my trip and..

Last week, I took a trip to Washington D.C and Maryland to find my new apartment. I used Megabus to get to Washington D.C. It 5-hour bus ride was so boring. Sleeping on the bus was difficult even though I got up early. I arrived in D.C at 12 pm and then took a metro to college park, Maryland.
The metro fare was expensive than I expected, It was 3.65$ for single trip. :=(

I ate only Chinese food during this trip because there was really nice Chinese restaurant which serves very delicious hot soup near College park.

Finally I found a suitable apartment for us. The rent is quite expensive but it is much smaller than the apartment I am living in now. College park was very flat(boring) and there were a lot of cars at high speed. Suddenly, I missed Pittsburgh.

After going back to Pittsburgh, I have grown to love Pittsburgh more. I feel a wide array of emotions when I am thinking about Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh is part of my newly married life and my first city in the USA.

I really hope I have chance to back here again.

Big Events of Pittsburgh

I didn't feel any loneliness in the past week because many amazing things around with me.

1.Thousands Of Runners Compete In Pittsburgh Marathons
Last Sunday when I was still sleeping, a electronic band was playing in front of my apartment. It was only 6 a.m  and the drum voice was very loudly.But after half an hour I knew it was marathon, and more than 22,000 runner were registered to take part in the Pittsburgh Marathon. That was a wonderful event!

2.Relationship Drama Leads To Shooting On Busy Shadyside Street
Last Wednesday my friend told me she heard three shots in her home. It was so close to my apartment and in broad daylight near the busy Giant Eagle Market District grocery store in. Then I searched on internet and knew a young man was wounded after shooting. That was a horrible event!

3.Vice President Joe Biden Visits Pittsburgh
Last Thursday I didn't wait my shuttle and the fifth avenue has been congested，so I had to walk. When I passed a big house I saw many police cars and many handsome guys, this was like in a movie！After a little time, a man told me vice president Joe Biden came to Pittsburgh and many streets were closed by police. That was a fancy event.

So I just want to say "fact is stranger than fiction".

Vivian

My pets!

Today, I thought I would share some things in my home.  I like to name things, but sometimes the names I give them do not make sense!  

First, this is my plant, Benjamin.  He isn't a pet, but I thought I would include him in the post anyway.  He is a ficus, I think, but I do not know for sure.  I rescued him from being thrown away.  He needs a new pot so he can grow bigger!  That is on my to-do list for the summer.

Next, I have three fish. 

The newest is a male veiltail betta.  I named him Bob Errey.  He is my newest pet.  I just bought him this weekend from Petco!

In case you are wondering, Bob Errey is a man who announces sports news for the Pittsburgh Penguins.  He also used to be a player for the Penguins!  He actually looks like this: 


It's a very funny name for a fish! 

Then, I have two mollies.  I named them Spic and Span.  

They were a gift from my friend Sarah!  Soon, I will buy them a bigger fish tank, and then Bob Errey will be moved into this fish tank!  That will make all of the fish much happier, because their tanks are too small. 

Oh, and Spic 'n' Span is a cleaning product.  It actually looks like this: 

I used to have a goldfish named Speck.  I thought the names Speck, Spic, and Span were good names together because they all start with the "Sp" sound!  Unfortunately, Speck recently died, but Spic and Span are still happy and healthy!

Next, I have a lizard.  He is a bearded dragon.  His name is Patrick, and I named Patrick after the sales person, who was named Patrick.  I don't have a picture of the salesperson, but he was a very nice person!

He's my oldest pet.  I have had him since 2004.  He looks like he has sharp spines on his back and face, but actually they are very soft and do not hurt at all.  Also, he doesn't have any teeth, so he doesn't bite.  He looks scarier than he is!  I call him my 'baby.'  


That's it for my pets!  Some day, I want to have many cats and dogs and other animals, but my apartment is very small.  For now, lizards and fish are the best pets for me.

Pittsburgh International Childrens's Festival

Hi folks!
Last Saturday, I just happened to see the Pittsburgh International Children’s Festival around Cathedral of Learning.
I have no kids but it was also enjoyable for adults. There were many booths that offered various activities and hands-on cultural activities. When I got there, there was a drum performance for everyone. I hope you could feel a festive atmosphere from my post.

Plan a trip for America

My hubby got his flight ticket from Shanghai to Chicago!
So we should start our plan trip.
To travel around America use a month, is it possible?
Or choose a few famous city enjoy our trip?
Let's try to make a travel plan now!

7/11~7/14  Chicago 
7/15~7/22  Washington D.C--Niagara Falls--New York City--Boston--Philadelphia
7/23~7/29  Denver--Yellowstone National Park
7/30~8/3    Los Angeles--Hawaii
8/4 ~ 8/14  Las Vegas--Grand Canyon--San Francisco

Schedule is probably so.
Arrangement programs is the most important thing.
Such as see a outdoor concert in Chicago, see a musical in the theaters of Broadway and see the Grand Canyon of different colors.
Actually that is always my dream, I expect to realize soon.

Vivian
           
By the way,If anyone have more suggestion  please tell me.

Fallingwater

How time flies! I have been Pittsburgh for 8 months. Last autumn we had a trip around fallingwater. This is a house which is in rural southwestern Pennsylvania, 50 miles southeast of Pittsburgh.. It is designed by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1935. The house was built on top of an active waterfall which flows beneath the house,and the environment around it is very beautiful. Fallingwater was once the  weekend home of Kaufmann's family . In 1963, Kaufmann, Jr. donated the property to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. Then, it was opened to the public as a museum.

tiger

GPLC Blogs Class: Concerts

GPLC Blogs Class: Concerts: "On Sunday, I will see a rock concert with some friends of mine at Club Cafe. Club Cafe is in the South Side, and it is my favorite place..."

Concerts

On Sunday, I will see a rock concert with some friends of mine at Club Cafe.   Club Cafe is in the South Side, and it is my favorite place in Pittsburgh to see live music.  I have been to many concerts there before.  Most of the concerts they have are American folk, rock, or pop artists, although sometimes they also have comedians and other types of performers.  The stage is very small, and you can also buy food and drinks there.  I like the environment there very much because I have always been able to meet the artists once their concerts are over.  I have been able to get autographs from many of my favorite artists that way. 

On June 7th, I will go to see another concert at Club Cafe.  The main performer will be Julian Velard.  I am unfamiliar with his music, but one of the opening acts is a woman named Rachael Sage, who is one of my favorite singers.  I am very excited about the concert!

I think Pittsburgh is a great city to live in if you like to go to concerts.  There are always many different kinds of concerts going on in the city for every style of music.  One of my favorite ways to keep informed about what concerts are happening is through Pittsburgh's City Paper (CP),  and also through Pittsburgh's Craigslist website.  I also hear about many great concerts through 'word of mouth,' which means that my friends recommended them to me.

Have you been to any concerts in the city?

street food vendors

I tried Indian street food near Soldiers & Sailors in Oakland at lunch time. The food was very well priced. The Indian cart let me customize the spice level of my order. I tried spice level 7. Very delicious....

Is there any other street food at Oakland you would recommend?

Water Crises

I saw an article on treehugger.com. It was about "5 innovative ways celebrities get drinkable, clean water to those without." They climb mountains, give up gifts, donate their tap water, start their own projects, shown up--and speak out. The celebrities tried their best to help responsing water crises.
Mei

I like Pittsburgh

I like Pittsburgh's fall. All trees came into color: red, yellow, oringe------
I like Pittsburgh's spring. Different kinds of flower are openning------
I like Pittsburgh's people. So nice, so friendly.
Mei

The past one week

Maybe last week was my busiest week since I arrived in USA. Almost every deep night, or exactly every early morning,  I still had to finish the tasks needed to complete on that day. And before 8:30am I got up to catch the bus, then transfered from downtown to Oakland, where our office located.  My roommate took me to the office before. It just cost us less than 20 minutes on the way. But he went back to his hometown this month.

The things I have done during last week are as following.

I have finished and submitted two IEEE final journal papers, but made a mistake during the process. I uploaded a completely wrong paper. The worse thing was they firstly didnot allow me to change it because it had been sent for publication. And the better news is I modified the files finally with the help of the corresponding editor. Thanks very much for the editor's grateful help.

I have done a seminar to showcase my simulation results related to the novel witricity technology. And that also cost me much time. My supervisor was satisfied with the content and encouraged me to do some other verifications.

I had to pay more attention on my PhD thesis because I will go back to Hong Kong to do my oral defense in  August.

Others, others, other daily issues. You know it is not easy to say what we have done about these things. But we exactly spend much time on them.


Posted by Junhua WANG

Let me alone

When I send my student back from the airport today， I almost can't see a person in the Carnegie Mellon University.
I just remembered the final examinations had already started and all the class was over.
It means I really have to be alone before I leave here.

That made me feel the past month how wonderful the life.
April 17, My student took me ride the cable car on the inclines up and down Mount Washington, and the view of the city is so beautiful .
April 20, my friend and I visited the Cathedral  of learning, a Pittsburgh  landmark , is the centerpiece of the University of Pittsburgh.
April 24, I invited my student to see the musical MAMMA MIA! This is not only a musical comedy, it let me touching and thinking.
April 25, my friend drove me to the Carnegie Science Center, we played many interesting things like a child.
April 29, my schoolfellows and I had a party for one's graduation. That dinner is delicious，because the chef is from  my hometown!
April 30, my friend and his family came to Pittsburg from another city of America. We took the Pittsburg  Riverboat Cruise and visited the Phipps Conservatory.
Then last week my student cook dinner for me every day until she back to China.

Although these nice memories let me happy, perhaps I missed other.
Without programs，I will face more challenge in my everyday life.
I think I should be plan some new things from now on.

Chi Zhang

The National Aviary

Hello! I am YooJin.
This is my first post and I would like to introduce the National Aviary.
Last week, I visited the National Aviary. The National Aviary is located on Pittsburgh’s historic North Side, just minutes from downtown Pittsburgh, PNC Park and the Children’s Museum.
Also, you should pay 13$ to enter the National Aviary
and it is open Daily 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

There are some interesting facts for the National Aviary.

First, The National Aviary has daily interactive experiences for visitors. you can interact with exotic birds by feeding them. You may get a chance to feed birds. When you hold a worm, a bird will take it.

Second, there is a laughing bird, Kookaburra Bird. Actually, I was most impressed by this bird. This bird can make a strange sound, echoing human laughter. That was so funny. You can encounter this bird at the entrance of wetland.

Lastly, there are African Penguins and you can experience unique underwater viewing. They are so cute and adorable. You can enter a small transparent space to see penguin closely through low path.

I really hope that all folks have a chance to enjoy the National Aviary.
It would be a good time for you and your family.

First Post!

Hello, everyone!  This is our class blog, and this is the first post in our class blog.  Each week, I want each of you to make a post.  However, I also want you to leave a comment on a post -- so each week, you will add two new things to the blog.

To make this post a little more interesting, I'm going to share a website I've been looking at lately.  It's Voice of America News.  It covers news from all over the world, and most articles have a video or MP3 file so that you can also listen to the article while you read it.  If you click on 'Learning English,' you will be taken to a special section of the website.  If you really look around the website, you will find many interesting articles.  Some are even about idioms and grammar, and if you click on any word in the article, it will show you the definition. 

I hope to see all of you posting soon, and remember to sign your name when you post!
-Cynthia