Black Holes and Revelations

I can’t help but laugh at the way the students at Pitt and the residents of Pittsburgh treat snow. Their actions are honestly unbearable to watch. In the past two days the Oakland area has had total snow accumulation of 2 ½ inches.

Let’s start with last night. I drove a group of classmates to tennis practice with literally a dusting on the ground. We normally car pool to practice but I was the only person willing to drive in the “conditions.” The drive consisted of constant comments of how bad the weather was. To add to the comments, many drivers we going way below the speed limit. It was like we were 1000s miles away from the Snowbelt and people were seeing snow for the first time ever.

Today, the comments continued at students; “could not believe the snow outside.” There was an inch on the ground!!! People were slipping on the side walk and cars were moving like molasses. Pittsburgh’s snow defense system consists of throwing down as much salt as possible. In fact, I have yet to see a plow since I have been in college though, a plow was completely unnecessary today.

Despite the low accumulation, the weather slowed traffic to a halt and even delayed the Pitt v South Florida (USF) game because the USF bus was stuck in traffic.

The overall point here is that despite the 2 hour time difference, the Pittsburgh area basically shuts down at any sign of accumulation. Friends hardly believe me when I say that I have been in conditions where the road is not visible and snow comes in at an inch every half hour.

So, even though you all may hate the massive amount of snow you have received up north. I miss driving in it; seeing it fall; and most of all having everyone act like it is any other day.

I just wanted to say congrats to Pitt Basketball!

For the first time in the 101 years of Pitt basketball we have achieved a #1 ranking. I have always been an avid member of the Oakland Zoo and have enjoyed every minute of Pitt’s many sports accolades, but this is near the top.

Over the past few years my friends and I have craved big mountain skiing but, our limited budgets have not allowed us to travel westward to ski. So how could we save money and get challenging mountain terrain at the same time?

Solution; Driving to the Adirondack mountain range and ski Whiteface Mountain.

Whiteface/Lake Placid was home to the 1980 Olympics where the famous Miracle hockey game was played as well as all of the other Olympic events. Knowing this, my friends and I were quite excited to start our trip.

The drive to Lake Placid is an 8 hour journey through twisting roads and little towns. Despite the cramped and long drive we gasped in awe upon arrival. The Whiteface Mountain was much larger then we had anticipated. The top summit was capped white with an actual tree line!

After skiing all day with 10 to 15 minute runs, my friends and I were wiped out. So we traveled to our hotel in Plattsburg. Plattsburg is about 45 minutes from Whiteface Mountain and had much cheaper hotels. We were able to stay 3 nights for $200 compared to $170/night which was the lowest price I could find in Lake Placid.

The Plattsburg location is great. There are over 10 ski resorts within 2 hours of the area including Stowe Mountain which is where we ventured on our second day. Montreal is a 60 mile journey and the town has all the tourist amenities.

I could ramble on and on about the trip, however, my main point is that an inexpensive skiing adventure awaits you with only an 8 hour drive. Gas prices are low, hotel prices vary in Lake Placid but Plattsburg is a sure bet for low fare and lift tickets can be purchased at discounted prices if proper searching is done (we found $40 lift tickets compared to the $75 face value). If you are an avid skier/snowboarder I highly recommend staying in upstate New York and exploring the many mountains it has to offer. We shredded on Gore, Whiteface, and Stowe in a 4 day span and all of it was challenging with great picturesque views. See pictures below.

- Bills are playing at 4:15pm. Check.

- AFC #1 team vs #2 team matchup talked about all week and anticipation is high. Check.

- Set-up early Christmas gift of big screen TV. Check.

- Watch and enjoy Steeler game. BONK!

Honestly, what happened this Sunday??? Who in their right mind decided it would be worth more to show some sort of Christmas infomercial instead of the most talked about NFL game in the country to viewers that are 120 miles away?

I am sure there is some reasonable explanation like; Erie is in the Buffalo market with the secondary market being Cleveland. (Even though we are in the state of PA) Since the Cleveland/Cincinnati game’s only relevance is what coach will get fired first lets’ show something no one will watch (the Christmas special) leading viewers to switch over to the exciting Cardinals/Patriots game that was over after the coin flip.

I don’t know how many Bills, Browns, or Steelers fans there are in Erie. I do know that two of the teams are not in the playoff race this year. Those same two teams haven’t been in the playoff race at the end of the NFL season in years.

My question is; why is there not some sort of clause in the NFL regional market guidelines that allows Erie to televise games of the team or teams that are in the playoff race at the end of the season?

This would solve the age old problem I have had as a Steeler fan. Where I see a team that is not vying for any type of championship (except for maybe the first draft pick) or an infomercial, instead of a team that is looking to win a division, playoff spot, or home field advantage.

The Steelers not playing today was simply absurd.

Whew!

After two long weeks of stress and late nights, I find myself back in Erie for my last academic winter break. It has been some time since I have properly kept up with my blog. A mixture of poor time management and spreading myself too thin has lead to sparse postings. I plan to change that and return to consistent postings.

Putting up the Christmas lights has been my annual chore since I left for college. Personally, I feel my lighting skills are average with potential to go above average. Motivation seems to be my biggest barrier. Why put hours of effort into your house when you neighbor’s lighting system is literally the talk of the town every year.

Initial thought may be; “wow, this kid is lazy.” Honestly though, I cannot compete. For the past three years Ian Ferralli, my next door neighbor, has been putting on quite a show. You can see last year’s display on YouTube.

In recognition of the neighborhood, Ian has aptly named his display “Deck the White Halls.” Ian’s light display is not just a simple display of still standing lights. Instead, Ian has programmed his lights turn on/off, dance around the yard, and fades in/out, all to the tune of Christmas melodies. It is honestly a fantastic display. I highly recommend all to check it out.

The location is in Fairview’s Whitehall Village 7275 Springside Drive. The show runs every night from 5:30 to 10 p.m. — 11 p.m. on weekends.

In case you were wondering how close my house actually is compared to the Ferralli’s, my address is 7276 Springside. Like I said before, it is hard to compete. Great job Ian!

After being out of the area for a while I was more then happy to come back. Before arriving home on Tuesday night I had many friends call and text requesting my whereabouts. The sense of friendship and camaraderie is something that I always receive on my return trip. My core group of friends has known each other since we can remember and we plan to keep it that way. Add to the fact that my family is always supportive and yes; fun. Basically, I thoroughly enjoyed returning home for thanksgiving.

This year, my dad and I tried deep frying a turkey. We had both heard our friends raving about the taste and finally decided to do it ourselves. Despite a late start to the whole process we managed to finish before the all the other food got too cold. However, the wait was worth it and I highly recommend deep frying to anyone who hasn’t tried it.

Overall the five day break was extremely enjoyable. Friends, family, food, and cheap drinks were exactly what I needed.

The recent news of Erie Plastics is something that the people of Erie should take to heart. Even though the potential closing of the plant is devastating to the current employees and the Corry area economy, that is not what the people of Erie should take from this lesson learned.

According to the Erie Times news; Proctor & Gamble had been Erie Plastics largest customer and when P & G left a few years ago the work inflow was clamped. Paul Roche, the owner/operator of Erie Plastics had this to say after P & G left; “It had been a mistake to have so many eggs in one basket.” Even though the company lasted a few more years Roche was correct, the mistake has forced a sale for $6.9 million, money that will most likely just pay off debt.

Does Erie have too many eggs in one basket?

Diversification is crucial in business. Work comes in and out. There is no constant. The same should be said for a city/county. Business will come and go. To grow, however, more business must be coming in then out. In addition, the incoming jobs must supply the city/county with competitive pay and room for advancement.

By diversifying, a city further protects itself from a loss e.g.) Erie Plastics. Interestingly enough, as one company dissipates from Erie, another opportunity arises and it would easily cover for such a loss such as Erie Plastics. Yet, it seems that the entire community is against it.

I have heard no recent news for the tire plant nevertheless; I assume that Erie Renewable Energy still has every intention of continuing its plans for a plant location at the Old International Paper site. There are obvious negatives and positives to the situation. I do not plan on getting into the $250 million investment, the potential pollution, increase in jobs, or the future increase in tax revenue. My focus is; why we are blocking diversification and the potential for future diversification.

The tire plant topic is a controversial one. It has had large regional attention and some national attention. Most of the attention is coming from the community rejecting the plant. This is a problem. It means that other companies considering Erie as a potential location may not even consider the area due to the difficulty of wooing the public. The hostile environment hurts the diversification equation. The area already struggles to bring in new companies. Now we are showing all potential companies that we will question their arrival.

“Putting all our eggs in one basket” by surviving off our current resources is not going to increase needed tax money or increase the job market, nor will it stop the leaking of the “brain drain.” Whether the tire plant comes or never comes, we must continue to support the increase incoming companies.

Just after midnight last night, I posted the experience of my first vote. By that time, the results were in and celebration had begun. The major news networks continuously referenced Pennsylvania Avenue and the 1000 students celebrating outside the gates of the white house. Here at Pitt, a similar situation was taking place. Students swarmed the busy street of Forbes Avenue and chanted Obama off of the Cathedral of Learning’s terrace. The scene was similar to what took place after the Steelers had won the Super Bowl.

I was nowhere to be found in this celebration. After all, this is about the third time Pitt students have stormed Forbes Avenue this year making every new celebration less memorable. Nevertheless, this celebration was special for every American. It showed our politicians and the world that we still care. We still believe in democracy and know how to let our voices be heard.

Despite the fact that the person I voted for lost the election, I was excited to see so many people showing their emotion and celebrating a political victory. Now, with America bolstered and excited, I can only hope that our voices remain to be heard over the next four years. I may be opinionated on how the change should come to play. However, if the change that President elect Obama implements helps this country then I have no complainants.

I have been looking forward to this day for a very long time. In 2004, I was too young to vote during the presidential election. Then, I went to college where I was unfamiliar with the local politics and never got around to voting.

Today, however, was different. I woke up an hour early with excitement flowing through me. My polling station is located just two blocks from my house. Despite the short walk, I couldn’t help soaking in all the emotions that I was feeling. I was proud while walking to my polling station. In fact, there have been moments in my life where I have felt like an adult: graduating from high school; applying for full-time jobs; and turning 21. Today, however, while walking to my polling station I felt more responsible and like an adult then I have in a long time.

I walked tall and proud to the polling station and while I walked I began to think of the Americans who have fought and are fighting for people like me to vote. I thought of my grandfathers fighting in WWII and the former classmates that are now in the army. I thought of the history of this country and how this election would also be history. I was proud and I thought of all this on my walk. These thoughts sank in as I waited 45 minutes to vote. Finally, after completing my vote and walking out of the station, I came to realization that I am a very lucky person to be in such a great country where democracy is still alive and the people’s voice can still be heard.

For those of you looking to remember some college days and those dreadful mid-term weeks here is a synopsis of my past week’s schedule.

Friday Oct. 3rd

• After waking up around 9:30am (Yes I know this is late for most people but remember this is college). Report to work for 11:45am campus tour slot.
• Give campus tour = approximately 1 hour 45min.
• Return from tour slot and enter computer lab. Respond to, read, and send about 25 emails.
• Return home and eat late lunch. Prepare for Tennis practice from 5:15pm – 8:45pm. (Practice is two hours but it takes about 45min. to drive there and back while dropping everyone off.
• Relax by watching movie and looking for future jobs

Saturday Oct. 4th

• Wake up at 7:30am and drive to Slippery Rock for tennis tournament.
• Return from tournament around 4pm. Crash for nap.
• Wake up, and begin to prepare for hard studying session on Sunday.

1. Collect papers and notes and organize them properly.
2. Do laundry.
3. Respond to, read, and send out emails. Knowing time will not allow my usual daily check up on emails.
4. Stay in with roommates and watch college football. Have a beer and go to bed.

Sunday Oct. 5th

• Wake up 11:00am
• Set Fantasy football lineup.
• Begin case study for operations management after a few hours of operations, begin Financial Statement analysis paper.
• Eat late lunch 3:00pm
• Begin Finance Study guide, and finish operations case.
• Finish 6 page study guide and report to the library around 7pm to meet some friends to study for finance exam on Tuesday.
• Study with friends until 12:30am
• Walk home and crash.

Monday Oct. 6th

• Wake up at 8:15am
• Go to 9:30 operations class, turn in case. After class, quick check of emails (I am addicted) then begin to look over operations for test on Wednesday.
• Go to 12:30pm financial statement analysis. Walk to up large hill after class for lunch, then racquet ball class.
• Shower and return to campus to study finance. Go to Tax accounting at 6pm. Leave class at 8:45pm and eat dinner with friend.
• Report to library and study finance with friends until 2am. Walk home and check email then crash.

Tuesday Oct. 7th

• Wake up at 9:45am.
• Attend game theory class at 11am. After class, participate in intense last minute cram session for finance.
• 2:00pm take finance test.
• 3:30pm Right after test, attend voluntary seminar on financial crisis.
• 5:00pm return to library and begin operations management cram.
• 2:00am library closes, go to Posvar hall and continue to study until 3:45am.
• Walk home and crash.

Wednesday Oct. 8th

• Wake up at 8:00am. Last minute review then walk to operations exam. Take exam. Return home and take much needed nap.
• After nap, attend Racquet ball class. After racquet ball, look over the 30 some emails missed.
• Prepare for club tennis team meeting.
• Run meeting.
• Meet friend to celebrate new episode of South Park and the end of two very hard exams.

Thursday Oct. 9th

• Normal Thursday, class at 11am, then lunch and email check till 2:00pm finance class. After finance, attend pathfinder meeting. Eat dinner, and then drive to tennis practice which I planned and organize. From 7:30pm to 10:45pm.

Friday Oct. 10th

• Tour Slot.
• Give tour.
• Pick up rental van at 2:15pm.
• Pack for trip.
• Meet tennis team 3:15pm.
• Drive to Philly for match against Delaware on Saturday and Match against Drexal on Sunday. Return to Pitt on Sunday at Midnight.

Week is final over….