My family and I have recently outgrown our 2 bedroom duplex. While it’s really a great house and we have the best landlord in the world, we just need some more room (and a better backyard for our little one). So, we are (once again) performing the rental search. We need another year or two to save to buy and we all know it will be a buyer’s market for a long time, so we decided to just rent for another year.

Well, I forgot how painful the renting process is. Not only is it hard to find a 3 BR house right now, but we supposedly need to worry about scammers from across the world tricking us. Within only one week of looking at a small number of properties online, I have received two scam offers and thought I should share my experiences with everyone in the area so no one else is scammed. Luckily, I was smart enough to do some heavy research the first time, which saved me a large sum of money, but I am afraid that others have been scammed, which is why I’m writing this. Keep reading for the whole story and what you can do to avoid being scammed. Full Story »

A Pittsburgh Parade to Remember…or Forget!

Pittsburgh is well-known for its exciting St. Patrick’s Day Parade [official site] held each year (rain, sun, snow, or shine), which is noticed as one of the largest in the country.  Due to many reasons (my honeymoon, broken leg, etc), I have only celebrated St. Patrick’s Day one time in Pittsburgh - and it certainly was one to remember (despite the fact that I forget most of the day LOL!).

But, a TYPICAL St. Patty’s Day in Pittsburgh may follow a similar schedule to this:

• Wake up - 5:00 AM
• Jello Shots - 5:30 AM
• Party - 6:00 AM
• Keg Stand - 6:30 AM
• 6 Green Beers Later - 8:30 AM
• Head Downtown - 8:45 AM
• Bar - 9 AM
• Wait…was there a parade?

Okay, so this may be an exaggeration (although I’m sure some of my readers could share some crazy stories and schedules that are worse than this one). But, you get the point - this is an adult parade and the Irish like to drink - and so do the Pittsburghers!

I am really excited for this year’s parade and will definitely be capturing some footage to re-post on this site. Be careful what you’re doing downtown when my video camera comes around! The parade starts at 10 AM this year (as always) and you can continue reading this post for more info on the parade this year (and past years too!)

Here are some fun facts about the Pittsburgh St. Patrick’s Day Celebration: Full Story »

So, while trolling the Pittsburgh Bloggers site, I came across an article about Pennsylvania potholes. “Potholes!” I exclaimed out loud (hey, I hit relative ranting writer’s block and was very excited!). I read the blog posting, which was interestingly enough from “Edgar Speaks Out” or the blog for Edgar of Edgar Snyder’s law firm. The article cursorily explained how to recover damages from Pennsylvania potholes. But, the part that really GOT me and made me want to really RANT is that you can not claim property damages on PA (PennDOT) roads (although you can sometimes recover some injury damages).

So, you get into an accident that was not your fault and PennDOT refuses to take any liability. Did I mention that Pennsylvania has consistently been named the state with the worst roads in the United States (I almost started typing Universe and you know…I think the roads in Pittsburgh ARE actually comparable to the crevices on Mars, so this may be an entirely accurate comparison). We actually get hit with a double whammy here in PA because not only does the terrible wintry weather we’ve all been experiencing so frequently erode potholes, but our road system is seriously screwy and the potholes barely get fixed.

I guess we all have to learn to be super careful when approaching potholes - being that the responsibility for an accident caused by one may fall squarely on your shoulders. Edgar Snyder says:

“You can’t recover property damages on PA state roads, but you may be able to receive compensation from PennDOT for your injuries. For roads in local municipalities, you may be able to collect both property damages and compensation for personal injuries from local governments.”

Check out another helpful feature of good ol’ Edgar Snyder’s Web site: A Q&A section where you can find all the answers to hazardous road questions you may have. And, Pittsburghers will surely agree with me that we unfortunately have many - hazardous roads AND questions (especially for you PennDOT employees….boy, have we got questions for you).