Kissin' the landlord, yes I am...

Ok, so forget the Leonardo DiCaprio mask, I'm just gonna plant a big, wet sloppy smooch on our new landlord, even though he's gay!!  Today he called me and said he just talked to some people in the HR Department of the university where he works and recommended me for an admin position---they took a look at my resume, and immediately told him to have me apply for the job ASAP. So, I sent him my recommendation letter from my previous DC employer, and then I applied online for the job.  Let's hope it works out!  I mean, WHAT A COOL GUY to do that!! He's going way above and beyond what a typical homeowner/landlord would do for brand new tenants that just met him a few weeks ago, and both Pete and I feel extremely lucky to have found him. But hey, it's in his best interest if I have a job!! So, we are helping each other out, and that's cool.

Anyway, I'm ready for some springtime warm weather, I don't know about YINZ. This Pittsburgh place is COLD man, and even though I'm from Muskrat Flats blizzard-ridden Michigan where I froze for 27 years of my life before moving to DC, I just can't STAND the cold anymore.  I have to wear a pair of socks to sleep at night, AND a fuzzy pair of footies over them, just to keep my toes warm...that's just BOGUS DUDE!!  Of course, it doesn't help to live in a house that's like SWISS FRIGGIN' CHEESE with paper-thin walls and windows that are covered with PLASTIC to keep some of the heat in....this house we currently live in was built in 1895, which is pretty cool actually, but it's in major disrepair and needs some updating BADLY. So even though 'heat rises,' it doesn't in THIS house.  I really won't miss this place much at all.

Well, we're busy finding moving truck information and pricing, gathering boxes, and packing. Pete's arranged to have his kids come down from NY to help us move too, which is good, because there's no way in HELL we're going to be able to back up a 26 foot truck full of stuff into an uphill driveway that is angled, to get it close to the front door...so that means we have to park it in the street, and go up and down some stairs leading up to the front porch instead.  I hope I lose some weight doing this exercising stuff, dang it.

I spent the day doing laundry at the local laundromat again too, and let me tell YOU, I won't miss THAT crap one damned bit either---there's some kind of weird feeling of sadness and poverty in those places, that gives me the willies.  So it'll be GREAT to do laundry in our own basement from now on---we'll save at least $80 a month because of that alone.  We tend to spend $20 each time we go, which is typically once a week, so that'll be a good chunk-a-change to pocket each month. 

Ah well, I gave up a washer, dryer and dishwasher when I moved here from DC, so something MUST be good here in Pittsburgh with Pete if I did all THAT!!  

Next week will be chaos around here though with this Super Bowl stuff going on. Everywhere I go, and I mean EVERYWHERE, people are all dressed EXACTLY THE SAME AS EACH OTHER, in black and gold, from the shoes they wear, the jeans, the coats, the sweatshirts or jerseys, and all the way up to scarves and hats....I mean, every item of clothing these people OWN has the Steelers logo on it, and it's just plain WEIRD.  I wouldn't doubt it a bit if they made bra's and underwear too!!  FREAKS!!  It's one thing to be a sports fan, but HERE, it's like a CULT of some kind, which is freaky bizarre if you ask me.  And I'm getting sick of hearing the stupid song "Here We Go." They play it on the radio, they play it in every department store, they play it on the street when you're walking around the strip district area, they play it all over the damned place and frankly it's getting on my nerves.  If they AREN'T playing that song, then they are playing either commercials, or lippin' off about how great the Steelers are.

I mean, we went into a shop last week in the strip district (which is called that because it's like one long strip mall with shops and restaurants), and I found a cute pair of red fishnet stockings, that I thought might be nice to wear for Valentine's Day....the clerk, however, narrowed her eyes and looked at me, and said, "You wouldn't happen to be a CARDINALS FAN, would you?" (Pardon my ignorance, but I guess that is who will be playing against the Steelers during the Super Bowl, and I think their team color is RED)......and I just stood there stunned, looking back at her like, "What the HELL is your problem?"  I said, "Um, I don't like sports at all. These are for Valentines Day."  She opened her eyes wide and smiled, "Ohhhhh!! Okay!!" and then and ONLY then, did she allow me to pay for my item and leave the store.  Good GAWD.

And what's up with this stupid "Terrible Towel" thing?!  It's just a stupid yellow hand towel, cheaply made, not even terry cloth, and it actually SAYS "Terrible Towel" on it....I don't know the history, but some guy named Marty Cope apparently invented this thing, and every fan of the Steelers apparently has to wave one around in a circle at every game they attend.  It's like a strange custom in a foreign land that I simply do not have any understanding of, whatsoever. This town is already crazed, predicting a major win over the Cardinals, because they suck of course, according to every radio DJ I've flipped channels to avoid has said.  So I'm going to lay low next week, avoiding the crowds of drunken boneheaded people downtown...the funniest bumper sticker I've seen around here so far sums up Pittsburgh pretty well if you ask me. It says, "Blitzburgh: a drinking town with a football problem."  Ya got THAT right.

Anyway, those are my thoughts today. Hope all is well with everyone out there, and let's hope the economy improves so that we can all breathe a sigh of relief.  I keep having this weird feeling of anxiety, this is NOT the best time to get a house, especially when one of two people doesn't really have much of an income...and all the jobs are drying up everywhere...this is NOT the best time to be moving anywhere, or embarking on a new adventure, taking on a house.  I hope everything works out though, we have both been through some very tough times and it's time for some good stuff for a change.  And that goes for EVERYBODY.

Bye for now. Love, Becky