For as long as I can remember, drivers on the parkway east were greeted each December by a Christmas tree.  Last year it was announced that the tree would not be up this year  however the center pole remains, which I am now declaring to be Pittsburgh’s Festivus pole!

The state came through and is going to give PAT money!  Hooray!  And (even though I didn’t realize they needed to vote to accept it), they voted to accept that money!  Hooray!

Let’s stop that smile right there, mister.

In their latest blog post, PAT lays out what will happen, which of course, they don’t know many details of.  However, lest you think it would change, the fares will increase January 1.

Now, I’m actually not that upset about the fare increase.  It isn’t as big as I thought it would be, and really, prices go up.  Cost of living goes up.  Yeah, it sucks, but I can’t fault PAT for it.

However, before you think that their blog post is all kittens and rainbows, never fear, they are back and as mopey as always.  Some layoffs and service reductions are coming.  No details yet (they are being reworked in light of the new money), and no clues either.  And of course, don’t forget, this is the state’s fault, not PAT’s.

And again, I’m venting.  But when I’m constantly faced with sad, pessimistic writing of their blog posts/press releases (not to give them more work but the people that run @pghtransit, they get social media.  Maybe they could do some writing for the blog, make it more conversational, help riders interact with PAT more.  You know, since it’s social media), it gets tiring.

So at the end of the day, we’re back up in the air, but there is still lots of time before the service reductions and layoffs, so I’m not too worried about it.  There will most likely be a public comment time (isn’t there always?), before anything goes into affect, so we have that to look forward to.

As you’ve probably heard, Borders will be closing three local locations, including Monroeville.  That is where the National Novel Writing Month east write-ins have been held.  We would gather in the cafe, people watch, be amazed at the random electrical outlet up at the ceiling (we called it the spiderman plug) and work on crafting great novels.

Now however, we’re going to need someplace new, so I’d like to ask for some suggestions.  Barring in mind that I’m not actually in charge, I’m just trying to help out our Municipal Liason (who is awesome by the way, I’ll be writing about her awesome blog probably next week).  Here’s what we need in a location:

• Ability to seat about 10 people (we usually get about that many on the weekend write-ins, and about half that during the week).  We’re not the biggest write-in location, but we’re dependable six or seven write-ins a month
• Two electrical sockets.  We bring our own surge protectors/power strips.  We’ve learned that lesson from experience.
• Wi-Fi.  You know, for research… And I wrote my book in Google Docs last year, so it was nice to just write in the cloud.
• Caffeine.  Totally optional, but we’ll buy food and drink from the location we’re in, and probably whatever else is for sale (I usually left Borders with new books to read)
• A fondness for strangeness.  We wear funny hats when we write, it helps with the creative process, and allows us to find each other easier.  So when you see me come in wearing a Viking helmet, Mad Hatter hat, or something else equally odd, you’ll know we’re there.

Barnes and Noble is an option, although they have a smaller seating area, and the last few times I was there, their Wi-Fi was pitiful.  We’ve used the Panera in Penn Center in Wilkins, and that was a good spot (plus, unlike the Panera in Monroeville, the staff is friendly and gets my orders correct).

But I guess I’m kind of interested to see if there is some place off the beaten path, I know we had tried to set up some write-ins in Oakmont last year, but I don’t think that ever got off the ground.  We’re generally fairly quiet, bring in business (as well as publishing the fact that we’re at your location a lot), and I can even get you a cool “Write Your Novel Here” window cling to hang up.

So, any ideas?

What are you doing on Thursday?  Why don’t you head over to Diesel (East Carson Street) to watch as Brett Keisel is shaved, in an event being promoted as “Shear the Beard.”

Importantly, proceeds are going to support the cancer programs at Children’s Hospital.  There will be merchandise, including the opportunity to own your very own piece of the beard.

$25 gets you your first drink, appetizers, door prizes and musical entertainment before the main event at 7 p.m.  Doors open at 6.  Buy tickets here and help out the kids at Children’s.

I’ve mentioned before on here about my involvement with National Novel Writing Month.  One of the cool things about it, is how writers across Pittsburgh get together for write-ins.  These, along with our kick-off and Thank God It’s Over parties are put together by our Municipal Liaison, Jenn.

She has an awesome blog which I wanted to spotlight, called 101 Achievements.  The idea is her and her husband working on accomplishing 101 different tasks, many of which revolve around cultural and food events in Pittsburgh.  Be sure to check out, and you can track their progress by seeing which achievements have been linked on the sidebar.

My favorite achievement they’ve done?  Number 86: Celebrate something imaginary in a nice restaurant.  They get tons of points for the props they used:

Michael Andres

This is Michael Andres, missing since Thursday night from his home in Beaver.

I worked with his brother, Alex, who Michael lives with.  Police have not had any luck finding him in Beaver or any of the surrounding areas.

Come on Pittsburgh, don’t fail me now.

Description: White male, 5 feet 8 inches tall, 215 pounds, dark hair. Last seen wearing a green military parka, blue shorts and athletic shoes.

If seen: Contact Beaver police on (724) 775-1550.

Nerve is reporting on a new “study” by FourSquare about the rudest cities, and Pittsburgh comes in forth.  I put study in quotation marks because it is not clear how this was measured:

So really it reads more like a list of the cities with the most expletive-worthy locations — positive, negative or otherwise.

Well, at least we’re not $&#@ing Manchester.

Dan Shaughnessy from Sports Illustrated wrote an article, complaining about Pittsburgh being the host city for the 2011 Winter Classic.  Deadspin is all over it, make sure to read the whole thing:

It’s not that Pittsburgh is not a metropolis WE associate with hockey. It’s that Pittsburgh is not a metropolis YOU associate with hockey. Because you are from Boston, and Boston is the metropolis people from Boston associate with fucking EVERYTHING.

May I suggest that you follow the Pittsburgh Zoo on Twitter:

This also allowed me to use the “Charlie Sheen” tag.  I feel fulfilled.

What you’re looking at is the screen that greets the user when you open up iBurgh.  I’ve tried to use it before, but without success, however this morning, I successfully submitted unsafe sidewalk conditions.

It’s an extension of the city’s 311 service,  I’ve called that before to report a nasty pothole, and to their credit, a few days later, it was taken care of, so I’m hoping this has the same affect, although with the coming snow, I’m not sure.

Like I said, I’ve tried to use this app once before, but it seems to take the GPS a long while to find itself, so I hope that in a future release that gets worked out, or better yet, users are able to add pictures from their album.  Right now, you have to take a live picture and then upload it, or lose the picture.  That could potentially be unsafe.

The developer, YinzCam, also has apps for Heinz Field (you have to be inside to use it on game day) and the Penguins (news, videos and extra cameras if you’re inside the Consol Center).  They do really awesome work, make sure to check them out in the Android Marketplace or the iTunes App Store.