Clouds With My Coffee (121/366)

Haven't had an early morning to the office in a while but today I was on a mission to complete a project so that meant getting my other work done early.

It was a very nice morning.  You could tell it was going to warm up nicely and Mother Nature did not disappoint.

Plus, by now you all know I love me some clouds!

The air up there in the clouds is very pure and fine, bracing and delicious.  And why shouldn't it be?-It is the same the angels breathe.
~Mark Twain, Roughing It

Scouting For Food  (120/366)

April is Scouting For Food month in Pack 202.This is their biggest service project of the year.  The scouts of Pack 202 worked a shift or two at Giant Eagle, handing out pamphlets and collecting food.  They worked after Mass at St. Margaret's of Scotland collecting food and they passed out flyers and bags to their friends, families and neighbors.

Then, all the boxes were brought to St. Margaret's cafeteria to be checked, sorted, stacked and loaded into vehicles headed to both the West End and Wallace Food Banks, here in the Pittsburgh area.

I am happy to report that Pack 202 collected 315 boxes of food and $267.00 in donations.  I am a proud parent of a Cub Scout who does his part to make a difference, as do all the boys in the Pack.

Way to go Pack 202!  You boys did a GREAT job and you should be very proud of yourselves!  There will be lots of food to go around to those less fortunate than ourselves.

Following the Scout Law sounds like a game plan that would give us all a better chance of success in life-and I mean every aspect of life.
~Zig Ziglar

The Southside (119/366)

After a long day of Zumba, flag football, errands, laundry and a little league game, it was time to have a little me time.  I met a girlfriend of mine down on Carson Street for dinner at the Double Wide Grill.  You see tonight, my job was wing(wo)man.  More like just good friendly moral support as she perused the object of her affection.

The Southside of Pittsburgh is actually a very eclectic place that I enjoy for it's photo ops.  Saturday night though, trying to get in and out is somewhat ridiculous with traffic and college kids and singles out for a fun on a Saturday night.

As I was waiting, I happened to notice the marquis for the Southside Works Movie Theatre looked pretty awesome against the cold evening sky.  We did a movie here last year and I believe it used to be an old hotel as the "lobby" was pretty amazing.  Definitely on the "to do" list again this year.

And here's a quote to my friend, you know who you are and you know I am here and will be your wingwoman any day!

Attraction is not a choice.

~David DeAngelo

Man vs. Food (118/366)

This is Jon.  He is one of my co-workers and he decided last week he was going to take on the food challenge at My Big Fat Greek Gyro ( http://mybigfatgreekgyro.com/ ) which is across the street from our office.  It's called The Big Fatty Challenge and is a 4 1/2 pound gyro and you have an hour to finish it.....ALL OF IT.

Early in the morning Jon was still contemplating, more like his stomach starting to protest at the thought but by 1pm, he was up for the task.  Michelle and I joined him for moral support and because we wanted to see if he could actually do it.  As you can tell by the photo, Jon is not a little man...I believe his line is....240lbs of shit in a red shirt (and he will correct me if I got that wrong...lol).  He also eats more than any person I have ever met.  Every 90 mins or so during the day, he walks by my office to make something in the toaster oven, microwave or to grab something from the fridge.

It was 1:27pm when I took this shot.  Let me tell you, that is a whole lotta gyro.  Even more so for a man, who about 10 bites in admits he doesn't really like gyros.  Yeah, I might have rolled my eyes.  2:27pm came quicker than Jon could consume this massive amount of lamb and shortly there after I told the owner, as I was headed  back to the office, to give him his bill.  Yeah, it's free if you finish it, but if not, it's $30.00.

So here's to Jon for a good effort today.  He didn't get the free gyro and t-shirt, but there is always next week.  I included a short video I took today as the challenge started!  That big mouth running on would be mine!

http://youtu.be/tC1sLCeJ8Wk

It's so beautifully arranged on the plate.  You know someone's fingers have been all over it.
~Julia Child on nouvelle cuisine

PINK! (117/366)

My Azalea bush is in full bloom and survived the cold temps and rain all week.  I hear that nasty snow   precipitation is in the forecast for Saturday so I decided to have a little Olloclip fun this morning before work.

Raindrops decorated the perky flowers and it was just fun getting different perspectives with the macro lens.

I am looking forward to our weather finally evening out so I can start the work on my butterfly garden.  I get giddy with the thought of all the picture potential once it's in full bloom.

Almost all words do have color and nothing is more pleasant than to utter a Pink word and see someones eyes light up and know it's a Pink word for him or her too.
~Gladys Taber

Pinstripes (116/366)


The day had finally come.  The first game of the season.  Kid pitch, which in most cases means more than a few  walks, pitches swung at way above their heads and a hit batter or three.  Dan struck out his first at bat, pitched a few walks and a strikeout or two and got hit at his next at bat.

But Blinkey's Nobel  Bar and Grill came to play their first home game and after 6 strong innings, lost 6-4.  The season is young and there will be more games, walks, strikeouts, home runs and hit batters. I just hope Daniel is not on the receiving end of another fast ball to the thigh.  I think tomorrow's blog might be a nice colorful shot of the bruise.

Little League baseball is a good thing because it keeps the parents off the streets.
~Yogi Berra

This Little Piggy (115/366)

Some days it's an effort to decide what photo to use for the day.  Some days, it's an effort to just take the camera out when you don't feel inspired.  That would have been last night and I apologize for the lack of creativity in the photo.

Last night, after I posted that gem of a blog post, I turned and saw this scene below.  It struck me as funny and then I wondered, "Why is that piggy trying to steal my Dunkin Donut card"?

Of course Dan announced that I should not get to close to the Piggy because it was his, but for tonight, it was my model and looking at it still makes me smile.  Not sure if it's the pig or the thought of a nice hot cup of Dunkin' Donuts coffee (I sorta OD'd over the weekend) but either way, I hope this whimsical photo gives you a little laugh.

This little piggy went to market
This little piggy stayed home
This little piggy had roast beef (with his Dunkin' Donuts coffee)
This little piggy had none
And this little piggy went wee, wee, wee, all the way home (he stole that 3rd piggy's Dunkin Donuts coffee)