My pitas page

dave
dave thomas is dead at age 69, afterdoing dozens of those adorable commercials. didn't you just want to hug him? he's so dad-like.

yves saint laurent bows out
back in the day he was a great designer, but really his golden days were in the 80s when gaudy was the byword in fashion. it's good for him to bow out now--he's one of the most revered men in the biz and how can one top that?

dental dictionary
who knew such things existed? i love the internet. this morning i had a frenectomy performed. and now that the novocaine is starting to fade, i think my mouth is gonna hurt like heck very soon.

buddy
it makes me sad that buddy has died in such an untimely fashion. i love dogs. but it also cracks me up that this is a front page story for the new york times' website. i guess it's a sign of life returning to normal, right? i'm looking forward to the day when mariah's mental state is again on the front page.

the hills are alive...
saw "moulin rouge" last night finally. i thoroughly enjoyed it after getting over my initial bewilderment. so lovely to look at, fun music, and yes, a sappy denied-love ending that made me cry and snuffle and look generally unattractive. and today at work: all is quiet. barely any phones are ringing and it feels like hardly anyone is here. not that i'm complaining, mind you. perhaps i will actually get to cross things off my "to do" list today!

boy lion kills girl lion
jeepers, boston zoo! on another, less sad note: happy new year kids. mine was rung in at harlem's appollo theater while listening to some good rock from gbv and the strokes. love them, though the strokes' lead singer is infinitely more funny when drunk. over the vaca between x-mas and new years: saw "the royal tenenbaums," "the lord of the rings," and "ocean's 11." (all recommended, though TLOTR is my fave of the three.) a decision was made to paint one bedroom wall blue though when that will happen is debatable. got good xmas gifts--only had to return three things, and two were from the same place so it wasn't exactly a huge issue even though lord & taylor is evil. began reading volume one of the teddy roosevelt biography series edmund morris is churning out. thus far i can tell you morris is a great writer and teddy a fascinating figure--more updates on that as necessary. and saw my college buddy libgrrl in nyc. i promise we will never again take desserts from strangers.

santa in nyc
to get you in the christmas spirit, a little tale of holiday cheer in nyc: an anonymous businessman handing out hundreds--and thousands--of dollars to new yorkers and city organizations yesterday. it really does touch your heart. in case pita updates are scarce until 2002, have a good new year everyone!

rock me tony blair
make british parliament officials dance to various pop tunes in front of exotic backgrounds. way fun. i am watching tony boogie down to "the real slim shady" as we speak.

holiday music quiz
take this quiz from the brit music mag Q to find out which holiday song suits you best. mine is "santa baby" by kylie minogue. it could be worse, right?

winona
(9th graf down) is now dating pete yorn. is this, like, really a rite of passge in the music industry, as the illustrious courtney love opines in the same graf? if so--how odd to be her and know such a thing and even encourage it.

tiffany's
but before the party, c. and i go here to get my b-day present in the right size. (no, ladies, it's not one of *those* ring--just a very pretty, simple one with no questions attached.) it's very exciting for me because i have never allowed myself to go inside tiffany's before. i really, really hope i don't break anything...

the tonic
tough economic times? says who? tonight's the big holiday bash for my work, and i'm excited to be checking out this place because the food is supposed to be amazing. the only down side: i am wearing nylons, which are just evil, evil things girls must wear when there is a work-related party. but that's ok--hopefully i'll be buzzing too much to notice them, or the fact that seating is assigned during dinner.

lord of the rings
such a good review from the times. i cannot wait to see this movie!

new years eve
this show is going to be so fun--new material expected and everything!

publishing layoffs
the cut-backs began in earnest at my old employer a couple of weeks ago, and basically the whole industry is shaking in its boots. it just sucks that a business like book publishing (which can be really noble as well as really tacky) just doesn't make money. or that the folks in charge don't know how to properly spend it.

bliss
i'm done with my x-mas shopping--the final purchase was made here, yesterday. how's that for bliss :)

geraldo
there's a reason his name is a synonym for "slimy." he's so low in the journalism ethics world i can barely stand that he has such a huge impressive gig. he better get fired for this one...

two words: colin bane
stacy o, how did you ever find him? (in case you don't also read the libgrrl pita, which you should, this boy was a major object of literary girl affection during college. but only secretly, of course.)

and venus was her name...
the problem with putting gifts in someone's stocking before christmas is that the gifts will be opened before they are supposed to be. c. and i coudn't restrain ourselves yesterday and i must say i was stoked beyond belief to find a venus razor in mine, which perhaps is proof that i need to get out more. but it's so cool! and the case that hangs in the shower with replacement razors in it is so clever! i will never be too lazy again to change my razor!

world's largest toys r us
what brought us to the world's largest toys r us, in times square, this weekend? madness, you say? i have to agree--i was prepared to tie my own tubes within five minutes of getting through the door. but some christmas shopping for our secret santa kids was accomplished so in the end it's worth it. the boy is getting a playstation racing game and some young adult versions of good adventure stories like "robinson crusoe". and the girl is getting a karaoke machine found at tower records for a truly bargain price.

the man who wasn't there
finally got around to seeing this yesterday once c. and i had roused ourselves from holiday-party-induced lethargy. (thanks to all who came--such fun!) i liked it, but there was some stuff i really wish they hadn't included--the old young-girl-attempts-b.j.-on-older-man thing did nothing at all to advance the story, for example. but the black and whiteness of it was lovely, and i've accepted the fact that i don't dislike billy bob thornton as an actor. i like him as an actor. i think he just makes me nervous as a person.

wine glasses
a true step toward adulthood--the purchase of real wine glasses. especially important since tomorrow some people might want to drink wine out of something that isn't plastic.

these are pie weights
who knew such things existed...or were necessary. [EDITOR'S NOTE: pie weights are not necessary after all! i baked a crust without them and it came out fine. i suspect these pie weights are for suckers...]

holiday party
it always seems like such a good idea to have a holiday party. and then the day-before demons start thinking of things like "will there be enough food?" "will people have fun?" "will anyone--including ME--spill on the sofa?" today's goal--to forget all of that and just enjoy the process. now: can anyone tell me what the heck a pie weight is?

tao
went here for our department holiday lunch today, and while i did not dance with mc hammer like some people we could name, it was still fun. good-ish food, and really good decor. i'm a sucker for a place that makes you feel like it's always 10:30 p.m.

transcript
of the latest osama bin laden videotape to be released by the government. he is a sick, sick man...

peanut blossom cookies
does life get any better than baking these while watching a truly amazing episode of "the west wing"? i think not.

secret santa
two thumbs up to betsy for writing about this secret santa program for needy kids. i got my two letters in the mail last night and let me tell you they are heartbreaking--these kids are going to make c. and i buy all of toys r us to send their way. my favorite request: a karaoke machine. who knows--santa does sometimes come through on these things, right?

baby bono
is this the cutest little picture of him or what?