an open letter to the G train.

Dear G Train,

I know, I've been seeing your friends F and E on a more regular basis, and it's not that they're better than you, but they have what I need. They go out to the city with me and don't care what time I come home. But you, you were my old standby. That's what makes this so hard.

We go back a long way, you and I. Remember when I was twelve and we went to the mall for the first time? That was great, wasn't it? Or that time I got stranded in Brooklyn when I was sixteen and my only beacon of hope was your illuminated green logo? It was magical.

But things changed when you moved out of Forest Hills.

You got too hip for your old digs and started catering exclusively to those Brooklynites. Sure, they're your bread and butter, but Queens was your heart and soul, baby. Every hipster from Greenpoint to Park Slope would rag on you, but I stood by you, G train--they didn't know you like I did, or so I thought.

The past day was the last straw, sweetheart. I thought we could pick things up where they left off, but you dropped the ball big time. All I needed was a few hours of your time to get me through Brooklyn and all you did was laugh at me. Fifteen minute wait at Court Square. Twenty minute wait at Smith/9th. And then, like a slap in the face, a thirty five minute wait at Nassau this morning. And then, to top it off, you have E clean up your mess and go local from Roosevelt to Forest Hills--that's just icy.

I don't know what to do with you. You're my link to second favorite borough but you just make it so hard to love you. You're dirty, you smell funny, you're continuously late and, frankly, you move like molasses, but I miss you.

Please, lets not fight anymore. I know you're never coming back to Queens, but...I still want to see you. Just don't make me regret it.


With much love and sorrow,

Al Rossin.

"Christine Brown has a good job, a great boyfriend, and a bright future. But in three days, she's going to hell."

There is no real way for me to describe how wonderful "Drag Me to Hell" was. I know that the ads make it look like a typical horror movie, but you have to take my word for it--this is one of the funniest movies I've seen in a long, long time. And not funny because it was awful, but funny because Sam Raimi is clearly having fun making movies again. Really great tongue-in-cheek humor (Justin Long is continuously surrounded by Mac products...) and some really laugh-out-loud gross-out scenes. My only wish was that Bruce Campbell would've made a cameo, but not all wishes are meant to be granted.


___________

In real life, I just got myself a job that pays a nice salary, gives me health benefits, sick days and vacation days. And no, I'm not on drugs or dreaming. More details when I get them.

BBQ Weekend 2009

Today kicked off this year's BBQ weekend at my house. At least one weekend a summer, my dad and I put aside time to totally bro out and grill/smoke lots of meat, play cards and drink beer.

On the menu for today:
-Ribs
-Potato salad
-Baked beans
-Sausage (grilled or smoked)

On tap:
-Sam Adams Blackberry Witbeir

Today's grade:
B+ (For some reason the ribs were saltier than I had expected or preferred. The beans and the potato salad were on point and the grilled sausage was far superior to their smoked brethren. The weather was really fantastic but not hot enough to really enjoy the Witbeir. Regardless, it was a successful day.

Sweet summer night and I'm stripped to my sheets

Exactly one week ago, I (unofficially) became a graduate of Purchase College. I moved back into my family's home; my old room, my old bed. I haven't spent a very long time at home in quite some time--usually it's just during winter break, but even then it felt (and was) temporary, about four weeks at most.
Now, most of my belongings are here, many of these things having been acquired over the past four years. A lot of things I own don't feel pertinent here, specifically my collection of posters from over the years. A large majority of them were for shows at the Stood or other Purchase-related events. They don't feel like home decorations anymore, rather they are relics, collector's items, I suppose. Things are very different here.

The actual graduation ceremony was kind of joyless. Although it was sunny for the first time in approximately seven years, the ground was still soupy. In fact, I really didn't see my graduation; I only heard what was going on thanks to a P.A. system because my chair sank so much that all I could see were the mortar boards in the rows in front of me. Our speakers had a common theme: everything pretty much sucks, but it's going to get better...right? This theme has permeated my day-to-day life as of recently--I spend much of my time on Craigslist hoping to be one of the 20% of college seniors who will have a job.

Pat King had a fantastic way of describing graduation and the process of moving away from Purchase--"We're leaving this place, not each other." In the past week, this has remained thankfully true. I spent a night at Purchase seeing friends and then just had a very enjoyable night out with others in the real world. As much as being unemployed and living with your parents can suck (being unemployed and having to make rent is much worse, I know), it's comforting to know that there's still the opportunity to see friends and make new memories, not just reminisce about old ones.

Star Trek

J.J. Abrams' treatment of Star Trek is a lot of things. Entertaining? Yes. Action-packed? You bet. Audience-friendly? Totally. But there's one thing it's not that really keeps the film from being a top-notch film: Suspense.

With Star Trek, Abrams and his Bad Robot team establish themselves clearly as auteurs. If you've followed Lost, the entire film will feel very familiar. Abrams' execution of color, set design, writing and sound design, including the score, is fantastic. In my experience, the film passed the major test of any "re-boot" film; it satisfied the die-hards and kept the novices in the loop. Sitting next to a friend of mine who wasn't familiar with Star Trek past "Beam me up, Scottie," was a great testament to the success of this film. "I can't wait for the sequal," he said.

Therein lies the problem, I suppose. This isn't to fault Abrams, the writers or the cast, but instead the nature of the "origin"-type film. This film was the first of its kind that, on a few occasions, had me thinking "Oh no, what's going to happen?" immedately followed by, "Oh wait, this is Kirk and Spock we're talking about...they can't die." So, while I was enthralled by the nature of spectatorship, my mind kept correcting itself; not only is this a movie, but it's a movie where the good guys can't die. This isn't to say that they can't lose, though, becuase there's always going to be a sequel. The Dark Knight is a prime example; Batman unfoils the plans of Two-Face and the Joker, but the film ends with a slew of questions. Is Two-Face dead? What happens to the Joker? What will Batman do? Star Trek ends on a similar note, but the questions that will be answered in future installments probably only come from those familiar with Star Trek, not casual viewers like my dear friend. While these people might be wondering what they'll do next time, Trekkies are already pondering when Khan will make an appearance.

All in all, I really can't blame Star Trek for what has become an industry fault. Abrams has crafted a perfect summer movie that will, without a doubt, enlighten a new generation of viewers and make dump-truck-loads of money. Just remember to suspend your disbelief at the door.

Home Stretch

Yesterday at 8am, I began moving out of K-1-1, my home on campus for two years. I've always said to people, "If these walls could talk, they'd scream." The things this place has seen...ah the mammories.