June 02, 2004
Philadelphia, land of neon bells, miraculous sleep, and escalators that talk in the first person
Friday night was the Phillies game with James. I have never sat closer to a ball game than I did that night - 7 rows back on the 3rd base line. The game itself was fantastic - it was a beautiful night, and the temprature was perfect. Extra innings concluded with a thrilling game-winning home run at the bottom of the 10th inning by Perez. Incredible... The picture above is from the neon Liberty Bell swinging after the home run.
Went back to La Salle and slept at Graham's for the night. The couch in the living room, despite being seemingly identical to every single other La Salle couch, actually allows for a decent night's sleep. Whereas the couch in Katharine's the summer of Day One duty two years ago allowed for half-hour bouts of sleep, this one allows for a full night's uninterrupted rest. Woke up Saturday morning, completely refreshed, and said hello to Amy, Jess, Chris, and Scott on their way to the shore. I headed downtown to 30th Street Station.
The only real memorable thing about the trip home occurred at 30th Street, on the escalator going down to the train platform. For safety, there was a recording playing at the top and the bottom of the stairs. The one at the top was pretty banal - "Please hold onto the handrail..." - however, the second recording caught me off guard because of its peculiarity. The message ran along the line of "We're nearing the end of the escalator. Please step off at the bottom. Thank you for your cooperation."
I still can't figure out why the recording used "we're" instead of "you're." Why the strange plural of the first person? Is it more reassuring to disembark from this escalator with the idea that this disembodied voice is right there with you going along the way? Wouldn't a strong, commanding voice do a better job? And why wasn't the recording at the top of the stairs done in the same style? It struck me as odd because I've never heard any other safety message (I'm thinking Disney monorails, bus and subway recordings, and those Emergency Alert System messages in particular) recorded in the first person.
I dunno, just kind of odd. But on the whole, Philadelphia was a blast. I can't wait to move back.
Speaking of, I've kind of set a date of June 15th to move my stuff up and begin inhabiting the house on Dexter Street in Manayunk. Now, I'll probably come home and stuff for a couple weeks, just to beat the heat and stuff, but the 15th seems like a good date to get out of here and back into Philadelphia.
Additionally, I've set the date for a graduation party at my house in MD - June 26th. If you're reading this, then you're probably invited anyway - pretty much anyone from La Salle/CHC/my past is invited, as I'm going for a huge shindig full of randomness. I'm going to get a formal invite out to people this week with directions and stuff. Leave me a message on the journal with your email, or drop me a line by email and I'll get you the details.
Other than that, the past couple of days have been dedicated to random errands and catching up with movies I missed. Saw "The Last Samuari" on Saturday, and was incredibly impressed. The acting was very well done...Ken Watanabe and Tom Cruise especially. The intriguing story about honor and devotion was well crafted with the panoramaic views of the Japanese hillside. It kind of felt like a Japanese "Braveheart" with more philosophy behind the characters' actions. After seeing it on DVD, I was sorry to have missed it in the theater, as it would have seemed even more majestic on the big screen.
Saturday, I finally saw "In America". This was one I had passed up at the Ritz for a while, although I had really wanted to see it. It's the story of an Irish family struggling to adjust to the death of their son after immigrating to New York. It's a film about people coming to terms with things, and it's incredibly emotional. The two girls were superb, playing the two daughters. The kids are what makes this film - the film is very much shown through their eyes. One of the most effective devices to this is Jim Sheridan's moving full frame in and out of the viewfinder of the older daughter's camera: we're both seeing what is happening in the present as we experience what will become her memories. It's a tearjerker, which can be good every once in a while.
Finally, saw "House of Sand and Fog". Incredibly well-acted, but depressing in the end. It's a beautiful film - the shots are lovingly crafted, and the acting is dead on. It all works incredibly well. There was a review that I read that talked about the objectivity of Perelman's camera - that no action seems judged, and that things just are carried out as they would happen as though the characters were living real life. It's a definite compliment to the actors to pull that off, and to the director as well, as its hard not to want to be heavy-handed with touches to sway the emotional pool of the audience to a certain side. In the end, it's a great film, but a depressing sequence of events, although I'm at a loss to see how it could have been resolved so that all people could save face and remain on top.
Bah, this was a long entry...But it felt good to write it again. I haven't been typing much since Commencement 
Happy June!