This recent post by Andrew Sullivan articulated what I guess has frustrated me of late. It seems like the Republican party has re-fashioned itself into an opposition party whose sole principle is opposition. Perhaps this will just take a bit of time to adjust being in the minority in the government, but as far as I can tell, the most important issues for the Right are the President’s birth certificate and how many czars he has. Now, I’m conflating “the Right” and “Republicans,” which is likely not fair nor accurate, but I also don’t see elected Republican representatives telling me anything different: telling me that they have a different vision for health care reform (which, I’d assume, everyone agrees we need to have) or for international relations (outside of abolishing the UN, or, as Mike Huckabee suggested, cutting it loose from New York City), outside of just hating the vision that the President or Democrats have. It seems very short-sighted, awfully counter-productive, and ultimately detrimental to not only their party but to the health of our democracy. This kind of politics where the opposition merely opposes without offering a positive agenda of their own coupled with a media that only reports on the back and forth instead of the actually issues truly results in a negative outlook for our democracy.
Best Call Ever September 29, 2009
Basically, you need to go to this page, which has the two audio files in question.
The gist? Mike Blowers, color analyst for the Mariners and actually a good one, and slightly entertaining, predicts in the pre-game show that Matt Tuiasosopo would get his first major league home run during the game about to start, down to which at-bat, what the count would be, and in which deck it would land.
Then came the 5th inning, and the legendary Dave Niehaus has the call and Blowers’s hilarious reaction to his amazing clairvoyance.
SWha? September 3, 2009
I read on one of my Vegas messageboards (don’t judge) that Southwest is instituting a new “EarlyBird” policy: basically, you can pay $10 to check in and get your boarding number 36 hours before your flight leaves, and hus before the huddled masses check in 24 hours before the flight leaves.
I have mixed feelings. First, Southwest has made public statements indicating that they are likely not going to go down the path to hell that other airlines have and charge people for checking bags (Aside: I cannot tell you what hell traveling on US Airways was with everyone trying to cram 18 carry-ons in the overheads). So, they need another revenue stream, and this seems like a fairly benign way of doing it.
$10 is a tempting price for many people. It’s really not that much, but is it too much that you wouldn’t be willing to “risk it” to just check in with everyone else? For me, it’s likely a yes: unless everyone and their brother pays for it, I’m still going to get an A-level boarding number, which means I will still be able to get an aisle seat, though it might be a little further back than I am used to. Another option when not traveling solo is to have one person buy the EarlyBird, and have them save seats. It’s a little evil, but it’d work.
We’ll see what happens with this: if there are reports that when people check in at the 24-hour mark and start getting B boarding passes, then there might be a flurry of people ponying up the $10. I don’t think that will happen though: too many people who fly Southwest are incredibly cheap and, to put it kindly, not very travel-savvy, so I don’t think they’ll even know what the EarlyBird option is.
Chicago August 31, 2009
So, we had a Southwest credit to blow through, so we needed a SW destination that we wanted to actually go to and spend a long weekend. We’ve been to Chicago before, but either for not very long or during the winter. So, it was decided.
We found a good rate at the Intercontinental right on Michigan Ave, and it was a good hotel with nice rooms and a good staff. And, you couldn’t beat the location. We arrived in the morning and took the orange line from Midway to the hotel. We ended up buying a $14 3-day pass that was so convenient, in part because the CTA system is incredibly easy to use and largely convenient.
We got a room and just sort of puttered about, visiting Navy Pier and the Museum of Contemporary Art, which had a really cool exhibit from Olafur Eliasson, the guy who did those waterfalls under the NYC bridges. One piece, Beauty, was really captivating. Soon it was time for our tour of Wrigley, which was awesome: so much history, and just so cool to be right there in the dugout, press box, and locker room (see pictures of this and our visit to US Cellular at Stonesthrow). We then walked through Boystown and then on to a dinner of deep dish pizza at Giordano’s (I’ll be spooling out reviews of our eats at my review site, Chicken-Fried Caviar, starting with…).
Frontera Grill started us off right on Saturday, and then it was off on our architecture river cruise, which was a great way to see the city and relax (pics from this and our visit to Oak Park are also at Stonesthrow). We toddled a bit more and then it was time to train to US Cellular to see the O’s vanquish the White Sox and their fascism for not letting us upper-deckers see the lower deck AT ALL. Evil. And you have a meh stadium to begin with, so there.
Sunday morn, we headed out to Oak Park to soak up all of the wonderful Frank Lloyd Wright-ness of it all. Truly great, and a lovely little neighborhood. We then went back downtown to take in more of Millenium Park and its wackiness. We also partook of some urban putt-putt at the devilish greens at Grant Park, and also partook of some nice sangria while doing so. It was then time to prepare for our fabulous dinner at mk (review forthcoming) and then a stroll along Michigan Ave. one last time.
The next morning we rented a car and headed north to Six Flags, where we road some decent enough coasters, but were more impressed by the cleanliness and nice theming in the park. We then headed to the airport for our trip home (well, Rick went on to Denver for work).
Chicago really impressed me. I’d love to go back and hit the myriad things we didn’t do (Art Institute, Field Museum, an actual Cubs game, Robie House, among others), and get another taste of some fine Chicago vittles. Definitely on the return to list.
An Unhappy Playlist August 18, 2009
Not to dwell on the recent passing of my Grandma, but I wanted to add one more thing: in addition to composing the obituary, I was tasked with choosing the music for the service. I write about it here just because it’s something that I really never thought of, but thought that I should probably think about what I’d want, especially since music is so important to me. That post will have to wait. Instead, I’ll write about what I did for my Grandma.
My Grandma was not a music lover — in fact, I can’t think of a single recording she owned. So, I spent about a day rummaging through my iPod for inspiration. While listening, I realized that she had told me on several occasions how she loved a version of the 23rd Psalm I sang with the Pomona College Glee Club. It’s actually Bobby McFerrin’s version, wherein he replaces all of the masculine pronouns with feminine ones; in reviewing it, I discovered he actually wrote it for his mother, so I thought it was doubly appropriate.
Back to the iPod then. I thought about Rutter’s Requiem, which I also had sung in college. My favorite part of that piece is the Agnus Dei, which would have been way too morbid (but which might be played at my service, just to piss everyone off):
I had also thought of the Pie Jesu or the Lux Aeterna, but they were all a bit too classical.
So, I returned to some other songs I had sort of sung, and landed on “Sing Me to Heaven”: PGMC’s Brotherly Love had actually sung this (at least I don’t think I had sung it), and though it’s a bit cheesy, I still was moved by it, so I went with that as number two:
Finally, I couldn’t really avoid Neil Finn, could I? When I scrolled through and saw “Lullaby Requiem,” I knew I had found the closing song, especially with this line:
And the building blocks
Sometimes have to crash
Not meant to last like a mother’s love
I think they were appropriate — only moderately religious, like Grandma, but emphasizing her restfulness and her motherliness. Anyway, I thought it was good.
Yank August 18, 2009
The Yankee Stadium I visited a few times was, frankly, underwhelming. It may have been storied at one point, but it certainly had none of the amenities of the newer parks, nor did it have the feel of the next oldest parks I have been to — Fenway and Dodger Stadium. I didn’t see all the fuss.
With the new Yankee Stadium, I was looking forward to something more: adding all of the great amenities and perhaps adding in some charm. Frankly, they did neither. It’s a waste of an opportunity.
The exterior is mammoth, as befits the egos of the Yankees and many of their fans:
I’m actually fine with the gargantuan proportions. I find the enormous signs for the gates (look through the trees) out of scale and unnecessary, and the gilt lettering of the stadium is both tacky and oddly formal. I know they want it to be temple, but really.
You enter into the “Great Hall”:
Like some Venturi-esque atrium (see the Seattle Art Museum or Sainsbury Wing of the National Gallery), the Great Hall has potential, but there almost nothing there: it is just an elevator lobby and nothing more. Citizens Bank Park doesn’t have all that great an entrance, really, but at least you walk in and see home plate. Safeco of course has art a-plenty (including the whimsical “Tempest” at its entrance), which Yankee Stadium eschews.
We wanted to take advantage of the ability to walk around and still see the ballfield, an ability which they thankfully incorporated in the new design. So, we hiked up to the proper level and walked around. Concessions were more diverse and plentiful, so that was a definite improvement. However, once we were done with our walkabout, it was next to impossible to get to our seats in the upper level. We had to walk down a ramp (no stairs or elevator were available) to the Great Hall, and then take an elevator back up. Seriously. It was the most convoluted set-up I have ever seen. It was as if they wanted people to get to that main level, but then forgot that people had to actually sit somewhere. Incredibly stupid.
Our seats were high up, but the views of the field weren’t all that bad. However, the views of the stadium were as good as they can be when you have every available square foot devoted to advertising. I’m not some purist here, but there is a way that you can do it, and this isn’t it.
I also understand that there isn’t all that much to look at, unlike Citizens Bank Park or Safeco. However, there is a uniquely New York feature that they could have incorporated: the subway. They could have raised the scoreboard ten feet, and the fans could have seen the subway go back and forth. OK, it’s not that exciting, but it is something.
Overall, it’s just incredibly disappointing, and the new Yankee Stadium might rank as one of the worst major league parks I’ve been to, if only because they had such an opportunity (even with the site and “historical” constraints) to do something truly special and interesting.
Soon, I’ll be seeing a game at my sixteenth major league park (US Cellular Field) and taking a tour of another (Wrigley). Just in case you’re curious, here’s my complete list:
AL East: Fenway, both Yankee Stadiums, Oriole Park at Camden Yards
AL Central: Comerica Park, Metrodome
AL West: Safeco, Kingdome, Angels Stadium, Oakland/Alameda Coliseum
NL East: Citizens Bank Park, the Vet (I really do need to see the Nats’ stadium at least)
NL Central: PNC Park, Great American
NL West: Dodger Stadium
Top 5: Safeco, Citizens Bank Park, PNC, Fenway, Camden Yards
Top ones yet to visit: AT&T, Petco, and Kauffman, because I love me some waterfalls
Above it All August 16, 2009
I’m clearing out the drafts folder, so here goes.
When we were in NYC for Donna’s glorious nuptials, we did a good deal of walking and decided to explore the High Line. For those of you not aware, they’ve taken over elevated train tracks and converted into a public park, and it is simply genius. The perspective offered was amazing, and I really could not get enough of it. It meanders and includes quirks enough to offer interest as well as public and slightly more private spaces.
For example, there are chaises longues on which to relax:
Thus, you create a space where there is some privacy as well as a clear thoroughfare.
The vegetation right now is sparse, but included in planters right now that are ingenious:
Symbolically like the “park” itself — a green space infiltrating a decidedly non-green space, the vegetation seems to be breaking out of the concrete, creating an almost literal concrete jungle.
Rather than seeing these elevated tracks as objects to be destroyed, and nothing left but streetscape below them, someone got the bright idea to re-purpose them, creating a pedestrian thoroughfare that is already popular and a destination — apartments are already being built to feature the space. Such creativity and intelligence — I only wish other cities would think this way about objects and spaces before immediately calling in the wrecking ball.
More Grandma August 14, 2009
I’ll just put up some vignettes by way of letting the world know what a great woman she was:
- Some of my earliest memories of her are sessions sitting in her lap. Grandpa Wally had an uncanny ability to choose the largest, most perfect apples, and I would sit in Grandma’s lap while she first peeled them and then would cut little slices, one for her, one for me. She would also periodically nibble on my ear lobe, forever afflicting me with the need to do the same with my niece and anyone else who will let me do it.
- From the time I could read, Grandma sent me letters — often weekly, if not more frequent. This continued, with less regularity, until two weeks ago. I have a folder filled with her letters in her unmistakable penmanship — almost illegible, but once you got the hang of it, it became rococo, regal, and completely reflective of her personality — big and engaging. I dedicated my dissertation on epistolary novels to her, natch.
- One time we were watching the news, and there was a story about abortion rights. She turned to me and said, “Gregory, I just don’t understand why they can’t keep their hands off of my body.”
- My first semester at Pomona, I had twinges of homesickness. In my most plaintive voice, I called Grandma and asked if she could send down a batch of her amazing applesauce. The next day, I went to my mailbox, and waiting for me was a box containing the applesauce, plus little bowls and spoons for sharing, even though she knew I wouldn’t.
No offense to the ‘rents or Rick, but she was probably my most favorite person of my life. With her I was always safe, always smart, always accomplished — I was the best. And so was she. I knew in my head that this day would come, but I never believed it really. I think she knew how much I loved her, and I think I made her proud — I’m grateful for this knowledge and for having her in my life for so long.
Patricia J. Weight August 13, 2009
This is the obituary I wrote for my grandma, in case anyone is interested. More ruminations to follow no doubt…
Patricia J. Weight passed away on July 31. She was 80. Pat shared most of her life with her loving husband Wally, but she also shared so much with so many others. As a foodservice manager with Edmonds School District, she shared food, laughter, and care with hundreds of students and staff who loved and respected her. As a transplanted North Dakotan, she shared news from the Northwest with her extended family through myriad letters and lengthy calls that showed her need to connect with others and demonstrate her love for them. As a host to friends, she greeted you at the door with an endless list of the contents of her cupboards and fridge, all available to you – and despite initial protestations that you were fine, you always partook, knowing that she was offering more than food: she was offering you her love. As a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, she offered a lap to relax and feel safe in, a voice that boomed with wit, confidence, and interest, a mind that was razor-sharp and filled with stories and history, and a heart that brimmed with pride and unconditional love. All of these roles that Pat so masterfully played made her someone that all of us – her loving husband Wally, her innumerable friends, her devoted siblings, and her grateful children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren – will desperately miss and forever cherish.
Up the Hangover July 1, 2009
This is a story of expectations.
I went into Up thinking that it could not possible live up to the hype: that it could not be yet another tour de force from Pixar (despite yet again not having a female lead); that it could not uplift and make me laugh and make me cry and make me just a better person altogether.
I was wrong.
Very quickly I was laughing. Almost as quickly I was bawling (at a dialogue-less scene, no less). I became quickly invested, and really didn’t want the movie to end, but wanted to know what else would happen to these characters (what’s up with Russell’s dad? How’s Kevin?). I left surprisingly content.
I didn’t have the same experience with The Hangover.
First off, I enjoyed the film, but largely because of the force of nature that is Zach Galifianakis. It’s funny that I think my first notice of him was in Fiona Apple’s “Not about Love” video, and I remember thinking, “who the hell?”.
Oh, and BTW, I can’t not embed this, not just because of the hilarity, but it also makes me remember how much I love Anita Baker:
Anyway, he’s just insanely funny in this movie. From his first appearance to his last still image, he is just laugh-out-loud funny.
In the end though, I just didn’t care that much about anything else. Bradley Cooper is easy to look at, but he didn’t do much here except be a jerk, and Ed Helms’s shtick as the put-upon fiance wore thin. Some of the situations were funny, but I actually would have liked to have experienced some of what we find out was a wild night (BTW, why didn’t the credits reveal the cause of something that the film promises they would? CONTINUITY!), because I think that also would have been fun, but I just got a little bored after a while. The Vegasness of it all was great, and I enjoyed the movie overall, but this might be a case where my expectations were a bit too high, but that’s what happens when just about everyone says they loved it. (Oh, and there was probably one or two too many gay jokes. I can take quite a bit, especially when they are spewed by obvious jerks, but it felt too easy sometimes)
Next movie? Likely The Proposal (Betty White!) or Goodbye Solo
