"About Face" by Lizzee Solomon

Different materials like wood, pieces of acrylic, put together like a jigsaw puzzle. This looks abstract but it is not. Concept running parallel with material process. These are human faces.

When seeing the work for the first time it might look humorous, then it comes off scary. Nightmare inducing. Wild fluorescent colors with a bizarre momentum coming off the wall. Would I put one of these in my bedroom? Depends on the context. 

Some kind of cat, an English bulldog, a version of a gecko, a vampire bat. And then the humans. Solomon’s work translates her ideas from different cultures. My culture is Pittsburgh - I know Antonio Brown. He used to be in the Steelers but was traded to the Oakland Raiders. He was disgusted by the whole Steelers franchise. Some people say he was good then turned bad. Some people say he was making a statement. Solomon included him. That’s her statement. 

Made my day that Solomon came to the gallery. I highly recommend introducing yourself to the artist, otherwise you are being rude. 

Call ahead of time.

D's Six Pax and Dogz

Variety is the spice of life, and they have that and more with their hot dog toppings. It was a unique experience. The neighborhood is awesome and not too far from Pep Boys. D’s feels a bit like a bistro. The atmosphere was not too loud, the food was modestly priced.

Chili dogs are messy, but good. The all beef hot dog was great. The french fries are crunchy and satisfying, they go well with ketchup and hot dogs. The wings were excellent and very crispy.  There was a bit of a tang to them, not too hot, not too cold, but just right. 

The hot dog, wings, n’at were lunch in and of  itself. The only thing is I never got a refill on the Pepsi, I didn’t really ever need a refill though. I plan to go back there someday. When I go I'll have to try another topping on my hot dog. My favorite thing was the wings though. I had been craving wings for weeks.

The candle was worth the game. In other words: wonderful. 

Pep Boys

Let's start at the beginning: Pep Boys. Is it alright to use the Pep Boys name in this review? I don’t want to get in trouble for using some sort of licensed copyright. I never thought I would critique a Pep Boys, but here I am. I guess I have to start with the fact that the bulb in the car burned out. So I found myself in the Pep Boys at 936 S. Millvale Avenue where I got 2 bulbs for 1. Finding the bulb was easy, the store is very open and organized. I don’t remember if there was music playing, but the place smelled clean. Maybe a little like car fresheners. That might be because I was in the car freshener isle at the time.

I walked around the store where there was a bunch of product. Everything you need for a car. It is really phenomenal in there. Once I bought the bulb I went out to put the new bulb in the car, and, viola! It worked.

It’s an accomplishing feeling to be able to change your own bulb. Saving money instead of getting a technician to do it. $4 per bulb compared to having a technician fixing it was way cheaper. It also saved time: technicians have a list of cars they need to fix. It’s not rocket science and by doing it yourself you save money.

I would recommend Pep Boys if you need a bulb replaced. Real quick-in and quick-out.