Summer is here! Raoul and I got away from Athens to spend some time with my family in Pennsylvania. We had a good time hanging out and seeing everyone and Raoul got to mark some Pittsburgh sites off of his “Pittsburgh Bucket List.” Do you have a favorite attraction in your home town? If you liked this post, please do us the further boon of Liking the Fierce and Nerdy page on FaceBook. Also, we’re giving great stream on Twitter, so do give us...

We’re in that odd time of the year right now for sports, when nothing is happening and everything is happening. The two active professional sports, basketball and hockey, are coming into the final stretches of their regular seasons as teams start getting serious in jockeying for playoff positions. The NFL is getting ready for free agency and the draft. And baseball is starting its spring training, for anyone over 40 or the lame-o stat heads with social disorders who still watch that played out pastime. Oh, and March Madness is about to start. Everything is about to happen, but nothing is actually happening at the moment. It’s like the scene in THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS when all the orcs march up to walls of Helms Deep and just stand there looking up as the defenders on the walls look down on them. We’re so intent on what’s about to happen that there is not time to consider how we got here. But in this “deep breath before the plunge,” I’ve found the rare opportunity to evaluate my sports enthusiasm from a more rational and logical position, and have come to a realization. While pragmatism and logic must be deployed by the owners and general managers of sports franchises across the country, they have no place in fandom, and trying to think about why you love the teams you do will only make it apparent that you have devoted an inordinate amount of your life to watching and thinking about something that doesn’t make much sense. Now don’t get me wrong, I think there is an absolute need to occupy our time with things that are inconsequential, especially in a modern world when our minds are free of spending every moment...

As defined by Urban Dictionary: Steampunk is a subgenre of speculative fiction, usually set in an anachronistic Victorian or quasi-Victorian alternate history setting. It could be described by the slogan “What the past would look like if the future had happened sooner.” It includes fiction with science fiction, fantasy or horror themes. Starting with niche cosplay and con-goer groups decked out in bustles, corsets, monocles, and top hats, the Steampunk lifestyle has been slowly filtering into our daily lives. Today, you can’t walk into a coffee shop or target without seeing a hipster with an overly ornate mustache. Anthropologie’s current clothing line is pretty much the perfect mixture of hipster, earth goddess, 50’s housewife and steampunk mistress. When it comes to fashions for the home, it’s in vogue to buy items that are carefully, and artistically hand crafted, worn in, and just a little bit funky. While many proclaimed Steampunkers are very into the DIY movement, I’ve found many a website to help you spend your hard earned cash on beautiful bespoke pieces…and in my next blog, you can see how I DIYed one of these projects step-by-step. Now, I’m not suggesting your turn your house into this place: But, adding a dash of Victorian sophistication can add a lot more interest to your lovely abode. William Morris, the father of the Art and Crafts Movement, quoted, ““If you want a golden rule that will fit everything, this is it: Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” To start, here are some clever instances where people have made modern day pieces look so much more beautiful. I believe that with enough creativity and thought, one can turn the most ugly of objects into...

Happy Travel Tuesday! Many of you may have already gone home for the holidays, or maybe you’re like me: waiting until a trip home doesn’t cost more than a trip to London. It’s beyond me how flying from LAX to my hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania costs more than crossing an entire continent AND ocean, but during the holidays it does. Whenever we travel to home to see our family and friends, it’s easy to fall into a predictable routine: we often head to our favorite restaurant, go only to the same neighborhoods, stick to the normal routes, etc. But if you just take an hour’s worth of time before your next trip home to do some research, you can see your town from a whole new light. Do you still live in your hometown? These tips will still help you get out of your norm and learn something new. Tip #1: Hit the blogs. There’s a ridiculous amount of blogs out there devoted to towns, travelling within towns, reviews of what to do in that town, etc. Do a simple Google search for your city’s name + blog. Right away I found links that listed HUNDREDS of blogs for Pittsburgh. Also, a friend (also a Jennifer) happens to write a great blog in which she and her husband challenge themselves to try new things around Pittsburgh (101 Achievements) between their blog and this directory: Pgh Bloggers Directory, I have more than enough to go on! Tip #2: Sip it! Ever since “artisanal” and “hand crafted” became the trendy, I’ve noticed in pretty much every town-no matter how big or small- their own brewery or winery (or wine bar) has popped up recently. So grab your friends, or family members you enjoy drinking with, and head to the...

Last year, I was far from Pittsburgh on vacation and wanted to hear the local broadcast of a live Steelers game. I had no internet access and was just chilling in my hotel room when I found the perfect solution that allows me to listen to radio stations from far away – the Iheartradio app! The free app was a simple download into my Android smart phone.  Within seconds I clicked on Pittsburgh and had the local broadcast, which was, thankfully, broadcasting the game.  Unlike satellite radio or television sports packages, you are getting the actual live broadcast, commercials and all.  The best part – it’s FREE! The Iheartradio app was created by Clear Channel Radio to allow more interactivity between their radio stations.  The app is most used on Android, Blackberry, iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, and Windows 7 phones.  You can also listen for free and check out all the features on iheart.com. The app delivers instant access to over 800 local radio stations from across the US, exclusive digital-only channels, and rebroadcasts of popular national morning radio shows.  The app also allows for sharing of photos, video, and interacting with DJ’s. Downloading and using the app is quite easy, but it does count against your phone’s data usage plan.   Those on an unlimited plan will have no problem.  But, as phone carriers get cheap and begin to charge for excess bandwidth, you should monitor your data usage rate.  You will be able to listen for a good while without consuming too much data, but be forewarned – those overage fees can be painful! Iheartradio began as Iheartmusic.com and the website first launched in April 2008 giving listeners access to 750 Clear Channel Stations. In October of that year, the app was first released...