Favorite Things - Summer Edition

Well, it's time for the initial "Favorite Things" post. Since I've only done these in my head, I need to explain what I am thinking here. These favorite things can be anything about summer. I will describe why each is a favorite in one sentence. Then, I would encourage all of my blogging friends to do the same. Without further ado...

1. Freshly cut grass - such a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment, it looks great, and the smell is distinct and one of a kind
2. Summer movie season - the days leading up to a big summer movie are filled with anticipation; this was recently seen in the two weeks leading up to The Dark Knight
3. Baseball - ties in with freshly cut grass; my favorite sport, and nothing beats sitting in the ballpark on a sunny summer evening, even when you are watching the Pirates
4. Summer mornings - the sun rises early, it's relatively cool out, and it is very tranquil; it's just breathtakingly beautiful
5. Summer nights - tell me more, tell me more; how much dough did he spend? Seriously though, the moon and stars on a clear summer night; it's one time I wish I had a girlfriend
6. Summer songs - the inevitable tune that dominates the airwaves because it's the ultimate "driving on a hot summer day with the windows down and systems up" song; any nominations for this summer's song? I say Rihanna's "Disturbia" but I could be persuaded otherwise
7. HEAT! - I love hot weather; I love to step outside and sweat
8. Farmer's tan - my arms, face, and the back of my legs tan with the best of them; the rest? not so much. It's feast or famine with my chest, back, neck, etc.
9. Sandals - I hate wearing shoes; I wish I could wear sandals all year round (in Tennessee, I almost could!)

Well, that's a good list to start. How about you? What are some of your favorite things of summer? Feel free to talk about this in the comments.

Tonight, my mom and I are going to see "Annie Get Your Gun" at the Benedum, the second of our three show series. Look for the review tomorrow.

(Partial) Summer Movie Recap

It seems like years ago that Ironman kicked off the summer movie season and renewed Robert Downey, Jr.'s career. Since then, there have been a lot of big budget summer "popcorn" movies that have been released. Well, I keep saying that I am going to post reviews of some of these movies that I have seen. Without further ado, my paragraph analysis:

• Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - we waited 19 years for that? I mean, they kept delaying the movie because of bad scripts. So, this was the one that you thought was passable, Lucas and Speilberg? It was fine for the first half or so, but the ending of this movie was highly disappointing. Do not see it.
• Wall-E - I didn't expect much from this movie; I thought it would be Pixar's first miss. I was wayyyyyyyyy off. A surprisingly complex movie, it touches on themes of consumerism, the environment, and the pathetic plight of the human race. The main character, Wall-E, also shares a predilection for the movie Hello, Dolly! so of course he and I would get along fine (for those who don't know, I was a waiter/singer/dancer in Pine Richland High School's Spring 1999 production). This movie is a must-see.
• Hancock - Will Smith is arguably the biggest star in the world; inarguably, he is the highest paid right now, as he commands well over $20 million per movie. He's also one of my favorite movie stars; movies like Hitch, I Am Legend, Ali, Independence Day, and The Pursuit of Happyness prove his versatility and depth. That's one reason why I was disappointed in this movie. I guess that fan reactions of Hancock range from horrible to great, but I don't see how anyone can like this movie. The first half was very funny and interesting; after a certain point, it's horrible. I don't want to give anything away about the "twist" - don't worry, the movie will make it plenty clear that something is coming. Honestly, I couldn't tell you what happened in the last 20 minutes; I was so bored, I was following the Pirate game pitch for pitch on my cell phone. Do not see this movie.
• The Dark Knight - I've already covered this movie, but I need to say more about it. I saw it in IMAX the other night; to be honest, I didn't see a difference (and there is no difference in IMAX as far as audio; the audio is dependent on the theater). Anyway, the second time seeing it revealed a few things. First, I was wayyyy off about Heath Ledger's performance; it was much, much better than even I said it was, and I was effusive in my praise. Second, the story needs to be praised. It's totally different than Batman Begins, which was an origin story; Knight was the battle of good vs. evil, where there were no clear lines who WAS good and evil. This was just a stunning movie; it really could win multiple Academy Awards, in many different categories. If you haven't seen this, you should drop everything and see it immediately.
• Step Brothers - Will Ferrell has been on a downward spiral in his career for a couple of years. I think he hasn't done anything hilarious since his cameo in Wedding Crashers. Ricky Bobby was promising and would have been fine if the previews didn't show the only funny parts. Blades of Glory and Semi-Pro were just awful. This movie had a few funny moments, and John C. Reilly is a welcome addition; they have a good comic feel for each other. However, it was unbelievably raunchy. There were crude words used as insults repeatedly, and it really went over the line of funny, I thought. I really wouldn't recommend it unless you are a male from the ages of 18-35; those are really the only people that might find it remotely funny. The descent of Ferrell continues.

Anyway, that was a rundown of a few movies that I have seen this summer. There are a couple others that I will see; I am eagerly anticipating Pineapple Express, and I will see Tropic Thunder. Other than that, I can't think of anything very promising in the last month of the summer movie season. If I have missed anything, let me know.

What are your opinions of the movies I've mentioned?

Finally!

Thanks to the Verizon Online technician who came by at 9:30 this morning, I now have (wireless!) internet in my home!

This means that I will be blogging much more frequently. Although right now, I am going outside to cut the grass.

Meanwhile, on my lunch break...

So, today was the first day this week that I didn't bring my lunch, and I went out around noon to get some food. It started off badly, as 11:58 was the time that it started to rain. So, I had my umbrella, but I was still getting soaked by the rain as I walked to Jimmy John's. I walked into Jimmy John's and it stopped raining a minute later; no joke.

So I eat, and then I was gonna stop at CVS for a co-worker. I was getting a soda and a bag of chips. So I'm standing in line when the alarm at the door goes off. The worker at the cash register starts screaming "shoplifter...shoplifter". Two other workers run out the door; one had to get by me, as she was coming from behind me, and I didn't realize she was there, so I may have aided and abetted the crime. Anyway, as they are running out the door, they ask the clerk for a description. His response? "She was black!" So we know from this her race and gender. And I can attest, as I saw her walking out, that those were the only characteristics you could see; maybe I'd add that she was wearing a pink shirt.

The ladies that ran out after her come back in a minute later. She got away. They asked for another description; he responded in the same way. So that was exciting; I witnessed a petty crime. The clerk, by the way, said that CVS just presses charges and sends shoplifters to jail. It seems like a bad idea to steal a lipstick and end up in jail.

So, by now there was a line about 7 people long. One of the ladies who had run outside opened a second cash register. She said, "Can I help the next person?" I took a step toward her, when this short lady stepped up to the counter. The lady at the register said, "I have to help him (pointing to me), he was next in line." The short rude lady just screams "WELL YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE SAID NEXT THEN!"

This made me lose some of my faith in humanity. We are doomed when people like this roam the Earth.

Takin' the Bus to Revive the City

Well, the last two mornings I have decided to take the bus to work. Yesterday (Monday) I had to be in early because of a conference call that I had to be on, so I decided to take the 43E (Mt. Washington Express) which drops people off at various points downtown. The bus stops at the corner of Oneida and Grandview, which is right across from the Duquesne Incline (two streets west of my street). So it was a 5 minute walk to the bus stop. Then I got on the bus, and was downtown within 10 minutes. It was so fabulous!

Today I took the bus again. It was a little slower because of all the people driving to work today (the rain caused this, I think). However, it still has its benefits. I said this earlier this month about the "T", but I can say it's true of the bus system as well. There are a lot of cute girls that ride the bus. In particular, there is one girl that I can't get out of my mind; she had a great smile and cute curly blonde hair. I remember the sentiment when I was in college that Western PA has no cute, single girls; from my experiences so far, I can't believe I ever agreed with this.

So the whole public transportation thing gets me thinking many times about politics and beliefs that people hold. Public transportation is vital to cities and urban life, yet in many places (including Pittsburgh) it keeps facing budget cuts, which leads to a cut in services. Our cities are dying. Look at the declining population in the traditional Rust Belt cities (Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Buffalo, Detroit, etc) and look at the cities that are gaining population, like Aurora, Colorado. I have never been there, but it's basically a suburb of Denver. This isn't a city! Yet it has more population than we have in Pittsburgh. The same thing, "white flight", is happening in Western PA, where people are fleeing to the suburbs.

This gets to a whole bunch of problems, including the racial inequalities and disparities that exist because of this situation. When the Port Authority cuts services, who does it disproportionately affect? Minorities that live in the city. And why do they cut services? Because people don't want to pay a little more in taxes.

I believe in the necessity of urban growth and renewal for the sake of the country in the 21st century. One of the most important ways that this happens is with a vibrant public transportation system. That's why, when I am Allegheny County Executive, I am going to expand the "T" to all corners of the county.

"Literally"

This weekend was a huge letdown, and it started off so promisingly. Day by day:

1. Friday - after work, I was meeting friends Keith, Luke, Steve and Dave at the South Side Works for the 6:30 showing of The Dark Knight. They made it around 6:18 (they were coming from Grove City) so we went into the theater (I had bought tickets on Tuesday of the week) and the only seats seemingly left were in the first three rows. However, Luke came up huge and found seats in the last row. Sitting through the previews was torture (although Bond previews are always sweet, even if the name of the movie is Quantum of Solace).

When the screen came up, I got goose bumps...literally. And this is not literally in the figurative sense. I'm gonna rant a minute here. Go look up "literally" in the dictionary, like on www.dictionary.com . They now have two definitions: (1) the literal definition and (2) the opposite definition, also known as "figuratively". You know, like "I literally ate 8,000 pounds of hamburger this weekend." No you didn't; you figuratively ate that much. This is just unconscionable to me, that in the dictionary it has two diametrically opposed concepts for the same word. Unbelievable.

Anyway, the opening scene is the scene that they had been showing sporadically in theaters for the past year, the bank heist with the Joker leading the way. This confirmed what I and many others had thought since first seeing the Joker on screen: he was going to steal the movie.

Here's my personal rundown of the movie: Heath Ledger, Heath Ledger, Heath Ledger. Obviously I need time for it to digest, I need to see it again multiple times, but it may be my favorite performance from an actor ever. I mean, it stole the movie that much. Every scene without Joker onscreen, I was waiting for the next one with him on. I just fell in love with his portrayal. It was creepy, scary, yet hysterical at the same time. He was a manic psychopath and it was extremely entertaining to watch.

I will say this: I liked it better than Batman Begins. I thought Begins was excellent and really raised the bar for comic book movies. Knight stands alone without the necessity of the "comic book" tag. The other performance, I thought, ranged from below average to fine. Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine did their thing, Maggie Gyllenhaal is obviously a better Rachel Dawes than Katie Holmes (about this there is NO debate), and Aaron Eckhart was very good as Harvey Dent. Disappointing for me was actually Christian Bale. He's usually good in everything (including the first time he filled the role of the Caped Crusader) but this movie, I thought he lacked depth. His Batman was a one note character, almost grunting his lines and generally being ticked off at the world.

This movie really explored the concept of good vs. evil in an interesting way. I felt that, at times, there were political and biblical overtones, but that could be my penchant for interpreting everything that way. Overall, this movie was fantastic. Equally fantastic was the shrimp and bacon club I had at The Cheesecake Factory after the movie. Seriously, if you have never tried it, get it the next time you go there. I could eat them all day; literally.

2. Saturday was a HUGE bust. I was supposed to get Dish Network installed. I had already had my problems with Verizon Online, so I was hoping this would go smoothly. I did not.

I set alarms for 7:15 and 7:30 so that I would get up and get a cup of coffee if I felt like it. I didn't, so I moved out to the living room, waiting with my phone for the Dish guy to call. My service window was from 8-12. I sat there reading all morning; I literally read thousands of pages of this book this weekend. At 11:20 a.m., he called saying that his first two jobs were in Beaver County and that he was on his way. At 2:30 p.m. the Western PA office called and asked if he was there yet. He was not. At 4:00, they called and said he was backed up, and we needed to change it til tomorrow. Whatevs. I did nothing the entire day.

3. Sunday, I woke up early to go to the 9:00 a.m. service at the South Hills Bible Chapel (www.biblechapel.org). It's a non-denominational church that teaches a lot of the same things that I've grown up believing (with less emphasis on the process of sanctification, which is big in the CMA church). I went, and they are doing this summer series on the "B-sides of the Bible". The concept is tied to Beatles songs, which coincidentally were the A-sides of their respective singles. B-sides are the lesser known sides of singles, and that was what they were trying to capture in this series, short books of the Bible that get overlooked. Yesterday was about the book of Jonah, and other books that will be examined this summer include Obadiah, Nahum, 2 and 3 John, and Philemon. They are trying to preach a book a week. It was a good message, and I was even able to get over the cheesy packaging of the message (side note: this is a pet peeve of mine, when churches try to spice up the Bible. As if people won't be as interested because the Bible is boring, they need to attach some type of relevant cultural significance to sell what God has to say. Luckily, like I said, I was able to get past that here--hoping I didn't offend my pastor and friend Dan here, but I don't think he does this, which I appreciate and makes Bakerstown Alliance the best church to which I have ever been--literally).

After church, I went to the information center to get info on men's Bible studies, appropriate Sunday School classes, and small groups. The guy who was greeting me was none other than former Steeler lineman and current Steelers color guy Tunch Ilkin. I talked with him a bit, it turns out he's the director of men's ministries there, and he gave me his cell number, telling me to call with any questions or to meet him this week and talk. So I might do that.

Anyway, this church was visited; it was two I had found that I wanted to try (the other being USC Alliance). They are each about 10 miles from my house, so not that far.

Then, I waited around for the Dish guy again. He came at 2:30, asked for my landlord permission form that I didn't have, and said he couldn't install it. I told him that my landlord lives in NYC, its hard to get stuff to/from him, I could have forged it, I could have gotten a friend to be my "landlord", etc. Nothing worked for him; he didn't "need" more accusations of house damage. Whatever. Dish and Verizon Online lost my business to Comcast now. Even though it costs freaking $108 to install! Something needs to be done about the cable business.

Here's to literally another week without cable or internet. I am hoping that the next discs of The West Wing get here shortly for me to continue watching.

*I hope you appreciated my brazen use of the word "literally" in this post. I'm going to continue to use it in both the correct and incorrect manners. If you use the word incorrectly, I won't call you out, but consider this a lesson. IT CAN'T MEAN FIGURATIVELY!

Well, I certainly hope Patty went to bed...

Thanks to Verizon, my DSL connection is not working. It was a very frustrating experience where the tech person kept me on the phone for 40 minutes, all to tell me to turn off the computer and modem, wait 15 seconds, and start them up again. For those of you who have never done this, that was the fourth time I had been told that would solve my problem: first, the written directions said this, second it was on the installation CD, third was on the voice recorded phone message while waiting for the tech person, then fourth was the tech person. When you aren't an idiot, this is extremely irritating, to be told something four times. And that's all the tech person had for me! Forty minutes for that. So now they are sending a technician to my apartment, of course not til next Saturday, and they think they are billing me for service starting yesterday.

Yes, this angered me very much. To the point that I couldn't do my favorite things of summer post. I will do that at some point this week. Of course, I'll have to venture out to a Panera or other wireless friendly place to do this. Thanks a lot, Verizon Online.

Dedicated Data Line

So, today will be an exciting day on Mt. Washington, for at my humble abode, I will finally be getting internet access. I chose to go with Verizon's DSL (hoping to switch to FiOS when they bury the fiber-optic cables on my street--I don't know what this means, but that's the reason they told me that its unavailable right now for me...) which comes with a wireless router, which is sweet.

So, there will no longer be a lag between the time something happens to me, and the time I get to blog about it. Which means Beth will no longer beat me to the punch on blog items, or even Patty for that matter.

It also means that tonight, I will be back with...wait for it...

Favorite Things - Summer Edition (part I)

The Weekend - Part II

Saturday started out slowly. I woke up early expecting Dad and Grandpa to come down and have breakfast with me on the South Side. However, Grandpa was feeling sick, so they didn't come down. I couldn't go back to bed, so I watched The West Wing on DVD (I started a Netflix subscription...maybe I'll write about the West Wing at some point).

I found out everybody was going to come down to my apartment, which includes Levi, in the afternoon. This is why living downtown is so fun; it's like an event for people to come visit. They all came down and we showed Levi my apartment. Then we decided to take him for a ride up and down the incline. We went over to Station Square and Levi played over by the dancing fountains while we watched (or played, in Beth's case). He was also thrilled when a train came by.

Then we went to eat at Joe's Crab Shack. This led to one of the funnier things that I've seen in awhile. Beth was sitting there and she decided to do her Donald Duck impression. She did it, it wasn't that bad, but Levi remarked: "That kinda doesn't sound like Donald Duck." This was hysterical, as he said it only as a kid can say it, very innocently but matter-of-factly. Beth was devastated; the rest of us were laughing. I was laughing so hard that I almost fell off of the bench. Anyway, Levi kept saying funny stuff. After lunch was over, we went back up the incline, to my apartment, and Mom and Dad left.

Next, we decided to go to the Mt. Washington neighborhood pool. It was about 5:30 when we got there, and we found out two things: (1) the pool costs $4 for an adult and $3 for a child, and (2) it was closing at 5:45 that day. This is very disturbing to me. First of all, I thought it would be cheaper than this. How often can you afford to go when it's $4 a day? Probably not too often.

Now what is the purpose of a city pool? It's a service to the people of a city; their tax dollars go to pay for it. Furthermore, it's really a way to keep kids off the streets and keep them out of trouble. The cost becomes prohibitive in this regard. Are city kids more likely to hang out at the pool, or hang out on the street corner where it's free? Secondly, it's hours are horrible! The hours are 1-7:45 Mon-Fri and 1-5:45 Sat and Sun. It's barely even open! We battle the weather elements here in Pittsburgh, so the pool already will only be open for 3 or 4 months of the year. I just couldn't believe that city services have been cut so much that the pool is hardly open and it costs so much. end rant

So our next goal was to go see the movie Wall-E. We headed down to the South Side Works cinema, and we were really early. This was a good thing, because there was a huge street festival going on down there. We hung out and did the sidewalk chalk drawing contest (I think Levi will win). He went and did the other kid stuff they had. Then we went in and saw the movie. This movie was good enough to merit its own stand-alone post, so the review of the movie will be coming soon.

After the movie was over, we headed up to my apartment, where Levi and Beth dropped me off and headed home. It was such a relaxing day, it felt like we were on vacation. Here's to more weekend vacations in the 'burgh!

The Weekend - Part I (Friday)

Well, there was so much that went on this weekend, I feel as if one comprehensive post won't or can't do it justice. So I'm gonna take it day by day. Another factor that led to this decision is that Mom and Beth both blogged about this already. So, I've decided that I have to do it BIGGER AND BETTER.

I'll start with Friday night was a prime example of the advantages of urban living. The headlining event was that Beth and I went to a concert. The concert was at Brillobox, which is in the Bloomfield section of the city. The band that we saw was the band headed by a college friend of mine, Ben Hardt, performing with His Symphony.

The concept behind the band is pretty grandiose. Ben was an '03 graduate of GCC, like myself; we went on a mission trip together to Jamaica in the spring of 2001. It was on this mission trip that I discovered Ben's vast talents on the guitar. Anyway, after graduation he was working a corporate job for a couple of years after when he decided that it wasn't the life he wanted to lead. So, he quit his job. While working, he was in a few bands. He quit his safe job to pursue his first love, which is music.

He embarked on writing an epic record, telling the tale of lovers in London during World War II. The first CD of the three part project was released in spring 2007. It contains 6 substantive tracks, and I don't think I am overstating it to say that it is brilliant. Ben wrote the songs with a string section in mind, meaning that his songs contain violins, celloes and even an upright bass. He recruited some musicians from Duquesne to play with his project. The results are fabulous; you can check out his band on YouTube, just search "Ben Hardt".

Anyway, the concert was very energetic as well. There was a band that opened that was called, I think, The Meeting of the Important People. They were entertaining, playing fast paced music with just percussion, bass and guitar. Ben's set was fantastic. He played 5 of the 6 tracks from the first disc, as well as some new music. He also proclaimed a love for "80s synth songs with string sections". This led to covers of The Eurythmics "Sweet Dreams" among others. They ended with a cover of "Stand By Me."

Maybe the only downer of the night was when Ben announced that this would be their last show until September. Ben is sequestering himself in Zelienople, writing the 2nd part of the story. It will be exciting to hear what he comes up with next.

All in all, a good Friday that was a precursor to a Saturday that can only be described as feeling vacation-like. More on that later.

Pittsburgh CLO presents Mame

Well, last night Mom and I went to see Mame at the Benedum downtown. Mom met me on the corner of 6th and Penn, and we went to dinner before the show. It was an exciting time to be downtown; the Pirates v. Yankees game was being made up last night as well (this deserves a rant later, btw), so downtown was lively and bustling with activity. After considering a few places to eat, we settled for the Grille on 7th, which is diagonal from the Benedum. I ordered this fantastic piece of baked salmon with a pretzel crust and honey mustard drizzled over it. It was fabulous! I even got Mom to try the fish, and she really liked it! If you don't like fish, that doesn't mean you wouldn't like salmon. I would tell you this: when you see it on a menu, try a salmon caesar salad. That's a good starting point.

Anyway, after dinner we went over and we were in our seats by 7:30. I thought this would be normal, but we were some of the first people in there. I don't know proper theatre etiquette, but 15-20 minutes seemed appropriate in Pittsburgh. Also, I wasn't sure about dress; I went with biz casual, and that seemed ok. Some of the elder gents were wearing ties and coats; I guess that's to be expected from the old guard.

So as we are sitting there, we are looking through the program. I say to Mom, "hey, the person playing Mame was on Knots Landing, her name is Michele Lee." And Mom started freaking out! She was so excited because she knew her, and of course seeing a star adds a whole dimension to a show. This just adds to the thrill of seeing live musical theatre!

The show itself was just ok; my quibbles are more with the actual show and not the performers. I think the premise is interesting, but the script really didn't develop it well. The bond between Mame and Patrick seemed forced and rushed; the conclusion was anti-climactic; the second act was very bare (this is a problem of a lot of musicals). The musical numbers were alright, as well. "Mame" ended the first act and was on the Southern plantation; it was the best number of the show.

Michele Lee was great as the title character. The young boy from the South Hills that played 10 year old Patrick was awesome! Very talented kid. Agnes was the comic relief, and she was pretty funny for a generally humorless show.

So, that's one CLO production down for the summer and two to go. Our seats were really good; 7th row right-center. Our Annie Get Your Gun seats are even better, so that should be fun. West Side Story is the third show and we have good seats for that as well. Should be exciting for the rest of the summer!

Random musings

So, this is my fifth blog post, tying it with another effort as soon as I moved to Knoxville as the longest I have blogged. I have faith that my interest will keep me around this time.

However, it's time for a notes blog! That can be a sign that the blogger is running out of ideas; in this case, I assure you it isn't.

On with the show:

1. I will agree with commenter "Bethlehem" - I am looking forward to Mamma Mia, and waiting for The Dark Knight just might kill me. It's only another week until the psychotic, manic, reportedly mesmerizing Heath Ledger-created Joker is unveiled to the general public, and I for one am ecstatic. Add me to the chorus of people that believe this role killed him; in fact, I think I was one of the first people saying this, I remember the stories of his psychosis and mania after the filming ended, before he died. The buzz surrounding his performance is deafening (Time Magazine is the latest to join the plaudits). The question surrounding this movie for me is this: which villian does the movie set up for the threequel? The obvious answer is Harvey "Two Face" Dent, the Gotham DA played by Aaron Eckhart (btw, there is an answer in the movie, as the Time review points out). Personally, I am hoping for The Riddler.

And Mamma Mia is a musical, so I'm obviously enticed. In fact, my original idea for a blog 4 months ago was for a comprehensive movie musical database, until I decided that the topic was too limited. We have seen a rebirth of movie musicals, with (ughh) Moulin Rouge, Chicago, Hairspray, etc. So this is a good time for us musical lovers!

2. Speaking of musicals, my mom and I tonight are seeing the first of our 3 show series that we subscribed to through the Pittsburgh CLO. Tonight's show is Mame, and I know next to nothing about it. It's about a socialite during the Depression; the lyrics are from the same guy who wrote the songs to Hello, Dolly! (which is the musical I performed in high school, btw)...and that's about all I know about it. I will have a report on it for you tomorrow. The other shows we will see this summer are West Side Story and Annie Get Your Gun. Then, for musical theatre lovers, it gets exciting this fall with Wicked and Jersey Boys coming to town!

3. Last night, I grilled a piece of salmon for the first time in my life. It turned out to be excellent. Salmon is quickly becoming my favorite food; there are a lot of ways to prepare it, and I hope to discover them soon!

4. I also went to the Bucs game last night. Disappointing result for the home squad, as a Doumit mental error led to two Astro runs in the top of the 8th. Not a big crowd; it hasn't been for most of the year at PNC. But, I sat in the Baseball Club seats in the second level, and in the first row. The view of the city there is absolutely stunning. It always sends chills down my spine. It just reaffirms the beauty of the city that I call home.

5. I also filled out my drivers license change of address; I should now be a voter in the city of Pittsburgh! It's only a matter of time before I challenge for Luke's throne. Be prepared, you will have never seen my campaigning style before!

Well, that's enough for now. Maybe I'll be back with something in the afternoon. We'll see.

Summer Movie Season

I just love blogging, so some days maybe you'll get multiple posts out of me!

As the title suggests, I want to talk about summer movies. The summer movie season is one of the things I look forward to most every year; it's one of the best aspects of summer. The season starts with Memorial Day weekend, and the first big blockbuster of the summer; this year, it was Robert Downey, Jr. in "Ironman". The season ends by Labor Day, and usually it ends with a whimper.

However, the season really goes year round. You see previews for summer movies from summer before the movie comes out, then during the holiday movie season and into the summer. There is always news coming out about the movies. It's just an exciting thing to pay attention to, in my opinion.

So, I have been thinking about how I need to treat summer movies. I think I'll talk about the ones that I'm excited about, and I'll review some, so you'll be forewarned if spoilers are included. Sometime soon I will post the first review, of Hancock, which was monumentally disappointing (like other summer movies have been this year, including Indiana Jones).

Life is weird...

So, I'm sitting on the Mon Incline this morning. I had just completed the 18 minute, .7 mile walk from my door to the incline. I was sweating. It was gloomy and grey out, which was a pretty interesting way in which to view Pittsburgh from atop Mt. Wash. And, as I said, I'm sitting on the incline, wondering what I am going to blog about today.

When all of a sudden, the incline car stops. About a quarter of the way down the hill.

There were only three people on the car: me, some other young dude, and this old lady (side note: my fears about long lines for the incline have been allayed). The old lady says to the young dude, "what's going on?" Nobody has any idea.

I am not panicking, but there are several thoughts going through my head:

1. I may be late for work, I should text Zach, my supervisor.
2. This might be my last trip on the incline--either because it hurls me to a previously unexpected death, or because I'm not willing to subject myself to those chances again.
3. How weird is it that, at the exact moment I'm searching for something to blog about, the incline stops?

Being a suburban boy, I haven't ridden the incline too many times in my life. So I don't know if this is par for the course or not, but it really seems like it shouldn't be. Do you know how the incline works? Check out these website to see: http://www.portauthority.org/PAAC/customerinfo/inclines/tabid/119/default.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monongahela_Incline
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duquesne_Incline

They are basically cars that are carried by cables up and down the tracks. I pay attention to Pittsburgh news, and I've never heard about "incline tragedies", so my guard wasn't up. It is now. I have decided that I will continue riding the inclines, but if this becomes a too-common occurrence...maybe the bus doesn't look so bad?

p.s. I have gotten word of at least two friends who are reading this. Comment please! I don't want to have to call you out, but you know who you are.

The Morning Commute

Well, today was my second day of commuting from the top of Mt. Washington to Pittsburgh's Cultural District, which is where I work. There are a variety of options available to me:

1. Car - this is the suburban way of commuting, and is what I used when driving from Gibsonia. I didn't mind the traffic that much, and I enjoyed listening to the radio in the morning and relaxing before starting work. However, I didn't like paying $5 a day to park, in the Strip no less, which led to a 12 minute walk to my office. All told, the commute was usually about 52 minutes, costing $5 plus gasoline each way.

2. Bus - this is the working man's way of traveling. The bus system is relatively easy. You can get a monthly pass for $75/month in zone 1. There are two particular buses that are available to Mt. Washingtonians: the 41E and 43E (aka Mt. Washington Express). These buses drop you off right downtown at Sixth Ave. and Wood Street. The problem with the express is that, in the afternoons, it leaves basically on the half hour. I finish work at 5, so that would mean I'd have to wait 30 minutes for the bus, and I wouldn't get home until after 6. That doesn't sound appealing.

3. The "T" and Inclines - this is the glamourous way to travel down Mt. Washington. The inclines are included with a bus pass, as is the T. The inclines are super quick; I left early Monday morning because I thought there may be a line and it may take awhile. This was not the case. Monday I used the Mon Incline (a.k.a. the close one) in the morning. I got there, after a 5 minute walk from my apartment, and got right on the car. I was at the bottom of the hill in 5 minutes. Today, I walked to the Duquesne Incline (a.k.a. the not close one). It was an 18 minute walk along Grandview Avenue, looking at the still-rising sun, the bustle of traffic, and generally a city that was waking up to a new day; it was beautiful. Then I boarded the incline, again no wait, and was down at the bottom of the hill in no time.

The difference between the two inclines is their position in relation to downtown and Station Square; one is close, one is not. It just so happens that the one that is close to SS and downtown is the Duquesne, which as you may recall is the far one from my house. The Mon Incline leads to a long, long walk along West Carson Street, and its generally not desirable. The one option is to wait for the bus that comes there, but I don't know how that works. You press a button so a light flashes and a bus stops. Is it any bus that is along this route? Is there a particular bus that comes every 27 minutes? Or other intervals? I don't know, and don't want to ask. Maybe I'll try it once and see how it goes.

Taking the T, though, is so much fun. And let me tell you this: there are a LOT of gorgeous young professional girls that ride it to and from work. I can take the T to either Steel Plaza, Wood Street, or Gateway Center. Today I took it to Gateway, and stopped at Dunkin Donuts.

But taking the T has convinced me, as well, that as a region, southwestern PA needs an expanded T. One that goes to the airport, Cranberry, and Monroeville. There has to be a way to do this relatively inexpensively; you don't need to dig new tunnels like they are doing for the North Shore Connector. This is a way that Pittsburgh will be equipped to deal with the last 80 years or so of the 21st Century. When I run for Mayor, this will be one of the things I promote.

Anyway, that describes the morning commute. I just got back into the office from running over to the Steelworkers building for a press conference on healthcare. I ran into my dad on the way back. Small world, eh?

Moving to my 'hood!

Well, I am officially a resident of the city of Pittsburgh! I have lived in Western PA almost all of my life, but it has always been in the northern suburbs. Last Tuesday I got my key to my place on Mt. Washington, and I moved all of my stuff in over the weekend. Of course, it doesn't come without a story.

As you may know, I was moving from Knoxville, TN, and I had been back in town for almost two months, working my new job. My "stuff" was everywhere; I had brought a carload home from Knoxville when I first came up, then I acquired some new things while at home (like a sweet sofa/loveseat set--thanks Beth!), and of course I had some things in Knoxville, like my luxurious bed. So the move commenced on Thursday night when Dad and I borrowed the "high top" van from the Lighthouse. We threw in the few pieces of furniture that were at Mom and Dad's house and took them to my new place.

Friday morning, Dad and I packed my clothes and other small things into my car and his car and headed down to the apartment. This didn't take long to unload, and then we were organizing a bit. Dad also made a clever little closet for my hang-up clothes; one drawback to this sweet apartment is that it doesn't have much closet space. Dad was innovative and created something in a little nook in my bedroom; once Mom adds the curtain, it will be complete.

Then Dad and I headed out to do a little shopping. I was planning on having a few friends over for the 4th (especially since Mom's dream was to watch the fireworks from Mt. Washington), and I had promised grilled meats, so I needed to provide. We went to Lowe's and bought a gas grill, which now is stored in my garage. Then we went to Best Buy, and I bought a 32" LCD HDTV, which was covered fully by my stimulus check!

Friends came over later; Keith, Dave and his girlfriend Marianne, Jim and his fiancee Beth, and my family. We had a great time sitting and talking, then heading out to Grandview to watch the fireworks. Everyone left soon after, because they knew I had to head to Knoxville in the morning to get my stuff.

The drive down to K-town was pretty uneventful. It took a little longer because I couldn't drive as fast as I would in my car. Otherwise, it was fine, besides spending A TON of money on gas. I got down there to realize that my K-town roomies had packed up a lot of my stuff, which was a big help. For everything that I either did or didn't like about Knoxville, I can say this: I made five friends that are friends for life. The one downside to moving back to Pittsburgh is that Colin, Noel, Tim, Hemant, and Jamie are still in Knoxville, and I will miss those guys (but maybe Tim will come to the 'burgh???).

Noel and Tim helped me pack my stuff into the van, so I took them out to dinner to thank them. We went to Calhoun's on the River. If you ever go to Knoxville, I would say this place is a must. The ambiance is great because it's right down on the Tennessee River, with Neyland Stadium and downtown in view. They have a good selection of food; the ribs are what they are famous for, but I prefer either the salmon or the pork plate. I got the pork plate with my favorite side, spinach maria; it was excellent. We had a great time.

I left early Sunday morning to get back to Pittsburgh. Everything was going fine; I was on pace for a 3:30 or so arrival, when, between Kirwan Heights and Carnegie, I smelled gasoline, and the van stopped moving. It was hemorraging gas! I was afraid it might blow up--I don't know if this is rational or not, but it sure seemed to be in the moment--so I walked 50 yards away and called Dad. He was downtown, planning on meeting me to unpack the van, so he was able to be there in 30 minutes. We had to call Mom to find us a Uhaul place in Carnegie, then call them to see if anything was available. It was, so we picked it up, drove back to the van, unloaded the van on the side of the road (!), then headed to the apartment.

Mom and Beth showed up to help, and I wasn't in a good mood at all. Sorry guys:( We took the truck back, then Dad and I ordered a pizza from Cestone's. Dad had a bad feeling originally about the place, but the bacon/banana peppers pizza was excellent.

And after all of that, all that is left to do is unpack all of my crap.