Last Day of Work August 16, 2007
Posted by Patrick in : San Diego, House, Travel, Pittsburgh , 1 comment so farTomorrow marks the last day of my almost five year stint at my current employer. It’s unreal to think that I spent more time working there than I did either at college or high school. It will be bitter sweet to leave. I developed a lot of good relationships over the past years, so it will be sad to leave everybody. On the other hand, I’m looking forward to a change and a new chapter. Everything will be different - new place, new culture, new job, new church, new serious relationship, etc. Though some things won’t change. Colin, rest assured that the Pirates are still my home team.
One of the really recent developments over the last couple of weeks is that I rented out my apartment. It was my first time advertising and showing the place. I put the place on craigslist and within twenty-four hours, I showed it to seven different people, with the last one wanting it. It’s a huge relief to get that piece over with, so now I can concentrate on moving and house improvements.
In case anyone is wondering what I’m going to do with the place, my friend will be the property manager. And I hope to collect some handymen in the meantime so issues can be handled.
On Monday, I head to Seattle to spend eight days hiking in the Pacific Northwest. For the majority of the time, we’ll hike through Olympic National Park’s diverse landscapes. We’re pretty psyched for the trip. After that, it’s off to San Diego for a week to visit Chelsea and take an interview.
Exciting times ahead…I’ll keep you posted.
Flood at Work August 9, 2007
Posted by Patrick in : Videos, Pittsburgh , 2 commentsIt poured at work today in Monroeville. At 7:30, when I came in, it wasn’t raining at all. About 30 minutes later, it looked like Jesus was coming back. Here’s a video my coworker shot:
You can see that the creek next to my building reached the bridge that led to the second parking lot. From what I hear, we’re supposed to be receiving a second storm in the next couple hours. Watch out!
Hand me another ‘arn July 3, 2007
Posted by Patrick in : Pittsburgh, Photography , 1 comment so farPittsburgh nostalgia from seventy years ago. It’s good to see the ‘arn being a mainstay back then. The ad is a bit more refined than the metal bottle campaign they started a few years back.
And speaking of iron…A couple days ago, my girlfriend and I were talking about friendship and the verse in Proverbs that says “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another”. For the life of me, I couldn’t pronounce that sentence without the Pittsburghese blunting my tongue. The descent continues!
Patrick Begat Patrick Begat Patrick January 31, 2007
Posted by Patrick in : Pittsburgh , 2 commentsThis past weekend, I finally learned the history of my family beyond my grandfather. The earliest records we have of our family is a Patrick Bird from Cork County County Cork, Ireland. He had at least three children - Thomas, Patrick, and Mary. His son Patrick emigrated to the US, specifically Pittsburgh, and lived in the South Side on Carson Street. He was employed as a roller in a steel company.
Patrick had at least six children, one of whom was named Patrick. He had my grandfather, who had my dad, who had me. Now, neither my dad or my grandfather are named Patrick. Nor did my parents know of the Patrick lineage before they named me. Kinda curious.
What my uncle put together is pretty impressive. I hope to find out some more information. I’m particularly interested in where on the South Side my family actually lived. I’m sure some of the buildings are still around. Also, I’m curious if any family can be traced back further into Ireland’s history.
Plus, my uncle somehow got a picture of my Great-Great-Grandfather and my Great-Great-Grandmother. I’ll try to post it if I ever get a copy.
Weeding The Garden January 11, 2007
Posted by Patrick in : Pittsburgh , 2 commentsThings are looking up for North Side residents. The Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh landed a decisive victory a couple weeks ago when the Pennsylvania Supreme Court agreed that the URA’s efforts to acquire the Garden theater did not violate first amendment rights. This theater was the last piece that has basicallly halted any significant redevelopment of the North Side.
Every night since the early 1970’s, the Garden Theater has served up porn, and only porn, to its limited clientele. It sits near the popular corner of North and Federal. Some of the largest original buildings on the North Side are huddled around this block. Unfortunately, the theater has turned away any respectable business in the area and has really blighted the two or three blocks of North and Federal.
There have been some efforts in the past to spur growth, like the extension of Allegheny hospital on Federal Street which is within rock throwing distance of the theater. But it’s been slow. The acquisition of this theater is a huge step in turning the neighborhood around.
It makes you wonder how much profit the theater actually returns. I would think that the revenue from legitimate movies would return more than pornographic ones. That’s what made many to think, including some of my neighbors, that the theater has been a front for other illegal activities.
As a North Side resident, I am ecstatic over the news. It makes me sad that this is happening as I’m leaving the area. It will be interesting to see if this victory will accelerate the long anticipated growth.
This decision also puts to death the lingering dream of making a documentary about this sluggish process. It would have been great to capture many of the issues and parties involved over the last several years on tape and make a film out of it…..next time.
The car was towed (again) December 4, 2006
Posted by Patrick in : Pittsburgh , 4 commentsOn Saturday night, I parked at my new place in an area that I usually do not park in. It was normal street parking a bit beyond my own house. Anyway, I parked, visited my place to pick out some paint colors and then walked over to the new Borders.
After running into Albert, I returned around 12:45 to a bare patch of pavement instead of the Mercury Sable that I was expecting. At first, I thought someone stole it. But there was no broken glass. Then, the driveway came in view and I followed with a palm to the forehead. Somehow, I missed the driveway that I parked in front of.
So, I picked up the car today via the bus and paid the $139 tab. Ouch!
In other news…Pittsburghers, have you seen Google Transit? We’re one of the few areas in the country that has our public transportation routes searchable within Google Maps.
Lancaster bound October 13, 2006
Posted by Patrick in : Travel, Pittsburgh , add a commentA good friend from sophomore year of college is getting married this Saturday around Lancaster. So, I’m headed there this weekend. I’m looking forward to staying at my friends’ Tim & Brianne, and seeing some other people that I haven’t seen in a while.
In other news, the house that I purchased is still moving along. I settled on a mortgage yesterday. If I had any advice on the matter: go with a local bank. They seemed to have the best rates available. A mortgage broker tried to help me out, but his rate was considerably higher than all the other ones that I found. I’m still expected to close the first week of November. My realtor and I will go through the house again next week, so I hope to take some photos.
Bid accepted! October 2, 2006
Posted by Patrick in : Pittsburgh , 3 commentsWell, you know of that house that I wanted but someone already beat me to it? It went back on the market a couple of weeks ago because the bidder could not have his bid financed. When it went back on, someone bid the next day. Another two days later, a second person bid on it. I followed the next day with a third bid. And he picked mine last Friday!
It’s not the prettiest Pittsburgh house by any means. The location drove the decision. It’s a three-unit house located in East Liberty, close to Friendship. It’s literally three doors down from the Sharp Edge. Two tenants already live there, and both hope to remain. I’d live in the second story unit, which is the vacant and coincidentally, most spacious one.
I wanted to live in a part of East Liberty that was close to the Highland and Centre business district. Church and friends will be close by. Being within walking distance to a grocer, a few restaurants, and coffee shops was important. And the three-unit place will give me the flexibility to move if I need to.
With all that said, it’s still a bit scary. Being a landlord will present its own challenges. Hopefully it will be a good experience. Photos will be posted soon.
These pretzels are making me thirsty September 28, 2006
Posted by Patrick in : Pittsburgh, Movies , 1 comment so farLast Monday started a little after 4 AM. For fear of sleeping in, I asked my mom the night before to wake me up early so I wouldn’t miss the shoot. We had to be there for 5:45 with three to four outfits from 1983.
When I arrived, I was sent immeadiately to wardrobe for approval of my outfits. Or rather, a couple women scoured through my clothes and picked out my outfits for me. Suprisingily, they didn’t have to go back to their stash of clothes to replace mine. They picked out two different plaid shirts to match with my tight black jeans and caramel pennyloafers.
Wardrobe sent me immeadiately to get my hair done. They shuffled me and the other male book clerk to the adjacent trailer to get our hair teased. I had my first experience with a curling iron. They singed the hair next to my ears so it would stick behind my ears.
After that, the next four hours consisted of sitting around an abandoned Ames, waiting for the call. My fellow extra said that being an extra is a lot of “hurrying up to wait.”
Right before lunch was the first scene. It was an interior shot, where the character Cleveland (Peter Saarsgard) was picking up Art from the bookstore. I was in the back of the scene rounding a corner with a bunch of books. Like any extra, I tried to milk the scene for all it’s worth and walked really slow at first. The assistant director was savvy to this, and told me that i was walking like a zombie, so I picked up the speed.
The other scenes included some exterior shots of walking past the camera. Most times, I was far from the camera, so I’ll be a small dot if anything. At one time, I was standing around to meet Michael Chabon, who was in one of the scenes. The assistant director saw me and picked me for an impromptu part to walk past the camera AND look at the main character with a “I know what you’re up to” kind of look. The camera was behind him, so it was pointed directly at me. We tried a couple takes of this, but it ended up not working, and he yanked it.
Overall, the day was a blast. It was long - 13 hours of working. We were paid minimum wage, and time and a half over eight hours. They fed us well and I had a chance to meet Michael Chabon, who’s a suprisingily kind man, and Peter Saarsgard. The thing that I really enjoyed was seeing how a movie was made. During a couple scenes, I was close to the director’s circle and monitors where I could listen in on all the decisions of how the shots would look and how the actors would interact.
They called me back earlier today for a shoot tomorrow. It’s a classroom scene. The shoot is at 1:00, so I’m taking a half day. Also, I’m going to Minneapolis on Friday for the Desiring God conference, which I’m excited about. My friend Emily has hooked me up for a place to stay.
Alright, gotta go to bed.
Sneak peak September 24, 2006
Posted by Patrick in : Pittsburgh, Movies , 3 comments
Here’s a sneak peak of a couple of tomorrow’s outfits. They recommended at least three or four outfits from 1983 that a clerk at a used bookstore would wear. The shoot time is at 5:45, so I have to get up pretty early. Around 4 AM. I’ll give a full report. Till then.
