i'm afraid of losing all the files on my hard drive, so i'm trying to put most of my writing here as a back up.
i just posted my senior seminar story. it's in May 2006 (i wrote it from January - April 2006). it's quite long but if you're interested, go for it.
i can't decide what i think of it now. i suppose it's not fair to retrospectively edit; but there are things i would change. there are also lots of things i still wouldn't.
it's called "the things we hold on to." i think only 3 people have ever read it.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
the world by road
so i'm here at reporter's, again. christmas is officially over (yet, the christmas markets are still open... which i don't understand. close them already so i can walk from mustek to the post office without running into 157 people, milling around eating those sugary roll things and not paying attention to where they're going).
i feel pretty terrible because i've had 6 days of vacation so far and i've been just sitting around. having fun with the girls, of course, but feeling like i/we should have taken advantage of this time off to travel. some did -- lori to budapest, anna to the mountains, julie, amanda and marie to vienna -- but i just didn't get it together in time. i had wanted to go to italy, but after christmas shopping for myself, buying a new metro pass and filling my phone with credits, i've got about 400Kc leftover.
i've been in europe for almost 4 months and i've barely been anywhere. dresden and vienna for less than a day combined.
one advantage of staying in town was the opportunity to meet lori's friends, steve and steve. all of those stranded in prague for christmas gathered at drew/marie's apartment saturday night. lori had just returned from her trip to budapest and bratislava, which she embarked on with her friends from college -- the aformentioned steve and steve -- who are in the midst of travelling around the world.
i can easily say that every one of the people i've met so far while i've been abroad have opened me up to a new experience or worldview and whether very or maybe only a little different than mine, they've all been valuable. but these two blew my mind. they dropped everything -- quit very secure jobs, cashed in 401Ks, planned for two years -- and have been travelling now for almost a year.
and they're driving all of it. they started in LA, went through new zealand and australia and asia. lori met them as they entered eastern europe. they came through prague on the way to berlin to go through denmark, sweden and norway, back through london and eventually to africa. they still have about 10 months or so left to circumnavigate the globe latitudinally and longitudinally.
talking to them was fascinating. we couldn't stop asking them questions (that i'm sure they've heard a thousand times), but they were always willing to share their stories. they talked about catching dengay (sp?) fever, which causes internal hemorrhaging and at its worst makes you cough blood and bleed from your eyes. hat-of-child steve showed me a scar on his elbow from a cut he stitched himself. i can't remember all the things he told me, and that was only the tip of the iceberg.
it was pretty inspiring. they're smart guys but there's nothing unusual about their story other than they both were willing to do anything to have this experience. it made me feel pretty bad about never having left the united states until i was 23 and staying here in europe without taking advantage of the opportunity to travel.
i can't really put into words how cool it was to meet them and how amazing their story is. you can check out their trip on http://www.theworldbyroad.com. they have a blog and pictures, and you can meet up with them for a part of their journey.
i feel pretty terrible because i've had 6 days of vacation so far and i've been just sitting around. having fun with the girls, of course, but feeling like i/we should have taken advantage of this time off to travel. some did -- lori to budapest, anna to the mountains, julie, amanda and marie to vienna -- but i just didn't get it together in time. i had wanted to go to italy, but after christmas shopping for myself, buying a new metro pass and filling my phone with credits, i've got about 400Kc leftover.
i've been in europe for almost 4 months and i've barely been anywhere. dresden and vienna for less than a day combined.
one advantage of staying in town was the opportunity to meet lori's friends, steve and steve. all of those stranded in prague for christmas gathered at drew/marie's apartment saturday night. lori had just returned from her trip to budapest and bratislava, which she embarked on with her friends from college -- the aformentioned steve and steve -- who are in the midst of travelling around the world.
i can easily say that every one of the people i've met so far while i've been abroad have opened me up to a new experience or worldview and whether very or maybe only a little different than mine, they've all been valuable. but these two blew my mind. they dropped everything -- quit very secure jobs, cashed in 401Ks, planned for two years -- and have been travelling now for almost a year.
and they're driving all of it. they started in LA, went through new zealand and australia and asia. lori met them as they entered eastern europe. they came through prague on the way to berlin to go through denmark, sweden and norway, back through london and eventually to africa. they still have about 10 months or so left to circumnavigate the globe latitudinally and longitudinally.
talking to them was fascinating. we couldn't stop asking them questions (that i'm sure they've heard a thousand times), but they were always willing to share their stories. they talked about catching dengay (sp?) fever, which causes internal hemorrhaging and at its worst makes you cough blood and bleed from your eyes. hat-of-child steve showed me a scar on his elbow from a cut he stitched himself. i can't remember all the things he told me, and that was only the tip of the iceberg.
it was pretty inspiring. they're smart guys but there's nothing unusual about their story other than they both were willing to do anything to have this experience. it made me feel pretty bad about never having left the united states until i was 23 and staying here in europe without taking advantage of the opportunity to travel.
i can't really put into words how cool it was to meet them and how amazing their story is. you can check out their trip on http://www.theworldbyroad.com. they have a blog and pictures, and you can meet up with them for a part of their journey.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
some artsy-fartsy writer shit
i know what it's like to be close to someone without ever having kissed them; a different kind of closeness. the closeness you feel when someone takes your finger and traces the skyline of their bottom teeth. when they can tell you they don't change their underwear everyday. when you tell them things you've never told anyone, like fights you've had with best friends or things you've stolen or that you sucked your thumb until you were twenty.
i didn't tell you that yet.
but i haven't decided yet which kind of closeness is more dangerous; the sexual kind or the other kind. i don't know which kind is safer or which one is less likely to rip open old wounds.
i didn't tell you that yet.
but i haven't decided yet which kind of closeness is more dangerous; the sexual kind or the other kind. i don't know which kind is safer or which one is less likely to rip open old wounds.
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
simply having a wonderful christmastime
i want to write a blog today but i really don't have much to say.
i woke up later than usual, around 11, and figured i'd spend the whole day in bed. i was out late last night and i sort of didn't feel like getting dressed, going out in the cold, etc. my gameplan was to sleep and read all day.
i finished "the god of small things" by 1 o'clock or so and then got bored. i headed into town, hoping to find an internet cafe run by someone with very little christmas spirit (so it would actually be open). instead, i ended up at lori's. so we're internetting, possibly watching nip/tuck soon, and eating leftover carp and potato salad.
i never disliked christmas as much as i do this year. my dad always hated it and i could never understand why -- i knew the reason, that it was a holiday he used to celebrate with my mom and it only reminded him that they were divorced. he never bought into all the hoopla -- he hated having a real tree (if it was up to him we wouldn't have had one at all). he played along for a while, but after i reached high-school age, he stopped wanting to put the effort in and we were forced to settle for his compromise -- a three-foot artificial.
i remember senior year, BJ and i drove to the tree lot at the "pitt rent-a-center" and picked out a tree by ourselves. we bought it, strapped it to the roof of my old black cavalier, and put it up ourselves in the living room. we spent hours decorating it as my dad sat in the next room, uninterested. (i can remember every ornament. the gingerbread men, one for each of us -- mom, dad, bj and myself -- made by our family friend, the huge Coca Cola balls that, as a rule, went on the bottom branches because they were heavy, the stuffed animal Flounder from the Little Mermaid. there were so many more, and they're all broken now, water damaged or lost. the lights were the 140 set that played christmas songs and had 12 different blinking patterns.)
my brother would also be left in charge of putting up the outside twinkle lights.
being alone at christmas in prague has helped me understand a little better how my dad must have felt. it's a holiday that makes you appreciate all the good things you have -- family, love, wealth or comfort -- but also highlights the lack thereof. i never thought i'd feel sad about not seeing my family on christmas, or not having anyone special to spend it with. but when i woke up this morning, i didn't want to see anyone -- i just wanted to sleep the day away.
it's even worse because every single person i have encountered makes it seem like the saddest thing ever that i might be alone on christmas. students, friends. i couldn't understand what the big deal was, but now i think i do.
i think the saddest part of christmas is that it ends abruptly -- on the 26th it's over. weeks are spent shopping, decorating, planning, then its gone in a blink. you put away the stockings, the decorations. the lights come down. the tree is un-trimmed. the christmas dinner is now some scant leftovers packed into tupperware. wrapping paper discarded, greeting cards tucked away. on december 26th its like none of it happened. all that build up for one day and then its over.
christmas used to be one of my favorite holidays. i never thought i could be so pessimistic about it.
anyway, we had a great christmas, the six or so of us stranded alone in prague. we made the carp and turkey, got drunk and went to a casino. lori and i even stepped into midnight mass for a few minutes. i'm not a churchgoer but it was amazing. easily the most beautiful church i've ever seen in a country full of atheists. tonight we'll watch nip/tuck and eat leftovers.
tomorrow will be december 26th.
i woke up later than usual, around 11, and figured i'd spend the whole day in bed. i was out late last night and i sort of didn't feel like getting dressed, going out in the cold, etc. my gameplan was to sleep and read all day.
i finished "the god of small things" by 1 o'clock or so and then got bored. i headed into town, hoping to find an internet cafe run by someone with very little christmas spirit (so it would actually be open). instead, i ended up at lori's. so we're internetting, possibly watching nip/tuck soon, and eating leftover carp and potato salad.
i never disliked christmas as much as i do this year. my dad always hated it and i could never understand why -- i knew the reason, that it was a holiday he used to celebrate with my mom and it only reminded him that they were divorced. he never bought into all the hoopla -- he hated having a real tree (if it was up to him we wouldn't have had one at all). he played along for a while, but after i reached high-school age, he stopped wanting to put the effort in and we were forced to settle for his compromise -- a three-foot artificial.
i remember senior year, BJ and i drove to the tree lot at the "pitt rent-a-center" and picked out a tree by ourselves. we bought it, strapped it to the roof of my old black cavalier, and put it up ourselves in the living room. we spent hours decorating it as my dad sat in the next room, uninterested. (i can remember every ornament. the gingerbread men, one for each of us -- mom, dad, bj and myself -- made by our family friend, the huge Coca Cola balls that, as a rule, went on the bottom branches because they were heavy, the stuffed animal Flounder from the Little Mermaid. there were so many more, and they're all broken now, water damaged or lost. the lights were the 140 set that played christmas songs and had 12 different blinking patterns.)
my brother would also be left in charge of putting up the outside twinkle lights.
being alone at christmas in prague has helped me understand a little better how my dad must have felt. it's a holiday that makes you appreciate all the good things you have -- family, love, wealth or comfort -- but also highlights the lack thereof. i never thought i'd feel sad about not seeing my family on christmas, or not having anyone special to spend it with. but when i woke up this morning, i didn't want to see anyone -- i just wanted to sleep the day away.
it's even worse because every single person i have encountered makes it seem like the saddest thing ever that i might be alone on christmas. students, friends. i couldn't understand what the big deal was, but now i think i do.
i think the saddest part of christmas is that it ends abruptly -- on the 26th it's over. weeks are spent shopping, decorating, planning, then its gone in a blink. you put away the stockings, the decorations. the lights come down. the tree is un-trimmed. the christmas dinner is now some scant leftovers packed into tupperware. wrapping paper discarded, greeting cards tucked away. on december 26th its like none of it happened. all that build up for one day and then its over.
christmas used to be one of my favorite holidays. i never thought i could be so pessimistic about it.
anyway, we had a great christmas, the six or so of us stranded alone in prague. we made the carp and turkey, got drunk and went to a casino. lori and i even stepped into midnight mass for a few minutes. i'm not a churchgoer but it was amazing. easily the most beautiful church i've ever seen in a country full of atheists. tonight we'll watch nip/tuck and eat leftovers.
tomorrow will be december 26th.
Monday, December 24, 2007
christmas eve
so tonight, for christmas eve, the girls got together to have dinner. lori made a turkey and i was in charge of the carp.
apparently the traditional meal in a czech christmas is carp and potato salad. i don't know why. so, being the testers of new culture that we are, we decided we should eat carp on christmas, too.
yesterday lori and i went to namesti miru to buy the carp. about 6 days before christmas, the carp stands turn up along the streets. it's amazing.
we walked up. a little timid at first, we stood around watching, hoping to see some other people order their carp so we'd know what to do. lori asked the "carp man" if he spoke english, and he didn't. so we decided we needed to ask for "jedna" or one, and if he asked us any other questions we were screwed.
we observed that someone would walk up and say something, then the guy would fish a carp out of a big bucket with a net. he'd throw it on a scale and then ask the person if it was big or small enough. so, we thought we could just say "okay" or maybe say "malo" which is pretty close to saying "small."
we tried that, but he started asking us questions in czech that we couldn't answer. we gave him a thumbs up and a "dobre" to okay the size of the fish, but then we got stuck. luckily, a red-headed lady behind us in line spoke some english. otherwise i think the guy was ready to hand us a live fish. she told him to kill it and gut it.
it was disgusting. maybe i'm just not used to seeing it. a little girl, maybe four years old, was with her father and she seemed to be loving it. she kept leaning over the bucket, trying to touch the live fish. she didn't seem phased at all by the three guys less than five feet away who were chopping the heads off of those same fish.
so they take a fish, weigh it, then the guy promptly kills it by severing its spinal cord (i think?). then he cuts its head off. when we first got there, four heads were sitting on the butchering platform and one was still "breathing," or i guess its gills were gasping for water. this guy was laughing as he chopped off the fishes head. they seemed to take their jobs lightly; five minutes before they were butchering our fish, elbow deep in blood and guts, all three of the fishmongers were chowing down on sandwiches.
they handed back our change, crowns covered in fish blood and guts, and a bag of insides and the fish head. cleaning, skinning and cutting up that fish tonight was one of the toughest things i've done for a meal in my life. it's pretty cool to know what it feels like to actually work for a meal instead of only having it slapped down in front of you.
we've proudly displayed our carp head, named "vaclav," on lori and anna's dining room table.
apparently the traditional meal in a czech christmas is carp and potato salad. i don't know why. so, being the testers of new culture that we are, we decided we should eat carp on christmas, too.
yesterday lori and i went to namesti miru to buy the carp. about 6 days before christmas, the carp stands turn up along the streets. it's amazing.
we walked up. a little timid at first, we stood around watching, hoping to see some other people order their carp so we'd know what to do. lori asked the "carp man" if he spoke english, and he didn't. so we decided we needed to ask for "jedna" or one, and if he asked us any other questions we were screwed.
we observed that someone would walk up and say something, then the guy would fish a carp out of a big bucket with a net. he'd throw it on a scale and then ask the person if it was big or small enough. so, we thought we could just say "okay" or maybe say "malo" which is pretty close to saying "small."
we tried that, but he started asking us questions in czech that we couldn't answer. we gave him a thumbs up and a "dobre" to okay the size of the fish, but then we got stuck. luckily, a red-headed lady behind us in line spoke some english. otherwise i think the guy was ready to hand us a live fish. she told him to kill it and gut it.
it was disgusting. maybe i'm just not used to seeing it. a little girl, maybe four years old, was with her father and she seemed to be loving it. she kept leaning over the bucket, trying to touch the live fish. she didn't seem phased at all by the three guys less than five feet away who were chopping the heads off of those same fish.
so they take a fish, weigh it, then the guy promptly kills it by severing its spinal cord (i think?). then he cuts its head off. when we first got there, four heads were sitting on the butchering platform and one was still "breathing," or i guess its gills were gasping for water. this guy was laughing as he chopped off the fishes head. they seemed to take their jobs lightly; five minutes before they were butchering our fish, elbow deep in blood and guts, all three of the fishmongers were chowing down on sandwiches.
they handed back our change, crowns covered in fish blood and guts, and a bag of insides and the fish head. cleaning, skinning and cutting up that fish tonight was one of the toughest things i've done for a meal in my life. it's pretty cool to know what it feels like to actually work for a meal instead of only having it slapped down in front of you.
we've proudly displayed our carp head, named "vaclav," on lori and anna's dining room table.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
the white t-shirt roadtrip and other travel plans
everytime i look around my room, i'm disgusted at myself for bringing so many clothes with me. i brought two huge suitcases and a carry on and another big bag, and there is no reason for it. i hardly wear any of it. up until last week, most of it had been dirty since september.
i'm a packrat. i love keeping stuff, but i love keeping it so that someday i can throw it away. nothing feels better than shoving stuff into a trash bag. so, i think it would be equally liberating to travel with hardly anything. instead of lugging three giant suitcases around prague -- through the airport, into a transport van, up the fucking stairs at the villa, into a taxi, up 5 floors in our new place -- wouldn't it be awesome to just have one?
so the next time i travel i'm travelling light as possible. when i get back to the states, whenever that will be, the next big trip i want to take is another cross-country roadtrip. i was just looking at pictures from the trip i took with brendan to LA in june 2006, and it made me want to do it again. i want to take the northern route out to seattle, come down the west coast, then take the southern route through new mexico, arizona, texas, etc. then back up the east coast.
i want someone or several people to come with me, but the only rule is: you can only bring one backpack. you can only bring an extra pair of shoes and jeans, a thicker layer (sweatshirt or long-sleeved t-shirt, maybe a jacket if its cold but this would ideally take place in the summer), underwear obviously, and a pack of plain white t-shirts*. that's it!
everytime i've travelled i overpack and i always think "oh, i'll want to wear all these things..." but i never actually want them. i always end up wearing jeans and a t-shirt. and it's better that way, because who cares.
my other travel plans are: the trans-siberian railway. from january on i'm saving money so i can go in july.
let me know if you want to join me.
*piece of advice: if you ever find yourself in the men's department in target/walmart/your respective discount department store, purchasing your plain white t's, and you're trying to decide between the five-pack of Hanes or Fruit of the Loom, always buy Hanes! I've made this mistake one too many times.
i'm a packrat. i love keeping stuff, but i love keeping it so that someday i can throw it away. nothing feels better than shoving stuff into a trash bag. so, i think it would be equally liberating to travel with hardly anything. instead of lugging three giant suitcases around prague -- through the airport, into a transport van, up the fucking stairs at the villa, into a taxi, up 5 floors in our new place -- wouldn't it be awesome to just have one?
so the next time i travel i'm travelling light as possible. when i get back to the states, whenever that will be, the next big trip i want to take is another cross-country roadtrip. i was just looking at pictures from the trip i took with brendan to LA in june 2006, and it made me want to do it again. i want to take the northern route out to seattle, come down the west coast, then take the southern route through new mexico, arizona, texas, etc. then back up the east coast.
i want someone or several people to come with me, but the only rule is: you can only bring one backpack. you can only bring an extra pair of shoes and jeans, a thicker layer (sweatshirt or long-sleeved t-shirt, maybe a jacket if its cold but this would ideally take place in the summer), underwear obviously, and a pack of plain white t-shirts*. that's it!
everytime i've travelled i overpack and i always think "oh, i'll want to wear all these things..." but i never actually want them. i always end up wearing jeans and a t-shirt. and it's better that way, because who cares.
my other travel plans are: the trans-siberian railway. from january on i'm saving money so i can go in july.
let me know if you want to join me.
*piece of advice: if you ever find yourself in the men's department in target/walmart/your respective discount department store, purchasing your plain white t's, and you're trying to decide between the five-pack of Hanes or Fruit of the Loom, always buy Hanes! I've made this mistake one too many times.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
saturday, bored.
i spent the whole day inside. i woke up at 10, read a little, ate some soup for lunch, sat around some more, took a nap, took a shower. you cannot imagine how boring it is to be alone in a strange city with no internet, tv, or way to watch movies. i guess i could go out and "do something" but its really cold, and i kinda don't feel like it. it's the first day of christmas break, which i think is suitable only for loafing around. but i couldn't stand being inside anymore so i went to use the internet.
so i'm sitting in this little cafe, called reporter's, that's nextdoor to my apartment. it just opened maybe two weeks ago. it's pretty cool inside, but i don't think anyone knows about it because i'm always the only one in here. the barkeep speaks english a little, so basically the two of us just sit in silence while i use the internet and he texts on his phone or reads. he usually puts music on. (today, i think the same song played for 20 minutes). it's the kind of situation where you would usually talk with the other person or else it would be super awkward, but its not for us, because we do not share a common language. so we both mind our own business, which is nice.
today, however, i'm not alone at reporter's. i'd been here for 45 minutes or so by myself, and then this older gentlemen came in. i've never seen anyone else come in that didn't know the person working at the time, so i assume that the only other patrons are friends of the business. he started speaking to the barkeep. after a while, though, the barkeep stopped listening. he came back over and sat at the computer like he usually does while this guy kept yapping away -- which leads me to believe this guy is a crazy drunk.
the guy kept talking at him, and he'd answer occasionally, sometimes even walking over to the bar to chat.
sidebar: that song that played for 20 minutes earlier just started again! he must love it.
anyway, so the guy kept talking and then started motioning to me. he said something to the barkeep, who replied in czech "she speaks english."
then the weird guy went: "anglicky! anglicky! you speak english?" to me. i said yes. he said "so you are english?" and i said "no, i'm from the united states."
"oh!! the united states! so, ac/dc and judas priest!"
i pretended i couldn't understand him, but he definitely asked me something about ad/dc and judas priest. presumably he wanted to say that he either knew they were american bands (and actually i think ad/dc are from australia, right?) or that they were bands he thought i'd like.
i just sorta shrugged. he made a motion like "oh, nevermind." then just kept yapping away.
so, two other guys just came in, and they all seem to know each other. i'm kinda nervous and actually really, really glad i can't speak czech, because i can just sit here and eavesdrop on them.
i'm so bored.
so i'm sitting in this little cafe, called reporter's, that's nextdoor to my apartment. it just opened maybe two weeks ago. it's pretty cool inside, but i don't think anyone knows about it because i'm always the only one in here. the barkeep speaks english a little, so basically the two of us just sit in silence while i use the internet and he texts on his phone or reads. he usually puts music on. (today, i think the same song played for 20 minutes). it's the kind of situation where you would usually talk with the other person or else it would be super awkward, but its not for us, because we do not share a common language. so we both mind our own business, which is nice.
today, however, i'm not alone at reporter's. i'd been here for 45 minutes or so by myself, and then this older gentlemen came in. i've never seen anyone else come in that didn't know the person working at the time, so i assume that the only other patrons are friends of the business. he started speaking to the barkeep. after a while, though, the barkeep stopped listening. he came back over and sat at the computer like he usually does while this guy kept yapping away -- which leads me to believe this guy is a crazy drunk.
the guy kept talking at him, and he'd answer occasionally, sometimes even walking over to the bar to chat.
sidebar: that song that played for 20 minutes earlier just started again! he must love it.
anyway, so the guy kept talking and then started motioning to me. he said something to the barkeep, who replied in czech "she speaks english."
then the weird guy went: "anglicky! anglicky! you speak english?" to me. i said yes. he said "so you are english?" and i said "no, i'm from the united states."
"oh!! the united states! so, ac/dc and judas priest!"
i pretended i couldn't understand him, but he definitely asked me something about ad/dc and judas priest. presumably he wanted to say that he either knew they were american bands (and actually i think ad/dc are from australia, right?) or that they were bands he thought i'd like.
i just sorta shrugged. he made a motion like "oh, nevermind." then just kept yapping away.
so, two other guys just came in, and they all seem to know each other. i'm kinda nervous and actually really, really glad i can't speak czech, because i can just sit here and eavesdrop on them.
i'm so bored.
Friday, December 21, 2007
pitt basketball memories!
yesterday, i learned how to use titles. i couldn't figure it out. turns out you have to turn them on...
i'm smart.
pitt beat duke!
i don't know about everyone at pitt, but is this the "same old, same old" story - where pitt does really well in the preseason, only to disappoint in the tournament - or is this year different? i want to say beating duke is a pretty big deal, regardless if it was only by one point in overtime. i haven't seen any pitt games this season, so they could be playing like shit for all i know.
i guess there's always a year when a team surprises you. sometimes it takes 15 years (and counting - for the pirates), but pitt has been strong for ...what... 5 or 6 seasons now?
it seems like every year has been marked by some sort of failure instead of triumph. i can still remember freshman or sophomore year (not sure -- i guess i can't remember that well after all), donatas zavakis whining on the sideline as pitt lost prematurely in the tournament. i think they got to the sweet sixteen? who knows.
remember when yuri demetris punched his girlfriend in the face? i wonder whatever happened to him.
chris taft looked like snoop dog and/or plaxico burress.
carl krauser was never as good as brandin knight.
2 years ago, the scoreboard on the TV during pitt's matchup with bradley in the second round read "BRAD PITT."
haha.
i hope this is the year for pitt basketball. jamie dixon deserves it, if nothing else. i'd be kinda sad to miss it because campus will be out of control. go pitt!
i'm smart.
pitt beat duke!
i don't know about everyone at pitt, but is this the "same old, same old" story - where pitt does really well in the preseason, only to disappoint in the tournament - or is this year different? i want to say beating duke is a pretty big deal, regardless if it was only by one point in overtime. i haven't seen any pitt games this season, so they could be playing like shit for all i know.
i guess there's always a year when a team surprises you. sometimes it takes 15 years (and counting - for the pirates), but pitt has been strong for ...what... 5 or 6 seasons now?
it seems like every year has been marked by some sort of failure instead of triumph. i can still remember freshman or sophomore year (not sure -- i guess i can't remember that well after all), donatas zavakis whining on the sideline as pitt lost prematurely in the tournament. i think they got to the sweet sixteen? who knows.
remember when yuri demetris punched his girlfriend in the face? i wonder whatever happened to him.
chris taft looked like snoop dog and/or plaxico burress.
carl krauser was never as good as brandin knight.
2 years ago, the scoreboard on the TV during pitt's matchup with bradley in the second round read "BRAD PITT."
haha.
i hope this is the year for pitt basketball. jamie dixon deserves it, if nothing else. i'd be kinda sad to miss it because campus will be out of control. go pitt!
Thursday, December 20, 2007
prague public transportation awards
i don't ride the metro much anymore. mostly just the green line. but the best thing about riding the metro (other than metro surfing) is seeing the signs on the wall that identify the metro stop. some of them are really cool, and some of them are downright ugly.
i've decided to rank them.
best: hloubetin on the yellow line. i've always been a sucker for the yellow-green-blue color combination. also noteworthy, cerny most is a boring stop (color-wise), but the coolest thing ever is seeing the scenery go by through the tinted windows that enclose the tracks after it comes up from underground.
runner up: namesti miru/JZP. mustek is okay, but the green-yellow is a little bit of a cop-out, considering those are the colors of the lines that intersect there.
honorable mention: namesti republiky (chrome!) and starometska.
worst: almost all of the stops on the red line are boring. they all look the same. so take your pick.
this is an ongoing project because i've yet to see every stop. also, my next project is "best tram line." there will also be a category for "most difficult line to tram surf" and "line that could use more frequent trams."
stay tuned.
i've decided to rank them.
best: hloubetin on the yellow line. i've always been a sucker for the yellow-green-blue color combination. also noteworthy, cerny most is a boring stop (color-wise), but the coolest thing ever is seeing the scenery go by through the tinted windows that enclose the tracks after it comes up from underground.
runner up: namesti miru/JZP. mustek is okay, but the green-yellow is a little bit of a cop-out, considering those are the colors of the lines that intersect there.
honorable mention: namesti republiky (chrome!) and starometska.
worst: almost all of the stops on the red line are boring. they all look the same. so take your pick.
this is an ongoing project because i've yet to see every stop. also, my next project is "best tram line." there will also be a category for "most difficult line to tram surf" and "line that could use more frequent trams."
stay tuned.
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