Journey to rural areas

When Ira Glass send me an email every week-- yes, personally-- with everyone else that listens to This American Life-- I noticed last week that there was a simulcast to theaters of several great podcasts that I have listened to and heard of, and thought, that could be fun.  Strangely, it was only shown in theaters that are at least 25 minutes outside of the center of the city-- I guess only to these huge chains.  Thankfully, I have all the time in the world!  And I don't have to worry about the time it will take me to seek fun- hence driving myself to New York City, twice in one month.

So I drove 25 minutes to a little outpost called Monroeville to a place that reminded me of the Georgia Square Mall in Athens.  It seemed the least likely place for Ira Glass lovers to congregate.  I had no idea what to expect- would the great throngs of podcast listeners make a pilgrimage to small towns surrounding Pittsburgh to witness this once in a lifetime spectacle?  No, it turns out that it was in fact the least likely place for Ira Glass lovers to congregate, and I could take my pick of empty seats in the theater.


Seth Lind was the producer and host, and one could hardly have picked a more awkward person to stand in front of an 800 person live audience + however many other live simulcast theater goers.  I just wanted to be like, "Be cool Seth."  But the show he put together was pretty awesome.  Reply All did what I expected of a live cast podcast-- a duo performing a carefully timed scripted narration with a sound engineer (on stage) playing the clips and background sounds as scheduled.  It is pretty impressive considering that this all is usually done with the benefit of mixing and cutting and layering of sounds, and they pulled it off very well.  Invisibilia raised the bar however with Lulu Miller performing a memorized monologue (no script) and adding her own sound effects with an Ipad like device she carried and controlled.  As if this wasn't impressive enough, about halfway through her monologue about a man overcoming all odds to run a four minute mile, an offstage voice challenged her to finish her monologue, with clips and sound, in 4 minutes.  SPOILER ALERT: she did it!

Lauren Lapkus in OITNB

My absolute favorite was With Special Guest Lauren Lapkus, where the actress who plays one of the less funny characters of Orange is the New Black does an improv comedy set where she plays the guest on a talk show of the actual guest on her podcast, who does not reveal the topic of the podcast or the character she plays until the moment the performance starts.  This time, Bobby Moynihan from SNL played the host of a celebrity sightings talk show, and Lapkus plays her guest of the day, reporting unlikely celebrity sightings (e.g. Michael Jackson) because, as we learn as the sketch goes on, she has 2 glass eyes.  I laughed so hard I cried.  I laughed in a way that is embarrassing to laugh by yourself, but hopefully the few other audience members appreciated it too.

And the moment everyone was waiting for, the famous Radiolab performed the closer, but I was disappointed a few minutes in to realize, wait, I have heard this podcast before.  I have a terrible memory, and I don't even listen to Radiolab that much.  But indeed, it had been done before, and I must have caught it at some point.  However, they did improve on their show, about how Beethoven wrote his symphonies in a much faster time than modern audiences feel is comfortable to be played or listened to, by having a live string quartet play parts of Beethoven's 5th symphony at faster and faster paces that were truly uncomfortable to watch.

The podcasts were interspersed not only with Lind's supremely awkward commentary, but also with AH-MAZE-ING performances by Cocoon Central Dance Team, and music by the horn quartet The Westerlies, which I personally found less compelling although talented.

All in all it was a great use of an evening.  I would encourage you to go, as I did some of you beforehand, but it was one night only, SUCKAS.  Unless you drive to Canada where they will be showing it in theaters tomorrow.

Love,
J

Accompaniment: California rolls I made myself!

Dispatches

I spent the last week travelling out of my foreign land, first to the more familiar territory of Atlanta, and then back to the wilds of NYC.  When I decided to do fellowship out of Atlanta, truly one of my first thoughts last summer was that I was going to miss the Attack of the Killer Tomato Festival, which is basically my favorite Atlanta event of the year.  Some of the best restaurants in the city craft small dishes and drinks that highlight the tomato.  This year the music was also a highlight, with a Beastie Boys cover band rockin' everyone from ages 2 to 65 years (approximately).

Some of the most aesthetically appealing but unfortunately less tasty items
(that's a caprese-type construction with balsamic masquerading as sushi)

Art

The Atlanta visit also included hanging out with recent past co-residents, a long walk ending in the newly opened Ponce City Market, a cookout with the Jewish fraternity crowd, and The Porter with Dad and his wife.

One thing I noticed in Atlanta was how different my state of mind was since the last time I had been there two weeks earlier.  The weeks before leaving and finishing residency I was at a peak of anxiety, but I had been in medical or public health school or in residency for the entire preceding 9 years.  Atlanta was so much more fun without those stressful activities and with adequate sleep!  I laughed easily and enjoyed life more than I remember in years.

Coming back to Pittsburgh was strange: the idea in my head that I was going "home," and then seeing "Pittsburgh" on the flight board; telling my phone to give me directions "home" and ending up in Shadyside.  I don't really feel like I belong fully in Pittsburgh, but with Charles living in a different apartment now, I don't feel like I belong fully in Atlanta either.

The day after coming back to Pittsburgia two big things happened:

1.  Little Ezra Ravid Igersheim was born early and unexpectedly
2.  I finally got my Pennsylvania medical license

These two things put me into a frenzy of excitement, thinking that I should go see Ezra and fam immediately but also start work immediately.  I immediately got dressed, put on make up, prepared to go to work, and then started calling administrative assistants and my program directors with the news.  While I was waiting for direction about what my next steps would be in starting to work, thinking that it would go something like coming in to sign some papers, get computer access and badges, and start seeing patients tomorrow kind of a thing.  Some time went by; I occupied myself by getting that manicure I had been wanting, and-- why not? I'll soon be paid-- I'll get a pedicure too.  Some more hours went by...by 4:30 I called one of the secretaries who said, "Didn't you talk to your program director?  Your start date will be September 3."

September 3?
September 3?  Like, not tomorrow, or the next day, or next week, or even next month?

My frenzy of excitement turned into the paralysis of despair.  I didn't move literally from the spot I got that news for 2 hours.  I spent the rest of the night on my couch or in my bed, not even knowing how to proceed.  Charles encouraged me to get off my ass and do something, either 1) go meet Ezrito (yes this is my nickname for him in my head), or 2) go to the party in New York City hosted by my brother's publication Urban Omnibus and on my brother's birthday and therefore known to me as My Brother's Birthday Party, a thing I had been pledging to do if I were still unemployed on July 23 but fully expecting not to be.

So reluctantly I moved my arm toward my phone, and after confirming that Ezrito said that we wouldn't be able to snuggle much from the confines of his isolette and his mom and dad didn't urgently need me for more than importing beer from Pittsburgh, I told Jonathan I'd be coming the next day to My Brother's Birthday Party.

I'm glad I did.  The drive was long-- Google maps has put it at 6 hours flat several times, but I've now done the drive one way 4 times and it is at least 6.5+ hours.  Six hours is like on the edge of what I consider a reasonable drive to undertake in half a day for a weekend or less worth of time, so I have to trick my mind into calling it 6.

The Urban Omnibus Block Party featured throwback games, charcuterie, and Brooklyn Lager.  I had forgotten how fun it was to play four square, shoot some hoops, and walk the dog (with the hula hoop).  My favorite quote of the night re: walking the dog: "You mean you throw it and then you have to run after it?"  Oh Xandra, what kind of disobedient dogs have you had?  My party highlights below; the official photographer's here.  (Look closely and you will see several familiar faces.)

babes

bosses

boss, of hula

Photo by Navya

One of my "3 wise women" career mentors told me recently that the times she was loneliest, in retrospect, were the times of most personal growth.  These two trips inspired me in a lot of ways via several different people.  I spent some time with some very creative but practical people who weren't afraid to take nontraditional paths in their careers, manage themselves, and constantly seek opportunities for personal growth in different directions at once.  One of the things that I discussed with Navya was, and I think she said it best, "Our lives in residency were so structured that I'm afraid we won't know what to do without that structure."  Yep.  I was also reinspired to take advantage of my new city/foreign land, so look forward to more citysploring posts.

Love,
J

Accompaniment: Brooklyn Lager- perfect for a summer night on the East River

The Shady side

It seems like it is monsoon season in this foreign land.  I don't know if it's like this every summer, but with very few exceptions the sky stays mostly gray and there are rain showers if not storms every day.  In about 1/3 of the runs I've been on since coming here, I've been caught in an unexpected torrential downpour.

What a pleasant surprise then that although the local NPR station predicted showers all day, we've had blue skies all day until now.  I wouldn't leave home without my umbrella, but I did take the opportunity to walk around my neighborhood, Shadyside, and it's neighbor neighborhood, heading to Zeke's Coffee in East Liberty for my morning work.  I walked by a Starbuck's on the way but was looking for something with more character, which I found in this independent coffee roaster and shop.  When I walked in and a Wilco jam was playing, I considered it a sign.  When I got hungry around 11:30 I headed toward Plum ("a Pan Asian Kitchen") in search of a neighborhood place with decent but not-too-pricey sushi.  This is one of those places that offers a little bit of all the popular types of East Asian food (e.g. sushi, Thai, a few Chinese dishes), so I expected it to be a little divier, but it was actually quite classy on the inside.  By the time I got there my appetite got the better of me, and instead of the sushi lunch special I went for the green curry.  For $10 I got at least 2 lunches worth of really yummy curry.  Will have to go back some other time for the sushi.

I was informed by a medical student recently that my neighborhood, Shadyside, is the most expensive neighborhood to live in in Pittsburgh right  now, likely due to its charming mix of renovated big houses, smaller apartment buildings, small shops and restaurants, and proximity to downtown and bigger stores.  It was recommended to me to look here, and I did end up paying more than I thought I would have in Atlanta for the same space, but as long as I start getting paid soon, I don't think I'll regret it.  My building is on a quiet street but within easy walking distance of grocery stores, shops, and restaurants as I mentioned above.  Pittsburgh in general seems to be very alternative transport friendly, from conversation and observation, it seems like the public bus system is well-utilized.  I think bike transport from home to work is feasible during warm months as well, and since the summer is mild compared to Atlanta, I could possibly get to work without needing a shower.  (I have never been able to bring myself to get it together enough to bike, shower, and dress and make up professionally at work for a 7 am-ish start.  It was a dealbreaker in the bike commute in Atlanta once I started working with patients.)

My building

Sunset from my hammock on the back
porch- thanks Jon!

My humble home is anything but shady, and its natural light is a big part of what attracted me to it.  Encompassing the entire top floor of the (small) building, I have windows on every side, and can see the sun rise and sun set around the surrounding buildings.  On breezier and grayer days, I can open my front windows and my back sliding glass door to the porch and get a comfortable draft through the apartment.  Today I didn't even mess with that idea- on sunnier days around 1 pm I start becoming uncomfortably hot when the wall AC unit isn't turned on, so it's been on for a while today.

Feeling a little down today, likely a combination of my medical license reviewer requesting that I "allow a little more time for review" of my license application today and the fact that I barely left the apartment yesterday.  Getting out of the house to work was nice, but sometimes even more distracting that the things you can distract yourself with at home.  Plus reading in your underwear is highly frowned upon at the coffee shop.

Love,
J

Accompaniment: Mexican Chiapas coffee roasted at Zeke's.  Smokey and delightful.

I have a reputation for liking sad foreign films, but...

... I may be overdoing it.  A very heavy Vietnamese film today coupled with the movie Omar set in the occupied West Bank I found on Netflix last night has left me kind of uneasy.

I went to a movie as part of the Silkscreen Film Festival, showcasing Asian-American films, that was abortion-themed.  Flapping in the Middle of Nowhere follows the unexpectedly pregnant teenage protagonist as she encounters social, economic, and internal emotional barriers in her attempt to end her pregnancy.  Not to be limited by one social issue, the main character's best friend is a transgender female and a prostitute, who of course encourages the main character to sell herself to raise money.  Spoiler alert: there is no happy ending.  Heavy, heavy, heavy, but a beautiful movie.  I'll look forward to maybe seeing another film or two this week since I have all the time in the world... but maybe I'll pick a comedy next time.

I was also supposed to have brunch with a bunch of strangers via Meetup.com.  I started thinking about alternatives to spontaneously meeting new friends after two weeks of little success at that, I remembered hearing about a couple of websites that could be solutions.  I joined a couple of "Meetups" that offer little events with like-minded people to try to make friends.  Apparently the organizer of Shadyside Young Professionals Meetup "wasn't feeling so well" this morning (ok Mark we all know that means you are hungover) so our brunchy brunch was cancelled.  The other website I remembered hearing about is called "How about we..." which is where someone pitches an activity and other people go do that with them.  Well it turns out that "How about we..." is a dating site, which I did not recall hearing, but I did linger over it for some time just for entertainment.  How about these gems:

And then I will kill you.

"How about we... have a bite to eat an get to no one other [sic]"  rayray40, I'm "no"ing you right now.  Grammar is a dealbreaker, unless you are foreign, and you are not.

"How about we... try and find out"  That's it.  What a mystery man.

"How about we... load up the bong and puff."   That's this guy-->

Accompaniment: Lera Lynn's "Bobby Baby,"  a beautiful song but tragic tale in the theme of the day.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMj25ANUpA4

Love,
J

Hi there, I live in Pittsburgh now

So the background here is, I like to travel, and I like to do medical and public health research in other countries.  When I do, I have started keeping a blog.  The first objective of the blog is to keep family and friends updated about what I'm doing instead of sending 6-10 different emails.  The second, possibly more important objective is to help keep me engaged in my surroundings and enjoy the adventure, rather than dwelling on the solitude and isolation that often comes with international work.

Well I just moved to Pittsburgh, as I'm sure you gathered if you didn't already know.  I know absolutely no one except my boyfriend's Cousin Phil (theoretically), and for reasons I might get into some other time, am temporarily unemployed.  And so I started to think...could a blog help me process and relish the adventure of moving to a new city alone?  And I decided, yes.  Yes, I could make Pittsburgh my new domestic "international" adventure.

Although Pittsburgh has an image as being some outdated industrial wasteland, I have been convinced by Pittburgh lovers (who are abundant) that it is undergoing a major cultural renaissance and is actually one of the best cities in the US.  One of my goals of my unemployed time is to try to decide if I believe those things to be true and to present to you evidence to make your own judgement.  But let's be honest friends and family- I can call you or email you at any time to tell you about these things, so DISCLAIMER: I recognize that this purpose of this blog is likely greater than 90% selfish, but I hope to entertain you as well.

Today I walked about 2 miles from my apartment in Shadyside to the 450 acre Schenley Park, then through the park to the far side, to Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.  As seems to be the history of many establishments around here, the Conservatory was founded by a steel magnate, Henry Phipps in 1893.  Admission was $15, and highlights for me included the butterfly garden (indoor), the desert room, and the living roof.

Desert Room with Chihuly sculpture

Ecosystem within a flower

I love nature patterns!

 The glass artist Dale Chihuly helped decorate parts of the museum, and I was especially taken with his sculpture in the desert room.There was a Congolese Festival supposedly going on in the tropical forest conservatory, which seemed to consist of some college volunteers doing some small  demos here and there- underwhelming. Yearly membership for one adult is $55 and two is $75 (which would mean free entrance with me to any visitors), towards which I could apply my $15 admission.  I tossed the idea around; although I don't know how often I would come alone, I would definitely take family and friends there if they come visit!  I took a different route back home, through the Carnegie Mellon campus, which looked like... college.

I'm toying with the idea of a little section of each post called "Accompaniment," in order to further my mother's idea that I am at best a lush and at worst a highly functioning alcoholic, which may feature mostly beverages but also possibly food or music in which I have been partaking.  Let me know what you think.

Love,
J

Accompaniment: Penn Pilsner from
Pennsylvania Brewing Co.  Decent,
refreshing pilsner good for a sunny
day at the park.