Pittsburgh ain’t London. Heck it ain’t New York or Philly and it might not even be Chicago, but it’s Pittsburgh and I’ve found it a pretty nice place to be.

The weird thing about Pittsburgh (or one of the weird things) is the lack of things to do downtown. Most of the movie theatres, shopping, etc. is actually outside of the city center. But that doesn’t mean that downtown is bad at all.

One thing I love about my morning commute is driving through the city in the morning. Most people would hate this but I enjoy it greatly. I reveal in the people walking by on the streets, dressed for work, iPods in ears, coffee in hand, briefcases, women in fancy dresses but wearing sneakers (knowing their heels are in their over sized bags), the lot.

I love the smell, the feel, the look, the vibe I get when I go through the city. It’s just nice to have a little bit of that feeling I haven’t had in years. I feel much more alive in a city. Even if it ain’t London, or Paris, or wherever. I just know I’m in a city. That city is Pittsburgh and I’m happy to call it home.

With nearly a seven month sabbatical from working ‘9-5′ weekends haven’t mattered that much lately. Which in a way was nice.

Not that every day was a weekend. I was still working and doing things during that time. From my work on films, to things around the home.

I honestly wish I still had that time, as my garden could really use me seven days a week, but it’s not to be right now. Thanks stinking economy and lousy American health care.

Yet going back to work has reminded me of the glory of weekends. They are to be treasured. Guarded. And protected. So lest we forget, love your weekends. Honor your weekends and don’t let your weekends go!

To my wonderful husband.

Happy 30th Birthday!

All my love,

wife

Every year I try to avoid it. I usually do, but my first sunburn in ages has happened in years. And it happened in sodding Pittsburgh in spring! (this happened a few weeks ago, so it wasn’t summer yet)

I can’t be mad about it though. It was my own fault. I was outside, working my hiney off planting, digging, fertilizing, the lot, in a tank top, without proper sunblock. I had my face protected but not my shoulders. Which got the brunt of the burnt. I figured, “It’s spring, I’ll be fine.” If ever I had a ‘do’h’ moment, it was then.

But now after a few weeks, plenty of solarcaine and stocking up on sunblock, I am burn free and ready for the summer.

I’ve always commuted to work one way or another. I don’t have the luxury of working from home (like some I know). But that has never really bothered me.

When I worked in London I commuted by more than one way. I would walk to the bus stop, take the bus to the tube station, take the tube to my train, the train to where I needed to go and walk the last mile to work. All of this generally took 45 minutes. This never really bothered me. In the morning I would read and nap a bit on the train. On the way home I would watch the small tv that the husband unit had given me and be home in time to make tea.

In Hobbs, well, lets just saw it doesn’t take long to get anywhere in Hobbs. So with my own car I carted myself around. The longest drive I had there was probably a grueling 10 minutes.

But with Pittsburgh it’s a bit different. I can’t seem to figure it out. Maybe it’s because I am doing the commute in a city without the use of public transport. All I know is I don’t like it that much.

The morning isn’t too bad. While I miss having someone doing the driving for me, it’s not crowded going out of the city. The tunnel is pretty fast, the roads pretty clear. Hook up the iPod, wizz, bang, go. Probably takes me about 30-35 minutes to get to work. The way back is a different story.

I usually get off at around 3:30. Not too bad. But for some reason the drive back is a nightmare. I wouldn’t think that many people would be trying to get back into the city. Even at 2:00 there is a bit of a back log for driving. And I don’t like it. I don’t like being parked on the parkway. I hate wasting the gas, I hate wasting the time.

My only solution is to get a job within the city and I hope to do that soon. Either that or win the lottery, so I never have to work again. But I think the former will happen much sooner than the latter. *sigh*

I consider myself a pretty open minded person and very accepting of all people, but one thing I cannot stand is ignorance. It honestly drives me batty and can push me to the point of being nasty to some people. I hate ignorance. I would go as far to say I am a snob when it comes to ignorance.

A while back I received an email that stated how a certain country was boycotting American products so we should boycott this countries product. The information in this email obviously false and any person with common sense could have figured it out without having to go to snopes or even looking it up.

What got to me was I thought this person had common sense and also that they wouldn’t want to spread vicious rumors about another country. Something that I just can’t stand. Spreading lies about other cultures and countries is as bad as spreading rumors on the playground and also as mature. It just shows how that person hasn’t grown up and that their blind patriotism or elitism has made them oblivious to the world around them.

This ignorance of other countries and cultures happens around the world, not just in America. And it is a cause of much of the strife that we have going on in our world today (and the world before).

People who are willing to believe the rubbish sent to them in emails, posted on the internet, repeated over the water cooler or spouted off by idiots and then spread this infection should be poked with sticks until they realize it isn’t going to help anyone.

In the morning I am not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Not even after being up for about an hour. It does take me a bit to get my motor running.  So in the morning, when I’m driving to work and listening to the radio don’t broadcast commercials with sirens and cars honking! Please!  It shouldn’t be!  It scares me, confuses me and puts me in a moment of shock.   Honestly, is it a good idea to have realistic sounds like that broadcast over the airwaves and into peoples cars? We’re programmed to react to those noises while we are driving. So we do.  There should be a law.  So write your congressman, senator, whoever and tell them this shouldn’t be.

One of my fondest childhood memories is being out in our yard catching fireflies. There was something amazing about those bugs and the way their little butts lit up. They were bugs to be enjoyed. Like ladybugs. But not only were they cute, they gave you a free show.

While I was standing looking out my mother’s window over our “work in progress” yard I noticed little flickers all around. I blinked a few times. My specs weren’t on and I thought maybe something was wrong with my eyes. And then it hit me. FIREFLIES!

My heart actually jumped in my chest and for a moment I was 6 again. I had honestly forgotten about the countless summer nights spent outside catching those little rascals and watching them glow in my hands before I set them free into the cool night air.

I didn’t realize how much I missed those little buggers until I saw them. Something tells me that I will be outside once more, feeling 6 and loving every minute of it.

The film was finished in record time. Well, not record time, but 48 hours, as it should have been.

I shot for 13 hours. A long day for sure but a lot of fun in my book. I met some really nice people and had a fun time. It was a total learning experience for me. I learned I can do it. I can be in front of a camera and act but I also learned where I really need to improve my skills.

My biggest problem is that after 23 years of theatre experience I am programmed for theatre performance. I am not over the top for theatre at all. But in theatre you have to use larger facial expressions, work your voice a lot differently and you have an audience right there. It’s much more intimate. I need to learn how to reel myself back in a bit. It’s all still acting, but it’s acting differently. I need to bring it down a notch or so and I’ll be where I need to be.

So all and all it was great that I did it. I couldn’t have asked for a better time. Maybe I could have asked for money, but I wouldn’t have got it! But that’s okay. The experience paid for itself.

As soon as I know when the film will be available for general viewing I will post it here.

How glorious it is to spend a day only following the pursuits one desires. It has been so long since I have had a nice Saturday with nothing major to do, a place to go, something to prepare for, etc.

Today the garden can wait, as we’ve nothing to plant and still need to rent a tiller. My film class is finished. No movies are being made. No family is coming in. Nothing.  Ah, bliss.

I didn’t get to sleep in sadly. At around 7:30 our dog Mocha decided that Rob needed a face bath.  This woke him up and when he saw the clock he woke me up saying it was almost 8:00. I reminded him it was Saturday, this took him a bit by surprise, as he thought it was Friday. But too late, the damage was done. Tricksy heard the commotion and decided to join the dog pile and we were up.

I’m not complaining though. It’s been a nice day all around. We went down to the Strip.  Had a lovely lunch, did some shopping and then headed to Oakland to wander around the art shop and used book store.  I’ve spent the remainder of the day reading, relaxing, and listening to music.   There was a moment in there where I cleaned the living room floor, but that was quick and didn’t bother me at all.

I figure I will take tomorrow off as well and only do what I want.  I haven’t had a weekend like this in sometime and I plan to enjoy it. After all, we don’t get days like too much after a certain age.

Cheers to you all and I hope you’re having a wonderful weekend as well.