Writings, Wanderings

Going on summer break from school has been good to me. Although I had a good school year, I had a lot going on and as my last month's blog entry stated, my reading suffered. For June I took the time to rejuvenate by focusing on reading what I felt like when I felt like it as well as writing in my next novella (maybe short novel?? it's turning out longer than I anticipated but I think editing will keep it under 40K). I finally read the Grisha trilogy ( Shadow & Bone, Siege and Storm, and Ruin & Rising ) by Leigh Bardugo. I have seen others gushing about on Instagram for months now! This fantasy series is definitely more young adult than adult, but I wanted to keep reading and plan on reading the other stories in the Grishaverse. I found her system of magic interesting and was invested in the characters. Loved Nikolai! Yes, there was the over-used love triangle (or was it a pyramid at one point?), but it did not overwhelm the other elements. Recommended read for tee...

May was a rather abysmal reading month for me. If you're looking at this list of five books and thinking that is about the norm for me so this being a low book-count month sounds off, full disclosure: most of these books were started in April or earlier (one was picked up for the first time back in 2018...) May marks the end of my school year and while my extracurricular responsibilities tapered off in the first half of the month, I was mentally burnt out. I am proud of this school year but I was too busy between work and my own life. Unfortunately, I drifted into reading fanfiction instead of novels which while fun doesn't add to my book totals. What I did read is a pretty random mix but here goes. The Lost Duke of Wyndham  by Julia Quinn. I really liked her Bridgerton series so I am always looking for another enjoyable read. I got this book at a library book sale along with another one of hers. While this one does not measure up to my favorite series, it certainly had i...

Originally posted on the now-defunct TravBuddy site December 30, 2008.           Growing up, Pittsburgh was the closest big city, and we would take advantage of the theater and museums from time to time.  Once in awhile, we drove past the Cathedral of Learning, the visual centerpoint of the University of Pittsburgh .  When I learned that the stone skyscraper housed unique classrooms designed in a variety of international styles, I decided I had to visit.  On Tuesday morning my dad and I set off.  We swung through a drive-through for lunch, drove alongside the Ohio River , passed the airport, and  headed through the Fort Pitt tunnel.  Coming across the bridge, I had a quick glimpse of a stadium and science museum before turning to follow 376 until our exit at Forbes St .  The Cathedral waited directly in front of us as we curved off the exit although it was still quite a few blocks away.  We found parking in a lot ac...