Well, a lot has happened in the seven-ish months since I’ve posted an update here—the biggest one being that Rob and I completely uprooted our lives in Sarasota and moved to Pittsburgh. It was a huge decision—one we didn’t take lightly and that was extremely bittersweet—but we’re happy to be here, and we’re loving exploring the city and all its great neighborhoods.
The trip up was, ahem, challenging. We hired movers to load and unload the U-Haul we rented, and hook our car to the trailer, but it turns out that driving a 20-foot truck while pulling your Toyota behind it is, um, nerve-wracking. Not only that, but we didn’t think to examine the route Google Maps was taking us on before we left, so we wound up driving across Central Florida—and not, like, Orlando; we’re talking full-on country—to get to I-95, which we took to South Carolina before we got off on a different road and stopped in Charlotte. We’d started driving late because loading the truck took longer than we thought, but we still figured we’d make it to our hotel by 10 p.m.
Nope.
We finally pulled in at 3:30 a.m. I was practically delirious by that point; thankfully, Rob had the good sense to stop and take a nap around midnight so he was fresh enough to drive. And Rambo, of course, didn’t have a clue what was going on—he passed out in his dog bed for about 13 of the 14 hours we were in the car.
We slept till around 8 the next day, then got on the road again and drove through North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia before we got to Pittsburgh around 8 p.m. (it’s definitely not supposed to take that long, but see above re: truck). The scenery was gorgeous—especially Virginia, which was all rolling green hills and big sky.
We got to Pennsylvania right around golden hour and powered through the last two hours of the trip, exclaiming over the amber glow and the rustic houses and acres of green farmland before we got to our place. Luckily, we were able to reschedule the movers who were supposed to meet us at 4 p.m. (!) for the next day, and after our lovely friend Erin and her husband brought us pizza and helped us park the truck on the narrow city streets, I ordered a queen-sized air mattress from Target, had it delivered, and we slept on the floor in the living room with Rambo snoring between us.
Thankfully, it’s been a lot smoother since. The the weather has been chilly (well, at least for me, the native Floridian), sometimes even dipping into the 20s at night, but it’s not, like, middle-of-winter cold and honestly, it’s pretty refreshing. I managed to score a winter coat on sale that I’m still getting lots of use out of, and all the sweaters I accumulated in Florida but never got to wear much are happy that they’re being taken out. Before we moved, I made a list of a few places I wanted to visit—Juju, The Farmer’s Daughter Flowers, Millie’s Homemade Ice Cream—and I’ve been loving going to them, and discovering other spots in their neighborhoods, like my new favorite yoga studio, or a great bakery or coffee shop. We also live near a huge park, and being able to take advantage of the crisp spring air and go on long trail walks with Rambo has been awesome.
Also, I kept my job and am working for my company remotely, which has been a giant relief—moving and trying to find a new job would have been extra crazy—and means I still get to do what I love: write and edit. And speaking of, I’m actually going to try and update this blog more frequently as I discover new things here. Plus, I know I could use the excuse to do some personal writing—so stay tuned.
In the meantime, here are a few things that have caught my eye over the past few weeks:
This podcast with Alyssa Mastromonaco, President Obama’s former deputy chief of staff, is really great—full of personal anecdotes about the Obamas, career advice and thoughts on the 2020 elections. (Bad on Paper)
Bought these pearl hair pins on Amazon and totally plan to copy Blair’s hairstyle. (Atlantic-Pacific)
Relevant to my interests as a new work-from-homer: the best “house pants.” (Man Repeller)
“The Scams Are Winning“: “Myths are fragile things. What is a wild dream, the Theranos story asks, if not a lie that has yet to be made true?” It’s a perverse question, but one that is effectively—and uncomfortably—at home in this moment of atmospheric frauds.” (The Atlantic)
“What It’s Like to Grow Up With More Money Than You’ll Ever Spend.” The interview is with Abigail Disney—yep, that Disney—and it’s so good. (The Cut)
An inside look at Aidy Bryant’s costumes on Shrill (a show I liked a lot, by the way). (Vulture)
Can what we eat affect how we feel? (Spoiler alert: yes). A look at nutritional psychology. (New York Times)
Speaking of food: “This is peak potato.” Yes, please. (The New York Times)
Talk soon, friends. xx
