Maytag Laundry in Stevens Point, WI

I know that buildings, much like gingers and the Dutch, have no souls, but if they did, it is hard to think that the Maytag Laundry in Stevens Point, Wisconsin wouldn't have been crying tears of grease out of its trapezoidal windows upon realizing that a brand spanking new Pizza Hut was being built right next door.

I don't know, maybe it is like the pyramids, where they start to build the next one as soon as a new pharaoh is born. Perhaps another Pizza Hut manager had been born in Stevens Point and a second Pizza Hut had to be hastily erected to accommodate the pre-destined lord of the cheese. 

(Google Image Search returned nothing when I attempted to find a photo of a mustached newborn baby wearing a short sleeve shirt with a tie and a name tag, but that is what Pizza Hut managers look like when they are born.)

Whatever the case, it is kind of awesome to see an UTBAPH right next to a FUTBAPH. (Thats a future UTBAPH, in case you were wondering. Some folks just call them "current Pizza Huts," or, even, showing a complete lack of foresight into the inevitable, simply, "Pizza Huts.")

Call them what you will. FUTBAPHs have a sense of arrogance about them, particularly when standing next to their fallen brethren. Well, FUTBAPH, if you learn but one thing today, let it be this: Don't laugh. You're next.

Here is a screen grab from Google Street View showing the arrangement as of 2008. Note the red roof and smug look of the newer Pizza Hut.

Kudos to Bor, for spotting this odd little arrangement.

Best Catalog of Changing Landscapes

In an oddly specific category, this very blog has been named the unanimous winner of the prestigious "Best Catalog of Changing Landscapes" award, as decided by President Obama, the joint chiefs of staff, and the editorial board of Pittsburgh Magazine.

What this means, besides, of course, a smaller font on my resume to keep my most notable accolades under the recommended 14 page maximum, is that if you pick up the print version of Pittsburgh Magazine this month and do that little thing where you lick your finger to turn the page like 78 or so times, you will find this:

For reference, here is the entire page:

I know what you are thinking, which is that next year I should start a mobile fashion truck in an effort to get a giant photo into the magazine. Broke Little Rich Girl, I am coming after you!

But, full page photo or not, I am very pleased to have won this award and I am very thankful to live in a time when a blog can literally change the world into a dramatically better place which is a lot like the world that existed before the blog except with a handful of friends and family having something to talk about whenever I see them at social gatherings.

To see a list of all of the "Best of the Burgh 2014" winners, click here or pick up a print version for yourself (two, if you want to frame one).

No Name Pizza in Beaufort, NC

I recently took a trip down to Beaufort, NC. I had been told tales of a legendary UTBAPH in Beaufort called "No Name Pizza." Obviously, I had to make a stop to check this gem out in person.

Yours truly in front of No Name Pizza in Beaufort, NC

Regarding the unusual name (or, lack of name, depending on how you see it), I was told by a local that it was a Greek guy that owned the place, and, when asked what he wanted on the sign for his pizza shop, he said, "No name!"

Now if there is one thing I know, it is that you should never argue with a Greek guy, lest they unleash their buddy Yanni on you. Yanni, legend has it, can kill a man with a slingshot and an olive pit from up to 4 kilometers away. But I digress.

The point is, I guess the sign maker in this story also knew of Yanni's projectile prowess and opted instead to take the pizza shop owner literally. The rest, as they say, doesn't involve Yanni and is therefore completely uninteresting to Greek people.

Thanks for the submission, Ken.