Monthly Archives: May 2007

Woodchucks

I was thinking about woodchucks recently. Everybody says they can’t chuck wood, but has anybody tested that hypothesis? Maybe they can chuck wood and they just haven’t because nobody has made them. It makes sense. Why chuck wood if you don’t have to? Apparently people will do it because of their blind faith that the woodchucks, despite their names implying that they are indeed chuckers of wood, cannot actually chuck the wood.

They’re all having a great big laugh at us. Oh yes. Believe you me, this is the last time I’m chucking the wood. Let the stupid woodchuck do it next time. Isn’t that what they’re for?

People Who Run Downtown

Some of the people I run with every Wednesday (6PM, Schenley Oval) also run on Tuesday nights with a group called People Who Run Downtown. A couple days ago, they got a plug in the Trib PM.

Strength in numbers

“Planning to eat at Finnigan’s Wake on a recent Tuesday night, Albert DiPietro took a six-mile detour from the North Side restaurant’s front door to his table. He’s among some 50 people who gather at a Pittsburgh area restaurant each week to first run and then sit down for dinner. The group, People Who Run Downtown, never goes to any place more than once a year. The group visits 52 restaurants a year and has been to more than 230 restaurants over the years.”

Romito Brothers Band at Town Tavern Tonight

A buddy of mine’s band is competing in a battle of the bands. Tonight they’ll be playing at Town Tavern. Here’s more info:

The Romito Brothers Band formed in the fall of 2004 while Dante and Michael were both students at the University of Pittsburgh. The brothers jammed in a band together, along with bassist Tom Smith . The three spent the next two years writing songs and learning covers, but were still in need of a drummer. Recently Rich Bono joined the band on drums, completing the band’s lineup. Influences of the Romito Brothers include Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, Dave Matthews Band, Pearl Jam, Barenaked Ladies, and many more. The brothers are currently working on CD, and hope to release it in the summer of 2007.

The Town Tavern and 105.9 The X are hosting our first annual Battle of the Cover Bands! The X is looking for any bands that are interested in playing the music that inspired them to form a band. They also want to hear some of the bands original music! This is the first time the Town Tavern is doing anything with live music.

The contest is arranged as follows: each band in the preliminary rounds will play a 25 minute set. Fifteen of those minutes are required to be covers of popular songs. The ten minutes remaining are left to the discretion of the bands. One winner from each night will go on to compete in the finals

They are judging this competition through three factors. Crowd noise is going to play a huge part in winning each night. They want to hear the band’s fans cheering and try to get the other band’s fans into it as well. They want to hear everyone in the building singing along to all the songs. They will be counting which fan is showing up for what band. Lastly, the X’s dj the Whipping Boy will be serving as a judge.

What Do People Really Think About You?

Do you ever think about what other people think about you? I mean more than the usual, “Oh my god, I’m so fat” way that people worry about. What I’m trying to get at is what people really think about you as a person. Where do others see you fitting in their world, and what do they think you’re really like?

Questions like this constantly fascinate me because the answers are so odd. The instructor for my Intro to Ethical Theory class in college brought up and interesting point one day, namely that people are walking contradictions. It’s true. People carry around wildly contradicting beliefs, and yet somehow they manage to make it through the day without a core identity meltdown. A few people I know claim to believe in religious principles of equality and fairness, yet they’re the first ones to justify low tipping on the grounds that, “Well, they should’ve gotten a different job if they wanted more money.”

Other times it’s not so simple. Even thieves believe stealing is wrong. I’m sure plenty of politicians believe lying is wrong, even though they’re perfectly aware that many promises made during campaigns aren’t going to get a follow-through. People aren’t strong all the time. We have weaknesses, systemic and momentary. What’s more, there’s a certain part of us that only we see. The mind is perfectly transparent, but it’s a one-way window. We know deep down what we really think, want, and believe. But other people see something else. It’s filtered by what we let out and what they observe. We are distortions of ourselves in the eyes of others.

Recently somebody told me that I’m a constant source of optimism. Ha! I tried to correct the fellow, but he wouldn’t believe a word of it. It makes me wonder what he sees in me that would make him see such a thing. Yet somehow, through that strange alchemy of observation and action, it’s the picture he formed in his head. How does that happen?

I think he’s the optimistic one. It’d take an endless font of hope to think I’m one of the joy-ridden people.