How is this Possible?!

I don't know about you guys, but the cost of fuel is a perennial concern over here at chez Parvez. With 2 midsize sedans turning up economy numbers in the low to mid 20s for city driving, the costs can really add up. Kudos go to T for finding a kickass way to ease that cost: Giant Eagle Fuel Perks!
For every $50 we spend at the grocery store they deduct $0.10/gallon from the price of fuel at one of their gas stations. All you do is scan your shopper's club card at the pump and it applies the discount. Discounts can accumulate up to 3 months, so the savings really add up. We spend ~$70 a week on groceries, so over 3 months that's $1.40 off of each gallon. Plus, the grocery store has "double points" on gift cards for places like Home Depot and Target, so the savings can actually go much higher. This was our first time using it after ~2.5 months, so it was really big. This much gas would've cost me almost $45.00 anywhere else. Needless to say I literally danced a jig standing next to the pump.

Good find, Pika!

A Fun Evening

Just finished the "Pittsburgh Ducky Tour," and we're closing the evening with some live standup at The Improv. Headlining tonight is Bill Burr (YouTube him, he's hilarious). A more detailed post on this weekend's festivities to come!

Domestic Goddess

It may not be spa days or manicures or champagne and caviar... But to my bleary post-call eyes, there couldn't be a more beautiful image.

Simply Vera

Vera Wangs' new line, Simply Vera, is hitting Kohl's stores nationwide this fall. I have high hopes. From the ads, the clothes look clean, chic, romantic, and a little edgy...very Vera. I'm waiting to get my hands on the fabric before I decide if I'm in love. I have been less than impressed with other designers' attempts to produce high fashion looks for the masses. Vera's a classy gal. If anyone can pull it off, it's her. The line will range $20-$200 and also includes eye wear and accessories for the home. Fun!

Becoming the Old Man

Funny thing happened the other day and I thought I'd share...

Tahera and I were backing out of the garage with me at the wheel, when some punk kid buzzes by the back of the car on his bmx. After dislodging the brake pedal from the floorboard and triple checking that there weren't any of his hoodlum friends coming down the pipeline, I backed out the rest of the way and started past our house.
It's at this point that I notice the little bastard cruising down my damn lawn! He slowed to a near standstill at the steepest dropoff, planning out his sweet jump.
So I stop the car, roll down the window and instantly become a 90 year old man.

"Yo!" I yell, incredulous and at a loss for anything more coherent.
The punk stops and looks back up the hill in confusion...
"Offa da lawwn" I signal with an annoyed hand gesture.
At this point, the little shit has the nerve, after trampling what little green lawn I have, to give me attitude! "Sorry.." he says, in a nasal tone that means he's anything but...
"yeah, Thanks." I reply, mirroring his message, and eyeing him till he's on the sidewalk..

Whatever you weasel. You're not sorry and I'm not grateful. Just stay offa my damn lawn or next time I'll beat you with my walker.

Now that some time has passed, the absurdity of what transpired has sunk in. If I were that kid (and hell, I was that kid once..), I would've said the exact same thing, in exactly that tone. I guess there's something about having a house. Your own castle. That last bastion of privacy, that turns you into a raving lunatic control-freak.
Which reminds me... I've gotta mow that lawn. Don't wanna be a slovenly raving lunatic control-freak...

Fatty Cakes

For our Saturday wedding anniversary I made Pika some yummy scones for b-fast. The recipe from Martha is below. The key is to mix the dough as little as possible to ensure that the scones come out moist and light. Enjoy!
Makes 8

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar, plus more for sprinkling tops
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries, picked over and rinsed
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/3 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing tops
2 large eggs, lightly beaten


Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, with rack in center. Place a baking mat on a baking sheet, and set aside.
In a large bowl, sift together flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut in butter until the largest pieces are the size of peas. Stir in blueberries and zest.
Using a fork, whisk together cream and egg in a liquid measuring cup. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients, and pour in cream mixture. Stir lightly with fork just until dough comes together. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead a few times to mix well.
Pat dough into a 6-inch square about 1 1/4 inches thick. Using a floured knife, cut into four 3-inch squares. Cut squares in half on the diagonal to form eight triangles. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Brush tops with cream, and sprinkle with sugar. Bake until golden brown, 20 to 22 minutes. Transfer scones to wire racks to cool.

Anniversary Marathon

Today is day 1 in a series of wedding anniversaries; all mine. On July 19, 2003 Riz and I were married in front of 200+guests. On July 21st we held an intimate celebration with 50 of our closest family and friends. The next morning, nearly delirious from exhaustion, we were officially married with our two witnesses looking on. The JP insisted on making the occasion memorable with a speech. Having heard the "for life" speech twice already, we just wanted the signature. Riz was sporting his tuxedo pants from the night before and a fisherman's hat. I hadn't brushed my hair. She probably thought we were wasted, but she married us anyway.A lot of couples think that their wedding day was the most perfect. On paper, ours wasn’t. Wedding Day 1 was clear and sunny.

Then came the storm

which wrinkled the dress

and upset the hair

and put us in a state of emergency.

But after the storm, there was sun again.
The hair had been reconstructed. The dress had been steamed.

We laughed

and cried equally.

We ate cake

and ice cream

.....lots of ice cream.

We were entertained by the finest of performers.

And surrounded by the people we love the most.

We became Mr. and Mrs.
Perfect it wasn't and I wouldn't change a thing. It was the most memorable beginning of the perfect marriage.
Happy Anniversary, Pika.

The Big Comfy Couch

The family room couch arrived today and it was painless.
The ordeal surrounding our living room furniture still haunts me. It's beautiful. Riz and I took great care (after missing our flight to Barbados) picking out the perfect fabric combinations for the perfect frames. It's sophisticated without seeming uptight. It's both masculine and feminine. It's timeless. Most importantly, it doesn't look like a furniture show room. I hate that. After lots of money, several shipment goof-ups (two right sides) and seven months, the couches were delivered. They were damaged. By the time everything was resolved it was the end of month 8.
The couch buying experience for the family room was nothing like that. We ordered it on a Tuesday. It was in our house exactly 3 weeks later. The color and fabric is just what we requested; a velvety chocolate. It's a big, comfy, everything a family room couch should be, couch and it makes me giddy. I've been inspired by this picture I saw at Restoration Hardware and can't wait to get started on the rest of the room. Saving money stinks. Talk about champagne taste on a peanut butter budget.

A long awaited update

Yes yes, we know, we know. We've heard your clamoring for a new post, and indeed, the day has finally arrived.

The Move

First of all, I think it's important to note that I HATE MOVING. Now, I realize some of you readers out there may be thinking, "so what, we all hate moving...", but I mean I really hate moving. I mean I hate moving like Mrs. Brisby hates moving.


So in the weeks before the move, as Tahera dilligently worked, it was my job to pack up the house. Needless to say, given that the last time packing up was my sole responsibility I essentially just threw EVERYTHING in one box, my packing skills left much to be desired.

It just bugs me that the more you pack, the messier the house looks, and the more disorganized your life gets. It feels nearly impossible to pack up most of the rooms of your home because you keep needing the crap you're trying to pack up.

At any rate, due to my deep, deep aversion to packing, we found ourselves working late into the night throughout the last days leading up to our commandeering the rental truck (read: behemoth)

When moving day arrived, we had secured a formidable cadre of dilligent helpers to help load, caravan, and unload the entire fiasco. Boy oh boy, will they never do that again...

The morning of the move, myself and my best bud Matt Oldfield (He and Angela made the trip up from Horseheads on her Birthday to help us out) headed out bright and early to secure some space on our one way street for the Juggernaut, then go and pick it up. But, lo and behold, even though we were out of the house during the 0700 hour, all but the last 2 spots on the street were taken, and the end of the street was barricaded off. To what did we owe this unpleasant surprise? Why, The 50th Annual Allentown Art Festival, of course! Yes, to keep things interesting, I would have to navigate the the truck past 1000s of merry Buffalonians flocking to downtown for this incredibly popular event. Yay.

No big deal though; I had decided on the diminutive 24' truck from Budget. Now, for those who haven't recently moved, Here is are some helpful pics illustrating how big this damned truck is:


















Or another way...

So after a few delays with getting the truck and parking it, we began packing.

And we continued packing...

















And dear friends who swuing over to say goodbye were recruited into the packing...

















(We would've needed 2 trucks if it
wasn't for Chris...)

















(Thanks for the arms with the piano, Dennis!)

Then neighbors were recruited into the packing...

Finally TOTAL STRANGERS were recruited into the packing. ("Yeah, you can check out the apartment. And hey, why don't you grab a couple boxes on your way down...")

And eventually as evening approached, several hours behind schedule, we got every last thing loaded into the truck.

Everything that is, except for our incredibly freaked-out cat..














Oh yes, and she remained freaked out the entire trip to Pittsburgh; Huddled in Tahera's lap, unloading in every way possible. Gross.

And what a trip it was: Steamrolling down the highway with the turbodiesel engine of the Juggernaut screaming in all it's fury; doors rattling, mirrors buzzing, cat yowling, pedal to the floor for a top speed of 70mph downhill with a tailwind... it's a miracle it only took us until 12:45 to pull into Forest Hills.

And wake up all the neighbors....

Forest Hills is a quaint little suburb just outside of Pittsburgh. Built on a network of aging mineshafts right beside a decomissioned Westinghouse "atom crusher," it's residents seem to have developed a "seen-it-all" kind of attitude which comes in handy when being ripped from slumber by a mammoth diesel and a piercing beep of a delivery truck in reverse at 1:00 in the morning.

In the face of such a commotion, my dear neighbors did what anyone else (inlcuding myself) would do in the wee hours... they went out to their porches and watched the whole fiasco unfold. After all, if you were woken up by a band of idiots at one in the morning, wouldn't you go outside to watch them suffer?

And suffer we did. it took nearly a half hour to finally coax the behemoth down the absurdly narrow back alley and get it tucked away for unloading.

All said and done, we unloaded over 50% of the truck during those wee hours, and then finished the job after a few well deserved hours of sleep.

So, without further ado, here are some better pics of the house. Our House. Still gives me chills...

First off, the damage. My crack team of movers did a phenomenal job of packing and positioning to ensure nothing would be destroyed on the trek. However something, somewhere, always has to give. Interestingly, it wasn't the drawer filled with absurdly delicate christmas tree ornaments that had absolutely no cushioning (I hate moving)...

Rather, it was a corner of the house.






















I've given this a lot of thought since it happened, and I've concluded that it must be karma. Though I don't have any pictures of this event happening, It bears an uncanny resemblance to a blog post I did in November 2005. Indeed, this is cosmic payback for "The Madison Incident"

The Madison Incident you will recall, included the following pictures which actually tell the story of what happened here pretty well:




































It's true what they say, payback is indeed a bi***. Somewhere, I'm sure Sarah Madison is filled with delight at our belated comeuppance. Yeah yeah, I know... I didn't measure either...

Anyway, for those of you still reading, here's the much awaited pictorial tour of the house:





















Our Front Door

















The Living Room

















The Family Room





















Kitchen























Stairs from Living Room to 2nd Floor






















Master Bedroom with separate Bath and Walk-in Closet























Walk in Closet from Master Bedroom






















Hallway Bath





















"Study" (a.k.a. Project Room, a.k.a. guy room (yeah right...) )






















Hot Pink Room (a.k.a. Guest room)

















Front Porch


















Back of the house (and My Lawn)

















Detached 2-car garage
















Big-Honkin Basement complete with work bench, storage/work surfaces and washer/dryer.

Well folks, as you can see from the pics above, there's still plenty of work to be done, as well as an ever-growing list of projects to take care of. I'll be starting my residency training next week, but will try to keep you all updated regularly with all the adventures we're having in our new home.

But even better than reading about it in a blog is to come and see it firsthand! We can't wait to have each and every one of you over to visit so we can show you around in person!