Last summer Nathan Fielder’s new TV show The Rehearsal premiered on HBO. This was Fielder’s first television program since his Comedy Central show Nathan For You aired its final season in 2017, and fans of his unique blend of reality TV tropes and cringe comedy were eager to see what he would come up with … Continue reading Rehearsals: The Fielder Method & Meta-Media Mania
City Scenes: Mediated L.A. Spaces
In Simulacra and Simulation, Baudrillard refers to Los Angeles as a "perpetual pan shot": more a cinematic circulation of hyperreal fantasy than a space-bound city of definable dimensions. This association is strengthened by how the city's sprawling urban landscape is typically traversed, rendered as a steadily-streaming assortment of images scrolling through the letterbox framing of … Continue reading City Scenes: Mediated L.A. Spaces
City Scenes: Toronto Cinema Spaces
Film venues and screening spaces are among my favorite fixtures of the urban mediascape. For me, the crown jewels of Parisian cultural superiority are not the sidewalk cafe tables but rather the abundant cinemas (and also the multi-story bookshops that seem to be all around). Toronto also has a strong film culture and a number … Continue reading City Scenes: Toronto Cinema Spaces
A “Frank the cat” playlist (plus Spotify links!)
New year, new roommate. Frank is a ticked tabby whom I met in the West End. Shouts out to Animal Advocates for their rescue work and for letting Frank adopt me. To commemorate, I put together a “Frank the Cat” playlist. There’s some of the obvious cat-centric cuts, as well as some potentially glaring omissions … Continue reading A “Frank the cat” playlist (plus Spotify links!)
City Scenes: Zenith vintage & brunch
My sister’s trip to Pittsburgh this past summer gave me an opportunity not only to revisit some favorite local spots but also to check off some items from my Steel City bucket list, like Jerry’s Records. One of the other places I got to experience for the first time was The Zenith: an antiques shop … Continue reading City Scenes: Zenith vintage & brunch
2022 cycling montage (w/ music!)
To cap off 2022 here’s a montage of cycling videos I shot this year, mostly from this past Fall. The footage includes rides from Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, New York, and Toronto. Special thanks to Ben McSpadden who wrote and recorded original music for the montage! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IP-O1r2aeT0
2022 in Video Games
I rarely have the time or energy to play video games these days. My waking life seems sufficiently suffused with challenges, tasks, and the pursuit of “achievements” that gaming often feels more like self-induced stress rather than relaxing escapism. But I’m still fascinated by the medium: games can be counted on to innovate technologically (if … Continue reading 2022 in Video Games
Cycling Toronto’s Waterfront (w/ video!)
While in Toronto this past October I tried out the city’s bike share system. Even though I’d used the city’s public transit during previous visits to Toronto, on this trip it took me a while to acclimate in terms of which stations I was able to purchase a metro pass for the subway or streetcar … Continue reading Cycling Toronto’s Waterfront (w/ video!)
West Coast Reflections
Just as this year’s Fall foliage was flourishing throughout Pittsburgh I slipped off to the west coast to meet my parents who were on their own California vacation. It was a bit of a Southland homecoming for all of us; we hadn’t been together in L.A. since our family lived in the area in the … Continue reading West Coast Reflections
City Scenes: New Orleans, New York, Newark, November
This Fall ended up being travel-heavy for me, with multiple research and work-related trips following in quick succession after a personal excursion to spend time with my parents. As November draws to a close I am recuperating from what feels like a whirlwind of interchangeable liminal spaces and solitary wanderings in strange cities. The physical … Continue reading City Scenes: New Orleans, New York, Newark, November