Good morning, readers! I'm hoping that if you haven't already taken time to open presents, visit family, and eat a few cookies, those things are coming your way soon. I wanted to take a moment to thank you all for reading and contributing to Dormont-Brookline Patch in 2012, and I'm looking forward to 2013! Check with Dormont-Brookline Patch this week for some post-holiday articles, including fun winter things to do with the family, business features, and in case you need it, a note on store return policies. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, and by all means, please have a very safe and …

When I started collecting vinyl records a couple of years ago, my collection quickly went from one album to roughly 40 ... and growing. Needless to say, it was getting kind of hard to keep the collection safe without proper storage space. So the best thing I found under the Christmas tree this year was a record player stand with built-in storage. This website has a similar one. The best (or at least, the most unique) gift I gave this year was a stuffed animal—a green, crocheted, zombie bunny rabbit—which a friend thought was hilarious. The zombie bunnies can be found at Eljay's Used Books in …

As I understand it, my dad and my uncle, when they were children, were just trying to get out of my grandmother's way when they went outside to toss a football before Thanksgiving dinner guests arrived. That the football careened through the dining room window and landed on the dinner table was an unfortunate side effect, of sorts. That story has become a laughable family legend that is told around the dinner table year after year. Over the years, stories of up-ended drinks and appetizer trays, broken ornaments and minor kitchen fires also have become part of the lineup. I think every family …

When it comes down to it, behind just about every small business is an entrepreneur hoping to turn his or her passion into a paycheck. But, as many wise business advisers have noted, hope is not a strategy. Business owners need support to turn dreams into reality. That's why Patch is pleased to announce a new partnership with the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE), a nonprofit organization with 12,000 business experts nationwide who provide free mentoring to small business owners. The partnership makes sense because we believe that, when local commerce grows, the whole community gets…

Dormont-Brookline Patch friends, we’ve added a new member to our Patch family! Yes, you will be seeing a new face around town: Brian Duncan, our new advertising manager. Please allow me to introduce you—at least online for now. Here’s a bit more about Brian in his own words: Community journalism and neighborhood togetherness have played a strong role in my life since I was a young boy.  It all started when I delivered the "Community News" weekly publication when I was 12. My dad was also always hyper-aware of everything going on around town, so I learned a lot about community awareness and …

We're excited to inaugurate a new series for our Patch Readers: "Dispatches: The Changing American Dream."Every day, the national media is full of stories about how American families, businesses, and neighbors are adjusting to these trying times. There are so many changes happening so fast that it's dizzying: national debates about unemployment, foreclosures, debt, religion, government and private enterprise all touch on fundamental ways in which we see ourselves and our communities. At Patch, we want to explore that conversation so we can better understand how our neighbors are adjusting to …

So, apparently, the Hollywood Theater is a box-office smash. At Saturday’s midnight screening of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” folks had to be turned away. Not, however, Emma Watson. Now, yours truly wasn’t there (he was in beddy-bye so he could get his early Sunday morning run in) but her appearance did not go unnoticed: see here, here and here. Watson is in the area for the filming of “The Perks of Being a Wallflower.” Filming at the Hollywood is to take place later this week. If you want to stay up on that kind of thing, you might want to check this site out.

1) What are pampooties?      A) shoes Pampooties are traditional footwear made from a single piece of untanned hide folded around the foot and stitched with twine or a leather strap. They were worn on the Aran Islands until the 1950s. 2) What is a bodhran?    B) a drum A bodhran (bow-rawn) is a frame drum made out of wood and goat skin. 3) Which Irish author did not win a Nobel Prize for Literature?   A) James Joyce He has Bloomsday and fans all over the world, but alas he never won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Four Irish authors have won the prize. They are: William Butler Yeats in 1923, …

Hi, Dan Nephin, editor at Dormont-Brookline Patch here. I'd like to invite you to join in an exciting project that we've launched for mothers in our community. We're recruiting a Moms Council of three to five knowledgeable mothers (OK, dads are welcome, too) who would help us answer questions posted by parents, lead discussions of key parenting topics in our area, and reach out to online and offline moms’ groups in the community. As a council member, you'll help us improve our coverage of families by suggesting stories to write and you'll also help us recognize outstanding kids in Dormont and…

Know a great kid who made Eagle Scout or did your local soccer team take the championship? They may be our next Patch Whiz Kid honoree. Each week, Dormont-Brookline Patch will seek suggestions from readers for individual kids, youth groups, teens, and even sports teams that wow us with their accomplishments. We want to hear about these amazing children and teens and select one each week as the Patch WhizKid.   Submit your nomination in our comment box below or e-mail the information to dan.nephin@patch.com. Be sure to include all of the following information: Nominator's Name Nominator's E-…

Moms - we want to talk to you. And we want you to talk to us. Often. We know you've got wisdom to share—not just with your children, but with other moms facing the same challenges, dilemmas, joys and opportunities you've faced over time. And we know that although it seems like you can do everything (it really, really seems that way—we never stop being amazed by it), it wouldn't hurt to have some fellow moms around. People you could bounce ideas off of. People who could offer their own advice, from their own adventures in parenthood. Here's the deal: Starting very soon, we're going to be …

First up, from Greendale Patch, Alex Tomter: Hi Steelers Fans,First of all I just wanted to say you're welcome for the Terrible Towels because if you didn't know you're precious little towels are made in none other than Baraboo, Wisconsin. I guess Steelers fans are pretty smart because they know where to go if they want a product that is made to last! Really I don't mind the city of Pittsburgh or the Steelers that much. I think in a lot of ways the Packers and Steelers are very similar, especially in the fact of their rich championship winning traditions. I don't know a whole lot about the …

Let me tell you my journey to becoming a Pittsburgh Steelers’ fan. I rarely watched sports as a kid. I didn’t grow up in a sports-watching house. I didn’t play football in high school. Ditto for basketball or baseball. Instead, I wrestled and ran track and cross-country. Not exactly TV sports. I went to Temple University in the late ‘80s. Not a good football team. Good tailgating though, especially when games coincided with a Grateful Dead tour. I stayed on in Philadelphia for years. Philly fans are certainly into their teams, but somehow, I didn’t catch the fever, or again even watch much. I…