Eskimo 'Burgher

Valentine's Day Pie

2008-02-24T15:46:00.002-05:00

For Valentine's day this year Mark and I made a pie from scratch. (Okay, we made the pie the weekend before Valentine's, but it has hearts on it, so it counts as a Valentine's day pie)

http://picasaweb.google.com/followtheleader/ValentineSDayApplePearPie

Here's the recipe. The only change we made was accidentally using 3 teaspoons of salt instead of 3/4. Whoops. It was salty, but still okay. We'll have to try again with the right amount of salt. And the next time I make pie dough, I'm making a double batch, because it's a lot of work, and a lot of putting stuff in the refrigerator and waiting.

A few gratuitous pie shots:

A good solution to those pesky cords

2007-11-01T13:15:00.000-05:00

http://www.oboiler.com/picket/picket.html

I think this is such a neat idea... I only wish I owned a house. I just feel llike this sort of effor is too much for someone who's only renting, and might possibly move in, you know, 5 months or so.

Fall in Pittsburgh

2007-10-12T09:14:00.000-05:00

So, Canadian Thanksgiving has come and gone. Mark and I put together a small feast, butterball turkey for him (cook from frozen!) and tofu loaf for me (not as good as my mothers) . It was a nice meal, and was the first time I'd ever made a meal so long and involved with so many pieces that had to be ready at the same time.
To end the meal we had an apple spice cake that turned out very well. I took the leftovers into work to share. It was a strange thanksgiving away from our families, and it was 30 degrees (that's like 87 in American speak). Certainly the warmest thanksgiving I've ever had.

But now... now the weather has turned. It's not even 15 degrees today. A coworker of mine, Matthew, said that Pittsburgh is too poor to afford all 4 seasons, so it just has winter and summer, and to simulate fall, it cycles quickly between winter and summer. :-)

I was sort of hoping the weather would turn. I was getting sick of wearing shorts... believe it or not. Plus I bought a beautiful new wool jacket that I was just itching to wear. And, I guess I got what I wanted... like they say, be careful what you wish for.

Mark's started work at the American Red Cross. This is great news, as he'll get to meet people and participate in the Pittsburgh community. So far it's been a lot of training, but it's cooling down now. Sounds like it will be satisfying work.

I'm going home for Christmas, and I'm very much looking forward to seeing my friends and family then. And visiting my favorite Edmonton restaraunts. I'm starting a list. Cafe mosaics, high level diner, blue plate diner, Oodle noodle (a favorite of Mark and I). Oh, and I guess maybe some christmas dinner at my parent's house.

See y'all then!

Stump this!

2007-08-16T12:56:00.000-05:00

Okay okay, I'm going to try blogging again, but to make it feel more manageable I'm going to keep posts short and sweet.

I found this online and think it's a great idea.
http://supernaturale.com/articles.html?id=199

Mark and I have a huge stump in our back yard. It's probably 4 feet around. I wonder what the landlord would think if we applied the techniques above to it. :-)

Overheard in PGH

2007-05-04T07:56:00.000-05:00

So, while I'm at a loss for witty things to say on my blog, this one's got no shortage:

http://www.overheardinpittsburgh.com

However, be warned that if you read "Overheard in PGH" you may never want visit Pittsburgh, for fear for becoming stupider. Let me remind you that there are stupid people everywhere; in Pittsburgh we just make fun of them on the internet.

Hooligan at the Phipps Conservatory

2007-04-11T19:24:00.000-05:00

And now for something completely different.

Cats Cats Cats

2007-04-11T19:17:00.000-05:00

Safe and sound!

The cats arrived on Friday with my lovely mother. They were stuck in Chicago for a couple of hours but made it here eventually. Cats were surprisingly calm considering what they had endured.

Welcome home ladies!

Pittsburgh's quirky

2007-04-03T19:40:00.000-05:00

Let's start a list of weird things about Pittsburgh:

What I call "The Pittsburgh Left". Pittsburghers often let the first person turning left at a light that just turned green go before the rest of the traffic continues straight through the intersection. People sometimes flash their lights at you to let you know they are going to let you have a Pittsburgh left. People will also almost hit you with their car if you do not observe their "right" to a Pittsburgh left. We're not sure where the law stands on this.
In Pittsburgh, sometimes you pay when you get on the bus, and sometimes you pay when you get on. You always pay when you get on if the bus does not pass through the downtown core on its route (59U). You pay when you get on a bus if it is on its way downtown, and off if its on its way out of downtown (61C). Oh, but if it's after 7pm you always pay when you get on. This is very confusing to me. I have a bus pass. I usually just show it on my way in and out, though it makes me look like a tourist. A tourist with a bus pass.
This next one is jokingly referred to as the Pittsburgh salad phenomenon, by which would everything (including salads) has fries, cheese and meat on it. If you don't believe me check out Primanti Brother's sandwiches. They make a vegetarian version, which just has cheese, and I must say it was the blandest 1500 calories I ever ate. The salad bar at work even has pepperoni. My office mate, Andrew, has pepperoni on his salads, so I know it's not just for show. I've asked where the tofu is, they're not sure. There is a Whole Foods and a Trader Joe's in Pittsburgh, so I know I'm not the only person in the city who eats these things.

I'm sure I'll add to this list as time marches on...

First post!

2007-04-02T19:47:00.000-05:00

You know, I set up this blog almost 2 months ago. This is how long it's taken for me to get my act together. Without further ado, let me get you up to speed with the adventure that was moving over 3,000 km.

We had a huge problem with our movers before we left. On Tuesday (my birthday, for heaven's sake!) the movers showed up. I was supposed to be out of my apartment by the next day at 3. However, because I didn't have a work Visa they movers threatened not to take my stuff. This was less than 24 hours before I had to be out of the apartment and I hadn't even cleaned the floors. The situation was that my work visa is a rare kind. Because I'm a "NAFTA professional" (go figure) I just apply for my Visa at the airport on the day I leave. So I had nothing to show my movers on my moving day, and so they had no reason to believe I was actually going to be granted access to the US. Also, the movers were going to have nothing to show customs officials when they tried to take my stuff across the border. After the movers got fairly upset, and I threatened to faint, the movers decided to wait an extra day and a half to see if we got our work Visas at the airport. They were very sceptical that we were even going to get a Visa, as most Visas take like 8 months (and a whole lot of paper work) to process. So then I got really freaked out and thought maybe I'd missed some crucial step in the planning of all of this. Anyway, the movers loaded our stuff into their truck and took $800 from us, just in case we didn't get Visas, so they could put our stuff into storage. I don't think Mark and I slept in the two nights following.

Everything worked out fine, though. We got our Visas, faxed them to the movers and our stuff showed up almost 4 weeks later. We've found ourselves a nice little townhouse with 3 bedrooms and 2 baths, and moved in on Valentine's day. It's a little bigger than we need, but there wasn't a whole lot in the way of apartments at the time. Understandably, not a lot of people are interested in moving in the middle of February. But, more bedrooms means more room for visitors! It's in a safe part of town and close to basically anything you could want: coffee, a tea house (like Steeps in Edmonton), movies, groceries, yoga, restaurants, pubs.

The neighbourhood is a really neat one. Apparently it's the largest population of Jewish people in the US, second only to Brooklyn. Our neighbours to the north wear yarmulkes and those sash things. And I heard a lady in the grocery store bragging about her son's bar mitzvah. The grocery has a very large kosher section. We've yet to venture beyond kosher pickles and some strange kosher yogurt drink. Most of all I love the bus ride, which only takes 10 minutes to work. It rivals the LRT. And there's like 3 buses that cover the route from here to work. Working at a university is such a great gig, 'cause students can't afford cars. ;-)

Somehow we're getting by without a car. I think we're going to rent occasionally, though. For big grocery trips. And we might need to go back to IKEA. It's like a strange addiction. I hate most of the furniture we bought at IKEA when we got here... but we just need a few more things... Meh.

Oh my... getting a social security number has been a hassle. For four weeks I didn't have one which meant:
* Cannot get cell phone
* Renter's insurance is expensive
* Cannot get credit card
* Cannot register for health benefits at work (though they will be retroactive once said SSN is issued)
* most importantly: WAS NOT BEING PAID. This includes 1/2 month's salary (and counting) and my moving allowance. I've spent close to $5000 already on the move, all out-of-pocket.

Thankfully I got my first check in the mail this past Saturday. Due to another mix up it's only for one pay period and doesn't include my moving allowance. I'm being patient, though. We're not out of money, and I know the rest will come in time.

Whew... that pretty much catches you up. Mark and I are just settling into our new life in Pittsburgh. Navigating the bus system, trying to find cool stuff and cool people in Pittsburgh. Enjoying the coming of spring and tolerating the spring showers.