Ant Updates: August 2006

Dean: You can learn a lot from ants. These Brazilian fire ants can teach you a lot about successful societal structure. You see? There's one queen in there. The rest are dedicated worker ants. Everybody pulls their weight; nobody complains; there's harmony and growth. Same here at [Dreaming Ant]...only you are the worker ants...the backbone.

Russ: And...you're the queen?

from D3: The Mighty Ducks

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A lot of deliberation goes into the hiring at Dreaming Ant, and I'm proud as a queen of our small, zealous, at times dysfunctional, family. We've reached another crossroads, requiring me to devote more attention to addressing our declining industry and limited space. As such, I decided it was time to finally add another worker ant. His name is Rod. Ben Rod.

Many of you already know Ben, but for those who don't, it's time for yinz to take off your helmets (not motorcycle helmets, Ben! the other Ben, that is), loosen your grip on the ole handlebars, and have faith as Ben's cool breeze guides you (like a Jedi knight) through the expansive virtual terrain of Bloomfield's best, albeit only, DVD store. Oi. Like you've never been a cheese ball before!

How does Rod measure up? Dreaming Ant member since October 2003 and a live, in-store blogger...before blogging went digital. Along with roommate Drew Pavelchak, he built Dreaming Ant's impressive black counter in December 2004, demonstrating his acute attention to detail and sincere commitment to quality. Graduated from CMU with some kinda art degree thingy. He has an insatiable appetite for all things edible and an exotic passion for Asian cinema, especially films with an austere and/or lyrical tone. Andrew and I are both excited to welcome Ben to the fold, as we hope yinz are too.

Ben will be your Sunday afternoon host at Dreaming Ant...this of course, freeing up Andrew to watch the Steelers in the Fall and The Sopranos in the Winter. After a week of training, Rod will fly his first solo shift at Dreaming Ant on Sunday, August 27th from noon to 6:00PM. Please take it easy on the lad during his early days, while learning his way around our Byzantine antfarm. Email Ben

Our number one ant, Andrew (aka tender ant), another CMU grad as well as a freelance writer, recently returned from a cross-country pilgrimage to his hometown Dallas, TX in his a/c-free car. Upon returning from his next excursion - to Maine to visit his parents - later this month, Andrew will be launching a Dreaming Ant blog - an intercourse, or forum mind you, where he'll be able to utilize his prodigious writing talents to express his thoughts relating to film and video. In the meantime, check out his transcendent music reviews in the Pittsburgh CIty Paper. Email Andrew

Some of you may not know her, but the intensely focused and always studious young lady surrounded by stacks of DVDs cluttering the back table is our very own Zen ant of DVD cleansing - the great Jenn! Among other things, Jenn is also a sculptor. Looking for an art professor? Email Jenn

If you were wondering whatever happened to Jess, a longtime Dreaming Ant friend and occasional substitute ant, she's been in San Fran the past three months interning for Apple Computer. When she returns next week, she'll be finishing up her final semester at...you guessed it...CMU, so we might still have a few months left to spend with her. Email Jess

As mentioned earlier, I've been struggling with how to expand in the midst of numerous local closings and increasingly limited space. Please email any suggestions/advice you might have to me at [e-mail]. One thought, especially considering the recent local Blockbuster closings, is to work more closely with the universities to make Dreaming Ant's eclectic collection readily available to students and professors. Again, your feedback is welcome...

As always, thanks for your continued support of Dreaming Ant!

dB