Time for a short but sweet,news and notes, bonus blog post.
I ordered some new summer attire from Old Navy this month, including a few pairs of shorts. All of my shorts and pants fit. Perfect for a coffee date with yourself or someone. I broke in my new chino pants last Tuesday when I went to Cutie’s and again for my Laurel Highlands Toastmasters meeting this past Tuesday. I also modeled an outfit I want to wear for Saturday night’s dinner.
A warmup is coming this week as we see temperatures in the 80s to start the workweek. A great time to break in the new shorts. More seasonal weather returns for the start of next weekend but even with rain, it shouldn’t be a washout. The countdown is officially on for this weekend’s conference. It’s Derby Day so maybe I’ll get a mint julep at the bar.
Johnstown Toastmasters celebrated its 70th anniversary on Tuesday with a special dinner at Hoss’s Steak and Sea House on Theatre Drive in Richland Township. Many Toastmasters from other clubs attended as well as the County Commissioner. I zoomed the meeting before and got to hear about some of the planning. I wish I would have attended this one instead (likely on Zoom) because it looked like a lot of fun.
Dubois has a Toastmasters club again. The original club suspended operations in the early 2010s but has been reborn. They meet at Penn State DuBois on the first and third Wednesday. I might attend online before my Greensburg meeting (if we’re remote), as the new club meets at 5:00pm.
Check back tomorrow for my look ahead to May when I preview the conference and what else is going on.
Today is the final blog post I’ll contribute to the 2020 (or Pandemic or whatever name fits) series. Like that year itself, writing about 2020 could be as excruciatingly painful as it was to sit through. So the question remains. Why did I write about this lost year if for most people and myself it wasn’t worth reliving?
There’s no real clear cut answer to that question but here goes nothing.
Well, for me, the year before had its moments of sadness and tragedy. But, it also had its good moments. In Toastmasters, we had a great contest season and Spring conference and, our district was growing. I was finally enjoying my job after a decade there with friendships being built and an innocent crush toward the end of the year. That helped change the course of my life. We all had high hopes going into the next year, unaware of what lay ahead in March.
We learned a lot of new household terms that stay with us to this day. We fought politically over how the virus should have been handled, and whether or not the lockdowns should have happened. We rioted in the streets over a black man from Minneapolis getting killed. There were many things to take away from 2020, for all the wrong reasons.
There’s no 2020 left for me to discuss, as I already covered the holidays. Nationally, the beginning of the next year brought chaos in Washington DC when the Capitol was raided by a group of crazy people who felt they were cheated. For me, 2021 was the end of the era for me in so many ways. It brought a change in how I took care of myself. I turned over a new decade. Also, I left a place of employment that I had been at for over a decade. I already discussed these previously and you can scroll through the archives to learn more.
My life has changed for the better now that I’m working close to home and not putting as many miles on my vehicle to go to work. I miss the friendships made at my old job but not the travel. Next week when I go to Spring Conference will be one of the rare occurrences when I’ve traveled long distance in the post-WIS era. I remember when it used to be a regular thing to do to Washington or Johnstown.
These days long distance to me is driving to Pittsburgh or Ligonier, trips that were considered close to home for me about five years ago.
I don’t always post sports blogs on this platform. In fact, I hardly ever do. The reason being is that there are plenty of sports bloggers who do a far better job than I do it plus, I don’t have the time to research the topic. If I maintained this blog fifteen years ago, it might have been a weather or media blog. But, this is 2024, and I am aspiring to make this blog what it is (one that centers around food, fitness, and fashion). I haven’t gotten there yet, but one day I will.
For now, today’s blog post is all about one of the best NFL drafts I got to witness, and that is the 2004 NFL Draft. Now most longtime fans will argue that 1983 was the best quarterback draft of all time. Understandable as it produced three Hall of Fame passers in John Elway, Jim Kelly, and Dan Marino. Two of those quarterbacks hailed from western Pennsylvania.
Three quarterbacks went early in the first round of the 2004 draft and all three would go on to have stellar careers with great numbers. One would play in the shadow of his big brother. The first two quarterbacks to get drafted swapped teams. My hometown team picked 11th and drafted a 6’5″ quarterback with a good arm out of Miami of Ohio. These three quarterbacks would win four Super Bowls between them from 2005 to 2011.
I was in my first year at Slippery Rock University, just about to finish up the Spring semester. That first year was a learning experience for me and I realized that I shouldn’t have taken my final year in Johnstown for granted. One of the kids on my floor in my residence hall was a big fan of the NFL. That last Saturday in April, I was in the basement lounge watching the draft on ESPN. The Chargers picked first and selected Eli Manning out of Ole Miss while the Giants picked fourth and drafted Philip Rivers out of North Carolina State. The rest is history.
Between the two quarterbacks, the Arizona Cardinals picked up a wide receiver out of Pitt named Larry Fitzgerald. He’d go on to have a good career in the desert. Just before the Steelers drafted Big Ben at #11, the Texans at #10 selected a cornerback whom Rocco and I thought had a funny sounding name. The cornerback’s name? Dunta Robinson, out of South Carolina.
A lot of Miami Hurricane players went early in the first round, including those who started on the 2001 National Championship team. Sad that Sean Taylor (5th pick, Washington Redskins) didn’t play long though, Lord rest his soul. Vince Wilfork won a couple of Super Bowls with New England and was intimidating on that defensive line during their two decade dynasty.
That year, Eli Manning took over mid-season for Kurt Warner while Philip Rivers sat on the bench for the first of two seasons. Another potential HOF quarterback was leading the Chargers to a successful season. Ben Roethlisberger started early in the season and led the Steelers to thirteen consecutive regular season wins. The team went four months without losing a game, finally falling to the eventual Super Bowl champion New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game on January 23.
As I close off the blog, I will say that the 1974 draft was one of the best (for Pittsburgh) as the draft picks helped them win four Super Bowls. While 1983 and 2004 were the best quarterback drafts, 1999 and 2021 were the worst as draft picks were wasted on passers who fizzled out or who got traded. 2022 is getting there as one of the worst too.
Maybe one of those top 2021 picks might just be the answer in Pittsburgh, though. Anything better than the first round pick of 2022. At least they picked a winner in Big Ben 20 years ago today.
I was inspired to do this blog post after seeing a friend share this. Her late husband had kept this wrapped in plastic in a dresser drawer. My take on it is that if you want to be treated well, just remember how your actions towards other people go. Your actions always have a way of coming back to you. Some of these also relate to my own personal journey.
Throughout my journey, I’ve felt criticism, and worried about ridicule and shame. Therefore, I’ve felt condemnation, shyness, and guilt in return. However, I’ve had those who support me say what an inspiration I’ve been to them and to other people. But, I’ve also felt the need to hide myself to avoid confrontation, thus bringing timidity and, in the past, leaving myself with a bad feeling. In the past few months though, I’ve begun to overcome some of these bad feelings and show my true self and my style. The end result is I don’t care what people think anyways. I’m not degrading myself.
I’ve leaned to social media for approval and don’t always get it, thus feeling discouraged. However, I’m learning to give myself approval, but it is nice to hear compliments once in a while just to make sure I’m not crazy. I’ve begun to clear the most difficult hurdle, and that’s learning to like myself. Not everyone is going to accept me for who I am, but if I like something, that’s all that matters.
It’s easy to walk away from something when someone makes you feel discouraged, but it takes real courage to keep doing it after they hurt you. Don’t let your harshest critics win.
This weekend has come to an end and the workweek is ahead. For me, I had a rare weekend off with another one coming in a few weeks for my Spring Conference. That will be a long three day weekend which should be a fun and enriching time. We’ll also celebrate our new District Leaders and their new positions for the upcoming year.
I made my visit to Children’s on Saturday and visited Benny, who seems to be coming along very well. We walked around the block and I got to meet the nurses who have been taking good care of Benny during his most recent hospital stay. We had dinner in the cafeteria and then I took off for home around 6:30. Not much went on after I got home and I just took it easy the for the remainder of the evening.
My 2020 series wraps up this week and in a way, I am glad to finish it and leave it where it belongs. Writing about it mirrored my true feelings about 2020 itself. I wasn’t initially phased by the shutdowns and the restrictions in March and April. However, as the year went on, I began to crash emotionally and saw how bad things really were.
If it wasn’t worth remembering, why talk about it? Because I wanted to show how I was handling things differently than everyone else. I was still working even though our jobs were nonessential. My take on 2020 was a little more interesting because I followed local businesses, tried to figure out online meetings via Zoom, and made the best of things. We all had high hopes for the new year in January before it all went to hell. As the year came to an end, I could only hope for a better 2021.
Today was a lazy day and, aside from going to Children’s on Saturday, pretty much a lazy weekend. I watched Wonka on Max and was happy with it. I wasn’t sure what to expect but it was a very good prequel to the original film. The 1971 version of the movie is better than the 2005 version with Johnny Depp. I give it two thumbs up.
Later this week, I plan to watch Matilda: The Musical on Netflix.
I’m down to the last few chapters in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and have the next book ready to order on Amazon. I also have a timetable of when I will finish the series. I’m looking at being done by the first week of September. I will finish all the movies as well upon completion of the latest book. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is broken into two parts so that will be interesting. The series has shifted more towards the dark side compared to the peaceful beginning in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
This latest book has been a challenge, but I’m happy to finish what I started. Half-Blood Prince is big, but not like the last two. The last one will be just as heavy, but I’m ready for it.
The 2020 series continues and is nearing its conclusion as we enter the holiday season, and it is indeed a holiday season like no other. Due to the ongoing pandemic and rising COVID cases as Christmas is coming, it was increasingly obvious that most people would be encouraged to stay home. Since 2020 was a lost season, I’m going to be positive and talk about some of the fun things that I did over the holidays.
I took part in Small Business Saturday in the city of Greensburg. I got to participate in a scavenger hunt around town and got to learn more about the little businesses in the area.
I went to Ligonier plenty of times between Thanksgiving and Christmas. My favorite coffee shop on town had a “Twelve Coffees of Christmas” feature and the challenge was to order all twelve on the menu. I managed to drink half of them. Ligonier looks beautiful when it snows and I got to see the Diamond covered in white. One day, I had a local photographer take my picture in front of the gazebo. It was a Saturday just before the holidays and families were together having their Christmas pictures done in one of the most beautiful Hallmark Christmas towns ever.
I watched a virtual performance of the Nutcracker. Included were many Greensburg businesses, Fort Ligonier, and the Ligonier Diamond. The next day was our club officer training, also known as Winter TLI. It was a fun-filled day of learning and panel discussions on club experiences. That was led by our three Spirits of Toastmasters, one of them being me. In the evening, I had dinner at the Ligonier Tavern with my fashionable sister and her husband (whom I got to meet for the first time ever). It was fun just catching up with Sara as well as getting to know Rob. COVID was running rampant but I wasn’t letting that ruin my good time.
With in-person Toastmasters meetings out of the question, we made the most of the Zoom platform. I attended other club meetings like Penn Hills and South Hills. All Toastmasters meetings in our District were online and these included a few Christmas parties.
While there were many ways to have fun in this holiday season like no other, there was also pain to deal with. Time to get real about Christmas.
The surge in COVID cases around the holidays meant it wasn’t going to be a Merry Christmas for restaurants. Families wouldn’t be able to have big gatherings, either. For us, no problem. For others, it was going to be a big deal. Our next three Christmas Eve gatherings would be very small (not that they’ve ever been big) but by 2022, things were a little better for me in my journey.
It was a snowy December with three storms dropping significant snow at the beginning of the month, as well as the middle of the month. A third storm gave us our whitest Christmas I can remember. While it was a White Christmas, it wasn’t a happy one for me.
That Christmas was our last one at my Grandma’s house before my sister moved out and it got sold. I won’t get into detail about that Christmas out of respect for family but some things were said. I think part of it was the weather and part of it was also COVID. It wasn’t the best way to end the Christmas tradition of going there, even though my grandmother had passed away a year and a half earlier.
I wasn’t phased in March when everything shut down around the middle of the month. I enjoyed the time off from WIS and made the most of it by taking some trips to Ligonier, learning Zoom and doing my meetings online, and staying safe. Eventually, what goes around comes around and my spirit would soon become tested and eventually broken. The restrictions coming around Christmas as well as news about a friend of mine quitting his job on Christmas Eve really consumed me emotionally. By next year, the rebuilding was fully underway and I was in a new workplace.
2020 was a holiday season like no other and, unfortunately, not in a good way.
20 years ago this summer, Napoleon Dynamite premiered in theatres. Compared to other films that played that summer (The Terminal and I, Robot), this one was rather cheesy and likely wouldn’t get two stars, let alone three. Napoleon Dynamite is set in rural Idaho and eventually becomes a cult classic.
To those of us attending college at Slippery Rock University, it became an instant hit during the winter of 2005. Starring in the movie are Jon Heder as nerdy Napoleon, Jon Gries as Uncle Rico who lives life in the past, as well as Efren Ramirez who portrays exchange student Pedro and Tina Majorino who played the crafty Deb. Majorino was a successful child actor in the previous decade. Also in the film are Haylie Duff who portrayed Pedro’s crush Summer Wheatley, and Diedrich Bader who starred as the dojo owner and karate instructor.
The one liners from the movie instantly become household, like “VOTE FOR PEDRO!” and “Your Mom goes to College!”. I had a t-shirt with the former quote on it while I was at Slippery Rock. We fell in love with the movie and started acting out scenes from it in skits. At Spring Break while we were in Panama City Beach, on the last night before going home, we were surprised with a kind gesture related to the film. The gesture was seeing “VOTE FOR PEDRO” spelled out in tater tots with ketchup for dipping. Also included was a Napoleon Dynamite-themed poem.
In the Spring of 2005, I took a film analysis class to fill an elective towards graduation. I gave an oral report on Napoleon Dynamite and even got some great questions from the audience. My professor even admitted he saw the movie and enjoyed it, calling Uncle Rico his favorite character. People from my church even enjoyed the film.
Some years after the film came out, there was a Napoleon Dynamite festival in the town where the movie was shot. I’m sure it’s no longer going on but for a time, the little town of Preston in the southeast part of Idaho was put on the map. I looked up reviews for Preston High School on Google Maps and some of them mention the movie and how it made the school popular for a time.
The film came out in the summer of 2004, but it really feels like it was set in the mid-1980’s because of the soundtrack having a few hits from that decade. The area as I alluded to earlier, is very rural with a lot of cows and farms and mountains. While the plot is very cheesy (compared to action-packed or romantic), I do live for films like this. They may fly under the radar and may not be as hyped as other movies that came out that summer. However, it’s always fun to root for the underdog and, Napoleon is still a favorite of mine to this day.
If you’re hungry, go make yourself a dang quesadilla and watch this movie! Don’t forget to feel Tina the alpaca some ham, either!
Tonight’s blog is last minute, but I feel I had to share it like I do everything. Today marks two years of practicing a foreign language on the popular app known as Duolingo. Next Sunday, I’ll post my fashion blog and show off my new ‘fits. I’ll be using my Old Navy SuperCash tonight as it expires at Midnight.
It looks like my tribute blog for Gary (my friend from Slippery Rock who I attended church with when I was a student at SRU) got some great views today. I hope those of you who read it were really touched by what I posted. I’ll be posting some Slippery Rock pictures onto my frame very soon.
Without further ado, here’s a six pack of facts on my two years of bettering myself bilingually.
I joined Duolingo in 2018 but never stayed consistent with it until 2022. I noticed when you stop doing your lessons, Duo guilt trips you, even going so far as threatening to harm your loved ones. None of that is true but it is a hilarious running gag. It seems that green, lovable owl is passionate about you doing your Spanish lesson.
My cousins and friends also practice Duolingo, learning different languages. I’m able to compete against them in weekly quests for fun and to get credit towards the monthly quests. I’ve completed 25 monthly quests in my two years of DuoHood.
Duolingo’s headquarters is located in East Liberty. You can see it while driving down Penn Avenue. There’s also a Duo-themed cafe at the headquarters. It’s one of the highlights when I travel to Children’s to visit Benny.
The characters in Duolingo are all different races and species and have different traits and stereotypes. There are three LGBTQ characters, an introvert, and even a bear. The introvert even has her own plushie, as well as Duo.
The characters seem to have their own thing going on. The Mexican dude is always painting or drinking wine. The kid always tries to get out of a math test and is obsessed with frogs. The free spirit always seems to leave the keys to her motorcycle in the refrigerator and doesn’t hold down a job.
Duolingo has branched out into math and music, in addition to world languages. The math program is super easy but it’s an easy way to get some extra points. The music one is an acquired taste to me but eventually I will latch on to it.
Milestone update: I will reach 750 days by May 3 and 800 by June 22. That’s provided I don’t miss a day (which I never do). Another fun fact: these milestones fall on the days of upcoming Toastmasters functions in my District.
On this day 11 years ago I was en route to Slippery Rock to say my goodbyes to a great man. It was a special day but a bittersweet and emotional day. My friend and fellow church member Gary Wakefield a few weeks earlier had passed away. He was 68 years old. 2024 would have marked his 80th birthday.
I met Gary as well as the pastor of the Slippery Rock United Methodist Church at the university on one of my first days on campus. I was looking for a church home and after briefly talking to them, found my place of worship.
Gary always valued a firm handshake and I always gave him one when we saw each other at church. I always enjoyed his company and his love of Penn State and of course, his love for the Lord. He was also an excellent Sunday School teacher.
In addition to Sunday school, one of my favorite memories of Gary was when he and his wife, Sandy, opened their home to a group of us from Campus Crusade for Christ. It was Super Bowl Sunday and we all got together to watch the big game. Before that we prayed and had bible study. Later that same month, he and other church members were involved in starting up a contemporary worship service on Sunday mornings. This helped to reach the college crowd at church.
Friends and family gathered together at the church that Saturday morning to pay their final respects to a great man. After the memorial service, lunch was served downstairs in the Fellowship hall. As the luncheon came to an end and everyone began to make their way home, I stopped by my alma mater. I made it an opportunity to take a long, brisk walk around the campus.
In the time it took for me to stroll around the university, I started to let everything sink in once again. I remembered how much I enjoyed being there as a student. I took in the sights and sounds of a great school I once called home back in the mid-2000’s.
You see, for a long time, college to me was more than just a place to learn. It was also my safe space (long before what we call a safe space now). I wasn’t running from anybody, I was running from myself. That goes for my time at HGA as well.
When I graduated, it was like something was taken from me. We all have to eventually grow up and get a job and begin the next phase of our lives, but I wanted to stay. For years, I doubted myself after going there and having nothing come out of it (my initial thoughts during my first few years out of college). I settled for working at Kings and I could have made something out of that, but I wanted more. I felt entitled.
I wasn’t happy working at Kings even though I was getting hospitalization. I thought about going back to school for another degree, even for something not related to what I studied. I didn’t care how much time it took, nor how much debt I would once again accumulate.
Thankfully, that attitude has changed as I’ve gotten older and appreciate what Giant Eagle has done for me and the opportunities that are there for me. Now, I am grateful for the experiences I’ve had, as they’ve shaped who I am today.
Without my degrees or work history, do I still join Toastmasters? Do I start my blog? Do I begin my fashion journey, break stereotypes, and go against the status quo?
On my way home I stopped for dinner at Eat’n Park and immediately began to reminisce about my Park Diner days. It was my first job and it was the right job for me. I loved a lot of things about that place, including the jukebox and the theme that first summer. The paper hats? Not so much. I came home sore every day but I learned the value of hard work from being there.
It still took me a few more years to really let the past go, but for a short time, I was able to realize that I was meant to be where I was.
The 2020 series continues as we’re now officially into Fall and six months in since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Businesses have long since reopened but there are conditions and limitations and everything else to worry about. Now more than ever, it’s very imperative to invest in our communities and our small businesses which have been devastated by the pandemic.
I’ve begun the process of pouring my heart into local communities such as Greensburg, as well as Latrobe and Ligonier. A few small businesses I followed opened their doors just before or during the pandemic. Spring was an especially weird time and summer wasn’t much better. Who remembers all the phases of red, yellow, and green?
Despite all of the craziness that is going on in the world, Ligonier still held its annual Fort Ligonier Days celebration on Columbus Day weekend. I attended on the first day and visited a few of the local shops. Masks were most definitely a requirement. The Diamond was really packed. That night, I stopped in downtown Latrobe and checked out a Harry Potter-themed event.
That Fall I made it a habit to shop small and I spent a lot of that time at local gift shops. One of the shops in downtown Latrobe had its grand opening over Labor Day Weekend (it was broken down into four days from Wednesday to Saturday). I attended the event that Friday night, even though I was tired from spending most of the day in DuBois for work. I bought some things from the event that I still have to this day, one of them being a book on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. That Fall, I even bought a Hallmark Christmas Book filled with activities and interviews from actors who starred in many of the holiday movies.
The same place also had a Harry Potter themed gathering called the TriWizard event. It had a lot of cool Harry Potter merchandise (some of which I bought) and references to the movie such as Sirius Black and the Sorting Hat. I didn’t understand any of those things even though I was familiar with some of the characters like Harry, Ron, and Hagrid. Three years later, I would learn what all these things meant as I became a big fan of the series. In August, I began reading the books and earlier this year, watching the movies.
I’ve also bought various Gilmore Girls themed sweatshirts from there (the girl who owned the shop is a big fan of the show). I watched the series during COVID. The shop was called Masterspieces but sadly, it closed down in the Fall of 2021. However when one door closes, another door opens. Threadmasters is doing well.
My fashion journey had just begun, as I bought a bag and a couple of infinity scarves on Amazon. It would heat up as the calendar turned to 2021. I also got to know other bloggers and influncers, thus spending lots of time on Instagram that fall.
My initial feelings in March when everything shut down were no different than before. I thought I was going to be able to make the magic from the year before happening once again in 2020. Unfortunately, that just wasn’t the case. I sold my soul the year before and thus, 2019 was a great year for me despite all the tragedy in my life. As the current year went on, my emotions began to spiral and eventually crashed and burned. I began to feel needy and lonely and hungry for attention, especially as my journey was beginning. I felt like I needed people’s approval and that I wasn’t crazy.
Thanksgiving and Christmas just weren’t the same this year as we weren’t able to get together due to COVID cases spiking over the holidays. The Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend is always Small Business Saturday. Thus, with a renewed focus on small businesses in 2020, I took to the streets and visited all of the local storefronts in Greensburg.
2021 would mark the end of an era in more ways than one. While that year was a lost one, the pieces on the chessboard were set as I tanked at the right time late in 2020. This coming on the heels of previous success which included going to Disney and also, getting my Distinguished Toastmaster award.
Stylish 🍒 