I adopted a new kitty. He’s gradually making himself at home.
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Nowadays, the Pittsburgh region is blessed with so many local meetups and tweetups and benefits and social media conferences that I’ve wondered whether there was still a need for Pittsburgh BlogFests.
But people continue to ask when the next BlogFest will be, just as people continue to list their new blogs on Pittsburgh Bloggers. And in truth, I’ve missed them.
So we’re going to have another one.
Pittsburgh BlogFest 20: The Return of the BlogFest
Come meet your fellow bloggers and social media types in a friendly, unstructured setting. BlogFest is an informal and friendly quarterly (or so, ahem) gathering of local bloggers, vloggers, podcasters, and anyone who enjoys life on the Internet. It’s more happy hour than meeting: No talks will be given, no credentials required.WHAT: Pittsburgh Blogfest 20
WHEN: Friday, August 27, 2010, 5:30 PM to 9:30 PM and beyond
WHERE: Finnegan’s Wake (near PNC Park, 20 General Robinson St., North Shore, 412-325-2601), in the Pub Room
WHO: All local bloggers, podcasters, and social media folk of all stripes (and their friends… feel free to bring some even if they don’t blog!)Food and beverages will be available for purchase from Finnegan’s Wake, as always. Arrive when you like, leave when you must.
SMOKING NOTE: As always, the room in which we’ll be blogfesting will be smoke-free. The rest of the bar allows smoking, so one can hop out for a smoke break. There’s a glass wall between, so the smokers and nonsmokers can stare at each other and see how the other half lives.
If you plan to attend, please send an e-mail to blogfest AT pghbloggers.org or RSVP on our Facebook event listing.
And speaking of the Pittsburgh Bloggers website: If you’ve wondered what’s happening with the site and why new blogs don’t seem to be listed with any regularity — or at all — please read this post about our plans to revamp the site.
The goal is to have the new site launched in time for BlogFest. Wish me luck!
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My battle with my backyard continues. In recent weekends I’ve cut back more of the forsythia. See:
I’ve chopped the bushes far to the right. At that point, there’s still another smaller bush or two, but most of the space is taken up by a rogue tree, which has multiple trunks of up to 3 inches in diameter.

The dread tree, hovering next to the deck
I need to upgrade to more significant chopping equipment. I may also need to watch out that I don’t take out utility wiring and maybe a neighbor’s window in the process of clearing that monster.
I was able to make such great strides thanks to the help of family. My brother-in-law again lent me a pickup to haul the stuff away, my parents allowed me to dump the cuttings on their land (under protest, in my dad’s case), and my brother Jude helped me load up the truck and trimmed small forsythia sprouts that were trying to gain traction.
The forsythia, as predicted, got right to work in regrowing.

These forsythia were chopped down to bare stalks less than a foot high. They’re now leafy and over two feet tall.

The crownvetch has regrouped and is spreading. It’s joined by another plant that also is virulent, but whose name I don’t know.
And yet, despite the regrowth, it’s clear that I’m making strides. I keep reminding myself, “It’s a marathon, not a sprint.”
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