Pennsylvania plates and Pittsburgh paraphernalia

Strangely enough, one of the first things I notice when changing locations is not the differences in the natural scenery, the level of industrialization or even the character of the people in the area, but the license plates on the cars driving past me.  When I see cars, trucks and SUVs with Pennsylvania plates and Pittsburgh license plate frames, I know I'm home once again.  I don't know why this one simple detail has such an effect on me but it really is the change from seeing little pine cones and lobsters to those yellow, white and blue stripes that signal to me I'm back in PA. 

     After being gone for so long I've also forgotten how dominant Pittsburgh pride is around here.  Even an hour and a half from the city, every store in the shopping plaza and every vendor at the crafts show has at least one black and gold item for sale.  I never would have thought twice about it had I not been in so many other places lately where there was hardly a sign of any sports teams, let alone such a feeling of support and team spirit for the "home team."  So maybe it makes sense that people make fun of my black and gold gear in the middle of nowhere Maine, where the nearest sports team is three states away.  But Pittsburgh pride for some reason stretches even to the other end of the state, maybe further, so really, having grown up not more than half an hour from the city, where we still consider ourselves to be Pittsburghers, now that I'm back, it seems only natural to see black and gold everywhere I look.

Fishy Business

Neck-deep in finals, most of which pertain atleast partially to fish, I find it only fitting that I've stumbled upon this website which basically has everything that I want in my life at some point
...epic fish tanks

...a man that is willing to paint his face like this with me


and numerous other fishy links and videos. 
http://thinkorthwim.com/index.php?tag=fish

And this is perhaps just what I needed to refresh my mind and inspire me to go write more about fish toxins and memorize a few dozen more fish species names and IDs.

A Lovely Idea

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6DZEVGHkSvIIQEdMoLmSfzwuw-IBJ0rC2vNtYB0nYj-6SGBrKn1xwcxRwp76GFfnZSB3Mm7Nrm4EI0HIi8X6nrfDyQv0pb78k7pBkUA2qR0LDYHOTasldIzen7QtpQ2zZmMx5vGK_rZR_/s1600/lavender-fields-.jpg

On Tieing Up Loose Ends

As week 9 approaches I am forced to realize that in about 13 short days, after all of the papers have been written and projects have been turned in, I will leave this place that I call home for almost a solid year.  I have finally grown completely acustomed to this home, my disfunctional college family, my surroundings and my schedule, hectic as it may be.  I have so many plans ahead, confounding my mind and exciting my nerves at a time when I would rather be better able to focus on the present, all of the finals I have before me and the last minute things I need to get done.  But as the time approaches I can't help but get more and more excited, nervous, apprehensive and anxious.  I know good things will come out of these experiences and I only hope that life will cooperate over the next year as it has been prone to be a bit disagreeable as of late.  So, two weeks from now I will leave this vacationland, an ironic name for the place where I first embarked and continue on with my college career, and set off on my journeys.
Maine-Vacationland or what happens at a hippie school by the sea
to Pittsburgh-what happens when home merely becomes "home-base"
to Belize-to see what's really so appealing about the tropics
to Florida-when I have to work on a computer all day everyday
to Australia-need I say more
to New York-this has increasing appeal and potential