Friday, November 21, 2008

Things I'd Forgotten About Living in Western PA

Still no internet at the house, but I've been doing a lot of thinking recently about how funny Western PA is. You don't notice it growing up here, but after being gone for a while .... well, here are some of my observations:

1. There are a ton of train tracks everywhere ... and most of them are still in use!

2. It snows quite a bit here too.

3. The accent. It's really gruff. That's the best way I can describe it. It really reminds you that most people here have lived a tough life ... and probably smoked a lot of cigarettes too!

4. Pretty much everywhere you step you are walking over a coal mine ... a lot of those are still active too!

5. You may think you have narrow, windy, hilly roads near you. But unless you live in the Rockies or the Appalachians, you are just kidding yourself.

6. You cannot leave the house or turn on the radio or the TV without being reminded constantly that you are in Steeler, Penguin, and Pirate Country. Typically you are reminded by someone who has gone completely over the top. You know, like someone decked out completely head to toe in black and gold, just getting groceries on a Tuesday. Not even close to a game day. There is even a house in the next town over that is painted black and gold. Now that, my friends, is some serious team spirit!

(No, I didn't take this picture, just got it off the internet. And no, he would probably not be walking through the grocery store on a Tuesday dressed like that, but you get the idea!)

1 comment:

nikki said...

I love how our country has so many different sub-cultures. It's really cool to hear you talk about Western PA. I think I would love the roads. And the train tracks, there's something really cool to me about train tracks.