Well, it's Fall. Autumn. Whatever you call it. The time of year between sun and snow in this part of the hemisphere.
There are so many things to look forward to during this season. Leaves from other people's trees falling in my yard. Teenagers coming to my house on Halloween dressed in a hoodie and jeans expecting me to give them some candy. Putting away my trusty cargo shorts until March. Well, late February, anyway.
But the best thing about fall is falling back. You know, when Daylight Saving Time ends and we set the clocks back one hour, thereby giving us an extra sixty minutes of sleep on that one wonderful weekend in October.
The only problem is that the time officially changes at 2:00am. This cuts into my extra hour of sleep, since I have to wake up at two in the morning and change all of the clocks in my house to reflect the new time. And everyone knows that going backwards on a clock is much more difficult and time consuming than springing ahead, since most have no "back" button and need to instead jump 23 hours to get there.
Why can't they make the official end of DST at like 8:30pm? It would be much more convenient. And since it happens on a Saturday, nothing important (like the prime time tv schedule) would be affected. Just a thought...
Since a change is unlikely, I have found a way to solve the early morning fall back dilemma and get more of the extra hour of sleep that you are entitled to. And since the changeover time is quickly approaching, I will share it with you.
Have fewer clocks.
Or you could move to Arizona, where they don't believe in saving any daylight at all.
Sleep tight.
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Friday, October 6, 2006
Burnt Sienna
Somewhere during the first month of Public Relations 101, right between "writing a press release" and "the Exxon Valdez," there is a lecture about allowing celebrities to speak words other than ones written in a script. The general consensus is to not let it happen. Think Tom Cruise jumping up and down on Oprah's couch. Or Mel Gibson driving home from a party.
But the PR folks can't be everwhere all the time. Actress Sienna Miller put down the city of Pittsburgh in an interview with Rolling Stone that was recently published. She called the place "a word that starts with sh and rhymes with Pitt" sburgh, and made some other remarks about her time here. The public relations problem is that she is currently in Pittsburgh, filming a movie called The Mysteries of Pittsburgh that is based on a book about Pittsburgh. Not a smart move. They do want people to come see this film, right?
The PR spin machine went into action, and the very same day the story was released Sienna and our kid Mayor were on every news station in the city. She had made up a half thought out story about working nights and and what she really meant is that she didn't have a chance to get out and see the city. She said that she was taken out of context. I'm wondering in what context her comments might make sense. The Mayor, however, said that she is forgiven. Maybe by you, Luke. The rest of us aren't buying a word of it.
Not that we really care. The story was generated by the local media and then picked up by the national media. And since half of television time is taken up with shows about where celebrities are eating breakfast and crossing the street, the news was everywhere. When actual Pittsburghers were asked what they thought of her comments, a good majority replied "Sienna who? Probably a Bengals fan. Go STEELERS!!"
You think she would like it here. She is making millions and we have very few British nannies to tempt her boyfriend. Plus, our homeless people are much more interesting than the ones in trendy NYC.
The truth is that if you don't have anything nice to say, you should probably not stray from the script. The PR hit isn't worth your opinion.
What is this movie about again?
But the PR folks can't be everwhere all the time. Actress Sienna Miller put down the city of Pittsburgh in an interview with Rolling Stone that was recently published. She called the place "a word that starts with sh and rhymes with Pitt" sburgh, and made some other remarks about her time here. The public relations problem is that she is currently in Pittsburgh, filming a movie called The Mysteries of Pittsburgh that is based on a book about Pittsburgh. Not a smart move. They do want people to come see this film, right?
The PR spin machine went into action, and the very same day the story was released Sienna and our kid Mayor were on every news station in the city. She had made up a half thought out story about working nights and and what she really meant is that she didn't have a chance to get out and see the city. She said that she was taken out of context. I'm wondering in what context her comments might make sense. The Mayor, however, said that she is forgiven. Maybe by you, Luke. The rest of us aren't buying a word of it.
Not that we really care. The story was generated by the local media and then picked up by the national media. And since half of television time is taken up with shows about where celebrities are eating breakfast and crossing the street, the news was everywhere. When actual Pittsburghers were asked what they thought of her comments, a good majority replied "Sienna who? Probably a Bengals fan. Go STEELERS!!"
You think she would like it here. She is making millions and we have very few British nannies to tempt her boyfriend. Plus, our homeless people are much more interesting than the ones in trendy NYC.
The truth is that if you don't have anything nice to say, you should probably not stray from the script. The PR hit isn't worth your opinion.
What is this movie about again?