Our Time is Up...

I have long found myself in a state of frustration, stemming from a love-hate relationship with short-form story telling. Be they short-stories or film shorts, I find it this method of story very appealing. It is concise, often ambiguous and just the right length that one sitting satisfies the needs of a beginning a middle and end. This is why i love them.

The reason that I hate them is the hackneyed methods by which many are written, expecting us to think they are deep, or original. By the end of college I decided that if i was ever forced to read one more story in which the 'big twist' or the 'shocking ending' was that someone committed suicide, I would be dropping out of school. Perhaps that was a hyperbolic empty threat, but hyperbole is acceptable when used as means of conveying a point. I just decided that.

I think I contracted this love of the short-from narrative from my father, a man who earned his PhD. by substituting short stories as the text to encourage theological discussions in a small group setting. Genius. The man even writes short stories, and frankly, he has a gift for it.

It is because of this and my large Polish-Catholic maternal family's tendency to sit around a dinner table covered in the remnants of Pierogies and Polish Sausage and mashed potatoes, drinking beer and scotch, and trading stories their upbringing... it is because of this, that I have this that I have this love of stories that can be absorbed in a short period of time.

Being involved in film that way that I am, I continually seek out new and well-produced pieces to take in. This is one of the best I have seen in quite some time.

The film even deals with that trite subject of imminent death and the way it can change someone and his outlook on life, but it does in the most refreshing of ways. The Bucket List was a fine film, making poignant comments about what it means to be truly wealthy, and that was fine... but we have seen that before.

What "Our Time is Up" does is to use that imminent mortality as a means of allowing someone to shed that which has been hindering him and to actually help others in the way he has always wanted. The mortality issue is never actually directly addressed; rather, it is necessary mode of change that allows the narrative to take us on the journey with the characters.

While skipping around the chance to give away the ending, allow me to say this: It ends in a satisfying way. It is not some major climax of revelation, or a complete tear-jerker, but it does paints a picture of hopefulness and bettering of the world.. however small that may be. I would encourage anyone with 10 minutes to spare, to find five more and watch this 15 minute short.

It is well worth your time. Now, ours seems to be up.

A Movie Review: The Dark Knight

Everyone seems to be all giddy over the new Batman movie "The Dark Knight."

I saw it last week, and as much as we Gators like to go against the grain of the wider popular culture, I must admit it was spectacular. The movie is a refreshing turn from the standard super hero movie that has become a summer staple in the last 10 years. We continually see movie after movie where the hero is called to face some foe or enemy that challenges who he is and what is right. And the hero manages to beat the villain at his own game.

This is not so much the case this time.

Batman finds himself being called a vigilante by the people of Gotham, and there are few who understand and appreciate the service he is performing in the city. I won't give away the ending, but there is an amazing Christ-like sacrifice he makes involving his own reputation, calling to mind the old mantra that true character is how one acts when no one can see you.

Most of the hype is over the late Heath Ledger's portrayal of The Joker. Let me first say that, regardless of Ledger's unfortunate and disappointing death, this is the performance of the year. Ledger plays the classic villain with a depth and richness that rivals that of Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow in the "Pirates" movies. He is at once comical, creepy, eerie, human and believable... and I think it is that last piece that makes the movies so appealing.

Superman is an Alien and Spiderman is the result of a freak accident... But Batman... Batman is a person. A human, like any other, who trained himself in martial arts and enlists the aid of technology and close friends (like Morgan Freeman and Michael Kane's charcters) to make him the powerful agent for good that he is. In the latest series of movies, disbelief is suspended with little trouble because everything is portrayed so realistically. Even the Joker's eerie permanent smile is actually scars, and he clearly wears make-up instead of being some scarred freak.

It is these elements that support the characters and make the movie such a rich experience. The Joker is a deeply evil character that we somehow like... we don't want him to win, but at the same time he is real and he is human and he is kind of fun. He is also the ultimate villain because he doesn't seem to have anything that makes him tick. Most villains (such as the Character of Two-face) are borne of some childhood crisis or tragedy involving a loved-one in adulthood... The Joker is the exception. He seems only to desire anarchy and chaos. When things go wrong it is almost as if he wins anyway.

I would suggest that anyone interested listen to the Fresh Air interview with Director Christopher Nolan and Batman himself, Christian Bale. Toward the end, Bale adresses the issue of Ledger's accidental overdose and the how much he truely enjoyed playing the Joker. When you see the movie, I think it is clear. Ledger's performance is rich with the fun he enxperienced driving his portrayal.

6 stars on a scale to 5.

Thoughts of the Day... so far

1. Yesterday morning, as I watched the KDKA morning newcast on Pittburgh's CW... (inhale) I came to realization that they severely lack creativity. At least whoever comes up with the names of things down there. It was either the weather guy (who could not have been more wrong about the forecast yesterday) or the traffic guy who said these words... "Ok, now lets take a look at out 'Outdoor-cam'!"

No way! You have a camera outdoors? Where will the magic stop?

Outdoor-cam is what a 6 year old calls it. C0me on... you can do better. At least there is no question as to what 'Outdoor-cam' actually is. I have to admit that it is functional.

2. Last week i was driving home, and decided to drive through Sewickley since it is nothign short of gorgeous on a nice afternoon. While i was there i saw something i could not believe. A port-authority directional and velocitational engineer (bus-driver, for the less-well-versed) opperating the 16A while on a cellular phone. Not a hands-free cellular phone, mind you, but a big awkward hand-held thing. I feel so safe.

3. Not a week after i have the passenger window replaced, does teh driver side window decide to become dislodged from whatever contraption make it go up and down inside the door. At least it is up and secure. .... (grumble, grumble)...

4. Training camp starts Sunday. w00t. Read all about it here.

5. The Steelers training camp page has directions to get there from Baltimore. HAH! mmmmexcellent...

Success

This is what was in the mail when i got home yesterday. The friend who mailed it to me has just been crowned my new favorite. There it is. The Seal.

I also failed scanning this about 15 times. I finally go it though. Now anyone from Allegheny can have it for their wallpaper on their phone or computer.

Boo. Yah.

Today's Thoughts: Gone with the Schwinn

1. First and foremost: THE SPEEDWAGON IS BACK! The window and door panel were replaced yesterday, and i drove the piece or gorgeousness in today.

2. When I walked into the foyer at the house yesterday there was something waiting for me that could quite possibly be the best piece of mail I have ever received. It is relevant to the blog, so there will be more to come on that. Stay tuned.

3. I was on the 16 block (some of those are very looooong blocks) walk from the office to my bus stop the other day, and I had just gotten to the part of Forbes where you pass under the Cross-town Boulevard.

CRUISING up the street toward me, was a kid on a bicycle, and I was impressed, because he was not only doing a wheelie, but he was doing it on his front wheel.

Then, as i looked closer, something seemed amiss... the back wheel, about 2 and a half feet off the ground, was flopping side to side... it was then that i noticed the front tire was not, in fact, turning but was, in fact, skidding.

Out of the corner of my eye (and in slow motion, i might add) i saw the light switch from yellow to red... that was when the bike gave up, crashed to the ground at the white "stop here on red line" as if to say "HEY! I KNOW THE LAW!" and sent the kid FLYING toward the intersection and skidding across the pavement, having been bucked from the bike as if it were a horse with a sarcastic sense of humor.

As he bounced six or seven times, his legs had already begun to move in an effort to get on his feel, much like Dino from The Flintstones or a Cocker Spaniel trying to run on a linoleum kitchen floor when his master comes home.

Cars came to screeching halts, and several people, including myself, jumped off the curb and into the street to make sure the kid was ok, but he was already up collecting the back saying "I'm ok... i'm ok... i meant to do that... i'm actullay a ninja... i just need to sit for a minute and stop shaking... and maybe change my pants."

He really was fine, and I have to admit, that once all the sense of danger was gone and i was replaying it over and over in my mind, it was hard not to laugh. I guess i should have the sick sense of humor looked at.

Gator vs. Cat

The cat (declawed in the front) enters the den almost every evening around 912, and begins to "claw" at the corner of the sofa, while sitting up his hind legs... and giving me a scornful look.

So, my dad sent me this. How apropos.

The Upside of the Bus

This morning, as i was walking the two blocks through the neighborhood to the bus stop I saw both the OV and the 16A (the only two buses i can take, and the only two on this route) stop... with the 16A right on the OVs tail... i am not kidding when i say that the 16A looked like it was going to collide with the OV. Stupid buses being early.

The upside to riding the bus, i have found, is that i am able to listen to the iPod and get some reading done. This morning it was one of my all-time favorite authors, Mr. Bill Bryson.

The book is titled "In A Sunburned Country" and chronicles his travels in Australia. Before reading this boook the first time, i had never given Australia much thought. It is now a goal of mine to get there. He is so informative, while observing the greatest idiosynchracies of anywhere he travels, and he certainly found a wealth of material in the Outback.

This morning, i was reading one of my favorite parts of the book, where Bryson describes Canberra (Can-bra) and i had to stop a few times and resettle myself to keep from laughing outloud on the bus, and risk looking like the people that i tend to avoid in the street... you know the ones... standing facing a wall chuckling to themselves and giving passers-by sideways looks that give them more than the typical "personal bubble"...

Anyway... there are upsides to riding the bus... it would seem.

Gator vs Cat

So the Battle To Make Friends With The Cat wages on...

It has turned into both of us dissing each other left and right, and then trying to butter the other one up. Its a great combination... an ornery goofy cat and an ornery playful Gator... i think we are secretly both enjoying it. It isn't so much a love-hate relationship... it is a hate-loathe kinda thing.

I came home the other day with the guy cousins, behind the girl cousins and aunt in another car. When my aunt opened to garage door, the cat raced out into the yard. When he saw me get out of my car in the driveway, he ran to the front door, knowing i would let him in. When i opened the storm door, he jumped up on the threshold, got on his hind lags and started pawing at the door like a bear or a human, and meowing. However, the door was locked.

So, I gently shut the storm door, trapping Chester between the two doors, and went into the house through the garage. I grabbed one of my cousins, and took him to the front door. We unlocked the door, and opened it, and with a 'rrrrrrrrrroOOOOW!' the cat fell into the hallway, dropping from his hind legs to all fours like a beggar falling at the feet of Jesus.

It was hysterical.

Port Authority... and why no one uses it

you don't even know...

When I am driving to work, the commute is as few as 25 minutes and as many at 45. Its really not bad. I usually leave the house between 7 and 730 and get in before 8 every day. One of the biggest perks is listening to WDUQ the whole way. You don't even know.

When i take the bus in the morning, like when the Speedwagon is hurt (moment of silence) i leave the house at 645, and i get to work at 830. That is an hour and 45 minutes... an hour and 45 minutes.

Yesterday, i took the bus home and... i am not kidding... there was a point where we stopped three times withing 100 feet. And my estimate of 100 feet is a VERY generous estimate.

We stopped at a bus stop... moved the length of the bus to a stop light... sat at the light till it turned green... the stopped on the other side of the intersection. And this was not a big intersection. There was a sidewalk on both sides, and the street we crossed was barely wide enough to have one lane of each traffic in each direction.

THIS is why more people don't use public transportation. You don't even know.

I love Pittsburgh... love it, love it... and i LOVE riding the subway. But here is the thing... it is almost useless to me. The bus drops me at Wood street, so i head into the station, and hop on the T... then i get off at Steel plaza... that is five blocks. Five. I mean, it is fun, and saves me walking... but if i have to wait for the train at all it takes the same time as walking.

I understand that if you are coming from the south hills it is an amazing piece of public transit, but everyone else basically gets a big nose-thumbing from the port authority. Why can the port authority not burrow East from downtown? Wouldn't that make a good bit of sense? But a station in at Duquesne, a stop at the beginnning of Oakland, one under the Cathedral of Learning, Another past CMU... heck, they could even take it out to Monroeville. I guess that would be too logical. You don't even know.

It makes a lot more sense to burrow over to the stadiums, since people seem to REALLY hate walking across the Clemente Bridge...

Oh wait... People love that. They don't even know.

If they just take the north shore connector to the stadiums and that is it, it will be the biggest waste ever. Here's hoping they make it worthwhile and put topside tracks North and West.

This Looks Safe

I snapped this picture on my way to the office this morning. You get to see lots of good stuff when you have to get off the bus at Wood Street and then walk to Uptown.

Also... is the truck in reverse?

Fourth of July

Boy do I love the Fourth.

There were many much much bigger explosions, just as close, but this was the best picture from my phone.

NOTHING gets my heart pumping like...

Nothing get my heart pumping and my Black and Gold Blood racing like this sound... Crack me open an Ahrn City.

That is right... and we are now OFFICIALLY less than a month away from the first preseason game. Boo. Yah.

Steelers-Eagles... August 8th... Heinz Field. 7:30pm EDT.

SPEEDWAGON DOWN! SPEEDWAGON DOWN!

As any who reads this knows (all both of you), the Speedwagon is down.

sad.
face.

Yesterday, while finishing the claims process, the insurance company informed me that they would cover a rental car for up to $30 a day. What is more than that... all i had to do was show up at Enterprise and everything would be taken care of. Direct billing and everything.

So, i figured it was worth a shot. I left the office at five, and wandered downtown to the enterprise office. It turns out that the company will cover the car for up to $30 dollars a day, but what the insurance company won't cover is the... wait for it... insurance.

The company that does nothing but insure stuff won't cover the insurance on the rental car they are providing me. Irony defined. Almost as much as Global Warming protesters getting snowed out.

So it is going to cost a hundred bucks or so to have the thing for like 6 days. Gross.

I go to get into the car, a Dodge Caliber, and as i open to door i get a whiff of something... something that smells like an old hotel room... gross.

That's right. Apparently everyone who has driven this relatively new car has been a chain smoker. Being in the car is like driving a giant nicotine patch. I took one breath and my cravings were gone... cravings that i've never had.

On top of that, driving a rental car feels so weird. Ever have a dog that came back from the groomers with a really goofy haircut (fur-cut?)? You know how the dog looks at you with a sense of shame that says "please don't laugh at me... its not my fault this happened!"
...same thing...

Also, since it is a rental, the car is the cheapest version of the vehicle that Dodge makes. Never have missed the Speedwagon more. i actually went into the garage for a while last night, just to spend time with it. The 'wagon may be missing a window, and it may have a bent doorframe, but at least it smells like that little pine-tree shaped thing i have hanging from the mirror.

Dear car... i miss you.

Caption Time!

This was in today's Post-Gazette... McCain visited the Consol R&D center in South Park...

Possible captions are:

John McCain:
(all to himslef)
"Is that a jolly rancher in my teeth...?"
"I heard there is a pressure point between your thumb and pointer for when you are in pai...rrrrrrrrrrr there it is!"

Cindy McCain:
"ooooooh yeah... i love it when guys talk research and design... mrrroww!"

Steve Winberg (Guy on Left):
"This is where i grope the air..."
"Right over there! We could play dodgeball!"
"Obi Wan says to use the force..."
"I believe... i believe you have my stappler...?"

Dude... my nose is running... you got the Crow Bar?

Well, it happened. The Mario Speedwagon was vandalized last night. Allow me to back up...

My Dad's Birthday is today (WOO-HOO!) so he and I went to the Pirates game last night. Wanting to see my place of work, he stopped by here shortly before quitting time, to see everything, then we left my car in the lot here, and took his downtown for the game.

Things were great. Max and Erma's was not crowded, walking across the bridge was awesome as always, and the Buccos were actually winning against the Astros. (I have a pretty good win-loss record at PNC park, not gonna lie).

However, we got into the third inning, and things took a turn. I got a call from a number i didn't know, and it was someone from work. My car... the Mario Speedwagon... had been broken into. (can i end that with a preposition? i don't really care. i just did.)

So we leave the game, walk back across the bridge get in the Jeep and head up to my car. On the way to my dad's car, i said to him "sorry, dad. i think we missed the pirates winning"

"actually, i think we saw them win... unless they fall behind and come back again..." we'll get to that later.

So, we get to the car and one of the guys from the office (who had had his window smashed as well) had been kind enough to wait for us to get there. his window was pretty much knocked clean out, and he had some change stolen.

I looked at my passenger side window... all smashed, but only about a football sized hole in the side of it. Apparently the window on my car was exceptionally had to break, because (juding by the bent metal where the window meets the door) the person who did this had to wedge a crow bar into the side to break the window... you'd think just swinging 10 pounds of iron at glass would do the trick.

Here is the thing... the car was still locked. The doors were shut, the glass hadn't been fully kicked in... and everything seemed to still be in the vehicle...

... with one exception...

my Kleenex.

When I opened to the doors I did a sweep to see what had been stolen. House key? There. Dressy rain-coat? There. Watch? There. Pipe? There. Extra Shoes? There. Puppy? Didn't have one to begin with. CDs? There.

The only thing i could not find... the ONLY thing... were my kleenex. I suppose it is possible that they Kleenex fell out somewhere else, or i took them out this weekend, or something... but that was the only thing i couldn't find.

it put in mind a Kleenex junkie... wandering around with a crazed look in his eye... staggering throught the streets with a leather trench coat and a crow bar, going from car to car looking for soft facial tissues...

i imagine he goes home to his lair, to his stockpiles of kleenex... and if you get in good with him he'll show you his private collection, in his walk-in humidore... the Kleenex with lotion...

An American Weekend in The Burgh

1) I helped my father start a blog last weekend. In just over a week he has posted 22 times. Who does that?

2) Do NOT spend money seeing "The Strangers." It is frightening at points, but not particularly good.

3) DO spend money seeing WALL-E. It is particularly good.

4) The 4th is never complete unless i have ash and cinders from fireworks rain down on me... always makes me feel like a patriot. (What?)

5) That is patriot... not patriot.... (shudder).

6) Sissy or not, i am seriously considering getting a scooter. 130 MPG? That's what I thought...


7) Saturday night i was driving down 65 at 2am on my way 'home' after seeing a movie, and in my rear-view i thought i saw a bus. I thought that was odd, since i believe buses stop around midnight. The thing was barreling down on my in the slow lane... so as he approached, i moved over to the right. When he passed me, you know who it was? A Pittsburgh Post-Gazette delivery truck. A big, solid, mack-truck type, doing about 70 on the Ohio River Boulevard. My question is this... Who is it that so desperately needs the PG by 3am that the truck would have to drive like that? At every red light on 65 I thought the truck was going to burn rubber trying to come to a stop.

I guess there must have been someone in Emsworth, or Ambridge or (God forbid) Ohio who was sitting up in dire need of thier Sunday Post-Gazette Fix? I imagine an old woman, sitting on her porch in a rocking chair... she is muttering nonesense... her grown children and small grandchildren standing in side the screen door looking helplessly at her... her duaghter holding back tears. The woman sits there, rocking back and forth, muttering and weaving an imaginary basket...

...then, off in the distance is a rubmling... quiet at first, then growing steadily louder... lights appear over the horizon... the woman keeps rockign but the family becomes a little more alert in the doorway... could it be? could it be?

YES! The truck pulls up, the green lettering on the side unmistakable even in the dark Ohio night... the driver hops out, runs to the back of the truck, opens the door, grabs a copy of the Sunday morning PG and runs it up on the porch... as he hands it to the woman, she looks at it, and slowly looks up at him... and smiles.

The family comes out... a child yells "GRAMMA'S BACK!"... and the delivery guy walks down the steps to his truck, turns, tips his hat and says "all in a night's work."

I smell a commercial.

Another thing...

Another entry into the file "Things The Alleghetor Wishes He Could Have Seen"...

I was walking through PPG the other day around 130 between meetings, and I noticed that the fountains that an hour before had children running through them had been turned off.

A half hour later, when i walked back through after seeing the the new Dunkin Donuts at Market Square, the fountain was back on... and here is the kicker: I saw a Pigeon who was soaking wet.

After a moment's thought, the conclusion was clear... let me paint the picture for you:

The fountain turns off, and the children leave so the pigeons come back, looking for little morsels of food that the children probably left behind when they left. The pigeons waddle here and there for a while, not finding much...

Then there is a rushing sound... a sound from underneath...

Mr. Pigeon cocks his head to side and coos... what is that?

Then it happens... Thejet of water shots up, and the pigeon is flying... but not by his own doing...

He is startled and starts flapping his wings in fright, but he is upside down so he crashes right into the ground.

So, five minutes later, i come walking by and he is still waddling around in a skiddish manner... soaking wet and frightened...

I WISH i could have seen that in person.

Someone's Drunken Near the Strait to Denmark

In the category of things the Alleghetor wishes he could have seen:

Monday night, a 78 year old Drunken Swede spent the night drinking in Denmark, then decided he needed to get back to Sweden. According to the article, the channel separating him from his desired destination was about 3 miles, and when he couldn't pay the ferry fee, his drunken and elderly brain hatched a plan that probably sounded like this... "hey look! a rowboat!"

Halfway across the channel, however the man decided is was naptime, so he laid down in the bottom of the boat for a snooze. He was discovered by police floating around the sea, apparently.

The guy was so drunk, he couldn't opperate a row boat.

my new computer and cell phone background

Please note the inclement weather crowding in around the sun over Bentley... Timmy A. got it EXACTLY right.

Replace the Word "Rebel" with "Nerd"

I think it is no secret that I loved Allegheny. I loved being there, the people, the classes, the professors (i guess they are part of 'the people') and the history.

So, every now and then I run a google search on the school, and look for stuff on ebay... just to see what is out there.

One thing that is not out there in the ether? The Seal. The Seal of the College is not out there. Almost every other institution of higher learning i could think of has a seal that can be found online... not us.

So I asked someone who is working in public affairs or community relations, or the office of keeping things at Allegheny Secret and exclusive if they might be able to get the image online somewhere. The answer came back "they are really strict about where the seal goes, and don't want it just getting out there, so they won't put it online."

... deep breath ...

Really? This seems odd to me since I not only have a mug with the seal, but a sweatshirt and coasters. How official is a coaster? Or a sweatshirt? I doubt the bookstore has some kind of copyright on the thing for financial gain, and Allegheny isn't big enough that they would have to worry about someone standing on a street corner selling counterfeit gator gear. Its like the school thinks they are the masons, and if someone can find the seal online and translate the Latin and the Hebrew, they will suddenly have control over the institution.

Oh yeah... they also gave me a diploma with the seal on it. Maybe I'll scan it.

I'm such a rebel.

Another Gator Connection

So, yesterday i decided it was about time to i opened a bank account i could access from Pittsburgh. On my lunch hour i went to PNC in Shady Side to do so, and what do you know, the guy who i met with (Wes) was a 2004 graduate of Fair Allegheny.

This follows a sighting of a Allegheny Professor walking through Market Square last Thursday as I headed toward Stanwix Street to meet my parents for dinner. Just goes to show you that Gators are everywhere.

Wes mentioned how frustrated he was that right as he was graduating they were completing the renovations on the campus center and McKinley's... to which I expressed my joy of watching the view out my window being taken over by the building i was promised, but will never be able to use..

some things never change.