{Over the Weekend} Solo Days and Cycling

This weekend has been one of much-needed R&R. Friday was spent alone, as Husband had to work. In my mind, it's pseudo-pointless to have a day off {even if it's a day off due to a compressed workweek} when you can't spend it with the ones you love.
But hey, I got my haircut, read more of The Lacuna, and did the laundry - I s'pose that's a win.

Haircutting appointment with Michelle and Barack.

Treats for solo-laundry-doing.

Continued reading.

Saturday {and Sunday, to this point} was spent with my love, taking a bike/jog, side-by-side on the Three Rivers Heritage trail through The Strip and down into Point State Park. Such a lovely view, with rivers to your sides and bridges overhead.
I'm so glad we made the jump and purchased my bike after so long of vacillating about the cost versus the benefits.  Already, I'm feeling the positive effects of cycling.

Trees in Point State Park.

The midway rest in the park.

Springtime bike flair.

For dinner, Husband recreated part of a lunch we ate at Cafe Sabarsky within the Neue Gallery in NYC last year.  Lightly dressed, thinly-sliced romaine {originally frisee}, lardons, and a poached egg topping the whole plate. He's too good to me.

Early next week will be a whirlwind. Lots of deadlines at work, and preparing for traveling to Chitown.   In the meantime, I'll finish off the weekend of R&R with making a stewed chicken curry and possibly exerting enough energy to do some rainy-day yoga. 

Adios, wonderful readers!

End of Finals + Roadtrip

I'm bursting with excitement to tell you readers two things. First, I am done with finals for the semester! Now, it's just time to sit back and watch the grades come in.

In fact, I'd like to sit back on this lovely chaise...which is housed in The Art Institute of Chicago!

The second thing is Husband, Seestor, her BF and I are all headed for Chicago for a quick weekend before Seestor's conference the first week in May. It's a pretty easy drive for us from Pittsburgh, and we jumped at the chance to go see them {the last time was in December!}. It can sometimes be tough when you live in a corner of the US that your family doesn't travel to much. 

Grant Park

I can tell you now, the itinerary is full of food. And, cocktails. And, walking. And, architecture.

Don't worry, I'll be posting all of my food and sights photos on my Instagram or Twitter. Stay tuned!

Spring At Last

I posted the photo below on my Instagram and Facebook last week after driving by this lovely forsythia bush on Fifth Avenue. Our windows were rolled down, the breeze was coming in, and the scent of this yellow cluster came into the car cabin.

Shortly after I posted the photo, my sister made a comment that these bushes always reminded her of our Great-Grandma Brown.

These tiny, yellow star bursts were featured in Grandma Brown's yard {or, at least within our play-radius}, among the houses on that small street near my elementary school.  I still have a single wooden bird, initially carved to ornament her German cuckoo clock, hidden away somewhere in remembrance of those afternoons of playing at her house.  I wasn't even ten years old when she passed away, but those are some of the first fragile memories I have.

{PGH Dining} Tender Bar + Kitchen

Welcome back to Lawrenceville, Readers. I know you've heard about the place, skinny jeans and all, and you may have even been to an establishment or two in the past.  There's a new reason to hang out in Larryville, and it's Tender Bar + Kitchen. I'll affectionately call it 'T Bar'. So, T Bar opened super recently, so you haven't missed a whole lot yet, except for awesome cocktails*.

Previously, T Bar's space had been occupied by a thrift store concept shop from Wild Card and others. Each time we visited the run-down, unfinished space, we'd always get there after the good stuff was taken. At least that's what we told ourselves.

What a transformation this place has made. It's like a sexy cocktail lounge with good wall paper. 

We were seated in the front room, where the library-style wall, complete with movable ladder, was located, where glittering bottles of spirits are shelved. 

The menu page featured food on the front and a smattering of drink options on the back, including wine, beer, Arsenal cider, and cocktails.  Right away, I was drawn to a tiny corner of the menu featuring 30 classic cocktails, which the waitstaff will happy trill off ingredients for you if you need a refresher on a Navy Grog.  It's nice to see something so honest it's hipster. Kidding, but it really was happily 'Mad Men'-esque to have these listed.

Which ones did we order? Well, they came from the house cocktail section and from off the menu.

Reading in April

In the brief minutes between commitments, I've been reading all over the place so I'll be ready for my book clubs in May. Yes, that was plural. In 2013, I find myself as a part of three book clubs. How did this happen, y'all!?

The first book is The Broom of the System by David Foster Wallace, for my 'adult' book club. Adult meaning everyone is well-established in their lives/careers/reading acumen. About the book: This is DFW's first novel, oddly about nursing home escapees, and the first 25 pages are straight up hilarious.  This was my suggestion many moons ago with this group, but it took a bit for them to take up this lengthy novel.  They're not afraid of choosing long novels or obscure/controversial writers. But, when I bring up suggestions, they fall flat at times; it takes time for a youngster to gain some clout. We'll see what the group thinks after we meet next.

The other novel is Barbara Kingsolver's acclaimed The Lacuna, which I'm reading for the newly-created Sister Book Club. The group members include me and my sister, which is truly awesome because we're getting to do something together, though thousands of miles separate us.

We're planning to meet and discuss the novel when we're in Chicago next month. More on that soon! I'm off to work on a finance presentation.

Happy weekend!

Busy As A...

Be{cause} it's the tail end of the semester, I am loaded down with papers, presentations and assignments, all which are due in a few short weeks. I do see the light at the end of the tunnel...

And, it's filled with coffee. Rich, strong coffee.

Unintended Break

It must be obvious, but I'm taking a bit of a break from blogging. The break was unintentional and has emerged from the lack of extra time I've experienced over the past few months. In truth, this was a long time coming.

Between school, work, and relationships, this life is busy. Cray, even.

In January, I didn't knew just how busy it would be.

At the beginning of the year, I vowed to begin posting more often on ADOS, and in reality, this will be a resolution I can't keep right now. On the other hand, I'm making progress with three of the other five goals: 'Make Decisions for My Career/Education', 'Keep in Touch With Family and Friends', and 'Complete My Reading Challenge'. I've started to shadow professionals in the field to learn more about what jobs interest me the most, written cards and letters to family and friends over the past few months, and have burned through 8 of my new 30-book goal for reading this year. I'm even hosting a book club!

So, bear with me as I take a slight 'break' from the blog to pursue life. On a side note, I'm physically feeling better, so I can throw myself full-force into all of my commitments. In the future, I promise to be back regularly with lots of PGH Dining, health and 'big news' posts. For now, enjoy the smattering of here-and-there posts. :)

Happy April, Readers!