Today’s blog goes back to the Spring of 2003. During this time in my life, I was getting ready to close one chapter of my life and move on to the next. My time at Penn Highlands Community College (not its name at the time) was coming to an end. I was going to continue my education at Slippery Rock University that fall.

I’m going to open up a six pack of facts on my community college years as we look back on the good old days. Hard to believe it‘s been that long since I graduated high school and began college.

1-The community college education was the key to eventually transferring to a four year college down the line. That plan came to fruition when I shopped for colleges in the Fall of 2002 and got in to Slippery Rock at the end of March 2003.

2-The school I attended started holding classes in 1994, so back then it was relatively new and didn’t have a satellite campus. Thus, they operated at five different locations. The West site was at the Hiram G. Andrews Center, where I was residing my first three years of college.

Other campuses included downtown Johnstown in the old Glosser Bros. building (Central Park Campus), Richland (two locations—East and CTC) and Ebensburg (North). For the first year, I’ll admit it was nice to not have to venture out in the cold to go to class as some of my courses were offered at the Hiram G. Andrews Center.

3-Community college is a relatively inexpensive way to get credits out of the way and have them transferred when go are ready to go to a four year university. This can save a fortune on tuition and room and board down the line, thus avoiding massive student debt.

4-In January of 2008, the College moved the main campus to its current location on Community College Way in Richland, across from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. Originally, the main campus was at the Greater Johnstown Career and Technology Center. Program offerings were revamped at Ebensburg, and additional locations were added in Somerset, Huntingdon, and Blair Counties, expanding the College’s reach.

When I was a student there, the college operated under a different name and mainly served the Johnstown area, as well as Ebensburg and Cambria County. The name change to Penn Highlands Community College occurred on July 1, 2004. The vision of President Dr. Anna Weitz (the college’s third president, who served from 2002-2007) was to grow enrollment and expand outreach of the College to surrounding counties that are underserved or not served by a community college. Hence, the name change to Penn Highlands Community College.

https://www.pennhighlands.edu/about/history/

5-Most, if not all, community college students commute every day instead of living on campus. My case is different than that. I could have attended Westmoreland County Community College (to us Westmoreland County folk, that’s what we call 3 C’s). But, my mother wanted me to experience life on my own and that’s why I attended school in Johnstown. I attended community college while living at the Hiram G. Andrews Center.

6-Public transportation (CamTran) was my friend for the time that I attended the community college as a majority of my classes would end up being downtown or in Richland. I had to take my placement tests Downtown when I was getting ready to enroll there in late 2000 for classes the next semester, and so I had to rely on the bus to get me there.

Overall, the experience was great. It was hard sometimes to juggle the drama of living at HGA with the stresses of dealing with my major classes. But attending there helped me to achieve my goal of moving onto a four year school in 2003.

The school will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2024, but it had an impact during its young existence in helping contribute to my success at Slippery Rock University.

The year was 2019.

I was close to achieving my Distinguished Toastmaster award and had just one project left to complete my Advanced Communicator Gold requirements. All the manuals and traditional awards have since gone away and we are completely in the Pathways Educational program now. I sent in the paperwork for my awards and had my DTM plaque sent to me in September of 2019. A few weeks later our club had an open house and I was presented with my Distinguished Toastmaster award.

It was a great contest season as I became really involved that Spring with the Division Speech and Tall Tales contests. The Spring conference a few weeks later was one of the best that I ever attended. It was the conference where I came up with the term “DTM Huddle” when the Cranberry High Noon Toastmasters all gathered after running the gauntlet.

Our district was looking really good and was growing clubs. Our outlook was wall to wall sunshine without a cloud in the sky. I felt I was in a good place as well building my Toastmasters family and finally feeling good about my job after so many years of frustration. I had my own thing going for me. I even launched this blog and had my own sense of style. 2019 was the year, for me, that DTM Huddle became a household name.

Then… the rains came.

March 2020 brought the news of the fast-spreading COVID-19 outbreak. Instead of looking forward to upcoming speech contests and conferences, we would be on lockdown and sheltering in place. Masks and social distancing would become a thing. Toastmasters meetings would still go on, but online through a platform called Zoom. My place of employment was shut down for two months, but once I returned things would never be the same.

I received the Spirit of Toastmasters award in September 2020 for my passion for visiting other Toastmasters clubs and being a goodwill ambassador for the District. Not long after though, I went through the motions for the next couple of years. I wondered whether I not I wanted to continue in Toastmasters. I went through changes in my life, including turning 40 and leaving WIS for Giant Eagle. My gender nonconformity support system was dwindling away and I began to feel depressed. Plus I was trying to figure out how to do everything on top of my work schedule.

Almost three years to the date that the world had shut down, my Toastmasters spirit was about to be reborn.

Following the Greensburg Toastmasters meeting on March 15, I was approached by our past President about taking on the role for the upcoming year. I accepted the offer like that and already had some good ideas for the club. I’ve served as President before in Greensburg and in Achievers, but this time feels different. Maybe it’s because I’m in the post-WIS era now and I don’t feel as distracted by everyone’s negativity as I did then. But it’s safe to say that my Toastmasters future looks bright now compared to when it looked uncertain in 2022 and even the beginning of 2023.

While I missed the conference, I was able to see it through some of the pictures taken by our members who attended. Our Greensburg meeting this past week saw me step up to the plate and evaluate our Area Director’s panel discussion speech on non-profits. She is the Division C Director-elect for 2023-24. The most recent Laurel Highlands meeting I led a Table Topics session with a theme centered around flowers and what their meaning is. I was able to get full participation from the group, including online.

Thursday night, I attended the training session that the Division B director holds on Zoom. When I accepted the nomination for President, I wanted to attend these events to set a better example for myself as a member and Greensburg Toastmasters President-elect. I plan to take advantage of any upcoming sessions that may be held in the future when my schedule allows for it.

My Toastmasters fire was extinguished for a time due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which was a huge lifestyle change for everyone. My interest had gone down because of everything else going on in my life as well. However, it’s on its way back up now and I’m ready to lead Greensburg to success.

I hit 400 blog posts in Feburary and was looking at late summer to hit the next big milestone. However, I’ve realized that there’s no rush. When it gets here, I’ll feel a real sense of accomplishment for having achieved it.

Wednesday night I took in a pre-Toastmasters meal in downtown Greensburg. That way I could be close to the Courthouse and I needed a change from the mall food. What better place to go than Oliver’s Pourhouse?

I’m no stranger to eating here. They have great food and they’re nestled in the heart of downtown. It’s a great place to grab a beer and catch the Steeler game. If you’re in town to go to the Palace Theatre, you have a place to eat before the show. I

I’m never disappointed with their service and have been coming here since 2016. It’s mine and Mr. Clougherty’s favorite place when we get together for dinner. We’ll be there next week to kick off our eating out season.

My latest visit here was like all the others. I walked in and took a seat near the bar area. My server came over and took great care of me, gave me time to order, and was very courteous and did her job well. Hard to choose between a sandwich and a burger sometimes because the food is so amazing.

Kevin (Mr. Clougherty) and I have sometimes run into his swimmers at the restaurant as they have worked there at one time or another.

My food was amazing as always. My server asked me how I liked my burger (I always go medium because I like a little pink in mine) and gave me the option to do fries or chips. Restaurants like when their waitstaff upsells. At Kings, management always encouraged servers to suggest soda as a beverage to generate more sales.

I was pleased as always with the quality of my food. On this latest visit, I ordered the Black n Blue Burger. Also on the menu is the Home Wrecker which is a burger with peanut butter and jelly. I ordered that before too and it was great.

I had water to drink but on past visits I have ordered beer or a cocktail. It all depends on what I’m feeling and what I think will best compliment the burger or sandwich.

Oliver‘s took a big hit during the pandemic and was closed for a while; however, they have since reopened and recently went back to regular hours. They are open Monday to Saturday (closed Sundays) from 11 to 9 so it’s definitely a perfect spot for lunch as well.

I tipped my server very well for her excellent service and left happy looking forward to my next visit, which carried over into my Toastmasters meeting.

Overall grade: A+

In this blog, I’ll talk up Toastmasters, my upcoming dinner tradition with Mr. Clougherty and, my recent trip to Ligonier.

This past weekend was the 2023 District 13 Conference which was held at the Doubletree Pittsburgh hotel in Washington, PA, near the Meadowlands. I didn’t attend, however I have been to a past conference at this venue. It was April 2015 when Sharon Hill was the keynote speaker.

I was sad to miss what was a great conference but I saw pictures from one of my fellow members in Greensburg. Her husband was competing in the Table Topics and Speech contests. Also, new officers were nominated for the district and division as well as the finance manager (formerly known as District Treasurer). We vote for four division directors, as well as the three “District Trio” positions. Those are Club Growth Director, Program Quality Director, and District Director. We also vote for the Finance Manager. All other positions are usually filled before our summer Club Officer Training in June, including the Area Directors.

Our officer list for Greensburg is nearly complete as six of the seven roles for next year have been filled. All we’re still looking for is a club secretary. I’ll be assuming the duties of Club President starting on July 1. Back on March 15, I was asked if I was interested in leading the club and immediately agreed.

For the longest time, I’d been going through the motions in Toastmasters and wasn’t sure I wanted to stick around too much longer. I didn’t know where I was in my path as I hadn’t spoke in several months plus, my interest had been waning since the pandemic forced us all to meet online back in the Spring of 2020. When Jim and Michelle asked me about serving as President at Greensburg for the upcoming Toastmasters year, that changed things and renewed my interest. My excitement for going to the meetings has come back. Even though it was too little too late for me to sign up for the Spring Conference, I also had other pressing family matters on my mind as well.

2023-2024 will be a great Toastmasters year for me and for Greensburg. I plan to give more speeches and be a great example that my club can follow. I want to stay up to date on the Distinguished Club Program and learn all the paths in Pathways and what they entail so I can educate myself better. We have a chance for our club to be no worse than Select Distinguished by the end of the year.

I will do everything I can to lead us to Presidents’ Distinguished by June 2024.

This month kicks off another year of Mr. Clougherty and I getting together for dinner. We have done this tradition regularly since 2013. It’s just a nice way for these two longtime friends to catch up. We’ve known each other since I started my first day of high school back in 1996. I was a student of his and also assisted him on the swimming team. He helped me to become a better person and being on the team with him helped me develop better social skills.

Even as I graduated and moved on in life, our friendship has never died. I visited a few times for practice and he always tells his freshman swimmers about me. Our first meal together this year will take place on April 27 at Oliver’s Pourhouse. I have a slate ready to go for 2023 on where to eat. Since the swim team just had their banquet Sunday, I might add Rizzo’s to that list too.

Finally, I took advantage of the beautiful weather on my two days off last week to go see the Super Mario Bros movie. I talked about that more in Friday’s blog. I got a nice walk in on Friday at Twin Lakes and drove out to my happy place; my little Hallmark town and little Stars Hollow, Ligonier. I watched the world go by from the Diamond, had an ice cream cone from the Ligonier Creamery, and thought about all the fun things I want to do.

It’s a side trip but it’s nice to getaway once in a while. I got some sun on Friday and it’s probably the most time I’ve spent outside in quite a while. I hope to make it to a Night Market or Country Market some time this summer as well.

We all know who Mario is. He’s one of the most recognizable characters in history of video games. The industry will forever be indebted to him and to Nintendo for saving it from going under following the video game crash of 1983. If you don’t know who Mario, Luigi, or Donkey Kong are, then you are living under a rock.

I recently saw the latest Super Mario Bros. Movie and will be giving my review of the film. I promise no spoilers but a six pack of facts related to the movie and the character himself.

1. This isn’t the first Super Mario Bros film to be released in theaters. There was a live action film that came out in 1993 which was a box office bust. While this recent one is geared more towards children and even adults, it’s definitely the better of the two.

2. Many of the games we all know and love are referenced throughout the film, as well as the characters. Examples include Donkey Kong, Super Mario Odyssey, and Mario Kart.

3. There were various cartoons and live action shows based on the Super Mario Bros from 1989-1991. They contain animation errors that are talked about on social media and in gaming chat rooms. Some have even spawned famous internet memes (e.g. Mama Luigi).

The live action show aired in 1989 and starred former wrestler “Captain Lou” Albano as Mario (he also did the voice on the cartoon). The cartoon had enemies from the first two games and the next two had enemies from their respective video games.

Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World both aired on NBC 🦚 Saturday mornings in 1990 and 1991, respectively.

4. A book was released in 2018 on the history of Super Mario and covers all the classic games from the original NES version up to New Super Mario Bros U for the Wii U in 2013. During that same time, another book like that was released that covers the history of the Legend of Zelda. I wonder if one will come out that covers Mario Kart‘s long history.

5. Donkey Kong is where Mario got his start. Originally he was referred to as Jumpman. He didn’t come over to Nintendo until 1985.

Also, Super Mario Bros. 2 is not the original sequel to the first game. That one came out in 1986 and was released only in Japan because it was too hard for most people. It would be released as part of the Super Mario All-Stars package on the Super Nintendo in 1993.

6. I got my Nintendo in 1990. I was eight years old and in second grade at the time. That year for my birthday I also got Super Mario Bros. 2 (the one we know and love or hate). For Christmas, I got Super Mario Bros. 3. To this day, it’s still one of my favorite Christmas presents and one of the best Super Mario games of all time.

As for the movie, I thought it was very good. A little weird at the beginning but that was shaken off pretty easily and we got a great action packed storyline. Two thumbs up and 3.5 out of four stars.

This recap blog and look ahead is a little bit late coming to you as I am typing it on the 9th of April. Content was a little hard to come by in March and with other things going on at home, I didn’t feel up to blogging much. But, that’s not to say that March wasn’t eventful.

March was the beginning of the major speech contests in our Toastmasters District. The Area round wrapped up early in the month and it was time for the Divisional contests to begin. They ran every Saturday from March 11 to April 1. Due to my schedule, I only attended one contest, the March 18 Division A contest in White Oak. There were some hiccups in the beginning but, after those were taken care of, the contest would run smoothly. Best of luck to all those competing in the April 15 District Speech Contest which will be held alongside the conference at the Doubletree Hotel in Washington, PA.

Continuing with Toastmasters news, on March 15 I agreed to serve as the President of the Greensburg Toastmasters chapter beginning July 1 when the 2023-2024 Toastmasters year starts. I also have plans to attend club officer training, or Toastmasters Leadership Institute (TLI), on June 24. The training will be held at Westmoreland County Community College, its usual spot, and will be hybrid (online and in-person).

After a year and a half away from church, I returned to Cornerstone Ministries at the end of February. I started attending regularly and enjoyed a great sermon series on the book of James, encouraging us to be doers of the Word of God. A new series begins Saturday night, covering the book of Acts.

I made a couple of visits to Children’s Hospital to visit Benny. His health is improving little by little. We had to cancel our trip to Delaware which was scheduled for the second week of June to give him time to heal. I moved my work vacation back to September due to the trip being cancelled and will likely do some fall-related activities. Last year was my first paid time off from work since the summer of 2007, when I was employed by Kings.

Looking ahead to April, our conference will be coming up this week. Even though I will not be attending in person, I will be there in spirit Saturday to cheer on Greensburg Toastmaster Jim Teague as he competes in the District Speech contest. He hopes to advance to the World Championship of Public Speaking this coming August. Along with club officer training this Summer, I also hope to attend the 2023 Fall Symposium.

The Super Mario Bros. movie is out in theatres now and I will be planning to see it sometime this week (either Thursday or Friday). Even though it’s technically a movie made for kids, I consider myself a kid at heart and still enjoying playing Nintendo. The film has some great voice actors in it as well, with Chris Pratt, Jack Black, and Seth Rogen all having main roles. My review of the film will be up this week as well. I’ll make sure I post no spoilers either.

This week marks one year of Duolingo for me. I started doing it on April 10 last year and in the beginning, taught myself Spanish. As the platform changed, I also began to teach myself other languages, moving away from Spanish and on to French, Italian, and German. When I hit 365 consecutive days, I will get another Streak Society Award. Duolingo is a great tool to work with if you want to brush up on your foreign language skills. They do send you reminders to do your lesson though, which can either help you or annoy you.

2023 marks the 20th anniversary of me getting into Slippery Rock. I did something nice to celebrate ten years back in 2013. I was in town for a friend’s memorial service; afterwards, I took the time to finally appreciate my experience there. Coming to the blog throughout 2023, look for posts that take a look back at my college years (Hiram G. Andrews Center included) and give praise to the Rock. Recently, I posted about College Transfer Day and how I decided on going to Slippery Rock (over IUP and other schools).

After some time away, I’m ready to get back to my writing and back on the road to 500

October 30, 2002

I’m in my third year of college in Johnstown. After a semester at the Hiram G. Andrews Center, I transferred over to the local community college with plans to achieve my associates degree. From there, I wanted to transfer again to a four year school in hopes of getting my bachelors degree.

A college transfer fair was going to be held at the Greater Johnstown Career and Technology Center, which the community college used for a few of its classes. I was planning to go there and talk with some college representatives to look at my next school.

In this blog, I will be opening up a six pack 🍻 of questions related to my academic experience. Twenty years ago I started the second leg of academic journey at Slippery Rock. Back in 2013, I celebrated the ten year anniversary of my time in college. I finally appreciated what I had after so many years of questioning myself.

Why did you feel like attending a four year college?

It was in my original plans when I started school at the Hiram G. Andrews Center in the Fall of 2000. I knew I was good enough to get a Bachelor’s degree. I had to go to a Community College for that dream to come true since their credits would transfer.

It’s 2023. Looking back at it now, was the experience worth it?

I had regretted it for a long time because I felt like nothing came of it. I didn’t appreciate the jobs I had early in my post-academic career and didn’t care how much debt I took on to do it again. Homecoming for me was always about recreating the good old days of college.

If I went back and graduated again, I’d be back at Kings with more debt. Even if I stayed a little longer at the Rock and graduated magna cum laude, I was probably still going to work at WIS.

Getting back to the question though, the experience was still worth it. If I didn’t go for my degree, I likely would have regretted it more. You have to try it out and see what happens. I think we’ve done pretty well.

What schools were you interested in?

In addition to Slippery Rock, I was also interested in IUP (my cousin started there in 2004). Other schools I liked were Edinboro, California, and Clarion. Those three schools have merged to become PennWest.

I got back from the transfer fair and reviewed my material that night. It didn’t take long for me to be sold on Slippery Rock.

Were there obstacles to getting into Slippery Rock?

As a matter of fact, there was. I was accepted at the end of March but by then housing was quickly getting filled. We weren’t sure if I’d have a place to live; however, it all worked out in the end.

If I could go back 20 years and change things, I would have made more of an effort into getting a job to help pay for college, driving sooner, and getting more work experience. That ended up hurting me in the end.

When you went to career fairs, which companies really caught your eye?

In 2002, I attended a Career Fair at the Community College’s downtown location. I was actually interested in summer work at Hersheypark and thought about applying. It didn’t work out and I actually went home for the summer that year.

In 2004, when I was at Slippery Rock University, I attended the WestPACS Career Fair at the Expo Mart and I just worked a summer job at the now defunct Park Classic Diner. Believe it or not, that was one of my first real jobs. While I talked to companies related to my field (Finance), Eat’n Park also caught my eye. Part of me wishes to have stuck around, learned more about the restaurant business and see where it would go.

Final question: Are you happy with how your life has turned out?

For a long time I wasn’t and wanted to go back and do it all over again. Eventually, you learn that everything happens for a reason. It took me several years to appreciate what I had in college and a few more years after that to really let it go. The late 2010s finally saw that turning point come around as I began to embrace new traditions. I’ve adjusted to a different way of life post-pandemic and have come out of it a better person.

I’m excited to begin a new term as President of Greensburg Toastmasters in July 2023 and see where it takes me.

I don’t read or hear about it but I know I’m inspiring people every day.

Yes, I am happy with how my life has turned out.

I was inspired after watching last Friday’s episode of Pittsburgh Today Live and seeing all the custom made creations that the hosts made. I knew I had to get down there at some point and try my hand at creating a waffle.

This morning, I did just that and treated myself to brunch at Waffles, INCaffeinated. The chain has five locations in the Pittsburgh area, including the one I went to in North Huntingdon. Located just up from Sheetz and down from Walmart, the place has a nice seating arrangement and really nice decor (very Vera Bradley like). I was seated by the window watching the rain come down.

My server took really good care of me and explained the options when it came to designing my own waffle. The menu was massive in terms of what you could order. It’s not just about the waffles. You could also make your own omelet or crepes. If making your own creation isn’t your forte, there’s other things you can order. You also have a nice selection of beverages, from coffee and tea to water and soda (or pop). Looking at the menu, I even noticed the latte art in one of the pictures. This place is channeling its own inner White Rabbit in a way.

Waffles INCaffeinated has a monthly feature and this month’s was an Oreo-waffle hybrid, called “Waffle’s Favorite Cookie”. Infused with Oreo and Peanut Butter, as well as vanilla ice cream, bananas, and Oreo cheesecake spread and drizzled with chocolate, this dessert waffle will satisfy your sweet tooth.

For Lent, a North American cod sandwich on potato brioche and topped with the works (spinach, sliced tomato, melted Swiss, and spicy mayo) makes for the perfect lunch. It’s not just about the waffles.

Locations include North Huntingdon, Beaver, and four locations in the Pittsburgh area, including the South Side location which I plan to visit with my “fashionable sister” Sara at a future time. Pittsburgh locations also include Downtown Pittsburgh, Upper St. Clair, and Wexford.

Pittsburgh Today Live mugs are also being sold at all locations and I bought myself one as well. The show and the waffle challenge are what inspired me to come here and eat brunch this morning, and I will definitely be back for a sweet waffle and maybe even a craft beer (or one of their amazing custom coffee drinks)

Sorry, Sara, I didn’t see any mimosas on the menu but everything else looks good.

This past Saturday, the District held its second Divisional Speech and Table Topics contest. It took place at the Faith Lutheran Church in White Oak. Representatives for the contest were from Bettis, Moon, South Hills, and Pittsburgh. The latter being the oldest club in District 13, having started in 1939 and predating the district by only a few years.

A few hiccups at the beginning did not stop this contest from ending up a success. To quote Division A Director Dana Mitnik, “Oh the joys of a hybrid contest!”

Trying to get the audio up and running was a challenge as we were getting feedback, plus some of our online attendees weren’t able to hear our in person participants. After toying with the audio, everything went smoothly. 3-2-1 Let’s have a contest!

I won’t discuss the winners for the sake of those competing against them. I enjoyed Rick Hays’ speech about Ireland 🇮🇪 and loved the Irish ☘️ music that he had playing in the background. Rick is a member of Pittsburgh Toastmasters 144 and was participating online via Zoom.

The table topics question for the contest was “What Brings You Joy”.

In Greensburg, we are getting our slate of officers together for 2023-24. While some are keeping their roles for next year, I will be leading the club as President. While I’ve led Greensburg and Achievers before, I’m excited to take charge next year and look forward to leading my home club to success.

I’ll have to make sure I set a good example for the club by giving more speeches and motivating my fellow members