Misc.

Christmas makes me melancholy, because I miss my family.

Today I walked through Market Square, which is coolly decorated and has Christmas music piped in. It was lunchtime and not too many people were out, but it was nice enough that some folks sat down at the few tables still left. I went in to Starbucks and Charlie Brown music was playing, the instrumental version of "Christmas Time is Here." It's solemn and bluesy all at once and it really sent me off into a reverie of Christmases past.

I walked past the ice skaters at PPG Place ice rink and back on to the office, wishing I had time to just wander, look and listen.

The picture is the rink on Monday night, Dec. 13, 2011.

Wednesday Whimsy

OCTOBER 6, 2010
The week: It's been rainy so far, but I have seen some interesting things in the drizzle. One of which I will describe below, and having witnessed it, am resolved to now carry my cellphone at all times. To use the camera.
Heading back from the PPG Food Court on Monday, one-ish, I came down the steps from the PPG building and stopped a step above a tiny woodpecker, obviously so lost. It tried to cross the street, hopping, and I trotted along behind to hurry it along before it got run over. He trotted across and then unfortunately flew back across the street and smack into a Wintergarden window. Stunned him but he perched on the ledge, although I can't imagine it was good for his little brain.
He was interesting looking, not a downy though. So henceforth, I will carry my camera. It's the second time I've found an interesting bird in the vicinity of PPG Place, which really is a death tower, with all that glass, for birds. A couple years ago I found a dead cedar waxwing on the sidewalk next to the Wintergarden.

Readings: Very interesting article in the New Yorker from last week by Malcom Gladwell about the value of social networks. The link is here: The revolution will not be tweeted.

This week's picture: I love this sign design, from an actual non-chain drugstore in the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Lawrenceville.