A Fantastic Pittsburgh Weekend

What a weekend.  I had an absolute blast, and I still can't believe it had been over a month since I had seen everyone.  Unfortunately, 2 days didn't seem like long enough, but it's a reality I'm going to have to live with.  For at least the immediate future, it doesn't seem like any of my trips to the 'Burgh will be longer than 48 hours.  Such is the life of a working man.

I got in on Friday night around 10:30 (Kudos to Southwest for another hassle-free travel experience.  I will never fly another airline if I don't have to.)  Mikey and Brant were nice enough to pick me up from the airport, and they also grabbed a few cases of beer so we could have people over to my old place.  Just about everyone who I was good friends with showed up, and while nothing ridiculous happened, it was great to see everyone again.

On Saturday, I had a nice return visit to Piper's to see Arsenal beat Bolton 3-1.  I really need to find a bar like that in Philly, and also some people who are into soccer to go with me.  I spent the rest of the day moving around Oakland to see whoever was around.  After a nice dinner with the Royal Fam, I headed back to pre-game for Amy's birthday celebration.  Around 9, Joey D, Scotty, Yan, Brant, Chris, and I all got together to watch shitty rap videos and throw back some Soco and Sprites.  The hour we spent pre-gaming was by far the most refreshing part of my trip, as I got to spend some quality time with my boys just shooting the shit and getting drunk.  We then made our way down to Buckhead's for Amy's birthday.  Just like Friday, nothing really crazy happened, but it was a solid, extremely fun night hanging out with all my friends.  We left around 1 and hit up everyone's favorite dive bar, Gene's, for a late night beer.  I got back to 403 Oakland at around 2:30 and spent the remainder of the night at Carlin's dancing and singing (maybe screaming) college songs until close to 4AM.

Sunday was another fun day, filled with a brunch, tailgate, and the Eagles game.  It was great being in Pittsburgh for the Eagles v. Steelers game, and it was nice to get a little revenge for the slaughter I witnessed 4 years ago at Heinz Field.  My only regret is that I had to watch the 4th quarter of the game at the airport, and wasn't able to talk shit to all those loyal Steelers fans.  O well, I'll talk it here.  15-6, no Westbrook, and a banged up McNabb.  Who's the better team?  That's what I thought.  The Eagles defense turned Big Ben into their own personal punching bag, and I enjoyed every minute of it.  It will be a while before he forgets his first game in Philly.  I am pumped for this Eagles team, and I think they're going to do big things this year if they can stay healthy.  This is the best defense I've seen from an Andy Reid coached team, and they look fantastic.  O yeah, I did get a bunch of dirty looks when the Birds sacked Leftwich for the sack that sealed the game.

Now I'm back on the plane headed for the last 3 days of training in Orlando.  I'm not sure when the next Pittsburgh trip will be, but if everything goes as planned, I should see a bunch of people at LEAD in the middle of October.  After that, I'm definitely planning on getting back to the 'Burgh at least once this semester.  Here's to hoping I'm able to accomplish that.

For all of you Pittsburgh people reading this, and you know who you are, I love all of you.  I had the most amazing time this weekend, and I'm so glad you all came out to get together with me.  You guys mean the world to me, and are the reason I keep having thoughts about moving back to the 'Burgh creep through my head every now and then.  Being back in Philly certainly has its advantages, but it would be extremely difficult for me to have weekends like the one I just had back home.  It's going to be very interesting to see where I wind up in a few years.  With that said,  I will absolutely try my best to come and visit as much as possible, and don't forget that if any of you ever want to take a trip to Philly, you always have a place to stay.  Thanks again for the amazing weekend.

- Kaps

Song of the Day:  LCD Soundsystem - All My Friends