Monday, November 30, 2009

Random Picture Monday (11-30-09)


You can ring my bell.


~
Photo courtesy of dc.

Friday, November 27, 2009

Black Friday


Please forgive our lack of humor and superior wit
in today's post.

We are out, snapping up some great holiday deals.

We hope to provide you with a detailed account
of our journey, and maybe even some video
or pictures.

Or maybe we will be overwhelmed by overly aggressive
cougars, in search of the same items we are after, and
not be able to record anything.

You'll just have to wait and see.

But we can tell you this...

Our Thanksgiving was great.

We spent time with our family, and stuffed ourselves
to the gills. It was a grand old time.

We got home in time to watch a good bit of football,
took a nap, ate more food, and mapped out our
black Friday strategy.

We are thankful for that nap.

It wasn't quite as good as this guy's...
But, it's in our top 5 naps of all-time, for sure.

If you are heading out shopping...

Be careful out there.


~

"It's gonna start out crappy, then get less crappy."

~

There is an all you can eat pancake and sausage
breakfast at the EKCC this Sunday morning.
(Corner of 7th and Powers Drive - across from Martin Elem.)

7:30am - 12:30pm

$5 Adults
$3 Kids ages 4-10
3 and under eat free.

HERE is a link for you facebook people.



Thursday, November 26, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving 2009

We salute the hundreds of brave little
turkeys that gave up their lives, so we could
enjoy some time with our family.

Here is what the parking lot at Pound's Turkey
Farm looked like yesterday afternoon.

There were a few less gobbles as we drove past.


Thank you, noble birds.

Oh, the naughty things I'll be doing to you this afternoon.



Wednesday, November 25, 2009

We Are Thankful For You


We've spent the last day or so, pondering what
we are thankful for here at theNEWK.com.

There are many things that we thought of.

But none of those things could even come
close to you, the person reading this.

Seriously.

If it weren't for you, we would have no reason
to continue on with this.

Maybe we would post every once in a while.

Mostly about farts and beer.
(But not "beer farts." That's just disgusting.)

As much fun as we have doing this thing, the most
satisfying part is the responses we get from you all.

A comment after a post.
Clicking the "like" button on facebook.
Waving when you see us at an event.
Sending us even the simplest of emails.

Those things are what keep us going.

That, and chicken wings.

So, because tomorrow is Thanksgiving, we probably
will post something simple and lackluster.

As most of you will be so filled up with turkey dinner,
that you will forget to click on our site.

We understand.

So we wanted to use today, to say thanks.

"Thanks."

We love you all, and hope you have a wonderful
holiday, with family and friends.


Oh yeah, speaking of emails.

Here is a great one we got at the end of last week.

Enjoy.

I suppose now would be too late to tell you that Home Depot has some
sort of sale where you can trade-in old light strings for a credit on
new LED light strings. I don't know much about it--I heard about it
from a friend and didn't investigate further, since our home doesn't
lend itself to easy outdoor lighting.

Also, thanks for posting the awesome email on neighborhoods the other
day. We live in Parnassus. While things are generally good and
well-kept, there feeling on a block can easily go up or down depending
on what just one resident does. Our place is in need of a few things
right now (almost-120-year-old porches and retaining walls last a long
time, but not forever), but we've been working slowly on making things
nicer. We see the changes rolling up and down the block, too.
Someone else does something to fix a problem, and soon the whole
neighborhood is out working on various things. It's a good thing.

Also also, thanks for the post on the Veteran's Day parade. I was
driving NKFD Company #1's squad for both New Kensington and Lower
Burrell. I saw you on the corner and was excited to see the video and
photos online shortly thereafter.

Thanks for documenting the good, the bad, and the ugly. Lots of us
appreciate it.

jonathan

I am sitting here with a smile on my face.


~
Bring on the bird!


Tuesday, November 24, 2009

We Like Nice People


This afternoon, I headed out to my local Giant Eagle
to pick up a few essentials.
(Bagels, Dorito's and Diet 7up)

No, I didn't have "the munchies."


My trips to the supermarket are generally spent
giving other people the right-of-way, even though
in most cases, they don't actually deserve it.

They walk in front of you, and act as if they didn't see you.

They leave their cart unattended in the middle of an aisle,
as they read the ingredients on a mac-n-cheese box.
(Seriously?!?)

When waiting in a checkout line, and a new register
opens...how often is it the "next person in line" that is
actually the first to run over?
(It's usually someone 4th or 5th in line,
that seems to
be in the biggest hurry ever.)

I generally just shake my head, and wonder what goes on
in some people's brains.

And today's trip was no different.
(Well, maybe a little.)

After being cut-off by a few unhappy looking shoppers, I
arrived at checkout lane #3.

The woman in front of me paid by check, which surprised
me, as I didn't think they still made those things.

I handed the cashier my old-school, credit-card sized
Advantage Card.

The transaction was moving along swimmingly.

As I reached in my pocket for some cash, I heard a familiar,
yet not frequently heard voice say my name.

I turned around to see the face of one of the sweetest women
I have ever known, standing right behind me in line.

My mood instantly changed.

I gave her a big hug and a kiss, and started to ask her about
how she was doing, and other generalizations.

She has seen some tough years as of late, so it was great seeing
her smile.

Generally, as soon as I'm handed my receipt, I bolt
from
that building as if it was full of swine flu patients.

But not today.

We talked while the clerk rung up her items.
(Consisting mostly of Thanksgiving supplies.)

I helped her take the huge bag of potatoes out of the cart,
and nearly threw my back out, lifting her ginormous frozen bird.

I repacked her cart with the bags, and walked her to her car.
Where I once again flirted with lifelong chiropractic care, by
picking up her turkey without proper knee bend technique.

Another hug/kiss and many well wishes, and I was on my way,
back to the opposite side of the lot.


I told my wife about seeing the sweet older lady, who
we both adore.

She was happy to hear she was doing well.

She then told me I had done my good deed for the day, by
helping her with her groceries.


The funny thing about good deeds...

If you are so happy to be doing them, they feel
nothing like an actual "deed."


It's only Tuesday, and we have something to be thankful for...

Nice people.


Monday, November 23, 2009

Random Picture Monday (11-23-09)


Crazy deals.


(This building seemed way bigger to us,
when it was Family Toy Warehouse.)


~
Happy Turkey Week.

If you can think of any good NEWK area traditions,
please send us an email so we can mention them.

thenewkblog@gmail.com


Friday, November 20, 2009

The NEWK Comes Marching In

A few months back, we marched in the Lower Burrell
50th anniversary parade.


If you didn't read about it,
just click HERE.

Why are we bringing this up today?

Because we will again be marching in a parade.

That's right, people.

TheNEWK.com will be in the New Kensington
Christmas Parade.

The parade date and time is:
Saturday, Dec. 5th @ 11am

It works it's way up Fifth ave., then swings back
down Fourth ave.

We will surely remind you a few times before that day.

But we wanted to mention it today, because we are again
inviting our readers to join us as we walk.

We had a nice turnout for the last parade, and would love to
have even more for this one.

Seriously, if you have any interest at all in joining us, please
send us an email so we can fill you in on the little details.

thenewkblog@gmail.com

It is a kid friendly parade, so we'd love the whole family
to come out with us.

We also have a surprise guest joining us.
Oh snap.

Just a little teaser.



~

Here's the weekend outlook from our new weather man.
"It's gonna be brisk."

It seems Nic Cage is having cash issues, so he accepted
our modest offer to become theNEWK's weather guy.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

It's That Time Of Year

We recently made our annual "Let's go buy a crap load
of Christmas lights" trip.

This year, we figured we'd hit up the Target in Harmar.

We've heard good things about their selection.

And there's a Burger King nearby.

You know how we get when we don't get our weekly
BK Original Chicken Sandwich w/tomato.


As soon as you walk into Target, you get the sweet smell of
Starbucks coffee brewing to perfection.

Too bad we hate spending $7 of our Christmas light allowance
on java.


We found the holiday section in the far back corner of the store.

The first things we saw, were the fake trees...
They looked topnotch, but we aren't in need of a tree.


The side wall had the inflatables and such.

The lawn ornaments were lit up like Rappin' Rob.
We aren't big fans of the yard animals, so we didn't
waste much time in that section.


Not sure why we took this picture. But we took it, and damn if we're not showing it to you.

LOOK AT IT!!!

Moving along...

We turned the final corner, and there it was.
The light aisle.

It was glorious.

LED lights.
Big lights.
Teeny lights.
Blinky lights.
Lights that played music.
Icicle lights.
Bud lights.
String lights.

It was light heaven.
We threw boxes into our cart with reckless abandon.

Timers? Yes.
Extension cords? Damn right.
Staple gun staples? You got it.

Our cart overflowed with lighted delights.

We left just enough room to fit one other item in there...

It was the last one.

(Jealousy is an awful color on you.)


We would post pictures of our home all lit up in
holiday glory.

But we have enough stalkers.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Pride Is Infectious


We here at the Newk always ask you to send us emails.

We love getting them.

Even the ones promising penis enlargement.
(Damn liars.)

But every once in a while, we get one worth posting.

Today, we have two.

First off, love the website. keep up the great work.

With the expanding readership, when can we expect a corresponding iPhone app?

-dave
We dig when people say they "love" our website.

It makes us all fuzzy inside.

And to answer Dave's question...

We haven't the first clue on how to make an iphone app.

We are not opposed to the idea of technology.
(Especially streaming internet smut.)

We just know that we can't make one.

If you, or someone you are friendly with, knows how
to create such a thing, please send us an email to...
thenewkblog@gmail.com


~
Here is the other email.

And this one is totally great and inspirational.
(Not that Dave's wasn't. We love you, Dave!)

Pride Is Infectious

I live in what I call a ’transitional block.’ That invisible line that separates the ghetto from the rest of the world runs right through my living room. If I walk out the front door and turn right, I’m in a really nice part of New Kensington...clean houses, fresh paint, no litter, maintained yards. If I walk out the front door and turn left, I see rotting wood, broken windows, crumbling sidewalks, collapsing porches, overgrown yards, trash everywhere, and junky cars that haven’t moved since the Clinton administration. My block (and yes, the transition happens in a single block,) is a mishmash of proud homeowners and empty eyesores.

It’s gotten me to thinking about how little changes can affect larger results.

(Before I go further, I must state for the record that my little home won’t be on the cover of Architectural Digest anytime soon. Martha Stewart doesn’t live here. I’m proud to say, however, that this house is both structurally and cosmetically much better than when I got it, and plans for improvement reach well into next year.)

Anyway, back to the small changes. I’ve observed that it doesn’t take much for a neighborhood to be good or bad. There was this house a few doors down from me that, well, let’s just say it was troubled. The New Ken cops knew it well. There was always a sense of unease when I left the house. Finally (and thankfully) they either moved or were incarcerated, and poof! the block changed overnight. Noise went away. Litter went away. Loiterers went away. My house became a home again. One house, big change.

I started thinking about this because the house next door finally sold. It’s been empty for two years, in and out of foreclosure, handed from bank to bank, without anybody claiming responsibility. In that two years I’ve had to pay a tree service to clear the wilderness and pulled weeds until I got poison ivy so severely that I freaked out my doctor. It’s hard to freak out a doctor. Fortunately the recent realtor at least cut the grass. It’s a big house in the middle of the block with a nice yard, and it sold for five grand. Yes, you read that right. Five thousand dollars.

So now I’m slightly terrified about what will move in. This is a big house in the middle of a transitional block. If a nice neighbor moves in, our block is saved. If a not-so-nice neighbor come in, the balance is tipped in the other direction.

It only takes one to drag us down, but it also only takes one to build us up. Case in point: my neighbor across the street just had his roof re-shingled a few weeks ago, which shamed me into painting my peeling gutters. Another guy across the street came out and fixed his steps, and a fourth neighbor (finally) pulled all his overgrown weeds from the fence on the sidewalk. One leaky roof caused improvement to four properties. Pride is infectious.

By the way, if you’re tired of paying rent, come buy a house near me. Seriously. A few more caring people will make all the difference in the world. You don’t have to be an activist; you just have to mow your lawn and not sell crack. If you currently pay more than $425 a month in rent, you could have bought the three-bedroom house next door outright with last year’s rent.

New Kensington can be as nice as we want it to be. Don’t be fooled by thinking you can’t make a difference. Little things add up, and you never know who you’re influencing.
How about that?

We are all about pride in our neighborhood.
So that email is the shiz.

Did you think you'd click on our site today, and read
something so sweet?

If you did, you have much more faith in us than we do.


~
We also got an email with some event details
we'd like to pass along.

There is an event this evening at Hartwood that benefits
Project Bundle-Up.

It looks like they are having a Run/Walk through the lights
from 5:30 to 8pm.

It's $10 a person, or $15 for a couple.
They will have refreshments directly following in
the parking lot.

It's a great cause, and they have amazing lights.
So head on out, and feel better in more ways than one.


Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Random Picture Monday (11-17-09 - Tuesday Edition)


Where the players play.


~
Guess you can call today "Random Picture Tuesday."

We posted a Wingapalooza entry yesterday.

Stop complaining.
Nobody likes a whiner.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Wingapalooza 2009 (Stop #4)

It's Monday.

And we didn't post a random picture.

Why not?

Because Wingapalooza is back, baby!

It's been a while since our last wing adventure.

Valentine's Restaurant and Lounge in Springdale,
was worth the wait.

David Cooper fell in love with the place, as soon as he
noticed they had Guinness Stout on tap.

He ordered up a pint, and waited for my timely arrival.
(I sometimes show up places purposely late, as to make
myself seem more important than I actually am.)

I parked around back, and made my way to the bar area, where I
met up with DC and two other wing experts...Dave and Mark.

With frosty beverages in hand, we marched into the
(non-smoking/kid friendly) dining area.

Russ, the owner, stopped by and said hello to us.

He happily answered a few of our questions, and made
a couple quality food recommendations.

First up, the star of the show...
The Seasoned Breaded Wings w/ Valentine's House Sauce

These full wings are lightly breaded, and seasoned to perfection.

Just enough crunch, and just enough juice.
(Cooked wonderfully by Jake. Well done, sir.)

The Valentine's sauce is something to behold.
The flavor of the wing when dipped into this pink nectar,
is heaven in Springdale.

When all is said and done.
If you order only one thing, these wings should be it.

You can also drench them in either ranch, or a spicy hot sauce.
If you so choose.


And if you live on the edge, Valentine's offers hot wings.

I, am afraid of hot stuff.
(Honestly, I consider myself "hot stuff," so I avoid things that
try to steal my thunder.)

But the others in our party aren't afraid of a little heat.
These bad boys stopped one wingman in his tracks.

I won't embarrass him, by naming him on the internet.
But, I will say his name rhymes with "rave."

Here is an actual quote from the review email he sent me:

"Hot Wings: Too hot for me. I'm a sissy."

I assume he thinks we didn't notice his lips turn red,
and his hands grasping for his drink.

They also offer a Buffalo style wing which we tried as well.
Very tasty, with a little less heat than these.

We suggest sampling them all, and find one that's
right for you.

A great night to do that is Monday (tonight).
Which is wing night at Valentine's.

You can try all varieties for only 75 cents a wing.
They also have Yuengling specials going as well, if you
need something to help wash them down.

~
If you've been following Wingapalooza, you know that we
like to try other goodies these place have to offer.

One thing was a must...the hand-tossed pizza, made with
Fazio's pizza dough.

We actually got a sneak peak at Russ working his magic in the kitchen.
Check out the airtime he's getting there.
That's levitation, Holmes.

When this round delight made it's way from the oven to
our table, we could hardly resist diving in before David
snapped even one picture. (Luckily, David does great things, even when he's rushed.)

Nom nom nom.

That pie was tasty.

Get one.


We finished up eating, and headed out to the bar for a few
more beers.
(We are firm believers that beer helps the digestion process.)

We started admiring all the of the cool metal workings that lined the
walls of Valentine's, and learned that a local metal shop made them.

So we'd like to give some propers to
Metal Shop Designs, in Springdale.

Serioulsy, check out this mirror that's by the bar.
Tight.

~
So there you have it, kids.
Stop #4 was a good one.

If you ever find yourself near Springdale, in need of
a drink or some food. Here is the info:

Valentine's Restaurant and Lounge
1101 Pittsburgh St.
Springdale, Pa. 15144
724.274.9500
Open Monday - Saturday 3:30 pm to 2:00 am

Specials and Events:

-Wing Night Mondays-
75 cent wings and Yuengling specials

-Karaoke Thursdays-
Corona bottles $2.00


Special Thanks:

Dave and Mark - it was nice sharing a table with you both.
David Cooper - Amazing work, as always.
davidcooperphoto.com
Jake the wing cook - Awesome job.
The bartender (name unknown) - Great service!
Russ - Great place, good food, nice form.

Friday, November 13, 2009

A Little Bit Of Random

Happy Friday!

We've had a rather busy week.

And when we get busy, we put things off.

Things that really are worth mentioning.

First off, we have something for you to do tonight.

The Rock at Knoch:
(Battle of the Bands)
At Knoch High School - Doors open at 5pm -
addmission is only $5 - 8 bands get 25 minutes each.

We know, Knoch is a little bit of a drive.
Fact is, a local band from Natrona Heights is in this
thing, so if you attend, be sure to vote for "CORE."

It's sure to be entertaining on many levels.(You might even see this bad ass dude there.)



The other item we put off...

Stockings for the Troops:


Those lovely ladies at the EKCC are at it again.
This time around, they are sewing 311 Steeler stockings
for our men and women serving in the armed forces.
(The women get special pink stockings. Booyah.)



The Girl Scout troop out of the EKCC will be making
cards to go along with the stockings.

*The support for EKCC events (flea markets, food sales, etc)
provide the necessary funding required to do these things.

They also make baskets for shut-ins at Christmas.
And even give high school kids scholarship money for college.

That's what makes them some of our favorite women.
Raise the roof, ladies.


~
So what do you have planned this weekend?

Meeting up with friends?
Going to the movies?
Dinner with the family?
Maybe a sporting event?
What about early Christmas shopping?
A trip to the stripper club?

Whatever you decide to do...

Don't drink and drive.


Thursday, November 12, 2009

What A Day, What A Day...

So yesterday morning, I packed up my little video
camera, and headed on down to meet David Cooper.

See, we made plans to go check out this year's
Veterans Parade in New Ken and Arnold.

And what a beautifully sunny day it was.

I got to David's a little early, as he told me he made
coffee and I was allowed to have some.

But wait...there's more!

He had recently baked a handcrafted apple pie,
and he offered me a slice.

It was amazing.
Just like his photos.

Great coffee, delicious pie, good company.

I ask, what better way to start a Veterans Day?

We grabbed our gear and headed out.

We found a parking space in the lot connected to the library,
and walked a few blocks up to the corner of Fifth and 11th.

This is where we captured most of what you are about to see.

We said hello to a few people that passed our way, and
the parade began.

~
Now, we usually tell a story a little at a time, and put
pictures in as we go. But this time is going to be different.

The video and pictures will tell the story today.
They are that good.

(Or maybe we're just being lazy. You decide.)

First up, we are going to show the video we made.
Then, a select few of the wonderful photographs from
the one and only...
www.davidcooperphoto.com

So sit back, grab a drink, and get ready to rock.





(Click pictures to make them bigger.)












































If you are interested in seeing all of David's pictures, you can
email either him, or us, directly.

dc@davidcooperphoto.com
thenewkblog@gmail.com

Or maybe you just want to chat?
Either way, we'd love to hear from you.

We hope you liked today's post.
If so, tell us about it.
Don't be shy.