Yeah, As I ave said before, I am extremely over extended lately. This week has been a marathon of work. Tuesday was a huge catering gig then closing the shop (12 hours total) Wednesday 10 hours, Thursday 10 hours, Friday, 12 hours, and this Saturday will be 12 again. That's 56 hours in 5 days. Not bad methinks. So this week in total? 70 hours worked. WOW. do I do anything else? No. I have Sunday off and I'd really like to do steps and blog about it but I have to do laundry and hang out with my friends before they forget who I am. There is no relief in sight either. Odds are, we have to hire someone new since the shop has been absolutely slammed, while this may appear at first to be a chance for me to get more time off, I tell you it is not! I have to train this new person requiring yet more of my time. Once they get trained, I am taking a whole week off if I can,
So tomorrow at the Crested Duck Charcuterie, is an Offal Dinner. Offal refers to all the parts of the animal not necessarily considered edible in American tastes. It is all mostly organs and skin or connective tissue. In most parts of the world, the culture is not NOT waste any part of the slaughtered animal. We do our best at the Crested Duck. Items on the menu include: Head Cheese, Elk Tongue, Rabbit Heart Tartar, Elk Tendon Salad, duck liver pot du creme among other pates and things. It was sure fun preparing today with the Kevin, the head chef. We prepared the pot du creme which he sort walked me through. Kevin is most excited about this "flan-like" dessert. Liver isn't traditionally a dessert food but the way he has prepared it is out of this world. The base is a slightly astringent but sweet semi hard caramel, then atop is a pudding mixture of spiced heavy cream, eggs and the pureed liver. God did it all smell amazing. So tomorrow we will be serving 5 courses to a fully booked double seating. I am excited to get to see all of the excitement on people's faces and on Kevin's as we present the dishes.
Friday, April 20, 2012
Thursday, April 12, 2012
This must be the other side of the rainbow, toto
Something has become abundantly clear this spring. I am out of shape. I couple of times I was out there ascending what very well could have been the stairway to heaven AKA the right amount of heart pumping exercise to give me a massive coronary to make me meet my maker. I am relatively young, fit, and conditioned for this or so I thought. But the last couple of weeks I have been having this weird chest pain. I sharp pain in my left chest cavity, you know, where the heart is. It was so bad at times i figured I should consult experts. Not doctors, mind you. I am too poor for their opinions, but friends whom have worked at hospitals and older people whom very well could have had similar activity in their very own left chest areas. Here is a breakdown of possibilities to my life threatening chest pain:
Gas
Allergies
Stop smoking, Ben
Lack of sleep
heightened anxiety
aliens have implanted me with a chip of some sort
Most of those things I can agree upon. I eat too many fried foods (just when I thought you could never eat enough) I smoke, I haven't been sleeping, and I have always been a bit high strung. And I am sure the aliens put the chip in my brain, not my chest.
So today, I went grocery shopping for heart healthy foods and vowed to turn my irrational fear around of having a heart attack at 29. Though it is possible. I did see a doctor and he diagnosed me with this rare condition that, while it won't kill you, makes me think that you are going to die. It's called Hypochondria. I am looking into joining support groups for survivors and sufferers alike. We can beat this, guys.
I did sleep 12 hours last night. I had prepared to stay up all night as in the last few nights. I got snacks and super-loaded my hulu queue with episodes of "Cummunity" and "Daria". I cooked myself some sauteed broccoli and shrimp in a light olive oil lemon sauce with spices and I settled in. Wouldn't you know I had passed out in my food, ass in the air not even past the opening credits to "daria". The body needs what the body needs. Nate came home at around 1am and fixed me up proper; got me a blanket, ate my food, and watched "parks and recreation" while I slept. I don't even remember that. I do remember waking up at 9:30 all bright eyed and bushy tailed. (hardly)
I am still trying to shake the no energy blues today. I have been dragging ass. I need to wake up proverbially and get really for the witty repartee required of hosting trivia night at Brew On Broadway. someone cyber slap me!
Gas
Allergies
Stop smoking, Ben
Lack of sleep
heightened anxiety
aliens have implanted me with a chip of some sort
Most of those things I can agree upon. I eat too many fried foods (just when I thought you could never eat enough) I smoke, I haven't been sleeping, and I have always been a bit high strung. And I am sure the aliens put the chip in my brain, not my chest.
So today, I went grocery shopping for heart healthy foods and vowed to turn my irrational fear around of having a heart attack at 29. Though it is possible. I did see a doctor and he diagnosed me with this rare condition that, while it won't kill you, makes me think that you are going to die. It's called Hypochondria. I am looking into joining support groups for survivors and sufferers alike. We can beat this, guys.
I did sleep 12 hours last night. I had prepared to stay up all night as in the last few nights. I got snacks and super-loaded my hulu queue with episodes of "Cummunity" and "Daria". I cooked myself some sauteed broccoli and shrimp in a light olive oil lemon sauce with spices and I settled in. Wouldn't you know I had passed out in my food, ass in the air not even past the opening credits to "daria". The body needs what the body needs. Nate came home at around 1am and fixed me up proper; got me a blanket, ate my food, and watched "parks and recreation" while I slept. I don't even remember that. I do remember waking up at 9:30 all bright eyed and bushy tailed. (hardly)
I am still trying to shake the no energy blues today. I have been dragging ass. I need to wake up proverbially and get really for the witty repartee required of hosting trivia night at Brew On Broadway. someone cyber slap me!
Sunday, April 8, 2012
This whole city steps thing has me totally worn out.
Prepare yourselves for some hard core bitching...I work two jobs, haven't had a day off in 3 weeks, don't have a car and port authority sucks so hard, my allergies are bothering me, but...the weather has been so nice lately, I am already half-way done. I have been doing this in my spare time mostly and it gets so difficult. I know that if I had just one day off a week at least, I can be done this summer; early, this summer. So I just need some momentum.
I used to feel so weird when people asked me why I was doing this. I think because when i started, I really didn't know. It was just for fun at first and then it became an addiction, just like when I startedshooting heroin watching "Mad Men."
It has become by comfort, my escape, my feel good happy fun time.
I get my alone time on those steps. I think in the entire time doing this I crossed paths with maybe 5 other people on a set of steps which, incidentally, pisses me off. Usually I am counting and if someone tries to be polite and say hello or whatever, I lose count. During the entire time logging the South Side Slopes, which was last Spring/Summer, I didn't have my counter. I recall one incident in particular where I had just about made it all the way to the top of this big mama set of steps and this Asian couple had just begun to descend. Wouldn't you know they had to ask me in broken English, where the "train" stop was. They were adorable and of course I helped them out but as soon as they were on their way, I was palm of hand to face "doh!"...My car was parked at the top and I was not about to walk down these m f-ing steps just to walk back up. That has happened more frequently than I care to remember.
This one time, this hard-core yinzer with all the bravado and lack of intelligence and tact I've come to expect from some of the "hill people", starts in on me as I am clearly doing what I am doing and decides to berate me with stupid questions. my thoughts in response will be in parentheses...
"Did you walk all the way up here?"
"...yes"(no I got dropped from a helicopter mid-way)
"Them are a lot of steps, man"
"yeah." (clearly out of breath here.)
"I usually walk down em, I never walk up. you're crazy"
"it's good exercise" (clearly, because you're fat, but maybe I am crazy)
I used to feel so weird when people asked me why I was doing this. I think because when i started, I really didn't know. It was just for fun at first and then it became an addiction, just like when I started
It has become by comfort, my escape, my feel good happy fun time.
I get my alone time on those steps. I think in the entire time doing this I crossed paths with maybe 5 other people on a set of steps which, incidentally, pisses me off. Usually I am counting and if someone tries to be polite and say hello or whatever, I lose count. During the entire time logging the South Side Slopes, which was last Spring/Summer, I didn't have my counter. I recall one incident in particular where I had just about made it all the way to the top of this big mama set of steps and this Asian couple had just begun to descend. Wouldn't you know they had to ask me in broken English, where the "train" stop was. They were adorable and of course I helped them out but as soon as they were on their way, I was palm of hand to face "doh!"...My car was parked at the top and I was not about to walk down these m f-ing steps just to walk back up. That has happened more frequently than I care to remember.
This one time, this hard-core yinzer with all the bravado and lack of intelligence and tact I've come to expect from some of the "hill people", starts in on me as I am clearly doing what I am doing and decides to berate me with stupid questions. my thoughts in response will be in parentheses...
"Did you walk all the way up here?"
"...yes"(no I got dropped from a helicopter mid-way)
"Them are a lot of steps, man"
"yeah." (clearly out of breath here.)
"I usually walk down em, I never walk up. you're crazy"
"it's good exercise" (clearly, because you're fat, but maybe I am crazy)
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Numbers
I never liked numbers, ever since I was a kid they've always given me trouble. I failed algebra twice in high school. 
With step trekking, I find inconsistency after inconsistency. I invested in a little clicker counter so I could accurately ascertain the correct numbers. The alleged largest set of steps, Rising Main in Fineview has three different counts; my number, the number stenciled on the pavement by the Fineview Citizens Council, and the number in Bob's book. I double checked my count and I know that I am right. However, I am not going to argue with a community group over it. So how did Bob Regan, author of the only book on the subject of city steps, get the number 331? Who's right about Rising Main Ave? Me of course. I don't mean to discredit Bob Regan by any means. I have read his book a few times in fact and found it to be not only informative but beautifully written, wry, and thoroughly entertaining. I just mean to point out that his facts are wrong. For instance, he has listed the longest sets in Pittsburgh respectively as follows.
(My research is in bold.)
Ray Avenue(Brookline)- 378, 258
Jacob Street (Brookline)- 364, 121 & 124 (there are 2 sets that still don't add up to equal 364)
57th Street (Lawrencville/Stanton Heights)-345, 349
Rising Main (Fineview)- 331, 371
Yard Way (South Side Slopes)- 317, 315
This is Rising Main Avenue in Fineview.
When I read the book for the first time 4 years ago, I was motivated to go find these steps and start a new exercise routine. I live in Brookline so I was thrilled that we had 2 of the largest sets of steps in the city, proud in fact. But how disappointing was it to get to Jacob Street and get only half the steps I thought. How did Bob Get these numbers? Well, in his own words...
"The Author conducted the first complete survey of the city steps in the summer of 1999 using a combination of manual methods and sophisticated computer technology. At the start of the survey, he obtained a nascent database of the steps compiled by the City of Pittsburgh as well as digital maps of the streets and rights of way..."
There is one problem I can see already. How sophisticated was computer technology in 1999 really...compared to now. I can't be critical of that I suppose. My research using google Earth is far easier that I suppose Bob's was. I can however be critical of the fact that he clearly states that he "...walked the steps to obtain a count" when he clearly did not. I'm sure he walked some of them...most of them even, but then again, when you're listing the city's longest sets in a special section in your meticulously researched book, one would think he'd have the numbers right.
I digress. Perhaps it was an clerical error. Maybe while writing the book, all those numbers and facts got mixed up. Who knows? Whether Bob actually walked the steps or not isn't important. He's an older man than myself and I don't blame him. During hot summer days hiking through the South Side Slopes last year, I almost passed out a few times. Bob wrote a great book and did extensive research and that cannot be discredited.
But credit needs to be where credit is due. And Brookline should not have the credit. Fineview clearly has the largest set of steps.
So the real argument shouldn't be about numbers, unless we're talking dollar bills. The only way to preserve the city steps now is to raise awareness.
With step trekking, I find inconsistency after inconsistency. I invested in a little clicker counter so I could accurately ascertain the correct numbers. The alleged largest set of steps, Rising Main in Fineview has three different counts; my number, the number stenciled on the pavement by the Fineview Citizens Council, and the number in Bob's book. I double checked my count and I know that I am right. However, I am not going to argue with a community group over it. So how did Bob Regan, author of the only book on the subject of city steps, get the number 331? Who's right about Rising Main Ave? Me of course. I don't mean to discredit Bob Regan by any means. I have read his book a few times in fact and found it to be not only informative but beautifully written, wry, and thoroughly entertaining. I just mean to point out that his facts are wrong. For instance, he has listed the longest sets in Pittsburgh respectively as follows.
(My research is in bold.)
Ray Avenue(Brookline)- 378, 258
Jacob Street (Brookline)- 364, 121 & 124 (there are 2 sets that still don't add up to equal 364)
57th Street (Lawrencville/Stanton Heights)-345, 349
Rising Main (Fineview)- 331, 371
Yard Way (South Side Slopes)- 317, 315
When I read the book for the first time 4 years ago, I was motivated to go find these steps and start a new exercise routine. I live in Brookline so I was thrilled that we had 2 of the largest sets of steps in the city, proud in fact. But how disappointing was it to get to Jacob Street and get only half the steps I thought. How did Bob Get these numbers? Well, in his own words...
"The Author conducted the first complete survey of the city steps in the summer of 1999 using a combination of manual methods and sophisticated computer technology. At the start of the survey, he obtained a nascent database of the steps compiled by the City of Pittsburgh as well as digital maps of the streets and rights of way..."
There is one problem I can see already. How sophisticated was computer technology in 1999 really...compared to now. I can't be critical of that I suppose. My research using google Earth is far easier that I suppose Bob's was. I can however be critical of the fact that he clearly states that he "...walked the steps to obtain a count" when he clearly did not. I'm sure he walked some of them...most of them even, but then again, when you're listing the city's longest sets in a special section in your meticulously researched book, one would think he'd have the numbers right.
I digress. Perhaps it was an clerical error. Maybe while writing the book, all those numbers and facts got mixed up. Who knows? Whether Bob actually walked the steps or not isn't important. He's an older man than myself and I don't blame him. During hot summer days hiking through the South Side Slopes last year, I almost passed out a few times. Bob wrote a great book and did extensive research and that cannot be discredited.
But credit needs to be where credit is due. And Brookline should not have the credit. Fineview clearly has the largest set of steps.
So the real argument shouldn't be about numbers, unless we're talking dollar bills. The only way to preserve the city steps now is to raise awareness.
They're disappearing fast and I suppose the numbers aren't so important.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Catching up in Hazlewood
I am kind of updating in reverse so forgive me. I did Hazlewood and Greenfield yesterday. In particular was Gladstone street. I have been wanting to find these steps for ages and keep planning a trip out there and never end up making it. Well I finally did, thank god.
Hazlewood is a very historic neighborhood full of history and old things that are...historic. It's also a bit abandoned. But it has the oldest library is Pittsburgh (which is closed) and the oldest house in Pittsburgh (which is shuttered up and creepy)
This is the John Woods house. It was built in 1792 and is an important asset to our rich history, which is why we neglect it, because we're Americans.
So I started in Greenfield and hiked up and over Gladstone street. The steps start by gently cresting the hill and then follow a flat sidewalk for a ways past a lily pond (aka drainage problem) then zigs once, descends, zags once, and descends into a lovely knoll of well kept homes and a great looking urban garden.
The top of the hill is Greenfield, the bottom is Hazlewood. Greenfield is stable, beautiful, safe. Hazlewood is decaying, forgotten, and crime ridden. So sad. Its location is absolutely perfect for revitalization. Midway between downtown and Homestead on the flourishing technology corridor, right next to the Three Rivers Heritage trail and right across the bridge from the Southside. Why is this neighborhood so neglected?
Tullymet Street
There are signs of life in Hazelwood however. The Young Preservationist Association of Pittsburgh are looking to re-purpose the Carnegie Library currently and urban farming has also really taken a foothold. Perhaps if enough interest is garnered, we will see this place turn around.
North
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