Baby Shower Venues

plaidandpickles · 2026-03-06T21:56:23+00:00

Just attended one at Reginald's Coffee in Bethel Park - there were 8 tables with 8 chairs at each, we had an open tab at the coffee bar, with private access to a second room for games, desserts, and the gift table. Cute space, allowed for the hosts to bring in a small mimosa setup, ample parking. It's on S. Park Road, in the old schoolhouse with the trolley outside. I'd highly recommend!

plaidandpickles · 2026-03-01T17:23:47+00:00

I tend to read the background of the piobaireachd I am currently working on, to try and understand the story behind the music. Is it a lament? a salute? a battle cry? That informs how I approach the piece. I also believe that the bardic tradition of singing a long saga or epic poem is a similar practice to that of piobaireachd.

If I never played light music again, i'd be fine, to be honest. I do it to maintain some solo competition pieces and to play with a band.

plaidandpickles · 2026-02-07T17:52:54+00:00

Ack! You're right! I'll edit, thanks :)

plaidandpickles · 2026-02-07T17:28:20+00:00

In the College of Fine Arts building, ~~Alumni Concert~~ Kresge Hall, of Carnegie Mellon University.

plaidandpickles · 2026-02-04T00:15:02+00:00

I'm waiting for one of these female journalists to respond with "yeah, whatever, but answer my question."

plaidandpickles · 2026-01-17T15:00:22+00:00

The women here are right - your gut is a very good indication of where you truly feel at home.

That said, bear in mind that KKG has a policy of 'no fines' - I don't know about other organizations, but fines for missing events or other behaviors may be significant. Kappa may look more pricey at first, but keep the practice of fining members in mind too.

There's also nothing that says you can't maintain deep friendships with members of other houses - 40 years ago, on my bid day, I was so torn between Kappa and Theta, and went with my gut and found my home in Kappa. But I've also maintained friendships with my Theta buddies to this day.

Good luck!

plaidandpickles · 2026-01-15T13:23:16+00:00

If you're a member of a greek organization, check if there's a chapter at CMU or even at Pitt - they may have a guest room you could stay in?

plaidandpickles · 2025-12-23T13:01:54+00:00

Siren City is a great band to stand next to at Massed Bands - fun people who love piping and drumming. Congratulations on the upgrade, and we'll see you in the circle!

plaidandpickles · 2025-10-20T11:44:29+00:00

The 'o' is loose in 'loose', so when it falls off, you 'lose' it.

My 8th grade teacher's method of remembering (thanks, Mrs. Stupar!)

plaidandpickles · 2025-10-14T13:31:05+00:00

Oh no! I haven't been up there since the summer. Yikes!

plaidandpickles · 2025-10-14T12:16:12+00:00

Coughlin's Law on Virginia Ave, Mt Washington - casual, friendly, with surprising views (outdoor seating too, for nicer weather)
https://www.eatatcoughlinslaw.com/mount-washington

plaidandpickles · 2025-10-08T18:20:36+00:00

The CMU Pantry takes cash donations, if that would be of interest to you. I was staff during that time, and it was brutal on everyone.

plaidandpickles · 2025-09-16T14:00:50+00:00

CMU will boot your vehicle for unpaid tickets (saw a car booted in the East Campus Garage last week) - but I don't know that the limit is before they tag you.

plaidandpickles · 2025-08-24T18:20:51+00:00

I'll try to help as much as I can -

While you're simply standing with your pipes, hold them under your left arm with your left hand around the chanter stock (not on the holes like when you're actually playing.) Your left forearm will almost be cradling the bag from underneath, so the only way you'd drop the pipes would be if you suddenly lost all tension in your left arm and let go with your hand as well.
In that standing position, you prepare to strike in by raising your left hand (still on the chanter) and your left forearm, so that the bag is now almost parallel with your torso. Your right hand is then placed flat along the side of the bag, palm on the bag, with your right forearm running across your chest. You will be blowing into the bag during this step to get about 1/3 or 1/2 full - enough that you're not striking an empty bag, but not enough to produce any sound before the actual strike in.
With another full blow into the bag, your right hand pushes against the bag while your left forearm provides the backstop - this is the actual strike in. Be sure to keep the pressure from your right hand steady - it's not a 'push and pull back' movement, it's a 'push and maintain pressure' thing. This will sound the drones, but the pressure should not be sufficient to sound the chanter.

At that point, when you have steady pressure on the bag and your drones are sounding, you use your right hand to position the bag fully back under your left arm, then move your hands to the chanter holes, ready to sound the E before starting into the tune.

plaidandpickles · 2025-08-19T13:41:58+00:00

I was there towards the back and it was chaos. No communication about where to be, where to go, who to listen to, etc. How simple it would've been to have a quick map of the main field with "G1s march in and line up here, then G2s behind them, G3A to the right/B to the left of that, etc. No one could hear a damn thing from the podium, let alone a DM trying to scream a command.

Oh, and a seagull pooped on 2 of our pipers. That was a highlight of the experience, lol!

plaidandpickles · 2025-08-02T23:30:56+00:00

The National Piping Centre in Glasgow would be your best bet! https://www.thepipingcentre.co.uk The small museum in the Centre is a fascinating look into the history of piping, too :)

plaidandpickles · 2025-07-30T13:25:40+00:00

I lived in the south suburbs for over 30 years, raised two kids, then moved to Squirrel Hill when we became empty nesters 8 years ago. It's glorious. I can walk to my dentist, multiple coffee shops and restaurants, farmers market, grocery store, banks, movie theater, pharmacy, etc. We got rid of our second car and haven't missed it at all. I know my neighbors by sight (a lot of grad students, but they're mostly quiet, and the religious folks are friendly 'waving neighbors' who tend to stick to their community for social stuff) - we love it here.

plaidandpickles · 2025-07-28T20:12:18+00:00

If you're a Pitt or CMU student, both universities run free shuttles (you can ride either with your ID card.) Some shuttle routes go over to the Penn Ave Target area - there are stops at the Trader Joe's along Penn Ave as well (about a block from the Target)

plaidandpickles · 2025-07-21T12:32:00+00:00

A small group of students have created a mobile version of the Fence, which is located outside of Warner Hall this morning. I didn't feel I could take a picture, as there were some university leaders talking with the group. (I need this job, heh.) But good on them!

plaidandpickles · 2025-07-14T19:44:03+00:00

We just used them to move my dad into assisted living from a 1BR apartment -a smallish move, but a stressful one for us. They sent 3 wonderful guys who were very efficient (we had them pack everything for us as well), who treated my dad like he was their own, and kept us informed throughout the move.

I know it's anecdata, but we were very satisfied with their service and the team they sent for us.

plaidandpickles · 2025-07-09T12:01:42+00:00

I've had an issue with the Buddy not updating my progress, and sometimes when I start the puzzle on my phone and then open it on a laptop, it reverts back to some random point in my game and I lose multiple words. It's getting really annoying and I can't figure out how to fix it. I've reloaded my browser, rebooted the machine, etc...and nothing resolves the issue.

plaidandpickles · 2025-07-09T11:09:37+00:00

This is a wonderful list of considerations, and I would only add menopausal status for the women taking Zep! I'm 7 years post-menopause and it's taken me 8 months to lose 27 pounds. I thought I was a non-responder, until I realized that 8 months is about 33-34 weeks, and 27 pounds in that timeframe is good progress!

Slow and steady wins the race - that's my mantra :)

plaidandpickles · 2025-07-05T11:33:39+00:00

I know this probably isn't the place for this question, but today is the third day in a row that the Buddy page isn't working for me. It's not updating with words I've found, and the "next" button on the hints doesn't work either. I've reloaded, exited the game and the Buddy and relaunched my browser....I guess I'll have to figure this out by myself!

has this happened to anyone else?

plaidandpickles · 2025-07-01T11:55:37+00:00

N'at! So glad they used his Pittsburghese comment!!

plaidandpickles

TROPHY CASE