quod erat demonstrandum

May 1st, 2007 | Uncategorized

My flight from Pittsburgh to New York this morning was, as seems much more likely than not these days, late. It arrived at La Guardia minutes before my connection to Burlington was scheduled to leave. I sprinted the half mile or so from the arrival gate to the departure gate only to find that my Burlington flight was indeed “closed.” They booked me on another flight that will—theoretically—leave in two hours. I started walking aimlessly around the terminal, adjusting to this new plan and trying not to feel so miserable. It was only two hours. I have my laptop and my phone. I can do pretty much anything here that I could do at home.

I went into a bookshop and picked up Orhan Pamuk’s book Snow and read the first page. It was about a man who had just arrived in Istanbul on a bus, then barely made his connection to another bus. The conductor had already closed the luggage compartment and wouldn’t open it again, so the guy had to get on board and wedge his suitcase between his legs. It was snowing and he took some comfort in his thick charcoal coat. “We should note straightaway that this soft, downy beauty of a coat would cause him shame and disquiet during the days he was to spend in Kars, while also furnishing a sense of security.”

I left my own black wool coat on the plane in Pittsburgh yesterday. The weather warmed so dramatically as I traveled from Vermont through DC to Pennsylvania that it didn’t even occur to me to reach for my coat as I left the plane. In fact it was several hours before I realized I’d forgotten it. Fortunately it was not a soft, downy beauty of a coat at all but quite worn and almost unpresentable.

I’m not miserable any more. We’re all just humans in transit.

Although it must be confessed that I stopped reading Snow in order to blog. Here are some pix from my whirlwind visit to Pittsburgh. THe Mister Rogers shrine at the airport, and a mural near my hotel. I’m pretty sure that’s Mister Rogers in the mural too. Pittsburgh is where he filmed his show, at WQED. Watching Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood always gave me a sense of security much like that furnished by a thick, soft winter coat.

it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood

more mr

54 Responses to “quod erat demonstrandum”

  1. louise says:

    🙂 I’m glad you’re not miserable. Please enjoy the ride.

  2. Elisablue says:

    This is one of the reason I like this place …
    Who on earth is Mister Roger ? …

  3. Zvi says:

    Elisablue: beloved American public-television children’s entertainer.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mister_Rogers'_Neighborhood

    and

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Rogers

  4. runnermo says:

    Who… ?you gotta be kidding!

  5. Elisablue says:

    Zvi, thanks. 🙂 …

    Could now somebody beam down M. Rogers – ok, I known he’s dead – to very gently explain to half of France’s population *not* to vote for extreme-right Sarkozy on Sunday so that we live in a democratic and intelligent neighborhood ? …

  6. Mid/south Mouth says:

    Mr. Rogers is very much a US PBS tv phenomenon. Ahh, my late-70s/early-80s childhood…

  7. Lester says:

    nice taking a photo of yourself… the reflection in the F. Rogers shrine is endearing.

  8. another helene says:

    Mr. Rogers lived near Carnegie Mellon. Every year I was there there were stories of close encounters with him. I never, ever heard a negative thing said about him, which is one heck of a legacy beyond all he did for early childhood development.

  9. Louise says:

    I would love to beam down Mister Rogers, for all sorts of reasons–to help in the French elections as requested by Elisablue, and for general sanity and kindness worldwide. What a good man. Just thinking about him makes me feel calm and safe. Ahh, my late 60’s/early 70’s childhood… quoting Mid/south Mouth…(grin!)

  10. Alex the Bold says:

    You know, I don’t think Alison has ever had a strip where one of Our Heroines is trapped at the airport.

  11. Anonymous says:

    “We’re all just humans in transit.” This reminds me of a line of Joan Baez: “For you and I are one way ticket holders on a one way street”. The song as a whole is so-so but the melody was unforgettable and so was the sheer wistfulness of it.

    And that building has beautiful facade detail.

  12. Olivier says:

    I was so wrapped up in my own memories I forgot to sign the above posting. As a rule I don’t like to go as “anonymous”.

  13. silvio soprani says:

    Alex the Bold,
    and also
    LondonBoy,
    MC,
    Ian,
    Josiah,
    and Helene in Paris,

    some of us oldschool Maoist Orange Cake enthusiasts would like to post the cakeblog comments as a single unit elsewhere on the web.

    Would each of you kindly write me at silvio.soprani@yahoo.com
    and give us your consent since you, in fact, are the owner of your comments on any blog.
    (I will be happy to explain more if you contact me.)

    Regarding the fine, fine Mr. Rogers, I was always glad that PBS contained the opposite ends of the continuum of children’s programming in the 70s and 80s–the frenetic bells and whistles of Sesame Street, and the calm, kindly ambiance of Fred Rogers and his sneakers and his sweaters!

  14. reed_maker says:

    La Guardia: the public bus station of airports. You are really making progress in the true acceptance and transcendence of all inconveniences when you manage not to be miserable there.

  15. reed_maker says:

    To Olivier: Now I’m sitting here trying to decide if I have “beautiful facade detail” or which of my friends might or might not have it, and if, as a human being, that’s something I should even strive toward. Nice turn of phrase.

  16. Deb says:

    I love to read about your travels. You never have a dull moment do you? Try spending 5 hours at San Francisco International airport………it is a very nice airport but gets very dull after 2 hours! I guess I am one of the few that actually couldn’t stand Mr. Rogers. He drove me crazy. I used to sit and fill out assessment cards on him for different Axis I diagnosis, to pass the time…..and he always came up with some sort of behavior disorder. I can still hear that trolley bell in my head! ARGH!

  17. JK says:

    I love it when Alison gets stuck in the airport because she Blogs and Blogs and Blogs.

  18. Deb in Minnesota says:

    I stopped by to read your blog about your Pittsburgh trip. And to say Hola! to Deb, who comments on this blog.

    Good name, Deb.

    I’m Deb, too, but the one in Minnesota.

  19. Joe says:

    Your messages furnish a sense of security….

  20. Josiah says:

    Mr. Rogers was an island of calm and security in a frenetic world. He was also, incidentally, a Presbyterian minister — he regarded his television program as a ministry to children, reminding them that love is always present in the world, and is the most important thing. Actually, I think that Fred Rogers’ quiet ministry did far more good than thousands of loud preachers and self-proclaimed Christians trying to impose their morality on the world by force…

    There was a great profile of Mr. Rogers in Esquire about ten years ago, under the headline “Can you say… hero?”. By all accounts, in his real life he was exactly the same patient, gentle and loving man we all saw on screen.

    I won’t hear anyone speaking ill of Mr. Rogers. Sorry, Deb.

  21. Deb says:

    Howdy to Deb in Minnesota from Deb in Oregon………:)

    Excellent name, Deb!

  22. Suzanonymous says:

    Mr. Rogers gave me a lot of comfort, too. Plus I’m a puppet freak. Saved to disk, saved to disk. Thanks for posting these.

    Bummer about the lost coat. 🙁

  23. AnnaP says:

    I had never heard of Mr Rogers before this. I should have, co-habitated with an American TV-addict for 6 years.
    Might because his videotapes did not work in European VCR.

  24. Josiah says:

    AnnaP, unless your American TV-addict was under the age of 12 it’s unlikely that he would have mentioned Mr. Rogers. In my experience, Americans don’t mention Mr. Rogers unless prompted to do so — but when prompted, nearly all will admit that he was an important part of their childhood.

    The only exceptions, in my experience, are adolescents and those adults who respond to goodness and love with the embarassment of adolescents.

    You might get the impression from some of this praise that Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood was a kind of emotional pablum — but that’s not accurate. Mr. Rogers dealt with issues of real emotional import to children, like how it feels when your parents get divorced, or what it means when your country goes to war. He engaged children head-on, discussing difficult subjects that they would have to deal with like bullies or cliques at school. But he did so in an environment that always felt safe and secure. Mr. Rogers talked about anger, but he never raised his voice; he talked about feelings of rejection or inadequacy, but never excluded or judged any child. In some ways, he was an ideal parent-figure.

  25. Fräulein says:

    “Let’s make the most of this beautiful (wonderful?) day
    Since we’re together we might as well say
    Would you be mine?
    Could you be mine?
    Won’t you be my neighbour?
    Won’t you please?
    Please, oh please (molto ritardando)
    Please won’t you be my neighbour.

    Hi, Neighbour!”

  26. kate says:

    mr r just such an important, integral part of the american childhood of the 60’s and 70’s, much like sesame street and captain kangaroo (oh, mr greenjeans, how i miss you).

    i always wanted to be mr r’s neighbor. my recovering addiction on cardigan sweaters and loafers can easily be blamed on him.

  27. meg says:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Rogers

    his sweaters (hand knit by his mother) zipped up, and the zippers never ever stuck – something that impressed me immensely as a small child.

  28. Fräulein says:

    For all the other Canadians out there- Meg’s wikipedia link is very nice and mentions…sob…Mr. Dressup. Casey and Finnegan! Waaaaa!

    Mr. Rogers delightfully uncluttered closets were a wonder.

  29. Eva says:

    Oh my goodness. I was tearing up after reading the Mr. Rogers “Hi neighbor” song posted above.

    He drove me crazy, his closets were way too orderly, as was the rest of his house and neighborhood, but I was fascinated by him, too. Even the land of make believe was orderly in it’s disorder, with the king always making those crazy proclamations that everyone knew were over the top and control-freaky. Oy gevalt. His mother knitted those sweaters!? Did someone specially design his sneakers, too??? Along with my rejection of pink at age 7, I rejected all the good intentions of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood at about the same age, as unbelievable and unattainable…is it possible to be a cynic at age 7?

  30. Lisa (Calico) says:

    Ah, good ol’ Mister Rogers.
    I even recall him having May Sarton as a guest in the (I think) nineties! Now that is classy.

    The song also reminds me of Eddie Murphy doing his “Mister Robinson’s Neighborhood” skit on SNL. Hysterical stuff.

  31. DeLandDeLakes says:

    I thought Mister Rogers was boring when I was a kid. (I wouldn’t discover Sid & Marty Kroft, the holy grail of kiddie entertainment, until I was much older, but I can’t imagine watching those shows and not being high anyway.) I do remember how a friend showed me his house when I was in Pittsburg- seems odd that Pittsburg would be at once the home of Mister Roger’s Neighborhood and the zombie capitol of the world, doesn’t it?
    Speaking of which, what is up with that banner? When I first laid eyes on it, I thought it was some kind of monument to the Israeli-Palestenian conflict- it looks like Mister Rogers’ blood is spattering across the picture plane!

  32. reed_maker says:

    Maybe that’s supposed to be confetti?

    I lived in too remote a place when I was a kid to watch Mr. R. We didn’t have a PBS station. I watched the Captain, Mr. Green Jeans, Bunny, Mr. Moose, et al.

    The scene in Fun Home where Alison is unhappy about watching the Watergate hearings instead of kids’ tv–I totally related to that. I wanted to watch the Captain.

  33. louise says:

    whoa DeLand DeLakes, maybe it’s time to go easy on those video games!
    Clearly, he is transmuting into a magical energy being, to hover around downtown Pittsburgh and fill its residents with goodwill.

  34. Aunt Soozie says:

    It looks like splattered blood to me too. I wonder what the mural is all about…?

  35. --MC says:

    Hey, I was on the road yesterday also, coming back from a friend’s wedding out in the Islands. We went in a relative’s van, and at one point we were speeding down I-5 listening to Joan Baez sing “Bachianas brasileiras #5” by Villa-Lobos. I highly recommend doing this.

  36. Hayley says:

    I have a hearsay, not to be confused with heresy, negative story about Mr. Rodgers. My best friend in college attended the same church as Mr. Rodgers when she was a child. One Easter, when she was pretty small, she visited Mr. Rodgers at his pew after the service and offered him some of her Easter candy. He did not accept her candy. She was crushed.

    We only got two channels when I was a child. I cut my teeth on New Zoo Revue…anyone remember that Henrietta Hippo? Kroft Bros. and Cap’t Kangaroo. Its a wonder that I can function today!

  37. --MC says:

    Krofft Brothers .. I just got a new book about Seattle area sites that have been torn down and lost, and therein is the shocking information that for one of the pavilions at the ’62 Seattle World’s Fair, which featured ‘adult’ entertainment, the Kroffts produced a saucy review, “Les Poupees de Paree”

    http://www.historylink.org/cybertour/index.cfm?file_id=7042&frame=14

  38. DeLandDeLakes says:

    Oh yes, MC, the seedier nature of the Brothers Kroft is the stuff of legend. For instance, the Krofts deny it, but everyone else who ever worked on the set of “H.R. Puff n’ Stuff” affirmed that the “H.R.” stood for “Hand Rolled.”

    And Louise, I have not played a video game in over two years. 🙂

  39. Rraine says:

    Aaaaah! Someone above – a dear fraulien – mentions my hero, Mr. Dressup! I do recall Mr. Rogers as well, but was always a little unnerved by his inhuman calm. I never met a grownup that calm, and I’m from Canada. Mr. Dressup and his puppety sidekicks Casey and Finnegan lived in a whirlwind of chaos and clothes and drawing stuff. No disrespect to the Rogers fans, just how did he stay so calm? Eerie.

  40. Lauren Z says:

    I’m so bummed – you finall came to Pittsburgh and I had class I had to go to! And if I was a student, I would have skipped it for you – but alas – teacher… gotta go to class. So sad… 🙁

  41. DeLandDeLakes says:

    Hey, for all the folks who are still thinking about Mister Rogers, check this out-

    http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/285267

    (Don’t worry, it’s not pornographic.)

  42. Lynn says:

    I really was Mr. Roger’s neighbor. I’m from Squirrel Hill, the little Jewish community in the burgh. And that’s Pittsburgh with an “h.”

    Also, George Romero. I’m friends with his daughter. I remember watching “Dawn of the Dead” (the 70s version) and thinking, “My, that mall looks eerily familiar.” Oh, Monroeville Mall.

  43. --MC says:

    George Romero’s Neighborhood.
    George: Hi neighbor!
    Neighbor: Brains ..

  44. Sheila says:

    I couldn’t stick with Snow. It’s beautifully written. And the first chapter, at least, is boring as all get-out. IMH bookseller’s O

  45. DeLandDeLakes says:

    OMG Lynn, I adore George Romaro. One of my greatest ambitions in life is to be a zombie extra in one of his films. As a matter of fact, I had a dream just last night that he made a sequel to “Land of the Dead”, but it was boring.

  46. Rick says:

    I feel your pain. I had the whole sprint-yet-still-miss-my-flight thing happen to me about a week ago. I got booked into the next flight out… only that one got delayed for hours due to freaky weather in Houston, TX. Hurray for travel! Nifty Mr Rigers mural, too.

  47. kgreen says:

    hey, thanks for coming to pittsburgh. what a delightful way to spend an evening.

  48. anonymous 60's mom says:

    do ya ‘ll remember this Mr Rogers song—

    “Some body’s fancy on the inside–
    Some body’s fancy on the outside–
    Some bodies fancy–
    Some bodies fine–
    YOUR BODY’S FANCY AND SO IS MINE!!”
    –this was supposedly about a camera?!
    whatever–it creeped me out to watch this and other stuff with my preschoolers in the 80’s in the SF Bay Area
    sorry, nostalgic friends

  49. Colino says:

    Hey Elisablue, I hear ya. Same here.

  50. Fraulein says:

    Hi Rraine. Nice to have a Mr. Dressup moment. My mom was in tears when she called me to tell me he had died. Yes, he was more natural. Casey got into bad moods and Finnegan was mute but so cute.

  51. Elisablue says:

    Thanks Colino …

    Hey, I posted twice, here and on the last post up there, sorry. Guess I was upset.

  52. Hope says:

    Hey —

    I posted a few pictures from your talk at CMU on my blog.

    http://hopita.livejournal.com/249530.html

  53. Butch Fatale says:

    Oh man. My early to mid 80s childhood with Mr. Rogers was very nice, and I remember being thrilled when he visited the saxaphone factory. But my first childhood TV love was Pee-Wee’s Playhouse.

    I actually think that explains a lot about me.