life, travel, stories – Join the journey, Love Raven
Dear Reader, Data about oneself has become a hot commodity, and, also, one that I cherish. This feeble realization did not just occur to me, but I think about it now as I have recently received my results from the Everlywell Food Sensitivity test. As the name implies, the test measures one’s immune response (more... Continue Reading →
Dear Reader, Glowing, festive lights are set against the dimming evening sky, and I am happy. Today, my magical twilight rendezvous takes place at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium. Although I’m not a fan of animals, I can find great amusement in zoos (more here). This zoo outing, however, was not for the purpose... Continue Reading →
Dear Reader, “Helluva Burger, Heavenly Shake” — this is true. If you are in the Pittsburgh, PA area and you want to try an exceptional (and, frankly, high-caloric) meal, do consider Burgatory. I find Burgatory to be special for a few reasons. First, the company works with local dairies, butchers, and other producers to make... Continue Reading →
Dear Reader, Words matter… a lot, especially, when you are giving feedback. When I was a graduate student, I had an adviser who advocated for the “compliment sandwich” — start with a compliment, proceed to give critical feedback, and, then, end with a compliment. It can be hard to hear criticism, sometimes we even try... Continue Reading →
Wow. I don’t usually have too many emotions about non-fiction books, but Chuck Klosterman’s “The Nineties” in one word must be w-o-w. Klosterman opens the book with an introduction to an era not punctuated by the date January 1, 1990, rather with important events to close the 1980’s like Nelson Mandela’s imprisonment (which leads to... Continue Reading →
Dear Reader, Some bloopers look pretty fake, but I assure you, all the mistakes that I made while filming my web series “Pretty… If You Squint” airing on Youtube fall 2022 were all 100% due to my own genuine failures (#authentic lol). In part one of this post (here), I began to list some of... Continue Reading →
Dear Reader, Are you a fan of musicals? I have seen about two dozen musicals live (and a bunch more like Hairspray and Les Misérable on-screen). I have a general appreciation for musicals, but occasionally, one comes along about which I just don’t have anything positive to say (which is rare for me!). The musical... Continue Reading →
Dear Reader, Plenty of mistakes were made in the making of my web series “Pretty… If You Squint” (more here). It has been fun (and a lot of work) making the web series of comedic shorts (to be released on the Pretty… If You Squint YouTube channel fall 2022) and I find my series of... Continue Reading →
Dear Reader, Every city has its quirks and Pittsburgh is no exception. Like many big cities, the western-Pennsylvania destination has a number of big annual events, including pride parades, marathons, and an abundance of concerts. One summer event that is unique to Pittsburgh, however, is Picklesburgh. What is Picklesburgh? Started in 2015, Picklesburgh is an... Continue Reading →
Dear Reader, Making a web series is a lot of work. This summer, I have undertaken a personal project to start my own limited web series. It’s called “Pretty…If You Squint,” a 9-episode series of comedic shorts, featuring me, Raven Sinclair (well, a fictionalized version of me to be more precise). While this has been... Continue Reading →
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