Happy New Year

As I sit here thinking about the day ahead, I have to tell you, I'm not a great lover of New Years Eve. Yes, along the way I have had some good times with good friends. But as a rule, they have mostly been non events.
Well, there was that one year when I met my future husband on New Years Eve in 1983. By New Years Eve 1984, we were sitting home, in front of our first Christmas tree as husband and wife.
But other than a few standout years, they all passed by pretty much same old, same old. When we started having kids, we stayed at home, invited all of our friends who didn't have plans or babysitters and just sat around the table enjoying each others company. Something that we would have been doing had it been New Years Eve or any other day of the year.
When midnight came around, the kids emptied the kitchen cabinets of every pot, pan, lid and spoon. Headed outside, and marched around the block. Banging the pots and pans to bring in the new year. Then Devin (a dark haired male) had to be the first one to walk through the front door backwards. Don't know why we did that, but who know why traditions start. Harriet told me to do it, so I did.
The night would close with each of us breaking off a piece of the New Years Pretzel.
The next day, the kids woke up to the smell of pork and sauerkraut.mmmmmmmmm.

Did anyone else bang pots and pans on New Years? As my friend Ruth mentioned in her blog post, it was something we did growing up in Pittsburgh. My father would make us newspaper hats, we would gather all the pots and pans in the house. At the stroke of midnight, we ran outside and marched up and down the street banging the pots and pans together.
I guess I could make something up about the symbolism. Something like it's to make sure you have enough food to cook in the new year or something like that. But I'm pretty sure it was just that they made the most noise.

One of the few years I spent away from home on new years was in 1980. I was living the life in DC. We had a party (of course)at our apartment. When midnight was approaching, my friend Judo and I started handing out the pots and pans. People looked at us like we were crazy!!! We ran outside at midnight, I think we were the only ones out there. Weird.

Anyway........while New Years brings out a certain sadness in me, it also brings out some hope. Hope that better days are ahead. New Beginnings.

So here's to you, dear readers. To new beginnings.

Happy New Year.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Never A Christmas Morning,
Never The Old Year Ends,
But Someone Thinks Of Someone,
Old Days, Old Times, Old Friends.


Merry Christmas to all my friends, old and new!!

While I'm Thinking About It

Every time I write a post, I keep reminding you all that I haven't been blogging much. I also haven't been keeping up on most of the blogs that I used to follow.
Last evening,I had a few minutes to catch up on some I used to read faithfully every day.
The funny thing about the blogging community is that sooner or later, we pour our hearts out writing about our feelings. Then complete strangers comment. You go back and forth talking about things you care about. Sooner or later, you become "friends" with these fellow bloggers. I always laugh that these people know more about me than my family. You know whats going on with them at work, their religious values, kid problems, family outings etc. Right Judi?

Eventually things they say come up in conversations with family or friends. Maybe someone will ask how long you've know a certain person you were talking about. I always have to stop and laugh at myself when I say "well I've never actually met them."

Anyway, I say this because while catching up on my favorites last night, I came across this post . Although it was written on Nov. 1, I just came across it now. Amy over at Callapitter says it so much better than I ever could.

The haunting thing about this is the title of her last post. I hope I don't die waiting for health care reform to happen.

She did die. Without the health insurance that surely would have saved her. Leaving a husband and two young sons behind. It's not a woman in some political commercial. Or some story a politician is citing as an example. Or a person from some far away place that makes you doubt it's real. It's a real person. A Pittsburgher. A young mother who traveled in the same blogger circles as me.

Sorry to be a bummer. This really makes me sad. I wish I would have seen this sooner.

Give Thanks.........Or Not

Sorry I've been largely absent on this here blog for a while. Maybe that will be my upcoming New Years resolution. Can you believe we have to start thinking of that shit already??????

I bet you all were "Giving Thanks" this year that I've been quieter than usual..... Well, just because I haven't posted my opinions of late doesn't mean I don't have them...........so here goes........

Starting off with my ol' friend the Pope. He says that condom use is ok in certain circumstances, such as male prostitutes because basically they are having sex with other men so you aren't stopping conception anyway. THIS is exactly why people think Catholics are crazy.

Papa, Papa, Papa (as the little nuns were screaming at St. Peter's while they were trying to knock us over to get a first row view of the Pope) Do you really think you are going to be a deciding factor in anything a male prostitute does?

I can picture it now. Some strung out junkie, just turning tricks to get more heroin, says to the john, "Oh no, we can't use a condom. It's against my religion."

Really Papa, I don't think your opinions are that important in a male prostitute's life. They should be, but they aren't.....

Next up, the old standby, politics. I know, I know, quit groaning. I'll never shut up......

So after the Republicans won control of the house, the President invites them all over to the White House to discuss the future of the country. They ALL declined. All of them?????? You mean not one of them could make it?????? They ALL had scheduling conflicts??????? And they are getting paid to govern?????? They haven't done a damn thing is two years. Wish I had that job.

If the President calls you, you come. Period. Cancel the meetings. He's the boss. When they are the boss (God forbid!) they can command the same respect.

I think he's just too good for them. As the article goes on to say, they had a televised meeting last year. The President stood at a podium. They sat in the audience and had to raise their hand (gasp) and the President would answer their questions. Obama effectively answered their questions. They later stated that the President used that session to embarrass them and command the room. As well he should have............

How about this TSA whole body search fuss? Seriously folks, if they want to scan me, go right ahead. I guarantee you, it's going to be harder on whoever has to see my naked ass than on me walking through a scanner for 10 seconds. And to the Mensa's who are telling people to "say no." Wow, you can stand in line for four hours instead of the customary two during the busiest travel weekend of the year. Wow, that will show them. Them, being people who are scanning who have to be there anyway and are getting paid to be there..........

Which brings us to this week being Thanksgiving. It is one of my favorite holidays. Although since my mom passed away, its bittersweet.

We all go our separate ways now, but when I was growing up, Thanksgiving was always at our house and Christmas was always at the Devinneys. I could probably write a best seller on those two dinners alone!

My mother would get out the "good dishes." I think she got them with green stamps. She would set the table the day before, while Christmas music blared in the background to get her in the mood to clean. Things were the same year after year. Aunt Babe made the cole slaw. Mary Alice brought the relish tray. And cousin #2 Georgie ate it all. Of all 30 or so of us, I think he was the only one who liked olives and radishes. Come to think of it, I think he was the only one who ate the beets also. And the green beans. Maybe he just didn't like the turkey. I'll have to check on that!

As we got a little older, you knew wedding bells were in the air when one of us brought a boyfriend or girlfriend to Thanksgiving dinner. The engagement ring usually was given that Christmas.

When we kids started having kids, we just kept adding a card table. When there was no more room in the dining room, we just started setting up additional tables in the living room of my mom's tiny house.

We were young and we had no idea that when we were cramming around that table holding our hands up high in the air when Aunt Babe screamed "WHO WANTS PUMPKIN PIE?" that they would be some of the best moments of our lives.

Oh.......just maybe we did. The grandkids and great nieces and nephews still tell me how much they loved sharing holidays meals and were thankful that we did it as many years as we did until logistically, it just couldn't be done anymore. We only had one bathroom!!

These two crazy sisters raised their kids to enjoy each other. So much so, that all these years later, we still consider ourselves not just cousins, but friends. As my sister in law once proclaimed bitterly "Not everyone has a peachy keen family like yours!

And for that......this Thanksgiving I am especially thankful to Harriet and Babe! Thanks for making our crazy family "peachy keen!"



So folks, that's my take on things this week. Like it or not.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

*The picture above of my mother and Aunt Babe was taken on Thanksgiving 1974. The only workspace they had to feed thirty people was the kitchen table. Notice the towel rack right on the wall, And the sink with the pipes, my mothers apron,come to think of it, I don't remember having cabinets in the kitchen and can't remember where we kept the every day dishes. (we never had to do the dishes, Thank God!!) The "good" ones were kept in the China Cabinet.....my mother would kill me if she knew I sent this picture of her dirty kitchen all over the Internet!!

A MILLION THANKS!!!!

The years between 18 and 21 were probably the best, most fun years of my life.
As my mother said to me, "College was the most expensive good time you'll ever have!"
I think about this as I look at this picture of my father when he was that age. When I was 18, my biggest problem was planning how to sneak a keg past Sr. Elizabeth while she stood guard at the front desk of Baldwin Hall. While my father at that age was loading bombs and unloading dead bodies onto planes in Africa and Italy. He was a baby for cryin' out loud.
I'm thinking he paid a much steeper price during his college years.
So when he should have been whooping it up, he was seeing what he prayed his kids and grandkids would never have to see. Hell, he was praying that he even lived to see kids and grandkids.
And while I was saying my tearful summer good bye's to Judo and Keto. He had to say permanent good byes to childhood friends and neighbors like the Owens and Stutzman boys.
I can't imagine. I really can't.
I am forever grateful to him and the millions of other servicemen who gave up the best years of their lives so that nuts like me could whoop it up!!!!!!!


* Here is a story of the day my father came home from WWII

* Here is a story about my Uncle who barely survived the war.

*St. Mary's Church in Lawrenceville lost the most parishioners in the diocese during WWII. The Stutzman boy was a friend of my fathers. He was a little older than my dad. He was shot down on Christmas Eve over Italy in 1942. Every year Christmas Eve mass was said in his honor. (Until they closed the church five years ago) He worked for the Pirates before the war. He let my father and other neighborhood kids be bat boys. It was something my father talked about for the rest of his life. This man did something in his short life that made life long memories for a bunch of poor kids from the hood!

Days Like This

My friends in bloggerland (i.e. Judi!)have been after me to post some pictures of my nephews wedding. I've been talking (obsessing) about this wedding for over a year.

First, a little summary.
As you all know, my sister (The Madonna) moved to DC in 1969 or 70. She eventually married, had children, and grew a life in Maryland. One would assume our family would have eventually grown apart with the miles and years. That's other families, ours.....well, we like to talk on the phone. Alot.

Every day of my life, I still talk to my sister. When my mother was alive, she also talked to my sister every day. Most days more than once. My sister would tell her something. Mum would call me. I would call my sister to confirm. And there started the cycle. Most days it was nothing more exciting than what we all were having for dinner.

Anyway, I'm telling you all this to show we are a close family. To say the least.

Fast forward 31 years. My nephew and godson Jeffrey, meets a nice girl at work in Maryland and falls in love. Head over heals in love. Bonus.......she's from Pittsburgh.

Since Jeff and Kristy reside in Maryland, I become their Pittsburgh wedding consultant. Can I just say that I had a blast doing that!!!!!! Since I have boys, I don't think I will have another opportunity to be such an active participant in someones wedding other than my own. Kristy and I spent days, hours, weekends together planning this wedding. One day we had breakfast, lunch and dinner on the run while looking at wedding venues. A big plus was that we have the same taste. E.X.P.E.N.S.I.V.E.

One of the things we wanted was to showcase Pittsburgh because most of those attending the wedding had never been to Pittsburgh. Can I just say that they were completely in awe of the city. I really mean it. They LOVED every minute of it.

Here a sample of the fruits of our labor.

Kristy and Jeff David
October 9, 2009The ceremony: Heinz Chapel.

After the ceremony we all followed a bagpiper down the streets of Oakland to the reception.



The Venue: The Foyer of Carnegie Music Hall at the Museum in Oakland.By far the most beautiful place in the city to have a wedding.


The Bridal dance is done when everyone else (except wedding party) is up on the balcony for cocktails. The bride and groom are dancing in an empty ballroom. It give me goose bumps just writing about it. It reminds me of Cinderella. No one else in the world but the two of them!
This picture is sort of dark but shows everyone up in the balcony watching Jeff and Kristy.

The Cake

The Flowers

The Dancing


We had such a good time. Music was by the Dave Parker Band. Unbelievable. Everyone danced from beginning to end. Especially the rock star groomsmen!!!!(Pictured here with my niece Queen Elisabeth, who looks like she might have a gown malfunction in this picture) Can't believe they had last call at 1:30 a.m.


This is Kristy dancing with my father. (Who drank his FIRST drink EVER. He had a half glass of champagne. In all of his 86 years he never touched a drop of alcohol.)






We had the rehearsal dinner at the Roberto Clemente Museum in Engine House 25 in Lawrenceville. If you ever have a chance, check it out. Everyone loved it.

Our family and Kristy's had the time of our lives. Every last minute was perfect.

I pray they have many, many years of happiness!

If anyone needs a wedding planner, I'm available!

*Needless to say every time I have a "few" I tell Kristy that she was sent to Jeff by my mother. I know this in my heart of hearts because from the minute Jeffrey Andrew was born, she decided he was going to marry a "nice Pittsburgh girl!"

And THAT she is!! And she's so lucky to have found my Jeffrey Andrew David!

The Gift's That Keep On Giving

We think this country is in trouble now???? You ain't seen nothing yet if a few of these people get elected into office.

From Christine O'Donnell in Delaware

Sharon Angle telling Hispanic high school students they looked a little more Asian?

Not to mention Sara Palin endorsing a candidate for Pennsylvania that's actually running in West Virginia.

All I have to say is, can we just get a few smart people elected??? I don't care if they are Democratic or Republican, just as long as they are smarter than me! Really, is that too much to ask?

Everything I'm reading says Republicans are not going to give an inch if they take control of the Senate and the House. That's unfortunate. Isn't that what politics is? A game of compromises?

Either party that wins, it still does not do ordinary people like me any good. The very rich and the very poor are all taken care of. And people in the middle constantly get screwed. I think that is what bothers me the most. People in the middle falling for the far right bull shit. As a former long time Republican, I fell for it. Big time. Until my life situation changed and I saw a whole other side. There is just as much corporate welfare out there as there is poor people taking advantage of the system.

Seriously though, I'm betting(hoping) that when/if the Republicans gain the majority, a few of those ideas that they wouldn't even consider the past two years will be put back into action as ideas of their own and in two years they will be all "Look at what WE did!!

And that's ok with me. As long as we are done with the goofy commercials and I can watch TV again!!!

*One more thing, then I'll shut up about it. Why is no one mentioning that most people's Federal Taxes are actually LOWER in the two years since Obama became President.

The Wheels On The Bus Go Round And Round....Deal With It!

Reading stuff like this makes my head explode!!!!!

"Fisher-Price is recalling more than 10 million tricycles, toys and high chair over safety concerns.

In the recall of about 7 million Fisher-Price Trikes and Tough Trikes toddler tricycles, the agency is aware of 10 reports of children being hurt. Six of them requiring medical attention."

Reread this out loud to show what an asshole you sound like.

7 MILLION BIKES SOLD, AND TEN INJURIES.

Not ten thousand, TEN. Ten.

Give me a friggin break people.

Six required medical attention. Note that it did not include hospitalization, death, etc........

This makes me crazy. (OK, crazier.....)

To all the new parents out there, kids ride bikes, big wheels, wagons, they fall, they get hurt. They get up and do it again. But they live to tell the tale!!!!!!!!

Next thing you know these wacky parents will try to outlaw two story homes. Steps are not safe, you know! Look at all the kids falling down steps these days. Little Junior just might take a fall down the steps. So I propose we make everything in the universe one story.

Because the universe revolves around Junior.............AGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

(We think the world is messed up now, wait until Junior comes of age.......scary!!!)

Til Death Parted Us

So today, September 15 is my 26th wedding anniversary. Yes, I am a little sad.
I am sad not only because I am no longer able to celebrate with my husband. I am also mourning the loss of that 28 inch waist!!!!! I guess that died along with Dan!!

*Notes on the faded picture above.

Someone once told me I had a sexy back (no laughing!!!)......looking back maybe that's why I loved the back of my wedding dress?? I bought the dress because of the back!! I also had to buy the dress in white, not the off-white that I wanted. Why? Because my husband wanted to wear a white dinner jacket so he could pretend he was Humphrey Bogart!!! How many brides have to get a dress to match the husband's tux? I'm thinking not many. That's why our marriage worked. Yep, I loved that man, with his perfectly ironed monogrammed hankies and all!!

Before You GLT.......

I found this totally gem of a blog on Kelly B's facebook page.
Hilarious!!!!

They crossed Family Circus comics with actually lines from Jersey Shore!!!

Speaking of Jersey Shore. I watch it. It's like a train wreck. I can't help myself. For those of you who don't, here's a cheat sheet.

But, can I just say one thing. If I would have acted like they do on national TV, my mother would have been on the first plane to Jersey or Miami and she would have dragged my ass home by my hair.

I'm serious.

Just sayin'.

I'm not sayin that I haven't done some crazy things back in the day,(Or recently at the Gras, shut up!) but fortunately for my parents, I had the sense not to do them on national TV!

Favorite line so far:My boobs are so tight I can’t breathe, is that normal?

Whose Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?

Every so often I read something in the paper that leaves me scratching my head. This morning I saw this in the Post Gazette. Fayette County Commissioners agreed to sponsor a 15 Million dollar federal loan application to 84 Lumber. At first glance. No biggie. Then I'm like "wait a minute, isn't the owner of 84 Lumber, Joe Hardy, a Fayette County Commissioner?" Is there something I'm not seeing here? Did he just vote to give himself a 15 million dollar loan from us, the taxpayers?

I don't know, maybe I'm just stupid or something. This seems crazy to me. Maybe Joe Harding should try limiting his divorces from baby girls to one a year. They must be draining him of his money. Or maybe he could sell a plane or exotic animal or something.

So whose smarter than a fifth grader? Apparently not me because this just seems stupid!!

Just askin'

Speaking of being stupid. How about these four Mensa's. Holy Shit. Who was their leader, Snookie? Hopefully Penn Hills School teachers union solved their contract disputes. This does nothing to help their case!

OMG, I just Googled "stupid looking Mafia" for a picture to go with this post. Urban Dictionary was the first link to pop up. Look at Urban Dictionaries #2 definition of Gangsta. Perfect. No picture needed.

S.T.U.P.I.D.

Maybe It's Just Me????

WTF?????????
I mean really, what the fuck? A person gets nominated for a Presidential Medal of Freedom because he coaches a bunch of kids in a football game.

Chuck Noll said in his press conference when he announced he was retiring from coaching the Steelers, "It's time for me to get on with my life's work." (Or something like that) What he meant was there are things in life that are way more important than coaching football. It's not brain surgery for cryin' out loud.

I don't know, maybe it's just me. But who in their right mind would put Joe Paterno in the same category as Dr. Martin Luther King, Justice Thurgood Marshall, Dr. Jonas Salk?

Just askin'.

*When I was looking up a quote for Chuck Noll, I came across this one.

"Some coaches pray for wisdom. I pray for 260-pound tackles. They'll give me plenty of wisdom."

Love it!

On another note, is it just me, or does anybody else want to take Stephen Slater out for a well deserved drink? You go man......... We've all been there, haven't we? He followed through on what each and every one of us has wanted to do at some point in our lives. (Thankfully I have my AMG girls, we've talked each other off the wall too many times to count!)

Stephen, you are my kind of hero,not Grecian Joe Paterno!

Birds Of A Feather

I think Sarah Palin just found her running mate!! Come on folks, wouldn't these two be a match made in heaven. Big hair covering the empty heads!!! Hollywood couldn't come up with a better pair!
Swoosh....................


*Thanks to Ginny over at That's Church for her little gem of a post about the Orie's angel lady.


*I've covered this nut before. Holy Pepto Bismal Batman!!

We Lived To Tell The Tale!

This was sent to me in an email. I've read it before and I love it.

How did we ever make it - To all that have survived this era!!!!
Days of Black and White
(Under age 40? You won't understand.)

You could hardly see for all the snow,
spread the rabbit ears as far as they go.


Pull a chair up to the TV set,
'Good Night, David.
Good Night, Chet.'

My Mom used to cut chicken, chop eggs and spread mayo on the same cutting board with the same knife and no bleach, but we didn't seem to get food poisoning.
My Mom used to defrost hamburger on the counter. Our school sandwiches were wrapped in wax paper in a brown paper bag, not in ice pack coolers, but I can't remember getting e.coli.

Almost all of us would have rather gone swimming in the lake instead of a pristine pool (talk about boring), no beach closures then.

The term cell phone would have conjured up a phone in a jail cell, and a pager was the school PA system.

Speaking of school, we all said prayers and sang the national anthem, and staying in detention after school caught all sorts of negative attention.

We must have had horribly damaged psyches. What an archaic health system we had then. Remember school nurses?

I thought that I was supposed to accomplish something before I was allowed to be proud of myself.

I just can't recall how bored we were without computers, Play Station, Nintendo, X-box or 270 digital TV cable stations.


Oh yeah... and where was the Benadryl and sterilization kit when I got that bee sting? I could have been killed!

We played 'King of the Hill' on dirt mounts or piles of gravel left on vacant construction sites, and when we got hurt, Mom pulled out the 48-cent bottle of mercurochrome, kids liked it better because it didn't sting like iodine did.

Now it's a trip to the emergency room, followed by a 10-day dose of a $49 bottle of antibiotics, and then Mom calls the attorney to sue the contractor for leaving a horribly vicious pile of gravel where it was such a threat.


We didn't act up at the neighbor's house either, because if we did we got our butt spanked there and then we got our butt spanked again when we got home.

I recall my friend from next door coming over and doing his tricks on the front stoop, just before he fell off. His Mom came over, picked him up and swatted him for being such a goof. It was a neighborhood run amuck.

To top it off, not a single person I knew had ever been told that they were froma dysfunctional family. How could we possibly have known that?

We needed to get into group therapy and anger management classes. (NO COMMENT!!!)

We were obviously so duped by so many societal ills, that we didn't even notice that the entire country wasn't taking Prozac!

How did we ever survive?

LOVE TO ALL OF US WHO SHARED THIS ERA.
TO ALL WHO DIDN'T, SORRY FOR WHAT YOU MISSED.
I WOULDN'T TRADE IT FOR ANYTHING!

Good Night and God Bless!



Whoever wrote this must have been my next door neighbor because it totally described my childhood to a 'T.' Hope you enjoy it.

Lucy and Ethel Do Golf

So I went to the US Woman's Open on Sunday. While it was certainly fun, esp in a VIP tent (free food and booze, woo hoo!) it wasn't for me. Why, you might ask. You have to be friggin quiet! I was in trouble in the first five minutes. Really. I was. I yelled out Ginny Ann's name while some lady had her hands up in the air. If you've never been to one of these things, when the people on the course put both hands in the air, sort of like a referee would when someone scores a touchdown in football, no one is allowed to talk. STUPID. They take one of those hands to point to you while the other is still up in the air as if to say "There is the asshole who's never been to a golf tournament and doesn't know to keep her big mouth shut." STUPID.

I've been thinking about this. Supposedly they need to concentrate. They are hitting a little ball while standing still. I know it's hard because if it weren't, I would be a golfer. Having said that, don't you think a baseball pitcher would need silence to concentrate while throwing a ball in the general direction of someones head at 90 mph? (esp. if I was the one with the bat!!)

I'm thinking it has to do more with tradition and how golf was played by the wealthy in country clubs and they are all boring and quiet folks and they got used to that so now its a rule. STUPID.

Needless to say, I was like a bull in a china shop.

But it was fun. Free food and drinks, hey I'm always up for that! Aaaaannnd I conformed. If you didn't know any better, you would think I so belonged there. I totally looked the part of a longtime golfer who hangs out at Oakmont.(hey, I do go there a few times a year with Aunt Patsy!!) I had my Oakmont visor on, my LaCoste golf shirt and my skort. PLUS, I was hanging with my favorite nun! Little did they know..............

*The picture above was taken on my contraband cell phone. OF COURSE I lied when they asked if I had one in my purse. NO ONE is taking that baby away form me!!!!!

It's A Small World, Afterall

If you have been reading this blog for even a little while, you have heard me talk about my sister, The Madonna,many times.

She is very active in the international AFS program and takes in exchange students that live with her for a year. She's had kids literally from all over the world. You really never know who's going to be at her house and what language they will speak. Alot of times she brings them to Pittsburgh with her. More on that below.

This is all well and good, but there is one thing I just can't imagine with all of this. Why anyone in their right mind would want to live with a teenage boy or girl longer than they have to after their own have left home is beyond me. She's done it 11 times. Could any of you imagine going through your testy 17 year old, eye rolling sighs for 11 YEARS!!!! But she loves it.

Anyway, this past weekend, my father and I drove to DC to see her. Her Turkish student, whom I'll just call Butch, was getting ready to go back home. What a cutie!! (Pictured below)It's very emotional for them when they leave.

She keeps in touch with all of them and has free places to stay around the world. She's been to Spain, Italy, Belgium, just to name a few. The parents are so grateful that she took such good care of their kids they treat her like a queen. As they should.

Here is her facebook post this past week when she was on her way to NY. (I wish I knew how to take a picture of facebook posts like Ginny over at That's Church! Does anyone know how to do that?)

We've been through this 11 times already -- always a hard night -- AFS students packing a year's worth of belongings in 2 suitcases and getting ready to head back home, it is bittersweet for the kids, hard on us but we all know we will see each other again. Can't wait to visit Istanbul it is on my "list."

Here are some of the comments:
Rodgigo: Hopefully Rio too....
Maureen Quinlan David: Rio is ver high on my list!!!!! Go Brasil!
Rodrigo Séllos: Yeah!!!
Hut Pongpipatchai: Bangkok too!! lol

The post from the next day reads:

"Well we're just about ready, I'll get to spend the last day in America with all 50 of our AFS students and chaperon the bus to CWPost univ. on Long Island. I get to sleep on the bus tonight,put them all on the bus to JFK by country and return home tomorrow night. It is certainly a sight to see--hundreds of of kids ...from all over the world going home after almost a year living an American life on the East coast.

But its the comments from this post that got to me:

From Gabriella Pellecchi: that was the saddest day of my life... truly

From Maureen: Gabriella, I can remember the day you left just like it was yesterday. Lis and I cam home and cried all day.

From Gabriella: my trip to NY I was crying soo much

Now Gabriella was here 11 years ago. For her to still say that is a testament to the connection my sister forms with these kids. The poor thing was living with my sister the year my mother died. She is from Turin, Italy. We all know the Italians don't celebrate death like the Irish. I'll just leave it at that.

At the end of the year she had to state in front of everyone at her school what her favorite part of her year in America was. Know what she said? "Partying with the Irish in Pittsburgh!" I just about fell over. I asked my sister if she told anyone it was a funeral........

My father still gets cards addressed to "My American Grandfather."

When her son,Jeff moved out, his room became "their" room. Bahadhur,Quint, Rodriguez, Luci, etc......

On their last day, they sign the world map on the wall of their bedroom. She also puts up their picture on the fridge with the rest.

Here is the map.(Also pictured above) I wish you all could read some of the things these kids wrote.


She really makes a difference to kids all around the world. OK, so maybe she is "Perfect in every way" as my mother and grandmother used to say. There, I said it. The Madonna, helping the world one crazy teenager at a time!



*I forgot to mention the time we took a kid from Belgium to Spillway in Linesville on his SECOND DAY IN AMERICA!! I'm sure he was ready to jump on the first plane home.

Happy Birthday Dan

Dear Dan,

Happy Birthday. More importantly to you, Happy Flag Day. You loved that your birthday was on Flag Day. I wish I could find one of the pictures to post here of you with your flag hat. As a matter of fact, I don't know what I did with that hat. Sorry. Maybe it found its way into the boxes of your stuff that I sent to New Orleans after Katrina hit. It took me all that time just to part with anything. Don't worry, I didn't give them your long underwear. Don't think they would have a need for that down there.

Anyway, today we will be celebrating with family and friends at the Elbow Room. Same as we did on the last birthday you celebrated on this earth. Some things never change huh?

Speaking of that. I can't believe you have missed seven birthdays. The world has changed so much in those seven years. So much so that you would hardly recognise things that you loved. Like the Republicans. Sorry buddy, but the Jesus freaks took them over. I can't imagine you liking that. But I can't imagine you voting for a Democrat either.

And your boys. The pride and joy of your life. They are so grown up. Sometimes when I look at Devin, I have to look twice because he looks so much like you. Especially when he laughs. Which is often. They have so much of you in them. Unfortunately not the working gene. But I'll talk to you about that on one of my trips to the cemetery.

Danny grew to appreciate your passion for books. One by one, he's reading his way through your library. You should be so proud. I'm just sorry he wasn't old enough to appreciate them when you were alive. He could have listened to you go on and on, an on. I would have been off the hook!

I do have one gift for you though. An apology. I'm sorry for calling you a jerk and an asshole sometimes when you drove me crazy. You got the last laugh though. I got your message. Loud and clear. I can see you now, legs crossed. Smoking a Marlboro with your elbow on you lap, slightly leaning forward and to the right. Laughing. Every time you send me a sign. I can hear you say "So, I wasn't such an asshole after all was I?"

No, you weren't. You were a loving father and husband who worked much harder than you should have had to. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't appreciate you and miss you.

I especially miss the flowers. So much so that I had to go and actually grow some myself. You would be amazed. Figured I'd better grow some for myself since no one buys them for me anymore! This whole gardening thing is kinda fun. I'm sure you would have gotten into that just as much as when you got into being the pool boy!!

Happy Birthday Dan. I'm sure you are dancing somewhere......just not in those yellow pants,I hope!

Love you,
Eileen



PS. Where was your tie in this picture? You always wore a tie. Even when you weren't going anywhere for cryin' out loud~

Hoop Hero's

I grew up in a basketball crazy family. And that's putting it mildly. Somewhere around 1950 or 51 my mother decided that if she ever wanted to spend an evening with my father, she better pack us kids up and take us to the gym. We were at basketball games about five days out of the week. When we were old enough to sit by ourselves, mom worked the refreshment stand. I, of course, practiced being a cheerleader doing cartwheels on stage at St. Mary's Lyceum as if no one was watching. They were.

And then there's the story about how my dad got kicked out of a game for getting 12 technicals. He went and got The Madonna and sat her right in the middle of the court and told the ref's that she wasn't moving until he was allowed back in the game. She was TWO YEARS OLD!

The reason for all these basketball flashbacks? John Wooden, the coach every person who ever coached basketball aspired to be, passed away this past week at the age of 99.

Anyone who grew up in Lawrencevile knows my father's coaching style was more like Bobby Knight. They all have their favorite "Coach" story about my dad. But he idolized John Wooden and the UCLA Bruins. Our family dog, a big ol' sheepdog, was named Kareem. I know. We were weird.

I have been online this week reading some of the news accounts of his life. In an age when it seems the athletes run the show and leave college after a year or two, reading accounts from his former players is truly inspirational. He took the responsibility of not only teaching these kids to play basketball, but he prepared them to be leaders in life off of the basketball court as well. As Kareem Abdul Jabbar said it wasn't enough to just teach him to play basketball. He wanted to coach scholar athlete's. I read somewhere that when he recruited Kareem, who was then known as Lew Alcindor, Coach Wooden memorized poems by Lansgton Hughes, a black modern poet. He used that as a bridge to relate to his 7'2" star. It worked.

I could go on and on here, but I thought I would mention a few Wooden-isms. Famous Quotes by John Wooden.

Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability.

If you don't have the time to do it right, when will you have the time to do it over?

It's what you know after you know it all that counts.

Never mistake activity for achievement. (I like that one!)

Winning takes talent, to repeat takes character.

Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful.

And my personal favorite. What you are as a person is much more important than what you are as a basketball player.

These are just a few of the reason's why there will never be another coach like John Wooden, and teams that he coached at UCLA. Not even sacred Duke with their Polish Prince.... They don't even come close.

I'm saying this as Red Quinlan's daughter. The same Red Quinlan who made his teams wear suits to every game. Even during the 70's. The same Red Quinlan that former players still are afraid to let him know that they smoke cigarettes. Even though they are well into their 50's and early 60's. And the same Red Quinlan that would talk basketball strategy to his kids every evening during dinner. It helped me get a date once when I was in DC. I was watching a game on TV in our "lounge" room at the apartment complex where I lived. I started talking basketball with the guy sitting next to me. Finally he said to me, "Would you like to go out with me. I never talked sports like this with a girl before?" We went out once or twice. It didn't work. I knew more about basketball than he did. In the 70's, that was a no-no!

Today's Soapbox

How about THIS??????? What a white trash piece of shit this woman is!!!!

According to the Post Gazette:
She claims her home is uninhabitable and worthless because the operator didn't pass on information that her son Richard has weapons, resulting in the killing of three police officers"
Unmotherfuckingbelievable.

No lady, your home is uninhabitable and worthless because your son is a worthless piece of shit who staged a war against the Pittsburgh Police Department because YOU ALLOWED him to bring an army of guns and ammunition into your home.

So it's your fault lady, don't come cryin' here. You should have been a mother to this kid and stopped him any way you could after he started bringing home guns that were for more than "hunting" (I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt here that he started buying guns for hunting)

If your wondering why so crazy about this, here is my original post.

http://angermanagementgirls.blogspot.com/2009/04/when-its-not-beautiful-day-in.html

Ok, I feel better now that I got that off my chest.

Hail Mary.........

So this kid was suspended for wearing Rosary beads to school. All the adults are up in arms saying he should be allowed to wear his Rosary Beads because they are not gang symbols.

Don't quote me on this but isn't wearing rosary beads around your neck a mortal sin? Isn't it? I was taught that they were sacred objects and that the nuns were to only ones to get the privilege to wear them. I remember as a kid always wanting to wear them and never being allowed. (Hmmmm....Maybe that's why I always dressed up like a nun, to wear my rosaries!)

And who says that rosary beads aren't gang symbols. The Catholic Church is one of the biggest gangs in the world for cryin' out loud!!!

Happy Days Are Here Again......

I'm happy.

Yes, I'm happy.

For the first time in a looooong time, well 7 years and 73 days to be exact, I look forward to the new day when I get out of bed in the morning.

I get up with a smile on my face. Ok, maybe not a smile. But definitely not the dreaded feeling of wondering how I'm going to make it through another day.

This may seem like a shock to some of you who think I am all fun and bubbly and my life is great. Yes, it may be surprising to some that for seven plus years I was in such a deep funk that it took every ounce of will power just to get out of bed and face another day of the disaster that my life had become. I won't bore you with the details. But it wasn't pretty.

For those of you who constantly tell me how lucky I am. The hair on your back would rise if I told you real stories of how un-lucky I am. And I am serious.
But that is over now. New beginnings. Right?

Anyway...........I was talking to my friend Erin (who needs to move back to Pittsburgh because I miss her and her baby like crazy!) We were talking and she said out of the blue, "You finally sound happy again." And I thought to myself, yeah, I do, don't I. Erin is one of the people who know my whole story. She's one of the few I can and did call in the middle of the night when I couldn't sleep because I couldn't settle myself down enough to stop crying. She's my friend I would call and vent when person after person would tell me how "great" I was handling my husbands death. She knew I wasn't handling it, at all.

It's not that I don't have great friends who would have helped me in through ANYTHING. I do. But it's just that we all know how I feel about sissy-la-la's. People who whine all the time make me crazy. I didn't want to be one of those "woe is me" people. I would rather cry myself to sleep than be considered not strong. I know, I know. I'm fuckin' nuts. But I can't and will not be a sissy-la-la.

Well all of that is water under the bridge now. I can finally stay home. I can finally sit in my living room and watch TV for more than ten minutes. I can finally lay in bed and read a book. I can finally laugh with my kids.
I guess that's why I can finally "out" myself as a sissy la la. Hope I didn't burst any one's bubble!

This is so not where I wanted to take this blog post. I never know what these will turn into when I start typing.

Sigh, enough of this touchy feely shit. People will start spreading rumors that I am push-over. It's bad enough I turned into a far left Democrat for cryin out loud!

Let's see, what else pissed me off this week? (Don't worry, It's a happy pissed off and not a I'm ready to hit you in the face pissed off!)

Passive aggressive people really piss me off. It's the one personality trait that absolutely drives me crazy. If you know me, you know what my opinions are on just about everything. If you know me, you know if I like you or not in about five minutes. If you know me, and you don't like me, or like what I'm doing, tell me for cryin' out loud. It's not the end of the world. I'll live and so will you all. Just don't start that damn whining!!!!! Stand up for yourselves people. No one else will.

How about that scum bag Jesse James! Talk about sissy la la's. Boo Hoo, I was abused as a child so I had to go F#%@ every tattooed porn star west of the Mississippi.Jerk. Just once can't some cheating celebrity just keep their mouth shut and face it like a man/woman. Quit blaming someone/thing!!!!!!!! Just once. Sissy la la punk. I hope he gets diseases. (Sorry Sr. Susan!)

Previously I've told you about a blog I read called Callapitter. It's written by a mother whose two children were killed in a car accident. After reading what she goes through, that's one of the reasons I hate to talk about my own problems. They pale in comparison to this poor woman. She has been trying to get a playground built in their honor. Ginny over at That's Church explains it better than me. I like Doug Shields and usually agree with most of what he does. However, this is puzzling to me. Doug, WTF???? Residents of the Frick Park area, if you don't like noise, how come you live near a park??????????????????

One more thing, then I'm done bitching, I promise. How about the people who want the government out of their lives, ie Republicans. Yes, they want the big bad government to stay the hell out of everything. Until there's a problem. Then there all like "where the hell is Obama, he's not doing anything to help us. bla bla bla."
Just askin'

I guess I'm done bitching for now, I better go dig out the white shoes and linen for Monday.

Where Angels Go..........

OK, OK, I didn't drown in the bathtub.
Nice to know I was missed though!!!!

Sooooooo last we talked I was mad at the Pope. So yesterday he finally saw the light and says "Today we see in a truly terrifying way that the greatest persecution of the Church does not come from outside enemies but is born of sin within the Church,"
There Your Eminence (how does one address the Pope anyhow?) Was that so hard????? Geezeohman. You said it. Now.......let's move on.......I'm over it.

I've been busy lately. Seems like I've been running in circles from here to there and back again. One of the events I attended was pure joy though. My friend Andrea was honored with the Ted Craig Humanitarian Award for her work at the Woman's Shelter of Pittsburgh. Talk about a three hankie deal!!! Holy cow............

She is truly an angel to alot of people. Esp. the woman at the Woman's Shelter. And she does all of this with a life threatening disease that would have killed a lesser person long ago. Truly amazing.

Andrea and I met shortly after her divorce and Dan's death. Both of us being newly single and the same age, we hit it off. In no time we were jet setting our sorrows away. Italy, Camen Islands, Florida, New York, Vegas just to name a few.

Andrea's job comes with alot of perks and I am usually her number one seat filler.
One of her outings brought us to the Pirate Game on Mothers Day. In our box I met two of the most interesting Benedictine Nuns. Sister Susan Fazzini and Sister Audrey Quinn were foster parents to 160 children. YES, I said 160!!! Yes, they surely deserved a Mother's Day celebration much more than I!!!!!

During the game we started talking and I ask Sr. Susan what she thought of the whole Pope thingee and the healthcare debate, you know, my usual.......Andrea rolls her eyes and holds her breath and says "Here we go." But I know she's praying to herself saying "Please Dear Lord, don't let them bring up the Capachuns." (whole other story!)
Instead, I bring up the fact that I used to dress up like a nun and play mass when I was a kid, etc......So I pull up this here blog on my blackberry and show her. She in turn wants my blog address and so I gave it to her.

When I got home, I got to thinking. Man oh man what did I do? What if I offend her? She's a nun for cryin' out loud. Although not as scary as Sr. Florentine or Sister Margarete, but still probably could do some damage. So I went back through some of the rough posts and re-read them. Sort of like through the eyes of a nun. After all, I spent a few years in that habit. Plus, I didn't ask,but as someone who has eighteen years of Catholic Schools under my belt, I'm guessing I might have just as many, if not more, years of Catholic schooling. But don't quote me on that. I'm just guessing.

Anyway, I thought about changing some language, but that would change the whole tone of some of the posts. So I left it. And started saying the rosary.

Imagine my surprise when I got an email from my new BFF Sr Susan saying how much she loved reading my blog!!!!

She wrote me a wonderful note about the blog and my writing.
The extra rosaries must have did the trick!

You know, the world could use a few more angels like Sr. Susan, Sr. Audrey and Andrea. They are true Christians who walk the walk.

And you know what the song/movie says "Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows."........

Uh, that trouble would be ME!!!!

And for the record, that email is so going to be kept in the back of my mind for use when I get to the Pearly Gates. If St. Peter has to think about it, I am so going to mention that nuns liked my blog and I drive a blind lady I hardly know to get Chemo on Friday mornings after going out late with the AMG's on Thursday nights. Hey, that could be the deal changer. Hey, if it means Heaven or hell, I'm not above name/good deed dropping! Every little bit helps those of us on the cusp.

***I must be hanging with the right people because remember when I told you I was praying to the Patron St. of Computers for a new one? Well Ski called yesterday saying she got a new laptop and wanted to know if I wanted her old one. Thank you St. Charles Borromeo............Look out bloggerland, I'm coming back!!!!

Calgon, Or Anyone.........Take Me Away.......Please!

I have this amazing bathroom that I rarely use. Seriously. Except for the obvious, I have never taken full advantage of the most amazing room in my house.

When renovating the house, I took a bedroom out of my second floor and made it into a very large bathroom. It has a soaking tub, a working fireplace, marble floors,the works.
When someone sees it for the first time, the first thing out of their mouth is that they would love to borrow my bathroom, light the fire, and sit in my tub with a glass of wine and a good book.

I have never done that. Not even once.

Now those of you out there in bloggerland who know me, know that I have trouble sitting still for very long let along soaking in a tub. I think to myself sometimes, what was I thinking? The money could have been put to better use. Oh well, It's water down the drain now!

Anyway. Today, I'm miserable. I'm bored. I'm just plain ol' tired. And I'm longing for my old June Cleaverish life. Looking back, I seriously didn't mind stepping over 15 bicycles to get into the house. The toys that I stepped on regularly didn't leave any permanent marks on the bottom of my feet. And the rugs eventually dried from all the kids running in and out of the pool to go to the bathroom.

Tonight, I think I need to take a long, hot, bubble bath. I want to close my eyes and be taken back to Sherrod Street. In my old bathroom. The one where I couldn't have a moments peace. Not the marble bathroom, but the one with the toy basket in the tub. I want my kids banging on the door telling me they are hungry, or they need help with homework. I want the dog barking either because he wants someone to take him for a walk, or one of the Grubbs boys snuck in the house again and is chasing him........Calgon.....Take me away!! Preferably into somebody else' life!! Angelina Jolie's maybe?

Thursday's Thoughts

I know, I know.....I've been quite the slacker lately. Sorry to all my friends out there in blogger land. It's this whole not having a home computer thing. Hopefully that will be remedied soon.

I know there is lots happening out there that is just begging for my commentary. Since I have been MIA for so long I'm just going to do a little recap.

Here are a few of my thoughts on this lovely Thursday afternoon!

Oh, where to start, where to start, where to start.....

I guess I'll go with the obvious. I can't help myself with this one. The Steeler Gods are condemning me to eternal hell.

Sorry, but this was just too good.

Thanks to Ginny over at That's Church.

And how about that Terry Bradshaw. What a guy. I wasn't a big lover back in the day, but now I just love him. I love that he plays stupid. And he's ok with that. Yeah, he's stupid as a fox! This man is no dummy.
I can't recall where I heard it, but on one interview he was saying something to that fact that does Ben really think these girls would be caught dead with either of them if they were just regular Joe's? Right on Terry.

Next up, Jane Orie. I'm not going to say too much because I've already covered her here.
But, do we really have to say anything???? I'm thinking this picture says is all!


We were talking about her this past weekend. Gotta love Donna who hit the nail on the head with this comment. "Forget about arresting her for breaking the law. She should be arrested for that makeup!" One of the best lines of the weekend! One would have to look long and hard to find a more un-photogenic family.
Myself, I think she should be arrested for those nails. Really folks, who wears those nail and expects anyone to take them seriously?

I am sensing a recurring theme here. Opinions of mine that only need one picture to say it all.

Us Anger Management Girls went on our first "Retreat" this past weekend. OMG. We must be getting old. Instead of our heads hurting from a little too much to drink, our jaws hurt from laughing. Really, I haven't laughed that hard in a long, long time.

I just have one thing to say. My crazy friend wore her damn snugly all weekend. She wore it down by the lake when she was Moses, parting the seas. And she wore in in the picture below when she was Our Lady Of The Lake. I can't look at it without hearing her say "The snugly and American Idol are ruining her sex life." I'm not saying another word!!



And what's up with the Pope? Now before you all go calling me anti-catholic, I'm about as catholic as one can get. Catholic Grade School, HS, College, Grad School. Remember, I used to dress up like a nun and walk the streets. And how about that time I went to buy medals and the Nun's were trying to get me join their order? Plusssss, I was on the alter with the Pope for cryin' out loud.
Having said that, He's pissing me off. ducking to avoid lightening bolts I have a real problem with the 200 deaf kids that no one stood up for. This is really, really bothering me.

Enough on that.

Being a Maryland fan (The Madonna makes me by giving me shitloads of free stuff!I'm still pissed Duke won the national basketball championship. How about that Butler? What a bunch of cuties. If that last shot would have gone in, the place would have gone crazy!!! So would my dad and my kids.
This might be mean, but again, I can't help myself. I have never in my life seen an uglier bunch of white boys than Duke's basketball team. Again ducking the lightening bolts. I felt like I was watching the Arian National Basketball team.

Lets see......what did I miss. It's been so long.

I'm not even going start on the whole tea-baggers and Sarah Palin stuff. They had to bring her in on a row boat. That's the only song they can remember all the words to......

And just think, the Health Care Bill had been in effect (or is it affect? Damn I wish I would have paid attention to Sr. Angela) for how long now and last I looked, we still had a county. The world didn't end. How about that????

I'm going to start praying to St. Charles Borromeo for a new computer so I could post more often. He is the Patron Saint of computer users. I swear I am not making this up!

Maybe I shouldn't have dissed the Pope!!

Or I can always pray to Our Lady Of The Lake!

Whose Smarter Than A Second Grader?

Sarah Palin is the best thing since sliced bread.

I can hear you all gasping!!!!!


It's true. She provides endless story lines, jokes, etc.....and will continue to do so for years to come. Face it people. NO ONE is easier to make fun of than her. Think about it. She does not even realize people are laughing AT her not WITH her. Something my mother taught me by the 2nd grade. Oh well, maybe she's a late bloomer.


Anyway, I read this little bit on Yahoo news today. It seems Sarah is hosting a special on Fox this week called Real American Stories. One of the people it plans to highlight is LL Cool J. There was only one problem. They plan on using old tapes of their guests.


I'm confused. What is Sarah actually going to be doing? Just commenting between old news clips? I don't get it.

Oh. Wait. A. Minute. Yes I do. They would never trust good ol' Sarah to actually interview anyone with an IQ over a basement apartment number. So they went through the old stuff and thought, here, let her do this. She can't fuck this up too bad. She can just read through the script. Old white guys will love it.

Only one little problem. When asked about it. LL Cool J said he did the interview over two years ago and they are promoting it like its hot off the press. He thinks that is misrepresenting the public.


HELLO Mr. Cool J, who's NCIS LA ratings blows everyone out of the water.........this is FOX.....what the hell did you expect???

Fox's provided the following statement:


"Real American Stories features uplifting tales about overcoming adversity and we believe Mr. Smith's interview fit that criteria. However, as it appears that Mr. Smith does not want to be associated with a program that could serve as an inspiration to others, we are cutting his interview from the special and wish him the best with his fledgling acting career"

Fledgling acting career???????And they want who to take them seriously???????


LL Cool J's reaction. "Nobody can bring you peace but yourself."

One of the two sounds like a second grader. We won't mention any names!


Did anyone call for "Childish, party of one?"

Won't You Be My Neighbor!

Most of us Burgers either have had a family member who had to leave home way back when or we ourselves have had to leave this great city for greener pastures and employment opportunities elsewhere.
My first brush with this phenomenon came in late December 1970 or 71 when The Madonna packed up her 32 pairs of brown shoes and headed to "our nations capital." Her story was sort of different though. She really didn't have a job like most people, but she listened to that Ruth who wronged her and MADE her move. Hard to believe I know, but true.
Eight or so years later, I followed her......And that was Ruth's fault also. A few years later I came to my senses and moved back to my beloved Pittsburgh. Causing myself to be the butt of many non-Pittsburghers jokes. (That's alright, Harriet just told me to tell them "Jealousy will get you nowhere!")

Anyways.........why I mention all this is because I have just read over at That's Church about a movie Carl Kurlander did about his move back home to Pittsburgh after years in LA. People in the entertainment industry thought he was crazy. Even Oprah replied "Pittsburgh, really?!" when she was interviewing him on her show and he told her he longed to move back home, hmmmph.What does she know anyway? Of course us Pittsburghers know what the rest of the world is just starting to realize.

So if you get a chance, you have to check out this movie.





When the trailer played "Won't you be my neighbor" being sung by Pittsburghers in LA and NY,it got me weepy eyed already.

A few famous Burgers:
Nellie Blye
Andrew Carnegie
Rachel Carson
Mary Cassatt
Roberto Clemente
Annie Dillard
George W. G. Ferris
Stephen Foster
Henry Clay Frick
Martha Graham
Franco Harris
H. J. Heinz
Senator H. J. Heinz III
Henry Hornbostel
Cy Hungerford
Edgar Kaufmann
Michael Keaton
Gene Kelly
Kathryn Kuhlman
Samuel P. Langley
David Lawrence
Danny Marino
Bill Mazeroski
Andrew Mellon
Danny Murtaugh
Fred Rogers
Jonas Salk
Bruno Sammartino
Thomas Starzl
Gertrude Stein
Honus Wagner
Andy Warhol
George Westinghouse
August Wilson and my favorite David Conrad who is pictures with me above. He lives in Pittsburgh when he's not shooting Ghost Wisperer. He really is our neighbor!

Go check out the movie.

* I bet you all thought this post was going to be about health care didn't you??Don't worry it's coming.

The Pipes Were Calling.....

This past weekend was the seventh anniversary of my husband Dan's death.
Some days it feels like it was yesterday. Other days, I feel like that life was all a dream. Mostly because my life is dramatically different now.

I didn't go to the parade this year. Don't know why. I missed it for the second time in 35 years. The only other time I missed it was the snow of 1993. I would have went but my mother wouldn't come to my house to watch my kids. I didn't feel like dealing with CYS if I dragged them with me to get drunk in 2 feet of snow.

Anyway.........I feel like I've already written all there is to write about Dan and his death. So here are some past blog posts about my self proclaimed Prince of Ireland.

http://angermanagementgirls.blogspot.com/2009/02/while-were-on-subject-of-hugs-and.html

http://angermanagementgirls.blogspot.com/2008/09/today-is-my-wedding-anniversary.html#links

http://angermanagementgirls.blogspot.com/2008/07/although-i-dont-listen-to-him-often.html#links

http://angermanagementgirls.blogspot.com/2008/06/happy-flag-day-happy-55th-birthday-dan.html#links

http://angermanagementgirls.blogspot.com/2008/03/stpattys-day-1996-or-1997.html

http://angermanagementgirls.blogspot.com/2007/09/im-not-in-mood-today-to-write-anything.html#links

http://angermanagementgirls.blogspot.com/2008/03/ok-girls.html

http://angermanagementgirls.blogspot.com/2007/06/happy-birthday-dan.html

http://angermanagementgirls.blogspot.com/2009/07/this-sweet-old-world.html

http://angermanagementgirls.blogspot.com/2009/03/oh-danny-boy.html


Here's to ya Dan! Raise of the glass

*How about my glasses!!! They take up my whole face! Would love to have that figure back though.

And The Sign Says........

So the rest of the world thinks our exit signs are stupid.

According to this article, some in the international community want everyone to use an international sign for exiting.


Here's the thing, if I was going to China, before I went, I would learn all emergency signals that I thought were relevant. If you see the same thing in Chinese over every single door in China....well, lets just say it doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out what it means.

So for all of you who think it's stupid, comon' now, it's really not that hard to figure out a big, red sign with the same four letters next to every single public door in the country. My kids knew what EXIT meant at a very early age. But then again, they are genius'!

Now myself, I'm not that smart. I really have a hard time looking at pictures and immediately knowing what they mean.

Take the signs below. WTF are they talking about?


How about this? Beware of pigeons maybe?


I think we could all use our imagination and figure out what this means.


Have no idea here folks. But by the time I figured it out, I'm betting it would be too late.


But here is my fav



Now that is a sign we all can all understand.