life in surround sound and process color.

LISTENING TO: Zach Bryan (featuring Maggie Rogers) - Dawns Two tunnels in one day mark my grand return to Pittsburgh - although this time it's only to the airport. I've been trying to figure out if I've ever been to the Pittsburgh airport, if only for a layover, and although it's pinging the hell out of my brain that I've been here before, I don't actually think I have.  In any case, there's major construction once you get through the brightly painted sidewalks of the long term parking lot (definitely a fun aspect, if I'm being honest), which is probably what's messing the most with my memory. It's completely filled with art throughout security and the terminals, which I really appreciate - and there's no missing the giant T-Rex skeleton as you come down the escalators. It's not too long before I'm in the air though, although my memory of the first time I flew into DFW is almost implanted into my brain at this point. Here's to a...

LISTENING TO: The Weeknd (featuring Gesaffelstein) - I Was Never There The Squirrel Hill Tunnel is always one that brings back memories when I drive through it; I still can't believe it's been nearly three years since I've made my way back to the city of Pittsburgh. A bit more of a straight line of a trip from my sister's rather than Indiana this time around - past Ghost Walk Trail, an actual castle outside of Blairsville (Dane Castle - I so want to figure out what that's about), a restaurant with a giant bare-assed pig on it's roof (way to get stuck in people's memories, Clem's)... you can't ask more out of driving into the city. I don't know why it took me so long to remember the name of the first bridge I ever traveled into the city on - Hot Metal Sheet Bridge, for the record), but like the tunnel, it gives me a visceral reminder of where I am. There's really nothing like Pittsburgh, really. Being in Point State Park in the sunshine is a...

LISTENING TO: Cody Johnson - Til You Can't There's something strange about living in someone else's home while they're not there. Granted, this isn't the first time I've been housesitting (see London ) or even been residing in someone else's house while they're elsewhere (see multiple trips to North Carolina over the years), but maybe it feels differently this time because I'm not completely alone. As I'm writing this, I'm currently being used as a comfortable place to sit for two small dogs, which seems to be a continuing theme of the last 24 hours or so. Although I've been camped out at my sister's since this weekend, today is the first time I've really been alone in this space. It's been a while since I've had a whole house to myself (which sounds weird, I know, especially since I live alone), but it's been really nice to just be sitting here, listening to everything outside and just enjoying the quiet of it all. It...

LISTENING TO: Robbie Fulks - Fare Thee Well, Carolina Gals There's a part of me that wishes I wrote more about this past week, but some things are so rote these days that it's just the same words on a page, with only the real experience of it being something different. While it was wonderful to see my grandfather's house filled with people again, the rest of the week was rather quiet - interspersed with remote work and (unfortunately for the holiday weekend) rain. Although there were quiet a few highlights of the food variety (white chocolate baguettes from La Farm, a fun dinner out at the revamped Seven Lakes Country Club, and of course and absolutely amazing dinner over at Southern Prime), it wasn't too long before we found ourselves back on the road home. The theme of this trip seems to be detours, which everyone knows I'm a big fan of when you have time to kill and a long road to drive. My mom and I decided again to head back home through the Chesapeake Bay, bu...

LISTENING TO: George Harrison - While My Guitar Gently Weeps     It's been nearly five years since I've been through Richmond, VA for any length of time, and I have to say I'm amazed at all the changes. It's not necessarily a city that I would think would change so much in that period of time, but the Richmond in my brain is a continual mash-up of rural independence meets industrial charm: still full of open spaces, but with a highway system that puts some of New Jersey's interstates to shame.  The growth around where my aunt lives is incredible - as much as things in her neighborhood have kept their historical southern charm, our trip through the city was punctuated by a brand new Starbucks drive-thru and a pho restaurant being advertised outside Midlothian.   Every time I'm here I'm reminded of the time I spent here during the summer as a kid, and how I've always wanted to repeat a trip down here as an adult. My memories are a bit disjointed - it's...

LISTENING TO: Good Kid - No Time To Explain , with a bonus track of Panic! At The Disco - Nine In the Afternoon It's been a goal of mine this year to even write about the smallest trips, which is why I'm happy that my day trip into New York City ended at a place I've been meaning to get to for the last few months. But I'm getting a head of myself (which seems to be a theme lately).  After my long weekend tourist trip last year, I was excited to run in for the day to see my good friend Anna, who just moved to a new apartment and had a day off. Our first stop of the day was brunch over at Nobody Told Me. It was a random stop (Anna had never been there either - we basically just chose it off Yelp and locality), but it was a good start. It reminded me a lot of 983 Bushwick Living Room (one of my favorite places in Brooklyn that has unfortunately gone to the great New York restaurant scene in the sky), with a lot of creative cocktails and just an overall good atmosphere. F...

LISTENING TO: another year in review... 1. David Bowie - Starman 2. The Cast of The Broadway Musical Six - Six 3. Cher Lloyd - One Drink Away 4. Brothers Osborne - Rum 5. Stevie Nicks - Rhiannon (Live 2005)   6. Kali Uchis & SZA - fue mejor 7. Fleetwood Mac - The Chain   8. ODESZA - Late Night 9.  Bjonr - Fade Into You (feat. Tom Bailey) 10. The Offspring - Behind Your Walls (Acoustic)   11. Aunty Social - Crack A Deal 12. Never Land Orchestra - So This Is Love 13. Neon Trees - Text Me In The Morning   14. The Avalanches - The Divine Chord (featuring MGMT, Johnny Marr) 15. OneRepublic - Rescue Me 16. All Time Low - Sleepwalking 17. David Bowie - Changes 18. Taylor Swift - Paris   19. Nause & Lucas Nord - I'm With You 20. Bendigo Fletcher - Sugar in the Creek   21. Disturbed - Down With The Sickness 22. Kendall Street Company - Cars   23. Cream - Sunshine of Your Love