Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Searching for Lloyd Dobler


If you are a woman between the ages of 30 and 45 reading this blog title, chances are you have already smiled. You are probably humming "In Your Eyes" reading this and recognizing a very tall, very young and very romantic John Cusack standing outside the house of an even younger Ione Skye. You remember how simultaneously strong and desperate he looks, with his hands high in the air holding an over-sized boom-box in a last-effort attempt to woo back the woman he loves. Deep sigh.

If you are a man or a woman, hopefully since the film's 1989 release you have had romantic moments of your own. Perhaps one of you has even experienced your own Lloyd Dobler scenerio and had the person who craves you so deeply stand outside your (or your parents') house one day, playing just the right song, in order to 1. get your attention 2. woo you back into their life. Perhaps you were the one doing the wooing. Regardless - you have had that moment where you were swept off your feet, damn the odds, head over heels in love and you did not let any of life's real obstacles get in the way.

Since 1989, as some of you, I have had numerous relationships, several deep loves and all the heartbreak that comes with it. And I would not have changed a thing. And. There has been one man who has been a constant, drifting in and out of my life for the past two decades with the same random consistency as a Midwest snow blizzard: you know it's coming, you know it's going to be strong, but you never know when it will hit you. The man I am speaking of is John Cusack.

Of course, I knew who John Cusack was way before "Say Anything" was released. I first spotted him in "Better Off Dead," "The Sure Thing" and in the background of all kinds of early 80's movies including "Class" and "Sixteen Candles". But when I saw "Say Anything," and witnessed this character's ability to be tender, yet strong, romantic, yet hopeful, silly, yet responsible (he was key man at the graduation party), and introduce the world to something called "kick-boxing" all the while being obsessed with great music, I immediately identified with this misunderstood outcast who wanted someone popular to like him.

In the movies that followed, John often portrayed men of mixed emotions, complex natures and dark undertones. Some examples include "The Grifters," "True Colors" & the recent "The Ice Harvest." But it is when John portrays the outcasted, hopeless romantic that I most want to be with John. In "Gross Point Blank" he was brilliant as the professional assassin going home to Michigan to attend his 10 year high school reunion and to make right with Mini Driver, whom he stood up at the prom one decade ago. In "Serendipity" he pursues true love all the way to an empty ice skating rink, where true love finds him. And, in "Must Love Dogs" he is a man in love with Diane Lane. A man who is also into music and kick boxing...

But the movie where all things John Cusack comes into play most is "High Fidelity." Shot on location in Chicago, it is a tale of misunderstood John searching for love and managing survival as the brilliant soundtrack of life marches on in constant cadence.

For the past twenty years John has waited for me on a basket ball court, he has been out with me on a date and he's even (once) kissed me. We have had silent discussions and fleeing, but deep, emotions. There have been moments where, upon waking up from another random "out of nowhere" dream I felt closer to John than to any man I have actually ever met.

And I am not alone in this particular pursuit. Back in the late 90's, when Jamie moved from Indiana, down my block on Briar St. in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood, and into my life, she & I were fixated with trying to find John's house, John's condo, John's bike, John's coffee shop. I don't know if it ever mattered if we would ever spot John; what mattered was that we were hopeful.

In reality, I have experienced two incidences of 6 degrees of John Cusack. In high school, another drummer, Martin Bany, once told me how he and his father knew "Johnie's parents." The second event happened the night before I left for business school. Masha took me to see Madonna in concert and, outside the stadium, after the show, Joan Cusack, John's sister and wonderful actress, was standing, talking to her friend. Chris Forillo & I came up to her and then I took a photo of Chris and Joan. Ah, one step closer to the dream!

I recently read that John is single. And someone told me that he's "difficult." But who isn't? John Cusack is an accomplished and award-winning actor, successful in comedy, drama, thriller and, of course, romance movies. His strong sensitivity, obsession with music and love of film are just a few of the things he & I both have in common. Not to mention the Chicago roots. I wonder if I will ever meet him or if the man who I will fall eternally in love with will share the same characteristics? But am I really that interested in John Cusack, or his portrayal of my favorite leading man, Lloyd Dobler?

Thursday, February 22, 2007

My Super Bowl Adventure

February 5, 2007

I wanted to share my little adventure with you of what happened to me during Super Bowl weekend, as I embarked on a little adventure to Rochester (and back) for a Simon on-campus recruiting event. The weekend itself was wonderful, celebrating birthdays with Rami & Isanna and their respective families at IHOP, having dinner with Angela and her boyfriend (yes, he exists) Chet, interviewing some brilliant future leaders for Simon, catching up with fellow Skokian Associate Dean Steve Posavec and buying some Sabra salads at the world's greatest grocery store, Wegman's.


As I left Wegman's on Sunday at noon and filled my car with gas prior to getting onto 390. The temperature was cold, but the sun was shining, visibility great and I ambitiously set off for my drive home, in great anticipation of Deborah's Super Bowl party to watch Da Bears play in the world championship for the 1st time since Erin & I sang the "Superbowl Shuffle" in 8th grade.

However, destiny had other plans for me and, immediately after passing through Buffalo, while talking to Debbie Dvorin in Chicago, the skies turned gray, snow began to blow horizontally and all visibility went to hell. And what followed next felt like a long, bad dream. But, perhaps, sometimes our spirits need a nice kick to exercise whatever demons have leeched on to our best manners. It's at moments like this, one truly learns what she is capable of and what one's character will and will not do. It's also at times like this the world throws you angels, like the nice young man with the "Tim Horton's" hat who pulled over, dug me out out of the snow and literally saved my life.

I have decided that I can now win "Survivor: The Winter Edition" and that for me to find true love, the man of my dreams must pass the following test:

Can a guy figure out what to do if he is stranded by himself in a snow blizzard in the middle of nowhere and then find his way home? Test includes: zero visibility, 4' of snow accumulating to 10', below freezing temperatures, 30 mile winds, no snow tires, no shovel, wind shield fluid replacement, frozen wind shield fluid "holes" (thus unviewable front window), being stuck in the middle of a busy intersection blocking 2 lanes of traffic all at once, a motel with no cleared out snow in the parking lot (or anywhere else), low room heat, no food, a broken remote and a shower that sets off the smoke alarm. Also, upon trying to figure out how to unfreeze the wind shield fluid dispensers, having the support stick to the hood of the car malfunction, thus having the hood fall on one's head....

If a man can survive that and make it home alive, without hitting anyone or being hit, he's no mamas boy :-)
As my good friend Jessica so wisely put it: "Alex, so you basically want to date AAA?"

Crooked River Burning Review


January 2007

Crooked River Burning by Mark Winegardner is a book Daniel gave me as a gift in 2006. It sat my old white built-in bookshelf at the Cleveland Heights apartment for nearly half a year before I finally picked it up. And then it took me months to finish, as it traveled with me to my new downtown apartment, to Chicago and even twice to London. Perhaps I should have had the novel stamped at each Passport station that I crossed during its reading? Anyhoo, I finally did finish reading it and have been recommending it to many. Additionally, it has recently received some amazing press.

The book itself is a couple of years in publication and in this January's Entertainment Weekly, Stephen King picked it as one of his top 10 reads for 2006. "Uncle Stevie" even puts a disclaimer that his list is not about books that came out last year, but books he read during 2006. And he calls CRB "The great American story. About Cleveland? Yes Cleveland!"

It's really, really good. I have never taken this long to finish a book because, secretly, I did not want it to ever end. Thus I read just a couple of pages at a time. Sort of like watching General Hospital, except on that show, after an hour, (or a week or a month) nothing new happens anymore....

Crooked River Burning is full of historical insight about this city, as well as memorable one-liners. My favorite quote in CRB is: "Every man in Cleveland lives within a mile of his mother. And if not physically, then metaphorically."

This novel should be the welcome manual for all of us who transplanted into this city, not understanding East vs. West, stagnation vs. progression, Cleveland's undenying belief that its factories, churches and sports would keep all afloat for much longer than reality would allow, how the political machine ran the town, all from a little restaurant on Vincent street, and basically what happens to people, and a city, when a myopic view takes over and the price future generations will have to pay (or simply leave) to resuscitate life into a once-energetic metropolis while the neighboring and growing suburban fiscal influence snubs Cleveland-proper, except during election time.

Many of you, Clevelanders or not, would enjoy the book and, if nothing else, learn a thing or two about the city that has become my home.

http://www.amazon.com/Crooked-River-Burning-Mark-Winegardner/dp/015601422X/sr=8-1/qid=1172203976/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-8551678-5928635?ie=UTF8&s=books