I'm beginning to get the impression that Hurricane Irene is not getting the respect as a total destroyer that she justly deserves. Monday night CNN was debating whether this was hurricane or hype, and one media member was upset because the news networks were making way too big of a deal about this total dud of a storm. I feel the governor of Vermont summed up the storm with a perfectly-worded quote. He said everything there was to say: Devastating.
I know NYC, North Carolina, Virginia, and many areas in our region didn’t get rocked to the level expected, but there were areas of Vermont and Schoharie County that were decimated by this disaster. I’m sure you’ve seen the pictures. Mud, water, flooding, death. I actually think Irene is one of the greatest natural disasters (in this region of the country) ever! 27 deaths have already been credited to Irene. That is a huge number if you ask me.
As I sat in my dry house, on my dry couch, and watched the news footage of the overrunning rivers, flood-covered streets, mud-thick houses, lives ruined, etc, I fell down on my knees, and thanked God (whatever or whomever that may be) for not dropping the brunt of this mighty storm on the front stoop of my life, or my family’s life. Wow, thank you. But still it makes me think: My day is coming, and water is the one earthly force you can't stop. Some areas in Greene and Schoharie Counties will take weeks, months to clean up, if ever. Imagine your whole life washed away in mere hours, watching your house become buried in a tomb of mud, while some talking head on CNN calls Irene a media-created dud. Wow.
We lost power for a few hours on Sunday, and I missed the fight between the Situation and Ronnie on JERSEY SHORE. Hey, hey what can I say? JS has been good this season. I have watched every episode. Guilty as charged. But the power was resumed in time for the 2011 VMA’s, and after bashing MTV and its programming earlier this month, I have to say: It was the 2nd best VMA’s I have ever seen (2000). To me, it was Lady Gaga’s crowning as the biggest star in today's music world. Her opening performance was the 2nd best VMA performance I have ever seen (Eminem 2000). I get it now. When I first heard Gaga was playing her male alter ego, Jo Calderone, I thought she was referring to the YNN Channel 9 Sports Reporter. I was wrong. Another Jo(e) Calderone. Beyonce gave the performance of her career. Bruno Mars was amazing. Pitbull and Adele, forget about it. Great, great, great. I was excited about Lil Wayne, but disappointed in his actual show-closing performance. Too much swearing and craziness. And, maybe, it's time for Jay-Z to stop performing on stage, fade to the background with his NY Yankees hats and millions. I'm kind of done with HOOVA.
My favorite moment was when Gaga as Jo Calderone won Best Female Video. After she hugged Jay-Z and Kayne West, she stepped back as everyone was standing and clapping for her, and, in a very cool way, fixed the collar of her suit coat, and took the stage. It was her moment. She knew it, and everyone in the room knew it. The only part I disliked was the show's inclusion of some rapper named Tyler the Creator. He was a jerk on the Black Carpet, a jerk when he won Best New Artist Video, and a jerk every moment in between. I don’t know if he was trying to be outrageous like Eminem used to be, by insulting Bruno Mars and sending “the kids” a profane-filled message when he was on stage. But it was disgusting, and nothing like the great Mr. Mathers, who balled fists at the pop world with humor and cleverness. On yeah: Eminem also sold 100 million albums. "I'll commit suicide if Bruno Mars wins a VMA because I hate his music," Tyler told an MTV reporter during the pre show. Then used the MTV mic to make a blatant sexual reference at the reporter. See? Not funny. Not clever. Tyler the Creator: I’m done with him after one night. Too bad. I was in a ready-to-be-won over mood on Sunday.
In the end I was happy to be with my family, in a dry home with power, watching a night of TV that I used to really look forward to, but has lately been a grand disappointment. I was happy it was well done on Sunday, and happy to have been spared from Hurricane Irene’s main wrath. And anybody who thinks this storm was hyped too much has probably been taking PR advice from Tyler the Creator. Stay dry.
Irene Photos: http://www.timesunion.com/news/slideshow/Most-dramatic-photos-from-Hurricane-Irene-30584.php
MTV VMA's: http://www.mtv.com/ontv/vma/2011/
GLADD speaks out against Tyler the Creator: http://www.complex.com/music/2011/08/glaad-speaks-out-against-tyler-the-creators-appearance-on-the-mtv-vmas
Brian Huba
8/30/11
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Get Rid of Text Messaging
The other day I was walking out of Wal-Mart, and a young woman with her face glued to a cell phone was walking in, texting as she went, oblivious to anything that was happening around her. At the last second I side stepped out of the way or she would’ve walked into my chest. I side stepped, and she kept going, fingers of fury, 100% unaware. Then I imagined that same woman behind the wheel, going 65MPH, and how mad I would be if I had to drive into the ditch to avoid a head-on accident, while she kept driving, eyes off the road, another LOL or smiley face.
So I ask: Why can’t government make cell phone companies drop text messaging capabilities?
Before you jump down my throat about big brother’s watchful eye, I ask you to think about what good text messaging has brought to society. It helps you avoid conversations, I suppose, which I dislike, and occasionally it saves time, I guess. Other than that: What has it added? If you are aged between 14 and 24 (but all ages are guilty on some level) you are most likely largely unable to communicate on a total scale. You live on your text messaging screen, unwilling to focus on anything else for any extended period of time.
Exhibit A. Last night we went to dinner at D’Raymond’s. The four of us talked for two straight hours, catching up, telling stories, etc. The night before, we were at Friendly’s, sitting across from five teens-early 20's eating ice cream. There was not a speck of conversation. All five of them had cell phones flipped open, texting people who weren’t there, presumably. For me that was a scary thing to see. When we paid our bill that same night, the cashier was texting while on the clock, and we had to wait till she was finished. Wow, I thought, when did that start?
Even more than that is the knowledge that people are texting while engaging in activities that require 100% focus. The scariest of these situations, for any age, is driving while texting. As a driver that really terrifies me. I cannot imagine my life, or the life of a loved one, terminated or diminished because somebody was busy sending a text message, caused a major collision. Can you imagine your life ending that way?
Just get rid of text messaging. Eliminate the capability in cell phones, across the board. Why do we need it? For every PRO there are 20 CONS, with serious consequences. I am not suggesting getting rid of cell phones or handicapping any other email or technology advance, of course not. That would be like trying to stop a runaway freight with a wet napkin. But, in my opinion, text messaging has proven to be far too much of a distraction. It has marginalized communication, in younger and older people. And no number of laws prohibiting texting while driving is going to stop it. People will still do it, still crash/cause crashes, still die in accidents where texting played a part.
When people watch the news, and wonder about the recent slippage of the almighty America, I wonder if the introduction of this little technology (these kinds at least) are playing a part. Maybe. We're so engrossed in these phones. Even at McCartney people were on their phones all over the arena. I know everybody reading this has a text messaging story like the one I began with. "But, Brian, how would we text in our vote for American Idol on Wednesday nights?” That’s not a problem I considered here, but I’m sure there’s a solution.
Remember when you had a crush on a really cute/popular girl in school? Then a friend of a friend told you that she liked you, and the next move was making the dreaded first call. You’d pace by the phone, put it off, make excuses. Then finally you grabbed that receiver, sweaty handed, dialed her number, and it would ring, and her father ALWAYS answered with that gruff, irritated, “Hello.” It was up to you to say who you were, why you were calling, and then she got the phone from dad, and it was game on. Could you talk your way into a Friday night date at Secrets or Hoyt’s, or did you just strike out? What a great time. What a great test of character. Now all that’s out the window, replaced with a sent text message. Just like Jack says in A FEW GOOD MEN, “All you did was weaken a country today, Kaffee. That's all you did. ...”
Read More: http://www.middletownpress.com/articles/2010/03/13/news/doc4b9b0725f1f30333416113.txt
Read More: http://www.operationstop.com/teendriversandcellphones.shtml
Read More: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/8443201/Novice-driver-killed-woman-while-reading-text-message.html
Brian Huba
8/27/11
So I ask: Why can’t government make cell phone companies drop text messaging capabilities?
Before you jump down my throat about big brother’s watchful eye, I ask you to think about what good text messaging has brought to society. It helps you avoid conversations, I suppose, which I dislike, and occasionally it saves time, I guess. Other than that: What has it added? If you are aged between 14 and 24 (but all ages are guilty on some level) you are most likely largely unable to communicate on a total scale. You live on your text messaging screen, unwilling to focus on anything else for any extended period of time.
Exhibit A. Last night we went to dinner at D’Raymond’s. The four of us talked for two straight hours, catching up, telling stories, etc. The night before, we were at Friendly’s, sitting across from five teens-early 20's eating ice cream. There was not a speck of conversation. All five of them had cell phones flipped open, texting people who weren’t there, presumably. For me that was a scary thing to see. When we paid our bill that same night, the cashier was texting while on the clock, and we had to wait till she was finished. Wow, I thought, when did that start?
Even more than that is the knowledge that people are texting while engaging in activities that require 100% focus. The scariest of these situations, for any age, is driving while texting. As a driver that really terrifies me. I cannot imagine my life, or the life of a loved one, terminated or diminished because somebody was busy sending a text message, caused a major collision. Can you imagine your life ending that way?
Just get rid of text messaging. Eliminate the capability in cell phones, across the board. Why do we need it? For every PRO there are 20 CONS, with serious consequences. I am not suggesting getting rid of cell phones or handicapping any other email or technology advance, of course not. That would be like trying to stop a runaway freight with a wet napkin. But, in my opinion, text messaging has proven to be far too much of a distraction. It has marginalized communication, in younger and older people. And no number of laws prohibiting texting while driving is going to stop it. People will still do it, still crash/cause crashes, still die in accidents where texting played a part.
When people watch the news, and wonder about the recent slippage of the almighty America, I wonder if the introduction of this little technology (these kinds at least) are playing a part. Maybe. We're so engrossed in these phones. Even at McCartney people were on their phones all over the arena. I know everybody reading this has a text messaging story like the one I began with. "But, Brian, how would we text in our vote for American Idol on Wednesday nights?” That’s not a problem I considered here, but I’m sure there’s a solution.
Remember when you had a crush on a really cute/popular girl in school? Then a friend of a friend told you that she liked you, and the next move was making the dreaded first call. You’d pace by the phone, put it off, make excuses. Then finally you grabbed that receiver, sweaty handed, dialed her number, and it would ring, and her father ALWAYS answered with that gruff, irritated, “Hello.” It was up to you to say who you were, why you were calling, and then she got the phone from dad, and it was game on. Could you talk your way into a Friday night date at Secrets or Hoyt’s, or did you just strike out? What a great time. What a great test of character. Now all that’s out the window, replaced with a sent text message. Just like Jack says in A FEW GOOD MEN, “All you did was weaken a country today, Kaffee. That's all you did. ...”
Read More: http://www.middletownpress.com/articles/2010/03/13/news/doc4b9b0725f1f30333416113.txt
Read More: http://www.operationstop.com/teendriversandcellphones.shtml
Read More: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/8443201/Novice-driver-killed-woman-while-reading-text-message.html
Brian Huba
8/27/11
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Zack Morris vs. Brandon Walsh
Who is the bigger pop culture icon: Saved by the Bell’s Zack Morris, played by Mark Paul Gosselaar or Beverly Hills 90210’s Brandon Walsh, played by Jason Priestly? Neither one of them can make another acting gig work from type casting, and both of them have spent every day since running from their most famous role. So let the debate begin.
As crazy as this may sound, I have to argue that it’s Zack Morris. I say crazy because I think we can all agree that Saved by the Bell is a far inferior show to 90210. Bell only ran for 4 seasons ('89-'93), on Saturday mornings (NBC) vs. 90210 which ran for 10 seasons ('90-'00) in prime time (FOX). The set for Saved by the Bell was basically that hallway and one room that went from Mr. Belding’s office, to Zack’s bedroom, to a classroom, to the Max, back to Belding’s office. Did they EVER go outside on any episode? There were some scenes when it was supposed to be Zack’s bedroom, and Belding’s principal degree props were still hanging on the wall. It was either plain lazy or running on a soup kitchen budget.
Then the show would write characters in and out, without rhyme or reason. Zack’s main squeeze, Kelly (Tiffani Thiessen), who ironically went from Bell to 90210 in '94 to play that horribly annoying Valerie Malone character, would just appear and reappear as a regular character all the time. Then Bell tried that awful spin off, The College Years. Hi yi yi yi, was that bad. But through it all, who can forget Zack Morris’s huge cell phone, and gigantic sneakers, and ridiculous dyed-blonde hair? My favorite Bell episode was when Zack and Slater fought over that random biker chick, Tori, the show wrote in for 3 episodes then you never heard from again. Leah Rimini as Stacey Carosi for the summer episodes filmed at the country club. I liked that, but still I don't think they ever went outside. Ahhh! Go outside. All the characters are pretty memorable, I grant you that, Screech, Jessie Spano, even Lisa Turtle, and Miss. Bliss (way back), but the show itself was really low grade.
Of course 90210 was the far superior show. In fact, I think it’s one of the best TV shows ever, and probably one of the most copied. The reason why Brandon Walsh isn’t culturally as big as Zack Morris is because the show was so good, and the rest of the cast was rock solid, which left him lost in the shuffle, a little. Shannon Doherty was a great actress when 90210 first came on, the class of the cast in fact. The first 3 seasons of the show belonged to her, and every season the last few episodes always revolved around her character. She carried the season finales. Some of the scenes she did with Luke Perry (Dylan McKay) were A+ television, can't deny it, people. Remember the final scene when Brenda is in Dylan's Porsche, and they're arguing, and LOSING MY RELIGION Is playing? Great last-episode scene. It’s understood that Priestly was the star, but I don’t think he got the best story lines (Dylan), and I don’t think he was the biggest talent (Brenda). In fact you were either a Brandon fan or Dylan fan, maybe a Steve Sanders fan (18A4RE), so that divided the potential influence on pop culture, I suppose. Not too many people were A.C. Slater fans, or Screech fans, over Zack.
Bell just didn’t have the cast of characters, interesting storylines, and consistency of 90210 (Save the last 2 seasons of 90210). But Zack Morris WAS Saved by the Bell, and because of that his character is more memorable than Brandon Walsh’s, even though Walsh was the far richer personality, and drove a really cool Mustang. Of course Zack didn't have a car, I don't think, because they never went outside. Remember the episode where Zack crashes the car after drinking at the toga party? I think they dressed Belding's office up to look like the inside of a car for that scene. I mean: Come on.
Also, when debating this hugely important issue, you must consider that Brandon Walsh couldn’t stop time and talk to the camera like Zack Morris could. That's pretty awesome, I have to admit. So in the end the greatest debate in pop culture will wage on: Zack vs. Brandon. Who was the bigger icon? And perhaps the larger question still remains: How is Mario Lopez the only one who still has a relevant career? Huh?
Let's look at some other Saved by the Bell vs. 90210 Matchups. Who is a bigger pop culture icon . . .
1. DADS: Peter Morris vs. Jim Walsh
2. SCHOOL ADMINS: Mr. Belding vs. Vice Principal Teasley
3. TEACHERS: Ms. Bliss vs. Gil Myers
4. OTHER DADS: AC Slater's dad General Slater vs. Rush Sanders
5. HANGOUTS: Max/Max's vs. Nat/The Peach Pit
6. SUMMER BOSSES: Leon Carosi vs. Henry from the Beverly Hills Beach Club
7. THE GANG: Jessie Spano vs. Donna Martin
8. THE GANG: Lisa Turtle vs. Andrea Zuckerman
9. THE GANG: Tori the Biker Chick vs Steve Sanders
10. THE GANG: AC Slater vs Dylan McKay
11. THE GANG: Screech Powers vs. David Silver
12. KIND OF THE GANG: Stacey Carosi vs. Ray Pruitt
13. EVIL: Jeff who stole Kelly Kapowski vs. Garrett Sland who assaulted Donna Martin
14. MIXED TAG TEAM MATCH: Kelly Kapowski & Valerie Malone vs. Kelly Taylor & Brenda Walsh
15. SCHOOLS: Bayside High vs. West Beverly Hills High
16. QUOTES: "The sauce you can a have, but the secret she's a mine" (Screech Powers) vs. "Donna Martin Graduates!" (Class of '93)
Brian Huba
8/18/11
Sunday, August 14, 2011
I Don't Get It
3 Things I Don't Get
1. What is the deal with Bistros? Whenever we are making plans to go out and eat with another couple, etc, and that dreaded word, Bistro, comes up, I cringe. I can’t understand people who swear by these Bistros, because, I guess, I really don’t know what a Bistro is. What is a Bistro? My experience with these places has been as follows. I am told that we are going to a Bistro, but don’t worry this Bistro has everything, sells large portions at fair prices, and the seating situation allows for optimal privacy and nice comfort. So we go. And guess what? It takes me ten minutes to order because they don’t make anything I want or like (combination wise), the portions are always too small, the prices are outrageous and you have to pay for salad, sides, soda refills, etc, and I am always forced to sit in one of those setups where complete strangers are sharing the same table or right on top of you. Why do people go to Bistros? Is it a nose-up-in-the-air kind of thing? Are Bistros places people go when they want to look sophisticated and classy? I just don’t get.
2. This weekend we went to Saratoga, had dinner at the Circus Café on Broadway. Is that a Bistro? It was overpriced and ordinary, but the ambiance was exciting, so we went. It’s August, right? You can have great food the other 11 months of the year in the CapReg. As we walked back to the car, past the shops, I noticed something weird: the shops were all closed. There were probably 30,000 people on the streets in ‘Toga on Sat. night, there for various reasons, and you can imagine many had good money to spend. Why would the shops on Broadway close down when they know this number of people will be there? Is it because it’s after regular business hours? Huh? You have more walking traffic than you could ever wish for, and you close down. Are you nuts? I don’t get this. Where is the entrepreneurial thinking there? For six weeks out of the year, ‘Toga is one of the hottest spots in the country. These shops should be open 24/7 for those 6 weeks. Why not? Maybe this is the problem with American business nowadays. Everyone is so afraid of working longer and harder. What can I say? There were so many people just ‘hanging around’ Broadway last night, outside all these darkened storefronts at 9PM. I don’t get it.
3. I sure hope you think twice before criticizing the Schenectady Police Officers who shot and killed a gun-wielding suspect this weekend, in broad daylight, on a residential street. Were 14 shots fired excessive? I don’t know. But I do know this: I do not want to find out the hard way, and I would never sign up for the job of patrolling as a police officer in Schenectady. Would you!? Being an officer of the law is the hardest job in the world, especially in a high-crime area like Schenectady. They are targets for criminals and they are forced to make snap decisions when faced with crime calls that take them to places you and I couldn’t even imagine. In many cases, if you make the wrong decision, you might end up dead. So yes, what happened this weekend was tragic. Do I blame the police officers in Schenectady? No, at this point, I don't. Do I get people who believe the cops are out to harm and hurt people? No, I don’t get it.
Brian Huba
8/14/11
1. What is the deal with Bistros? Whenever we are making plans to go out and eat with another couple, etc, and that dreaded word, Bistro, comes up, I cringe. I can’t understand people who swear by these Bistros, because, I guess, I really don’t know what a Bistro is. What is a Bistro? My experience with these places has been as follows. I am told that we are going to a Bistro, but don’t worry this Bistro has everything, sells large portions at fair prices, and the seating situation allows for optimal privacy and nice comfort. So we go. And guess what? It takes me ten minutes to order because they don’t make anything I want or like (combination wise), the portions are always too small, the prices are outrageous and you have to pay for salad, sides, soda refills, etc, and I am always forced to sit in one of those setups where complete strangers are sharing the same table or right on top of you. Why do people go to Bistros? Is it a nose-up-in-the-air kind of thing? Are Bistros places people go when they want to look sophisticated and classy? I just don’t get.
2. This weekend we went to Saratoga, had dinner at the Circus Café on Broadway. Is that a Bistro? It was overpriced and ordinary, but the ambiance was exciting, so we went. It’s August, right? You can have great food the other 11 months of the year in the CapReg. As we walked back to the car, past the shops, I noticed something weird: the shops were all closed. There were probably 30,000 people on the streets in ‘Toga on Sat. night, there for various reasons, and you can imagine many had good money to spend. Why would the shops on Broadway close down when they know this number of people will be there? Is it because it’s after regular business hours? Huh? You have more walking traffic than you could ever wish for, and you close down. Are you nuts? I don’t get this. Where is the entrepreneurial thinking there? For six weeks out of the year, ‘Toga is one of the hottest spots in the country. These shops should be open 24/7 for those 6 weeks. Why not? Maybe this is the problem with American business nowadays. Everyone is so afraid of working longer and harder. What can I say? There were so many people just ‘hanging around’ Broadway last night, outside all these darkened storefronts at 9PM. I don’t get it.
3. I sure hope you think twice before criticizing the Schenectady Police Officers who shot and killed a gun-wielding suspect this weekend, in broad daylight, on a residential street. Were 14 shots fired excessive? I don’t know. But I do know this: I do not want to find out the hard way, and I would never sign up for the job of patrolling as a police officer in Schenectady. Would you!? Being an officer of the law is the hardest job in the world, especially in a high-crime area like Schenectady. They are targets for criminals and they are forced to make snap decisions when faced with crime calls that take them to places you and I couldn’t even imagine. In many cases, if you make the wrong decision, you might end up dead. So yes, what happened this weekend was tragic. Do I blame the police officers in Schenectady? No, at this point, I don't. Do I get people who believe the cops are out to harm and hurt people? No, I don’t get it.
Brian Huba
8/14/11
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
In a Craryville Minute
In a Craryville minute, it almost happened, or maybe it did . . .
In 2007-08 I worked a brief time at a place in Craryville. I would wake at 5AM, drive 55miles each way, when gas was $5 a gallon. The highway would be virtually empty as I drove through the pre-dawn darkness. I took 87, to I-90, then got on the Taconic Parkway for another 20miles. In one hour I would make work, as the sun came up. I liked the job, but the commute was brutal.
But the story doesn't begin there.
My 20’s were tough. It began with a tragedy in my personal life, ended with another, equally bad one. Obviously I was far less equipped to cope with the former, and I slipped into a 2 year depression at 20, a black out in my memory now. As I progressed through my 20’s, I felt like there was this bad-luck cloud parked over my head. I was frustrated a lot, confused. I had no idea which direction my life was going. By 2007 I had worked about 20 different jobs. I was in and out of school. I lived in an in-law apartment at my parents’ house. I don’t remember having any serious relationships in my early-mid 20’s, and my friends were moving ahead of me, professionally and personally.
Then it started to change, as it often does in life. I finished my master’s degree (if you met anybody who knew me at 20 they probably wouldn't believe I have a master’s degree) and got a job in my field. I moved out of my parents’ place, started getting things going, and I was satisfied for the first time, ready for what was next, instead of being afraid of it. It’s really wild how fast life can get good again if you just hold on.
Today I have so many of the things (personally and professionally) that I never thought would be mine. So often I say: This life was never meant for me. And I think that even more when I hear all the horror stories of job loss, lack of money, and hopelessness out there right now. And I say, “I was there. I sort of know that life, and I don’t want to go back.” When the small dreams come true the big, big dreams seem tangible. And then I wonder when, where, and how it changed for me, and I think back to that 5AM car ride to work in January 2008.
It was a foggy, dark mid-winter morning as I drove down the empty highway towards work. I got on the Taconic Parkway, continued south to the Craryville exit, same as every other day. There was so much fog, I had never seen it so thick. I remember that: the fog. 20minutes later, I got off the Taconic, drove over the winding ramp, came to a stop at Route 23E, the main road through Craryville. At the end of this ramp, I had to make a sharp left turn to go towards my job. Every day I triple checked to make sure no traffic was coming, because they booked it good on 23E.
It was all fog and darkness, but no cars, so I began left turning off the ramp, and that’s when a black car with no headlights came screaming out of the fog, going 70, 80MPH at least. I was in the middle of the lane, finishing my turn, and had no chance: I was a sitting duck in my silver Ford Focus, a dead duck. The driver blared his horn, slammed the brakes, and I froze, just stopped. That thing about your whole life flashing before your eyes happened to me, I swear, but it was calm, light, comfortable. There were no two ways about it: My life was coming to an abrupt end, right then and there, same way it does tragically for thousands of motorists every day.
The oncoming car was all over me, horns and brakes raging through my ears and brain. Then, nanoseconds from a life-shattering T-bone collision at 80MPH, the car with no headlights simply vanished . . . No horn, no squealing brakes, no nothing. Silence. It just vanished, and I was on that dark, foggy road alone. I swear it up and down, that car vanished into thin air, believe it or not. Just vanished . . .
I remember being really shook up for the rest of the day, but not out of my mind about it, almost like I rolled with what just happened, learned from it, survived it. But I do remember thinking and deciding that near accident, that would’ve been 100% fatal, would be/was the turning point in my life and luck. I mean, jez, a week later, the NYG’s won the Super Bowl. And, seemingly, my life has been on an upswing since, road bumps and sadness along the way of course, but my focus and outlook have been positive, a real can-do sort of thinking. So often I tell friends about that day on Route 23E, and I describe it as the day my life got going on the right track, the turning point, the wake-up moment. That day was my Craryville moment, everything changed. A month later I traded that silver Focus in, upgraded to something new.
Last weekend, as I retold my Route 23E story to another couple, friends of ours, while out at dinner, how that car was barreling towards me, how I sat frozen in my silver Focus, sideways on the road, my fate sealed, how the oncoming car just . . . , something else occurred to me for the first time, the thought like a sledgehammer to the brain. And I said to myself: “Come on, Brian, cars don’t vanish.” And then I thought, for the first time: Maybe that car never vanished at all . . .
Dedicated to my Craryville colleague: JoAnna W. Long time no hear.
"Vous n'avez pas email machine?"
Brian Huba
8/9/11
In 2007-08 I worked a brief time at a place in Craryville. I would wake at 5AM, drive 55miles each way, when gas was $5 a gallon. The highway would be virtually empty as I drove through the pre-dawn darkness. I took 87, to I-90, then got on the Taconic Parkway for another 20miles. In one hour I would make work, as the sun came up. I liked the job, but the commute was brutal.
But the story doesn't begin there.
My 20’s were tough. It began with a tragedy in my personal life, ended with another, equally bad one. Obviously I was far less equipped to cope with the former, and I slipped into a 2 year depression at 20, a black out in my memory now. As I progressed through my 20’s, I felt like there was this bad-luck cloud parked over my head. I was frustrated a lot, confused. I had no idea which direction my life was going. By 2007 I had worked about 20 different jobs. I was in and out of school. I lived in an in-law apartment at my parents’ house. I don’t remember having any serious relationships in my early-mid 20’s, and my friends were moving ahead of me, professionally and personally.
Then it started to change, as it often does in life. I finished my master’s degree (if you met anybody who knew me at 20 they probably wouldn't believe I have a master’s degree) and got a job in my field. I moved out of my parents’ place, started getting things going, and I was satisfied for the first time, ready for what was next, instead of being afraid of it. It’s really wild how fast life can get good again if you just hold on.
Today I have so many of the things (personally and professionally) that I never thought would be mine. So often I say: This life was never meant for me. And I think that even more when I hear all the horror stories of job loss, lack of money, and hopelessness out there right now. And I say, “I was there. I sort of know that life, and I don’t want to go back.” When the small dreams come true the big, big dreams seem tangible. And then I wonder when, where, and how it changed for me, and I think back to that 5AM car ride to work in January 2008.
It was a foggy, dark mid-winter morning as I drove down the empty highway towards work. I got on the Taconic Parkway, continued south to the Craryville exit, same as every other day. There was so much fog, I had never seen it so thick. I remember that: the fog. 20minutes later, I got off the Taconic, drove over the winding ramp, came to a stop at Route 23E, the main road through Craryville. At the end of this ramp, I had to make a sharp left turn to go towards my job. Every day I triple checked to make sure no traffic was coming, because they booked it good on 23E.
It was all fog and darkness, but no cars, so I began left turning off the ramp, and that’s when a black car with no headlights came screaming out of the fog, going 70, 80MPH at least. I was in the middle of the lane, finishing my turn, and had no chance: I was a sitting duck in my silver Ford Focus, a dead duck. The driver blared his horn, slammed the brakes, and I froze, just stopped. That thing about your whole life flashing before your eyes happened to me, I swear, but it was calm, light, comfortable. There were no two ways about it: My life was coming to an abrupt end, right then and there, same way it does tragically for thousands of motorists every day.
The oncoming car was all over me, horns and brakes raging through my ears and brain. Then, nanoseconds from a life-shattering T-bone collision at 80MPH, the car with no headlights simply vanished . . . No horn, no squealing brakes, no nothing. Silence. It just vanished, and I was on that dark, foggy road alone. I swear it up and down, that car vanished into thin air, believe it or not. Just vanished . . .
I remember being really shook up for the rest of the day, but not out of my mind about it, almost like I rolled with what just happened, learned from it, survived it. But I do remember thinking and deciding that near accident, that would’ve been 100% fatal, would be/was the turning point in my life and luck. I mean, jez, a week later, the NYG’s won the Super Bowl. And, seemingly, my life has been on an upswing since, road bumps and sadness along the way of course, but my focus and outlook have been positive, a real can-do sort of thinking. So often I tell friends about that day on Route 23E, and I describe it as the day my life got going on the right track, the turning point, the wake-up moment. That day was my Craryville moment, everything changed. A month later I traded that silver Focus in, upgraded to something new.
Last weekend, as I retold my Route 23E story to another couple, friends of ours, while out at dinner, how that car was barreling towards me, how I sat frozen in my silver Focus, sideways on the road, my fate sealed, how the oncoming car just . . . , something else occurred to me for the first time, the thought like a sledgehammer to the brain. And I said to myself: “Come on, Brian, cars don’t vanish.” And then I thought, for the first time: Maybe that car never vanished at all . . .
Dedicated to my Craryville colleague: JoAnna W. Long time no hear.
"Vous n'avez pas email machine?"
Brian Huba
8/9/11
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
I Want 'My' MTV
This week MTV turned 30, which is big to me, because I can basically measure my own aging against theirs. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the big 3-0 than to ride the Brian Time Machine, go back to the beginning, or as far back as my memory will take me. Destination August 1, 1981. “I heard you on the wireless back in Fifty Two . . .”
The first thing I think about when I remember early MTV is my cousin Jody, and her ‘boyfriend’ Shawn, babysitting me when I lived in Albany. In my mind, Jody was the 80’s. All day, she would have MTV playing. She dressed like Madonna, even painted the black beauty mark over her mouth. If Madonna was blonde, so was Jody, brunette, leggings, suspenders over t-shirts. I remember watching “Thriller,” “Beat It,” “Billy Jean,” Dire Strait’s “Money for Nothing,” Ah-Ha’s “Take on Me,” “Sledgehammer,” and all of Madonna’s videos. To me that was when MTV was best. VJ Adam Curry and Remote Control. The network used to do cool things with the MTV logo between videos, smearing it into a wall, showing it as a car’s hood ornament. Later on it was “Pour Some Sugar on Me,” “Wanted Dead or Alive."
I never missed the Top 20 Video Countdown on Friday nights. I would flip back and forth between the videos and ABC’s TGIF Lineup (FULL HOUSE, FAMILY MATTERS, STEP BY STEP). You’d see me at the TV mimicking Axl Rose, with the sideways dance and microphone grab, just like he did in “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” “Welcome to the Jungle,” then “Patience.” I was able to sing every lyric to every song on APPETITE at 10 years old, although I had no idea what any of it meant. Their videos were killer. I simply wasn’t a Poison fan, but I did love Motley Crue’s “Home Sweet Home” then their few videos from the album DR. FEELGOOD.
By ’91ish, the Grunge Movement was coming in, and “November Rain” was really the end of the GNR era, as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden videos began taking over the MTV airwaves. Don't forget the blonde girl with the white-rimmed sunglasses in “Black-Hole Sun.” I wasn’t a huge Seattle-scene guy. But Nirvana made one of the best albums, UNPLUGGED, through MTV. Kurt Loder’s MTV News break, reporting the suicide of Kurt Cobain in ‘94. John Candy really got Farrah Fawcetted on that one. SINGLED OUT. Wasn’t it horrible/great?
MTV is the network that got the greatest modern American President elected. Three cheers for Tabitha Soren.
It was around this time that MTV started doing Reality TV. Mary Ellis Bunim came up with a show about 7 strangers picked to live together. It was promised they would stop being polite and start getting real. THE REAL WORLD was can’t-miss TV when it first came out. Eric Nies from New York? Puck and the Cowboy from San Fran? The time David got kicked out of the house for ‘attacking’ Tammi? I never liked ROAD RULES or THE REAL WORLD reunion shows as much as the original, but I still watched them.
2000 was a tough time personally. But MTV was the ultimate escape. The whole Eminem, Britney Spears, NSYNC, X-Tina period. One of my favorite nights of all TV was the 2000 VMA's. Eminem performed “The Real Slim Shady” with a 1,000 lookalikes behind him. Britney Spears performed, NSYNC, X-Tina, Limp Bizkit, the Chili Peppers.
TRL, even though Carson Daly was a total tool.
That was the last GREAT time for MTV. If asked back then, I would’ve told you that MTV was the best network on TV, with the best programming and coolest personalities Even the Movie Awards were good back then.
THE HILLS.
I came back to MTV for a few days in June 2009 when Michael Jackson died. I watched round the clock as MTV played the news footage, anchored by Kurt Loder, our generation’s pop-culture Walter Cronkite. MTV stopped the ridiculous reality shows for a while, aired all those old MJ videos. It was a brief reunion with my childhood, and MJ’s death was an ending of an era.
Now?
Now MTV is no music, really bad reality shows that are completely scripted, that societal shamefest THE JERSEY SHORE, which promotes horrible behavior and sells cruelty and crudeness as comedy, while being scripted. When I was a kid, MTV had personality, it had personalities. Ellis-Bunim would be rolling in her grave if she could see how bad THE REAL WORLD, and all its spinoffs, have become. Even MTV’s TRUE LIFE feels fake. MTV has gone from making cutting-edge TV to a heap of retreaded reality shows that promote sex, drugs, and making fun of people.
Maybe I’ve outgrown MTV, but I can’t even sit through 5 minutes of the VMA’s anymore. That ended when they let P. Diddy host. Wow, was that bad. I rarely watch MTV, which is a shame, because it was a huge part of growing up, way back when it was channel 14 instead of 57.
MTV is my cousin Jody with her hair teased, wearing huge bracelets like Madonna. Me at 12 yrs old mimicking the way Axl glided. VJ Kennedy and Kurt Loder with an MTV News break. Michael Jackson, in his red leather, dancing through the open counter way of an unoccupied coffee house. Because of MTV, I tried to record my own Top 20 Countdown like Adam Curry, with two radios next to each other, one playing the songs, one recording the songs and my dialogue. I could never stop talking RIGHT before the song’s words started. I tried that trick so many times with Tears for Fears’ “Sowing the Seeds of Love.”
What can I say? Happy 30th Birthday MTV
My 10 Favorite Videos(In no particular order)
10. Beat It: Michael Jackson
9. Welcome to the Jungle: Guns N’ Roses
8. Open Your Heart to Me: Madonna
7. 18 & Life: Skid Row
6. One: Metallica
5. Money for Nothing: Dire Straits
4. Sledgehammer: Peter Gabriel
3. Glory Days: The Boss
2. Take on Me: Ah Ha
1. Land of Confusion: Genesis
* And of course: Rock the Cradle of Love: Billy Idol
Eminem at the 2000 VMA's 'Great VMA performance':
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PRS4EuNeQU
Brian Huba
8/2/11