I Have Never Had To Put My Hands Up For The Police

Hands Up Don't Shoot

UPDATED Earlier this week at 1 PM, I stood outside my home in observance of the 4.5 minute tribute to Michael Brown. I wasn’t able to join my Northside neighbors a few miles up the street so I stood alone on my block in the freezing sleet. It was definitely uncomfortable, but not just because […]

Art Gallery To Host Health Care Happy Hours for Local Artists

This is an interesting outcome from #ArtisticVisionPgh – Most Wanted Fine Art (MWFA) gallery and the Pennsylvania Health Access Network (PHAN) have teamed up to sponsor a series of happy hours for artists to learn more about the Affordable Care Act and other health insurance opportunities. The first happy hour is set for Thursday, December […]

LGBTQ Holiday Shopping in Pittsburgh

Gay Christmas

A few suggestions for your holiday shopping planning. Support local non-profits and community groups is a terrific gift idea. In almost all cases, you can make a donation in the name of your loved one, but some local groups have some unique gift opportunities for you to consider. Note – these are LGBTQ organizations. If […]

Trans Woman of Color, Angel Elisha Walker, Missing in North Carolina

Angel Elisha Walker

20-year-old Angel Elisha Walker has been missing in Salisbury, North Carolina since October 30.     From Planet Transgender Angel Elisha Walker was last seen by a Salisbury officer Oct 30th driving west away from the city on Highway 150. Her car was found Sunday in the opposite direction, east of Fayetteville in Sampson County. Her […]

My Dog Has Cancer

Pet Portrait

Alexander and Amadeus came to me when they were seven weeks old – part of a litter of 7 that were rescued from a neglectful situation. They were being fed cat food with whole milk poured over it. At seven weeks. After some vet care and fluids for Amadeus who was dehydrated, they spent weeks […]

Allegheny Co DHS Quarterly LGBTQ Meeting

Information on an upcoming meeting that might be of interest – Sue   Allegheny County Department of Human Services is committed to serving all individuals and families without discrimination.  With this in mind, we are in the process of developing Standards of Practice for DHS and our contracted providers to guide our interactions and support […]

Ten Things I’ve Learned About the Art of Blogging

My one month NaBloPoMo exploration of the art of blogging draws to a close this very day. I had several interesting Q&A sessions, explored some of my own sojourns to the local arts scene and been a bit more pensive than usual. My project was slightly derailed when I learned that my dog has a […]

Artistic Q&A: Chelle Stein on the Art of Creativity

Chelle Stein

As part my NaBloPoMo examination of art and blogging, I asked a few folks to consider some of the same questions I’m pondering. Today, we are chatting with Chelle Stein.   I “met” Chelle on Facebook via a group for bloggers. I had a terrible wordpress fail which I shared with the group. Chelle graciously […]

When UPMC and Highmark Work Together: Saving the Life of a Newborn Baby

I was so saddened to learn that a neighbor of mine from the Northside was killed in a terrible car accident Wednesday evening. Her name was Jodie Guthrie and while I did not know her, I am a regular customer at the Rite-Aid where she was killed. She lived near my neighborhood. Jodie was pregnant, […]

Leftover Pet Photos

Pet Portrait

Sometimes the best part of a pet group portrait is the various blooper shots. My crew never lets me down when it comes to looking the other direction or sticking out their tongues.