This weekend a convergence occurred: my friend Kevin, Elliot’s sister Jenna and Marissa’s friends Teena, Neena, Jeanie, and Dan also appeared in Pittsburgh. So we played many games (not pictured), ate many not-really-amazing cookies (not pictured), watched very little of The Birds (not pictured), and all separately went shopping at Southside Works (not pictured).

Finally we located a limo (and some cameras) amongst the hills and drove it to the not-so-abandoned firehouse (though there were no firefighters) where we danced until my legs were very sore. Some pictures were taken, mostly not by me, put I posted them here on flickr

Elliot, Jess Co, Phluff, & I went to Fallingwater & Kentuck Knob this Saturday. Jess & Phluff were in town because Jess’s site for studio this year is in Pittsburgh, so they came up and visited the Warhol and took their measurements. Then we met up and hung out Friday night, before they woke me up way too early Saturday morning to go out to see some architecture.

Fallingwater & Kentuck Knob were both designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, both in the later part of his career. Fallingwater really brought him back into the public eye, and although I expected it to be a lot of hype over not that impressive of a house … I was wrong.

Which is good.

I have visited a number of FLW’s homes in my day (including both Taliesins, which win–at least in sheer scope), and this one was quite impressive. It is small, but feels spacious, and it really did pull off his connecting the house with the site (better than most I have seen, because honestly a one story house with low ceilings doesn’t actually make me feel like I am on the prairie).

Anyway, Fallingwater was well worth it, even though both our tour guides left something to be desired. The first pointed at a clearly five sided light fixture and was like … he likes to use triangles; the second had her work cut out for her as Kentuck Knob is really a pretty boring house. They said FLW only visited the house once (while they were laying the foundation) and after seeing it, I don’t want to go back either–though the dining room is quite nice.

If you can’t make it out to Fallingwater, you can watch this video, as a bit of a substitute, though it is better if you are near Pittsburgh and can just head out that way.

To see a bunch of pictures click the photo up top.

I am clearly far behind with the internet, but this semester is looking mostly together, so a few things. I have some posts coming up which are half written, which is really a new thing for me.

I have a new apartment, which is pretty nice and someday I will have unpacked. For now, I am just trying to make it habitable for my upcoming spree of visitors. That is it above, or the living room at least. I am also still acclimating to living alone, I think I really like it, but I don’t think I have the experience totally figured out.

Today I learned Madeleine L’Engle died, which is pretty sad, though she did live a long and wonderful life, for that I am proud of her. Now I have even more reason to read through the entire Time Quartet, which I had been meaning to do anyway (brought it back with me last time I was home, post road-trip).

Also still decompressing from the road-trip, I have gone through about a third of the photos so far, so that I can print them all out and put together something here on the internets, with other stuff as well.

Semester has started, looks like I have some good classes, and hopefully some good research coming up? Also expect some sort of all info-vis all the time page on the horizon.

When I got home today, Nora told me that her license plate had been stolen sometime overnight, and she had been on the phone with the police all day reporting it. Though they didn’t think it was for criminal purposes, just kids stealing stuff, as hers was odd, being an Arizona license plate in Pennsylvania.

And this was strange (who steals license plates?) but it didn’t matter. Then when I was walking back from Coffee Tree Roasters this evening, just like a three minute walk from there back to the apartment, as I cross Maryland Ave. There is tan-ish car double parked in the road, and there is this guy fiddling with the car behind it’s license plate, like he is looking at it intently.

And I realize he has a screwdriver in his hand, and he is unscrewing a Texas license plate on the back of this little blue car. And I just stop in the middle of the road, and look at him, and as soon as he sees I have stopped he runs back to his car, which is on with the door open, and drives away.

At which point I am stunned and not sure what to do, I didn’t get the license of the car he was driving (though if I were a plate thief, when I was doing my thievery I would certainly not use my own plate during those times, I would use one of my spares), and I can’t really call the police and be like, sketchy guy, drove away, because what are they going to do.

Not to mention this guy was older, like 35-40, balding a little maybe, with a short haircut, tan jacket, slightly over-weight, maybe 5’11” and 180lbs. so I can’t just stop him.

So I get back to my apartment (another like sixty feet) and am all, “Nora, Nora! Sketchy guy!” At which we decide to venture back out and down to the corner, to see if he has come back for his prize. When we went down and inspected there was only one remaining screw left in the Texas-plate-car’s attachment bracket thing. So he almost got it!

There is no doubt in my mind that it will be gone tonight, or at least tomorrow night. Though I don’t know what kind of thief steal things at ten to midnight, I mean, it is a populated area, a two minute walk to a Banana Republic, and with three coffee shops nearby, there are bound to be people wandering.