an evening at cafe istanbul

One of the fireplaces in the house actually WORKS and yesterday we had the chimney sweeper come in to prepare the fireplace for the season. (I expected more of a Mary Poppins experience and was sadly disappointed at the mundane process.) Once he left, Wilson immediately got some logs from out back and lit a fire. It was gorgeous! And what did I do? I sat directly in front of it and.... ate ice cream. Yep. Enigma, I tell you!

In the evening, I got together with my friend Jeff. We grabbed some pizza at Spak Brothers, which is a small pizza joint in Bloomfield that specializes in vegetarian pizza. You know, they carry the fake meats and all that jazz. :-) So we had an onion, green pepper, veggie pepperoni pizza and drank local Red Ribbon soda.




We may have also gotten our nerd on and played pinball. Oh yeah. One of the flippers kept jamming and messing up our style. But it was totally fun.


Then, we went to Larryville (Lawrenceville) to Cafe Istanbul to see an instrumental progressive psychedelic band from NYC called Consider the Source. I'd never heard of them before, but Jeff said they were pretty cool. They just finished a tour through Israel and Istanbul, hence their appearance at Cafe Istanbul. I'd also never been to this cafe before, and I was completely *swooned* by the traditional Turkish venue. Just look at this place!



I kept saying to Jeff, "Can I just move in here?" Look at the gorgeous material, the triangle pillows, the wooden tables...



No such thing as chairs in this place. Everyone sat on stools or pillows to watch the band play. Consider the Source is pretty awesome, by the way. I'm not used to listening to instrumental bands, but I found it really helped me appreciate the artistry of the music. They have a fantastic way of manipulating sounds and making it sound like more than a three person band. You could also see the passion move through their body and express itself through their face as they placed. The mark of a true musician, for sure.



Evidence of an evening well spent. We split the bottle and it was gone by half way through the concert. Bully Hill's "Love Goat." A bit sweeter of a red than I normally like, but still good!



Could not get enough of the venue. I loved the combination of the different prints and colors. The blues, red, and golds gave such a royal atmosphere and I kind of felt like some sort of indie Turkish royalty sitting there. *smile*

Hand stamp approved! And a sweet detail of one of the prints.

I can't forget to show you the wall!

i live here

I am finally moved into my new place, and many people have been asking to see pictures of where I'm living now. It has taken me awhile, but here are some images of where I live. It's a gorgeous home and I adore my room. Seriously? I couldn't be any happier here.

My bed, with the quilt I've had since a child and the Spirit pillow Roshanda sent me.

Lillybean exploring her new surroundings




A view of the bay window in my bedroom




Vintage whiskey and orange crates -- a mild decorative obsession of mine




What would I do without my record player?



The top of my dresser




The corner of my bay window




Shoes!




The stained glass window on the landing to the second floor




The stairway -- currently being stripped and restored to the original wood




One of three fireplaces -- this one is in the entry way




Cozy corner in the living room




Old piano in the living room with many signatures from the 1970's around the eagle




One of the many unique light fixtures in the house




A dutch tile decorative fireplace in the dining room




The mantle




Chandelier and stained glass bay window in the dining room




A glorious kitchen to cook in -- with two ovens!

a princess with sparkles in her hair

Tonight, I was having dinner with a friend at a Mexican restaurant downtown. The city had just finished celebrating Light Up Night, a festival that celebrates the beginning of the Christmas season. Inside the restaurant, people packed the tables and the bar. There was a mariachi band strumming happily at a nearby table, and one of the men was so jovial and genuine within the song he was singing, that you couldn't help but feel the pride of Mexico radiating from his essence.

I was in the middle of conveying a thought to my friend when this little girl from the next table got out of her seat and approached me. She looked like she may have been about seven years old. Laying limply across her brown hair was a thin pink scarf with shiny silver threads. She lifted up the end of the scarf and said to me, "See? THIS is my hair! Isn't my hair pretty?" She emphasized that the scarf was her hair, not that her literal hair was her hair.

I smiled at her, at her imagination, and her openness to walk up to a strange woman in a restaurant. "Yes! I see your hair! Look at how beautiful you are! Just like a princess," I replied to her.

While she had been smiling this whole exchange, the moment I said the word "princess," her eyes lit up. It was as if I had just handed her the keys to the world and made her the queen of it. Her parents called her back to her own table, so she gave me a quick wave and another bashful smile before bouncing into her chair. But I caught her sneaking a glance at me and smiling after she'd sat back down.

This little conversation between the child and me sent my mind into a whirl. I still held a conversation with my friend, but the whole time, my mind was mulling over what had just taken place. I resonated with that little girl's reaction. It was such a simple thing. You tell a person that they are beautiful, that they are worth while, and that they have value, and you have no idea the impact that you could have.

For all you know, it could save their life. It could restore their sense of dignity or humanity. At the very least, affirming someone's value can instill hope or turn a crummy day around. Everybody deserves to be loved and to have their beauty discovered and appreciated.

We all have the value of princesses and princes.

I thought about some of the experiences I've had, some of the ways that I've been treated or how I've treated others. It's amazing how the way that you're treated or spoken to can really instill within you feelings of what you do or don't deserve in life. The attitudes of others can make you feel either worthy and precious, or small and insignificant. I don't know if we as humans can comprehend the influence we have over each other and our ability to either lift each other up or tear someone down.

Perhaps if we felt a greater sense of responsibility towards one another, we could safeguard and care for our brothers and sisters more consciously. Perhaps the world would be more inviting and loving, and more people would not only hear but believe that they are beautiful.

I hope this girl knows that she deserves all the kindness in the world. I hope she knows that she IS a princess, and that she should be treated as such. In return, I hope she grows into a gracious young woman who sees the potential in everyone and loves them however she can.

This is the ways things should be -- for all of us. It really doesn't seem all that difficult.

With love,

Scout

Ti Kanaval

Last night was the third annual Ti Kanaval fundraiser here in Pittsburgh! Thanks to Claire (@pghrugbyangel), I got to go to the event and help promote Pittsburgh Marshmallows (@pghmarshmallows)! This year's fundraiser was to benefit Jamie and Ali's orphanage in Haiti. Here's some snapshots of the event:

Look at these amazing desserts! They were all donated by either local Pittsburgh companies or by good hearted burghers themselves.

Jamie and Ali brought back many strands of Haitian beads, and we sold them for $5 a strand as part of the fundraiser. They were a big hit!

Socializing with fellow Twitterers! Somehow we ALL end up at the same event. Who says social media alienates people? Heck no! In Pittsburgh, it's the other way around!

Here is the view of downtown Pittsburgh from the patio of Whim. It was a gorgeous evening, to be sure.

Four bottles of Haitian Rhum were put up for a silent auction. There were SO many generous donations from people for the silent auction, but I think this was my favorite.

Me with the lovely Claire! Thank you, lady, for being my date to the fundraiser!

Look at these lovely twitter ladies! Me (@heytherescout), Lauren (@lilholtz56), Genevieve (@GenD80), Laura (@secretagentl), Kylie (@KylieD87), and Hollie (@PDPHollie)!

There were, of course, so many more of us tweeps in attendance as well. It was phenomenal, and hopefully will help out the orphanage very much! Some of the best tweetups are the incidental ones. :-)

perambulations through lawrenceville

Ha! Like me bringing back the infamous word? Per-am-bu-la-tions. I love that word.

It only takes me four blocks to walk from my work to where I'm currently living. But here are some of the gorgeous and interesting things I get to see along the way in beautiful Lawrenceville:

This is where I work. At the Seraphic Mass Association, which is part of the Capuchin Friary.

Another view of the friary.




An abandoned store-front door on Butler.



Along Penn Ave.



She follows me almost everywhere I go.




Row houses along Penn Ave. *heart*




Mother Mary




Fiesta!



I notice Catholicism everywhere I go. It's inevitable.



Ike -- looking more like a coyote than a kitten.




Scout.

Pittsburgh, you are beautiful. Your streets are my heartbeat. I love you infinitely.