Saturday, February 28, 2015

Day 105 PPT-My Fair Lady-relationships




Cousins at the theater
 In this month of love  a perfect way to end  February is with the musical, My Fair Lady, which is all about a love relationship between a man and women from different “classes.”  Experiencing a musical in a small venue like Pittsburgh Public Theater (PPT) and going with my cousin were both new experiences but seeing shows has always been one of  my passions (see Day 90).  I think that I love the  “classic” type musicals most because they are  “happy” plays which lift your spirits  when  the inevitable punch of life hits you.  

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Day 104 Skiing Again




Seven Springs

When you live in the north you have to find something to do outside in the winter or you’ll turn into a tomato  from eating  all winter  long.  I had not skied  much in the last few yeardue to other peoples  knee issues  but as an empty nester,  I thought that I would  make an effort to  try it again. Everything I Need to Know I Learned From a Little Golden Book reminds us to, “exercise every day” and since winter hibernation would be the antithesis of that, I made an effort to try to get back on the slopes.

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Day 103 Whaley House-Ghost




Whaley House
(Blog integrity dictates the admission that this ghost experience occurred in January during my trip to  San Diego.)
I believe in good and evil spirits but not in ghosts. As  I noted in Day 78 Scare House ,  I am a chicken when it comes to scary movies.  Therefore, I have no idea why I decided  to check out the Whaley House, the “most haunted house in the United States”, according to Travel Channel’s America's Most Haunted .    I love history and this house had a lot of history. It was built in 1856 and from 1868 to 1871 it served as the Whaley residence, a commercial theater, a county courthouse and a General store.  It's  located in historic Old Town so even though  I was more interested in the history,  for this new challenge I ventured  to a supposedly “real haunted house.”

Monday, February 16, 2015

Day 102 The Chicago Hotdog in Pittsburgh-D's


Ever since  my visit to Chicago (Day 85), I have been craving a Vienna beef dog  with dill pickles, tomatoes, spicy sport peppers and mustard but no ketchup, otherwise known as the Chicago Dog. Since this is the “month of love” thanks to Valentine’s Day, I thought  that for this challenge I would search  Pittsburgh for my culinary love- the Chicago hotdog.

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Day 101 Pittsburgh Symphony POPS, Chris Botti



Swoon The Night Away


Since this is the month of love, thanks to Hallmark and TV commercials, it seemed appropriate to  go see the “dreamy” trumpet player, Chris Botti who was playing with the Pittsburgh Symphony  Orchestra  as part of the POPS series.  I saw his  PBS special  in Boston  and just  fell in love with his  sound and  his engaging  performance. Love and belonging needs are third on Maslow's  hierarchy of things that we all need to master before reaching our best or Self –Actualization.   So with a CD titled, When I Fall In Love ,  this new challenge was to  see Chris Botti and have a romantic evening of music and relaxation which is always good for the soul. 

Saturday, February 7, 2015

Day 100 Enjoying Quiet, Change, Blogging



(I took a writing hiatus as I reflected on  the centennial blog day!)

On this 100th Day, it is hard to believe  that I have been at blogging  for 8  months and wrote 83 posts of new experiences.  This blog started out as way to survive change. My change resulted  from  a  blindsided crash and  burn end to a long relationship while  simultaneously my only son left  the nest  for college.  With a past that was  focused on others,  I had to find a way to focus more on “self”  and to keep my sense of humor  if I was going to find all this change to be positive ( see Why Started This Blog).   Through this process  I built  stronger  and new bridges with family, friends, co-workers and God.  So really, with the right attitude, change can be good even though in the beginning I fought it with the same passion that I now embrace it.