Cover the Inner-Loop

If you're from Rochester, you know what the Inner-Loop is. For those who don't know, it's basically an expressway that circles around the central business district of Rochester. It's very convienient for those of us who use it daily, but it's also responsible for separating the business district from the rest of the city. In fact, it's kindof like having a moat around the castle. For years there has been talk about filling up the Inner-Loop with dirt... or maybe converting it into a canal, encircling the city. Those seem like very big, expensive projects which don't really do a whole lot. The existing canal is struggling to make money as a tourist attraction, and it seems unlikely that a downtown canal would work. Filling it with dirt might give the city more area to expand, but the city isn't expanding a whole lot, so what have we gained?

I suppose I should just add here that the reason people are talking about the Inner-Loop is because it's in a state of decay. It gets mowed a couple times a year, and the street surfaces are crumbling. It's a shame, because I do use it every day, and it could be a whole lot better! So, here's my suggestion, which I came to in discussions with one of my partners at the office: turn it into a tunnel! Maybe not the whole thing, because again, that results in a big area that we don't really need... but cover up strategically important areas - making pedestrian and parklike areas which connect the two areas. This would also benefit the roadways below because they would be protected against the elements thus increasing the life of the roads. Now, this doesn't guarantee that the Inner-Loop will be traveled more, but it is a realistic solution to a growing problem.

So, what do you think? Leave me some comments, and maybe I'll follow up on this. I think it's a worthwhile proposition, and I'd love to send off the suggestions to the NYSDOT!

I HATE Front Row Joe

I've got a few minutes here, as it's the lunch hour, so I thought I'd post my thoughts on something that irritates the hell out of me: Front Row Joe (or, FRJ). Have you been to a movie recently? If not, congratulations! You are smarter for not having done so! I have been to several in the past couple weeks alone, thanks in large part to the local dollar theatre. Now, anyone who's been to a movie recently knows that we are now under siege by advertising. It was one thing when you were riding on that damn Coca-Cola/popcorn roller coaster... but at least you knew you were close to getting to the feature film! Now we get what seems like an eternity of ads. It has gotten to the point where I'm close to boycotting anyone who advertising at the movies.

Well, the straw has finally broken... with Front Row Joe. If you don't know who that is, again... I envy you. FRJ is a walking cat creature wearing a tuxedo used by Cinemark as some sort of promotional tool. He's in all the "Welcome to Cinemark!" ads that run before movies. There are huge posters of him when you enter the theatre. But here's what really pisses me off.... before about a year ago, there was NO FRJ. He did not exist. Sometime in the recent past, a bunch of marketing gurus sat around and said to themselves... we need an image, and that image is at cartoon cat named FRJ. Apparently, Cinemark was too cheap to go out and buy the rights to an existing animated animal, so they came up with this monstrosity. Kind of like when advertisers don't want to pay to use certain popular music, so they create something that sounds awfully similar... to the point of irritating the hell out of you, cause you know what it's supposed to sound like, but here we are!

You may be saying to yourself, "Well, advertisers create stuff like this all the time... why does this particular fellow piss you off so much?!" Well, here's my answer... Cinemark knows moviegoers are stupid, and as a result, they're stuffing this shit down your throat. Oh wait, that's only part of my problem, because again, this is the case with lots of advertising. No, Cinemark wants you to believe that FRJ is this amazing cat thing that everyone just loves. I mean, just watch when he gets out of his limo to his screaming fans clamoring for an autograph! Clamoring fans? How could he have clamoring fans?? What could this recent addition to pre-movie mania have done to have CLAMORING FANS!?!? They're jumping up and down... like some pop star is walking down the aisle. In fact, some might say that Front Row Joe is bigger that the BEATLES EVER WERE!!!

Ok... must breathe... must take a deeeeep breath... better.

Oh, and now top it all off with the FRJ now has his own CALENDAR. Yes, just ante up a buck and you can get the FRJ calendar... full of images of FRJ... doing whatever it is he does when he's not working. But there's the hitch... other than in a few little instances, like the opening commercial in the movie, when else do you see FRJ? The fact is, you don't. Yet Cinemark treats it like everyone LOVES FRJ, to the point of needing to own the FRJ calendar! Now, maybe if they had bought the rights to use, oh, say, Garfield... I'd buy THAT calendar for a dollar. But FRJ??? Why? To enjoy his popcorny goodness? So I can remember the exciting time he walked out of his limo and down the red carpet to his screaming fans? I don't need a damn calendar to remember that!

Ok, once again... must breathe... ahhhhh.... feels soooo good!

I'm sure there's more to why I hate FRJ, but my lunchtime is nearly up. In fact, maybe I'll write again later today, if more reasons pop into my head. Or, maybe I can tell you why at least one of the movies I saw this weekend was wretched, and the other was just plain bad.