More Hobbies

I spent Thanksgiving break in Phoenix/Tempe, Arizona with my cousin Aykut and his family. While over there, Aykut gave me his old Canon SLR camera. And it's a film camera! That's right, the kind that you can't see the pictures immediately after taking them..you have to get them DEVELOPED! And this thing isn't just any old 35mm film camera..it's got enough features and gadgetry to keep me entertained for quite a while.

So be on the lookout, maybe I'll eventually put some photography up on this blog. I will be sticking to black & white for now, and will probably be focusing on daytime urban shots.

Why Pittsburgh is Awesome: Part 1

If you have ever talked to me for more than 5 minutes, you know how much I love Pittsburgh and Southwestern PA. I'm going to start a mini-series on this blog called Why Pittsburgh is Awesome so all of you, my loyal readers, can get a feel for how great Pittsburgh truly is.

Creativity

Pittsburgh creates creative, progressive-minded people, just by the very nature of the city. Pittsburghers knew that after the steel industry collapsed, they would have to get resourceful and be able to adapt to ever-changing conditions. They have embraced the arts, technology, sustainability, and education like no other city in the country, and now other people in other cities wonder about how they can make theirs like Pittsburgh. People look at the out-migration of young Pittsburghers as a bad thing, but so many people in my generation will gain valuable experience in other parts of the country and world, then bring all of that back with them to Western PA in the future.

Example of creative Pittsburghers doing what they do best: I just heard about a restaurant in the East Liberty neighborhood of Pittsburgh called Conflict Kitchen.

This take-out only restaurant only serves food from countries that the US is in conflict with. Each country is represented for four months at a time, and right now they are serving Iranian food and going by the name "Kubideh Kitchen". From the website:

"Kubideh Kitchen is an Iranian take-out restaurant that serves kubideh in freshly baked barbari bread with onion, mint, and basil. Developed in collaboration with members of the Pittsburgh Iranian community, the sandwich is packaged in a custom-designed wrapper that includes interviews with Iranians both in Pittsburgh and Iran on subjects ranging from Iranian food and poetry to the current political turmoil."

Vans Vault

I recently found out about Vans Vault, which is a limited edition seasonal run of shoes by Vans. The Spectator LX are some of my favorites, but they're incredibly hard to find. They're classy but still casual enough to wear every day as sneakers. Definitely a winner.

Zombie Infestation

AMC just came out with a new show called "The Walking Dead" that's based on zombies taking over the city of Atlanta. I've watched the first couple episodes, and it's pretty neat being able to pick out different streets and landmarks all over the city and imagine them being full of rotting, disgusting zombies. The plotline is actually pretty captivating so far, and in true zombie movie fashion, the series is somehow walking the line between disgustingly frightening and hilarious.