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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 29, 2000)
Arte . Steven Bender/DN Amy Lohrberg Patt gives a massage to a staff member at the Campus Recreation Center on Monday. Patt, coordinator for massage therapy at the center, gives massages by appointment -v. ■ y. ^ f's *• bymbAwewehsch . " ' ' AshotidaychaosNuidend-of-tieK l* semester madness heighten injthe neict few weeks, passage therapy i. effers^an escape et.someone else’s: • fingertips. >' 7 Massage therapy relieves both mental and.physicalstress, which And mine than 70 licensed Insti tutes and businesses in Lincoln pro- ‘ vide the much-needed relief to over worked, over-stressed bodies atcosts of $20 and higher. • Amy Patt, massage therapy coor dinator at the university's campus recreation center, said the gpal of massage therapy was simply “to make people feel better.” Patt said students who visited the massage therapy office usually suf fered from one of two problems: stress from a tense schedule or upper back and neck pain because of “head-forward posture,” from activi ties such as talking on the phone, sit ting at a computer or carrying an overloaded backpack. “We always see a surge in ses t‘ iv ■ vy , . sions tjftis time of year.by students,” she saip. “And a tot of gift certificates are sold, tob. Parents or friends might r give the gift of massage to the stu dent, who is especially overworked.” Brad E^cker, a university mas sage therapist, said 35 percent of thpr clients were students. “I cah see die benefits everyday when I work on people,” he said. “Things tend to function a little bit better." . A massage, whether five minutes or two hours long, benefits over worked bodies by reducing muscle tension and pain, calming the nerv ous system and increasing circula tion, boosting energy and alertness and providing a complete change of pace from the daily grind. More Americans are using mas sage as a stress-relieving tool, according to a survey conducted this past July by the American Massage Therapy Association in conjunction with the Opinion Research Corporation in Princeton, N.J. Out of 1,006 American men and women interviewed, 14 percent between the ages of 18 and 24 report ed having a massage in the past year. *’5r* ; ¥ ‘ • Vi-v •• But 20 percent of those surveyed said they were too busy to get a regu lar massage, but they would seek massage for relaxation and stress reduction if given the time. Sue Kozisek, director at the . Myotherapy Institute, 6020 S. 58th St., said massage was not just for the • achy; different types of massage can rejuvenate, calm or comfort. Certain massages energize, such as a sports massage or an on-sight seated massage while Swedish and hot stone massages relax and soothe clients. “Depending on the type of mas sage, people can either fix things or prevent injuries,” Kozisek said. “In the U.S. there are 100 types of mas sage work to fit all types of people in all types of situations. It’s a compli mentary form of health in body, mind and soul.” In Nebraska, all massage thera pists must be licensed to operate their services in order to provide a safe environment for clients, she said. “A client needs to interview a therapist beforehand about their area of specialty, their type of mas sage, the cost and their hours,” Kozisek said. “People need to find a therapist they are comfortable with.” During a massage session; the therapist must know a client’s needs in order to give the most beneficial massage. A client can lay on a mas sage table or sit in a chair while the therapist works on the kinks. Many massage businesses, including the university massage therapy office, offer gift certificates for sessions, which can serve as an alternative gift idea this holiday. Both Decker and Kozisek said massages were sometimes nicer to give than receive. “I’m in this field, to make a differ ence in peoples’ lives,” Decker said, “it’s nice to hear someone say Thanks, I've really needed that.'” Kozisek said excuses such as lack of time and money shouldn't out weigh the benefits of a massage. “In college, you develop your trends in life,” she said. “Academics are important, but it’s also important to explore yourself as a human being. You need to take care of the physical and emotional part, and not just the mental part.” Overly nice acting can't save'Bounce' BY SAMUEL MCKEWON “Bounce” is a rather unlikable movie about rather likable characters in love and rather likable actors playing them: Gwyneth Paltrow and Ben Affleck. They inhabit a story and a romance so understated it threatens to float away - as com fortable as your next door neighbors, which says nothing: You’d wouldn’t really care to see a movie about them. The premise on which it is built - the creation of writer/director Don Roos - doesn’t have the legs to run out the course of the movie. It has Affleck playing a smarmy ad executive named Buddy just off a big New York score for his small West Coast agency. At a backed-up airport, he picks up a woman (the leggy Natasha Henstridge, in a cameo of sorts) and meets a struggling TV writer from Los Angeles (Tony Goldwyn) desperate to get home. They exchange tickets. The TV writer dies in a plane crash. What follows is predictable - Afjleck's ad man seeks out the widow (Paltrow) for no greater impulse than curiosity, finds she's a faltering real estate agent, then throws some business her way. And then (big twist) she asks him to a baseball game. Widow has kids. Buddy likes them. He loves her. And now, he faces the count down of when he must tell the widow whyhe’s in her life at all. “Bounce” could nicely play a straight drama, involving the kind of pain and introspection nor mally reserved for art-house Euro fare. Instead, it clings to injecting light and soft-bellied comedy in an attempt to create, I assume, “real” characters. Paltrow has glammed down for the role, simply easy-going beautiful as opposed to stop-traffic gorgeous. Affleck, once her real-life flame, turns down his gooey charm. In a share of scenes, he could be mistaken for an earnest, non-ironic slightly un-alpha male. Bless him for that And yet, friendliness never seemed so empty ol pep. This is a grown-up, mature niche film - it’ll have fans who enjoy soft weeps and long rains - which lacks the verve to commit to the faults of its characters. “Bounce” makes them human, then champions them for it and, outside of a talky assis tant of Buddy's in Johnny Galecki, never injects any grabby scenery.; Roos’ previous effort was the vainpish "The Opposite of Sex," which allowed the cruelest ol central characters in Christina Ricci riff on the negativity pf all who surrounded her. “Bounce” is a 180, an elevator movie if there ever was one, where the words are calm, portentous and entirely for gettable after you exit. A V (Droppec^gg PETA to show movie on American fur trade Students for Animal Rights, (NOT PETA), which was formed about two years ago by local stu dent activists, will be showing a 45-minute film titled “The Witness.” The film, which focuses on the American fur trade, intro duces us to the life of Eddie Lama, a Brooklyn architectural metal contractor. It highlights his struggles to lead a more compas sionate life which starts with the adoption of a stray cat and ends with his campaign to shed light on the brutality of animal agri culture in the United States. It will be shown Nov. 29 and Dec. 1 at 7:30 p.m. in the Nebraska Union. The film shows Eddie’s men tal evolution from the “average Joe” to an activist for animal rights issues and concerns. The film aims to inform others of the ideas behind animal rights and the conditions in which animals in the United States are subject ed. Jason Nord, member of Students for Animal Rights, hopes to see several students (who both oppose and agree with the ideas presented) at the showing of“The Witness.” “This film is a good introduc tion to animal rights, one of the fastest growing civil and moral issues in the U.S.," Nord said. The film has won awards for Best Documentary in the Canyonlands Film Festival 2000 as well as the Gold Audience Award and Gold Award for Documentary in the Crested Butte Reel Fest 2000. ■ The sports bar is far and away the premiere spot to be gameday as Joyce Durand and her band entertain. BY JOSH NICHOLS Last spring, as part of a series on the O Street bars, the Daily Nebraskan did a feature on The Sidetrack tavern, 935 O. St. The feature was supposed to be about the bar, but it turned into as much a feature on The Sidetrack’s owner, Joyce Durand. This was not intentional, but at the same time, impossible to avoid. Durand was not your typical bar owner who simply handled the business operations of the bar. She did so much more than simply hire employees, order shipments of booze and organ ize entertainment. She was the entertainment. For 25 years the owner was perched on stage behind her keyboard. Serving as a live karaoke band throughout the year, Durand and The Sidetrack Band did an array of classic rock and roll songs at the audience’s request. But it was during football season on Husker football week ends that the band, consisting of Durand, Paul Newton, Fred Meyer and Jim Rupert, really shined. Songs praising the Huskers and mocking their opponents filled the tavern on Husker _ . weekends. "There is No Place Like Nebraska” was the group’s sig nature tune. But many songs poking fun at arch rivals Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas State and Texas were also sung by the group. The band’s quirky music made The Sidetrack one of Lincoln’s premiere venues, if not the premiere venue on Husker weekends. Sure, every sports bar in Lincoln was packed, but none had people waiting in line for hours outside on cold November evenings. Nor did other bars have peo ple standing in line at 6 a.m. on Saturday mornings waiting for the doors to open at 8 a.m. People came and waited not because The Sidetrack was trendy, had 10 big-screens or served the best drink specials - it doesn’t have any of those. They came for the fun and “Husker spirit” generated by the ring leader, Durand. In the interview, she said, “This is a place where fun comes first and drinking comes sec ond. If you just want to drink, you can get a 12-pack and go home.” The fun generated in her bar resulted in visits by Ben Nelson, Bob Kerrey, Bob Devaney and several former Husker players. After the story ran last spring, several e-mails from for mer patrons now living throughout the country were sent in response to the story. One response noted that no effort was ever made to decorate The Sidetrack. Its writer said the music and the great people cre ated the great atmosphere, which resulted in unparalleled fun. Another response, from a man in Michigan, simply said, "Joyce and Paul are the great est.” She was the greatest because Durand made it obvious that she loved Husker football and loved running her bar. In the interview last spring, she even went as far to say that she may die on stage. This still could happen, but she won't die the owner of The Sidetrack. She recently sold the bar to Nebraska football player Matt Vrzal, D.J. Rezac and Neal Grummert. But the end of Durand’s ownership does not mean the end of The Sidetrack Band. The new owners said they will still bring in the band on Husker Saturdays. Durand’s enduring presence as bar owner will be lost, but at least she will still be around Husker Saturdays. Who knows what the new owners have in mind, but hope fully they realize Durand has created a treasure chest full of tradition in downtown Lincoln. And that Lincoln has enough sports bars.