Highland Towers Apartments?

The next Pokestop that interested me is the Highland Towers Apartments. Why is an apartment building a spot of importance? Time to find out!

This building is currently owned by Franklin West and has 36 Apartments of the one or two bedroom variety. When you walk by, it looks basically like everyone other building in Shadyside. I probably went by it about fifty times before I started to wonder why it mattered. The period Pokestops can seem random at times (sometimes they are based on things that aren't there anymore).

This building is part of early American architecture. It belongs to a period of time generally referred to as the early suburbs (ew). It is categorized as being part of the Art Deco movement.

The architect of the Highland Towers Apartments was Frederick G. Scheibler. He was born in the Burgh in 1872. He ended his schooling early like so many men did then (side note: can we talk about the fact that all these famous men left school as teens and became super goddamn successful? I can't find a job with a college degree, but these bitches can walk out and make millions). Our building dates from 1913.

The Highland Towers Apartments was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 28, 1976. The 70s are not a time period I associate with being overly concerned about history, so hearing this was added them makes it seem more important. Franklin West has kept the original stained glass windows, murals, and built-in cabinets.

Unless you are interested in architecture, this is not a v exciting Pokestop (although not a water fountain which is nice)

Reactions to a HuffPost Article

One of the only positive things to come out of the 2016 dumpster fire we called an election (and year) was that some people are gaining a greater awareness of what is actually going on in the world.

I just finished an article called "Some Garbage Things I Used to Believe About Equality." This entire article feels like such a validation. It is a straight white man realizing that all the things we are saying about sexism, racism, and homophobia are real.  I can't even count the number of times that I would say something was sexist only the be brushed off and told that I was seeing things that weren't there. Or that I was just trying to be offended. I have been told that I am too emotional, questioned if I have some kind of mental disorder, and generally put down when I try to point out the sexism that is so rampant.

The article hit home at a lot of points, but the one that really made me think was when he quoted Sarah Sharp: "I did not want to work professionally with people who were allowed to get away with subtle sexist or homophobic jokes."

Hm. Can anyone say they have worked in an industry in which people weren't allowed to get away with this?

I worked in insurance. It is the personification of the old boys' club. It is Mad Men. It is men in charge, women do the work. Men drop work on your desk half an hour before they leave and expect it to be done because that's what the women are there for. Women are the worker bees. Even if there appears to be a woman in a position of power, she is held to an entirely different set of standards than the men are.

Don't even try to bring it up! The only thing worse than being a woman is being a Millennial (which is a whole other story) - any complaints you make are just you being entitled and wanting to be held to a different set of standards. Never mind that you just want to be treated like a person with some respect. The fact that I am a woman puts me at a disadvantage before I am even given the chance to show what I can do.

I had an interview with Uber to be a self-driving car operator. This interview consisted of going to a track and doing different maneuvers to show the drivers that you were capable of learning how to deal with stressful driving situations. There were about 35 people at the interview, and three of us were women. One of the men said something about how he was afraid the trainers would think he was a bad driver. My reply to him was that at least they would think he was just having a bad day - if I messed up, it would be because I am a woman. There was a round of awkward laughter, but no one disagreed with me. I think I may have hit upon what jokes were being made in the other cars.


If anything good can come out of 2016, it is that decent people will realize what is going on around them. And not take it anymore.

Howe Springs (How PokemonGo is making me learn)

Howe Springs - at the time this was taken, it was owned by Team Mystic!

Since I probably wasn't going very far out of my house yesterday (driving to Sharpsburg doesn't really count since I couldn't play during that), I did a loop around the block to catch my Pokemon and hit up a Pokestop for my 7 day streak.

As I walked over the Howe Springs gym, I realized two things: I had never actually stood in there before and I had no idea the background of it. As someone who majored in history, that is a bit odd (side note: I had someone ask me in an interview on Tuesday what I had planned to do with my degree. Ma'am, I graduated college in 2008 - must we do this?!).

Their column game is on point!

I took a few pictures and decided to do some research!


Howe Springs was originally built in 1896 (and renovated 14 years later) and was one of many springs that the city had. Based on the preservation paperwork, the Howe family connected the springs because of the Johnstown Flood (or, as most of us know it, one of many stupid reasons PLCB taxes our booze too much!). When the Howe heirs decided to sell the estate after the deaths of their parents, they made a clause that the springs had to remain free and accessible for public use. This didn't go exactly as planned.


 

Not exactly free flowing water to the masses.

So what happened? Water borne illnesses (Oregon Trail type stuff - cholera and typhoid) were common in the late 1800s and early 1900s, so everyone who lived in the city was constantly concerned about contracting illness from water. A lot of people thought that the water from these springs was cleaner than what the city provided. Since nothing in history is easy to trace or understand, there are several claims that water from these springs was what caused those diseases. The landmark status application linked below has a neat article from 1906 in which Howe was one of the only two springs in the city that did not have typhoid!

Around 1900, the City started to see these as public health hazards (and it probably had something to do with revenue). One major reason the springs were no longer providing the same clean water they had in the past? Our industrial boom! There was so much going on with industry that the water was being contaminated before it reached the springs. Most of the springs were just closed, but some were totally destroyed. Howe Springs was not entirely destroyed, and Preservation Pittsburgh submitted it to be a historic site within Pittsburgh.

I'm super dedicated to Pokemon Go!

At the end of my research and Pokewalk, I realized that I had just spent a lot of time reading about a public water fountain. Things like the public springs are a cool way to look into the history of Pittsburgh and cities like us in ways that we normally wouldn't be taught. I had walked by the Howe Springs for years (even catching the bus over there) and really hadn't given it a second thought. It took me standing there while trying to take over the gym that I realized I had no idea what I was even standing by.



Want to learn about about the Howe Springs? The City has the application for landmark status available online?

**I took all these pictures myself yesterday**

Christmas Party Outfits

Anyone who knows me knows that I agonize over what to wear to basically everything. I will text people to ask what the are wearing and sometimes even ask for more specifics. "Jeans and a nice top" is basically the lady uniform of parties btw. "Nice top" also has a million meanings.

My current dilemma is crop tops. I am totally obsessed with them. I think they look super cute, and they are a cool highlight of an outfit. How many times can I wear the same sweater to a Christmas party?! The dilemma part is how nervous I am about what people think of me in one.

Let's get the most obvious one out of the way - are people going to say I am not skinny enough to wear a crop top? I've seen it a million times before in real life, on social media, and movies/TV - someone has a crop top on and for some reason, everyone seems to think they are entitled to have an opinion on it. An outfit that shows skin somehow turns everyone into Michael Kors on Project Runway 💖.

My next question is am I going to get judged because people think I'm too old to wear a crop top. While I do remember people wearing crop tops in the 90s, I was born in 1985. I wasn't an adult for the duration of the 90s. There are so many lists of things women need to give up after 30. Don't worry - the crop top shade there is real! I don't know if I am supposed to start dressing like I am a Victorian lady in waiting or what.

The last one I think of is "Is this appropriate for this group?" Like, I am concerned about which group of people I wear crop tops around. I'm not even talking like family or coworkers (...if I had them...). I will be thinking of the group of people and wondering if this is a group of people who would throw shade at crop tops or if everyone else is going to be wearing dresses while I dress like a 90s extra.

I know the answers to those questions: anyone can wear a crop top who wants to, clothing and I don't have an expiration date, and I don't hang out with jerks who would do that for serious. Instead of realizing that I know the answers to all of my thoughts already, I end up trying on almost everything in my closet before going back to the first outfit I wear.

I feel like this is supposed to have a conclusion and not just be about how I over-analyze everything. Hm...for this specific dilemma, I have decided that Christmas parties and crop tops go together like cocoa and peppermint schnapps - both necessary and fun!

Unemployment Stress

I am stressed out about the Unemployment Office itself (much different from my stress over my funemployment!).

For this biweekly claim, I have to call them about filing my claim (this happened on my fabulous birthday week in NYC as well). I get it - they have to follow the rules. I'm not so self-centered that I don't realize there are steps everyone has to take in order to get the unemployment compensation. I am happy to do them most of the time.

This morning, it took me 46 tries to get the phone to even ring! The first 45 times, the phone immediately went to busy. While I was calling back a million times, I checked my email. I received an automated email from the Unemployment Office stating that there has been higher than normal call volume causing significant delays. Try 46 finally got me to the main menu where I was then told that my estimated waiting time for an agent was OVER AN HOUR.

The automated voices keep coming on while I am waiting to tell me that most of these things can be done online. Unfortunately for me, this is one of the things that cannot be done online. I would love to go online and do this. Instead, I have to wait on hold until someone gets to me.

As of December 2, the office only takes calls on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 8-4. Prior to December 2, they took calls on Fridays as well. If there is anything you need to talk to a person about, you have to call on those three days. It is completely insane that I am going to wait on the phone for over an hour (after trying to call starting this morning) to talk to a person. Like...does no one who makes decisions see any correlation between the calls volumes and how often they are taking calls?! I say "who makes the decisions" because I am 100% sure that the employees who actually answer and process the phone calls definitely see this. The theme of people who make the decisions have no idea how anything works isn't limited to any one industry. I realize that they only have half the staff to answer phones due to reduced funding, so I can't be angry at them.

As of right now, I have been on hold for 50 minutes. There hasn't been any update on how long my hold time is (and even those are an estimate based on how long calls usually take). The voice just told me that all reps are busy, but it doesn't update the time.

I'm stressed about the fact that I have to sit here on hold instead of getting anything done. I can do some job applications while I am waiting, but I don't want to do anything too involved in case someone picks up! While I know this is necessary, it is annoying. Although, it is less annoying than dealing with people who make the decisions....

Update: made it through after two hours and fifteen minutes