This past July I was able to travel to Florence, Italy for a 20th anniversary reunion with a group of study abroad alumni. The trip involved a potent mix of nostalgic recollection and eye-opening discovery of how much the seemingly timeless city had changed since my last visit. One of the internal changes that colored … Continue reading Milk Crates of Florence
City Scenes: Jeff Rosenstock at Nashville’s Eastside Bowl
With the first three weeks of the Fall semester having faded into the rearview mirror with nary a road bump or pit stop, I figured the coast was clear for a quick getaway. So with a jetsetter whimsy entirely at odds with my actual socioeconomic station I caught a Friday flight from Pittsburgh to Nashville … Continue reading City Scenes: Jeff Rosenstock at Nashville’s Eastside Bowl
A “September Sax” playlist
It’s September, which everyone knows is prime saxophone season. So to mark the month here’s a little playlist to celebrate the sax. Things kick off with an imaginative mash up of The Stranglers and the Dave Brubeck Quartet, go on to sample some contemporary artists, and also include a block of some personal favorites selected … Continue reading A “September Sax” playlist
Buff Zone: Color Park controversy
A couple of weekends ago I went for a run along one of my usual routes on the South Side stretch of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail. While crossing beneath the span of the Birmingham Bridge I noticed the words "Buff Zone" graffitied onto the pile foundations and sporadically spotting the asphalt of the trail … Continue reading Buff Zone: Color Park controversy
Rehearsals part 2: TV Trials & Consumptive Complicity
When the latest Emmy nominations were announced two weeks ago the lineup mostly comprised the usual suspects of buzzy TV titles that have dominated online discourse over the past year. However, one nominee stood out to me precisely because it had been entirely absent from my media awareness radar: something called Jury Duty, which apparently … Continue reading Rehearsals part 2: TV Trials & Consumptive Complicity
City Scenes: Toronto Cinema Spaces pt. 2
Last month I made a return trip to Toronto. It was my first time getting to experience the city in Spring/Summer mode (all my previous visits have been in late October/early November). I also brought with me past impressions and unfinished business from recent trips, especially the cinema locations I wasn't able to visit last … Continue reading City Scenes: Toronto Cinema Spaces pt. 2
OpenStreets PGH June 2023 (w/ video)
Last Sunday was the second OpenStreets PGH event of Summer 2023. I was out of town during the first OpenStreets in May, which was a bummer: it was a return of the excellent route along Carson Street (basically starting at my apartment) down to the 10th Street Bridge, across the Mon through the Armstrong Tunnel … Continue reading OpenStreets PGH June 2023 (w/ video)
City Scenes: Pirates 2023 Home Opener
The 2023 baseball season thus far has been a strange one for Pirates fans. The hot stove interval didn't produce any big ticket news for the Pittsburgh club. Ownership had promised more additions and renovations for PNC Park, including a new scoreboard and jumbotron twice the size as the previous screen (more jaded Bucs fans … Continue reading City Scenes: Pirates 2023 Home Opener
Rehearsals: The Fielder Method & Meta-Media Mania
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