Judging by the weather forecast on Thursday, it’s apparent that winter has arrived in the Ohio Valley. If you were watching the game on Thursday night, how about that snow that fell during the game. It reminded me of the blizzard that hit Philadelphia during the game in 2013 against Detroit. Your opinion on the snow and whether NFL teams need to play in domed stadiums may differ. However, the weather couldn’t have been more perfect for a game between two hated rivals in two cities two and a half hours apart.

At home, we didn’t see too much snow Thursday night, but enough to leave its mark as we spent part of Friday morning brushing off our cars. Schools weren’t cancelled in our area, but just a few miles east, Mount Pleasant and Ligonier did not have school. Somerset was in the same boat as well. These places got a lot more snow and driving conditions worsened the further east you were. Cleveland’s snowstorm Thursday night turned into a rain event Friday. While the ridges and the Laurel Highlands got annihilated. I had to brush off my car Friday morning as I made my way to Somerset en route to Hershey. My usual route on PA 31 through Mount Pleasant and Donegal was going to be out of the question. If you were going skiing this weekend at Hidden Valley or Seven Springs and leaving Friday, best to exercise caution getting there.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike was my best bet to getting to Somerset. New Stanton and Donegal weren’t too bad, though Somerset was a little more tricky. The ridges of Westmoreland and Fayette, as well as Somerset, Cambria, and Garrett County (Maryland) had a Winter Storm Warning in effect. Grantsville and Accident in Maryland got the most from this storm with both towns getting over a foot of snow. Ligonier got over five inches, Greensburg came in at four inches and Pittsburgh recorded a few tenths of an inch. That snow occurred during the day and has melted by now.

I got to my destination between 12:30 and 1:00. We loaded the car and were on our way soon after. The snow tapered off around Bedford and picked back up in Breezewood. We were still experiencing rain and snow in the Southern Alleghenies going towards the Cumberland Valley, but soon after we got off the turnpike and then we arrived at our destination.

Yesterday, Mom and Dad began the process of getting the Christmas decorations out of the attic. We won’t put anything up at the earliest until Black Friday. Though, Dad may want to spend some time this weekend or early next week putting up Christmas Lights and decorations. This is all dependent on what the weather does next week. At least we’re ready to decorate the house next weekend. When I get home Sunday, I might even be up for a Christmas movie or special. This coming Christmas Eve may be one to look forward to with company coming. It might be our biggest celebration we’ve had in a while.

After two mild, yet rainy, days to start off the workweek, our weather changed drastically on Wednesday. We started out the day warm, and then temperatures fell. We went from 60s and showers and thunderstorms, to 30s and a brisk wind. It was a crazy weather day that saw tornadoes and severe weather, and a little snow to follow. 

Wednesday night I had my Greensburg Toastmasters meeting. We had a small turnout with only four people in attendance as other members were busy. But, we made it work. Luckily, I was ready to give my speech which was about celebrating five years of my blog. I talked about the history of my blog and my milestones which I was about to achieve. In my evaluation, one of the suggestions was to highlight some of those blog posts I really liked. So, I’m going to do that on December 4 when I give this speech again. Our Club President served as Table Topics Master and came up with Table Topic Questions on the fly. The questions centered around the word “fly”. Our general evaluator had a lot of good to say about our short but sweet meeting and praised me for my speech about my blog. I sent the agenda in advance due to the concert at the Palace Theatre so people can make arrangements to park somewhere else. Maybe getting it out early is also helpful in getting more guests to come as well. 

A new club is coming to District 13 very soon, and that is the Mounties Club. This is a club that will meet at Mount Aloysius College in Cresson. One of my RA’s at HGA attended college there and got his undergrad. I’m not sure if this club is closed to Mount Aloysius students and staff or open to anyone. Still, a nice addition to our District!

Finally, Christmas music is taking over as Pittsburgh’s WISH 99.7 (WSSH) is all-Christmas music. 3WS (WWSW, 94.5) should be flipping over soon, if not yet. I enjoyed Michael Buble’s Christmas album the other day from beginning to end, including “It’s Beginning To Look a Lot like Christmas”. I will be playing more holiday music this weekend all the way up to December 25. 

On Monday’s Holiday Bakjng Championship, the first half of the snow centered around Friendsgiving. The bakers made dishes to take to a Friendsgiving party at someone’s home or apartment. Watching this brought me back to a few years when I attended my first Friendsgiving party in 2021. My “sister” had planned an event the Saturday before Thanksgiving and invited me. A few years later she invited me again. Both times I enjoyed myself and I ate good.

For the first Friendsgiving in 2021, I brought pumpkin bread for everyone to enjoy. It was a vegetarian Friendsgiving as my “sister” didn’t eat meat. But I had a great time. We ate a lot of greens, in addition to great desserts. Even though my other sister took home her pie and we didn’t get to try any of it. We played Cards Against Humanity and even though Sara and I lost, it was still fun. We took pictures on her deck with everyone there. The night ended with a walk to the Johnstown Incline. Leaving that night to go home was hard, because my chosen family gets me. I was experimenting with different styles and was early in my journey. I was also in transition as I left my longtime position at WIS a few days earlier and would be starting at Giant Eagle very soon. We were still in that pandemic season with another variant soon to be discovered that would affect our holiday plans.

In 2022, we didn’t get together for Friendsgiving. I wouldn’t be able to do so anyways because of work but I had planned to FaceTime during the dinner. Turned out no one was available this year so she ended up cancelling it. At home, it was a great holiday (for me, at least) as we got past the two Covid-ravaged holidays, determined to have a great Christmas. The plan was to go to Aunt Sue’s but because we were unsure about Benny’s health, as a precaution Mom had it at her house. I made the most of the changes and had a great Thanksgiving at home. Dad and Uncle Bob enjoyed some football, and I enjoyed eating turkey and sides with Olivia, Benny, and Aunt Sue. The next day we got out Christmas decorations and I introduced myself to A Christmas Story Christmas, the sequel to the 1983 movie. It was a hit.

A year later, Sara messaged me on Instagram and announced another Friendsgiving was happening. My schedule allowed me to attend, so I was excited to go to it and get together with her and her friends. I purchased a cutting board at JCPenney a week before, and a charcuterie kit at Giant Eagle. I found her place with no problem and experience the lights of the South Side. I got a nice introduction to everyone whom I hadn’t met and remembered a few faces. I knew some of the guests from Greensburg Alliance Church when they were in youth group. This ended up being my 500th blog post last year, and I wanted to save the best blog post for the milestone event.

The Steelers win and the Chiefs lose, making for a great weekend of football. Light-Up Night in downtown Pittsburgh will have a festive feel to it. If you’re going down there Saturday night, bundle up. It’s uncertain how much snow we’ll see later this week, but my trip to Somerset en route to Hershey could be a little bit white.

If you’re a old school Dolphins fan, you were really celebrating Sunday when Buffalo beat Kansas City to hand the Chiefs their first loss. Old players from the ‘72 Dolphins popped their champagne, meaning the undefeated Dolphins season stays intact. If you’re a fan of any other NFL team not named the Chiefs, you also celebrated too because it means this team is beatable and it’s been showing for a while. Shades of so many years ago when it felt good to beat Bill Belichick, Tom Brady, and the evil New England Patriots empire.

This NFL rivalry weekend was a great one. Whether it was Steelers and Ravens, Packers and Bears, or even Bills and Chiefs, you were in for a great game. The Steelers won their game on a missed two point conversion that would have tied it. Chris Boswell was money with six field goals. Green Bay won on a blocked field goal at Chicago, thus continuing their dominance of their longtime rivals. The Buffalo Bills got a great game from Josh Allen to hand the Kansas City Chiefs their first loss of the season.

Thursday night, the Commanders and Eagles game looked like a defensive struggle until the home team poured it on in the final quarter to seal the victory. As the Eagles are rolling, so are the Steelers at 8-2. We’ll see what the rest of the year holds leading up to a possible marquee matchup in mid-December. That game and the Bills vs. Lions in Detroit look like Super Bowl previews. But anything can happen between now and then.

In the weather department, we are heading into a very unsettled weather pattern this week. While it may be in the mid-60’s through Wednesday, don’t be fooled because of the rain that is accompanying the mild weather. It’s going to feel festive by the weekend as we see our first snow flurries of the season by Thursday. Bundle up if you’re planning to go to Light-Up Night in downtown Pittsburgh.

If you’re in the Laurel Highlands, you may see some higher accumulations on the order of 3-6″ and even higher in Garrett County (Maryland). I was expecting some snow as I make the drive from my home to Somerset en route to Hershey on Friday afternoon. But I hope it’s still safe to drive and that the worst is over by then. We should be fine over the weekend at our destination; but, the reality is that winter is coming.

This past weekend I continued my sampling of delicious fall features. Thanksgiving and Christmas came together on this seasonal mid-November weekend as I enjoyed the holiday coffee at Cuties. Also, I’m still not sure what the #1 turkey sandwich or feature will end up being.

Friday, I stopped at Cutie’s as I had the Peppermint White Mocha Pretzel Latte. It was a drizzly, dreary, dull Friday afternoon but I was feeling in the holiday spirit. I braved the rain and drove downtown. Hey, I’m more comfortable now with street parking. While there, I got some pictures of the Christmas tree and of course the window that is looking all festive. There’s just something about cooler weather and coffee that feels so right. That evening, my aunt came down for her Friday visit and we did some planning for our upcoming Hershey adventure later this week.

I went out Saturday night and had dinner at Primanti’s, eager to have their Primanturkey Sandwich. It was a nice night to be out and about. The Penn State game was on CBS and they maintained their #4 ranking in the polls after blowing out Purdue. Let’s do a review of dinner. Service was good. Busy for a Saturday night. I was seated quickly and got my order taken as soon as possible. I got the Pina Colada Duck drink. As our weather pattern becomes more unsettled, this drink had a nice taste of summer to it. Perhaps I shouldn’t have wished the hot summer to go by so quick. I was happy with my sandwich. It’s going to be hard to vote for the best one as the Pilgrim was better this year. I’m going to try a Dangeruss next time, likely the week I’m off for vacation.

Overall the experience was good and I give it an A.

After I finished my sandwich, I ventured out to the mall to see it in all its glory for Christmas. Light up night was last Friday and now it’s very festive inside. Check out this display near the casino as well as the Christmas tree where the train goes around.

If I felt up to it when I returned home, I would have even watched a Christmas movie.

Sunday, I returned to Cutie’s and ordered a Frosted Gingerbread Latte. I got my drink and went home so I could show my mother the little cookie that came on top of my iced coffee. Yes, I got both of these drinks iced. Friday’s Peppermint White Mocha Pretzel drink came with a white chocolate pretzel garnish. Both coffees tasted good and were crafted very well. Greensburg has the best coffee shops and Cutie’s has the cutest coffee flights. It’s Harry Potter and Cindy Lou Who season if you want to try one.

Overall, these fall and holiday tours are a win-win.

This time of year reminds me of a few years ago, as one of the longtime eras of my life was soon coming to an end. Changes occurred in the fall when my former employer merged with its competitor. After much speculation, I learned of my assignment. Despite an attempt to embrace change, things weren’t going to work in my favor.

At the end of October, we celebrated our last day as office 3609. Halloween, a new era would begin. We became a new office and I had to learn a whole new machine. I promised myself I’d try and make it work. At the same time though, I was spent and that week I began to apply at other companies.

The first few days were RGIS stores and the hours once again were inconsistent. 5-6 my first day, two my second day, another five or six a few days later. At least I ended my first week with people I was familiar with as well as a store I knew like the back of my hand. The first morning was the hardest but it passed pretty quickly. My best day was a CVS out in the North Hills. Some of our Rite Aids we trained people from RGIS so they got done fast. My days were soon to be numbered.

I applied at Giant Eagle and Goodwill, and thought about Target and Walmart if those first two didn’t work out. I also planned on looking into the hospitals (Excela and AHN) if retail didn’t pan out. I got called to do job interviews at the first two, and did an online interview with a recruiter. I went in person to Goodwill in North Versailles. If I had gotten hired there, I’d be working in Lawrenceville now. I got the call from Giant Eagle a week before Thanksgiving while on the road and I accepted the job. Next week will be my three year anniversary with Giant Eagle.

My last weeks at WIS, besides interviewing and applying for jobs, saw me attend a Cranberry High Noon Toastmasters meeting and have lunch with friends. I also attended a red carpet event for a new Toastmasters club in Connellsville which I actually joined a few months later. I also planned for a Friendsgiving event at my (non-blood) sister’s place in Johnstown. I also looked ahead to the future and whatever may happen. I was down to my last five stores and they were all Rite Aids, which I’d done for many years.

Those Rite Aids flew by and pretty soon, though it was unofficial, I’d be working at my last inventory that Wednesday a week before Thanksgiving. It was an easy day as most had been lately. I worked with a great crew and looked ahead to working at either Giant Eagle or Goodwill. I did my last tag, wished my crew the best, and left before Noon that day. That drive down I-376 past Robinson and all the stores I’d counted for so many years felt so bittersweet. It was truly the end of an era.

I was in my Friendsgiving Era that Saturday with my adopted sisters. We had fun. We did each other’s makeup (a precursor to Sara’s next job at Sephora). We played Cards against Humanity. We ate my pumpkin bread that I made. It hurt me to leave that night because my fashionable sister understands me.

I cleaned myself up and went to orientation Monday at Giant Eagle where I signed papers. The day after Thanksgiving I did training and got my schedule for my first week of work. As I got home from training on Black Friday, my parents were getting ready to decorate the house for Christmas.

A new era was about to begin and it would be one where I’d be close to home.

It’s November and that means that top ten posts will be coming to the blog very soon. I just thought that I would get the word out as that means we’re nearing the end of the year, and I’ll be counting down some of the events in my life that made news in 2024. Milestones included as you will see in these next few weeks.

The Stylish Top Ten Countdown begins December 9 and the number one event of 2024 will be unveiled on December 20. That latter date is likely to be on the eve of one of my milestones for this platform.

On Wednesday, I continued with my viewing of the Holiday Baking Championship and like the first show, this one also impressed. With so many contestants, it was on for over an hour (1 hour and 24 minutes to be exact). Next week shouldn’t be as long (42 minutes). Mom and I watch it on the Roku Tuesday or Wednesday night. Reasons being due to my work schedule and depending on when I have meetings.

The first part of show was all about the kids’ table and making an over-the-top dessert. The key was to make over-the-top cupcakes. The show has three judges who try the food and give their review. This episode had some youth helping, as in two from the kids’ baking circuit. Later on the bakers made Thanksgiving pies that were sure to be a hit after all that turkey and mashed potatoes. On this show I’ve picked up a lot of newer culinary terms that I didn’t know before. Also, the banter between Jesse and the bakers never fails to make me laugh. In addition to hosting Holiday Baking Championship and the Bachelor, he is also a football announcer for ESPN.

It’s a toss-up when you ask me about what my favorite pie is at Thanksgiving. We get ours from the Pie Shoppe in Laughlintown, about three miles east of Ligonier on US 30. In addition to pie, they also have amazing donuts as well. Anyway, my favorite flavor of pie is either cherry or peach. I’m warmed up to pumpkin pie a lot in the last few years as I’ve also fallen in love with pumpkin spice every autumn. A slice of pumpkin cheesecake from Eat’n Park would hit the spot too.

I was going to go to Cutie’s today but I moved that to tomorrow because of the weather. So it’ll become a weekend of Christmas coffee and turkey sandwiches. Two holidays collide this weekend and it will be on the blog so stay tuned for that.

Tomorrow is also the last blog in the Eras series as I chronicle the last days of my WIS era (once again) and transition over to Giant Eagle.

Tuesday night, I went to my Laurel Highlands Toastmasters meeting. It was a small turnout with only four of us there but still a good meeting. Our last meeting three weeks ago had three and was held virtually on Zoom. I was the jokemaster and told some funny Thanksgiving jokes. Sharon gave a speech on the importance of relationships as the holidays approach. Gary doubled up as Table Topics Master and General Evaluator. His Table Topics questions had him asking us what we are thankful for. We started a little bit late due to some technology issues but wrapped up early at around 7: 10 pm. Our next two meetings will be set up as an open house and there will be food as well since we’re going to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas. These are our last two meetings of the year since the fourth Tuesday in December is Christmas Eve. I’ll be doing a press release for the two meetings soon and promoting them on social media (Facebook) as well.

I’ll be presenting a speech at Greensburg Toastmasters the next two meetings. It’s an evaluation and feedback project in the Presentation Mastery path. What I’ll pick up from my evaluation Wednesday night I’ll use in two weeks. I may give this same speech at Laurel Highlands and use some of that feedback for my speech on December 4 at Greensburg. My speech is going to be titled “Five Years and Writing”, celebrating the birthday of my blog. As I approach a new milestone, I may most likely change the title to reflect that achievement.

Recently, as in early this morning, I discovered a new page on Instagram called @pacoffeehoppers. They’re two PA coffee enthusiasts who travel around in search of great little cafes and not just limited to Pennsylvania. They also posted from Connecticut as well. Coffee and Connecticut make me feel some serious Gilmore Girls vibes. The girls have been to all the local coffee shops in Greensburg as well as Irwin. I’ve picked up on other cafes in the state just by looking at their page. I even suggested a few places for them to try (Abigail’s in Ligonier and Silver Horse Coffee in Donegal). If I’m lucky, maybe I’ll find a good coffee shop next weekend in Hershey.