Monday night was a nice night. The heat and humidity took a break (until later this week). The sun was out, thus a perfect night for the last Bible Study of the season at Cutie’s. Since I didn’t go out for coffee the day before, I ordered a drink before the meeting began at 6pm.

The new parking lot across from Cutie’s has opened. This will make it easier to find a place to park. There’s also a spot to park your electric car. Like the parking lot I use for White Rabbit or Steep Mountain, there is a fee of $1/hr. It’ll cost me a little bit more to go to Cutie’s, but it’s not much. 

My drink of choice was the Banana Pancake Latte. A wise decision even though I could have done one better. As I was walking into the shop, Kait (the owner) was filming a reel for the socials promoting the pumpkin drink options. As one of Cutie’s best customers, I was offered one of the drinks. Like a fool, I turned it down. Now who turns down a free drink? I must have really wanted that Banana Pancake Latte and could have waited until another time in the Fall. 

So here’s what I could have gotten instead: A Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew, A Pumpkin Spice Latte, or a Pumpkin Spike Shaken Espresso. While I missed out yesterday, these drinks are on my radar this Fall. Latte next week, Cold Brew and Shaken Espresso in October.

Lesson learned: When someone offers you a pumpkin drink from the reel they’re filming, take the offer.

At Bible Study, we read through Romans 8. I remember hearing this passage of scripture many times during Discipleship training. Vic did an amazing job leading as always, providing good examples along the way. Our turnout for the last Bible study of the season was nice. I’ve been sitting up closer than I have in the past. At least, it ended due to the change in seasons and not because of complaints. A few rainouts happened but that’s been the story of summer in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Cutie’s Bible Study will resume next Spring.

This weekend (schedule permitting) I’ll take a little road trip to Ligonier to visit Abigail’s Coffeehouse. They have a Gilmore Girls themed menu perfect for Fall and for the town itself. Ligonier is the perfect little Stars Hollow (and Hallmark Christmas town). This month I’ll try one of the lattes and next month it’ll be a non-latte. For this month, that Dragonfly Inn Mocha looks tempting. I’m thinking the Luke’s Diner Special or Sookie’s Pumpkin Chai for October. It’ll be a nice way to spend a final Sunday afternoon in Summer, plus I can finish off a chapter in my new novel.

I’m taking my time, but I’m enjoying my new reads. Still Here is a wonderful look into a marriage that isn’t perfect but they make it work. Love Felt Like This I’m only a few chapters in, but so far it’s a good story. If I take my time, I can save some of the chapters for when I go to Cape May next month.

I’m looking to finish both books by November 7. The same day that Cutie’s rolls out their Christmas coffee menu.

On Friday, the country came together to remember the tragic events of 9/11, from New York City to DC to Somerset County. Last week, the NFL kicked off its 2026 season with a Super Bowl rematch between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks. 

This morning, as I came home from work, I remembered my Gram and the life she lived. She passed away 20 years ago this morning. We all know where we were when the towers fell on September 11. I was getting ready to go to work at Kings (my first “real” job after college) on the morning that Gram died. 

She got sick that Spring and after stays at Forbes and Woodhaven, Gram came to live with us for the Summer. With me not working at the time, I spent my Summer of 2006 taking care of her. I was striking out on interviews before Kings took me on late in the summer. 

Gram made some progress during the Summer and a few times she was able to go back home. One weekend, she stayed at her house. That gave us some hope, though it turned out to be false. 

That summer was a difficult one as we lost Great Grandma (Gavatorta), Aunt Nan, and Gram within a span of just over a month. It was for me too, as I was trying to adjust to life after college. I appreciate Giant Eagle now and like the path that my life has taken. But I had to get through the rain to reach my destination. In 2006, I turned down some jobs and wasn’t hired at others. When Kings brought me on board, I wanted to be back at school. A do-over is what I was looking for as I felt I didn’t do enough at Slippery Rock. Those good old days stayed with me long into my WIS era. Thankfully, I’ve turned a corner and humbled myself since COVID.

Looking back at some of those last days with Gram, they were time well spent. That Tuesday night before she passed, we watched Deal or No Deal as a family. I went to bed that night hopeful for the next day but we know that life is funny like that.

It also throws a punch that sends you in the direction that you don’t want to go.

In the immediate post-college era, I’d use my off days to take the bus into Downtown Pittsburgh. The summer that Gram stayed with us, PNC Park hosted the MLB All-Star game and I went to FanFest. It was a once in a lifetime event and Pittsburgh hasn’t hosted an All-Star game since.

Another time was on that Monday when the country remembered the attacks five years earlier. I had the day off at Kings so I spent the day downtown. They had a Barnes and Noble in the city so I checked it out. I might have walked over to Station Square that day. Ah, the days before I started driving (a few weeks later I got behind the wheel for the first time).

Gram missed, by less than a month, seeing me drive. I think she’d have been proud.

A few other events that Gram missed in my life included me getting involved in Toastmasters. She’d have been proud of me for putting in the work to achieve my Distinguished Toastmaster award. Don’t forget that period in my life when I posted the weather on Facebook. How about me starting my own blog?

I know she’d be proud of the US electing its first African American president in 2008. I shudder to think how she’d feel about this administration we have now.

I’ve been practicing German 🇩🇪 on the Duolingo app, and it would have been cool to practice some German conversations with her.

“Ich lerne Deutsch zu sprechen.”

“Hallo, Oma. Ich habe einen Apfelkuchen für uns zum Essen gemacht.”

“Ich würde gerne lernen, wie man Lebkuchen macht.”

As for this blog, she’d have been proud to know that I stayed with it as I approach the big milestone!

Today marks my 100th blog post on Stylish. That’s nothing new for me, but the countdown is officially on. That is, the countdown to my thousandth blog post. The milestone shall be set sometime before the end of the month.

This blog posts looks back on when it started. It’ll highlight some of the events that took place during that time. Finally, I’ll talk about my plans going forward once I post the big one.

I started to post regularly in November of 2019. It was in a hotel room on an overnight trip for my old job where I began posting regularly. I launched my current platform on New Year’s Eve and spun off a few blog posts from my original site (The Slippery Rock Toastmaster). It was a nice name but a little dated as I’d been out of college for a long time by this point. The blog underwent several name changes before I settled on Stylish.

The blog started off big in 2020 before life happened. I think you know what went down that Spring. I posted an entry every day in January and February. That number drastically came down in March but by about half. The lockdown and the pandemic eventually caught up to me. The adrenaline high that I was on wore off and I came crashing down as 2020 went on. I was getting used to the new normal in my workplace, in Toastmasters, and in life.

The next year brought with it some crazy events in my life. None moreso than the health scare I had just before Easter. It was one of many changes I dealt with that year, ending with me getting a new job close to home. I’ve talked about the events of this year so many times that they don’t need mentioning anymore. That Fall was the end of an era as I left WIS after 13 years.

2021 ended with me posting my 300th blog that Christmas Eve.

I posted a lot less in 2022, mainly because I didn’t have a better way of posting blogs. I didn’t want to wear out my phone and was in the market for a laptop. Thankfully my Allentown cousins learned of my plight and that Christmas I was gifted with a used laptop. To reward them, I gave them a Starbucks gift card with Chick-Fil-A for the boys. Even though I didn’t write as much, my mood improved as the year went on. I was getting used to Giant Eagle and I even got my first paid week off during the holidays.

That year was the start of the Children’s Hospital Era for the Somerset Gaffrons. We became familiar with the place as we were visiting quite often in the Summer of 2022 and most of 2023 and part of 2024. It was a new normal we had to get accustomed to but there was a nice Starbucks at the hospital so I got my coffee fix.

Content was small in the spring and I had a fixed amount through November. I hit 500 blogs in November and celebrated by talking about the recent Friendsgiving event I went to in the South Side.

Those early years of the blog coincided with the pandemic and getting used to terms like social distancing and having to wear masks. I recently got my Distinguished Toastmaster and wasn’t able to celebrate as the conference fell victim to the world shutting down. I was reluctant to do meetings online, though I did get the hang of zoom once I had my laptop. I just needed a webcam.

2024 was the breakout year for the blog. There were months when I posted 20 or more days. I ended the year with exactly 200 blog posts. That year is known for President Biden stepping down and his vice president was the one who would be running that Fall. I was so happy to vote for Kamala Harris. If you read that and want to unsubscribe from my blog, that’s fine. Of course the election didn’t go the way I wanted.

I was bent but certainly not broken. I spent that Friday after the election in Monroeville. I had my Gobblerito at Mad Max, checked out the Christmas trees at Michaels, and even went to Gabe’s to see what deals I could get. This busy season would eventually catch up to me in 2025 as I posted a little less. Still, I posted more than I have.

With the milestone blog post coming before the end of the month, it’s time to make a name change. I still have an amazing sense of style, but the journey has stalled. I have decided to touch it up by calling my blog and Instagram “James The Lifestyle Writer”.

It brings together a couple of the things I like to write and talk about. I’m excited to write about my upcoming Cape May trip and to share some of the best parts of my vacation.

Monday morning marked a major milestone for me. One of two that I’ll be celebrating as Summer turns to Fall. It’s a good skill to have if you plan to study abroad, visit a new country, or want to advance in your professional life.

I discovered Duolingo back in 2018 but it didn’t quite stick with me. I went back to it to a few years later and got hooked. Four and a half years later, I feel it’s been a good investment of my time and money.

I began with Spanish as my primary language, before moving on to French, Italian, and German. I’ve experimented with other languages like Norwegian, Swedish, and maybe one of these days, I’ll attempt Finnish. Duolingo eventually came out with Chess and Music and so I worked on those. The Math option has been a nice refresher for me. It’s not just for kids and youth, but those who need to get better at all types of math.

In 2022, when the Somerset Gaffrons were in their Children’s Hospital era, we visited them a few times. My mother isn’t a parkway driver, therefore we drove through East Liberty to get to the hospital. Duolingo calls Pittsburgh home and their corporate headquarters are on Penn Avenue. I thought that it was cool to see the Duolingo owl 🦉 as we came through town. Even cooler is the Duo’s Tacqieria restaurant where you can order in Spanish. Great way to enhance your skills.

The app has made many changes and they’ve been met with mixed reviews. AI is at the top of the list when it comes to why people dropped Duolingo. It had a different look when I began to use it, and I’ve embraced some of the changes. But it still remains one of the most inexpensive ways to learn a foreign language.

August is down to its final days. Kids are officially back in school with the exception of a few school districts. Pumpkin season is officially starting for me, even if the temperature is forecast to be 91 degrees on Tuesday.

Fall will be here in a few weeks, and in Toastmasters we are in the throes of contest season. September 26 is the Area 62 contest which will consist of representatives from Laurel Highlands, Western Maryland, Country Roads, and Elegant Speakers and Listeners (ESL). The event will take place in Morgantown.

College football kicked off this weekend, but the big games begin this coming weekend. While my love of the game has waned a little bit, I still enjoy spending a Saturday watching the top teams go at it. The 2026 NFL Season starts in just over a week with the Super Bowl 60 rematch featuring the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks. The Pittsburgh Steelers open up at home in two weeks against the Atlanta Falcons. Mike McCarthy makes his coaching debut for the hometown team.

The top four teams in College Football include Georgia and Texas, as well as Ohio State and Oregon. Does Indiana repeat as national champions? We’ll see what happens as the season gets underway, especially once conference play begins.

In the NFL, does Patrick Mahomes bounce back from injury to make the Chiefs a Super Bowl contender once again. Is Josh Allen’s Super Bowl window closing? Is this really Aaron Rodgers’ last season? My favorite to win it all are the Los Angeles Rams, who just got Aaron Donald back from retirement. That defense could be tough with him and Garrett in the front seven.

New season premieres of my shows include The Office spinoff, “The Paper” which enters its second season. I finally watched an entire season of the Great British Baking Show (replacing Halloween Baking Championship) and was much more impressed. It was bittersweet though as judge Prue Leith announced her retirement. Understandable though. I’m interested to see how Nigella does in her first season working with Paul Hollywood.

The Paper’s second season starts on September 9 on Peacock and, it’s unsure when The Great British Baking Show will begin. But regardless, the hosts and judges always make the experience fun.

It’s unclear if I will watch “Holiday Baking Championship” this season, if it does come back. More than likely, yes, and it will be my sixth year watching it. The series airs on Food Network and can also be viewed on HBO Max.

My new romance novel I’ve had my eye since the Spring is coming out next Tuesday. This is from the same author who wrote “If It Makes You Happy”. That book was set in the 90’s and gave off serious Gilmore Girls vibes. I had fun reading that on my trips to Cutie’s and in Ligonier. “Love Never Felt Like This” will be going to Cape May with me this October.

As I finish Tony Evans’ book this week, I’ll look forward to future reads I’m interested in by this author. I will begin to read the Steven Curtis Chapman book I picked up at Majesty earlier this year, my third from the recording artist. It’s a book centered around family and marriage and how to deal with the good days and bad.

2026 may have sucked for most people, but for me it may be the year of the comeback. I’ve been studying the Bible regularly since May, beginning in Proverbs and going through the Gospels. I’ve contemplated going back to church but it hasn’t really worked due to my schedule and shattered confidence. For the record I’ve gone back sporadically and have thought about it since my first days at Giant Eagle.

In addition to the two books I mentioned, I’m also going to do a 40 day prayer journey this Fall using Matthew West’s book. This should be enriching for me and I’m excited to see how much I grow in this aspect.

Finally, coffee shop visits are lined up for September. I got my taste of Fall on Saturday at Cutie’s with the Cinnamon Roll Latte. At Caleese on Friday, I might get their Maple Bun Latte. I’ll have company that morning as I’m going to meet Mr. Clougherty. Now that he’s retired, he has more time for things like meeting up for coffee. I’ll make plenty of Cutie’s visits and, take a trip to Ligonier.

Abigail’s is jumping on the Gilmore Girls bandwagon this Fall with their new menu. I can’t wait to take a trip to my little Stars Hollow and try one of their featured drinks. I may have to bring a book (just like Rory), enjoy my coffee, and sit in the Diamond watching the world go by. Hoping for a cool day soon so it really feels like Fall.

Cutie’s visits will dominate most of my coffee landscape this Fall. Last Christmas, I made 11 visits to get my holiday coffee fix. Déjà vu all over again?

Most likely.

Well it’s a season wrap for the latest season of King of the Hill on Hulu/Disney+. I wasn’t sure how the first rebooted season would have gone but it grew on me. The loss of voice actors over the years might have had an effect on how good the show was going to be. Season two (or the fifteenth season) had much better storylines and a few them revolving around Bobby and his restaurant.

I’m impressed with how much his character has developed in the reboot. Plus I’m a big fan of restaurants like Robota Chane. Bobby would fit in perfectly at EDO Hibachi or Mister Tokyo. I loved his gender fluidity in the original but I also enjoy this grown up Bobby who’s living his dream. Still though, “That Boy Ain’t Right” and “That’s My Purse” will always be iconic lines from the show.

Seeing Buck and the Strickland Propane guys in the season finale was a nice ode to the original series. I’m not going to give out spoilers so don’t worry. Hank can be a square but he usually comes to accept change and does the right thing in the end. I want to see more of Joe Jack and Enrique in the next season.

Propane and Propane Accessories is the way to go, and Butane is a bastard gas.

Last week was a perfect week for me. How was it perfect exactly?

I closed every ring on my Apple Watch. This is a feat I’ve never accomplished before. I closed the Move ring every day and once in a while the Stand ring. That is, when I remember to change the goals around. For the first time in six years of using this Apple Watch, I finally have a week where I’ve closed the Exercise ring every day. A perfect 21. Blackjack! It shows how much I’ve made up for it in my Fitness journey in 2026.

After getting that off my chest, I’ve been happy to regress a little bit this week. Instead of closing the rings 21 times, I’m shooting for 14 or 15. That should also be easy to reach. There is an opportunity for another perfect week coming up though. This coming week leading up to the holiday should see me close all the rings once again. I’m determined to achieve it.

With the heat and humidity ramping up this week, I’ll have to adjust my times getting outside. Plus, I’ll have to take advantage of the time in the pool. This may be the last stand for the summer. The universe is throwing me some rope to make up for this summer that supposedly wasn’t. I’ll be at the gym as well enjoying the air conditioning as I do my cardio and strength training.

Cutie’s Coffee debuted their Fall menu on Saturday morning. I was sleeping so I missed the morning market that comes with the beginning of the new menu. I stopped in for my mid afternoon coffee as I usually do, so I missed the crowd. The Cinnamon Roll Latte was getting my attention, so I ordered that. Pumpkin Spice is knocking at the door and I’m holding off until the first few days of Fall. I’ll be opening my bagged coffee soon (once we have room for it in the container). I read a new chapter in “Three Shades of Blue” and enjoyed the nice late Summer day.

After finishing my coffee, I took a walk up the hill to the hospital. They’ve been hard at work making the changes as the merger is almost final. The signs are there that this is really happening. Latrobe and Frick are also seeing the changes too, and I’m sure Butler and Clarion will too if not already.

The weather is trending warm but dry for Cutie’s Bible Study Monday night. After cancelling a few times this year due to the weather it’ll be nice to have it. I’ve been reading my Bible regularly since May and always attend the meetings but something’s been missing. That would be having a church home. I’ve sporadically attended other houses of worship since leaving my church home five years ago (just before I left WIS to work at Giant Eagle). Nothing has really stuck for me. I needed a break and have taken suggestions from others on where to go. As I make my way back to regular church attendance, I’m feeling a little more confident.

Coming up:

Where my travels take me for coffee. I’m trending more Cuties visits for Fall.

Looking ahead to September.

A best of 1000 as the countdown truly begins.