My pitas page

billy elliot
finally saw this saturday night. it's quite good. is it a feel good movie? is it predictable? yes to both, but i really don't see anything wrong with that. it is, after all, a movie, the point of which is to take you somewhere else and make you experience something being felt by others. and this one does just that, so bravo.

dancin', dancin', dancin'!
sort of the wrong decade, but you get my drift. myself and alana and amy hit "1984" on friday night, and it was so worth it. a shout out to big brian j. for getting us in past the long line of girlie-girls and their dates, and into a dark, hot, sweaty room full of cute boys. yes, i know the boys didn't care about us, but i, in turn, don't care about that. in the mix: wham, madonna, pet shop boys, boy george and so, so many other classics. highly recommended.

revlon run/walk for women's cancers
i've signed up for this. please donate.

Pre-Face Lift Barbie
Someday I would like to go to northern California, just to see stuff like this. I could probably find something similar here in NYC, but I'm not so sure.

photogs
the end of this story is the best part. i wonder if robin "man child" williams stares out his window all day, waiting for a photog to pass by so he can get some pics snapped and be famous. his turning up like that seems a bit TOO fortuitous.

dissing the l.a. times book review
i have a good snide remark about steve wasserman i could repeat, but i'd better not put it up here. you never know who's reading this illustrious pita.

publishing world intrigue
i was really looking forward to reading this, too.

in russia, it's international women's day
and the ladies STILL aren't happy.

amen to that, sister
i love j sisters salon. love it, love it, love it.

hardcore lawmaking
if only the real legislative branch could get it together like this.

my favorite soapbox
y'all know that nothing makes me angier faster than some anitchoice plan by the conservative hoo-ha's around this country. this story from the voice is so good, outlining clearly the plan of attack to take away a woman's right to choose. and i think i'm gonna go to the 4/22 march in d.c. sponsored by NOW, if anyone would like to come with.

deep dark literary secrets
i've never read anything by hemingway. but at least i have managed "crime and punishment," which is more than at least one of these book critics can say. i like this list of critics' literary omissions--it comforts me.

top 50 journalists
are you a media whore like me? then you'll be relieved to know washingtonian magazine has again figured out who the top 50 journos are. and who's number one? it's the fat man in the middle seat, and i don't mean jack germond.

i laughed out loud
in my small, dark office when i got to the part of this piece where she talks about possible answers to the question: "where do you see yourself in 5 years?" god, i know JUST what she means.

subway poetry
ever wonder how the mta picks the poems that go up in subway cars? well, here's the answer.

aids drug lawsuit in south africa
42 pharmaceutical companies are suing the government of south africa because they say that by buying off-patent aids drugs to cheaply treat the millions of residents suffering from the disease, south africa is being unfair to the pharmaceutical companies. i dare them to look at the photo topping off this article and tell us again about those unfair business practices. sure, it's a slippery slope, because if you say it's ok to cheaply copy one set of drugs for one disease, then it's only a matter of time before another disease is the "next aids." but these are people who are dying and the drug companies have no hope of winning the pr war on this one.

marrying for money
sure, we girls all joke about it. but these women are actually going to DO it! i don't know how i feel about that. am i too naive for words because i believe that love should somehow be involved?

clit conspiracy
in her book "woman," natalie angier spends quite a bit of time talking about the biology of female sexuality. this book, by some other grrl, focuses on one component only--the clitoris. and while it sounds basically like the same stuff that angier wrote about, and i would recommend her book as probably a better survey of the female body (though i admit i do so without having read the clit book), when else will i get to use "clitoris" repeatedly in a pita entry? plus this author discusses female ejaculation in the q&a i'm linking to, which is always fun to read about.

y'alternative
saw old 97s last night. what a good show. and everything they say about that rhett miller being dreamy is actually true. new album comes out 3/20.

was shakespeare a druggie?

when authors attack
what dealing with the literati is Really like.

rape as a weapon
there's nothing very newsy about the fact that rape is a powerful weapon in warfare, but this nytimes story about specific cases in east timor breaks my heart. and, of course, it makes me so very angry. especially because these women who have been raped and tortured and god only knows would probably rather be dead than alive are now considered outcasts and "dirty" by their communities. the human race baffles the hell out of me.

what will we eat?
there's only 19 days til paris, but it looks like any and all meat products there are unsafe for consumption. i want steak frites, gosh darn it!

kiss my ring
how excited am i for the "godmother" fashion trend of next fall? very, very excited. but first i guess we have to get through the spring and summer of miniskirts.

blogging's so hip
even moby's gotten in on the action.

the connection, in trouble
i hate putting up two links from the same site in one day, but oh well. anyway, the reason christopher lydon hasn't been hosting The Connection on npr the last few days is because the station (WBUR, ah, boston) is playing hardball with him over show rights. it's a damn shame.

bush's speech
i didn't watch it, sorry. but here's jake tapper's analysis. i stood next to him (jake tapper, not bush) at a gore fundraiser once and i couldn't even speak to him i was so excited. i mean, i wanted to say something to show how "inside" i could be, like "i really dig your writing in the [washington] city paper," but i was afraid it would come out like "you're so smart and political and cute, wanna make out?" so i said nothing. just stood and ignored him. sigh.

mangia!
this is the website for ragu, and i just love the italian mamma character that leads you around.

temple bar
went here last night. everything they say is true.

mallowmar brownies that aren't
i fully approve of these recipes. either of them, really, but especially the last one.

mm mm good
the history of the mcdonald's french fry. and how something so yummy can be so very evil.

calculate your life expectancy
this scientific-seeming calculator tells you just how long your body will last. it says that i'm going to live to be 95.4 years old. which means i have 70 more years to go! so much time!

dave eggers is pissed
here's the full e-mail exchange between dave eggers and the nytimes reporter who wrote the piece on him that's linked a few entries down on this here pita. eggers is, shall we say, not pleased with the story.

it's official
true beauty comes from within, say scientists.

monkeybone
david foley AND rose mcgowan are in this. sign me up!

i've been a good little liberal
i defended bill clinton's actions, if not his lying, during the whole monica thing. i voted for gore. i believe in choice and helping the disenfranchised. but this story about clinton's brother-in-law getting paid to secure these stupid pardons really has turned my stomach. i don't know why the media keeps covering bill like he was still prez, but this is one heck of a story for whoever unearthed it, and if clinton's going to do stupid stuff and think he can get away with it then he deserves all the bad press he gets. i may have to turn libertarian or something after this.

stripper running for mayor of paris
gentle reader, have i mentioned that it's only 26 days til i go to paris? and that i may not be coming back? have i?

decimals vs. fractions
nasdaq is having trouble converting its computer system from fractions to decimals. i kind of like the fractions. they make finance seem more difficult than i'd guess it probably is.

leo? married?
leo and gisele (yeah, THAT gisele) are apparently engaged. according to her, at least. and this is quite the celebrity edition of the pita today, isn't it?

no tom hanks!
i'm so glad i'm not the only one who will be rooting against tom hanks on oscar night. i'm sure he's nice and all, but the guy ain't olivier, folks.

peter buck sighting
the now-seattle-resident was in san fran last week checking out a local popster. (third item down)

old 97s
i listened to their new cd about a million times yesterday while painting my living room. real good. cannot wait to see them 3/1 at bowery ballroom.

knit mittens with molly ringwald.
you know you want to.

heroines
comic book heroines with enough boobs and butt to go around. how refreshing.

seasonal fate
when you're born determines how likely it is you'll be schizophrenic. and other tidbits.

may the force be with them
some sensible folks are trying to get overturned the bush administration's move to ban u.s. funding for clinics in foreign lands that talk about abortion. i'm almost beyond hoping they can succeed, but i'll hope some more anyway.

state-sponsored murder
a bill wending its way through congress would make it ok for the president to order the assassination of foreign leaders. so abortion is murder but this isn't? i see. my mistake.

coldplay
sure, i've only heard the one song on mtv. but i really liked it. perhaps i'll get the cd, or partake in a live appearance should they come to the east coast.

little, brown editor diary
it comforts me to know that some people go into publishing for pure reasons and even after years in the business, still love it. and it's handy to know that they never buy stuff someone other than an agent sends in. it's called a "slush pile" for a reason.

look, girls!
dave eggers is "back."

the fat guy
here's a little link for all you folks who believe that valentine's day is special and lovely. and while it can be special and lovely, i personally am pretending it's a day just like any other so i am not all bummed out that my secret admirer isn't sending me flowers. (i think everyone has at least one secret admirer, don't you?) anyway, the fat guy is one of my fave writers at salon.com. this piece about aphrodisiacs isn't as funny as his last article, which addressed what foods you should eat off of your lover, but i'll take what i can get :)

d.c. loves girl scout cookies
they eat the most in the nation! personally, the samoas are my favorite. no offense to all you thin mint fans out there.

newyorker.com
how weird to write "newyorker.com". finally this genteel little mag is online with honest-to-goodness content!

catherine, the pita goddess
i honestly don't know if i've ever given the link on here to catherine's pita, since all of y'all probably know it anyway, but here it is. it's the least i can do, conidering she has a nice link to my pita on her page and i'm just too internet-retarded to reciprocate. maybe i'll learn how to jazz up this page someday. til then, though, you'll all have to suffer with its template-ness.

allen iverson is a nice boy
i know nothing about basketball, or allen iverson, but check out the photo accompanying this story! let me hear you: awwww...

the b-day co-op
this is where the joint birthday party for h. and a. took place saturday night. (they both liked their gifts! yay!) drank much, talked much, practiced being a carefree young girl with cool shoes. the lounge-y area was perfect for the large, changing, circulating group that showed up: sofas and comfy chairs and low coffee tables made out of reflective materials. really, there's nothing young folk like better than drinking in a place that could be their living room but is "out" instead.

i'm just a caveman
who doesn't believe in evolution? how can you not believe in evolution? how can you call it controversial? it's too early to be getting stressed out over this, but here i am, again adding a state to the list of places in which i cannot raise my hypothetical future children.

powerpuff girls!
i really, really wish i had cable. tonight airs the powerpuff girls episode in which they are actually defeated (!) by bad guys, and then, of course return to save the day. all of this is accompanied by beatles music, and i guess the fab four make an appearance of the animated variety.

sitcom star or dictator?
i did this little game wrong. instead of answering the questions based on a sitcom star or dictator i was thinking of (which the game is supposed to be able to guess based on the answers you give to its questions), i decided to answer them as they applied to myself. just guess who they thought i was: monica from friends! i always knew i would turn into her someday (the baking, the anal-retentivity, the dark hair). such a dubious distinction.

"the surrendered wife"
sigh. sometimes i wonder what all of the entries on this pita say about me. do you think i'm an uber-feminist man-hater? a die-hard liberal without the ability to exercise common sense? a sex fanatic with a closet full of goodies? does anyone i don't know personally even come here? all good questions, and ones which will probably remain unanswered. here's a story about a book that advocates, as the headline of it says, "yes-dearing your way to a happy marriage." basically you should compliment your husband to make him think he's big and masculine and in charge so he'll be more accommodating of what you want. now, the idea of complimenting your beloved isn't wrong, nor is working on making your marriage a harmonious one through give and take. but this seems so...contrived. i mean, DATING is supposed to be the manipulative part of a relationship, while marriage is supposed to be loving someone warts and all once you've gotten to be honest with each other, right? without getting talked into it through less-than-sincere compliments? am i totally off base? well, at any rate, here it is.

el decor
home decorating is for manly men. seriously. i find the guys in this article charming, if a little obsessive. (who DOESN'T hate the limited color and design options in kleenex boxes and paper towels?)

ru-486 debate
one would think that a pill that not only safely ends unwanted pregnancies and also helps improve women's health would not be such a hot topic. well, i guess except for that ending unwanted pregnancies part. the gop is again trying to limit who can get this pill and why, with i'm sure the ultimate aim of getting off u.s. shores forever because women cannot be trusted to make their own decisions about their bodies. so, when do we get to bind our feet and get beaten for talking to men who aren't our husbands? those are the parts of the new society i'm really looking forward to.

aids in africa
sometimes time magazine does a photo spread that's so amazing it blows you away. this series, about aids in africa, is one of them.

"sexy" valentine horoscopes
apparently, as a scorpio, i am always ready to get it on. how fun to know!

soy CAN be yummy
this website isn't very interesting, but i bought the vanilla flavor of this soymilk this weekend as part of my new resolution to live healthier, and it rocks! it tastes kind of like an honest-to-goodness milkshake. i had to restrain myself from drinking more than my self-alotted 8 ounces.

ashcroft low-down
here's the roll call from the vote confirming john ashcroft as attorney general. make sure to write me in paris, where i am going for vacation soon and from where i will not be returning.

now THIS is fun
this lets you send someone a virtual personalized candy heart greeting. they actually let you write in what you want your virtual candy heart to say, and they even let you write naughty or insulting things!

paris transport strike
hope they clear this up in the next 47 days. i really don't want to have to walk to versailles.

lube, part 2
never thought i'd be lucky enough to use the phrase "self-lubrication" on this pita, but here i am doing so. this is the follow up piece to yesterday's lube story on salon, and it's full of fun facts. i had no idea that the amount of self-lubrication a woman produces depends on what time of month it is! and that it's also NOT normal to be the uber-self-lubing woman typically described in erotica.

ouchy the clown
dj, clown-dom, meeting facilitator. this i could never make up on my own.

televised live birth
pass the corn flakes. or the remote. "good morning america" on tuesday plans to televise a live birth. the first on tv ever. they say that it will be done "in good taste," but i think things are bound to get messy. and i wonder how a woman in labor will feel about signing a permission form to be on the show. i may just have to watch to see how it all goes down. or out, if you will.

presidential mockery
haven't made fun of dubbya enough just yet? check out this "palm pilot".

lubed-up love
if you don't have some, get some.

more AU bad news
ah, my alma mater. nothing quite like discovering the implications of bygone chemical testing to bring forth fond tears and fonder memories. thanks to stacy-o for sending the links.

poison!
all that dirt-eating in college was bound to catch up with me someday...

you're soaking in it
it's been a while since i actually stopped to think about ads (yes, i am a media junkie, since that statement implies i've actually done such a thing before), and i thought this was a good q&a about women and the advertising industry. especially good is probably the first half that really focuses on the messages advertisers send to women in their ads, whether they mean to or not, about our sexuality, mobility, relationships, and expectations from others. good stuff.

earthquake miracle baby
this story makes me just want to cry like, well, a baby.

aids truths and lies
this is an excellent article about the aids epidemic around the world. absolutely stark in detail about what exactly this disease is doing to economies and stability around the world. and what could be done to stop it but isn't because of the big bad drug companies.

no prime directive, but...
in trying to find the text of the prime directive referenced at the end of my previous entry, i came up short. but i found instead a slew of sites protesting viacom's attempts to keep star trek fan sites from displaying photos, audio clips, etc., from the various star trek movies and shows. they say it violates copyright laws. i don't know if that's true, but i find it interesting that big viacom is threatened by little fan sites.

separation of church and state, anyone?
no one likes a chronic complainer, but i'm really finding quite a bit to grouse about today. here we have bush's plan to let religious groups take over humanitarian work from the government. while it's all well and good that these groups do humanitarian work, and i think it's fine for the government to give them grants and such , i have a HUGE problem with them taking it over from the government, period. i mean, maybe not everyone who would receive their help is christian (or whatever denomination we're talking about), or maybe not everyone in the U.S. wants christian or catholic or jewish or wiccan or whatever groups out there doing this work while subtly spreading the missionary message. i just don't trust 'em. it's like a violation of star trek's prime directive or something.

great
this is not the time to let pro-choice people get into the majority. doesn't anyone think women should control their own bodies anymore? why are people (apparently) so opposed to that? what are they afraid of finding out about themselves or the women they love?

i can't afford therapy, so i bake
these are the cookies i am baking tonight to eat with my friends, and to bring into work tomorrow. if there are any left, that is.

take that, dubbya
this is the t-shirt i'm getting as soon as i get paid. say it loud, we're black and we're . . . well, ok, maybe not. but it still makes me feel kinda powerful.

breakupgirl to the rescue!
yeah, you've probably been to this site before. but isn't she funny? doesn't she just make you smile that frown away?

wendy's killings
looks like they've got the guy (or, one of the people) who did those execution-style killings at a wendy's in queens last year. in cold-blooded, pointless-killing cases like this it's hard to not want the death penalty for the perpetrators. but at the same time i always wonder whether these confessions are given by the suspects just to make the police stop questioning them, especially in cases like this that are so high-profile and of course the police will want to link someone to it as soon as possible...

i hate bush so much
this is just the beginning, my friends. welcome to four lousy years.

tommy thompson: pure evil
that this man is going to probably head up the department of health and human services is enough to make my liberal feminist pro-choice-but-not-pro-abortion blood boil. the latest reason why: he wants to study whether ru486 is safe. HELLO!!!??? it's been studied!!! can't wait to see where he and his pro-life cronies dig up numbers that will support their effort to get rid of it. i mean, since women can't be allowed to make up their own minds about stuff like this and all.

time to make the...golf balls?
i can see the homer simpson fun inherent in a dunkin donuts donut mouse pad. i can even see the practicality of the easily-recognizable dunkin donuts luggage tag. but i really do not understand what is supposed to be fun about the "fake spilled coffee" gag. i mean, it's not like no one else ever thought of it. does having the fake beverage coming out of a dunkin donuts cup give a snobbish label appeal?

a night to remember? or forget?
this is where the girls and i started last night, drinking so very many margaritas you'd be impressed. we ate lots of "mexican" food, which i guess was a smart move, cause then we tottered up the block to hogs n heifers, a biker bar made socially acceptable by the movie "coyote ugly". and the night gets way more colorful from there, but i'm still hung over and don't know where to begin. basically i no longer have my favorite bra because it's hanging on h.n.h.'s wall. (which i'm kind of annoyed by cause that means i have to go bra shopping and i hate going bra shopping.)

checks with a message...
...other than "here take my money." this company is woman-founded, and they make checks and address labels that tout your cause to the world at large. and every product you buy results in a donation to your group of choice. boring checks be gone!

earthquake!
i know catherine has the same link, so sue me, but no one else on the web finds this worthy of reporting apparently. i did not feel this earthquake, which hit 2.5 on the richter scale and originated somewhere in queens (ah, queens). i was either already in the shower or walking up the stairs of my building to get to said shower. holly says it woke her up, but i would think that if it was that powerful i would have felt something, right? but maybe not. i was busy in the shower, after all.

wisdom from a dead guy
isn't that always the best kind of wisdom? click here to see the mark twain quote of the day (updated daily).

good cookin'
here's where i went to brunch on sunday with holly and (sorta) amy. i didn't really like the homefries all that much, but the biscuits and scrambled eggs were really good.

have a seat
this game of seat-predicting on the subway does not work well for me these days, who travels the 2/3 from 14th st. downtown to wall st. just about all the men wear suits and all the women sport high-frump gear, so who the heck can tell who's getting out at chambers and who's staying on until fulton (and that's one one stop before wall st. so why bother sitting my butt down?). but i have played the game in the past successfully, when i was living in astoria and working in midtown. you can so tell someone getting off at 5th ave. or lex. as opposed to someone holding out for queens plaza...

double mastectomy=no issues?
i find it very hard to believe that, as this article states, women who have both breasts remove to eliminate the chance of ever getting breast cancer (they don't even have it!) suffer no harm in perceiving their bodies. but i hope i'm wrong.

new job
this week i started a new job. this is where i now spend my days. donate, please :)

real estate fun
i hope someday to own my own apartment. this site lets me daydream about location, amenities, and so forth. it even tells you how much of a downpayment one would need for each apartment, so you can watch your dreams of homeowners ship disappear before your very eyes! like i say above, it's fun.

sparkly and transforming
i am by no means as much of a girlie-girl as some out there, but i do enjoy fun, shiny makeup for cheap. for those of us who thought we'd be forever clients of only "wet n wild," here's a new tribeca place to explore. see ya there!

creepy story of the day
have you ever daydreamed that you palm pilot was a robot? well, that day may not be too far off. check this craziness out!

biscuits and bath doggie village
as a wanna-be dog owner, this place sounds so lovely yet bizarre. my imaginary dachshund max would love it, though, i'm sure.

o brother where art thou
saw this yesterday with the boy. it was entertaining but not any sort of earth-shattering bit of film. the music was great and george clooney had this dreamy clark gable thing going on. all in all a good spending of two hours. and i swear to god in a past life i was a uso girl during world war 2. but that's a story for another day. (yes, i know the movie was not set during world war 2, but the whole clark gable thing led to a world war 2 comment. i am not confused, my mind just makes flittering associations.)

goodbye, monthly rental lifestyle
i am slowly but surely becoming obsessed with owning my own apartment and not having to rent from some mean real estate company on a month-to-month basis. this story is so inspiring and makes me feel like maybe someday i too could have a home of my own in the city.

oh, cherie!
with only 77 days til paris, this story is just what i needed. (boy, if you're reading, pretty please don't make any more cracks about me not understanding people once i'm in gay paree. the language of love, after all, is universal...)

that's ms. crocker, to you
i too want to be a mom who bakes. if i ever get to be a mom. you know what i mean.

get your red-hot abortions here!
ok, so abortion providers aren't exactly hawking their services in the street, but this ny times article makes it sound as if that and presidents' day sales are only a matter of time for the industry. i know abortion clinic ownership is a business, but this article kind of turns my stomach. (caveat: i am way pro-choice. digression: i would say there is not one person on this planet who is pro-abortion, no matter how many times the "compassionate conservatives" refer to pro-choicers as such.) as i was saying, it turns my stomach because the story takes this hugely personal and important issue for women and turns it into pure commercialism. again, i realize it's a business like any other--say, owning a shoe store or selling meat on a stick on the streets--but i really like the thought of abortion as a more important and refined (in a way) ware than slingbacks or kebabs.

drink and be merry
it IS funny, when you think about it, that more study has not gone into curing hangovers. they are something that can afflict men, women, old, young, rich, poor all equally (well, depending on one's predisposition to getting them). the unifying malady. so here's a possible step toward getting rid of the pesky things. get in that new year's spirit!

the coen boys
finally, a good review of "o brother where art thou." so excited to see this.

where the heck IS he?
in the interest of all things bright and pure this christmas season (and what may be the last pita entry til the new year), here's a fun site to track that krazy kat claus as he makes his way around the world.

naturally
finally there is something approaching an official u.s government definition of "organic" when it comes to labeling food. since i am becoming very paranoid about chemicals in nature (and how about the whole mad cow freak-out happening in europe right now), this makes me feel good. not that i ever actually buy vegetables at the grocery store, but now i could if i wanted to, and sleep well to boot.

apple must die
the Boy has had nothing but bad experiences with apple since he bought his cutesy imac from them. and i guess he's not alone.

person of the year
it's dubbya. sigh. thanks for reminding us, time magazine.

solar christmas gift
there will be a partial solar eclipse on christmas day. check out this handy map to see what you're view of it will be.

what the party looks like, really
i've often wondered what the rent-a-bartenders think at office parties. i bet it's none too comlimentary of the attendees. this writer is a bar-owner, and it sounds like he, at least, could do without the moochers of free alcohol.

birth control coverage
finally, someone (the good old feds) has had the sense to say that insurance companies that do not cover birth control are wrong. i can only hope this brings sweeping changes very soon, since i have to get a refill in the next month or so...

full text of the supreme court's opinion
'nuff said.

how can this be?
friendship heights, a suburb of washington, d.c., has banned smoking on ALL public property, including sidewalks and streets. um, how friendly is that, exactly?

i'm so old!
the girl who wrote this is 15. i want to be her friend. she's a good writer, which almost makes up for her being canadian...

yum
this is where i am having lunch today. and it is not just because i think bobby flay is kinda cute.

ah, reporters
it cracks me up that the press is not hiding its irritation anymore at the absurdity of this drawn-out presidential election process. here's yet another in a series of amusing pool reports from the print journo types.

how long will they last?
the washington post's website has a new feature: panda watch 2000. check in daily to see how the new panda twosome at the national zoo are faring. (so cute...)

the high court
this is interesting, this supreme court intervening to stop the recount in florida and their hearing of both sides's arguments today. this piece highlights exactly why the justices's actions are going to be under a lot of scrutiny these next coupla days, too. i personally am kind of surprised no riots have broken out between bush and gore supporters. and i'm glad of that, don't get me wrong.

the skill, the perseverence, the time on one's hands
huge gingerbread houses! i would be jealous that i'm too clumsy to build one, but i hate gingerbread.

"i know na-tink!"
so in another death-related note (i'm full of cheer this morning), the man who played the wonderfully dense colonel klink on "hogan's heroes" has passed on. is it insensitive or politically correct or plain old patriotic to like that show? i'm just asking. i like it. for what that's worth. (big question: why is this of specific interest to the christian community, since it's on christianity.com?)

younger days for all
it was 20 years ago today that john lennon was shot and killed outside of his apartment building here in nyc. this is a very nice essay by the usually-pompous roger ebert, written shortly after that event took place.

gloomy old eeyore
if i hadn't already gotten my good buddy holly an x-mas gift, this would have been perfect. she loves this sad donkey. and really, who can blame her.

a WHITE christmas, dammit!
did anyone see the martha stewart christmas special last night and find it as funny as i did? don't get me wrong, i love martha. i worship her. i want to be her, but remain me at the same time. the show, though, featured her making crafts with her saturday night live double, prancing in fake snow while cyndi lauper sang popped-up carols, and building sugar cube houses with sabrina the teenage witch. and did i mention the odd story line about santa being sad that martha deosn't write anymore? and about the running theme of a WHITE christmas, so everything was white that was made/baked on the show? and her neice was featured prominently? it doesn't get better than that.

write this with a straight face
even the washington post has to crack up over their corrections once in a while. this one is pretty darn crack-up-worthy. i can't believe no one caught this mistake on the copy desk!

write this with a straight face
even the washington post has to crack up over their corrections once in a while. this one is pretty darn crack-up-worthy. i can't believe no one caught this mistkae on the copy desk!

corporate deathwatch
this is quite intriguing: a site that predicts when dot-coms will die based on an analysis of when they will run out of cash. among those slated to go during the first half of 2001: salon.com (nooooo!), women.com, goto.com, and priceline.com.

steak and potatoes mama
this is where i'm going to lunch today with an editor and an author. (i work in publishing. no, you cannot be told where and how.) the last time i was at a morton's steakhouse was in d.c. when i was a mere child of college-going age, awed by the smell of power exuded by the georgetown locale and clients. in a fun coincidence, i wore fishnets then and am wearing fishnets today as well.

smoke gets in your eyes
but this lower east side bar is still kinda charming and has happy hour til 9.

o tannenbaum
mom and dad make picking out the right christmas tree and taking care of it look so darn easy. but it's much more complicated than that. and i never knew how deeply my preference ran for the balsam fir. who knew?

mother love
this excerpt about a mom growing marijuana in the backyard for her cancer-ridden son is so very sweet and funny. hope you like it.

the iceman cometh
and he's hanging out in good morning america's studio. yes, hottie magician david blaine is at it again, this time freezing himself alive in a block of ice and staying put for 62 hours. he'll be freed in a tv special shown on tomorrow night. it's a pretty amazing site to walk by and see the throngs checking him out. i wonder if houdini attracted such crowds to his tricks back in his day. but in today's new york, well, the people make it a bit harder than usual to navigate to work in the morning.

oxymoron?
yes, dan rather erotica seems like an oxymoron to me, but here it is, in full-blown (heh) force. thanks to nerve.com for allowing this story to be told.

not again!
as much as i love robert downey jr., i think he just might be too stupid to deserve ever getting out of jail or rehab. robert, babe, stop it!

here comes the...daydreams
it's so embarassing to admit this, but i too love love love reading bridal magazines. it's a dirty little secret that only my very good friends know anything about. and i do indeed get that glazed-over look when passing by diamond ring displays. and i enjoy making the boy nervous by saying things like "are we ever going to get married?" and then laughing like i'm 100 percent kidding when in fact i'm only 98 percent kidding.

turkey lurkey
it's the eve of thanksgiving and i am so looking forward to dad's mashed potatoes and mom's cranberry bread. not to mention the turkey and all that other starchy caloric goodness. find out how thankful you are, you little ingrate, by taking this quiz.

love the ikea!
i love ikea, as i bet all of you under-thirty-somethings do too. where else can you get glass votive holders for $1.00 apiece? and an honest to god desk for under $100? Gotta love it, socialism or no.

a fun grinch take-off
don't waste your hard-earned $9.50 on the piece of crap passing for a movie version of the grinch who stole christmas. snuggle up come thanksgiving time to watch the real thing on tv, and take a moment to chuckle at this election-oriented take on mr. green meanie-pants. like everything else, our precious childhood animation is not safe from bush and gore. or is it gore and bush? who knows anymore...

when in pain...
...eat this. festivus, indeed!

wisdom teeth
i am having a wisdom tooth out tomorrow. here's everything you could ever want to know about wisdom teeth, courtesy of someplace in australia.

no free speech here
who would have thought oprah would be so, well, hard-core about this?

deck the halls
christmas is my favorite holiday. roommate and i are having a holiday party. am starting here for decoration/napkins/punch inspiration.

martha wanna-bes, unite
i really like the new nytoday feature "apartment envy." it's basically all about satisfying the new york impulse to find out not only what people pay for their apartments, but what they look like inside (the apartments, not the people, that is. the inside of people is usually just guts).

crazy, baby, crazy
so last night after the christie's contemporary art party, me and billy and nate and holly went to the bar of the rainbow room. the view was ok, and the cheese plate was ok. but please, i beg you, don't go there unless you're really good at pretending that $9 for a beer/$11 for a glass of wine does not bother you. our bill was, shall we say, appropriate-ly gauged to the 65th floor setting.

non-election-related link!
i have a bit of a paris countdown going on right now (127 days), but here's a fun different one. it's from the nasa site and tells you how long it is til the next space shuttle, satellite, what-have-you blast-off takes place. have you noticed that launches are not as widely known of or as televised as they used to be? is it just challenger backlash and caution or is it just that no one finds outer space that cool anymore? i love outer space. the best class i took in college was my astronomy class and i foolishly took it pass-fail and i so should have taken it a-f. my prof, mr. superintelligent-dirty-phone-call-maker (who once appeared at the beginning of an "x files" episode in actual nasa footage), really liked my term paper. i often think that if i were passably good at math, i would have become an astronomer. how's that for no marketable job skills!

curiouser and curiouser
this whole florida thing is geting out of control. people are suing to stage another vote in palm beach county, land of weirdly-laid-out ballots, and 19,000 ballots have been nullified because more than one presidential candidate was chosen! let's hope this all somehow works out in gore's favor...

thursday, and the votes are still being counted
so, in the meantime, enjoy this piece from the onion about our indeterminate president.

all the old saws fit to print
a fine, funny (though perhaps not intentionally) column from howard kurtz about last night's political coverage. the goofy sayings that pile up one on top of the other toward the end are truly delicious.

baby!
amid the confusion of election day, jerry seinfeld became a dad. it's a girl!

argh
waiting, waiting, waiting. fucking midwest has totally signed us up (maybe, she said under her breath) for four years of frat boy governance.

if you're evil and you know it...
raise your hand if you cannot wait to vote tomorrow, if for no other reason than it means the election process is almost over. me too. even though i wonder if my body will rebel against my logic and i'll accidently vote for nader and not gore.

where is he now?
well, kirk cameron is going to be in the movie version of the popular doomsday christian novel "left behind." very interesting. don't expect it in theatrical release, but you could order a copy for your home viewing pleasure from this site, after you read about the "growing pains" star all grown up.

run, baby, run
where to watch the nyc marathon this week, if you're actually planning to not do it in the comfort of your own living room.

nader endorsement
from the village voice. but what i've actually linked to is the voice's "dissent" column where the writers argue that wanting nader is very different from voting for nader. and we shouldn't: we should vote for gore cause he ain't perfect but he ain't bush. i tend to agree.

rock the vote
a nice little look at the electoral college and why it's important.

about time
finally someone has written about the myriad medical uses for ru-486 besides abortion. yay!

wowzer
a dorm fire at my alma mater! in my former dorm!

shameless self promotion
i am so sick. but that's not what this link is about: it's halloween, baby, and here's a piece that i wrote and holly edited so insanely well (really--she's so good at it! makes it readable and easily digestible!) for lifetime tv's website. read and enjoy and then go eat some candy you've stolen from a small child. i'll be in the corner alternately getting chills and stripping down layers cause i'm burning up.

mmmm...foood.....
i forgot how wonderful it is to spend a sunday reading the paper and watching, or half-watching, the food network. that's what i did yesterday. i would recommend their website as a place to go to find good recipes in an easy-to-search format. i was meant to be a pastry chef, by the way, or at the very least a good-cookin' housewife.

abortion and the election
this is why you should vote. of course, i mean that in a pro-gore kinda way.

the best headline ever!
how fun must it have been to write this. and try saying it out loud: rolls off the tongue like buttah. or buttah cookies baked by elves.

when's a vagina not a vagina?
when it's a mission. i don't really understand the fury with which folks seek fixes for so-called female sexual dysfunctions like the inability to have orgasms every time you have sex. as a girl, i would like to express the opinion that perhaps it just means you're having sex with the wrong person. or maybe you're tired. or maybe you're having a dry day. sometimes, sex is nice even if it doesn't lead to orgasm. imagine that: liking the act because you like the closeness of the person you're doing it with, not because of the explosion it gives you at the end. i mean, how are you supposed to know whether it's the drug you're taking that's giving you a good time or the person you're with?

frankencorn
i think i'm gonna start buying organic food. this whole genetic engineering thing is starting to freak me out. and of course the stupid americans are the only ones in the world who are waaaaay into it.

jimmy stands up for women
jimmy carter is leaving the southern baptist convention because he can't support its view that women are lesser folk than men. good for him. perhaps he would like to run for president again...

let's go shopping, angry girls!
i really, really love these t-shirt designs. well, most of them. but is it socially acceptable to wear a t-shirt that says fuck on it? what if i wear it outside and small children see it and grow up to be cursing little brats because of me? or is the fact that i worry about this a sign that i am part of the problem and not the proverbial solution?

when did chaucer die?
well, sometime around today at around the age of 57. how do i know? this nifty link, which can tell you each and every day enough trivia to make your little reading heart burst with knowledge.

the pilot's wife
i have now read a book that was once an oprah book club pick. it took me two nights to read, and i didn't have many problems with it. anita shreve is from longmeadow, massachusetts (at least, that's where she lives now), and this book is definitely a chick book, but not in a bad way. it's the story of a pilot's wife after the pilot's plane blows up, and how she has to find out what happened to this man she thought she knew so well. i'd recommend it if you're in the mood for an easy-moving novel that really does make you wonder whether your boyfriend is spending his nights practicing drums or if he's living a double life. ahem, not that that would necessarily apply to you, but you know what i mean.

do krisy kreme lovers count?
is there a cult in your workplace? check this out and be surprised (maybe).

paris to the moon
i just finished this book by new yorker writer adam gopnik and i would recommend it to anyone who likes good writing. i will admit that his frequent usage of parentheses bugged me at first, but he calms down after a while. (or maybe i just got used to it. and i know that i am using the same device right now. so there.) it's the story of gopnik, his wife, and his little boy moving to paris for five years and how they all got on there. you don't have to be a francophile to enjoy it, as his descriptions and essays are just so lovely to read.

mrs. clinton
the nytimes endorses hillary for senate from ny state. good for them.

OK, fine!
I'll vote for Gore, not Nader. So much for making politics better.

fuggedaboudit
this piece sums up the way me and most of the folks i know feel about the hoo-ha brewing over the subway series. it's funny: i don't even like baseball. true, i went to a game once and it was much, much better than watching it on tv, but i'd rather stay home and, like, read, than do it again. yet being born and bred in massachusetts, even the unfashionable end of massachusetts, one has an innate loyalty to the red sox. it's probably more accurate to call it an abusive relationship, because no matter how often they let you down, you keep hoping someday they'll make you proud and repay your love. well, they haven't done so in my lifetime, but maybe it'll happen. in the meantime, i'll be rooting for the mets, cause as a bo-sox fan, one will always, always root for whoever is opposing those damn yankees.

one ring to rule them all
i am a sci fi dweeb. there, it's been said. this is the not-so-great official website of the lord of the rings movie that will be out in the holiday season of 2001. the only reason i put it here is cause of the pretty ok promo you can watch. i think it's gonna be way cool. but then again, i am a sci fi dweeb.

i love brie!
'nuff said.

pucker up
this is a good site about all things paris, especially because of this well-rounded section about where to best kiss in the city of lights. this won't help me while i'm there (or will it?) but perhaps, dear reader, you will find it helpful.

oh. my. god.
i really, really think salon.com has the ability to read minds. this is EXACTLY how i feel about all those idiots they show us after the debates, the "undecided." too freakin' funny.

truly a meeting of the minds
if only i were cooler, or perceived as cooler, and could have gotten invited to this "gossip summit" held yesterday. it would have made for some really good mocking-of-people. and by the way, who saw "the west wing" last night? did you not love the prez's toungue lashing of the dr. laura character? and how many of you have gotten the e-mail discussing the very things he shouted at her (that the bible tells us to sell daughters into slavery and not to work on the sabbath, etc., but we don't do that stuff anymore so why should we think that that Book's dislike of homosexuality is any longer valid)? i don't care if that speech was basically plagiarism or theft of intellectual property, i want that show on five nights a week! it's a good thing it's not on the night before the election; think of all the nader votes it would inspire.

new election plan
my latest hairbrained scheme is to write-in vote for josiah bartlett, which as you all probably know, is the name of the prez on the west wing (best show on tv, wednesdays bnc 9 pm). i'm so glad i'm not the only one with that urge.

colonists unite!
i love people who believe in something. i find them admirable. even if it's that they will one day colonize mars. hey, dream big, ya know?

ah, the days of unpaid internships
in my college career, i only had one unpaid journalism internship, and it was at the washington monthly magazine, which still only pays its editors $14,000 a year. It was an interesting experience, to say the least, but i never got to write anything as the editors said i would, which was why i took the gig in the first place. not that i'm bitter. apparently i would have been leagues better off at harper's magazine, the close-knit institution written about here.

why nader?
why indeed? cause now i'm thinking after bush did quite a nice job in the debate last night, gore needs to get all the votes he can to prevent bush from winning. and yet, and yet. this piece in the voice is all about why we have a vote to begin with, and why one should vote for nader, a sure loser in this campaign, should one desire to do so.

voulez-vous bouvez avec moi ce soir?
who knew there's a possible tenuous connection between having lotsa sex and drinking lotsa water? and god bless the french that they should embody it (159 days til paris). the best part about this story, though, is the graphic.

nyc's next mayor?
well, we can cross geraldo's name off the list. pity--would have been tres interesting. remember when he used to do those tv specials like "inside al capone's vault" and you'd sit there glued to the tv for an hour, learning bits of history about mr. capone but eventually seeing only dust and dirt inside said vault? quality tv, right?

how it all began
this link comes via amy, a bunch of famous folk waxing nostalgic about their first year in new york. quite nice. i can't wait til i'm famous and asked to write about my first year in new york. i too have spent lots of time walking, and feeling the rhythm of times square, and wondering how exactly i was going to make a living and become a fabulous force to be reckoned with at the same time. quite nice, indeed.

empire suicide
that would be a good band name. anyhoo, i've often wondered how many people try to kill themselves by jumping from the empire state building. not too many, apparently, and i bet not too many try it in a pirate suit.

serbian liberation
just reading stories about this gives me goosebumps. i cannot even imagine how overwhelming it must be to live there now, watching your country bloom as a (mostly) disliked and poisonous leader is kicked to the curb. amazing.

forewarned is forearmed
here's how They could take ru-486 away from us. please keep it in mind when voting for congresspeople and senators in a coupla weeks. thank you.

still so good
the west wing is still the best show on tv. the two hour (two hour!) season premier last night was just great: drama, touch-and-go medical stuff, and flashbacks that show just how cute and great my imaginary boyfriend josh lyman is. yes, i know he's fictional, just leave me in peace. but i'm wondering: did the writers read my pita yesterday? cause there's a bit toward the end where leo basically says all that stuff about voting for the best/right/good man for the job in the race for president. could the west wing's idealism help nader in the polling booths? i doubt it, but the idea charms me to no end.

naked newscasting
this is bothersome. stupid russia.

too funny
slate's front page is great today: an "instant debate analysis" and an "instant dark angel" analysis.

the devil and the deep blue sea
i have, sometimes, problems with camille paglia. but today, not so much. here's her take on the bush-gore smackdown, though i should note as she does that she wrote this column before the debate aired. here's the thing though: gore won the debate because he knows stuff and is quite the politician. bush showed that he's a regular guy, giving lots of answers that, you know, i could have delivered. do either of these guys deserve to be president? i'd say no. but should i vote for gore to "make sure" bush doesn't win or should i vote my conscience and deliver one more drop in the bucket for ralph nader? i'm starting to obsess about this, and it's something that until yesterday and this morning i thought i had resolved: forget nader cause he has no chance of winning and vote for the more livable candidate. well, that kind of makes me want to cry. i shouldn't be voting for someone because they make me want to vomit less than their opponent, and neither should you. i'm sure gore is a nice enough guy and he's clearly more experienced than bush. so he'd be fine. but he does not inspire me. ralph nader, while not, like, sending shivers of ecstasy down my spine, has done amazing things for the greater good of humanity (i know i'm getting carried away) in his career. sure, he's got no experience, but i like where he'd try to take this country. plus, if he gets something like 5 percent of the vote in this election, the green party is eligible for federal funding in the next cycle. which is so cool, the potential start of a whole new way of government in the united states. the end result: i am now undecided again, other than to be certain i'm not voting for dubbya. catch ya later.

questions for the candidates
i really can't wait for the debate tonight. i think it's gonna be lots of fun. and i too wish these questions would get asked of them (especially the one about being born-again christians), but i doubt it. just think of how fun, fresh, and informative it would be if we could actually get straight answers from them both on real issues! in real time!

who knew?
my friend alana moved to bronxville, ny, this weekend and i helped. and bronxville is home to this group, the very existence of which proves how resourceful human beings can be. can't girl scouts just be girl scouts?

last night's movie
got to see the upcoming robert altman flick "dr. t and the women" last night, gratis, thanks to nate n' holly (thanks nate n' holly!). well...after it was done, i knew the ending was just not good, despite the first live birth ever on film. birth grosses me out and makes me resolve repeatedly to never, ever go off the pill. but it was outlandish for other reasons. the rest of the movie i did not mind while watching it. the costumes were fab, there was lots of big hair (the movie is set in dallas) and for once richard gere was romantically paired with women that could have been born around the same time he was. however, on the 1 train home, i got to thinking how nothing in the movie was resolved. all this shit goes down and his life falls apart and then the outlandish ending happens. so the more i thought about it, the less happy i was. but it was directed well and heck, i'd probably recommend it as a matinee if you've seen all the other good stuff and it's a choice between, say, this movie and "women on top." (no i didn't see that one, but come on, who goes to this crap?) special note: after the screening i ate enough brie and smoked gouda to keep the cheese shops of paris stocked for a month and hence am feeling quite dairy-oriented today. like i just want more and that's all i want. 172 days til paris, by the way. cause i know you're counting.

swedish furnishings
in which an amusing boy, with a lovingly stark weblog/diary thingy, discusses the pros and cons of ikea shopping. double bonus: i've been to that very ikea.

nooooooooooooo
you know, i never thought i'd say this, but i kinda like "felicity" a little more than "dawson's creek" these days. i still find the title character girl annoying, but the show overall is perfectly fine, and ben is hot, and what else does one need from wednesday night tv (other than "the west wing," but you already know where that stands in my heart). so if they really are cutting the budget for our favorite "university of new york" student's show, it makes me sad.

this one's for the ladies
dave eggers news, girls. be still your beating literary hearts :)

an apology
unprecedented, from the newspaper of record.

one cool chick
this is the one you've seen in all the ads: the pole vaulter with a great body and a decent sense of humor. and now she's won the first gold medal ever for women's pole vaulting. and she's from idaho. is it apparent i'm getting way into the olympics? i just think these people, all of them, and their amazingly capable bodies are, um, amazing. watching the track and field events, you can almost image what is was like to watch the first olympics back in the days of togas and olive branches and multiple gods. how neat it must have been and how still neat it is now.

this is monica reporting
i am so goddam jealous of monica lewinsky, and trust me, i know how sad and pathetic that sounds. but here she is, famous solely because she gave some guy a blow job, and she's now got a gig as a "cultural reporter" for british tv! if only my below-the-belt excursions led to something so lucrative yet fun and undemanding...

stop the presses!
i am such a journalism weenie--really looking forward to "deadline," premiering oct. 2 on nbc, which could possibly rival "the west wing" as The Show I Must See Every Week. plus i think oliver platt is cute in that orson-welles-before-he-got-huge kind of way. we shall see.

dating game
i know i'm really lazy on this pita, getting most of my stuff from salon or the nytimes but i really dig what they write about so i am sorry, but i'm not going to stop. take this one for example: it's basically a good summing up of why i would hate to be single in new york. i could so very, very easily become one of these girls.

a woman's designer
robert danes. i didn't want to link to this story, but to the slides of his work on the nytimes' fashion week page. however, one must do what one can, no? so: this guy has some of the nicest women's clothing designs for spring. check him out, please, and tell me how right i am.

let the buzz begin
i have no idea what this movie is about, but damn i love this website. (182 days til i go to paris, by the by)

books as luv-o-meter
i once went on a date with a guy who didn't know that "lolita" was a book. he was not what we would call boy-person material. this story is fun like that, though some of the mentioned reading choices are suspect (though this comes from someone with weird choices of her own). note to all you broadway books folks: gerry howard's quoted AND his name is misspelled!

this story's so gay
not, like, gay gay. just gay. you'll see.

scary makeup person
i can't tell if it's a guy or a girl gracing the front page of this fashion site, but who cares? this is the place to get the skinny on fashion week, which starts tomorrow. be still me heart!

girls kick ass
and apparently it's not a modern phenomenon, according to this ap story about female gladiator remains surfacing in london.

barnes & noble sucks my balls, too
i ordered a book last thursday and since i'm in nyc it was supposed to get here the same day. it's still not freaking here and it's monday! i am so mad, and i don't know who to hate more: b&n for not sending it on time or the mailroom here at work for quite possibly losing the package. at any rate: don't order anything, ever, from bn.com. go to amazon instead. they may be an evil empire, but at the the trains run on time, ya know?

god bless america
land of the free, home of the churches that sell themselves like dot-coms. an interesting new twist on the tradition of giving within the religious community. and perhaps an indication that despite flush economic times, people feel less connected to church, at least in terms of putting their money where their eternal salvation is.

the jewish vp hopeful and his belief system
i'm so glad someone is finally bringing this up. for lieberman to start in on this whole purpose-of-government-is-to-serve-God thing is so horrific. does he want to lose my vote? keep the religion behind closed doors, where it belongs, darling, and perhaps we'll get along just fine.

ah, democracy
this whole thing about "w" calling a new york times reporter an asshole is kinda funny. who doesn't think reporters are assholes, i ask you? but to not realize the mike is on is the sort of moment daily newspaper editors dream of. i don't think this exactly will kill "w" in the polls, but i like my politicians to be aware of their surroundings, and i hope i'm not alone in the voting public. i got my voter info on friday, as a matter of fact. there appears to be some sort of primary election next week, so i have to find out what that is before charging in blindly to exercise my constitutional duty. then the big one is nov.7, which is two days before my birthday, for those of you who are always forgetting when that is...

takes the cake
ok, forget what i said eariler about controlling your computer via hand motions scaring me. THIS is truly weird stuff. i don't think people realize what it means to have a relatively smart robot around. didn't they see the episode of the simpsons where everyone was almost destroyed by smart robots? what these scientist folks need to do is watch a little more fox and design stupid machines. i'll now get off my buchanan-esque soapbox, you young whippersnapper.

reboot
this kind of scares me. i'm all in favor of more technology and ways to make life easier, but having your computer do something at the wave of a hand? very creepy. even creepier than "i dream of jeannie" magic, and i think we all know how dangerous that is in the wrong hands. (remember the episode where she transferred her powers to the major? bad scene, my friends.)

paris, c'est moi
i haven't been really good at reading or understanding french since 11th grade, many, many moons ago. but this site is pretty cool so i'm throwing caution to the wind and recommending it here. it's open today and it's a hipster doofus guide to the weekly doings in gay paree (not, like, GAY pareee. just gay paree). yes, it's in french, but you don't have to be fluent to dig the sound effects and music it plays for ya...

fond(le) memories
my high school yearbook was never this exciting. but then again, perhaps if we'd had a website address to mess with, it would have been.

work it, baby
being a stereotypical girl, and having drank my weekend away, i have some, um, minor body image issues. adding fuel to the fire of my insecurities is this site, which i love despite its damaging effect. the best are the fitness calculators, which tell you everything from how many calories were in that yummy muffin to how much running you'll have to do to dispel it from your system. long live the white male mysogynist patriarchy!

help
last night my friend amy and i were denied the pleasure of seeing "the graduate" outdoors cause apparently no one in new york has a job and by the time she and i got to bryant park it was totally packed. so instead we went to a bar/restaurant thingy near my house and had margaritas that were just huge. huge! we each had 1.5 of these obscenely large beverages, then had a waffle at a diner, then went home. i felt so icky last night, but this morning i was ok enough to go to the gym. creepy, eh? but for those of you ladies who actually suffer the effects of your alcohol the morning after, here are some handy dandy tips.

fat boy
or not. that's the premise of this piece: the radically changing ideal for the male body. whereas in the 70s, thin was ok, these days is ripped abs and pecs all the way. it's funny how women are constantly pummeled with how our bodies are expected to be perfect but it's alright if they're not, but guys aren't getting that "love thyself" message at all, far as i can tell. plus, it's interesting how women's body expectations haven't changed, really, in those 30-odd years: thin is always the way to go. i would add something about how lucky boys are, but i can't do that, it's too stupid. they know these pictures are out there and some are beginning to start body-obsessing as much as, well, a regular girl like me. so i feel your pain, brothah. (sassy fans/jane dislikers: note the quotes from ms. jane "i'm not to old to crush on heath ledger" pratt at the end of the piece)

here's to you, mrs. robinson
i've never seen "the graduate" in one sitting. it's been either the first half or the last half, and it really ruins the continuity to have to remember the other bits months later. tonight, barring any weather disasters (for once it's not raining here thank gods), i will finally see the whole thing courtesy of the fine folks who run the bryant park outdoor film series. check out this cute little graduate site--i like the music.

take a picture; it'll last longer
i missed al gore's speech last night. i was tipsy and washing my hair and on my way into bed i heard the bit about how winning the presidency is not a popularity contest. except it is, and gore knows that, so i'm not sure why he would say something so silly. but at any rate, if you couldn't make it to the convention, the DNC has these handy dandy e-postcards you can send to your lefty friends and relations. long live the republic!

flossing is good for you
ah, sisquo. thanks so much for your anthem to my favorite type of underpants. (am i the only one who still says underpants? is there anyone else?) but it seems that i am no longer alone in my adoration of the thong, which is fine: ladies, if you happen to see a cool leopard print one, please please please let me know. i need to replace that which has been lost.

Powerpuffgirls!!
i wish i wish i wish i had cable. these little girlie crime fightin' cartoons are so cute i could eat them right up. in case you were wondering, i am the green powerpuff girl, named buttercup. she's got attitude, man, so back off. i finally found a powerpuff girls t-shirt last night in a comic book store. and then walking back to my apartment i passed betsey johnson: she of the way too expensive and ugly but so alluring clothing. that Hair!! i managed to not ask her for a job on bended knee. i haven't decided yet if that's a good thing.

fear and loathing
is there a journalism student alive who hasn't read hunter s. thompson's so beautiful yet so fucked up ravings and wanted to be like him? or maybe just catch a glimpse of him--though hopefully not in near-dark when he's all hopped up and toting a rifle around the colorado wilderness. well, i did and sometimes wistfully still do. and even though i haven't the balls to drugs harder than, well, anything, really, and i don't particularly like to drink alcohol, and i don't smoke because it's yucky, i still feel like maybe, MAYBE someday i'll be as wild and crazy as he, riding around the desert in a classic convertible with a samoan attorney. or not. check this out--it's all about the doc and politics.

brad's abs
so as you can tell, i saw fight club, finally, this past weekend. and yes, brad's abs. i guess they're ok, if you like that sort of thing. the movie itself was lovely, as david fincher's usually are. and the plot was, well, inspirational up to a point (like the point at which it stopped making sense). verdict: i enjoyed it and would not be opposed to seeing it again. that ed norton makes one good everyman, though i still think that his "relationship" with salma hayek is more of a credit to their agents than to either of them as individuals.

a writer of some talent
last night i met a writer of some talent, named cathy, friend of the boy. (isn't it nice to meet friends of one's boy? it makes you feel like they really aren't embarassed about you at all, even if you do eat peanut butter for dinner occasionally.) cathy is very nice, a little taller than i expected, and is trying to buy a pair of cool shoes in new york that won't look out of place in a certain city further south that lacks a sense of humor. i liked her very much. above, check out some of her writing, on the website representing (for the next 15 minutes) the epitome of lit coolness.

de-ment-ed for-ev-er
thanks to holly's nate (nate's the best! yay nate!) a bunch of us got to see the nyc premier last night of john waters's new film, "cecil b. demented". there was some worrying over people getting into the screening, and then hol was a bit concerned that john waters would sit next to her. he actually ended up sitting two seats away. (were i the director i would have opted for the aisle seat, too. cause you can.) it was funny. you should see it, but only once, cause after that it might not be amusing. after the screening, the bunch of us took the bus (yay bus! a night full of new experiences!) to the hipster doofus club where the party was being held. we waited for an hour and then i pussied out and went home. which i'm a little mad at myself about, cause how often do i try to go to the meatpacking district? would it have killed me to wait another 30 minutes? at any rate, i don't know what happened after i left--hopefully holly got in and found nate and drank lots and partied the night away with patricia hearst. (details as they become available, gentle readers.)

connecticut's finest
time has come to discuss lieberman, and gore's pick of. i've been familiar with this newly-minted celebrity pol just about all my life, since he was always involved in politics in the state just south of mine. and with all of his experience and nicely centrist viewpoints, he's a good match i think for gore and could help him in many ways. but... but... then there's the whole jew thing, which so many people out there are not going to like. and to those people we say: fuck off, man. it really boggles the mind that there are still folks out there who think that the way someone worships a divine power makes them a lesser person. are we not living in the 21st century? do we not have better things to dislike people for, like religious prejudice, for example? so to prove a point, and to help make sure that glorified frat boy g dubyuh does not become the next leader of our country, my vote now has to go to gore. the end. now i have to go take up smoking to get rid of the stress that this discussion has built up in me.

yeah, baby
hey girls! did you ever really, really, really want to have sex and then you GOT SHOT DOWN? stop feeling all bad about yourself for it and read this.

fun with kitties
can't get enough of the soft core porn and fake mastercard ads friends send you as joke emails? go to this site and laugh your patootie off playing games like "fluff the kitty" instead. perhaps what They say about cartoons deadening one's sense of right and wrong isn't so far off after all...

may the force be with you, obi wan
'tis a sad day for all us little dorklets who grew up thinking that star wars was the be all and end all of cinematic entertainment. obi wan kenobi has passed on to that great jedi training ground in the sky. granted, the gent wasn't just obi wan, he was also sir alec guiness (i remember arguing furiously with my dad that his name couldn't possibly be alec, but alex, and someone had misspelled it), and a member of the elite corp of actors britain turned out in the early days of cinema. which now means the only really great actor of the last generation left doddering around is kate hepburn, my personal model for wommanhood (though hopefully without the physical waning that women of a certain age are almost guaranteed to experience). a sad day indeed.

step off
yes, this site is mostly an e-commerce site, but it's the best one i've found focusing on women and sporting goods. not that i'm a sporty spice kinda girl myself, mind you, but i do enjoy going to the gym and feeling my muscles move with very little resistance when i need to get from point A to point B. it has just about anything a gal could want for outdoorsy and indoorsy needs, plus it actually has helpful content, like how to pack for a day hike, or how to plan an adventure travel vacation. someday, when i go for a day hike, or plan an adventure travel vacation, i'll go back to this site and end being so very prepared. you just watch me.

india: politics and movie stars
i swear i go to websites other than the new york times's, but this article is just so well-written i had to post the link. it's a look at the kidnapping of a much-beloved movie star by a well-known terrorist, but oh so much more. and i give it a coupla days before someone decides "dramatizing" this for the big or small screen is a fabu idea. (but maybe moving it to a nicer climate; with prettier people; better clothes; and please no foreigners, we're americans.)

running water of a different color
i went on the web search engine and types in "tranquility," hoping maybe it could deliver such a thing to my little closet-like office space. this is what i got instead. is it really going to be one of those kinds of days?

fa-fa-fa-fa-fashion
you might have to register with the nytimes online to get to this article, but if you all that is in the realm of fashion, don't miss it. it's about w's editorial leader. i would write more, or even add more links, but i am about to go drink and then go home to tidy the apartment to show to prospective roommates tomorrow night. what fun. so tired...

moderne overload
(isn't this exciting, hearing about my every move? i bet you're riveted.) went to the moma this weekend as well to see this exhibit, which is basically part of their year of greatest hits. my favorite part was the man ray photography room, which is really the only thing i remember distinctly because there's just so much to see. the exhibit stretches over 2 floors and is a lot of "one painting by famous person, another painting by another famous person, and then intersperse the good stuff with a lot of smaller names that i'm sure are historically important but which the common layperson like me probably won't recognize." but hey, it was good and cultural and i would recommend it if you've first had at least one cup of the cafe au lait mentioned below to stay alert through the whole thing.

howdya like them potatoes?
went to brunch on saturday morning (we think outside the box like that) at mogador cafe on st. mark's. all i can say: run, don't walk. fresh squeezed orange juice. spicy potatoes. cafe au lait. makes my monday morning yogurt breakfast look absolutely anemic by comparison.

monkey magic
i have a friend with a serious monkey fixation. he knows who he is. the above is for him, and anyone else in need of advice and answers from a reliable, trustworthy source.

journalism for everyone
i just found this today and it reminded me of why back in the day (why, when i was your age...) i wanted to become a newspaper reporter. fedora and cigarettes and all. because everyone has a story, and while some may be more glamorous than others, none is really more valuable than another except to the person who owns that story. it's part of who you are and how you got that way. this journo guy is posting 7-question interviews with everyone from a hollywood cinematographer friend to a web junkie from rural maryland. terrific.

and we're the chickens!
so i saw chicken run last weekend and while i bet i'm the last one on earth to see it (of those who would see it), i feel the need to warn y'all anyway: no. just don't. the thing is, the preview makes it look so freaking charming, so loveable, so animated and all. who out there can listen to a chicken with a british accent and not get a dopey smile on their face? but then you get there and while the animation is pretty good, it's not fab, and while the story is charming it certainly didn't need to be made into a full-length feature film. i dunno. use the above link in good health and tastiness, and damn poultry-savers everywhere.

i'll be throwing my vote away
ralph nader. does that name make you smirk? think of bad socks, dull prose, and common sense guidance counselor stuff? well, think again, kids, cause the ralphinator is retro cool, and once again i'll be a green party girl this november. yes, i know it's futile to take votes away from al gore--who sorta has a chance at winning--and give them to ralph who, let's face it, has no shot at bringing home the prize. but ralph nader gave us seat belts and other things to keep us safe--not too shabby. al gore gave us way boring books on the environment and plenty of stuff to make fun of during the last 8 years. i'll admit his wife is growing on me, and when he gave judge judy a plate of muffins on the today show a couple weeks back, that was cool, but i'm not yet convinced i want to put the x next to his name. al, if you're reading this, how about saying loud and proud you're all about pro-choice? that'll win me over. i'll be waiting.

it all begins with celery
welcome to a new pita, the newest pita on the block, if you will. (though who knows if it really is the newest given the super-fast super-fly world in which we live.) it seemed only fitful to start my own slice of wheaty goodness with another healthy morsel: celery. until encountering this page in the Internet Ether, I had no idea how dangerous the placid-looking plant we call "celery" (if that is its real name) could be. have a glimpse, scream, and shudder with relief that YOU didn't eat any today.