Extravaganza’s Almost Here – Can You Dig It?

Late spring is when the phone calls and chat questions start trickling in, first one by one, then in a chorus: “You’re having the summer reading thing again this year, right?” “My kids LOVE Extravaganza–please say you’re doing it.” “Will there be another festival on the library lawn?” Yes, yes, and yes!

This year is lucky number 13 for the Summer Reading Extravaganza, which is brought to you by the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and a host of other sponsors, including EQT,  the Allegheny Regional Asset District, and Giant Eagle (click here and scroll down to see just how many community groups pitch in to help us make this event a stellar one). The celebration of reading will take place:

Sunday, June 9, 2013
12 – 5 pm
On the lawn at
CLP – Main (Oakland)

and will include fun activities for the whole family, including:

• designing your own Smiley cookie with Eat’n Park.
• a plethora of perfomances by local musical groups.
• activities and information tables from friendly neighborhood community organizations.
• food trucks, food trucks, food trucks!
• library workers connecting you with books, information, and resources.
• and much, much more!

Once again the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh will offer summer reading programs for kids

teens

and adults.

But remember…

you’ll need to register in order to enjoy the festivities to the fullest.*

However you choose to participate, we hope you’ll make the 2013 Summer Reading Extravaganza, and the 2013 Summer Reading Program, a part of your warm-weather fun again this year.  Grab your library card and dig deeply into the wonder and magic of a day at the library, followed by a summer of reading bliss.

–Leigh Anne

*On-site registration will be available the day of the event

How I Spent the Morning

Every so often it takes something a little out of the ordinary to recharge the Reference skills. I’ve been filling in this week answering the E-mail reference questions for Tom, who’s on vacation.  Here’s a smattering of what I’ve responded to and in some cases, had to dig for over the last two days. By the way, this service is available for all of you; just e-mail us at info@carnegielibrary.org.

“Love your E-books now that we’ve figured out how to get them, how can we do the same for your e-video content?”

So, I needed to re-familiarize myself with the video offerings in E-CLP, make the acquaintance of Overdrive Media Console, and look over the Overdrive video offerings. What my narration is leaving out is that I’m responding to the user with instructions of “go here”, “click this”, “download and install that”, “go back to this page” and another dozen directions and answers in their original question. Hopefully they were able to jump in and successfully connect all the parts.

“I’d like some information on building and financing a home from scratch.” “I need to know how to find a contractor and sub-contractors, an architect, how to get a mortgage for it, and what else I might need to know.”

My initial response was straight out of the classroom; use the catalog. After some keyword searching to find an appropriate title, I latched onto the following subject heading –  House construction — Amateurs’ manuals – to build the user a healthy selection of reading material.  That should at least cover the planning and contractor stages.  Since I don’t know where she wants to build, I referred her to the City’s Bureau of Building Inspection and the city’s General Guide to Permitting for additional information.  I also informed her that if she was building outside the city, that she’d need to contact the municipality where she wants to build.  Finally I referred her to the local banks, and even real estate agents to find out about the financing for owner built construction, assuming the books I’d referred her to earlier wouldn’t address financing in a local fashion.

“Thank you for the confirmation, I am interested in finding out if any newspaper articles or sports magazines have the line score or box scores for the game for possible recreation of that game? In the microfilms of newspapers for that day can you possibly find out the weather report for Aug.5, 1921? Or do you know of a weather report history site?”

This has been one of our favorite questions, covering several iterations over a few weeks. This originated as an inquiry (the user was referred to us by the Baseball Hall of Fame) into whether there was a recording or transcript of the August 5th, 1921 Pirates game against the Phillies (aka the Quakers in the newspaper articles.)  This game was the first baseball game to ever be broadcast over the radio, by Pittsburgh’s KDKA.  After looking through our Reference Services and PA Dept. resources, and inquiries with KDKA and the Heinz History Center the sad conclusion is that none of us had a record of the broadcast.

To answer the followup questions, I fell back on the tools of a scoundrel, and found a reservoir of historic box scores by searching Google.  My search came up with www.baseball-reference.com, and any box score you could possibly imagine.  I then backed it up with making sure one was available in the newspapers if she wanted.  I spent some additional time in Microfilm viewing the August 6th, 1921 Pittsburgh Gazette-Times, one of the predecessor titles to the current PG.  Besides the box score I also looked at the previous day’s weather, but it was pretty sparse. It gave the high for the day, and that it was cloudy (big surprise there).  Could I find a better answer?

Squirreled away in our closed shelving are about 50 very dark and gritty Original Monthly Record of Observations at Pittsburgh, PA of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Weather Bureau.  Each volume corresponds to a given year, running from 1875 through 1927 or so.  Each month has four pages dedicated to it; two daily recordings at 8am and 8pm, a daily log of minimum and maximum temps, precipitation and details about hail, snow, etc.  The fourth page for each month is a calculation of the mean air pressure, temperature, wind, precipitation and … “Miscellaneous Phenomena” which include high winds, solar and lunar halos, fog, haze, and smoke. Having found the 1921 journal I was able to confirm that the day was seasonably warm, mid 60s and clear in the morning, 80s and cloudy that night.  I also informed the user that she could either request photocopies of the newspaper pages through ILL at her library, or directly from us.

Obviously not all the questions have such promise. There are the requisite “Is my card expired?” and declamations of perfidy on the part of our bookdrops.  But I will leave you with one last question that I ended up referring to our colleagues at the Downtown & Business Library.

“I am trying to find out the dividend reinvestment price for XYZ Corp, from 1995 to 1999 the period until they merged with Acme Widgets, and then from there the dividend reinvestment price for XYZ Corp until they split in 2005. The help would be much appreciated.”

This called for self-education: I didn’t feel like I knew enough to know whether I should transfer it or not.  I started in the Morningstar Investment Research Center, one of our business databases.  It gave me an introductory explanation in one of the investor discussion forums.  It turns out that a dividend reinvestment price is a different way to calculate a stock’s price (per share) when dividends are automatically reinvested in the same stock.  After some more investigating I determined that there is no register of DRP the way there is for regular stock prices (along with splits and dividend payout dates) but rather it’s something that the investor needs to calculate on their own (isn’t this why Providence invented Accountants?)  However, to cover my bases I did refer the question to Downtown & Business. Our colleague Scott provided the following response to the inquiry.

Dear Mr. Q. Public:

We can provide you with stock prices for specific dates and dividends paid by XYZ Corp. during the period your question mentions, but the Dividend Reinvestment Price is something you will need to calculate yourself. Check this site for a handy calculator:
http://www.buyupside.com/calculators/dividendreinvestmentdec07.htm

There is also a fee-based service that might be of some help:
http://www.netbasis.com/start-now/

As you know, on 5/1/1999 XYZ Corp. merged into Acme.  Shareholders got 1.085 shares of Acme Class B for each share of XYZ Corp. common stock held.  In terms of stock prices, we can furnish you with year-end prices for XYZ Corp. (trading as Acme Class B) for the years 1998 – 2005:

12/31/2005
Acme sheds XYZ Corp.; shareholders of Acme Cl. B received .5 shares of XYZ Corp. Class B common and .5 shares of Acme Inc. (New) Cl. B common.

Please let us know if we can be of further assistance to you.

I couldn’t have said it any better.  This does indicate though, not everything is available on the Internet, and not everyone’s needs are best met using digital means.

– Richard

Pittsburgh’s Newest Identity: Toon Town?

This past weekend, Pittsburgh was fortunate to host the annual conference of the National Cartoonists Society. To celebrate Pittsburgh’s big debut in the world of comics, the Toonseum hosted a Comic Arts Festival Downtown on Sunday; between the panels with big name comic artists, long lines for autographs, and hundreds of people enjoying comic vendors, costumed characters, and all sorts of activities–including the Library’s make-your-own-comic activity for kids–on Liberty Ave in front of the Toonseum, Pittsburgh felt like the cartoon capital of the world.

Kids and sharks working together to make beautiful comic books.

In fact, as the Post Gazette’s David Coulson pointed out in his piece about the NCS Conference, 15 area artists were up for Reuben Awards, the annual awards given to top cartoonists during the conference in a number of categories. (The article had a sample from each that is well worth looking at.) Considering that there were only 48 nominees altogether, you have to believe that the comics scene in Pittsburgh is flourishing!

Nobody should get more credit for raising Pittsburgh’s profile in the national comic art community than Toonseum’s founder and executive director Joe Wos. Wos, a comic artist and storyteller who has been a fixture in Pittsburgh for years, started the Toonseum in a corner of the Children’s Museum in 2007 and has led the museum, one of only three cartoon museums in the United States, to become a popular destination in the Cultural District. According to one cartoonist I spoke to at the festival on Sunday, Joe was the driving force behind bringing the NCS to Pittsburgh (He also said Wos’ mother made a delicious dessert for attendees.).

While congratulations are in order for Cartoonist of the Year winners Brian Crane and Rick Kirkman and to the all of the other honorees, all of this is also a big win for Pittsburgh comic arts fans! Enjoy the riches, Pittsburgh. Here are just a few suggestions to help celebrate our status as a major hub of cartoons:

• Visit the Toonseum, naturally.
• Visit the Library – each location has comics (don’t forget to check the Teen section, too, as there is plenty of crossover in comics).
• Bask in the bizarro Americana glory that is original Elzie Segar Popeye cartoon strips.
• Pick up the Post Gazette or the Trib, in print, and peruse your favorite panels. Don’t forget the editorial cartoons.
• Re-read your favorites from childhood and enjoy them on a different level. I did not appreciate Charlie Brown’s existential angst when I was 6. (David Michaelis’ excellent 2007 biography of Charles Schulz explains a lot.)
• Stop by the Main Library for Out of the Gutter, and adult graphic novel conversation group. The group meets every third Monday at 6:30. The selection for June 17th is Kim Deitch’s Alias the Cat.

But of course the best way to celebrate this unpretentious and inclusive art form is to make your own. Don’t worry if you can’t draw: two of the most popular web comics of the past several years have used clip art and stick figures.

Steel City, move over. Welcome to Toon Town!

–Dan

At Sea

I miss the ocean. As a sailor in the USN I had the good fortune of being stationed on a ship out of Japan that sailed the picturesque waters of the Pacific Ocean. I remember  stealing many moments out on the sponson decks, enjoying a smoke while flying fish skittered across the placid waters  painted in orange and mauve as the sun slowly set behind the wide horizon. I grew up in Pittsburgh and had never really traveled at all before my enlistment. Everywhere you turn here there is a hill in your face. Seeing something two or three blocks away qualifies the scene as  “panoramic.” Thus it is was that the immense space of the ocean really took hold of me. As a junior enlisted my life revolved around painting, cleaning, and liberty, but of course the navy was once much different. I am referring to the age of sail and thanks to a healthy niche market there is an abundance of fiction that can take you back to the days of wooden ships and iron men.

The king of the genre has to be C. S. Forester. Born in 1899 Forester was himself from a different era and his smooth, formal prose helps to transport the reader to bygone days. His most famous character,  Horatio Hornblower, enjoyed a storied career stretched out over 11 novels, from seasick midshipman all the way to Admiral in charge of everything. A&E produced a fantastic TV adaptation of the early novels starring Ioan Gruffudd.

The Aubrey-Maturin series of novels by Patrick O’Brian constitutes another highly successful series. The adventures of Captain Jack Aubrey and his friend Stephen Maturin, naturalist, doctor, and sometime spy will provide hours and hours of amusement.  The series inspired 2003’s Master and Commander The Far Side of the World starring Russell Crowe which is worth a view.

The Kydd series from Julian Stockwin stands out in the field by the author’s choice to follow the adventures of an enlisted sailor in the British navy. Thomas Paine Kydd joins up the hard way, kidnapped by a press gang and initiated into the brutal life below decks.

Before enlisting yourself, landsmen and landswomen out there may wish to read up a bit on the stunning array of terminology associated with sailing the tall ships. Sailing these vessels required immense knowledge and precise coordination.  During my time at sea I had to learn how to wax the floor just right but it’s not really in the same league.

Sky

Uncle Danny’s Leg

I was 7 years old, at a holiday gathering at my grandparents’ house. The phone was being passed around to talk to Aunt Buddy, my grandmother’s sister. Someone passed the phone to me –

“Here, talk to Aunt Buddy.”

Me: “Hi Aunt Buddy, how are you?”

Aunt Buddy: “I’m dying.”

Me to the people in the room: “Aunt Buddy’s DYING!”

Aunt Fran: “Oh, Aunt Buddy’s been dying for years.”

Dear old Aunt Buddy was quite a character. She lived in a dilapidated, but once exclusive apartment in the Bronx. We all reluctantly visited her there, not only because of the horrifying and huge cockroaches, but because the neighborhood was so scary.  She always had a mean little dog on her lap. I remember a toy poodle named Shoo-Shoo who drank coffee, and then a Boston Terrier named Nikki (after my sister! She hated that!) who peed inside (thus the cockroaches).

Here are some stories my family told about her:

• Aunt Buddy was a friend of Dutch Schultz in the roaring ‘20s. She even caught a bullet in her hand. When I was young, I thought this meant that she caught it and held it, not that she got shot.
• Aunt Buddy was the oldest living ex-junky.
• Aunt Buddy was married 5 times, but twice to Uncle Danny. He was her 3^rd and 5^th husband.
• Uncle Danny was my mother’s favorite uncle. He would get her illegally small lobsters at fancy restaurants when she was a child.
• Uncle Danny Sickles was the son (grandson?) of famous Civil War General Daniel Sickles, whose leg is in the National Museum of Health and Medicine near DC. My parents took us to see it. My mother exclaimed, “There it is! Uncle Danny’s leg!”

Sickles’ leg, along with a cannonball similar to the one that shattered it, on display at the National Museum of Health and Medicine (from Wikipedia.org)

A good 10 years after my phone conversation, Aunt Buddy was moved to a nursing home in Brooklyn. She would yell at her roommates and be uncooperative with the nurses. A few years after that, my mother was reading the newspaper and came upon an article about therapy dogs brought into nursing homes and their effect on the residents. She quoted it to me over the phone (I will paraphrase): “Cantankerous old woman Rosebud Sickles’s whole demeanor changed when around the dogs.”  Rosebud Sickles! That’s Aunt Buddy!

She clipped the article; I wish I had it now.

-Joelle

A Funny Thing Happened on My Way to Read More Fiction

Well, maybe not funny. More like the complete opposite of what I intended. In my last post, I panicked about not having any fiction in my apartment and I purposely checked out some fiction. But since that last post, I’ve finished two non-fiction books. (I also finished two fiction books and a graphic novel, but they were for book club and for me, there is a difference between reading for pleasure and reading so I can have intelligent things to say when I’m leading a discussion.)

In I Can Barely Take Care of Myself: Tales from a Happy Life without Kids, Jen Kirkman writes about not wanting to have children. Ever. Complete strangers tell her that she’ll change her mind or ask her really personal questions about her ability to give birth. The book is smart and funny and by sharing her experiences, she gives good advice on what to do when you know who you are and what you want, but other people are certain they know what’s best for you. Kirkman doesn’t give herself enough credit in the title because she seems to be doing a great job taking care of herself, writing for Chelsea Handler‘s show, “Chelsea Lately”, working as a standup comedian, and writing a book.

The other book I finished was Everything is Perfect When You’re a Liar by Kelly Oxford, who’s best known for her Twitter feed. I was not having the best of days when I read about a trip she, her husband, and some friends took to Vegas to see David Copperfield, but after laughing through the entire chapter, nothing could bring me down. Oxford is incredibly talented at finding the humor and the heart in many situations, even her time working in a brain injury center. Of course, she has little choice in being witty and warm; she is Canadian.

I’m currently reading another non-fiction book, Adulting: How to Become a Grown-up in 468 Easy(ish) Steps by Kelly Williams Brown. I am firmly in the adult side of life, but if there were a quiz on how adult you are, I’d score in the “Well, Technically You’re an Adult, But You Should Really Be Trying Harder” column. I can do basic things like regularly scheduled laundry and paying my bills on time (if not early!), but if someone came over to my apartment, I could only offer them a lemon, some coconut yogurt, and frozen green beans. (Now that I’ve written that, a meal of those things doesn’t seem so bad. You’re all invited to my apartment.)

I guess it’s possible that I’m just in the mood for non-fiction these days, but need to keep some fiction around as my security blanket. I’m sure I’ll read fiction for fun any day now.

-Aisha

Memorizing Poetry

I can remember the first bad grade I ever got.  I was in the sixth grade, and the assignment was to memorize this poem.  I had no interest in whether the frost was on the punkin, and simply didn’t try very hard when it came to memorizing it.  We didn’t discuss the poem much, or talk about why it was interesting; this was a straight up memorization exercise and although I got a bad grade, I couldn’t bring myself to care very much.  Ironically, I must have done at least some work on the assignment because to this day I remember the first stanza of this poem!

I wouldn’t memorize another poem until I was in an undergraduate public speaking class (although by this time, I had grown to love poetry and probably knew more by heart than I realized).  The assignment was a memorized speech, and most of us in the class did poems or songs.  I chose the first part of Allen Ginsberg’s Howl, a very fun poem to memorize and recite.

As a young adult, I didn’t have much reason to memorize poetry, and therefore didn’t.  About a year ago though, that changed when I began running consistently for the first time since I was in high school cross country.  As a teenager, running was easy: you run as fast as you can until it’s time to stop.  For an adult trying to pick it back up it’s a little different.  Getting through those early days of pushing myself to run for a mile, or two, or three, was tough.  I don’t own an iPod, and I wanted something to occupy my mind besides thoughts of how hard it was.  I remembered reading, years ago, that the author Martha Nussbaum would memorize music- such as ‘The Marriage of Figaro’– and run with her own soundtrack in her head.  I decided to use my running time similarly, but I would memorize poetry.  It turned out to be the perfect way to help me push through those difficult first miles.

I was two poems in when my poem-memorization project fell by the wayside; running became more comfortable and I started just enjoying the time alone with my thoughts. I recently set out to increase my mileage and once again, as I push through the hard parts I’ve been looking for another poem to learn during my runs.  My only criteria is that the poem speaks to me in some way, and that it’s a reasonable length.  I think I’ve settled on this one, but I’m open to hearing more suggestions!

-Irene

Ghosts of Futures Past

from the site: http://theactionelite.com

I grew up with two older brothers, and so was subjected to an almost constant stream of action movies in my childhood. I don’t want to give my age away, but most of that childhood took place in the 1980s, the heyday of Schwarzenegger and many fine John Carpenter films.

I hadn’t seen most of these action movies in years, and decided it might be time to revisit some of these childhood gems. A few things that surprised me during my reviewings: 1) I probably shouldn’t have been watching any of these movies as a child, 2) 48 Hours is a legitimately good movie, but full of some very colorful language, so thankfully, 3) I had remembered almost nothing about these movies, and 4) the future has arrived, and it looks nothing like we thought it would in 1985.

Dystopian films of the 1980s such as Mad Max, Scanners, Blade Runner, Terminator and Robocop all feature charmingly out-of-date technologies. I recently re-watched Total Recall and Escape From New York and made a few stray observations about the technologies of “the future.”

Yes, although there has been a lot of talk in the news recently of self-driving cars, back in Total Recall’s future, cabs were populated by creepy Johnny Cab robots. I’d take no driver over a driver that looks like a murderous ventriloquist’s dummy any day.

from the site: http://www.telegraph.co.uk

Also, according to Total Recall, the phones of the future are really crummy, the video interface is always fading in and out, and there is nary a cell phone in sight.

from the site: imdb.com

John Carpenter’s Escape from New York came out in 1982, but takes place in 1997. Kurt Russell plays the renegade Snake Plissken who is sent into New York (now a penal colony) to save the president. Luckily he has this snazzy digital map to help him:

from the site: cracked.com

Google maps it is not.

from the site: cracked.com

Another thing this movie failed to anticipate—rather than New York turning into a crime-ridden waste land, it has turned into the family friendly outdoor mall we know today:

from the site: http://www.guardian.co.uk

http://www.timessquarenyc.org

Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed re-watching both of these fine films. How about you? Do you have any favorite action or science fiction movies from your childhood? Any favorite bits of outdated technology?

-Tara

PS – Rumor has it that they’re planning a remake of Escape, and anachronistic technology or not, I am not happy about this.

Belle of the Ball or Wallflower?*

‘wallflower’

2. a. a person who from shyness or unpopularity remains on the sidelines of a social activity (as a dance) Merriam Webster dictionary

I was a wallflower. You know, one of those women who go unnoticed (deliberately or not) in a room for whatever silly reason. Perhaps she’s bookish, doesn’t like (or know) how to dance, or is simply shy.

The theme of the wallflower is a popular trope in fiction, especially in historical romance. And there are several unique twists to that trope. But, oh, how I love that moment when the wallflower shines and is appreciated for just who she is by the handsomest gentleman in the room.

One Good Earl Deserves a Lover by Sarah MacLean

Lady Philippa (Pippa) Marbury is a bluestocking–”I’m odd” she  declares–from a well-heeled family who wants to learn more about exactly what happens on a wedding night before her actual wedding night in two weeks. She approaches her brother-in-law’s notoriously scandalous friend, Cross, an earl in hiding from his past to aid in her “scientific research experiment.” What follows is a battle of wills, witty dialogue, and an unforgettable heroine. Funny and poignant, I found myself rooting for Pippa’s happy ending all the way. This is the second in MacLean’s very entertaining and engaging Rules of Scoundrels series about four owners of a successful Regency England gambling hell.

The Charm School by Susan Wiggs

Isadora (Dora) Peabody is a misfit, an ugly duckling overshadowed by her talented and attractive aristocratic Boston family. She longs to escape her life and herself, so she maneuvers her way into a high seas adventure much to the dismay of the arrogant Captain Ryan Calhoun, a man who prefers to run away from his problems rather than face them. Along the way, Dora’s charm and  power are revealed and she befriends everyone she meets, effectively coming out of her shell. Calhoun comes to realize and appreciate her strength of character as well as her courage in the face of hardship. Note: Wiggs has said that Dora is “modeled after yrs truly.” Book one in a series.

Mistress by Midnight by Nicola Cornick

Lady Merryn Fenner is only interested in academics and has long given up girlish dreams of love and marriage after watching her dearest brother destroyed by it. And she’s determined to bring down the man she believes is responsible: Garrick, the Duke of Farne. When a freak accident traps them alone together forcing their marriage, they discover the truth about the past as well as their conflicting feelings for one another. I especially enjoy how Cornick’s stories are inspired by real life historical events. Book three in her provocative Scandalous Women of the Ton series.

The Reasons for Marriage by Stephanie Laurens

This is an early Laurens’ novel and I think it’s one of her best. Jason, the Duke of Eversleigh, needs to marry after the death of his eldest brother, the heir, and he sets his sights on his friend’s sister, Lenore Lester. Miss Lester is perfectly content to be mistress of her brother’s large household in the country, with her books and her gardens, and has no reason to marry; in fact, she adopts a dowdy exterior just to discourage suitors. But the Duke sees through her ruse and is determined to win her and show her the real reasons for marriage. Book one in the Lester family series.

Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean

“On-the-shelf” spinster, Lady Calpurnia Hartwell, has had enough of her dull life. So she creates a list of things she wishes to accomplish: learn fencing, gamble at a gentlemen’s club, and fire a pistol to name a few. She also needs the help of someone not afraid to break the rules: the scandalous–and handsome– Gabriel St. John, the Marquess of Ralston. First in MacLean’s Love by Numbers series.

A Week to Be Wicked by Tessa Dare

Geologist Minerva Highwood is on a mission. Well, make that two missions. She is determined to present her research to an academic society in Scotland and also to prevent a certain roguish lord from marrying her beloved and fragile sister. She approaches the wicked Colin Sandhurst, Lord Payne, and proposes he escort her, thus avoiding marrying her sister, for which she will pay him handsomely. And so begins their hilarious road trip in a tiny carriage where they will confront their fears, their secrets, and their passion. This is the second book in Tessa Dare’s delightful Spindle Cove series, about a militia that comes to a seaside English village where mostly spinsters reside. Note: Dare (a librarian) has said that her inspiration for this series was Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice, when the militia came to Meryton, thus causing the youngest Bennet girls to go crazy for the handsome officers.

~Maria

*This post is the first in a series highlighting my favorite historical romance novels, my new favorite genre, because it is filled with only happy endings,  history, wonderful stories, enchanting characters, and amazing writing. Many thanks to Eleventh Stack bloggers Jess and Sheila, for inspiring me to try them, and to the authors themselves for writing stories I love to read.

Ride Your Bike.

May is National Bike Month!

Today is Bike to Work Day!

I live about 5 blocks away from where I work, so riding to work feels almost like cheating.  It’s all downhill and takes literally two minutes. Riding home on the other hand…

As of today, I have worked at Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh for exactly nine years. Before that I was a bike messenger. Yes, in Pittsburgh. Yes, Pittsburgh has bike messengers. Yes, it’s an awesome job. (In the summer. Not so much in sleet and snow. I’m a baby about the cold.)

After I quit, I stopped riding my bike and promptly got fat. I got back into bike riding again and recently bought a spanking new bike. It’s a thing of beauty. Every time I walk past it, I pet it.

MY Raleigh RX 1.0 Cyclocross Bike

I’ve already put a bunch of miles on it and I’m planning some big rides this summer. I’m doing a 50-mile ride to raise money for Diabetes research. I’m also planning some overnight camping trips on the Great Allegheny Passage and in September I’m going to Washington, D.C. via the Great Allegheny Passage and the C & O Canal.  All camping. Pray for me, folks, because a camper I am not. I’m more of an eat-in-restaurants-sleep-in-hotels kind of girl. For example, I made a list of what to take and it included make-up, hand cream and perfume. That’s definitely a tough guy fail.

Carnegie Library’s website has a whole section of helpful cycling information, including links to trail maps, tour and advocacy groups and even a book list about cycling (fiction and nonfiction!)

Here are some of my favorite resources. And a bicycle cafe.

Bike Pittsburgh

A Pittsburgh-based cycling safety, advocacy, and awareness organization offering
a wealth of local cycling information, news, events, links, and community
information, including an online bike map.

Free Ride Pittsburgh

Free Ride! is a non-profit recycle-a-bike shop recycles bikes. Located inside
Construction Junction.

And this is just awesome bike stuff.

So if you see me on the trail, say hi! I’ll probably let you pet my bike.

Ride on.

-suzy