The Pearls Are Off

You know what I don't get? Drivers here. With all due respect (and we know since I said "all due respect, I can now say anything I want without fear of offending anyone) what is the deal with the whole "oh, sure, you need to get out of that gas station onto a four lane major road? Not a problem, let me just slam on my breaks real quick so you can slowly get out into traffic. You're welcome." or how about "aww, look at me. I'm going to stop my lane of traffic so you can take a left out of that parking lot. I'll wave you on cause I'm super nice. But just so you know, I'm not checking the other lane for cars and I'm definitely not going to make sure cars aren't coming in the other direction, so it's pretty much risking your life. You're welcome." Don't get me wrong, I'll be nice and let you out if I'm coming up to a red light or there's lots of traffic and I'm going to stop anyway. But not just randomly. So I propose- Is it nice or just stupid?

I will say this- after the Steelers lost last weekend, I did notice people being less likely to let others out. The niceness meter dropped just a bit that Monday. Interesting...
Speaking of which, I don't think it's possible (if you live here) to not be a Steelers fan. It's unlike anything I've ever seen. These people are cra cra about their football. I saw people dressed up in full Steelers gear like it was game day 2 months ago... on weekdays. A friend of ours got called out in church last Sunday for not wearing black and gold. It is a way of life here. I do appreciate that Pittsburgh had the good sense to make all their teams the same colors. Big shout out to the guy with that brilliant idea. We're going to the Steelers home game opener this Sunday. I'm a little worried my enthusiasm level isn't up to par with these folks quite yet. I'll let you know.

We went to the Pirates game a while back when my sis was in town and here's what came out of that...

1. Toto, I don't think we're in South Carolina anymore. Let me set the record straight. In the South, the majority of women wear cute outfits to games (All sports). Not all women. And they are most certainly not always cute. But nonetheless, a solid 70%. ESPN did a whole thing about southern girls and their cute outfits, so that's how serious it is. Sis and I were excited about our cute black dresses and yellow jewelry. I have this fantastic hat that's black and yellow plaid that was making it's debut. So, we finally walk up to the giant tailgate and it is soooo obvious that we are not from around these parts. We looked like we were going to prom. These women were not in cute outfits. They were in jerseys and jeans or t-shirts and shorts. WHHHAATTT?! Not a fan. I guess this is how it is everywhere but the South. Well, I may be the only one, but I'll be darned if I'm going to an event looking like I just got done mowing the lawn. I'll rock a jersey I'm sure, but it'll be cute if it kills me. You can take the girl out of the South but you can't take away my cute outfits.

2. You can take a ziploc bag of snacks and a bottle of unopened water into the stadium! Okay, maybe that's just exciting to me. I love snacks and water! And it's a good $30 cheaper for Sparky if I get to bring that stuff in from the outside where items are reasonably priced. Go Bucs!