The Ren Fest might be over, but you can still go back in time this weekend at two different events.

First, as I heard on the radio this morning, Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood of Make Believe will be set-up this weekend for you to tour.  It’s free and at WQED in Oakland.  And yes, Mr. McFeely will be there!

And second, the Nina and the Pinta (replicas at least) are docked at the North Shore River Front Park through November 15.  I’m hoping to go tour them, I’ll report back if I do.

I love zombies.  Ask anyone.  However, my love mostly goes into books and the occasional movie and video game.  That being said, I think the  international zombie day is a wonderful thing, especially since it is a huge fund and food raiser for the Pittsburgh Food Bank.  Personally I have no desire to get dressed up, but more power to those that do.  The Zombie Olympics are going on right now in the parking lot outside of the old Boscov’s (and before that, Kauffman’s) end of the mall, and the record-setting zombie walk will take place at 6.

Coming to the mall on this day is always a treat, I laughed when I got cut-off by a family of four zombies in a pick-up truck, and once had to stop myself from complimenting someone on her make-up and costume: she wasn’t here for the walk.  Oops.

And, quite ironically, going on at the Monroeville Convention Center right across the road is a gun bash.  I hope they have shotguns.  Or even better, machetes.

The Renaissance Festival is in town for two more weekends, if you need to escape the insanity of the G-20 or are just looking for a fun time, grab a bunch of people and head down Route 70.

I hadn’t been to the Ren Fest for a number of years, and while the basic set up is the same, a lot has been added.  I happened to go during Kids Weekend, so things were a bit toned down, but I do suggest seeing the Washing Wench show.

Added bonus of going to Ren Fest, you can say “wench.”

As part of the First Night 2009 festivities, a boarded up storefront was covered in white paper and sharpies were provided for people to write their New Year’s resolutions down.

I was walking down Strawberry Way (I needed dinner and decided to hit up Qdoba since I am boycotting Bruegger’s downtown) and I found myself face to face with this wall, filled with all kinds of messages and drawings.  I was intrigued.  So I took a whole bunch of pictures.  Soon after, the paper came down and I believe construction continues behind the plywood on Liberty Ave.

So now that we’re past the halfway mark of 2009, I present to you, The July Project. 

I wonder how many of these resolutions were kept, and how many were soon forgotten.  Some are funny, some are sad.  Some are exclamations, while some choose to draw instead of write.  Others aren’t resolutions at all, but still made me stop and think about new beginnings, and the hope and promise that January 1 brings.  Maybe some of that will carry over now that we’re past July 1.  Or maybe we’ll just all get a laugh.  But however this all plays out, here’s hoping that we can all find something worthwhile.

Past the break, some comments about the resolutions seen above, as well another pic from the wall.

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The Waffle Shop is expanding!  What started as an art project/reality show/class project, is now expanding to stay open, not only for brunch, but on a more permanent basis.  Details are still being worked out, and a couple different options are on the table, but it looks like Waffle Shop may be a more permanent fixture in East Liberty.

The new waffleshop.org

On top of that, they’ve started a new venture: live news feeds.  Instead of a host for the talk show set, one of the workers is used as a relayer, passing on the news being fed to them through their earbuds.

The news feeds sounds really awesome, and I’d love to go check it out when I get home.  New videos popped up on youtube, but I have no speakers up here at camp, so I’ll have to wait.  Also, their new website is taking shape, including spaces for live streaming video of the news feeds, although it’s all just a placeholder for now.

Tomorrow, March 20, is Mr. Roger’s birthday!  And to celebrate, it is the second annual “Won’t You Be My Neighbor? Day”

“Imagine what our real neighborhoods would be like, if each of us offered as a matter of course, just one kind word to another person…One kind word has a wonderful way of turning into many.”

Wear a sweater (it doesn’t have to be a zip-up on like Mr. Roger’s, just make sure it’s your favorite) and get free admission to the following:

• Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium
• Photo Antiquities
• National Aviary
• Children’s Museum (performance by the PSO)
• The Mattress Factory
• Westmoreland Museum of Ameircan Art

More free events and a very special, Speedy Delivery message after the jump!

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David, from LA Metblogs passed along some helpful links to find inauguration day events.

• Doing a quick search here at moveon.org (by zip code) listed a whole lot of events, mostly house-type parties
• The official inauguration site also has their own listings, so you can search there as well (also by zip code)
• Word has been spreading that some Starbucks will be airing the inauguration, but I can’t seem to find an official list of which ones will.  I have a feeling most stores and news outlets will be showing it, so I don’t foresee that being an issue.
• Also, rumor has it that Krispy Kreme will be giving away free doughnuts.  With their mass exodus out of the area though, might make it a bit harder to get your free sugar.

I will be working, and unable to watch the ceremony (thank goodness for televised news programs and youtube), so no fun event for me.

The Countdown to XVIII will be back later today, so look for that in a bit.

Update to yesterday’s post, thoughts and reactions really.  The situation reminded me of a shooting that happened in Latrobe, my senior year at St. Vincent.  Most people would go out during the week to Nopalitos, a club/restaurant/bar.  I would head elsewhere, since usually my time off campus was in order to not be around a majority of those people, plus a night at the bar was not for dancing…but I digress.

Anyway, there was a shooting at Nopalitos, either inside or near it, at the moment I can’t recall; and for a time, people vowed to not return as they did not feel safe.  I actually didn’t have a problem with it, it was an isolated incident, and had it been an establishment I frequented, I would have returned with no reservations.

Now, one shooting is much different than an extended bombing campaign.  And I think that in that situation, I would have made alternate plans or at the very least, delayed my plans to visit, fiancé or not.  And yes, there was no indication that the bombing would travel that far, but still, common sense starts throwing off all kinds of warning lights when looking at the current hostilities.

But who knows, we all do crazy and strange things for love.  And what says love more than throwing yourself headfirst into a country in turmoil?

An acquaintance from high school, Maura Linzer, happened to be visiting her fiancé in Israel this week, and ended up about 40 yards away from rockets launched into Be’er Sheva.

This time you could not only hear the boom, but you could feel the whole building shake.  It’s [this] unbelievable fear of ‘Where did that missile land and did it hurt anyone?’

Linzer and her fiancé left Be’er Sheva safely and she expects to return home on Friday

Check out the story and any updates at thepittsburghchannel.com

First Night Pittsburgh is once again upon us, and a cool feature I never knew about, is the ability to make a custom itinerary.  Head over here, pick the events you want to check out, and a custom schedule for the night is generated for you to print.  Pretty cool feature, and really handy when you see how many events are going on tonight.

And I have to ask, what’s everyone’s resolutions?