. However, I am a little concerned about one little aspect: packing. Per tour regulations, travelers are only allowed one (and I emphasize one) suitcase, plus your carry on and purse. This is unfortunate because I would happily pay the 2nd baggage fee just to have a little more room and have a specified place to stow souvenirs.

Do you have any packing suggestions that would benefit me? I know things like, buy travel size items, wear clothes more than once, etc, but anything else would be greatly appreciated. Traveling in February means it’s going to be cold, and sweaters certainly weigh more than tank tops. Any suggestions about what to carry on the plane so you don’t have to pack it?

Thank you in advance for your help in preparing me for my dream come true…a trip to Europe!

-Excited Traveler

On the road again...

View similar to what we see from our room.

I love these bridges!

Greetings from Pittsburgh! Yes, I boarded yet another airplane this morning and spent my day traversing the country to ole' Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I must say, that from a 'room with a view' perspective, ours looks out over the Ohio River (we think!), and the landscape is dotted with glistening water and beautiful lights. While I'm on the east coast for business, I hope to spend some time sightseeing tomorrow night. It's getting rather late on this end of the continent, so I shall provide further updates at a later time. Auf Wiedersehen.

Travelers Note: Do not, under any circumstances, fly while you have a cold. The pressure on the ear drums is excruciating, and I DO NOT say this lightly. :-( I deplaned 3 hours ago and am still waiting for an ear to pop.

Homecoming

On Thursday night I attended a Homecoming in an aircraft hanger. Number 244 to be specific. Not exactly a traditional "homecoming," but one filled with honored guests and special memories. For those of you who don't know, I am part of an oral history project documenting the history of the former El Toro Marine Corps Air Station. I have been with the project since the very beginning and am currently working full-time as the Acting Director through the end of January. Thursday night the Orange County Great Park (funding behind the project) held the El Toro Homecoming for all of the project narrators (people who give their oral history). Over fifty narrators attended, many with family members and special guests, and it was wonderful to see these special people again or meet many for the first time. Having listened to or read scores of their interviews, it was a treasure to watch them interact, greet old friends, and share stories about their time in boot camp, Cherry Point, and, of course, tales about El Toro. The evening included bus tours of the base, a reception, group photograph, buffet dinner, and a display of donated artifacts and photographs of each narrator. To top it off, we even got some publicity. One of my first narrators, Faye Shumway, was interviewed by our local NBC affiliate for a news story!

This project is something I believe it, a reason to go to work each day. I feel like I am making a difference in someones life, insuring their memories live on. It's all about the people. They are the heart and soul of oral history. Having these amazing individuals welcome us into their homes, prepare delicious snacks, take us to lunch, serve tea in a tea cup their son brought back from Russia, barely remember anything about their past yet whistle when they see a picture of their wife saying, "Isn't she a beautiful girl?"and receiving a thank you note for our visit...these kind gestures make it worth it continue on. I may despise the corporate side and bureaucratic politics, but we can make a difference in our own little way. I can believe in the people and their legacy. Helping preserve their history truly gives meaning to my own life.

Here I am with Faye Shumway, one of my favorite narrators

Inside of hangar with guests milling about and catching up with old friends

Close-up of group photo

Group photograph taken in front of Hangar 244, the same hangar Faye

worked in while she was stationed at the base.

Ashtray made out of half of a missle (no kidding!) This was donated to the project.

Magnificent sunset, as seen from inside the hangar.

(Notice the Great Parks signature orange balloon.)

My lunch break

Since my oral history interview was canceled this afternoon I decided to use my lunch break to buy more items for my graduation scrapbook! Of course, I found even more options since Michaels has an endless inventory of scrapbooking tools, and I happily spent more money on paper and decorations. Now, I just need to find time to put it together...hey, you only get a masters once!

A Day in Julian

Wood flowers I bought to fill my bud vase.

Yesterday, some ladies from church went on a day trip to Julian, CA. Having never been there, I thought it would an interesting excursion. What was supposed to be a short day trip turned out to be a bit more than I expected. First, I'm not exactly the biggest fan of antique stores and crafty type shops, but Julian is an historic mining town and that aspect appealed to me. We split up into two groups, and our group had no trouble finding the little town. After a two hour and fifteen minute drive full of two-lane highways and multiple twists and turns, we arrived to find it was exactly what I had expected, a very quaint, little town with pretty much nothing to see. That in itself wasn't necessarily a bad thing provided we only stayed for a couple of hours, but the other car made a wrong turn and arrived four hours late! Aside from the annoyance of them getting lost, their detours affected us too because we decided to stay in Julian until they arrived. We went into every shop, checked out each restuarant menu, and walked up and down the street more than once. Now, mind you, there is one main drag about two blocks in length and a few shops off the main street. And that's it! By the time we left all of the merchandise was beginning to look the same. Eight hours later we got home, and I decided that one trip to Julian was enough for my lifetime!

Scrapbook Update

I'm still not done with the scrapbook. Nuts! I thought I would have finished it by Thursday, and until last night thought I was. But after the event additional contributions arrived, and I have a little more work to do. Fortunately, it's only another 4 pages or so. Now I'm all fired up to start my graduation scrapbook only I need more supplies first. I decided I didn't buy near enough to thought I had everything, but after working on this album I think I need a few more items really to personalize the book.

Here are some pictures I took (finally) of the scrapbook and a photo of the book being presented to Dr. Hansen. The reflection was not my friend for these pictures. :)

Another Busy Night

Okay. I know I'm no longer a student, but tonight has felt like I was back in the throes of the never-ending cycle of deadlines and tasks. Unfortunately, I hardly accomplished anything on my to-do list for last weekend. I did complete one page in my grad scrapbook, decided I need more plain paper, and finished editing an interview. Period, end of story. Oh, I also made a much-needed trip to South Coast Plaza to take my LV bag in for repair. :( While I planned on redeeming my somewhat unproductive weekend by tackling a 'weekend project' this evening, I had a slight change of plans.

What has me frantically working is another scrapbook. We are having a celebration this weekend honoring the Center's 40th anniversary. Simultaneously, we will be vetting long-time and newly retired director, Dr. Art Hansen, and I volunteered to help assemble his congratulatory scrapbook. That probably explains why I have taken over the floor next to me with paper, a wide variety of cards, letters, and photographs, rubber cement, scissors, stack of completed pages, and tiny pieces of paper littering my floor. Yikes! And to top it off, I need to finish it by Thursday! No pressure, right? :) I'm having a blast putting together the pages, however I have to continually remind myself I don't have a lot of time to get every minute detail perfect. Creativity is wonderful, as long as it does not exceed five minutes per page. (I have only half succeeded in adhering to this deadline.) So, by Thursday I should have a 98% completed scrapbook of at least 50 pages. (The remaining 2% is reserved for the stragglers who submit their contributions late.) Regardless of the outcome, I shall take comfort in the fact that I am not being graded on this!

P.S. I decided to not take a literal photograph of my organized mess. Instead, I found this one on line. Like the date and place, Jackie?!

Remembering those who paved the way

You may have already read this, but I wanted to share.

http://sarathacker.blogspot.com/2008/08/should-you-vote.html

Life After August

I'm excited. Why? Well, one might think it's because it's Friday, meaning I have a entire weekend coming up. Or perhaps I'm excited because it's Labor Day weekend, which means three days off instead of two, not to mention two days I can actually sleep past 6:30. These are very valid reasons, but, more importantly, it's Labor Day weekend, my FIRST one in seven years where I will not be doing any homework! And, that's what I'm celebrating this weekend. I remember my first semester of college, I spent Labor Day doing math homework and labs. Last year, I was writing a thesis proposal and trying to stay on top of reading for History & Theory. In 2008, I don't have to do any of that. Yah!!! I can do things Kira wants to do instead of sacrificing for the greater of academic good. :)

While I haven't made any specific plans for Monday, there are several projects I can either continue or begin.

• Start my graduation scrapbook. I had the pictures printed two days ago and already bought the supplies. I could celebrate my first holiday with NO homework by reliving graduation. Hmmm....this would be fun.
• Continue editing my oral history transcripts.
• Transcribe another twenty minutes of my thesis oral histories.
• Clean out my closet and make room for new clothes!
• Vacuum the inside of my car.
• None of the above. Spent the day sleeping in, watching movies, reading, or whatever my heart desires.

Whatever happens, it's just nice to know I have a life after August! Happy Labor Day everyone!

Highlights from Iowa and Wisconsin

On the road to Cassville, Wisconsin (population 1085!)
First town we stayed at, and one of the prettiest

Mississippi River. Illinois is across the river.

Me posing by the Mississippi

We saw enough red barns to satisfy anyone's curiosity

Another view of the Mississippi, this one from Cassville. Iowa is across the river.

Pictures do not do this view justice. We saw green and the river far as

the eye could see. This was a highlight of the trip.

Fox river in De Pere, Wisconsin

The clouds are gorgeous.

I think I have a problem. I seem to be addicted to my computer. Now that I am no longer a student, I technically don't have to be attached to my computer 24/7, but I find that I still take it with me everywhere. I do have several post-graduation projects I am slowly plowing through, and most require the use of MS Word. I still sit and watch TV with my computer on my lap. I take it with me on trips just in case I need it. (it did come in handy on my most recent excursion since we needed to look up directions several times) I can always think of something to that I have to do on the computer. I seem to have forgotten how to sit and relax. It is such a habit to always be doing something. Any tips on how to solve this little problem? Perhaps I should just quit cold turkey!

Welcome to Dubuque, Iowa!

Greetings from the Midwest. I have truly been all over the US today. I started in Orange, CA, traveled to Fullerton, flew out of Ontario, had a layover in Dallas, then Chicago, and finally land at our final destination of Dubuque. I just watched Bridges of Madison County and I admit, part of me was hoping for a glimpse of Francesca Johnson's Iowa. The other part of me was hoping for modernity to have hit the area. I think I ended up with a mixture of the two, however, it is definitely more rural than Southern California.

My day began dark and early at 2:30 am! Yes, I really said 2:30. All in all, the traveling part was fairly smooth. We didn't have any delays and or lost luggage. We also had some funny mishaps throughout the day, however the funniest by far was at DFW. We had a short layover and decided to grab breakfast (after all, it was 9:00 our time) and then I had a hankering for a latte from Starbucks. So, down we went to buy one. The funny thing was neither Janet nor I looked at the time and were talking about touring the airport further. We honestly thought we had time to roam the expanse called DFW. As we walked by our gate we noticed people were standing in line and Janet had the presence of mind to ask what flight they were waiting for. Turns out our flight was boarding and they were past the individual groups and move on to general boarding!!! Yes, while our flight was boarding we were down at Starbucks buying me a mocha latte. To top it off, our plane pulled away from the gate about ten minutes after we boarded. We laughed over that one for a while. If we had missed our flight how in the world could we have explained that one away...

Flying the friendly skies

Although it seems I just returned from one trip, I leave again on Tuesday for Iowa and Wisconsin. I'm going with a friend and co-worker to conduct 10-11 interviews for the El Toro Oral History project I have been part of as a graduate student and now as an employee. I'm going as interviewer and videographer! We will be gone for 8 days, two of which will be travel, and the rest will be interviewing galore. I hope to blog while I am gone, however we have a very intense schedule so it might not be possible. Much of our downtime will be spent driving and preparing for upcoming interviews. There is one rather large drawback to the trip, however...our flight leaves at 6:05 am. That means we have to be at the airport by 4:30, up at 2:30. You may all think of me as you sleep in your soft, comfortable beds on Tuesday morning!

Thought: A Lost Art

I love movies that make me think. I love movies that are entertaining and fun too, but movies that lead to continued discussion have the ability to influence our lives. A couple of nights ago Adam and I watched Lion for Lambs. Critically, the movie bombed and the ending was terrible, but I appreciated its message and honesty. Lions for Lambs centers around three separate story lines, one being between a politician and reporter. These characters engage in a political tennis match questioning each other and their professional foundations. In turn, they challenge the viewer's perception about journalism and the media. Today's society seems more interested in which celebrity is dating whom, who is having an affair, and Angelina Jolie's pregnancy. Whatever happened to 'real' journalism where we actually learn about world affairs or read intelligent editorials from people willing to critically and somewhat unbiasedly report on viable news stories?

What I took from this movie is a question of responsibility. Who is responsible for the state of journalistic affairs? Is the media providing this to the American people because we actually want it or because that is what they think we want? Furthermore, what can I do to make a difference and make a positive change in this area? What can I do as a citizen of the United States of America, and what can I do as a citizen of the world? It is so easy to talk, complain, or share opinions about the state of world affairs, but if I choose to sit back and do nothing, do I have the right to say anything at all?

It seems all I have done is ask questions...but, like I said, I like movies that make me think and encourage me to make a change in society. The question is how?

More pictures

Now that I realize the pictures post in reverse order, I might actually finish this little album.

Two chefs, cooking up a storm! Thai, Italian, vegetarian, and plenty of desserts!

Rochester Falls

Lake Ontario

Touring the George Eastman house in Rochester, NY. The gardens were gorgeous.

Another beautiful view of the gardens

Capturing raindrops

Celebrating Christina's birthday!!

Taking off from JFK (finally!) and the thrill of seeing Manhattan from the air.

Photo's from Rochester

This was taken after my first Rochester thunderstorm.

The amazing 12 corners!

Driving tour of Rochester. I loved this house! (yes, it is a single family residence)

There were lots of streets named after universities!

Mamma Mia!

Yes, I am writing about a movie. Admittedly, I do love film, but I haven't made a habit of blogging about them. However, I decided this warranted a post. (Don't worry, I won't be typing a detailed review) While most people have been eagerly anticipating The Dark Knight, my summer fare is Mamma Mia. It was a fun movie, whimsacle, had fabulous music, starred my favorite actress, and was a pleasant way to cheer my mood after leaving Rochester. It was also the first movie I've seen guilt free since I started graduate school. Imagine that! Since Saturday, I've also been happily singing Abba tunes...Super Trooper, lights are going to blind me, but I won't be blue...

Lest I Forget

I don't have access to the pictures I've taken of my trip, but I'll be sure to post upon my return. In the meantime, here's a sampling of some fun things we've done in Rochester:

* Visit Lake Ontario. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I can say I touched the lake and surprisingly, the water was warmer than expected.

* Saw the University of Rochester, Eastman (the best part was seeing Christina's studio and classrooms!), the gorgeous Rochester falls times two, and had a fun tour of the city in the rain.

* Went to the grocery store! This may not be the first thing one normally does on a vacation, but we did have to buy groceries for our forthcoming meals. Plus I got to see where Christina shops, and I found extra sharp cracker barrel cheese. Yum!

* Worked out at the University of Rochester. Again, not your typical vacation fare...

* Witnessed a Rochester thunderstorm.

* Took a drive down Park Avenue, enjoyed a massage with Christina, read in the spa's library, learned how to play Dutch Blitz, saw gorgeous local mansions, enjoyed the East Coast architecture, and much, more more.

Le Tablier Rose

One of the things on our list of things to do in Rochester was find the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe. Well, not only did we test the first two recipes, but Christina had the brilliant idea of starting a blog, Le Tablier Rose, to document our cooking adventures. For those of you who know me well, you may laugh since you know how "often" I actually cook! (However, in my defense, Christina and I started cooking together several summers ago and have tried a wide variety of recipes.) We will post our cookie findings, recommend the best recipe, and provide any number of random bits of cooking advice, experiences in the kitchen, and suggestions for recipe alterations. We'd love to have you visit our virtual kitchen...and who knows, we may even turn into the next Martha Stewart...or not!