Virtual Fools

Earlier this summer Kevin and I planned an elaborate trip that involved five stops in seven days. While roadtripping people do this all the time, this plan was carefully constructed so that Kevin and I would pick up Kevin in Raleigh, NC, we could visit J and Jimmy in Richmond for a night, visit our respective parents in Virginia for a night, spend five days at the Jersey Shore, and pass back through Richmond for Carrie and J’s engagement party. Carefully executed, this plan would be the best way to maximize our friends-beach ratio while simultaneously making our parents happy.

Plans rarely work out like we expect. It should be noted that two days before this adventure I had my car looked at and $700 worth of work done. What follows is a detailed account of that road trip:

June 19th – I head out on my vacation, drive 600 miles to Richmond, VA via Raleigh where I picked up Kevin and spent the night at J’s.
June 20th morning – Leave for Northern VA the next day, drive about 100 miles and car breaks down
June 20th afternoon – Takes an hour for a tow truck to pick up the car because of traffic. We plan to ride in it with the car up to NoVA.
June 20th afternoon – Said tow truck, after 20 miles of driving, overheats and needs to go back to the shop.
June 20th afternoon – Drive 30 minutes back to the tow dispatch and car shop.
June 20th afternoon -Thinking it might just be the serpentine belt, pay $90 to have to shop look at it, maybe will fix it there.
June 20th afternoon -Learned the timing belt snapped, hit the water pump causing it to blow. This causes the engine to overheat without any warning and blows out the engine.
June 20th afternoon – Get the car on another tow to go to the same place the original tow was trying to take it.
June 20th evening – 7 hours after leaving Richmond, arrive at the shop in NoVA who can’t look at it until Monday morning.
June 22nd morning – After another $90 to look at the car there, they determine it needs a new engine ($5200).
June 22nd morning – Decide to buy a new car rather than go ahead with repairs.
June 22nd afternoon – Rent a car to finish out the week of vacation.
June 23nd – Drive to the Jersey shore in a stylin’ Hyundai Elantra
June 27 morning – Drive to Richmond from Jersey
June 27 evening – Drink heavily at Carrie and J’s engagement party
June 28 morning – Drive Kevin to Raleigh
June 28 afternoon – Raleigh to Atlanta

So now it’s September and it’s been close to three months since my car died. As the title of this blog entry indicates, I’m still without a car. At this point, that’s really a matter of choice–I’ve chosen to use my feet to commute and I’ve chosen to be so picky that there are no cars I really want. My (extremely patient) girlfriend has a car that I borrow on occasion, but I’m mostly walking place. I live 10 minutes from a MARTA (subway) station and use that to get to Midtown Atlanta to go to campus. Also near the Midtown MARTA station is a Publix, Taco Mac restaurant where I can get my beer on, a liquor store, and my barbershop.

I had never considered life without a car before–it seemed inevitable that I would always have something to drive. Don’t get me wrong, walking to MARTA in the hot summer sun sucks, but as it starts to cool off, my commute just becomes a nice way to get some exercise and listen to some podcasts. I also signed up for Zipcar’s car sharing service just in case I need to take an hour or two with a vehicle and don’t want to hassle the girlfriend.

The best part about not having a car, however, is feeding my insatiable desire to fill a fully-imaginary void in my life with the obsessive pursuit of that which I cannot obtain: the perfect car. I’ve poured over car manufacturer websites, reviews, and magazines just looking for something that can satisfy the needs of a person who is never satisfied. But don’t worry, this kind of behavior is nothing new. The same thing happens when I’m looking for a computer, cell phone, or just a really good coffee mug.

My edited collection, Ken Russell: Re-Viewing England’s Last Mannerist (Scarecrow Press), is now available in the United States.  The book should be available via European venues soon.  I was a bit dealyed in announcing this, since its release was pushed forward by a month, and I’ve been quite busy getting settled in Pittsburgh.  Still, I’m thrilled to be able to share some information about it, in hopes that you’ll pick up a copy.

The book showcases some hefty collaboration amongst the world’s foremost authorities on Russell.  Though it contains two previously available essays (to be fair, two essays that people interested in Russell might have otherwise missed), the rest of the book consists of brand-new material.  Many of the essays use exclusive interviews with Russell and his collaborators; newly uncovered archival material; discuss films that have otherwise been under- or un-available; and are accompanied by rare photographs, some of which have never appeared in print!  Though the book’s contents can be casually browsed at Amazon, I’m posting a list of the essays in order to tantalize:

Foreword – Joseph A. Gomez

Introduction – Kevin M. Flanagan

Ken Russell at the BBC, 1959-1970 – Paul Sutton

The Body Politic:  Ken Russell in the 1980s – Barry Keith Grant

In Defense of the Amateur – Brian Hoyle

Television, Contested Culture, and Social Control:  Cultural Studies and Pop Goes the Easel – Kevin M. Flanagan

Smashing Our Guitars, Deconstructing Our Idols: The Pop Art Aesthetic in Tommy – Tom Wallis

“Il parait que c’etait une musicien”: Ken Russell’s The Debussy Film – John C. Tibbetts

Fact, Fiction, Fever, Fantasy: Ken Russell’s Mahler and the Bio-Film – William Verrone

Defending Rudy: Alternative Masculinities in Ken Russell’s Valentino – Brian Faucette

As the (White) Worm Turns: Ken Russell as God and Devil of Rubber-Reality Horror Cinema – John Kenneth Muir

Behind the Last Veil: Forms of Transgression in Salome’s Last Dance – Thomas Prasch

Complicating the Costume Drama: Lady Chatterley, Ken Russell, and the Conceits of Heritage – Kevin M. Flanagan

Ken Russell at Work, 2006 – Paul Sutton

“Le Phoenix Terrible”: A Ken Russell Season at the BFI, July 2007 – John C. Tibbetts

I encourage you to purchase a copy and see for yourself.  The book is available at Scarecrow Press, Amazon and Barnes and Noble (each, as of this posting, at a competitive discount), Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.jp, and as a special order at bookstores everywhere.

Even if you’re not familiar with Russell and his work, this book can act as a catalyst to fill Netflix queues and DVD wish-lists!

Only moments after we finished recording Big Episode 23 of the Low Score Podcast, we recorded what we’ve termed “After Hours,” a podcast by the Low Score hosts that is about anything but videogames. Last time we did something like this we got some useful feedback that helped us decide to split out evening recording session into two episodes.

Bobby, J, Jimmy, Kevin, Carrie, and Allison all took up spots in front of the microphones to talk beer, snacks, and music. And to argue a bunch. And to talk off microphone. And to throw zingers around and do schtick for you, our awesome listening audience. And, perhaps most imporantly, put dogs in our shirts.

We apologize that the audio quality isn’t that great, but it was a lot of fun to record and we hope you find humor in our drunken shenanigans!

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