Thank you for reading the July 2022 issue of This Awful Awesome Life. Previous issues are available to read on our website. Just go to thisawfulawesomelife.com and start scrolling or you can enter specific search criteria.
Next month we will wrap up our celebration of the summer with a vacation/staycation issue.
Lilly Kauffman, Orlando Bartro, Linda Cahill, and I will be back with interesting articles and some of your favorite summer recipes. Our vegetable for August is potatoes. I’ll be making recipes with potatoes and sweet potatoes, so one is sure to fit into your August menu.
We’ll have our August quiz, reading recommendations, book review, streaming article, and our new series, “Dare to Believe” and “What’s in a Word?”
I’m already searching for colorful August photos and vacation/staycation tips. I have a friend who’s recently returned from a fabulous vacation, and I hope she’s willing to share her experience and a few photos with our readers.
Until next month,
Stay safe. Stay well. You are important, and you are loved.
All my best,
Fran
Answers for our July 2022
Born in (or near) the Burgh Quiz:
1. I am an American guitarist who was considered a child prodigy. I began my professional career as a jazz guitarist at 19 years old. I am George Benson.
2. After a successful college career at the University of Pittsburgh and being named First team All American in 1981, I was the last quarterback taken in the first round of the 1983 NFL draft. I played 17 seasons in the NFL for the Miami Dolphins. I am Dan Marino.
3. I was an American novelist, poet, playwright, and art collector. I hosted gatherings for intellectuals in my Paris salon and I’m known for the quotations, “Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose,” and “There is no there there.” I am Gertrude Stein.
4. I am an American billionaire entrepreneur, TV personality, and media proprietor. I own the Dallas Mavericks of the NBA and I started the Cost-Plus Drug Company, an online pharmacy, to provide needed medications at low prices, shipped directly to your door. I am Mark Cuban.
5. I was a famous Hollywood producer, screenwriter, and film studio executive during the golden age of Hollywood. I earned Best Picture Academy Awards for Rebecca and Gone with the Wind. I am David O. Selznick.
6. I was an American artist and printmaker. Gustave Geffroy once described me as “one of the three great ladies of Impressionism. I am Mary Cassatt.
7. I was an America astronaut, aeronautical engineer, test pilot, and a USAF pilot. I was the Apollo Lunar Module pilot for Apollo 15 and the eighth person to walk on the moon. I am James Irwin.
8. I was an American TV host, author, producer, puppeteer, and Presbyterian minister. I dedicated my life to helping children feel valued and loved. I am Fred Rogers.
9. I am an American film director, producer, and actor. I directed Training Day and Southpaw. I am Antoine Fuqua.
10. I am an American actress and director. You may know me as Brita Perry on Community, but did you also know I directed the 2015 documentary short, The Queen of Code, about U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Grace Hopper? I am Gillian Jacobs.
11. I am an American screenwriter, film producer, film director, novelist, and television producer. I graduated from Upper St. Clair High School, in 1988 and I am best known for writing the novel, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, writing the screenplay and directing the movie of the same name. I am Stephen Chbosky.
12. I was an American entrepreneur, but you probably just like me for my ketchup. I am H.J. Heinz.
13. I was an American journalist, publisher, abolitionist, and women’s rights advocate. I was one of the first female journalists hired by Horace Greeley. I also worked for the federal government before losing my job for criticizing President Andrew Johnson. I am Jane Grey Swisshelm.
14. I was an American artist, film director, and producer. I was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. I am Andy Warhol.
15. I was an American football quarterback who played in the NFL for 18 seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Colts, and the San Diego Chargers. I am Johnny Unitas.
16. I was an American marine biologist, writer, and conservationist. My book, Silent Spring is credited with advancing the global environmental movement. I am Rachel Carson.
17. I am an American actor of Armenian, Austrian, Croatian, and Italian ancestry. I graduated with honors from Mt. Lebanon High School, and I have a BFA in acting from Carnegie Mellon University, but you probably know me from my roles in True Blood and Magic Mike. I am Joe Manganiello
18. I was a Pulitzer Prize winning American playwright. I am often called the “theater’s poet of Black America. I’m best known for the series of ten plays called The Pittsburgh Cycle. I am August Wilson.
19. I am an American classical crossover singer. In 2010 with the holiday release of my O Holy Night EP, I became the youngest solo artist ever to go platinum in the United States. I am Jackie Evancho
20. I was an American banker, businessman, industrialist, art collector, philanthropist, and politician. I served as Secretary of the Treasury under Presidents, Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover. I am Andrew Mellon.
21. I played professional football as a quarterback in the AFL and NFL for 13 seasons for the New York Jets and the Los Angeles Rams. I led the New York Jets to victory in Superbowl III in 1968. I am Joe Namath.
22. I was an American actor, singer, dancer, filmmaker, and choreographer. I am best known for my energetic and athletic dance performances in musicals like An American in Paris and Singin’ in the Rain. I am Gene Kelly.
23. I was an American politician. I was the first woman and the first Jewish person to be elected mayor of Pittsburgh. I am Sophie Masloff.
24. I was an American sports journalist, radio personality, and sportscaster. I was the “voice of the Pittsburgh Steelers” for 35 years. I am Myron Cope.
25. I am an American actor and musician. I am probably best known for my roles in the Jurassic Park franchise, Independence Day, and The Big Chill. I am Jeff Goldblum.
26. I am an American author, narrator, popular historian, and lecturer. I am a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. My first book was The Johnstown Flood, and I have written award winning biographies of John Adams and Harry Truman. I am David McCullough.
27. I won a national championship as the quarterback for Notre Dame, and I played in the NFL for 16 seasons with the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs. I have won four Super Bowls. I am Joe Montana.