Free Thanksgiving Meals in Pittsburgh 2015

*I’m sharing this list, but please note that some of the spaces are anti-LGBTQ or require participation in religious activities to access resources. Rainbow Kitchen is also serving a free Thanksgiving meal on Thanksgiving Day from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Address: 135 East 9th Avenue, Homestead PA  15120 Phone: 412-464-1892  

Crockpot Tuesdays

I’m writing this post on a Tuesday about crockpots, but there is no reason to assume I’ll return to the topic on a Tuesday in the future. Fair warning. 🙂 A consequence of living with anxiety and bipolar disorder is that cooking often falls to the side. Eating can be a challenge. Sometimes, it is […]

My Dear John Letter

Dr. John Ruffing

Dear John, This terrible day is here again – eight years ago, you died. You were 41. And you died. Eight years are a long time. I find that now when I think of you, my first thoughts aren’t of that day. Instead, I think about when we first met and the times you took […]

How To Sign Up For Toys for Tots in Western PA – 2015 Edition

I’m actually late this year with this annual blog post. Finding information on Toys for Tots programs can be time-consuming and challenging. My work with the AMPLIFY project has expanded my awareness of how difficult it can be to access programs the further your family lives from an urban hub. My hope is to add […]

Chronicles of Traveling

Hello from downtown Riverside, California. We arrived Saturday afternoon for a week-long sojourn in Southern California. Laura has a work related conference from Sun- Thurs and we tacked on a few days for some fun. I’ve never been to California before and I’ve never had a glimpse of the Pacific Ocean either, so this is […]

The First Time I Called 911

CN: Discussion of suicide Write about a defining moment in your life when you were forced to grow up in an instant (or a series of instants). My mother has always lived with depression and a host of other ailments, many resulting from a childhood bout of encephalitis that destroyed her short-term memory. She was […]

Even More #PSL Memes

I find myself fascinated with the concept of a basic white girl who likes PSL. The intrigue is both in the sexist assumptions about women and the class issues – I can name dozens of women like me who grew up desperately aspiring to be a basic white girl. It finally dawned on me that […]

Mini-Break in Erie, PA

Lady Kate Erie

When was the last time you felt truly rejuvenated and energized? What made you feel that way? In late August, the AMPLIFY project took us to Erie County for the weekend – we were there to celebrate Erie Pridefest and enjoy a mini-break of sorts. I had never actually been to Erie proper, just driven […]

First Daze of School

Pittsburgh Elementary School

It’s back-to-school time: do you love the start of school or dread it? Living, as I do, in a family with no school-aged children, no children at all and no one attending school, my feelings at best are mired in nostalgia and too many hours on Facebook. Ahem. My original thought was to make a […]