r/pittsburgh

I’ve lived in Pittsburgh for 5 years (different spots, but all of them within 15 minutes of Oakland) and had never gone into the Cathedral of Learning in Oakland until today. I felt like such a dork: waiting on an outside bench until a family went inside before I felt comfortable walking in as a non-student, not knowing what floor(s) I was allowed to go to on a Saturday evening, and marveling at the architecture/building design and fancy elevators lol.

I guess if there are any Pitt students here, I just wanted to check, can I use the common areas here as a non-student?? I just have been in desperate need of a quiet place to work outside of my apartment that I can go to every so often. I know it’s not like anyone is checking student IDs at the door (which I was partly worried about), but I of course want to be respectful to any students/clubs that pay tuition to be here.

Thanks for any input!

Hey Freaks! Hurricane Isaias (that’s pronounced ee-sah-EE-ahs) made landfall last night near Destin, FL as a strong Category 2 Hurricane. It was a “major” (Category 3) hurricane shortly before landfall, but weakened a bit on approach. This is the first hurricane to make landfall in the US in 2 years, and the second time in the 2020s that a Hurricane Isaias has made landfall in the US (the other was in August of 2020 in the Carolinas, and if you don’t remember that landfall, well, it was a bit of a crazy year). The high clouds that gradually thickened all day and the rain that we are now seeing in our area are thanks to the remnants of this storm, so let’s talk about any impacts in our forecast for the upcoming week! And then stay tuned for some other stuff!

The Forecast:

The ghost of Isaias is moving in to our area as I type this. While the system is post tropical, and will not cause any major hazards, it will keep things quite rainy over the next 24 hours or so, including during tomorrow’s Steelers home game. We could see upwards of an inch of rain, but flood concerns are low. As far as winds go, you may notice it being a bit breezy, but unless you are Chris Boswell kicking field goals tomorrow afternoon, it shouldn’t be anything to worry about. There will be a bit stronger winds in the Laurel Highlands, and as a result a Wind Advisory has been issued there. After tomorrow, dry weather should return with highs actually climbing back above 80 by Tuesday (Possible autumnal booty dew?). But don’t get too used to that. Chances for showers start again on Wednesday, with temps coming back down towards normal as we head into the weekend. Speaking of the weekend, there are some signs that we may be seeing our first cool blast of the season next weekend. If that transpires, we could see our first sub-freezing lows. Stay tuned.

Do you, uh, maybe want to hang out?:

With fall now in full swing, many of our local farms and orchards are hosting their annual fall events, and this year, you may have the opportunity to mix some of that fall fun with your old pal StormFreak. But, I want to gauge interest in such an event before going fully in on it. So here are the (possible) details, and if there is enough interest to make it work, then I will get it all finalized:

Friday Oct 30 - 6-9pm
Simmons Farm in McMurray
Cost would be ~$15 a person

The evening would include a hayride to a bonfire with marshmallows for roasting, fresh picked apples, and a playground area for any kids (or young at heart?). There will also be glow sticks/necklaces available as well. There will be crates at the bonfire site for seating, but you can also bring your own chair. Also, coolers and other food are allowed as well, but you would need to bring them on the hayride with you. This will be a great way to meet some other members of this little community, and while it will be a great opportunity to socialize, there will also be plenty of space to take a break if your social tank fills up quickly. And in case you are wondering, I am one of those weirdos that actually likes to set my marshmallows on fire. I enjoy a nice carcinogenic crunch with my s'mores.

NOTE: If this is something that you think you would attend, please let me know in the comments! If we get enough interest we will get everything booked and I will put out the final event information!

A few other announcements:

[redacted from Reddit post - these announcements venture more into what would likely be considered self-promotion so I am keeping them off here and limited to my Substack. I won't link it here in the post, but if you need help finding it, check my profile or shoot me a message. I will continue to post on here occasionally, but in the near future I am looking to ramp up some content that is best suited elsewhere (this sounds a lot more spicy than it is. There is no OnlyFreaks page to be found... sorry to disappoint all 2 of you). More so I am looking for a place to share more freely and interact more with all of you. So if you are interested, check it out, and if not, that's a-ok too. As always I appreciate you no matter where you read my content or how you interact.]

Final Thoughts:

This post is getting long, but if you are still here then I guess you are still listening. I know I have talked at length about the struggles I am facing in my mental health (and personal life), but this week had something different that I wanted to share and hopefully encourage you with. I had a moment this week where I realized I felt a very profound experience of feeling “OK”. I know that may sound strange and you may be wondering “Why was feeling “just” OK profound?” The reason is, in that moment, I found myself fully content with the fullness of that feeling. The feeling wasn’t met with an immediate “comma but” followed by expectations of what things were still wrong in my life, or what things could be better to get me closer to where I want to be, but instead I was fully OK with where I am right now. Period. End of Sentence. And it was good. In fact, I may have even felt happy in that moment of peace. I know it won’t always feel that way, but knowing that I can reach that point where OK is enough gives me hope to face another day. I hope if you are in your own hurricane, that you can find your way to the eye where the winds are calm, and it’s OK to just be OK.

Love Yinz <3

Song of the Week: Everything All The Time - Maddie Zahm (actually, this entire album has quickly jumped into my top 5 of the year, so I highly recommend it all)

On Tuesday nights, you’ll find Beaver County resident Jesse Wisinski in his garage, making pizzas not to sell, but “to bless people in our community.”

21 bands

Check out https://fallstober.com/

Last I checked Beaver Falls in South west Pa.

Also what they both did is fucked, but didn't want to include it in the title. But other than the soft spot, are there any wlw meet up spots left? Seems like a really rare occurrence these days here. Can't speak for other cities.

EDIT: I clearly didnt do enough research and I apologize for that. If you are reading this, I stress to read the comments before making a judgement.

I love this app sometimes

EDIT We aren't allowed guns in the home due to my husband's felony.

Title says it all I hope. I live in McKees rocks. In my past I experienced assault. I want to know how to protect myself and my friends if needed. I always carry mace and getting a non lethal gun.

I'm not looking for an exact price, but my bathtub is dripping and I'm pretty sure it's the cartridge. It's a $100 part, maybe, but so far the cheapest price I've been able to get is $60 for the truck roll so someone can tell me how much it will cost. "They don't keep pricing information in the office".

Anyone know of a plumber who won't charge a service fee before they can give me an estimate? They get bonus points if they're not P.E. owned but at this point I'm not sure that I care.

I'm in the north hills area.

“Have a nice day.”

Sometimes a phrase can seem trite. This morning, it made my day.

About 6:30 a.m., I was running on Liberty Avenue near West Penn Hospital.

A nurse on her way to work was walking in front of me. She heard me coming and moved over to let me pass. As I went by, I said, “Thank you,” simply to acknowledge her kindness.

She immediately responded, “Have a nice day.”

I wasn’t expecting it. I quickly said, “You too,” as I continued running.

First, I believe nurses are angels on earth. Their kindness to people in physical and emotional need is priceless.

But there was something else about this moment. She didn’t need to say anything. She had already done the kind thing by moving over. Yet she added a simple, friendly response that stayed with me.

Be kind. It costs little and can mean a lot.