#123 - pray for Ben and the Pens

"Don't worry about it. Just say a little prayer Ben gets a contract extension. And the Pens make the playoffs."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rebecca-bratspies/to-the-strangers-who-performed-cpr-on-my-partner_b_7028066.html

#122 - See ID

All of my debit and credit cards have 'See ID' written on the back (after some crackhead stole my debit card in Erie in the early oughts and bought a Playstation. Different story).  I don't 100% get asked for ID but when I do probably 90% of the time Pittsburghers apologize. To which I reply 'don't apologize. I put See ID on so people will ask.'

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#121 - WHY WOULD YOU LOAN A STRANGER YOUR BICYCLE

I was a little bummed in the midst of a slightly less than stellar (normal) week at work. Hit up The Wheel Mill on my way home for spins and smiles.  The (run what you brung) bike I own is an All-Mountain (now referred to as an Enduro? I can't keep up with bikes); more like a sledgehammer when what you need at an indoor bike park is a surgeons knife. 

"What's it like running clipless pedals here?" - guy on a jumper-ish bike

"Eh, it's what I have.. I keep meaning to buy flats... but run what you brung!"

"Well, try my bike!" - guy

And after a shoe change to my vans a dude I just met let random me take his bike for a quick few loops around the pump track.  Exchanged a little small talk after I rode, work, kids, etc. A typical dude in Pittsburgh you'd probably never meet elsewhere. 

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#120 - Random Acts of Kindness

Stopped at the turnpike to parkway toll booth on my way home from Seven Springs, with a slight need to pee, a car two in front of me spent an inordinate amount of time at the cash only pay booth. My anger rising due to impatience, I watched one, two, maybe three minutes tick by. A small fraction of my day but in these modern times we get frustrated if a website takes longer than 2 seconds to load and expect a Chai Mocha Soy Latte with a double twist and a side car of espresso to be done in under 3 minutes, 3 minutes at a toll booth feels like an eternity.

I watched two people run dollars up to the car and finally it pulled away.  I had my fiver ready to go when I pulled to the toll booth, expecting a frustrated state employee wanting to shuffle the line through. 'Sorry about the wait. That was awesome, two random acts of kindness! That car gave them a buck, and that car gave them a buck!' The transaction occurred; I got my quarter. 'Have a great night!' he said, without a trace of cynicism or irony. Someone who sees the best and the worst the world has to offer still manages to stay positive.

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#119 - Art is Cool (But still doesn't pay)

It seems like everyone is embracing art, from the grizzled veteran bar fly to the tattooed skater dude, to the punk rocker, to the metal head, to the blue collar yinzer. Whether it's doing their own thing or digging what others are doing, artistic endeavors are cool.

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#118 - Babushka season

You know, babushka season. Starts right after hoodie season.

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#117 - Padiddle

'Padiddle' may or may not be a regional thing, but I love being able to tell a friend that their car is a 'padiddle' and they know instantly a headlight is out.

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