November part two

Short notes from the rest of November, which I have neglected for far too long:

We bought some Snap after the whiskey fest, and I also made gingersnaps by myself for the first time. Both are lovely!


Thanksgiving was an epic time, where I had large meals with my family, Peter's family, and Matt and Una in Secaucus. Mom and I also did our 11th (I think) annual Black Friday shopping, which left us with a very large gift for my aunt. Subsequently, after we did our third thanksgiving with friends (which was lovely, btw), we jaunted across the Lincoln Tunnel and dropped it off to her. Driving in the city was less horrible than I had expected, and we had a lovely lunch in Bryant park by the ice rink. (see: delicious perogies). Sum total of driving: 800 miles over ~17 hours (2 hrs in gridlock, mostly on the way back to pgh) and four states. A bit crazy, but definitely worth it.


There was also a bit o' frost at the end of November, and some glass pumpkin making. A good month!

November in the 'burgh

Or more specifically, the Edwin treatment. Which is to say that my friend Edwin came to visit last weekend and I worked to make it as all-out Pittsburgh awesome as I could. The weather even cooperated with sun (gasp!) and warmth (double gasp!). After he landed on Thursday night, we basically kept eating, starting at Avenue B for lunch after a lazy Friday morning:



After a bit of a Shadyside walking tour, a NASA talk at CMU and department happy hour, we were off to the Pittsburgh Whiskey and Fine Spirits fest. Just coincidence that it was the same weekend Edwin was coming, but a perfect pairing (thanks, GroupOn!). It was a blast to be able to try almost any liquor imaginable. I was especially psyched to try the newest addition to the Art In The Age family. Their Root alcohol is already one of my favorites, as I'm a huge root beer fan, but the new Snap (a la gingersnap) tastes so awesome that we had to get a bottle. Other notable samples include Fireball (below) that tasted like liquid red hots and another company (whose name I forget) that produced a whiskey that was exactly like inhaling a campfire. So weird, but intriguing. Edwin also jockeyed to try the Johnny Walker Blue, which made back a good chunk of the ticket cost by itself. We also tried the 1703 Mt. Gay, absinthe, reallly smooth vodkas and all sorts of high-shelf stuff I would never have normally tried. The food was pretty good to boot: a "Cuban" style sandwich, lots of great mac&cheese, bread, nuts - typical drunk food. I had some pre-drinking and can say that they were legitimately tasty, however. =) I hope there's a groupon next year!




Saturday was a big day as well. We hit Vanilla Pastry Studio for delicious cupcakes, Oh Yeah!'s for crazy waffle combos, the Strip for Edwin's first Penzey's experience and other such adventures, the Duquesne incline (of course) and a short drive-by of Southside (where I'd spotted the below crazy car a few days prior). Then a nap, and a great dinner at Toast! This ensured that not only did he get the full foodie experience, but also the full what-the-hell-Pittsburgh driving experience and a wide neighborhood exposure. I think it worked out well.




On Sunday I also pulled him along to attend TEDxUniPittsburgh. TED.com - or Technology, Entertainment, and Design - has swallowed many of my hours; in return, I get to watch experts talk about their field, whether it's the psychology of spaghetti sauce, how to teach crows to use vending machines, WolframAlpha, or home model rocketry. It's incredibly cool stuff, and watching it the TEDx way with an auditorium of people is especially neat. Obscure Games and Friday Night Improv talks were highlights for me, as were the big whiteboards of questions you could fill out. I saw some people I only know from TEDx events around pittsburgh, which was fun. A really good end to a fantastic weekend.



Finally, a bonus seasonal shot. Enjoy Thanksgiving! I'm very excited to go home for more than a day at a time.