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.