Round Museum

On National Margarita Day, you could order the classic lime, triple sec and tequila combo — either frozen or poured on the rocks in a salt-rimmed glass. But there are some other delicious choices to consider. Some freshly squeezed Cara Cara seedless naval oranges are a sweet citrus surprise. A prickly pear makes a deep magenta impression that’s refreshingly smooth. But why not shake it up and muddle a little jalapeño to raise the heat?

02.22.23

Rolling snake eyes is usually bad news. Snakes are treacherous, and a pair of pips resemble eyes, so... you lose. It's the lowest possible dice throw unless, of course, you're working with only one die. Then, it's a one-eyed snake. And that's gotta be worse.

02.21.23

A life is a journey through circuitous pathways, with many twists and turns to face along the way. Every branch of the path brings different choices, like a labyrinth to navigate for answers to receive and let go. To gain the courage for change and accept inevitable transitions, you need a family heart beating at the center to empower and replenish vital energies, like blood flowing through veins. Gather strength from the heartbeat, and cross the threshold renewed.

It's about time you cleared a couple of those dead trees out back, this big one could have crushed the roof if it fell. Chop a bit of it and stack it aside for the fire pit. Maybe leave one out like a giant donut for a beaver to chew on.

02.19.23

High on the facade of the Allegheny County Office Building in downtown Pittsburgh, PA, sculpted figures crouch in their hidden world, a very tiny Round to be permanently frozen in time. Any chance to get out, stand up and stretch?

02.18.23

When you uncork a bottle of Patrón tequila, you'll notice this little bee in the Round on top. While legend has it that some bottles of mezcal sport a gusano de maguey worm inside, no... there is not a bee in Patrón. This happy little insect happens to have a particular attraction to the Weber blue agave plant from which tequila is made in Jalisco, Mexico. It is a long process.

What toys are in your corporate playground? If your work is getting you all worked up, you've got to relieve pressure somehow. Take a deep breath. Toss a koosh ball around. Zip down the hallway on an electric scooter. Leave the building for hatha yoga on the plaza. Walk your emotional support animal in the dog park. Scuba dive in the office pool. Spend a little time in this reclaimed decompression chamber. Go ahead, your workplace shouldn't give you the bends.

02.16.23

Two armies face off on a battlefield divided by a river. With each advance along the files and ranks, the red and black armies seek the capture of their enemy's general. Xiangqi (象棋), or Chinese chess, is a popular board game in China as well as Chinese communities here in the U.S. The flat round game pieces are arranged on a board nine lines wide and ten lines long and include a general, advisors, elephants, horses, chariots, cannons and soldiers.

02.15.23

The floriography of a rose has been a message of love, passion, romance and devotion for thousands of years. In Greek mythology, we hear that Chloris, the goddess of flowers, discovered a lifeless nymph on a walk in the woods and, in her sadness, transformed the nymph into a beautiful red flower. Upon seeing the flower, the goddess of love, Aphrodite, named it 'rose' to honor her son Eros, the god of love.

Happy Valentines Day!
02.14.23

Behind the weathered crackly W of William Wagner's iron gate is a nineteenth-century Victorian science museum crammed full of natural history specimens from around the world just waiting on a visit from you. Collected by Mr. Wagner, his curators and faculty in the 1800s and systematically arranged in cherry-wood and glass cabinets, if you spend a little bit of time, you might find fossils, dinosaur bones, and a skeleton or two.

The Wagner Free Institute of Science
Philadelphia, PA

02.13.23