The Met Man, Vans, and Tuba

Got to play with Dr. Denson Paul Pollard (Bass/Tenor Trombonist of The Metropolitan Opera) last week. It was pretty bad ass. My new Vans look pretty good too. Love those shoes. 

Disconnect

Just about everyone in the Free World interacts with the internet in some way. It's a normal condition to be available to a slew of acquaintances, friends, and even strangers at the touch of your cell phone. I watched Disconnect (2012), thinking this would be a mediocre survey of the situations our connections with one another brings us. The surprise was not pleasant. Rather, it was a deeply relevant and honest side of the truth about our relationships, both in real life and in cyber space.

The three story lines weave in and out of each other to highlight the dealings with social media, grief, identity theft, marital and familial relationships, and lots of secrets. Paula Patton and Alexander Skarsgard play a troubled married couple trying to cope with death. Jason Bateman is a lawyer, husband, and father of two high school children; a family living the 21st century American Dream. The other story line takes place between a newswoman and a young guy in the internet sex industry.

Visually, I found the movie very interesting because of the muted colors used in the wardrobes and camera filters. It showed how often we can physically be somewhere but not really be present. The soundtrack was always brooding with angst, anxiety, and loneliness. At the start of the movie, I felt like I was falling and that feeling never went away.

This isn't one of those thrillers where you're trying to string dots together. Instead, you see inevitable misfortunes coming that cut deep, in spite of the foresight. It is a powerful movie.

Story Time: A Wild Wolverine Runs into A Bunch of Poisonous Nuts on the Beach

I'm in Miami Beach, it's after 1AM, and I'm starving after a very long and satisfying Orange Bowl. Honestly, I wanted a smoothie. But there was no one making stuff like that so late, which was weird as it was Friday. Bars and small food joints are open til 4 in the morning. I decided to take a quick walk from the hotel to find some eats. There was one Cuban sandwich place that I remembered was good from the last time I was here or there was Burger King. For some strange reason, I liked the idea of Burger King: they sell beer and they're open 24 hours! Heaven, at least until you have to reconcile your decision to eat crap with a very angry stomach the next day.

It didn't look very crowded inside, as I approached the Burger King door. I see an alarming amount (two guys) in red and white athletic gear. And having just come from the Orange Bowl where I got "Go Blue(d)" at, cursed at, and "you're a brave guy to be wearing that shirt," I was a little on edge. Oh, but that's a Yale dri-fit shirt. Why Yale? Whatever. Not a Buckeye fan. Not a big deal. Don't get me wrong, I can take jeering and I can give it back. But I was tired and I wanted to eat. So this was especially welcome relief.

While I'm waiting, must have been for less than a minute, the far door to my right is overflowing with OSU fans. And they were headed my way to meet up with their lone Yale and OSU fans. Okay, so I'm awake now. Here we go, I'm thinking.

OSU guy: "Are you alone?"
Me: Excuse me? Me?
OSU guy: "Yeah, are you by yourself?"
Me: "Yeah..."
OSU guy: "Oh yeah, go ahead."

I'm thinking okay, how nice. He's letting me cut in line, since there are a good 15 of them that have to order.






Me: "Oh okay. Thanks." Pause... "Wait, what? You mean order?"
OSU Lady: "Yeah. Just do it. It's fine...." Then some other words about how terrible the game was and (joking) how this is a once in a lifetime to get free Burger King from your enemy or something.
Me: "Oh, I thought you just meant I could go ahead of you in line."
OSU Guy: No it's fine. Get whatever you want."
Me: "You sure?"
OSU Guy: "Yeah. Get what you want. What do you want?"
Me: pause. "I'll have a whopper..."

After all of that, these guys start chatting me up and vice versa. The guy and his daughters, wife, friends, all their daughters' boyfriends... all these people were with him. I'm asking where they're from (some Ohio, some Tennessee), they're asking me what I do, where I live, etc. Turns out it was one of these girls' 21st birthday. I hugged her(?). I hugged her. Told her she "might have to take a shower after she touched me," since we're mortal enemies and all.

Having traveled with the football team as a Michigan cheerleader, tailgated near opponents as a Michigan student, gone to other schools to visit friends, blah blah blah... These were some (dare I say) really cool people. Nicest fans I've ever come into contact with. Notre Dame fans were the worst rival experience I've had to date (different story but it involves beer cans, being mooned, cursed at, and four year olds). I don't hate ("THE") Ohio State any less. But I do have a much larger respect for their fan base (who dominated the Clemson fans at Sun Life stadium). I previously perceived OSU fans as being a bunch of Walmart fans, frankly. I've been proven wrong to a large degree. I know that every school has asshole fans, even my own. But when you have an archrival, it's like a socially encouraged permission to be a bigot. One learns to hate sports teams/fans on principal and ask questions later. "Are you here by yourself?" was one of the best questions someone has ever asked me.