Hothouse 2009

Hothouse 2009 was the festive, hipster shindig of the year. Lots to see and take in. The lines were WAY too long for the alcohol (40 mins). I didn't feel so bad about asking for 2 wines when I finally bellied up to the bar. Although I felt much of the night involved waiting in lines (sometimes we waited in lines and weren't even sure what was at the end)it was an experience for the senses. Too bad my senses were totally sober. Watching the dance floor was amusing, lots of people bustin a moby, I even saw the robot..gosh I wish I had video of that one. Oh well, note to self next year, ~~ Enjoy a few drinks before the event~~

What I loved:
~ambiance
~creativity of the event ppl
~the food, once I shoved it in my craw after waiting in line
~the bands and DJ
~the snake

What I loathed:
~no ac in the building
~the lines
~the silent auction (seriously I can paste magazine clippings onto a frame, it's not worth $400..get better artists

Got it homeslices!

Muffaletta!

Steve makes the best Muffaletta sandwich EVER! The Pennsylvania Macaroni Company has some of the best Olive Salad I've had since the Central Grocery New Orleans. Get yourself some..YUM!

Hothouse Nails

Going to Hothouse 2009 the Sprout Fund's Annual Benefit Party on Sat. Needed appropriate nails for the occasion. They look black but they're really a dark gray.

More about the event:

Join us for The Sprout Fund’s 7th annual Hothouse summer benefit on Saturday, August 29th at Walnut Capital’s new Bakery Square development on Penn Avenue in Pittsburgh’s East End.

An unforgettable evening of live music, local artists, performances, and food & drink awaits you at Hothouse 2009. A record crowd of more than 2,400 made last year’s event the party of the summer and #2 in the “10 Best Parties of 2008,” according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

As Sprout’s “live annual report” to the community, the event celebrates the organization’s accomplishments and features live music and performances, food and drink by Pittsburgh favorites, a silent auction, and a VIP reception.

build guild pittsburgh a success!

Our first Build Guild Pittsburgh meeting took place last week. I'm just now getting the chance to write a few things about it.

First we had about 30 people show, which, for a small event was a great turnout. Hoping we can get even more next time.

The group that gathered was an interesting mix of university folk, freelance designers and programmers and we also had a few entrepreneurs and company owners.

I snagged 2 free books (Illustrator and InDesign CS4 Quick Start) and shared some industry stories.

The food at Silky’s in Bloomfield was very good, I had a large salad along with 3 pints.

The only real drag was the lack of AC..the place was pretty sweltering by the end of the night.


PS. I played my first game of Shufflepunk and won!


Photos: flickr.com

I miss the beach

We didn't go to the beach this year. Wanted to save a bit of money and put it towards the new kitchen. As the summer winds to a close, I'm realizing how much I miss the beach and going with our friends. Here's a list of things I miss..I hope the winter goes by fast.

1. Driving up to the beach house on that first day
2. Cracking the first beer
3. The madness of getting everything unpacked and in it's proper place
4. Playing mini golf
5. Eating Thrasher Fries on the OC Boardwalk
6. Not dieting
7. A beach book
8. A nice, real tan
9. Shopping with the girls
10. Crab stuffed with Lobster
11. Good seafood in general (PITT sucks}
12. Being lazy and being allowed
13. I miss spending time with my friends most of all.

This sandwich is sticking it's tongue out at me.

Gotta love Fatheads! Nothing like getting up early on a Saturday (yes, 10am is early for me..lol) and getting to Fatheads for a gigantic sandwich and beer. The stress of life will just melt away, guaranteed.


It's also fun to join the Beer Campers..what a fun group. They all made a trek to the new Fatheads Cleveland for the grand opening.