12 year old daughter rejected from SAB SI..any rejection to success stories..need some reality with a touch of hope.?
My daughter is 12 years old, long lines, thin, 5'5 inches tall. We live in NY and decided last minute to audition. No NY spots left. We drove 7 hours each way to Pittsburgh. First audition ever. For an experienced mom there, the fact that there was only one faculty member teaching and evaluating 41 girls was an issue, unexpected. I did know the moment I saw my daughter come out she was not happy with her audition. Barre was great, but her pirouettes en pointe were definitely lacking, (pointe for past year plus).. and there were other little things like failing to flip her wrists at end of her tour jette..no doubt her technique was not on that day. I get it. Most competitive school in the country...no room for mistakes or first audition jitters, body type has to be spot on. Well we were hoping for at least the "good" rejection letter, did not happen. Feeling so dejected. She truly is a gorgeous girl...has the face, the feet, the lines, her artistry and musicality are typically top notch, but not that afternoon. I was hopeful they would see through that. Wish we had waited for our own audition in NY, any difference? There was no observation of feet, etc (I was told that happens at other audition sites.) Would not have driven 14 hours on a whim if we weren't confident about her skill and form. Perspective, I know. Painful to not have her talent be recognized and why, and the letter that translates to next year already being doomed is too much to handle.
How far is Pittsburgh International Airport from Heinz Field? What is the best way to travel that distance?
Distance-wise, it’s about 19 miles. Route-wise, it really depends on what time of day you are planning to make the trek, or what events are happening on the North Shore at the time. For this answer, I'll assume your exact point of origin is the intersection of Allegheny Ave and Reedsdale St (the northwest corner of the stadium).In in ideal conditions, it's a pretty straight shot. (Well, relatively speaking. This is Pittsburgh, after all.) You would head north on Allegheny Ave and take the right onto Ridge Ave. Almost immediately you would hang another right onto 65, where you would twist and turn your way toward I-376, following the signs for 376 West. Stay in the rightmost lane across the Ft. Duquesne Bridge, and that'll take you to the Ft. Pitt Bridge. Line yourself up to enter the tunnel (in other words, don't take the exit onto W Carson St) and voila! You've successfully made it through what I believe to be the most difficult section of roads in Pittsburgh.Note: This patch of road is notorious for causing jams and accidents. Cars often need to cross two or more lanes of traffic in about 500 feet. This goes for both directions. Be extremely careful.From there, just stay on 376 until you start to see signs for the airport. Follow them until you see a nice lit up sign with a plane on it welcoming you to Pittsburgh International, and you're all set.If you’re traveling in heavy traffic (which is more likely, you were just at the game after all, right?), this can take a long time. Traffic is sometimes backed up with seemingly no end, especially if the Pirates are also playing or there's a concert at Stage AE. In addition, the public works system in Pittsburgh loves to throw up “construction” projects that make traffic much worse. The only way I can think of to avoid this would be to take 65 away from the city until you reach the Seeickley Bridge. Go over the bridge and turn right onto University Blvd, then turn right onto Stoops Ferry Rd. At the bottoms of the hill, turn left onto Flaugherty Run Rd, then follow that until you see signs for 376 E. That will take you to the same entrance to the airport from the opposite direction. It's a lot more complex than the other route, but also a lot less of a headache if half of Steeler Nation is sitting bumper to bumper in front of you.
How long would it take to bike from Pittsburgh to D.C. on the Great Allegheny Passage? What should I know about this trip?
We did the trip in 4.5 days. Left on a Saturday morning from the Point in downtown Pittsburgh and arrived at the Lincoln Memorial on Wednesday Afternoon. There was only 1 day where I almost cracked, otherwise, it's a very pleasant ride. I believe going West would add a full day to the route. Headed East you go uphill for a solid day and the early morning of the second, then it's literally "all downhill from there" - unfortunately, you get over half of it back in one quick trip down the mountain rather than spread over a couple hundred miles.We stayed indoors, economically, at every overnight. Pre-planned quite a bit and was able to get a good nights rest allowing for better cycling experience. We also knew the food stops along the route ahead of time and planned both Lunch & Dinners that way.Obviously, we had good panniers on the bikes, but knowing where food & lodging were available helped cut back on gear hauling considerably. My biggest eye-opener was how much riding on crushed limestone would slow you down/require more energy to overcome. You will also spend a considerable amount of time on double-track closer to DC. Between the limestone and dirt paths, you really need to ride a hybrid/mountain bike. We had numerous punctures even on those cycles. There were 3 of us in our group.
What is your reaction to the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting?
Unfortunately, after the mail bombs were in the news I anticipated there would be some kind of act of mass casualty violence. We've been moving in this direction for quite some time now, and the wheels on the Trump Crazy Train are just about to come off. I'll be surprised (and of course greatly relieved) if we don't see at least two or three more mass casualty events in the United States between now and the election.And I'm very much concerned that after the midterms, regardless of the outcome, some of the most disturbed members of our society who have been energized and brought to a fever pitch by Donald Trump will continue to commit acts of violence at a pace we haven't seen before.Should the Republicans retain control of both houses of Congress, the most deranged and violent Trump supporters will see it as a sign of vindication, that their worldview is the only one that matters, and that they are free to do as they please to achieve their goal of a White Christian Nation. And there will be violence.If the Republicans hold the Senate and the Democrats take control of the house, the same political stagnation and infighting that has paralyzed our democracy for far too long now will continue, and those same violent deranged people and groups will take it as a sign the now is the time for the War Against Them. And there will be violence.And even if Trump were to try and control the monster that he is about to unleash, there will be nothing he can do to stop it. The most mesmerised of his supporters are so fixated on what they believed to be the Truth, that any suggestion by Trump that the violence should stop will be taken to be some sort of code applauding them for their efforts and urging them on onward.I keep hoping that I'm wrong, but I can't shake the feeling that we are on the cusp of insane political violence such as America has never dreamed could happen here.Trump is a Talking Snake who offered America an Apple that we accepted. We may have to leave the Garden.
If you smelled pot coming from someone's house would you call the police? Could the police do anything?
Sometimes yes we can. It all depends.Back in January, 2017 a neighbor called that she could smell the odor of burning marijuana emanating from her next-door neighbor’s apartment. We responded to the location. It wasn’t my call. I was acting as the cover officer. As soon as we got out of our cars we could smell the marijuana. Last January was very cold and snowy and everyone had their doors and windows closed and the odor was still very strong — that’s pretty impressive. So we made contact with the calling party and she directed us to the right apartment. We knocked on the door like the gentlemen we are and, incredibly, the door opened.We were slammed in the face by a wall of marijuana smoke. I could barely see that there were three men in the room behind the homeowner who had thoughtfully opened the door to us. They were smoking a couple really pretty, and expensive, glass bongs (Oregon is next door and there is a head shop just a little ways across the state line). They were all in their late fifties and just kicking-back watching the NFL AFC Championship game (New England Patriots vs. Pittsburgh Steelers), smoking some grass, drinking beer and eating pizza.The responsible officer explained to the occupants why we were there and asked if they were indeed smoking pot. They said yes they were and let us into the apartment when we asked if we could come in (the other officer and I are big believers in the soft approach first). We confiscated the bongs and pot, and the primary officer issued them a summons for possession of a controlled substance. The homeowner also got a ticket for possession of drug paraphernalia (the two bongs which he stated were his). They were all nice guys and it was obvious they were very experienced pot smokers. I kept the door open since the air was so heavy with pot smoke. It was making me a little sick actually. We thanked them for their cooperation (I felt like we were British cops) and left. The whole call was very civilized.
How long does it take to become a chef?
Uhh, Hello Kitty is pulling your leg. "an average chef can make 400,000 a year" An executive chef in the US can expect to make about $50,000+/- (see source). Keep in mind this is NOT a starting salary, you will have to work your way up to this. As an owner of three restaurants, I can tell you that the most talented person in any of my kitchens did not have a culinary degree, but in theory degrees can be useful. Just find a good school. The local technical school won't cut it. Sorry, just calling it like I see it. Most culinary degrees are akin to Associates Degrees, or a two year program. Good Luck. .