As I stood over the kitchen sink this morning in my mother's house, washing dishes from the breakfast I'd made for my hung-over family, I thought about where I would be in 4 days. This happens to me a lot. I don't get lost in the moment; I get lost in where I'm going next. Or, more recently, when I'm going.
I've familiarized myself with the Milwaukee area through my relationship with my Waukesha-County-native boyfriend (whom I met in Costa Rica). And although I've lived in Western Pennsylvania my entire life, I'm still learning about Pittsburgh.
I am especially learning through my class with writer Lori Jakiela at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. We travel every other Saturday in the Pittsburgh area, checking out and learning about Pittsburgh's many neighborhoods and cultures.
In 4 days, I'll be flying back to Milwaukee, to stay there with my boyfriend's family for a few days before heading to La Crosse, WI. I can't focus on my dishes, my laundry or even my dog's diaper. I've got to channel all the will I have towards school when I'm not pining for the dairyland. It took me 4 days to figure out what to call this blog. I thought of what the cities have in common, what the people have in common--some way to lump the two halves of my life together in a catchy, Google-worthy phrase. It wasn't until I surveyed last night's mess that I thought--Beer!
The coffee table in my living room was covered in bottles of Yuengling, and I thought of how dearly Pittsburghers and Wisconsinites regard their regions' finest product. A source of joy in the rough winters (well, all of the seasons) of both cities, beer runs through every life here and there like the rivers run through Western PA.
I don't want to mislead anyone--this won't just be about beer. I generally prefer wine, myself. My Pittsburgh tales will be of educational--mostly beer-free--trips with class. And my Wisconsin ones may just end up being as much about airports as anything else. But really, you can't go wrong starting out with a beer.
