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October 27, 2005
Back to the Grind
So, we’re back to reality.
While the work continues at DC unabated, for which I am very pleased, the pending projects at home have inched a little closer to resolution.
On the media tie-in pitch from December, the editor this week said he’d be reading it over the next few weeks.
On the media tie-in pitch now at the Licensor, it seems the time-sensitive bottleneck has been resolved and my outline will be read shortly.
On the new media tie-in pitch, I finally heard back that the pitch is “ambitious” and one of their people gave me a thorough continuity read which will require some tweaks but nothing insurmountable. I’m awaiting the final word to get started and then we can talk about it.
On the media tie-in pitch submitted just before vacation, I finally heard back from the editor this week. She liked the basic story outline, called the sample chapter “fantastic” and gave me notes to proof it against the Licensor. I’m now in the midst of making revisions. One nice thing about not looking at this in two months is that I now see ways to improve it plus her notes will make it stronger.
Stay tuned.
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 12:24 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
October 24, 2005
Capping off the Celebration
The weekend capped off a wonderful anniversary celebration.
Kate arrived Friday night and Rob took the train in from Fairfield. Deb and Rob met Kate at Penn Station and the plan was to rendezvous with me at Carmine’s. However, Carmine’s was full up and we didn’t have reservations so it was on to Plan B. Our family is very good at rolling over to Plan B so an adventure awaited us.
We wound up at St. Andrews Pub, a place I have been to numerous times and it turned out just fine. The four of us swapped stories and ate copious amounts of good food.
Saturday was rainy but, undaunted, we ventured out. First, Deb and Kate ran errands then Kate and I went out to get stuff done. That afternoon the cable repairman showed up and it turns out we needed a new DVR box. Sigh. It now works and I hope it simplifies our lives as expected.
That evening, Kate told us she wanted the kitchen to herself to bake and relax. We were heading out to the Parish’s 50th Anniversary dinner dance so that was fine.
At the dance, which was quite nice but needed a bigger room to accommodate the band, Deb introduced me to many members of the choir. All of them made a point of mentioning how much they enjoy singing along with the kids and what good we have. We saw old friends and Deb was thrilled to see several of the priests who have moved on to other churches. While I’m not one for organized religion, I did come away with a good feeling about the sense of community a well-run church can provide.
Sunday was supposed to be a relaxed day, filled with board games and a nice Sunday dinner before Kate trained back to college. But first, there was the 50th anniversary mass, which was one of the reasons why Kate came home. It started at noon and they figured to be back around 2. I was busily doing laundry, ripping CDs for the new iPod, and trying to do a little writing. Around 2, I was upstairs putting away laundry when Jim, Deb’s brother, arrived on his motorcycle, along with his new girlfriend, Jennifer.
By the time I got downstairs to open the door for them, I spied Judy and Matthew getting out of their car. Jim’s local, so his stopping by didn’t raise any suspicions. Judy and Matt come up so rarely, I knew then something was up. And within minutes others started to pull up. It seems Kate and Robbie were strict about “2 on the dot.”
But, they were still at church. I’m thinking to myself, I have a house filling with people, there are things to clear away, I have nothing to serve them…etc. Bob and Laurie Rozakis turn up and Laurie, naturally, takes temporary charge. All I’m allowed to do is take the industrial-sized ziti and put it in the oven. She was handling things until the kids arrived.
I finally get through to Deb on the cell phone. She’s just getting out of mass, it ran an hour over. Kate had been complaining about a headache and wanted to come home but Deb really wanted to go to the reception and was getting pissed at the whiny children. I said, “Come home now.” “Why?” “Because your brother is here and your sister just walked in the door, and Judy & Matt and Bob & Laurie are here.” “Oh.”
In the end, we had just over a dozen of our closest friends and family with us, some others couldn’t make it. It seems, no sooner did we leave for the dinner dance then Kate ran out and did a mammoth shopping and then stayed in the kitchen baking goodies until 11. She had Rob come home from the community theatre early to help clean up, which he good naturedly did.
The party was wonderful, with terrific finger foods, a fabulous ziti and delightful treats that meant ignoring the diet yet again. They saw to it some of our favorite treats were on hand which for me meant Fritos and brownies. People mingled and mixed, the various kids played well together, either outside or down in the basement. A swell time was had by all.
After the last guest left around 6, we took 30 minutes to put everything away, vacuum and mop and then relaxed a bit as a foursome before we put Kate on the train.
This has been a terrific week long celebration, capped by sharing it with friends and family. We have some very dear, very close friends which makes us feel good. But, after hearing how great my kids were from others, I was reminded all over again yesterday. I’m still not sure what we did that had them turn out so well, but I am incredibly proud of them, their thoughtfulness, ingenuity and love.
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 10:40 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
October 21, 2005
25 Years + 3 days
It was wonderful, everything it was supposed to be.
We woke up Tuesday morning and before I could get out of bed, Deb was thrusting a gift at me. She couldn’t wait, having spent months thinking about the right thing. Turns out this was Gift 1A. And it was a brand spankin’ new iPod, something I had hoped to get myself had the Final Frontiersmen taken first place. Instead, this worked out fine. Gift 1B was a nice hard plastic carrying case to protect the unit itself. Apparently, Gift 2 would have to wait until Wednesday night.
After a leisurely morning at home, we headed to New Paltz. Being a college town, it had a nice main drag with loads of nifty shops to browse. At the suggestion of Richard and Wendy Pini, we had lunch at the Main Street Bistro, which was an excellent choice. Highly recommended.
We walked up and down the street, poking into shops that captured our fancy. Deb, of course, found the town’s yarn shop and breezed in and out in just minutes given its tiny size. We found some used CDs that we wanted and then drove into the mountains.
While DC execs have stayed at the Mohonk Mountain House, I never had the opportunity. Deb suggested it last spring as the kind of place we should consider for our silver anniversary. I checked the web site, agreed, and booked it. The main building is a sprawling complex made up of sections stretching back to 1879. Set on a lake, surrounded by hundreds of acres of nature, it is pastoral and relaxing.
And noisy. The first afternoon, the halls were packed, the hiking trails were busy and it was a lot busier and noisier than I anticipated. They do a lot of corporate meetings and host day-trippers so they have their hands full. Still, there are main trails and we managed a nice walk before our room was ready.
It turns out, the room was the only one with two balconies, facing front and back, and with a high ceiling. As a result, it was nice, and roomy and perfect according to Deb. I found it old, well maintained, and not as stylish as I expected. She loved it, I found it fine.
We spent our time at Mohonk walking the trails, taking pictures, stalking deer, she painted while I read, eating, playing checkers and so on. It was terrific even if the food sounded better than it tasted. Of course, we went for the package, not the food so it was acceptable. Heck, we even fit in a work out in their new fitness room to stay on schedule.
Before dinner Tuesday night, I gave Deb her gift, even though there was no surprise involved since she wanted to pick it. She carefully chose a ring containing our kids’ birth stones and a pair of complementary earrings and looks great wearing them.
Our final activity before driving home Wednesday was taking a carriage ride around the lake and it was a nice way to end the vacation. The drive home was nice and mellow, returning to Fairfield ahead of the rush hour madness.
Robbie managed the house fine in our absence. Of course, Tuesday night was not without incident. Dakota decided to engage a skunk in the backyard, getting sprayed but also getting to bite the animal in return. Rob called Animal Control, they came and collected the skunk to test for rabies while his best friend’s mother came to help him with arrangements and some of the cleanup. We’re still waiting for the text results, keeping the poor animal isolated until we know what the verdict is.
Still, he handled it all very well and still managed to make sure Gift 2 was ready. Deb decided it was time for our first DVR. At first, she was ready to buy a TiVo system, but Cablevision recently entered into a deal with TiVo, rendering their unaffiliated systems useless from a programming perspective so we now rent a box from Cablevision. Robbie went to pick it up and wired it up so it’d be ready when we returned. Cablevision being the finely prepared operation that it is, wasn’t quite up to the task. After wiring it, nothing happened. Upon our return, we fiddled with it and then called Customer Service to discover the cable strength wasn’t strong enough to power the box, requiring a service call. So, tomorrow, I’ll get t enjoy gift 2.
Meantime, Kate’s on her way home for the weekend so we four may celebrate the occasion as a family. We’re really looking forward to this.
And to keep the day bright, I also was sent my first copy of the Star Trek: Voyager anthology Distant Shores which contains my story, “Command Code.” One of my fellow authors already paid me a compliment on it, which continues to brighten my mood.
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 02:57 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
October 18, 2005
25 Years Ago Today
Twenty-five years ago today it was dark and stormy. I woke up and went to the Laundromat to get some clothes washed. My buddies John and Jeff spent the day with me and we headed from Huntington to a Plainview theater to watch Nicholas Roeg’s Bad Timing: A Sexual Obsession with, of all people, Art Garfunkel in the lead. After the movie, about which I can recall absolutely no details, we headed back to the apartment to changer for dinner. On our way to Westbury, we stopped at a corner deli and picked up a six-pack of Coke.
We got to C.W. Post in plenty of time and milled about waiting for things to get underway. The rain kept others from joining us on time and we pushed the reservations as long as we could before we had to get started.
And on that dark and stormy night, 25 years ago, Deb and I got married. Not everyone made it. Paul Levitz, who was to get married two weeks later, had the windshield wipers go out on his car while on the Long Island Expressway and never got there. My college roommate Mike and Deb’s former roommate Laura got there during the ceremony and missed out on their chance to read from the service.
None of that marred the event.
In the intervening years, we joke about the conditions of that night but have always looked back on it fondly. And in looking back, it’s been an interesting journey. We’ve lived at four different addresses, held a score of jobs, conceived and raised two children, endured an array of nannies, dealt with loss, catastrophes, wonderful moments and significant events. There’s a lot to look back on and appreciate, some regrets, and certainly more than a few things we’d do differently.
Through it all, we’ve been together and like it that way. We comfort each other, look after one another and think we’ve done a pretty good job with our lives and our family. Of course, not everyone thought it would last. On our fifth anniversary, I wanted to call Deb’s father from Cape May and blow a raspberry into the phone. Deb prevented me but when we told him about it years later, he laughed and said she should have let me; he deserved it. After all, we’ve lasted longer than four of our siblings.
We’re taking today and tomorrow off, retreating for two days reserved just for us. We’ll work out a bit, take strolls along the hiking trails, and ignore our diets for 48 hours and indulge. We have a lot to celebrate and a lot to be thankful for.
I can’t imagine my life without Deb by my side. I just thought you should know it.
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 05:21 PM | Comments (10) | TrackBack
October 17, 2005
Seeing Serenity
Normally, I don’t mind spoilers for movies, television or comic books. However, every now and then I like to treat myself and avoid them for something special.
In June, as people started buzzing over the Serenity screenings that were held around the country, I heard there were some status quo-changing events and stopped reading posts. I decided I didn’t want to know until I was in the theatre on September 30. And I am very impressed that I never found out. Better, I managed to make it all the way to October 16 before seeing the film and still didn’t know what changed.
Deb, Robbie and I went yesterday, eager to see the film, having come to love the short-lived television series. Rob actually had seen it twice already but came along because he liked it that much.
Joss Whedon, making his feature film debut, did a fine job. Some of it was shot like a television episode, but I give him credit for keeping the camera moving and letting us soak in some details missing from the television screen. His script also worked on the twin levels of satisfying fans of the show and introducing his world to new viewers. I had that confirmed by a guy after the film, recognizing it came from somewhere else but having never heard of Firefly. Now he wants to hunt down the DVDs.
The story reveals more of the universe Mal Reynolds and his crew have tried to avoid. The flashbacks to River’s childhood classroom experience is as chilling as the emotionally void soldier sent after her.
I’d have preferred if everyone got a bit more to do although Jewel Staite’s Kaylee had some of the best lines in the movie. I wanted more between the rare-in-science-fiction husband-and-wife combo. I wanted more about why Shepherd Book left the Serenity and settled on Haven.
But all in all, I was entertained. I laughed, I dropped my jaw in shock more than once and I was moved by some of the events. I’m thrilled not to have know what was coming because it immensely improved the experience.
Sadly, it’s dying at the box office. The third weekend had the movie take in well under $3 million for a total hovering around $22 million. For a $40 million movie that will finish close to $30 million domestic, plus all the ancillary income, Universal and Joss should be happy. Happy enough to green light a sequel? That’s the real conundrum for one and all to ponder.
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 05:09 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
October 16, 2005
We're walking, we're walking...
One of the best ways to get your name and face known during a campaign is walking the district. And while those of us in District 8 are running unopposed for the RTM, the top of the ticket has a tough fight on their hands. As a result, we decided to walk part of the district with the candidates yesterday.
The problem with planning a walking campaign during the fall is that you’re a victim to the weather. Rain washed out the last two weekends for other districts and all of New England got soaked for seven or eight straight days so we approached yesterday with some trepidation. Fortunately, as we converged at our district leader’s home around 11, the skies brightened, we were reintroduced to Sol and the temperatures rose dramatically.
Four of the five RTM candidates were ready to join forces with the others. Taking advantage of the weather were our First Selectman, Ken Flatto, his running mate Denise Dougiello, our candidate for Town Clerk, Charlotte Leslie, and Rich Jacobs, who is running for a seat on the Town Planning & Zoning Board. Pat, our leader, suggested we work a number of the streets in and around Holland Hill School, where the district will vote on November 8.
Once parked, we divided up into teams and hit the street. We were armed with print outs of each street, on each print out was the voter’s name, age, affiliation and if they voted in any election since 2001. We carried with us flyers for the district, the top of the ticket and Rich’s own flyer. I wound up paired with Denise who I know and like, but don’t know all that well.
Turns out, we work well together. We’re quick, efficient and chatty. I suspect we covered more ground than the other teams, certainly got more to allow us to plant lawn signs in front of their homes. I was impressed how Denise remembered being on some of these streets either for the 2001 or 2003 campaign.
(A word about lawn signs. Marty Pasko and family came to dinner last weekend and as they drove through town to check it out, they were impressed by the sheer volume of signs for both parties dotting the residential and commercial streets. Apparently there is not the same level of activism in their New Jersey town. Was nice to hear.)
We also left a lot of flyers at empty homes. Most we spoke with, shook our hands, accepted our flyers and had nothing to discuss. A few had issues and we listened as I took notes on the printouts (which have to be returned to HQ for analysis or action – things like sending out absentee ballots or giving the infirm a ride to the polls). The issues that came up were the expected ones, and we largely had support. Only one home was vehemently against Ken and there was a personal component to it.
We walked until 2 and everyone felt we had accomplished a good day’s work. I expected to be out longer but it was a good day’s work. Will any of this make a difference, I have no idea, but since it is a time honored tradition, I presume this continues to be an effective method of getting the word out.
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 08:42 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
October 14, 2005
Cablevision speaks...sort of
Long time readers here know I have a beef with Cablevision. Back in the spring, I filled you in on my unsatisfactory discussion with a representative from Customer Service. I had in fact written to the company president and the letter was immediately bucked down the ladder.
Effectively, I was complaining about the lack of choice, arguing that two packages of digital offerings were not at all sufficient. I went so far as to suggest they offer tiers similar to a Sports Tier they had introduced a month earlier.
The rep basically said they won’t do anything until the Town they have the franchise arrangement with forces the issue. OK, so I copied my blog post and sent it to my local rep on the Cable Advisory Council. Turns out they just broke for the summer and it would come up for discussion in the fall.
The meeting was held last night and today I received the following note from one of the members (who, I should point out, has been unfailingly kind and sympathetic to the cause):
Bob,
Your concern was brought up last evening and you may have heard from Howard Jacobson about it already. But in case not, I will impart my take on the conversation that took place.
As it happened, at last night' meeting, the Council was given an overview by Cablevision Management on "Customer Service". How it is routed…how they train and their desire to give the customer not only a friendly but responsive experience. Many levels, formats and procedures were presented and I have to say it was
informative and did show an attempt by Cablevision to provide a service.
The problem we illustrated to them and as you may well know was that the question you asked was well beyond the purview of your standard "CRC" or customer rep.
You should have heard back from somebody in the President of the company's office. You should have gotten a more honest answer and but in fact you did. A person on the level you spoke with…doesn't know.
The tiering of programming is not a run of the mill bit of dialogue and as you may well know involves programmers and program purchasers and demographics and Ad Dollars and a whole host of market elements that quite frankly are not ready, at least from the bean counter side, to be ignored. Tiering…from the corporate side…doesn't make money, or disrupts the natural world of networks and per customer costs and sale points. And not to take Cablevision's side but simply, at this time...would cost you way too much as they would throw the cost of ignoring the relevance of advertising income based on viewer numbers onto the customers.
I don't know if the technology exists to generate what you are looking for…more than likely through the wonders of Broadband it could be. In conclusion, somebody else should have called you and given you the answer that you deserve and the simple fact of the matter is they don't have a "CRC" department or grade that covers this answer. All Cable Advisory Council members present felt and told the management representatives on hand that perhaps they should. That there are some customers who can appreciate a particular level sophistication and in fact perceive the applications of a technology... I am sorry to say however that the market and the interests of Cablevision at this time supercede your desires.
One other point.
You were misinformed as to the power of the towns on this matter. Connecticut is one of only two sates that the towns do not control or hold the cable franchise contract. In our state it is the DPUC who lords over this domain. The Cable Advisory Council acts only as your voice to them. The idea of Town Specific control over such issues has long been a desire of ours and many other towns. This does not give us control over commercial
programming but it has been stated by the DPUC that greater tier type programming is a viable goal as an offering to the customer.
OK, back to me for comment.
If I understand this right, they have CSRs to talk to the common man. They do not have CSRs trained to talk to those of us with an understanding of the media business or technology or anything above an eighth grade (I’m guessing) education.
They can offer a Sports Tier but no other kind of programming tier. They can offer VOD, digital music channels, their Magazine Rack of edu-tainment, but they can’t subdivide their programming beyond the Gold and Silver packages.
They say Tiering doesn’t make money. But as far as I can tell, they haven’t done any customer focus groups, haven’t sent out surveys or made any attempt whatsoever to find out what the general consumer wants. Studies have shown, as I pointed out in my spring letter, that the average cable subscriber uses seventeen channels. Which means all those advertisers on the three or four dozen other channels are wasting their money. And yes, that means one average consumer watches The Golf Channel and another watches QVC and I’d drop kick both of them given a choice. And that’s what I’m asking for, a choice.
I’ll accept for the moment that the media and cable industries have seen to it that a full ala carte option is not possible. But, I am willing to bet they can still make money, and possibly even more money, by offering people packages/bundles of programming options that would actually get used. And by creating greater options, it would also cut down on their churn rate which in turn would relax pressure on their advertising budget.
And finally, since I’m feeling bitchy and unhappy about this, my cable-specific edition of TV Guide just got replaced with the generic new magazine-sized version, Gemstar’s last gasp attempt at survival. Well, I flipped through it and found the listings far too minimal to be relevant, the lack of a month-at-glace premium channel by premium channel listing annoying and the articles that replaced the above far too thin to be engaging. It’s crap.
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 08:11 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
October 11, 2005
More of This and That
More Baseball
Sunday’s National League game was just amazing. A classic we’ll be talking about for years to come. Things I liked about it: Roger Clemens coming in and pitching one-hit ball for three innings, laying down a great sac bunt and then making certain the spotlight was on Chris Burke, who hit the walk off homerun. The Braves played a great game, just not great enough even though they still had fresh arms available as the 18th inning dragged on. I feel somewhat sorry for Joey Devine who looked nervous out there but his stuff also looked very good. I can see why they rushed him to the Big Leagues and suspect he’ll be around for a while.
The Yankees, mean time, got sent home and for that I’m thankful. They did not play like a juggernaut all season, somehow squeaked to the top of their division and then got beat by a clearly superior team. With luck, GM Brian Cashman will be allowed to rebuild carefully with an eye towards the future and not some wholesale clean sweep that will reduce payroll and have them playing like the 1969 Yankees (or pick your favorite post-Mickey pre-Reggie team).
More Television
We finally sampled Commander-in-Chief and like it. Robbie decided to watch the second episode with us which flummoxed me. I asked why he’d want to watch this but not West Wing which has superior characters and sharper writing. He explained he preferred the balance between work and home life, that the new show was less about the politics. OK, I’ll give him that. I do like that the older daughter has policy issues with her mother but so far, all three kids are shallow. Kyle Secor’s first husband is also lacking some depth. Geena Davis has been rock solid. Donald Sutherland on a TV show has great promise, but honestly, he needs to be more than a political Snidely Whiplash.
I’m also going to be curious to see the series’ second half of the season which should about the time Steven Bochco’s influence should be felt. He was announced as replacing creator Rod Lurie as overseer so it’ll either toughen up to reflect Bocho’s other prime time shows or it’ll soften him up.
As for the other political series on TV, this year’s West Wing feels sharper than last year. Oddly, though, even though we see plenty of Santos staffers, edging out the familiar Bartlet cast for screen time, we still don’t know anything about them. By now, Sorkin would have allowed everyone to be shaded to some degree. And the fact that we’re seeing so much of the Santos campaign and staff versus the Vinick Campaign makes me wonder if John Wells is misleading us to think Santos will win or just prefers them. Still terrific television, especially compared to so much of the competition.
Smallville got great press over the summer for the casting of James Marsters as Brainiac and the arrival of Aquaman this season. Over the last two weeks, the press has focused on how well it has performed over the first two airings, taking third in a highly competitive timeslot (you know, opposite Alias, I Hate Chris, and Joey). I have to admit I stopped watching around halfway last season because I thought they jumped the shark and would never fix things. Well, I’ll admit, the first two outings were stronger than last year and promise a good solid season. That being said, I have a lot of trouble understanding how the Jor-El A.I. managed to strip Clark of his super-powers, if the powers were a result of Kryptonian physiology reacting to Sol and Earth conditions. Oh well, nothing’s perfect.
Our family has also been enjoying Grey’s Anatomy which boasts an appealing cast, a fine mix of medical and soap opera storylines and feels fresh. Which cannot be said for E.R. which may be past its shelf date. We continue to watch, somewhat out of habit, somewhat because we still like some of the characters but it has yet to feel compelling as it has in its earlier years.
More Work
Got in the first bound set of Absolute Crisis on Infinite Earths yesterday and I am very, very pleased. George Pérez’s new covers sparkle, Louis Prandi’s design is terrific from end to end, and the Compendium volume should provide hours of reading to the diehard fans who want all the nitty gritty.
I also received the OK too bind sections for my very first DC-related archive, Golden Age Hawkman and it looks pretty sharp. I hadn’t read many of these stories and liked Gardner Fox’s variety, a mix of high adventure and pulp silliness. While artist Shelly Moldoff has taken knocks for his Alex Raymond-inspired art, it’s very good for its time and I can see why he was a favorite of management.
Meantime, I’m floored by the positive responses I’ve been reading regarding the Showcase Presents line. The first three are now out and the response has been something like 99% positive. Heck, they even compliment the page numbers. I’m working steadily now, having finally gotten into a rhythm on these books and we’re running ahead of schedule on January’s Green Arrow volume so all is good.
And at home, I’m still waiting word from all the various editors so I’m focusing on campaigning, and other little projects.
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 09:46 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
October 09, 2005
My Political Campagin - an Update
The lawn signs started popping up around town the third week of September. The Republicans starting grousing because they were operating under the belief that both sides agreed that no lawn signs would be up until October 1. The real agreement, I’m told, was “roughly six weeks” before the November 8 election. Either way, the Democrat signs showed up early.
Last week, the Republican signs were everywhere and the race was on. (My neighbor across the street put out her very first lawn sign in support of the Republican candidate for Town Clerk. Somehow I felt betrayed but Deb just looked at me and questioned why I imagined they’d be Democrats. I dunno.)
The candidates for First Selectmen have started sniping at each in the press, each making accusations of the other, each partly right, each partly sounding silly. Our candidate, Ken Flatto, is a terrific guy and I’d love to see him get back into for a third consecutive term. However, there are times I wish we had a mute button since he doesn’t use an internal editor for his comments. Some of these snipes don’t need to be prolonged.
As for me, I need to do minimal campaigning since I am running unopposed. Our district decided against lawn signs and is relying on walking the streets and a mailing to every home in the area. We kick off the formal walk next Saturday and will be accompanied by the top of the ticket which should be fun.
I’ve done district walks before, in support of that year’s slate. This time, I’m selling myself and I’m not sure how comfortable I am with this. A few weeks back at the last RTM meeting, I wound up giving the minutes to the Finance Committee meeting on the agenda items. For each item on the Call, I had to stand and walk to the mike, present a summary of what we heard, we asked and how we voted. Oddly, I was nervous and a touch hesitant. Anyone who’s seen me at a convention knows I can handle a crowd of hundreds and speak extemporaneously for an hour without breaking a sweat. But here, in an official capacity, I was genuinely nervous. Worse, going first meant I was basically doing the summary for every committee and filling in the public so it mattered how the information was presented. Fortunately, I was told after the event, that I did well and helped keep things moving.
On Thursday, I went and did some phone banking. In the past I’ve done this to help the ticket and last election ran the room one night a week. This time, though, I was pushing myself and the ticket. I generally dislike cold calling and I know how annoyed I can get when I receive such calls. Still, if the people have something on their mind or need a ride to the polls, this is one way to find out. We’re given a script to use and honestly, every year it’s written by people who never read them out loud so they sound scripted and stilted. This year, I ignored the script entirely and just started with, “Hi, I’m Bob Greenberger, running for RTM in our district. I’m just calling to introduce myself and see if you have any thoughts or concerns now that we’re in campaign season.” And we go from there.
I had two genuinely interesting conversations in the 100 minutes or so I made calls. I left a bunch of messages, got way too many “the number you have dialed is no longer in service” messages and got hung up on once.
And so my political life continues to evolve.
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 09:59 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
October 05, 2005
Plug for a Pal
So let me tell you about Alan.
Alan is one of those guys who is so fascinating to talk to because while we share many of the same interests, his experiences and philosophies are so different than mine that we won’t always see eye-to-eye on the same subject.
Alan is one of those go-to guys very friend needs. As an active member of Cheap Treks and other incarnations of the fan groups that put on Showcases at Shore Leave and Farpoint, Alan can be counted on to act, provide costumes, create sound effects and even pitch in moving the sets. He plays our mad scientist when Peter David, Mike Friedman and I indulge in Mystery Trekkie Theatre (and he gets some of the best bits too).
He’s also an inventive and amusing costumer although he hasn’t done much of late. My favorite costume of his was simple but excellent in the execution. He stepped on stage dressed as Commander Riker. Not just any Riker, but recreating a moment from the first season TNG episode “Skin of Evil.” You know, the episode when Tasha Yar is killed by Armus, the giant, walking, talking oil slick. With a giant can of Hershey’s syrup in hand, Alan covered himself in thick, gooey chocolate syrup recreating that fine moment when Armus enveloped Riker. (Maybe you had to be there.)
Still, we go out of our way to help each other.
For the last year or so, I’ve been answering questions and been a one-man cheering section as Alan saw a labor of love come to fruition.
While there have been many Nitpicker’s Guides to Star Trek, for some reason, no one ever got around to Star Wars. Until now.
Alan, in partnership with his long-time friend Polly Luttrull, just self-published The Unauthorized Nitpicker’s Guide to the SW Saga. One of the things Alan does best, is not rest until something has been analyzed or worked on until he’s ready to keel over. This man has watched the six movies countless times (his estimate is roughly 800), in various incarnations. As a result, unlike other guides, meticulously records gaffes whether it occurred on the laser disk, the original video tape, the Special Edition video tape or the current remastered DVDs. Some goofs got cleaned up, others inserted and it’s all recorded in a well-designed, easy to follow grid.
His crack designer also came up with icons to let you know what you’re looking at so you know it’s a goof during production, a story flaw or some other element.
Much of this work developed over years of appearances at conventions, mainly on the east coast. Alan and Polly would don SW outfits, take the stage, and enchant people for hours with tidbits about upcoming projects, news of the cast, and whatever video clips could be found either talking about the series or the cast or even spoofing them. They even toss the audience surprises such as the time they rang up Mark Hamill and conducted an interview by phone while on stage.
The book is a fine read and worth your time if you’re a casual or compulsive fan. Check out their web site SW Bloopers for a sample from the book and a chance to order an autographed copy, complete with free shipping. Perfect for you and perfect for someone else’s Christmas tree.
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 03:31 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
October 03, 2005
Talking Baseball
We bookended the baseball season by attending the first and last games played at Shea Stadium. The sun was shining and the temperature was definitely high for an October afternoon. We brought Robbie, who hadn’t seen a game all season, and sat way up high in the Upper Reserved, but in section 1 so we could see everything.
And we watched in horror as the Mets played sloppy, rushed baseball. It was certainly thrilling to see Mike Jacobs and Victor Diaz hit back to back home runs to tie the game but just as quickly, Victor Zambrano gave up more runs and more runs.
He was maddeningly inconsistent so he’d toss eight strikeouts but also gave up lots of hits up the middle.
I had to question Willie Randolph’s strategy in the 5th. Zambrano had given up the lead, he’d tossed 100 pitches and was due to lead off the bottom half of the inning. You have the entire bullpen available. Logic dictates you use a pinch hitter to try and get something going. But no, Willie lets Zambrano lead off and he gets the first out.
And then, later, they finally pull Zambrano and Heath Bell is equally ineffective. Again, you have the entire bullpen at your beck and call so who do they bring in? Danny Graves which made no sense. He lasts all of two batters and by then the Mets gave up. The hitters swung at two many first pitches, the fielders were sloppy committing two errors.
They lost 11-3, still showing their best season standing since 2000 and had they been in the incredibly weak NL West, would have won the division by a game.
Now last year, we saw the final game of the season and there was much pomp and circumstance for Todd Zeile’s official retirement. There was also a nice tribute to John Franco whom the Mets had no intention of re-signing for the 2005 campaign. We loved it and thought they did right by both players. (Franco, of course, signed with Houston and lasted something like two months before being released.)
This year, the tribute was for Mike Piazza, ending his contract and likely to be a DH for any team foolish enough to sign him. I’ve never been a big Piazza fan thinking he was poor defensively and choked way too often in clutch situations. He also was never that great a team leader or clubhouse presence. Mike was, mainly, a huge bat in the lineup. Over the last two years (and possibly longer), the skills atrophied at an alarming rate. He played out his contract, he played hurt, and he played poorly. Sure, he could still smack a towering home run now and then, as he did Friday night. But, more often than not, he choked such as the bases loaded pinch hitting opportunity on Saturday. He popped out. And on Sunday, he grounded to short all three times.
Still, the faithful applauded, stood and cheered. Over the course of his time with the Mets, Piazza’s power helped often enough to deserve the adulation. He was being honored not for the last few years but his total time and for that I stood and cheered. I did not, though, join the chorus for “One More Year.” Deb, who has never liked him, remained seated.
So, whither the Mets? In the off-season their shopping list starts with a real, serious threat of a closer. Follow that with a catcher. Then you rebuild your bullpen a bit. While they still seem enamored of Kaz Matsui at second, if a better option exists they should take it. Mike Jacobs is tantalizing at first, so much potential and if no one better is available, then he’d be fine. Short with Jose Reyes and third with David Wright are solid. Should Cliff Floyd remain healthy, left field is a lock as is Carlos Beltran in center (although the pressure will be on to better his numbers). Presuming Mike Cameron is healthy, the Mets should probably keep him in right, using Victor Diaz as the number four outfielder.
As for the rotation, Glavine and Benson will be back. Jae Seo has pretty much pitched his way back into the rotation. Steve Trachsel looked healthier and the abbreviated season should make him strong for 2006. That leaves the fifth slot and let’s face it, it should never be Victor Zambrano. Too inconsistent, too ineffectual. If there’s a fresh arm out there, they should get it.
But we’ll see what happens since no one hired me to be the GM.
Speaking of General Managers, if I owned San Francisco and Los Angeles I’d fire their version of GM. Both teams had way too many problems in April, problems that could have been avoided with judicious use of cash during the off season. Everyone blames the Dodgers on having too many injuries, I blame them for a poor rotation and bench. San Francisco was too damned old and built around Barry “Really, I didn’t know I was rubbing myself with steroids” Bonds. SF began their youth movement too late to make a difference but does position them for 2006.
Do I care about the post season? Sure. Lots of interesting match-ups and battles. I’d love to see St. Louis take it all, redeeming themselves from last year’s sudden collapse. Boston vs. Chicago will be fun to watch. Atlanta will battle Houston quite nicely while San Diego should crumble before St. Louis. And the Yankees, the team that had no hope two months ago? They won’t make the series so the Hot Stove story will be what about Joe Torre, who deserves to stay on the job given the job he did getting them to first place.
Finally, you might wonder about my own Final Frontiersmen. After leading the Federal League most of the year in first, I saw a way to solidify the lead by making some trade deadline moves to pick up saves. The plan backfired. My saves guys stopped saving and then my rotation starting going 0-2 every week. September saw me in freefall so I finished in 5th place and feeling very frustrated.
Posted by Bob Greenberger at 02:05 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack