Pittsburgh 360

Photographer Steve Mellon has made the Pittsburgh Post Gazette online once again viewable these days with his photographic essays on the Burgh.

He's been doing this for a while and I am soooo overdue in this mention...oh, and disclaimer:the pic above is not Steve's , I needed something to draw you , dear readers, into my little story.

He does a 360 of any place he shoots, meaning, he sets up his camera on a tripod (I am really over simplifying this) and shoots, turns over agina into a 360 and up and down so you can see the place as if you were standing there. It's a long and tedious process, but so worth it!

It then goes on the website :

http://www.post-gazette.com/localnews/panorama/

and in a Quicktime version, you can view it.

Fewer people are reading the newspaper, and of course you know my gripe with the PG (they feature high school football players college choices as FRONT PAGE news, rather than in the SPORTS section...arrrgh) so it's it was a smart move on Steve's part to do this on the website.

Steve Mellon has almost restored my faith in the PG, because HE is in their employ.

The PG is back on my "favorites" button so I can see his photos.

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File under: WTF?

This is a place you would NEVER find Invisi-Gal, it is my idea of conceptual hell.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0425/p20s01-woap.html

I am an avowed cat hater for the following reasons:

1) You can't hear them coming and that gives them the upper hand

2) They get on the counter and lick the butter (see above)

3) They vomit hair balls with alarming regularity

4) Kitty Litter... do I have to say more?

5) The feline nature is one of disdain filled tolerance

6) Their hair gets everywhere and if you are one of the unfortunate to get it your (gag) mouth, you will never be rid of it.

Imagine the cat hair in that cafe in Tokyo (see link above) and how much hair gets into your tea!

Big minus is, Invisi-Gal would not be able to wear black there for fear of massive magnetic cat hair clumps.Ewww, Ewww, and Ewww.

Don't even think about writing me and trying to "cure" me of cat hate. I have only met 2 cats in my lifetime that I didn't hate, and that's because they acted like dogs.

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The Hubble is so amazing. How else would we get front row view of divine energy?

Which by the way, resembles a calla lily.

Hmmmm....I see a pattern here.

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/04/24/hubble-galaxies.html

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I am an incurable Porch Potato. Once I am in the chair, I'm done.

I let the phone ring,

the dog bark,

the pot boil,

the world can just simmer down, and let me watch the birds at the bird feeder.

The Rose Breasted Grosbeak is back at the feeder. Every winter, it migrates to Central Freaking America. Then every spring, it flies back to MY Feeder. The least I can do is sit still and welcome it back, dontcha think?

I love the porch.

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Duct Tape, the new Supernanny....

If it Cracks like a Duct...

If it quacks like a duct...

My wish come true...

LOS ANGELES — A passenger on a Los Angeles-bound jetliner was arrested after the FBI said he drunkenly attacked a flight attendant and was duct-taped to his seat by other flyers.
An FBI spokeswoman says the Orange County man was arrested on suspicion of interfering with a flight crew when the United Airlines flight from Hong Kong landed at LAX yesterday.
Airline and airport officials say several passengers struggled with the man after he attacked the attendant.

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Right after I had posted about being a Protestant and poorly trying to cross myself along with the Pope at Ground Zero (See Holy in One post), I had a little divine intervention moment.

I was watching HBO's Curb your Enthusiasm , it was the episode where Larry thinks he's adopted by a nice Christian family from the Mid West. Being Jewish, he had no idea how to cross himself during grace at dinner and his "adoptive" mother explained:

"Head,toes,watch,wallet."

My question answered by digital medium.

Ask and you shall receive

...just be sure you have cable.

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Amber Waves of Green Part deux....

The news today has been filled with stories of CostCo and Sam's Club limiting the amount of flour and rice they will sell. This is because of a world wide shortage. Hmmmm...

Hasn't Invisi-Gal been harping on this? Haven't I been saying our wheat is their oil? Haven't I been spewing constantly about the US reverting from the manufacturing giant it was to the ORIGINAL giant it was...Agrarian Giant.

Our farmlands are more than a canvas for cropcircles!

Thomas Jefferson was right, he wanted us to be a farm based society, feed the world with our plenty...had we done that in a balanced "whey", we would have major bargaining chips against high oil prices and our trade debt to China.

David Francis agrees:

http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0421/p15s01-wmgn.html

Damn, it hurts to be right...

..and invisible...

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Shots fired from the Brassy Knoll...

Our Lieutenant Governor , Katherine Baker Knoll is a pistol. She's like my late Aunt Mooney who never took sh-t from anyone one, and she's not about to now.

It is her job to point out what a boob you are, and there is no edit button on her anywhere.

She is the Anti-Invisi-Gal!

Most women would have stood in silence and let their big moment blow by (introducing the ex Prezzie in the burgh at a Hillary rally), but KBK would NOT be denied.

To quote the Glenn Close character in Fatal Attraction, "I will not be ignored, Dan!"

http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/politics/15949104/detail.html

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OMG...

Amy Winehouse and fellow skeletal musician out for an afterhours haunting.

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Holy in one...

After seeing this ad for Catholic Supply, Invisi-Gal thinks maybe she could play for the other team. After all, have you ever seen a plastic statue of Jesus putting with Episcopalians?

And, if I must admit, my heart is softening for the new Pope. He didn't look so sinister in his visit to New York, the new shock of white hair makes him look, well, holy. Plus he was so sweet and patient and kind to all the bereft folks at Ground Zero.

Invisi-Gal prayed with him during his prayer for peace. I almost crossed myself but got confused, do you touch your head for the Holy Spirit or the Father? Plus I'm left handed and lead with the wrong hand...oh I am so hopelessly Protestant.

I must go now, Cookie is putting the week's menu together and I do adore that precious heart's of palm salad she makes....

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Super Power of the Week Award...

You thought I would say something trite about the Primary in Pennsylvania...hell no, I'm talking Hero here!

I want to be best friends with this gal! I love that she scolded the mother of the baby she saved.

And most of all, Invisi-Gal believes in divine intervention (like rain on a Pirate game) and this is the perfect example even for the meanie skeptics:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,352075,00.html

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Fourth Floor, Ladies Lingerie....

This is one of Invisi-Gal's worst nightmares, being caught in an elevator (the other has to do with Porta-Pottys, but let's NOT go there) ...this poor bloke stepped in an elevator car on a Friday and wasn't rescued until Monday.

I am an admitted claustrophobic, can't even be on a boat for more than an hour without getting the urge to jump ship. This would've have put me right into the therapist's chair and somehow blaming it on my mother or father.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=4693690

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Well, I always say, all roads lead to Pittsburgh, even international uranium selling scams!

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08109/874587-100.stm

Smart people do the dumbest things, don't they?

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Malleable molecules, no sh*t!

That's what this article says about size in the nano world.

My take is, that's the first step to travel ala Beam Me Up.

No more traffic jams, unless everybody is on the same frequency, I suppose.

Also, apparently in the nano world, SIZE MATTERS!

Set your phasers to stun and read on:

http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0417/p14s01-stgn.html

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I am serious when I say there are merits to playing hooky.

Fact is, in my high school "daze" , I was considered a semi-pro at playing hooky.

Being an adult has put a dent in the ol' hooky machine, but every now and then I can still answer the call to... not answer the call. If you know what I mean.

In the act of running from responsiblity, one feels young, foolish, Superbad-ish. It's an instant discovery of the fountain of youth without having to have an unpronouncable name like Ponce de Leon.

It's fun to sneak off without the ever present cell phone (go ahead, be unreachable you rebel) and not give a second thought to it. In fact, the absence of interruption suspends time. The afternoon lolls about and lingers in the breeze, just like a spring day should.

I am playing hooky tomorrow. Golfing.

It's our secret.

No cell phones, no email, nothing, just me and eighteen holes of green grass and hopefully no sand.

I'll witness several hawks in flight, maybe even a deer or two (grabbing the tender buds while they can) and feel the sunshine on my shoulders.

Sure, I'll feel a slight twinge of guilt about all that wasn't done while I duffed about, but it will be greatly diminished by the smile my spirit will crack when I remember the slammin' drive and perfect putt I'm hoping I'll have. Then again, I may play a horrendous round, three and four putting, hitting all my shots fat as Trump's bank account.

The beautiful truth is, it won't matter, because the fact that I'm playing hooky adds such disobedient delight to the whole shootin' match.

Funny thing , I can't really remember what I did when I played hooky from school. I just know it was about having a break.

We all need a break.

Maybe tomorrow, I'll break a hundred.

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Hard "Phil" to swallow.......

Invisi-Gal thinks Dr.Phil and his staff have fallen out of the dumb tree and hit every branch on the way down.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,351022,00.html

I debated on whether or not to weigh in on this one. It seems "whether" prevailed. It is disturbing because Dr.Phil was somewhat pulling afternoon TV viewers out of the Jerry Springer cesspool and into a more thoughtful, although voyeuristic, place.

Now he is becomming the very subject matter he covers.

Move over....let me drive.

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Seek and Ye shall Find...

Just as I wondered what Jon Krakauer was writing next, I stumbled upon it! His new book is about Pat Tillman, it's called The Hero.

I don't expect this will be in any sense, a fluff story. This author likes extreme people and of course Pat Tillman was no doubt extreme, a modern day Heracles. We all need to read about those willing to walk, no run, on the edge of life so we can have a safe, from our cozy armchair, glimpse.

The release date is October 2008.

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Compound Penalties...

Here's some interesting reading on the whole fundamental Mormon subject:

http://www.amazon.com/Under-Banner-Heaven-Story-Violent/dp/0385509510

Author Jon Krakauer was so ahead of his time on this one (makes you wonder what he is writing about NOW)

Even beyond the child abuse etc....the concern about them defrauding the US by claiming welfare payments for the "unwed" mothers with the umpteen children.

Our government doesn't recognize polygamy , so they file as single mothers with umpteen children, BUT they live as man and wife in their homes.

And the IRS is hip to that.

These large compounds are famous for this game, to the tune of over 23 million dollars in payments.

Invisi-Gal must pay the IRS piper just like everybody else, so should the Fundamental Mormon Polygamist Compound living folks.

They are so NOT getting their Stimulus Package Rebate this year.....

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Invisi-Gal hath spoken....

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Who cares about Montessori ?

This story leaves Invisi-Gal speechless....

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/15851207/detail.html

Invisi-Gal's Jump the Shark Awards...

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You know what jumping the shark is, and if you don't darling, you must get couch jumping lessons from Tom Cruise.

Now for the awards:

Third prize goes to .....Barack Obama

For his unmeasured assessment of "bitter" Pennsylvanians...oops, he may have handed the Pa. vote to Senator Clinton.

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/bulletin/bulletin_080414.htm

Second prize goes to ....American Idol

AI has flown it's 14 year old gum cracking phone texting colors. We now know FOR SURE , that the show is a popularity contest and not a talent contest after the elimination of Michael Johns (age 29).

And to that end, dear readers, no one even sniffing the age of 30 will EVER win.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2008-04-10-idol-results_N.htm

And now (drum or jelly roll please)the Invisi-Gal Jump the Shark Award First Prize goes to......Ivana Trump!

For so long, she was revered as the injured ex of The Donald, the poor Yugo who didn't get enough in the divorce, the thrown away first wife replaced by the strumpy trophy Marla Maples.

NOT....apparently the ex Mrs.Comb-over has been marrying away and now the current fourth Mrs.Ivanrama is a wall-eyed "actor" who had to have a 911 intervention during negotiations over the pre-nup. Here's the juicy tid bit:

http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2008/03/ivana-trumps-wedding.php

Ivana has officially jumped the shark.

Sigh, we long for the good ol' eighties Ivana....

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Being Radiant...

I grew up in a home with radiator heat...still the best heat ever...and a ritual occurred every spring and fall, we moved the furniture around in each room.

This ritual was done in the fall to move the furniture AWAY from the radiators so they weren't blocked and the room could be heated.

In the spring, we moved the furniture back.

It also was a great time to spring-clean.

Funny thing, last night I moved the furniture around and today I spring-cleaned.

Why is this funny?

I don't have radiators.

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Feed Your Head continued...

These sites are dedicated to your noggin. The main focus being the left and right brains and the miracle of the connection between the two....which makes you, you!

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22556281-661,00.html

Which way is the dancer moving for you? No tipping please.

http://www.microclesia.com/?p=320

My right brain cried, my left brain named it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/sex/index_cookie.shtml

This is more fun than arguing with your husband. Invisi-Gal scored over into the male brain,

this explains the need for my control over the remote!

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Links to happiness!

No dear readers, not weblinks, GOLF links....18 little moments of Zen.

Spring is truly here, and I can prove it, because my whole family set out to play golf yesterday and had more fun than a barrel of uncles.

I birdied a particular hole that has been my nemesis for a long time and it set the world right.

The great thing was, my husband and son were my captives as we traversed the course. We had the long lost conversations of the last week, we laughed all the laughs we were too busy yesterday to laugh, and we cheered and jeered each other on through a very muddy round of Spring golf.

Lovely.

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Ursa Macarena...

Okay, for years we have wondered. "Does a bear sh-t in the woods?"...I'm pretty darn sure they do, but...... do they dance?

http://youtube.com/watch?v=JW4LLwkgmqA

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Nothing Boring about this....

Mr. and Mrs. Boring of Franklin Park, a suburb of Pittsburgh, are suing Google Inc. because their house was pictured on Google Street View.

http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2008/04/04/boring-couple-files-interesting-lawsuit-against-google/?mod=WSJBlog

Welcome to 2008 Mr. and Mrs. Boring (interesting name)...do you own a cell phone with a camera on it? I hope you get legal releases everytime you take a picture that isn't on your very private land.

Also, very public lawsuits are contrary to very private lifestyles.

No one would ever have known about this if you had let it pass quietly. Chances are no one would ever cared, we are too busy watching the finals of American Idol.

Note: Your private home is listed on the very public Allegheny Real Estate web site just like Invisi-Gal, ooops my bad, Invisi-Gal's house listing shows the wrong house.

Hmmmm....how much are you suing Google for?

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Chair Mogul

So dear readers, I have instructed you on what to do with grandma's old furs, now here's what you do with your old skis, or basically any sports equipment laying around.

If you are a sports nut, you know how you can run through gear like Paris Hilton in a purse store, so now here is a way to sidestep the guilt you feel about it.

http://www.skichair.com/

Note: From a truly snotty angle, turn your speakers down and skip the music and commentary on the website, it distracts from the shopping experience.

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Idle as can be....

Yes, a major guilty pleasure of mine is watching American Idol...

Brooke and Jason, time for you two to go home, you have been fortunate and, in some uncanny way, able to make it thus far. Count your supernatural blessings and let go.

I am way too involved with Idol, I know.

Maybe it's because I am having withdrawals from the ending of season 1 of In Treatment...which by the way is one of the best written shows to come on down the cable channel pike in a long while.

Little fun things (insider alert or you won't understand what the heck I'm talking about):

I thought Sophie's dad looked familiar to me, (Invisi-Gal is proudly hyper-vigilant) I waited for the credits and sure enough, it was Peter Horton of Thirtysomething vintage...he played Gary the non committal bike rider....even funnier was, that Melanie Mayron directed the episode....who's Melanie you ask?

She's also from Thirtysomething, played Steadman's slightly annoying one earring wearing sister Melissa, who coincedently (and we know there are none)had a pink thing for Gary.

I swear, if season 2 of In Treatment ends up with cameos from Eliot and Hope I'll die of 80's flashback shoulder pad syndrome.

But I greatly digress, all this started with American Idol.

I think the greatest slap in the A.I. face will be when Christy Lee Cook gets a big fat recording contract before anyone else does.

You heard it here first...

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House party

In Allegheny county we have a real estate web site where they post your house, it's market and assessed value, and also a picture.

The wreck you see above is what they posted as Invisi-Gal's house.

Silly, of course it's not really MY house, it's the crack house down the road...love the upside down crack boat in the front yard!

My husband wants to call the county and have them put the correct picture up, I argue the point that we should keep that picture on the site, I like the sympathy it generates.

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Sprung...

Spring is here and I am so excited!

I am a self avowed "Porch Potato"... I love to sit on the porch and watch the birds and as Eckhart Tolle says, be present.

I know every bird that shows up each year at the feeder.

In the past, I took great pride in the fact, that between Daisy the boxer, and myself, we managed to run off those pesky squirrels.

However, this year, that has changed.

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April Fool!

Here are my top 2 favorites for news Fools:

Surgeon to Make Sarkozy Five Inches Taller — http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article983556.ece
The London Sun, the most entertaining newspaper in the English language, reports that Israeli researcher "Ura Schmuck" plans to use "Stature Augmentation Treatment" to stretch out notably wee French President Nicolas Sarkozy so that he will be taller than his Italian supermodel wife Carla Bruni. French government spokesman "Luc Biggér" said the difficult process would be carried out at the "the Poisson D'Avril Medical Centre in Geneva."

and as my ultra favorite:

BURGER KING INTRODUCES LEFT-HANDED WHOPPERS
Burger King UK today announced the launch of its latest salvo in the battle of the Burger Wars - the new left-handed Whopper - which will become available nation-wide tomorrow April 1.
The UK's most preferred hamburger will still consist of lettuce, onions, pickles, mayonnaise, ketchup and four-ounce flame-grilled hamburger patty, but the sandwich has been re-designed to fit more comfortably in the left hand. This will result in fewer condiment 'spills' for left-handed hamburger lovers.
The new Left-Handed Whopper will have all the condiments rotated 180 degrees, thereby redistributing the weight of the sandwich so that the bulk of them skew to the left.
"We have always been proud of the fact that we offered 1,024 ways to order our flagship Whopper sandwich, now we are offering 1,025 ways! It's the ultimate 'Have It Your Way' for our left-handed customers," says Lorraine Thomson, Marketing Director for Burger King UK.
The Left Handed Club estimates that nearly 11 million left-handed customers visit Burger King restaurants in the UK each year. Lauren Milsom from the Club comments: "We are delighted that Burger King has recognised the difficulties of holding a hamburger in your left hand that has a natural right bias to it. We urge all left handed hamburger lovers to visit their nearest Burger King and taste the difference for themselves."
Initially, the Left-Handed Whopper will only be available in the UK, however Burger King is considering plans to roll it out to other countries with large left handed populations.
Notes to Editors:
Burger King UK and its franchisees operate 527 restaurants around the country and more than 10,000 restaurants in 53 countries and international territories around the world. In fiscal year 1998, Burger King had system-wide sales of $10.3 billion. Burger King UK is a subsidiary of Diageo plc, one of the world's leading branded consumer products businesses.

And while we're on the subject...

Daryl Hannah , Phyllis Major Browne

Joni

Wow ,there is a similiar thing about these women, all beautiful, all talented.

These are the lyrics to the Joni Mitchell song, Not To Blame

http://jonimitchell.com/musician/song.cfm?id=NotToBlame

She wrote this song in response to the news of the "alleged" beating Darryl Hannah received from Jackson Browne.

Keep in mind, nothing was ever substantiated, but as women, we understand how much of this goes on never being substantiated...unfortunately.

Okay, Invisi-Gal most move on from this subject.

It's not about going into the dark places, it's about bringing the dark places into the light.

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Running on Empathy...

What am I supposed to do with this information?

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,344210,00.html

Years ago , I was a big Jackson Browne fan , but allegations of abuse and the suicide of his first wife made me wonder about him.

You know the guy, he likes to woo beautiful women and then destroy them.

I'm not saying that's what HE is, but if it quacks like a duck....

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