|
You’ve arrived at monorailmike.com, the personal Web of Mike Devine since March 2001. I can also be found elsewhere:
What’s new? Dec. 30, 2011 I spotted a pair of interesting license plates on the road today: 1. CTRL Z — Given my extensive background with computers, I can only guess that the female driver is a particularly big fan of the Undo command. (Wouldn’t it be great for cars to have that feature?) 2. 350 ZED — This appeared on a burnt orange Nissan 350Z, so the driver probably just wants to make sure that everyone knows that he’s British. [ # 618 | Link ] Dec. 10, 2011 Last September, a suspension in service during my train ride home was followed by an even more eventful evening. And this fall, a SEPTA disruption led to another (but quite different) surprise, too. On the evening of Nov. 8, I was less than 48 hours away from a trip to Key West for Joan’s friend’s wedding. I left work and quickly learned that my commute home would be challenging at best, as the Paoli/Thorndale line had been suspended due to a tragic fatality on the tracks at the Overbrook station. I called up Joan, who agreed to pick me up in Conshohocken, a station that’s served by a different train route that was unaffected by the accident. Joan drove me back to my car at Devon, and we agreed that I’d pick up a take-out dinner from nearby Berwyn Pizza. As I headed home, I opted to take a few side roads, and little did I know that I would pay dearly for that decision. As I drove through a corporate park along Cassatt Road, less than two miles from our house, a deer suddenly jumped in front of my car and severely dented my passenger-side headlight and bumper. In fact, it happened so fast that I can only guess that the blur to my right was actually a deer. I was unable to find the deer in the area after the collision, but the car was miraculously driveable for the remainder of my trip home. And above all else, I was incredibly lucky to escape unharmed. I filed an insurance claim through State Farm (excellent after-hours service, by the way), dropped the car off at Grand Sport Auto Body the day before Joan and I left for Key West, and upon our return, I picked up a rental car through Enterprise until the repairs (estimated at around $3,300) were completed. For over two weeks, I drove a black 2010 Chrysler 300, a luxurious but rather unwieldy sedan that’s quite similar to the gigantic Chevy Impala that I remember renting after a minor accident several years ago. A few of our neighbors noticed the unusual car in our parking lot, and I was amused by one particular exchange. The older woman who lives in the next building over called out to me, “Hey, I see you’ve got a much nicer car.” I replied, “Actually, it’s just a rental; I hit a deer and my car is just in the shop.” She seemed a little embarrassed by her assumption, but I didn’t take offense. Since I’ve been living near Valley Forge Park for well over seven years, it’s rather surprising that I hadn’t struck a deer until now. But in the end, the folks at Grand Sport did a terrific job with the repairs to my Altima, which feels like a coupe in comparison to the rented Chrysler. And I’m definitely keeping a closer eye out for any more deer along the side of the road, too. [ # 617 | Link ] Dec. 4, 2011 Now that November 2011 is behind us, I can confirm that it was the most shocking, painful, and humiliating month in the 156-year history of my alma mater, Penn State University. An academic institution that was once the source of great pride has suddenly become one of shame and anguish. A collegiate athletic program that had adopted a motto of “Success with Honor” is now a national disgrace and the target of relentless media scrutiny. Penn State’s campus and the surrounding State College community are now the scene of not only unspeakable crimes against children, but also a nefarious cover-up by so-called university leaders who enabled a retired football coach to repeatedly commit those unspeakable crimes for many years. * * * * * Three weeks ago, at the outset of my friend Brian’s bachelor party, someone mentioned that Jerry Sandusky, a former Penn State defensive coordinator and a legendary PSU figure for decades, had just been charged with multiple counts of sexual abuse against young boys. That news sounded incredibly bad, and when I consulted my BlackBerry to read a story about it on ESPN Mobile, the emerging details of the case were a thousand times worse than anything I could have possibly imagined. A disturbingly graphic grand jury report — one that described Sandusky’s alleged crimes and the subsequent inaction by university administrators, and easily one of the most horrific documents I’ve read in my entire life — quickly became a national news story. And over the next few days, the scandal proceeded to tear Penn State apart. Athletic director Tim Curley and vice president Gary Schultz were both charged with perjury and placed on administrative leave. Graham Spanier, Penn State’s president since my senior year, and who had absurdly expressed his “unconditional support” for Curley and Schultz, was forced to resign. Ultimately, on Nov. 9, in an ugly and previously unthinkable end to an otherwise legendary career, Joe Paterno was fired — yes, fired — effective immediately as head football coach. And later that night, in a furious response to Paterno’s termination, students foolishly added to Penn State’s disgrace by rioting in the streets of State College. In utter disbelief, I watched most of the televised news conference and live coverage of the student uproar while attempting to pack my bags for a four-day trip to Key West with Joan. Prior to the announcement of Sandusky’s arrest of Nov. 5, I had been completely unaware of any such grand jury report. Just four days later, a Penn State football icon was gone, a previously respected university president had been forced out by the Board of Trustees, and the campus had been turned upside down. Today, nearly a month after the Sandusky story first broke, the nightmare at Penn State remains so surreal that I find it hard to believe. * * * * * I’ve often been told that one person can make a difference. That’s certainly true of Joe Paterno, a man who transformed Penn State in countless positive ways. He dedicated over six decades of his life to coaching football, and in terms of football statistics alone, Paterno’s accomplishments are genuinely amazing. Under his watch, the Nittany Lions won their only two national championships in 1982 and 1986, as well as Big Ten titles in 1994, 2005, and 2008. His all-time career record of 409–136–3 (.749) includes more wins than any other Division I-A/FBS coach in history, and his mark of 24 bowl wins is also unsurpassed. But Paterno was much more than just a successful coach. He stressed the importance of getting an education and boasted one of the highest graduation rates in all of college football. And off the field, Paterno helped many charities and donated millions of dollars to the university, and his devotion to higher learning led to the construction of the Paterno Library, which was dedicated on the University Park campus in 2000. Based on what I’ve seen and read, I believe that Joe Paterno could have and should have taken more actions to follow up on the allegations about Sandusky’s behavior. In fact, Paterno admitted as much before he was let go, stating, “With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more.” Although many detractors sarcastically refer to him as “St. Joe” out of envy or spite, Paterno is far from a perfect man, and he would readily admit that, too. But it’s simply heartbreaking that so many of his achievements and contributions will be tarnished by this horrific scandal. Sadly, one person can make a difference in a truly terrible way, too. Although any defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty, I refuse to believe that so many victims could possibly invent or exaggerate their statements about Jerry Sandusky’s behavior. There is no conceivable way that they could all be wrong. So I have no problem stating that Sandusky permanently ruined the lives of his numerous young victims, and his appalling crimes have brought extreme sadness, shock, and anger to thousands of Penn State alumni. I can only hope that he spends the rest of his miserable life in prison, then an eternity in hell where he belongs. Personally, I can’t ignore the parallels between the abuse scandals at Penn State and the Catholic Church. Both were widely respected institutions in which brutal crimes against defenseless children took place for years on end. And in the interest of self-preservation, their leaders protected the criminals within their ranks instead of rooting them out and holding them accountable for their deplorable actions. I’m not sure if I’ll feel quite the same way about either of them ever again. And that makes me unbearably sad. [ # 616 | Link ] Nov. 10–13, 2011 Nine months after our first trip to Key West, Joan and I returned to the island town for the wedding of her friends Camilo and Tiffany. We took an early Thursday morning flight through Orlando, and it was the first time either of us had ever flown in business class. Based on the comfortable, spacious seats and premium snacks, it also won’t be our last. After landing in Key West, we took a cab to the La Mer Hotel, part of the Southernmost Hotel Collection, where we checked into a historic yet well-appointed room. Exhausted from the long trip, we opted to schedule a couple’s massage at the hotel that very afternoon, which was heavenly. We took a long early-evening nap, then shared a late outdoor dinner at the Old Town Mexican Cafe on nearby Duval Street. On Friday, we enjoyed our first free continental breakfast of the weekend on the covered beachfront deck of Dewey House next door. Then we took a long walk to Fort Zachary Taylor, a fort that dates to the Civil War. Along the way, we observed all of the trailers set up for an international speedboat competition that happened to be in town that weekend. After getting dressed back at the hotel, then we hopped a cab over to St. Mary Star of the Sea for Camilo and Tiffany’s afternoon wedding — on 11/11/11, naturally. The ceremony was lovely, but with the side doors opened wide, the Mass was somewhat marred by the frequent roar of motorcycles and crowing of wild roosters! We then boarded a chartered Conch Tour Train toward the reception, but had to take a lengthy route due to the Veterans Day parade in town that afternoon. We enjoyed drinks, dinner, and dancing in a rooftop room at the La Concha hotel, which offered breathtaking views of the beach and town:
Our action-packed Friday was followed by a more subdued Saturday, in which we spent most of the day laying out on a deck by the ocean and by one of the hotel’s pools. That afternoon, Penn State played its first game without coach Joe Paterno (more on that whole nightmare later, I promise). From the pool bar, we caught parts of the game, which ended in a narrow 17–14 defeat to Big Ten newcomer Nebraska. By nightfall, we enjoyed a delicious dinner at the hotel’s open-air Southernmost Beach Cafe. After our final outdoor breakfast at Dewey House on Sunday morning, we took a lengthy trek through Tampa and Atlanta (this time in coach, unfortunately) before arriving home on Sunday night. It’s hard to complain about two Key West trips in one year! [ # 615 | Link ] Nov. 5–6, 2011 Met up with some old college buddies for the bachelor party of our friend Brian, who is set to marry his fiancée, Michelle, in December in Hawaii. Steve drove out from Pittsburgh to my place, where we enjoyed a Saturday lunch at nearby Winberie’s, then made the 90-minute trip to Harrah’s in Atlantic City. The ride was mercifully uneventful, despite the appearance of the dreaded CHECK ENGINE SOON light that had appeared on my car’s dashboard that morning. After checking in, we gathered at the hotel bar to enjoy some drinks and watch college football. Penn State had a bye week on this particular Saturday, so we tuned into some other games until we became distracted by the breaking news about former PSU defensive coach Jerry Sandusky and athletic director Tim Curley (more on that story later). Before dinner, we decided to try our hand at some slot machines. Five of us contributed $20 each on a penny slot based on the movie The Hangover, and we won the largest possible jackpot on our very first run through the various phases of the game!
Our winnings came to over $100 each, and I must say, there’s something special about receiving a crisp picture of Benjamin Franklin. We feasted on gigantic slabs of beef at Old Homestead Steakhouse in the nearby Borgata, then spent the rest of the night enjoying bottle service and people-watching at a private cabana at The Pool, a stylish club under a huge glass dome at Harrah’s. Marc, his friend Matt, and I returned to the Hangover slot machine for some late-night gambling (which was aided by the convenient end of Daylight Savings Time that night!), and we managed to win an additional $20 or so each. The group reconvened the next morning for brunch at the hotel, and we returned home thankful for a fun and relaxing night out in Atlantic City. [ # 614 | Link ] What’s not so new? Want to read more? Check out the archives! |
