Mountain Climbers vs. Bering Sea Fishermen

as i have talked about many times before, i love the show "deadliest catch". it captures stories of men that no fiction can replicate. this season has started off with real life drama effecting the fleet: capt. phil can't go out for the season, capt. keith has health issues, capt. sig is getting older, and there is open competition for a spot on the time bandit which is causing some rifts to appear in the crew. on top of all that, last night's episode featured the story of the fishing boat katmai. the katmai sank in a storm and only 4 out of the 11 crew on board managed to survive.

the story of the survivors on the katmai was a harrowing one. the boat started taking on water in the middle of the night. recognizing the danger they were in, the captain ordered his crew into survival suits. all except one managed to get theirs on before the boat went under. soon after entering the water other troubles surfaced amidst 40ft. seas and howling winds: the crew was separated into two lifeboats, 6 in one and 4 in the other (no one from the 4 man boat survived); one crew member had a hole in the boot of his survival suit; one crew member had to remove his suit to fasten the canopy of the life raft; the raft was flipped by a wave causing the half-dressed crewman and the one with the hole on his boot to be tossed far from the raft and both perished. the remaining 4 held on for dear life and managed to survive the night and were rescued by the coast guard the next day.

survival stories like this always fascinate me (see this post on previous stories of heroism on deadliest catch). while watching last night's episode i started to think about survival stories of the fisherman and how they compared to stories of mountain climbers who find themselves caught in survival situations. the keys to survival in both require the same skills: clear thinking, quick action, reliance on teamwork, and the will to survive. both take place under the most adverse conditions on earth. the fishermen have to stay alive fighting the ocean and the weather, the climbers fight the mountain, altitude, and weather. neither situation is one i want to find myself in, but i am still fascinated by these stories because they represent the true epitome of the human spirit and pit man against his most ancient enemy: nature.

i think this is one of the reasons i like going on mountain climbing adventures. even though i have never been in extreme conditions like a lot of the climbers i have read about on mountains like K2 and everest, but there is still an element of danger and imminent death while on the mountain. you can never turn your back on the mountain, no matter how easy the hill is, because once you disrespect mother nature, that is when she gets you. it is that thrill of living on the edge that i enjoy so much, i think. this is not to say i have a death wish or anything or that the climbs i have been on were extremely life threatenting, but there is always that possibility and even at extreme altitudes, it is something you always have to be aware of. mountain climbing is as much of a mental exercise as it is a physical one. i cannot tell you how many times on my way up rainier i wanted to quit because i thought i couldn't make it...but i could and i did. i had the mental toughness to push through to the top.

that bravery and courage is what the members of the katmai exhibited, as well as the members of the rest of the fleet. these guys are tough as nails and will do whatever it takes to get the job done. they all know the risks of the profession, just like mountain climbers do when they embark on a trek. i think this is one of the reasons i like that show so much and watch it with such rapt attention.

It's Been Such a Long Time

the blog is back! there have been many events over the course of the past year and a half that made me think about blogging again: the phillies world series victory, the election of barack obama, and the return of phish, but none of them seemed to push the right buttons to get me back on the train to write until my lightning bolt of inspiration last night: that travis bickle is michael scott is leslie knope.

now, who are these people, you might ask? i'll tell you. travis bickle is the hero (anti-hero?) of martin scorsese's 1976 masterpiece "taxi driver". bickle is played by a young robert de niro and also stars cybill shepherd, albert brooks, a YOUNG jodie foster, and harvey keitel. the character of travis bickle is very complex. it's a story about a man who is completely clueless about the world around him. he can't seem to fit in with society, either because society in new york in the mid-'70s was out of control or because he has severe mental problems, most likely aspergers. in reality, its both, the decay of society in new york further alienated a man who already had trouble connecting with people. its really interesting to watch bickle as he tries over and over to understand people, human emotions, and verbal cues. he takes shepherd on a date to the movies, except they go to a porno, much to shepherd's dismay. travis' defense to his movie choice is "i don't know movies", which, understanding the character of bickle, is completely plausible. he didn't know which movie was socially appropriate to take her to, so he took her to what he knew and that was porn. bickle's further inability to connect and understand people further isolates him from a society that is spinning out of control and ultimately leads him down the dark path to the movie's finale.

michael scott, steve carell from "the office", and leslie knope, amy poehler from "parks and recreation", also suffer from this derangement that bickle does, albeit to a different extent (i couldn't see michael ever wanting to assassinate a presidential candidate!). neither of them understand how society works, pick up on verbal, physical, or emotional cues, and generally have a tough time acting like normal people. but that is not all they share with bickle...

admittedly, had taxi driver not been on TV wednesday night, i never would have made this connection, so i guess i have that horrible kate ascher project to thank for this (man, did that thing suck! i have never gotten something more wrong in my life!). one of the most curious things about bickle is his diet, which consists mostly of sugar and brandy. when he and shepherd get coffee on their first date, he orders a slice of pie with melted cheese on top (in his words, a "perfectly sensible choice). later on in the movie we see him making a breakfast consisting of sugar, milk, and brandy (had it been allen's coffee brandy that would have been perfect). pretty gross, right?

well, in addition to sharing bickle's aspergers, they also share his fondness for sugary foods. in last night's "parks & recreation", knope is seen twice eating waffles with whipped cream, and in last night's "the office", michael, in response to pam's request for some coffee, hands her a thermos and says "sugar & milk". pam accepts, thinking that its coffee with sugar and milk, but nope, its just sugar and milk! michael then goes on to say he drinks this every morning. yum.

so what am i trying to say here? that michael and leslie are going to team up and attempt to assasinate senator palantine? that they are going to go all urban commando and rescue jodie foster from the hands of harvey keitel, the pimp? well, no, but there are some eerie similarities here, both about the characters' mental faculties and their taste for sugary foods. i wonder if the producers/directors of both "the office" and "parks and recreation" were aware of this. it seems like too much of a coincidence to me for it to be random. i am also surprised that no one on these here internets has made the connection between michael and bickle (leslie knope has only been around for a month, so it will take some more time to get to know her), and as they say around these parts: FIRST!

travis bickle:michael scott: leslie knope::sugar&brandy:sugar&milk:waffles & whipped cream

FIRST!

as far as i can tell, i am the first person on the Internet with this idea.

had taxi driver not been on TV last night, i never would have made this connection.

ill explain more...

How Awkward Was It For Joe Buck

to read promos for the chevy malibu during last night's game?

In Appreciation Of The Phillie Phanatic

i am torn about this world series. on one hand, i DO NOT want to see the red sox win because i am sick (read: jealous) of boston and their sports success, but on the other hand, its not the red sox themselves that i hate, its the bostonians i have ire for. i also want to see BOTH the rockies AND their fans suffer as much as possible, so this puts me in a baseball conundrum: who do i root for? i should also add that as much as i hate red sox, and boston fans for that matter, i know that they are good fans...some of the best sports fans in the whole country, and i respect them for that. now i am really confused!

this summer i saw my fist baseball game at fenway park. for any baseball fan, visiting fenway park is like visiting a holy shrine. it was amazing to have seen a game there. it was an eye opening experience, not only into how baseball is played at fenway, but it was a new window into the pathology of the red sox fan. you people are nuts!!! but you are good sports fans, i gotta give you that.

seeing a game at fenway is like seeing a game nowhere else. seeing games at CBP is great. phillies fans are good baseball fans, but we aren't anywhere on the level of a game at fenway. sure, we are unique and have our own philly style which totally rocks and i wouldn't trade it for anything, but boston fans at a game in fenway are like nothing else. BUT, the one thing where we totally kick their ass is:

THE PHILLIE PHANATIC.

the phanatic rules. he is the best. no one can beat him. hell, no one can even touch him. the phillie phanatic is in a league all to his own. and he is ours! no one else may understand him, but we do. the phanatic is our fenway park. he is the totally unique thing you get when you see a philies game. that can't be manufactured (well, granted he is a mascot who was manufactured, but you know what i mean). you can't manufacture fenway and you can't manufacture the phanatic.

my thoughts turned to the phanatic this evening during the world series. somewhere around the 6th or 7th inning, fox cut to the crowd and there was some green blob (i am assuming he was some sort of "green monster") with his hand on some dude's shoulder trying to pump the crowd up. the only problem was, this dude had a look on his face that said "what is this...thing...and what is it doing with its hand on my shoulder?" when i saw that i thought to myself, "what, is this guy nuts? if the phanatic had his hand on MY shoulder at a pivotal part of a world series game, i would be going ape-shit! that would be the greatest honor one could bestow on me in CBP!" this is how much i love the phanatic: i want him at my funeral. i feel we are cut of the same mold, me and the phanatic. we share the same sense of humor me and him. i feel he is my intellectual equal :)

now, this MAY be because i had a phanatic growth chart in my room growing up, or it could just be a coincidence. you decide.

If You Have 30 Minutes Or So To Spare...

...check out the dark star from 8/27/72. there is something about the way this is filmed...i can't quite put my finger on what it is...but the music and the setting and the cinematography all seem to mesh into one. as one youtube commenter put it, "WOW! This is so tranquilo! It is in itself mood altering and the setting and nature are in harmony with the music".

I Thought You Would Be Stronger Than That, New York

so this weekend was the first cool, crisp weekend of fall. i like fall. i find the change in the weather energizing. i like being outside whent here is a little chill to the air. new york, however, does not seem to share my enthusiasm for cooler temperatures.

i was shocked to see some of the outfits i saw this weekend. down coats. ugg (ug!) boots. scarves. gloves. hats (well, i will let the hats slide. i wore wool hat this weekend, but with good reason. i have no hair and my head gets really, really cold. but a wool hat was all i needed. on saturday i went out in a t-shirt, blazer, and wool hat and was plenty warm. yes, i was wearing pants and shoes too.). my point is, if people act like it is overly cold now, when its not, how are they going to act when it actually gets cold? you need to prepare yourself people. cold is a state of mind. enjoy it.

i was also disappointed with the amount of people on the streets this weekend. again, it really wans't that cold. thea was sticking with he hibernation theory, which could explain it. i hope it was just an adjustment weekend. i hope that if it is a little chilly next weekend, people won't overreact, go out, and just take the season in stride. i hope.

i expect this kind of behavior from people in dc. i thought you were tougher than that, new york. maybe this city has lost its edge...