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Saturday, January 28, 2017
Pittsburgh Update
Hello from Pittsburgh. :) Already a week gone by more or less. I got here last week on
Sunday and it's Saturday evening now. The week went by pretty quick as we kept busy all week during our training. A lot of it was presented by my manager but there were also a bunch of guest speakers and presenters from different departments, talking about their functions and importance.
It was an interesting week and definitely a lot to take in. We had training from 8pm to 5pm every day except for Friday where we had our test in the afternoon. Fingers crossed for the results. I am pretty confident that I passed (we only need a 70 to pass) but really I am hoping for a good score. I probably won't find out for two weeks until all the tests have been reviewed and graded. I will update once I know more.
We have been trying out different restaurants each night as our hotel (the Hyatt Place on Campbells Run Rd) is very close to a bunch of restaurants, a mall and various stores. So far we went to Cadillac Ranch, Bahama Breeze, Longhorn Steak House, Burgatory, The Downey House and Sada Sushi & Hibachi.
Today we ventured into downtown Pittsburgh and went to the Andy Warhol Museum which was really cool. Hadn't been there before so I was glad to be able to check it out. Definitely worth a visit. Afterwards we had lunch at a brewpub across the street from PNC Ballpark. And eventually made our way over to the incline so we could take some pictures of the views from Mount Washington. The weather was a bit dreary and gloomy and also pretty windy/chilly (but I guess it is January so what do you want?) but the views were still nice overall. Took an Uber back to the hotel and been relaxing for a bit. Wrote a letter, read a few chapters. At 6.30 we are going to meet up again for dinner downstairs. Getting hungry again so I am definitely looking forward to that.
Not sure what we are doing tomorrow, Sunday, yet. I guess we will figure it out and talk about it later. Plenty of museums, malls/shops and other stuff around here to keep us busy I suppose. Then on Monday we start our new hire orientation until Wednesday, which is the day we fly back on. I am sure the next few days will fly by pretty fast as this first week went by pretty quickly as well. Missing Mike and the cats but not too long until I am back now.
Letter/Mail Update: Letters have gone out to: Celia/MA and Carmen/Malta. Received a letter/owe a reply to: Kimber/Canada and Tiffany/OK.
Posted by Hanna at 05:34 PM in Food and Drink, Work Stories | Permalink | Comments (0)
Saturday, January 21, 2017
President Trump ?!@%$?!
I think I have been in denial ever since election day, hoping, praying and wishing that somehow by some miracle yesterday wouldn't come and something would happen that would cause a different outcome. Of course that didn't happen and I guess logically I knew that it wouldn't.
So somehow we now live in a world where Donald Trump is the current president of the United States. I can't even say that out loud with a straight face. I really can't. How did we get here? How did this happen?
It doesn't seem to matter what crazy things he says or does, his core supporters still support him. It's insanity. Mind boggling insanity.
Not even a day passed, mere hours after his inauguration, the White House website removed all pages on climate change, health care, civil, LGBTQ and Native American rights. Seriously? I feel like we are in for a rough ride. And this is coming from a white middle class person. I am however also female and an immigrant so while I don't feel crazy threatened I can definitely understand the concerns and fears of many people in this country.
I really want to believe that I am wrong. I want to be hopeful and I want to think "Well maybe he will still surprise us all" but I am just having a really hard time believing that.
The only thing that gives me hope right now is seeing all the news coverage about the Women's March on Washington and all the other marches across the country and the globe. Maybe somehow this divided country can come together and by bonding together and fighting for women's and human rights in general, continuing to stay strong and fight for what's right, something good will come out of this whole mess in the end. Let's see how it does.
In other news I am heading to Pittsburgh for training for work for 10 days tomorrow. Will update when I have time. :)
Letter/Mail Update: Received a letter/owe a reply to: Carmen/Malta, Kimber/Canada and Celia/MA.
Posted by Hanna at 04:24 PM in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (0)
Sunday, January 15, 2017
Klimt Exhibit, NYC Sunday
And another week gone by again already. Only one week until I go to Pittsburgh for training.
Had a good week at work. Nothing too eventful to report I suppose. Yesterday I had my yearly check up at the OB/GYN. So that's done for another year as well.
Also went to the movies yesterday to see "Live by Night", Ben Affleck's new movie. I usually like him but the movie was only meh at best. It wasn't terrible by any means but also not amazing. I expected something better I supoose. Oh well.
Today we went down to NYC to see the Klimt exhibit at the Neue Gallerie (upper East Side, pretty close to the Guggenheim museum). The museum is neat and modeled after Viennese art galleries, filled completely with Austrian and German art. The special Klimt exibit ends tomorrow so I am glad we managed to see it. It must be pretty popular as there was a line to get in when the museum opened at 11am.
After the museum we went to the Third Ave Ale House where we are now. Had a yummy lunch and just hanging out for a bit now before heading back to CT in a little while.
Then tomorrow it's Monday and back to work. One more week before heading to Pittsburgh next Sunday. Going to be there for 10 days for training.
Letter/Mail Update: A letter went out on Wednesday to: Lotte/Denmark. Received letters/owe a reply to: Carmen/Malta, Kimber/Canada and Celia/MA.
Posted by Hanna at 02:10 PM in Austria , Food and Drink, NYC | Permalink | Comments (0)
Sunday, January 08, 2017
Snowy Weekend and Golden Globes
Snowy Weekend. Didn't even get that much snow in our area (about 6 inches = 15cm) but because of the brutal cold everything was sticking and not thawing/going away so things were a bit of a mess. But all in all could have been much worse of course. Just not a big fan of winter, the snow and crazy cold. Can I hibernate until spring??
The week went by ok. Survived my dentist appointment on Tuesday. I switched to a different dentist office and was pretty happy with the first visit. But going to the dentist is never fun for me. I still need to get my wisdom teeth out. I will try and tackle that over the summer. Also need to look into getting braces because of the way my teeth are, upper and lower teeth grinding against each other and causing issues with the structure of the teeth. I really don't want braces but I guess I will go for a consultation after my training in Pittsburgh and see what they say. Consultations are free so I guess it can't hurt to at least evaluate my options. Also have 2 front teeth with very short roots that may cause problems and have to be replaced with implants if they come loose. Fun. This is why I don't enjoy the dentist. No matter how nice they are the news is never good for me. Ugh.
Saturday we had an appointment with Bailey at the vet. She healed well and they were able to remove her sutures and she was able to come home without her cone. Yay. So the vet visit was definitely much more enjoyable than the dentist visit. Haha. :) Check-up in 3 months for x-rays to make sure the cancer and bladder stones don't come back.
Today we went to the movies to see "Hidden Figures". What a great movie. Really enjoyed it. Now we are in Oxford at 121 for lunch. Eventually going to head back home to catch up on some shows on TiVo before watching the Golden Globes. Should be a nice night. Then tomorrow it's back to work already again. Weekends always fly by too fast. :)
Letter/Mail Update: Received letters/owe a reply to: Kimber/Canada, Celia/MA and Lotte/Denmark.
Posted by Hanna at 02:31 PM in Cats, Film, Weather | Permalink | Comments (0)
Monday, January 02, 2017
2017 ... another new beginning
Happy 2017 everyone! I know I say it every year but I really can't believe that another year has already passed by again. Where does all the time go? It feels like the late 90ies were not that long ago but in reality we are about 20 years removed from that era by now. Crazy!!
Had a short week at work which was pretty busy though since a lot of people chose to take the week off. But that's ok, made the week fly by nice and fast. I have today off as well since New Year's Day fell on a Sunday. So weird to me as that would have never happened at my old job since we had to be up and running on most days and were only closed on very few days of the year. So it's been nice to have a few extra days off, especially since I am still at the beginning of this new job and not really eligible for vacation time just yet.
New Year's Eve we went to the movies and saw "Why Him" followed by lunch in Oxford at 121. Then stopped at the liquor store and picked up some sparkling wine and met up with our friend John at Ibiza (tapas bar) for a bit before heading home. Alternated between binging on some recorded "New Girl" episodes and the New Year's Rockin Eve broadcast from Times Square. All in all a nice relaxed night.
Yesterday we went to see "Jackie" which was absolutely outstanding. I would assume that it will be nominated for various rewards. Really great movie! After we headed to Flipside in Fairfield for a late lunch. Stopped into Rosy's on the way home for some wine and to wind down the night. :) And today we slept in late. I actually didn't get up till almost 11am. Didn't intend to sleep quite that late but what can I say? It was nice. :) Had some breakfast and tea now, going to read and write some letters in the afternoon I think. Nice, relaxed, low key kind of day.
Tomorrow it's back to work and regular work weeks. Also have a dentist appointment tomorrow now that my insurance has kicked in from work. Ugh. Really don't want to go but know I need to. Back in May I had a root canal and everything was ok for a bit but now that same area is bothering me again so I have a feeling something's not right. Ugh. Well, it's not going to get any better by waiting and I have waited long enough. No more excuses since I now have insurance again.
Letter/Mail Update: Letters went out yesterday to: Eloine/NY, Jessica/DE and Bianca/Germany. Received a letter/owe a reply to: Celia/MA and Lotte/Denmark.
Posted by Hanna at 12:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)