Beginning Season Two of my Gilmore Girls Rewatch!

Winter officially made its arrival this week. Some of us got a dusting of snow, if any. I didn’t even really notice any flurries Sunday night or Monday. If you were near Lake Erie or in the mountains of West Virginia, then you had more snow than we did. In places like Conneaut, Ohio, and Meadville, Pennsylvania, it was time to dust off the shovel and make room for the snowplows. Davis, West Virginia, in beautiful Tucker County, hit the jackpot with 10-15 inches of snow. DuBois, Pennsylvania, was the site of a few traffic accidents as cars skidded off the snow-covered roads. The I-80 corridor also got its fair share from this storm. Luckily, this weather pattern was short-lived and we have since warmed up (if you can call 50 degrees that). We have a mild stretch coming our way but the catch is it will bring with it some rain. 

Last Tuesday, I felt a sense of relief on Election Day. I voted “YES” to retain the three Supreme Court Justices Donohue, Dougherty, and Wecht. After the despair from Election Day 2024, I had a good feeling about everything working itself out. But, I also realized that it was just the beginning of the fight. We weren’t out of the woods, but we got a good start. Over the weekend, those good feelings evaporated. The culprit?: Threads.

Now Threads wouldn’t be a problem if politics stayed out of it, and it was sports or another subject. To be fair, that Steeler game on Sunday night was also a ballbuster. There were so many political posts on there that it just drove me to the point of insanity. Haven’t I learned anything from the early 2010’s? I followed political and news pages religiously at the time as I was a serious media junkie. That too made me crazy and robbed me of more than a few nights of sleep, and that was in the beginning of my Toastmasters Era. 

That euphoria was broken, and it got so bad early Monday morning that I finally drew the line and gave myself time limits on social media. I think I’m going to cap it at an hour a day for both Facebook and Instagram. That’ll make it hard because I check in on “the socials” when I work overnights. But the early results have shown that it does work. My psyche has improved in the last few days, albeit I’m a little tired from busy nights at work, and that’s because I’ve cut back. I can definitely make this work. 

I’ve begun Season Two of Gilmore Girls. This is the time when the show found its home on Tuesday nights. Season One was on Thursday night and had some classic episodes, including the “I Smell Snow” episode as well as the one where they go to see The Bangles in concert. I watched the series during COVID (well, I began it before the pandemic) and was fully invested. Knowing what I know now makes it a little hard to watch the second time around. It’s impressive how I’ve gone from knocking the show during its WB run to absolutely loving it. 

By this time, Buffy the Vampire Slayer moved over to UPN for what would be its final two seasons. Thus, making room for what would be an iconic show. Some memorable episodes include: The Bracebridge Dinner and the picnic basket episode. It’s the beginning of the Dean and Jess and Rory triangle. I’m Team Jess all the way. Also, an appearance by Seth MacFarlane late in the season as Lorelai gets her GED. Apologies for the spoilers. 

Fun fact: Dawson’s Creek began on Tuesdays before it moved to Wednesdays in the second season and stayed there. I miss the WB and these ‘90s shows. Take me back. 

I’m loving Meet Me at Luke’s and about to begin a new chapter. I’m really loving the in-depth analysis of the show. For book lovers (like Rory in the early seasons) and superfans of the show, there is a lot of information pertaining to the show itself. Books, musicals, and TV shows get referenced quite a bit. Watch for spoilers, though, if you haven’t watched the entire series. You’ve been warned. 

Finally, I’ve discovered another town that masquerades itself as its own Little Stars Hollow/Hallmark Christmas town. Following the Instagram page ‘gilmorebookclub’ has led me to Medina, Ohio. This town is 2 ½ hours from home and it too has some Gilmore charm. While it’s hard to make it in person, social media makes it feel like you’re there. Other towns with a Gilmore Girls/Hallmark vibe include Ligonier, Canonsburg, and Indiana.

It’s November, but the Holidays are Coming!

The calendar says November, but retailers are already looking ahead to Christmas. Westmoreland Mall held their Light-Up Night festivities on Friday evening as Santa made his way to Center Court. It won’t be long until Downtown Pittsburgh has their celebration (either this week or next Friday). ‘Tis the season.

It’s been a little hard to get into the Christmas spirit because of the state of our union, as well as some other issues. I was happy that my vote counted on Tuesday, though. But I know we’re not out of the woods. It’s a start though.

The Holiday Baking shows are the in thing now as Halloween has wrapped up. Monday night, that favorite baking shows of ours premiered for another season. For me it’s my fifth season watching Holiday Baking Championship. I watched the premiere Thursday night on HBO Max and this one will be just as good. I made the right decision to watch this show, though I’m no stranger to it as I’ve seen it in the past. This was my first season though.

Noel and Allison bring a lot of humor to the show, and Paul and Prue are good judges. The same can be said for the Holiday Baking Championship. Everyone knows their stuff.

Saturday was the launch of the new holiday menu at Cutie’s. I was sleeping after having worked all night but I saw the pics on Instagram and it looked like they got a nice turnout. I came down for some coffee in the afternoon after I woke up and it was still steady. My first drink from the new menu was the Toasted White Mocha and I took it with me as I made my way back home. I’ll return later this week. I’m actually thinking the Cutie Cookie Butter looks good.

With the holidays coming, I’ve began the process of evolving into my Christmas music era. Some albums and songs are great, while others can go away. For a time when I was in college, I played some Contemporary Christian holiday albums. I think we got rid of those. I do my listening via Amazon Music. The $64,000 question though.

Do I like the Queen of overplayed Christmas songs, Mariah Carey?

Working in retail, you’re kind of forced into hearing it. “All I Want For Christmas is You” is all right, in small doses. One album that’s grown on me over the last few years is the Carpenters Christmas album from the late 1970s. The Backstreet Boys’ Christmas album which they recently released is good too. My all time favorite song is “The Christmas Waltz” by Frank Sinatra, a longtime favorite of my grandmother’s.

When is the right time to play the holiday hits?

You don’t want to do it too early but by November, it’s just so tempting. Do it in bits and pieces but close to Thanksgiving, start to ramp it up. That’s just my answer but everyone has their different tastes. One more question to close off the blog.

When will we start decorating?

Around Black Friday, we will take stuff out of the attic and begin the process of putting up lights and getting the tree decorated. We decorate our house to the nines. I need to start taking notes though.

Managing a Difficult Audience at Greensburg Toastmasters!

I did my part on Tuesday and voted in the election. This wasn’t a big election like last year, yet it was still important. On the ballot was the option to vote on retention for three Supreme Court justices in the Commonwealth. I voted “YES” to Donohue, Dougherty, and Wecht. Also, I voted for candidates who were running locally. After seeing the results, my overall mood has done a 180 from this time last year. If you know, you know. 

Also making news on Election night, Virginia and New Jersey elected their first Female governors. Mamdani won in the mayoral race for New York City. Also, California passed Proposition 50. I’ll do my research to learn more about these laws and political figures. I’ve been trying to keep away from Threads but it’s not always easy. I came home Wednesday morning in a much happier mood than I did last year. Still, we’re not out of the woods yet. But it is a start. 

The important thing is that I voted. 

Last night, we held our Greensburg Toastmasters meeting. It’s our first of two consecutive meetings in the jury room. I’m suggesting that we possibly go online for the November 19 meeting due to the Greensburg Night Market being held on the same night as our meeting. As the markets usually draw in a big crowd, parking may be hard to come by in downtown Greensburg and we are no exception. I gave a speech with disruptions, as my project was “Managing a Difficult Audience” and our Vice President Membership gave us a preview of the club officer session he is leading on December 6 at Winter TLI at Westmoreland County Community College. I have my fingers crossed that I’ll be able to go. Even if I get just Friday night off, I’ll still be able to make the event. 

I handled the disruptions during my speech very well, even getting into the conversation myself. This is the part of the speech that I was worried about screwing up by reacting the wrong way. Maybe I’m better than I gave myself credit for.  I do need to break the bad habit of using note cards as a crutch. Also, I shouldn’t wait to practice my speech until I have less than a week left. 

Especially since I scheduled this speech three weeks earlier.

Out with the Pumpkins, in with the Holidays!

After a busy month of October that was rife with time off and other activities, the last week of the month saw a return to normalcy. It was ordinary, but I welcomed the tranquility. Working on a Friday and Saturday felt weird as I was spoiled during my last few weeks off. But, I’m ready to work hard and get ready for the upcoming holiday season. We received no trick-or-treaters, but our candy dish is full. Annabelle had a good time though, dressing up as a Hogwarts student, and getting lots of treats. 

Yesterday was my first Cutie’s visit of the month and maybe my last… selection from the Cutie Fall menu. I did well with my choices from the Maple Cutie to the Carrot Cake Latte and of course, the Pumpkin Spice Latte to usher in the first day of Fall. When I go on Saturday, I’ll have my heart set on a Christmas-themed drink. I’m trending towards a Toasted White Mocha. I continued my reading journey last week, reading Matriarch and another chapter from Meet Me at Luke’s. I’m inching close to the finish with “If It Makes You Happy”, the cute little rom-com novel with a Gilmore Girls feel. The inn, the coffee, the season, and the romance, it’s all there. I have my heart set on a happy ending. Next week I’ll make a trip to the bookstore in lieu of a Christmas romance novel (Amazon and Barnes and Noble help me out!). I have impressed myself with this Fall read, however. 

This week brings with it the usual early November spread of 50’s with a few mild days and rain. Next week may present a different story, at least early on. That being said, we may see our first snow flurries of the season Monday or Tuesday. I’m thinking of a possible Ligonier visit next week, just to see if the Diamond is starting to look like Christmas. Once it gets closer to the weekend, I’ll have a better idea of what the weather is doing. 

It’s important tomorrow to get out and VOTE!

Yesterday provided us with a good day of football and close games. The Steelers got back to their winning ways and silenced the red hot Indianapolis Colts, 27-20. After two bad performances against Cincinnati and Green Bay, the defense stepped up and committed six turnovers. A win’s a win even if the score was closer than the game was. The Bears and Bengals had quite the shootout yesterday, combining for over a thousand yards offense and almost that many points in a 47-42 win by Chicago. 

The game of the day featured the Chiefs and the Bills in the league’s hottest rivalry and two of the best quarterbacks in the game going at it. Buffalo continued to dominate the regular season rivalry, winning by a 28-21 margin and improving to 6-2. Kansas City is on the outside looking in though as Denver and the LA Chargers won their games as did Jacksonville in a wild overtime performance at Las Vegas. The Jaguars’ win and the Chiefs’ loss puts the former in the driver’s seat for the playoffs if the season ended today. Meaning the AFC Champions would be staying home for the postseason. Is that possible? 

This busy stretch of the NFL season continues next week with: the red hot Patriots traveling to Tampa take on Baker and the Bucs, a key NFC West matchup between the Rams and 49ers, and Philadelphia taking to the Frozen Tundra to face the Green Bay Packers.

A Look Ahead to November!

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Pumpkin Fall is about to give way to Cranberries, Turkey, and delicious pies. On Saturday, we turn the calendar over to November. Is it too early to start the Christmas Music season? October provided me with some great adventures in Laurel Highlands, Slippery Rock, and the other side of Pittsburgh. How does one follow that up next month?

The color on the trees is going to go from peak to past peak to fading, if it hasn’t already. This hasn’t been the best Fall for leaf-peeping, but you can find some good color if you look hard enough. With this round of rain and windy weather, it’s just about high time to rake the leaves that do fall. Sunday we will get back that hour of sleep we lost in March. While the sun will come up early, it’s going to get dark at 5pm. Hopefully this Election Day won’t leave me feeling depressed like it did last year. 

I look back at October and all the fun that I had, whether it was a simple visit to Cutie’s or the books I read. It could be traveling to my family reunion and up to Johnstown. It may have been the Mister Rogers exhibit on the Saint Vincent campus, or being in good company last weekend at the Fall Symposium. I’m ready to make up for it in November and December, preparing for the holidays, and working hard. 

I’ve had my share of pumpkin spice this month, enjoying yummy fall drinks at Cutie’s like the Carrot Cake Latte and the Pumpkin Cheesecake Latte. I kicked off my coffee journey with a Maple Cutie drink and celebrated Fall with a Pumpkin Spice Latte. Christmas is coming (but let’s enjoy Thanksgiving first). What am I going to enjoy at Cutie’s when the new menu launches on November 8?

I had a butterbeer chai when I stopped there on Wednesday. Did it make me feel like I was at Hogwarts? The Harry Potter flights would be great to share with a friend, and so would a Gilmore Girls flight. To answer my question, I think my first Cutie Christmas choice would have to be the White Chocolate Mocha. On deck are the Peppermint White Mocha and the Gingerbread Latte. Close to Thanksgiving I’ll have to try the Little Cutie Tree Latte. 

I missed out on pumpkin beer this month, but I want to at least try a holiday beer this season. I might have to try Winter Lager and Old Fezziwig. That should get me through the holiday. Onto my reading journey. 

I think I picked a few bestsellers. Meet Me at Luke’s is a home run for the person who eats, drinks, and breathes Gilmore Girls. I’m taking my time with the read and will continue with it next month. Perfect for the road trip to Ligonier (though it may be getting too cold to read in the Diamond) or any other Stars Hollow. I’ve also stumbled upon Gilmore-related podcasts that talk about the book and the show. 

I’m halfway through the fall romance novel, “If It Makes You Happy”. It’s the Gilmore Girls meets When Harry Met Sally (or any other rom-com you can think of). I want the main characters to have a happy ending. Like Gilmore Girls, this book also has a wacky cast of characters, as well as an inn and plenty of baked goods. It’s the perfect Fall read set during the perfect decade and it takes place in the most beautiful part of New England. 

Read like a Gilmore Girl and eat like a Gilmore Girl. 

Also, I am enjoying Matriarch by Tina Knowles. I’m currently reading through her childhood growing up in Galveston, Texas and learning about her teenage years. I will eventually get to Destiny’s Child (Tina is the mother of pop music icon Beyonce). However, once Thanksgiving gets here, Matriarch may go on hiatus until after Christmas so I can focus on holiday reading. 

In September, I began watching the new season of the Great British Baking Show. I’ve watched it in bits and pieces and have seen older episodes of the show. But this time, I really committed to watching it. It’s down to the final two episodes with the finale set to air next week. 

Next week, I’ll begin another season of the Holiday Baking Championship. The series airs Monday night on Food Network and will run up to Christmas week. 

As I said earlier in the week, next month in the NFL will be when good teams start to put themselves in position for the postseason. That, or draft positioning for 2026. Coaches on the hot seat are also going to be fighting for their job. There are a lot of big games coming up. NFL-related Instagram pages have been a godsend for me and I enjoy reading all of the insight. 

Finally, with the Thanksgiving holiday coming, we need to be grateful for all of the opportunities we’ve been given. Make this holiday a good one free of arguing and political discussions. After the turkey and stuffing and pumpkin pie are eaten, we will get our Christmas decorations out and put up the tree. 

Leaders are Readers at Laurel Highlands Toastmasters!

I returned to Laurel Highlands Toastmasters Tuesday night after missing the last meeting. Two weeks ago I visited the Johnstown club which meets the same night. We met online, which worked for me as it bought me some time to get ready. Last week was unlike any other, with the Fall Symposium on Saturday. I saw e-mails from the Program Quality Director and the co-chairs thanking us for coming out to the event. They also encouraged us to sign up for Winter TLI on December 6. 

After some adjustments on the agenda, we had our lineup ready to go. We had two speakers who gave us great talks on leadership and mentoring. Also, we had my word of the day, and a funny joke from our President to start off the meeting. These were some of the highlights from Tuesday night. 

Our Table Topics stayed with the theme, which was Leaders are Readers. I loved the questions we were given. I also loved Gary’s answer, and he’s told me before about Audible. Now I’ve never used it myself, but I may pretty soon. That Gilmore Girls retrospect that I ordered from Amazon is a great read. Even greater is that the audiobook is narrated by Lane Kim herself, Keiko Agena. Also, reading out loud is a good practice, just do it where you’re not going to be disturbing people. I’ve been wanting to be able to read my blog posts out loud. I’d also want to try using a microphone as well. 

We shared our thoughts at the end of the meeting from Saturday’s Fall Symposium. Primarily, what we learned from Craig Valentine. A few more things that I got from his workshop were: 

  • Don’t let your good get in the way of your best! 
  • Foundational phrases like “Your Dream Is Not For Sale”. 
  • Tease them before you tell them!
  • You can’t rush and resonate!

I also shared my answer to Saturday’s Table Topics contest question, “If you could take a single photograph of your life, what would it look like?” We planned our next meeting, which will be on November 11. Our next meetings to follow are November 25 and December 9. An officer’s meeting will be scheduled in the near future, as well.

Managing a Difficult Audience at Greensburg Toastmasters!

Last August, I began what I call my “Magnificent Speaking Streak”. This lasted almost a year with the exception of January. I went through a period of discouragement because I wasn’t getting attention on social media. Getting up and speaking at my meetings helped me to feel better about myself and improved my mood. 

It hasn’t been perfect and there have been many times that I wanted to give up. It was easy to wilt after the Presidential Election but I stayed strong. That doesn’t mean that I’m pleased at all with the way the country is being run. I’m trying hard to mask my emotions 

My last speech was given on August 26 at our Laurel Highlands Toastmasters meeting. It was the anniversary of my move-in day at my first college home, the Hiram G. Andrews Center in Johnstown. The speech doesn’t cover my entire run at the school, At the end are some of the activities that I took part in during my first semester.

My next speech project takes place on November 5 at Greensburg. It’s in the Presentation Mastery Path, and will help me complete another level.  The title of the project is managing a difficult audience. Part of my duties will be to assign roles to other members in my club as I give a speech. While it can be from a previous meeting, the objective of the project is to successfully deal with interruptions. Thus, it should make for an interesting experience next Wednesday. 

Maybe that Table Topic question can be turned into a 5-7 minute speech. If you could take a single photograph of your life, what would it look like?”. It can take the face of academia, having split time between Johnstown and Slippery Rock. It can reflect on my mental health over the years. It can highlight my experience in Toastmasters, or show my hand putting pen to paper as I write in my journal. Lastly, I think the photograph could show a time of my life as I went through a transition. Eventually, it leads to me being content with myself. 

On to the NFL, we’re at the halfway point of the 2025 season. So far, it’s been a season swimming in parity. Week 8 was one that saw many decisive one-sided victories. For teams like Philadelphia, their 18 point win over the Giants brought them to 6-2 and in control of their division. Yesterday, Buffalo got a needed win and help on the ground from running back James Cook in a 40-9 win over the Carolina Panthers. This year feels like the 2000’s with Indianapolis and New England leading their divisions. I’m reliving the Peyton Manning and Tom Brady rivalry all over again. Later on in Denver, the Broncos put on a clinic against Dallas’ ailing defense. That AFC West might not just be the Chiefs’ division to win after all. 

Next week brings us the game of the year, as the reigning AFC Champions travel to Buffalo. Will we be lucky enough to see these two in the playoffs once again, playing for a chance to go to the Super Bowl? With Green Bay’s victory on Sunday night over the Steelers, it denied Aaron Rodgers the opportunity to beat all 32 teams. It also set the stage for a great slate of November games. Week 9 the whole nation will see Kansas City at Buffalo, and week 10 ends with Philadelphia at Green Bay. These two games to me are Conference Championship game previews we could see come late January. Week 11 on Sunday night is Detroit at Philadelphia, and these two should have been playing for the NFC crown last year. A week and a half later on Thanksgiving sees the return of that bitter Packers and Lions rivalry, as well as Patrick Mahomes and company traveling to Dallas to take on the Cowboys. Not a shortage of bad games. 

November brings with it exciting NFL action, and the launch of the Christmas menu at Cutie’s. What better way to celebrate the new month, after a busy October?

Cleared for Takeoff at the District 13 Fall Symposium!

Saturday morning was the District 13 Fall Symposium. It was the first time Fall contests took place since the final conference eight years ago. For the District, today was also a bittersweet day.

It’s one of the last events for the District before they merge with Northeastern Ohio (District 10) to form the new District 219 in the 2026-27 Toastmasters year. 

The morning kicked off with a continental breakfast prepared by the kitchen staff at the DoubleTree. I was serving as the Sergeant at Arms for the first contest, which was Table Topics. We were looking for a room to put the contestants in while the first person spoke. Our Toastmaster of the Day and current club president, Mike Dalton, did an excellent job serving in that role. 

Program Quality Director Sharon Imes and her team did a great job putting this program together. Autumn and Helene were amazing co-chairs. I’m proud to serve with both of them in Area 23. Autumn is Area 23 Director and President of Western Maryland Toastmasters, and Helene is Vice President Membership of Laurel Highlands. 

Keynote speaker Craig Valentine surely did not disappoint in his morning and afternoon presentations. Mr. Valentine is a world champion of public speaking and wasn’t afraid to pass off some tips onto us.  Here are some of the tips I acquired from him this morning:

  • Less is more
  • Find your “Steves”
  • When it comes to leadership, you’re the pilot!
  • Sell the results, not the product, idea, etc.
  • Those who blame, stay the same.
  • Share the credit, take the blame.
  • Speak to one, but look to all!

The Table Topics question was, “If you could take a single photograph of your life, what would it look like?”. For me, my answer would be… one that showed how I’ve evolved over the last quarter century. Therefore, it would look like a mural. Starting with college, when I lived in Johnstown before transferring to Slippery Rock University. Then it shows my struggles to adjust to a post-academia life, before I joined Toastmasters. Fast forward to when I earned my DTM and started working on my blog. Finally, go to the present as I’m still writing, learning to be my unique self, and enjoying seasonal coffee at Cutie’s. 

The Humorous Speeches had us laughing. We wouldn’t have been able to do that if not for the warm up exercises that our Contest Chairs had us do. Lin Hitt was Humorous Speech champion, while Michael Nelson took home the trophy for best Table Topics speaker. 

We welcomed some first time Distinguished Toastmasters in the family. Our Club Growth Director Douglas McCall earned the highest honor in Toastmasters as well as TJ Rose. We took part in the gauntlet and high fived them. Melissa McGavick earned another DTM as did Colleen Bynum. Colleen is our past Area Director and was attending the event online via Zoom. We gave out awards for Toastmaster of the Year as well as Area and Division Directors of the Year. Also, our current District Director Kathy Wolf did something nice for her current team of Division Directors. She recognized them for stepping up to serve the District in that capacity and gave them medals. She also gave one to Dawn Carnegie, who would have been Division A Director. That division was retired because it had a small number of clubs. Thus, those clubs were merged into Divisions B and D. That was a kind gesture by our District Director. 

Dawn also won Area Director of the Year. We met at the Winter TLI last December and she wowed my outfit that day as did many others. The weather was cold, but my heart was warm inside at WCCC. Julia Wick won Division Director of the Year. I attended her Division Contest in March. While I helped out at B and C, I enjoyed the speeches that morning. Cricket Henderson won Toastmaster of the Year. Congratulations to those who won these awards as well as everyone else who was recognized. 

As soon as the contest ended, the 2025 Fall Symposium did too. Our next event is Winter TLI on December 6 at WCCC. We saw videos of those who are promoting it and helping to put it together. I enjoyed my full day and thus ends the Three Saturdays in October miniseries.

Taking A Vacation From My Vacation

Last week was nice. I got away for a bit from work and took time to recharge. It took me a while to get into the groove of a normal sleep schedule but I got there. While my week off didn’t take me on some faraway adventure, I still enjoyed myself as I traveled to the Laurel Highlands on several occasions. I wrapped up the week at Slippery Rock University where I enjoyed Homecoming activities and marked 20 years since graduating from college.

This week was also nice because it gave me the opportunity to take a vacation… from my vacation. I’m back to my usual routine now, though it took me a while to come back. That just goes to show you how great my week off was.

I’m looking forward to meeting up with my fellow Toastmasters this Saturday for the District 13 Fall Symposium. This is the fourth time I’ve gotten involved. One of those four times was down in Maryland with District 18 six months before the world shut down. After that, it’ll be time to work hard and get ready for Thanksgiving and eventually, the holiday season.

The Fall Symposium is a continuation of the Three Saturdays in October miniseries and also the conclusion. The first Saturday was the speech contest and last week was Homecoming at Slippery Rock. I’ve been fortunate to have everything fall into place. If the Toastmasters Fall event had been last Saturday, I would have gone to Moon over Slippery Rock.

Thus, not wanting to repeat history from several years ago.

The weather this week has done a complete 180 turn from what we saw. From Augtober to Ocvember here in the Pittsburgh area. Not saying it’s cold enough, but a few places high up have seen snow flurries today.

First snow of the year, close to Seven Springs.

In the Greensburg area, it’s been overcast and chilly. The rain we’ve had though is helping with the drought situation. A cool, damp day is definitely welcome in the latter part of October. It makes Fall feel like Fall and makes my Gilmore Girls viewing experience so much better. After struggling with the rewatch, I’m moving through season 1. Sometimes it’s hard to rewatch, knowing what you know from watching it before.

This month I’ve been discovering new podcasts. While my experience has been rewatch podcasts from classic 90s and 2000s shows, my interests have shifted over to fictional couples and books.

Enter the We Ship It podcast.

As I made my way to and from Homecoming last Saturday, I enjoyed some Gilmore Girls-related episodes. On this podcast, the hosts talk about whether or not they like the couples on the show. One in particular talked about all three of Rory’s boyfriends over the run of Gilmore Girls. It was a “Rory Roundtable”. They gave their opinions on Dean, Jess, and Logan and who was the better boyfriend. Coming home, I listened to “Lorelai and Luke” and “Rory and Lane”. A more We Ship it episode featured the author of “Meet Me at Luke’s”, which aired prior to the release of the book. 

Another pod that I recently discovered is a rewatch for the Great British Baking Show, and I had to be careful not to click the most recent episode. I did good though and listened to the review of “Meringue Week”. The hosts of “The BakeDown” are former Great British Baking Show contestants and offer good insight in their reactions. Since I’m watching the most recent show tonight, I’ll have something to listen to en route to Moon or coming home after the Fall Symposium. 

Reflections on a Meaningful Fall Vacation

Saturday marked the final day of my Fall vacation. I’ve had a great week off as I’ve been pretty active for most of it. I attended Toastmasters speech contests at Westmoreland County Community College. We had our family reunion on Sunday at Laurel Hill in the same pavilion we’ve had the last five years. I took some road trips to the Laurel Highlands, starting with Johnstown on Tuesday night. I came past the Hiram G. Andrews Center and thought to myself how independent I was yet scared, 25 years ago. Thursday I ventured to Latrobe and Ligonier. I saw the Mister Rogers exhibit at the Fred Rogers Center at Saint Vincent, and spent the afternoon in Ligonier. 

Yesterday, I left my house early, around 7:30am, and made the hour and a half drive up to Slippery Rock for their annual Homecoming celebration. The schedule has worked in my favor this year, and this wasn’t just any Homecoming. This year marks 20 years since I graduated from college. I was comfortable and didn’t want to graduate. None of us are ready when the time comes. I had a hard time accepting my past but eventually did. For a long time, I was always in the shadow of college, and wanted to make up for things that I didn’t accomplish. 

Truth is, I’m happy with the experience now and wouldn’t change anything. Who knows how different things would be if I didn’t go or I stayed a year or two longer? This blog has been good therapy for me and has helped me write out my feelings. 

For a long time, Homecoming was a tradition for me. It met its end a few years before the pandemic. I felt some regret missing the first Fall Symposium that my District held in Erie. It was best, however, that I found out on my own that the tradition had gotten stale. 

The weather gods blessed me with some great weather during my Fall vacation. It was overcast and a little bit chilly on Sunday when we had our Family reunion. Luckily, we had two fires going to keep us warm. I was happy to get outside and enjoy the sun on Thursday in Ligonier, and again yesterday up at Slippery Rock. The beautiful weather made for a nice ride home on I-79 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

My day yesterday started out with a stroll around the North End of campus getting some pictures of the old buildings. I then got my chair and found a great spot to watch the parade. This year it took on a different meaning seeing the Slippery Rock marching band perform. My niece is in the band at West Hempfield Middle School and she plays the baritone saxophone. The campus bus was in the parade and that too has a different feel in 2025, as my dad drives part-time for the school district.

Having been to many Homecomings, I’ve been aware of the changes on campus and have seen many buildings come and go. The residence halls there during my time are mostly gone or other uses now. The student housing has moved over to the southern end of campus, having gone up long after my time there was complete. The campus has never been more beautiful though.

At the SGA Bookstore, I browsed around. While I didn’t need anything, I bought Annabelle a present. It was a Slippery Rock Marching Band t-shirt. It was also a good deal at $12. Who knows, maybe it’ll help her decide on where she wants to go to college. 

I couldn’t see everything in the time I was there and could have found ways to improve upon the day. I enjoyed a nice parade, but I have also devoted more time to enjoying the game. It was our bitter rival IUP, and it was a comeback win for The Rock.

2025 has been a year of anniversaries and celebrations. I graduated high school and started college 25 years ago, and finished my academic career 20 years ago. I did pine for it to continue for years after though. 2026 will be a different beast, as I pursue some new interests. I’ll still be pushing some milestones, though.