It was a cold Saturday morning in January. I awoke early, which is not unusual, but with the temperature bordering sub-zero, the options for early morning wandering seemed somewhat limited. Still, the coffee was warm, and the sun flirted with the clouds despite the frigid cold snap. After a viewing of the Irish immigrant drama "Brooklyn" on-demand, my concern about the cold faded away to the realization that the local shopping "Strip" District would be easily navigated. I convinced myself 9 Deg. F. would keep the fair-weather shoppers away, and possibly lead to on-street parking right "in the shit" (a rarity in the Strip on a Saturday).
My instinct was correct, parking was easy, and the sidewalks were barely occupied. Only the hardcore fans of ethnic stores, farmers markets, coffee shops and fish monger counters wandered the strip. The latter of the before mentioned, Wholey's, was my ultimate destination, as I had been charged with searing tuna for a possible dinner the following night. However, the allure of the Italian market "Pennsylvania Macaroni Company" was too tough to pass up. Some Buffalo Mozzarella and a jar of brochette later, my 3 block brisk journey to the fish counter was underway.
Wholey's is a Pittsburgh landmark, as are several of the local stores in the Strip, but this morning it was a much needed breath of nostalgic familiarity. Although I am not a Pittsburgh native, the unchanging market house is a throwback to a time gone to the ages, and can be appreciated by anyone with an old soul. As our identities shift further away from ethnic local stores, to super markets and beyond (mega stores), a staple or two in an un-commercialized environment is bag balm for the cracked spirit of the reminiscent.
Home before 10:30 AM, the rest of the day was wide open. I found myself digging through more on-demand movies to kill some time while I mixed my custom trail mix for the upcoming week's business trip. After a minute, I landed on the 1992 Cameron Crowe flick "Singles."
OK, I am done with the first person storytelling frills for today. All of thee above actually happened, and now it's a morning I will be able to look back on and read about when I'm 64 with a little poetry. Time to blog:
Regarding "Singles," I was 17 when it came out, and very much in tune with Heavy music. Bands like Alice in Chains and Soundgarden were never that much of a stretch from the distorted tones of the thrash movement, only slower. I remember seeing the movie and understanding the impact of the grunge sound on popular culture. More importantly for this blog, I was definitely too young to understand the actual plot of the movie: dating in the early 1990's.
As someone who recently tried the dating scene, I was amused by the similarities between then and now. All of the bad actors were there: Ghosting, jealousy, emotional unavailability, desperation, crushing, lying, and ultimately detachment. Horrible Advice had a role, as did Backstabbing and Smack Talking. Depression's scene was a turning point, and "Coming On Too Strong" battled with "Playing it Cool" for equal screen time.
Missing was "Drunk Texting," although a drunken phone call to an answering machine had the same impact. "Online Dating" was not there either, but video dating worked as a nice (and hilarious) stand-in precursor. "Catfishing" was not a thing yet, but "Blind Dating" isn't that far off.
The good apples showed up also: redemption, love, trust and connecting. I suppose "letting go" would be considered a lead role. Apology, forgiveness, humility and happy endings were well represented.
As a rebel at heart, I was probably not very good at dating. I believe "Asshole" applies to me in certain circumstances. That's not to say I am always rude. I, like many others, am unwilling to learn (or follow) the rules. According to my re-watch of "Singles," the rules are universal in time, as are breaking them. I chose controlled Anarchy. Vanilla ice cream is good, but French Vanilla Bean on a sugar cone (and still eaten with a spoon) is better.
It's been 25 years since Singles, but not much has really changed. Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains are still hanging around. People still work in cubicles and follow trends. A Barista is still the preferred gig for the youth of America, and dating is still dating. I guess the big differences are cell phones and Internet. Beyond that, SS,DD.
The rest of my Saturday was Muy Bueno. Better than good actually. A new song emerged, I'll post it soon. The evening was even better still, but I was reminded tonight that a "jinx" is a thing to not be trifled with, so maybe some stories are better kept close to the chest. I will say it included a trip to Rivers Casino to see Tres Lads. I am laughing again, surrounded by faces happy to be surrounded by me. In this moment, I can't ask for more.
Be Unafraid.
Nago
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