5 day forecast
Love is in the air and on the envelope
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I've been thinking ...
Bad timing: What was the post office thinking when it released its Love stamps after -- rather than before -- Valentine's Day? That doesn't make sense, although I agree love should be celebrated 365 days a year, not just Feb. 14.
Christmas decorations: It's time they came down from private homes, of course, but also in business districts (Oakland), where colorful candles, as of early March, were still hanging from lampposts along Forbes Avenue. Many homeowners obviously have decided climbing on the roof once is enough, so the lighted icicle trims, left up all year, will just have to melt from sight on their own -- which means until they rot or a bad storm takes them, and maybe the roof, too.
Gene Kelly statue: Considered a sure thing a few years ago, it is still in the works, according to someone in the know who assured me an announcement was forthcoming. I heard that same word, "forthcoming," months ago. Kelly belongs in the Cultural District. Will it happen in my lifetime? I hope so..
"Tear here" instructions: I have yet to discover the bag with those instructions that's easy or even possible to open. It's much the same with "pull at perforation," if you can find the perforation or if you have even a hint of arthritis in your hands. Forget "pull this string" or "twist to open" or "press down and turn lid." It seems so simple. It should be. It isn't.
Pothole hotlines: I had so many places to report with pot holes that were threatening to eat cars, I didn't have the time or patience to report them all. If I can see them, then why can't the crews who are out daily fixing them, especially on well-traveled roads?
Academy Awards: It's been a few weeks since all of the attention given to stars and what they were wearing, but I'm still left to wonder: What did Barbara Walters' choice of Will Ferrell as her interview subject have to do with the Oscars? What did I miss?
The loss of Franklin West: The local real estate owner, who passed away recently at age 72, made me look again at how he began to transform Shadyside in the late '60s and began to create the charming area we see today. He was the original, hands down. His vision and his taste is everywhere, including his first restoration at 513 Shady Ave., where he first resided and where I was privileged to live in the third floor walk-up apartment in the early '70s. It's also where my son began his life 34 years ago. Many followed Mr. West's lead, but you can usually spot a West home among others by its details. A Shadyside street in his name wouldn't be a bad idea.
Giving back: It's a term used often and never more deservedly than in addressing Vivian Reed, the dynamic performer who returned to her Pittsburgh roots to help direct and also be featured in Kuntu Repertory Theatre's February production of "Bubbling Brown Sugar." When you see someone with star quality on a stage, you know it, and never more so than with Reed re-creating the role she did originally in the Broadway production. I was mesmerized by her appearance (she's gorgeous) but also by the cast which seemed to be having so much fun. That spirit spilled over to the audience the night I was there. We were all smiling. We have a treasure in Kuntu's founder, Vernell Lillie, but then, surely we already know that.
If the shoe fits: Somehow $2,000 for a pair of Ermenegildo Zegna lace-up wingtips for men, pictured in a recent ad, seems excessive. Oh, they're ostrich skin ... now I see. Where are PETA protesters when you need them?
About that poncho: Poor Martha Stewart and her talented knitting friend at Camp Cupcake. They weren't privvy, being in prison and all, to the fact that ponchos are now on fashion's OUT lists, if you follow such silly things. It looked great, but that's the fickle fashion world. Of course, the moment Stewart walked out of prison wearing that poncho, the pattern for it was suddenly in great demand. Stewart is on that OUT list, too, but only OUT of prison, not out of business. It surprised me that having her hair cut and styled wasn't foremost on her list of "to do" as soon as she left prison. Making chicken soup in her kitchen took precedence as a photo opportunity, not her hair. Maybe it's just more of the strategy for the more-like-you-and-me Martha, who, we now know, loves lemons. Me, after 5 months, I'd want my hair done. I'm shallow.
Just musing on a Sunday. I'm OUT of space.
First Published March 20, 2005 12:00 am
