today's reading:
time out
today's tunes:
Moby: Play
the beatles' 1
oooooo...check out
the archive
sept & oct '00
other pages that are fun
Angela
Chris
Lonestar
UnknownNews
rule4080
erasing
bookme
shootingfishinabarrel
sagesse
MediaNugget
GirlBoy
jejune
more good stuff
the hunger site
freewill insights
tribune horoscopes
decode that dream
martina & ross
mr. orbit knows all
don'tcalldont'tcall...don't call
jersey radio rocks, man
pulpphantom
jibjab
get yer bond girl name!
emode
Thursday, December 28, 2000
6 pm this is fun: where in the world is tyler durden? [via LMG] must say though, it kind of tweaked me out to be looking at it at work. you'll see what i mean when you get there. it won't get you in trouble unless you scroll all the way to the bottom though, so it's okay.
in an effort to enjoy my boss-free environment to the utmost degree today, i became a member at launch. it's the commercial-free, just-for-me version of my favorite radio station. (yes, i'm a walking commercial at times.) i can enjoy it today because my boss really hates noise of any kind, though she also hates it when i wear headphones, but it kind of bothers me to wear headphones all day anyway. so it's free and easy listening today at the office. also, plenty of slacking off, let me tell you.
so i'm staying down in the west village this week, getting lots of kitty loving and feeling what it's like to live in my own place, all alone. let me tell you this: it's kind of lonely, but i like it. it's shocking to finally be within walls with no one else for long periods of time. i mean, i'm really always around other people. i go home and someone else is usually there. i get on the train, i go to work, i walk outside, anything and i'm surrounded by people. always. i've found that i'm actually pretty addicted to this so i get all antsy when i'm alone. i start feeling compelled to call people when it's quiet. it's weird. i don't like it. i need to practice alone time. this city is evil. it's totally permeating my subconscious. get out! get out! anyway, everyone needs to leave me alone sometimes so i can deal with this problem. help me out here, people. go away. i mean, force me to go away. okay? wonderful.
also wonderful: DMX's "party up" is playing on my launch player. plenty of vulgarities for my coworkers to feel all rosy about. oops.
today is catherine's birthday. happy birthday catherine!
also notable: the birthdays of nancy (dec. 29th) and annick (dec. 31st). party it up, girls!
Wednesday, December 27, 2000
6:00 pm now that christmas is over with, I'm very happy to be on my way to organizing my life. Yes, I've already started planning out my resolutions. This is not really something I usually do, but this year, my life definitely needs some restructuring. And it's nothing outrageous, just small, important, adult-like changes that are appropriate for a 24-year-old's life, so I have confidence that they will stick. Here, my plans:
Straighten up my finances. yesterday I began this task, something I've been meaning to do and stressing out about not doing for some time. I balanced my checkbook, paid some bills, and began reading a very helpful workbook that we received here at the office called "it's your money." I hope to develop a (gasp) budget and start saving some money, via a savings account, including for retirement, a new computer, and a much, much better apartment. Look at me! I'm an adult! Scary stuff.
Get back into shape. the first task on this list includes going to the doctor and getting my ankle x-rayed, since I suspect that I have some sort of fracture since my ankle is not healing, but, quite the opposite, is still swollen and sometimes black and blue. Next up: joining a gym (maybe - if I can find one that fits into the aforementioned budget) so I can work weights, swimming, and kick-boxing into my workout regiments. I plan to sit myself down and decide exactly what I need, as this article advises. Or maybe I'll just re-commit myself to a running schedule, working up to 50 miles per week, put my dumbells to work, get back in the habit of doing sit-ups and push-ups daily, and join a kick-boxing and/or self-defense class.
Volunteer. I once put in a day at god's love we deliver and promised myself that I'd start volunteering there sometime soon. Now seems like the perfect time, especially as I plan to…
Spend less time at work/be more productive. I really am quite un-productive at work for the most part and as a result, I end up spending way too much time here. This is unnecessary. So, I'm going to set a time limit for myself. Unless I'm doing personal work, I should not be in the office after 7 pm. That will leave me much more time to do other stuff with my life, particularly the other items on this list.
Get some music stuff going. a few years back, my dad got me a bass guitar (which he plays) for christmas and just this past weekend I started teaching myself how to play it. it's fun and I'd love to get into it more. Also, I want to see if I can take some singing lessons, since my real dream job is to be a rock star.
Get that creative venture thing going. I've been meaning to start a little something on the side for quite a while here, and the new year has been my goal as of recently. So, all you friends who said you'd help me out, watch out! Because you're on my resolution hit list.
Find a new job. this one appears to be tough right now. But I need to work on it. it's time, ya know? And I read something that said that the months between january and march are the biggest hiring months of the year. No reason I can't find something more satisfying and higher paying, right?
i just went back and read over this list. ah, how idealistic i am. isn't it refreshing and amusing at the same time? um, yeah, well, ya gotta shoot high, man. don't worry. you'll definitely get an update.
moving on, I'm not sure that I like city search's new look. Holly reports that you can't search the entire site for something, which is annoying, but generally, I don't like new looks simply for their new-ness. I mean, who said it was broken? Now I have to learn to navigate this thing all over again? Ugh.
for that person who believes that "dark angel" is actually a good show, read this. So there.
my god. It's so friggin hot in my office. I got this cute, cuddly, fluffy, orange sweater-thing for christmas from my mom but it's quickly just sopping up my sweat because it must be like 117 degrees in here. Most days it's freezing, so I thought I'd be okay, but today…hello, people! I hate the heat. It makes me cranky and more unproductive than usual. I suppose, though, that it doesn't help that my boss is out all week.
more new york moments: #3 & #4: (3) last Friday I had to take the subway down to my friend carole's to check on her cats before heading home for the holidays. Thus, I had a roll-y suitcase and a bag o'gifts (read: too much stuff for any normal person to cart around, as always). So I get on the quite crowded 1 train and cart my stuff across the car. There's a man there - odd-looking upon first glance but nothing really that out-of-the-ordinary for new york - and he moves himself back as a kind gesture to make room for me. I thank him. He nods. And then begins to chant variations of the phrase "No problem," including "No problemo. Not a problem. Hey, no problem. That's cool, and not a problem. Etc…." I do my best to avoid eye contact, and begin staring at the ceiling or just calmly looking around the car as others give me surprised looks. The train takes a corner and the odd man leans toward me. He then begins a new chant based on the phrase "She smells good," saying "She smells good. The girl smells good. Hot damn she smells good. The girl's smell is good. Etc…." The doors open at the next station and a woman plows her stroller into the crowd shouting "Move it! Lady with a stroller! Watch out!" everyone shuffles aside but it's quite crowded already so it's not easy to accommodate her and several of us end up getting run into with her stroller. The man then becomes strangely quiet until we reach the next stop where the woman with the stroller forces herself out the other side of the car with shouts and shoves. After the doors have closed, the man takes up his chanting, this time saying, "Thanks for the stroller up my ass, lady. Stroller up my ass. How ya like a stroller up your ass? Thanks for the stroller up my asshole. How about a stroller up your ass? Etc….." this I'm amused by but do not hesitate to move away when a space in the corner opens up. Then, once I have full view of the entire car, I can see that everyone is totally watching this guy be a freak, especially when he catches his reflection in the door window and he begins making these many repetitive motions to adjust his hair (first with hand then with licked fingers), hat (first with hand then with licked fingers), jacket (first with hand then with licked fingers), and many key chains (first with hand then with licked fingers). Yes, some autistic issues going on there.
(4) but then he got off the train and another man of great interest got on. I didn't notice him at first, but then he moved into the center of the car, and as he did so, his humungous bag swung around and, being that two big work boots were hanging from said bag, they swung around and nearly hit this seated couple in their faces. They appeared quite perturbed and after a second, the man spoke up and told the guy he'd nearly hit them in the face. Well, then the guy spun around - hitting me with his boots in the process - and said, "I did not hit you! There was no way I could have hit you!" Then he spins back around and nails someone else with his boots. The other man then says, "Yes, you did. You're hitting everyone." The man spins back around and hits me and a man seated on the other side of him. "No I didn't! Mind your own business!" he shouts. The seated man and I get a good (though silent) laugh out of this.
Ah, christmas in nyc.
Tuesday, December 19, 2000
6:15 pm hey, apparently when dopey dubya and big loser al met over lunch today, they ate squash soup, Greek salad, filet mignon and upside-down apple tart. sounds quite yummy.
3:20 pm this is great: make the guy shake his thang [thanks, colin]. hours of entertainment in that one, kids.
moving right along, i must express my extreme nausea at the hillary's hand-holding with the first-lady-to-be. i mean, what's with all this bullshit kissing, hugging, and such? i'll tell you: it's all about hillary's sickening P.R. efforts to appease the people who think she's unfeminine and too aggressive and domineering. i mean, this is not just politesse, folks. it's total bullshit stereotyped female behavior adopted for the sake of chauvinists and backwards, conversative, barely-thinking idiots. so there.
did anyone else see leno last night? or jon stewart on the today show this morning? my favorite part of jon's appearance:
katie: what do you think about bush's cabinet appointments so far?
jon: condoleeza rice and colin powell? it's like getting the band back together. people are going to be in the audience waving their lighters yelling, "play something from iran-contra!" it's better than the stones, man.
mmm...jon stewart....
anyway, the next four years may end up sucking as far as public funding cutbacks and the dismantling of human and american rights, but hey, the political pundits have clearly hit a gold mine. all right!
hmm....the governor of new jersey (and, thus, a close friend of mine), christine todd whitman, may be tapped for the bush administration. i have said in the past, and i will say it again, she's just about the only republican i would ever vote for (she's pro-choice, you see). i assert that this possible appointment brings us that much closer to having a female president, as i've had faith for some time now that, given the chance, chris could do the chief of staff job, no problem. after all, if not me (did i ever tell you that i wanted to be president until i was...well, okay, i still do), then someone else from my town (fine, i'm being a little liberal with that usage...she's from nancy & marco's town...) must get the job.
am i the only one who didn't know that ferrets--along with iguanas, pythons, and (shockingly) bears, lions, and whales--can't be kept as pets in NYC? funny thing because my roommate and i had discussed getting one. i actually had a ferret when i was little and then had two more when i was in college (though, not with me at school). they're so cuddly and sweet (despite the musky stench) and i can't believe that they would be banned by the health commission for being "wild, ferocious, fierce,
dangerous or naturally inclined to do harm." that is outrageous. as if all the crazy muts and cats in this city don't harm people more? right.... the thing about ferret owners is that they're extremely devoted to their pets, but i can't really see how they're "half-monkey, half-dog" as the one owner in the article says.
so it's almost christmas. somehow, i kind of forgot about it for a couple of days and fell off the gift-buying wagon. so now i'm feeling a little stressed again. it would be fine if i didn't have to buy everything for so many people before i even go home this weekend. but, i do. oh, the pressure. i made some cookies last night and must finish up 2 more batches of family recipe yummies tonight. but the question is: will anyone really appreciate them as much as i do? no, of course not. as a matter of fact, my shitty roommates hate that i'm even making them because they, for some reason, feel like the presence of cookies in our apartment will force them to eat them. and they're worried about this because they think that cookies are so much worse for you than a consistent diet of indian and chinese take-out and kraft mac & cheese? right....
Friday, December 15, 2000
5:21 pm ha ha. i'm quite drunk right now. typing is rather difficult. i keep misspelling things. but the editor in me keeps going back and fixing the mistakes. ugh. that's rather annoying. so anyway, went to my company xmas (i hate that word--just say CHRISTMAS--it isn't XMAS) party and we ate, listened to the awards, watched the slutty people getting it on, and felt the place out and then, when the music got going, jumped up on the dance floor and started getting down. they played some madonna, some prince, some newer techno stuff. it was fun. then people got drunk and it got REALLY fun. ha ha.
so yes, i'm rather under the influence now. i don't know what to say really. oh, that's right, i do have something to say. here we are:
new york moment #1: the other night, just after gore conceeded, while in food emporium, a man burst into my aisle and started shouting. shocked by the noise and chaos, as all new yorkers do, i gave him a funny look. then, he passed me and started looking at the jams to my right. (i was observing the jellies and preserves, thanks.) then he said, very clearly, "goddamn bush. he STOLE the election. he didn't WIN it. he STOLE it." i agreed with him. but being that he was coming off as a little scary, all i could do was nod.
new york moment #2: on the train last night, i was standing there reading my book when this man burst into the car. he said, "hello, everyone!" some guy next to me muttered, "here we go....." the man began to call out for sales for the "street news", a paper written and produced by the homeless. he was selling it for $1.50. as the man approached me, i heard a paper drop, then a man called out, "excuse me, sir, you dropped a paper." a salesman replied, "i didn't drop it. that woman bought it." the woman and her man were fussing with a present they had wrapped. anyway, long story short, he made them look like idiots and the whole car was behind him because the couple wouldn't support the guy selling the papers and i ended up buying a paper. maybe a better story when i'm sober....
one of my coworkers just tuned me into sonicnet. dude. i'm listening to "born again" by the notorious b.i.g., a song i especially appreciate because it has clips of duran duran in it. what the fuck does duran duran mean? anyone?
Wednesday, December 13, 2000
8:20 pm p.s. I forgot to mention that in the emode party animal test, I was a parrot:
"Colorful, chatty Parrots like you always have a great time at parties. With drink in hand, you fly from group to group, catching up with old friends and making new ones. You've got your ears open for the latest news - who just broke up with whom, who's got a job opening, who needs a roommate. You can recite the latest headlines and celebrity gossip verbatim, so you're always adding something to the conversation (just be careful not to dominate it). You're vivacious, inquisitive, and bubbly, a true gem of a bird. You're full of helpful tips for people who need them, and you're the first to hand over your business card if someone wants more advice. Other party-goers love to chat with you - after all, birds of a feather flock together!"
even though this may truthfully be my usual peppy party persona, I'm so incredibly cranky today. it's amazing. So beat. I fucking hate this limited running thing. I'm going crazy as a result. Mix in the dubya-taking-over-the-free-world-thing and the not-getting-a-certain-ultimate-job-thing and the roommate-being-a-crazy-territorial-wack-job-thing and hell, isn't life grand today? uh huh. Oh shut up, you big baby.
8:10 pm okay, enough of this political silence. I hate dubya. Hate hate hate. I will not enjoy 4 years with him--and his cabinet--at my helm. I may even make some signs to hang about the city that say:
GET YOUR ABORTIONS WHILE YOU STILL CAN!
or maybe I'll go for the more broad-minded slogan of:
WOMEN AND MINORITIES: MAKE USE OF YOUR EQUAL RIGHTS WHILE YOU STILL GOT 'EM!
or something to that extent. I think it's a good idea. I may have to get to work on that pronto. Well, at least once I finally get out of work. Yes, I'm still here. Ho hum. I'm thinking, damn, might as well just stay to see what al has to say. At least then I won't hear all the crying in my largely latino neighborhood when he concedes. Here in midtown, there's a thick layer of cynical and cashed-in-stock-option corporate tool cushioning, so it's likely I wouldn't hear the sobs of the liberals and minorities throughout the rest of the city. Oh, sad day. I hope he says something good. I expect much more eloquence of him than that stupid texan. I hope he shows everybody how much they fucked up. Idjits. damn supreme court freaks.
so, maybe this is what's in store for gore next.
I just hope he doesn't end up looking like this. goddamn, michael. What are you thinking? [via metafilter]
Tuesday, December 12, 2000
7:00 pm go take the "which party animal are you?" test over at emode. quite fun, and accurate to boot.
what are you waiting for? more links? no, no. go now.
Monday, December 11, 2000
7:30 pm this is so ridiculous. I can't believe cuba would honor lennon now after banning his music for so damn long. Dictators are crazy (if you hadn't heard).
speaking of lennon, i actually went to the vigil in strawberry field on Friday night. It was kind of nice. Lots of people just wandering around, as if they'd hoped to get a glimpse of yoko or julian or john himself, but cool little groups of more invested parties, gathered around guitar players, singing his music. It was nice and so un-new york. People were actually saying things like, "oh, hey, excuse me, man" and "oh, sorry, man" and the like when they ran into you (yes, we apparently had been thrown back to the 1960s briefly there, with all the "man"s). I think it would have been nicer had I gone with someone else, particularly someone who wanted to get into the spirit and sing, because, all alone, I felt pretty stupid just humming to the tunes being played, even if everyone else was doing it around me. but I think that I wouldn't have felt that way had I not been in nyc. I mean, here, you say anything out loud and people get pissed that you're polluting their space or freaked out that you're a lunatic (the irony being that this is the loudest place on earth). But if I had been out in jersey or anywhere, I would have been right at home, singing along (horrendous voice and all), maybe even dancing. Hell, I probably would have even brought my own candle. But no, this is nyc and only certain kinds of people do that. Mostly people with lots of friends who would do the same thing.
so I listened to lennon and beatles music all weekend.
this is a great piece about a new teacher in one of nyc's public schools. I so hear where she's coming from. Not that I've ever really taught or anything, but I've felt that feeling of really wanting to do good for the kids you've been charged with helping and then suddenly realizing you've gotten caught up in the everyday junk and emotional draining that is dealing with so many kids at so many different points with so many different problems. I really don't know how teachers get anything done. It's crazy. Good for her. That's scary shit.
I fear that I lost my moby CD. I'm now calling my mom to see if I left it there. Dale's checking….meanwhile, I think that I'll see how quickly they can get me some cds my nephew and step-brother want, specifically, greenday's warning and offspring's conspiracy of one…..yay! it's at home! Thank god! Along with the also pondered beatles 1967-1970 the blue album side 2 and the sadly un-missed jamiroquai and inxs's greatest hits. Do you believe I had them all in one cd case? So terrible. And dale reports that "they're all frosty"! no! terrible stuff. I know, I treat my music poorly. I need to really work on that. I will. I vow to. Sorry, moby.
As I ponder whether or not to pay for amazon's gift wrap of said items, can I tell you about the first experience I had with a gift cd delivered from amazon? The memory of it still gives me chills. So there was this boy who I had been very, very good friends with for quite a while. (We were still friends as of a year ago, but I suspect that he's engaged or worse now so the girl friends go to the wayside when that happens. Or at least I did. But I'm not bitter….) and I totally had this crush on him (he knew, well, kind of - you see, he was a boy and stupid). Then, he came back for homecoming and we hung out. We were listening to the radio and jewel came on. I told him that I always thought of him when I heard jewel because he'd been so obsessed with her. He thought that was funny. So a week or so goes by and I get this package in the mail. It's from amazon. It was the latest jewel cd, from the boy. I literally felt weak in the knees. I ran into a good friend of mine and he was like, dude, what is wrong with you? I was like, isn't that just the sweetest thing ever? I was so smitten. Alas, he was a non-communicative bad boy and I am, well, kind of the opposite (or I'd like to think of myself as such). It just wasn't meant to be. But I love remembering that moment. What a guy.
Shut up. No, I'm not that easy to impress. Well, okay, usually.
I was reading this article today in doing research for a piece I'm writing for work, and I think I want to marry a woman. It makes sense though. I mean, read it. maybe I'll propose to rachael. Yeah, I don't think either of our guys would mind much, right? Sure.
Friday, December 8, 2000
7:00 pm p.s. i guess i never told you the right answer to the pop quiz on nov. 28th, did i? sorry 'bout that. it was jami. i was going to say "this chick" and link to her but, um, no.
7:00 pm it's the "this guy" special pita today, kids.
this guy scares me. I mean, legitimately scares me. do I really have to tell him that it's a bad idea to put a microchip in his nervous system - his ARM, no less - so he can become a cyborg? Has he seen "total recall"? doesn't he know how it'll turn out? Bad, bad idea, buddy.
dude, this guy is psyched that the florida supreme court justices voted 4-3 in favor of gore's request for a manual recount. I mean, we all know that, now that bill has stayed his execution--which would be the first federal execution in 41 years--til june, his chances of living past that date with dubya in the white house would be slim to none. He's seriously celebrating today, though probably all alone, in solitary confinement, on death row. Guess that's not much of a party.
maybe I'll go to this amazing guy's vigil tonight if I get a chance. Not that I usually venture in the park at night, but it means something, ya know?
and in the most appropriate combination of today's events,
some guy wrote words for the song "let's count the votes" based on the tune of "give peace a chance." My favorite verse:
Let me tell you now
Ev'rybody's talkin 'bout
Protest
Contest
Freakfest
No rest
Dimpled chad
Being mad
We been had
They're too glad
All we are saying is let's count the votes
All we are saying is let's count the votes
[via wisdom]
also, this guy is funny, even though he's a lawyer.
Thursday, December 7, 2000
7:15 pm it's gonna snow tonight. i don't know how i feel about this. on one hand, i'm excited because it'll be the first snow this winter. on the other hand, i'm not because i don't yet have snow-appropriate boots, and maybe getting to work will be a big pain in the ass (though probably not--if it is, maybe i'll stay home, just for fun...).
i still haven't gotten my latest copy of offspring and i'm pissed. not that i am in dire need of kid-related financial information (um, no, don't worry), but i do enjoy the publication immensely so it's making me sad to see it on the stands and not have it in my hands. i mean, the office is paying for it, it's in my name, why have i not received it? come on, people. get on the ball with those subscription fulfillment things.
tomorrow, proof of life opens. i can't wait. but the sad thing is that, though i was hoping to see it on its opening day with a certain someone, that will not happen, though it's not his fault or mine. still, i must see it next week.
Wednesday, December 6, 2000
6:35 pm
ugh. I'm so cranky. I think it's because I haven't been running much lately because I twisted my ankle. It sucks. So annoyed!!!!! As a result, i can't work and i end up producing a depressing pita:
this is a terrible story, but I still can't believe how many people bush has executed: 147. So crazy. But the DA's statement, "Too bad they can't draw and quarter him. Too bad they can't put him up here on the stand and skin him for a couple of days and let him be tortured like she was," is horrendous. Are we not human? Granted, the death of this innocent 7-year-old girl is an awful, awful thing, but how does killing this guy make up for it? Does it bring her back to life? Does it teach anyone a lesson, really? Does it make her parents really feel better? Does it actually protect other children from this happening?
another note about this story: the guy is getting the exact same sentence as a guy who, in the process of robbing a liquor store, shot its owner. I mean, come on. Yes, I'm saying that certain murders are worse than others, professor austin sarat. Yes indeed I am. I just wonder how these two murders can be equally deserving of the death penalty? On one hand, a child is raped, strangled, and drug through cacti. On the other, a man is shot as a side note to a store robbery. What's really worse? Our justice system has some serious flaws. Just as this gang member who's on death row may also get a nobel peace prize. Wonder if it will come posthumously. Now that would be terrible. I mean, clearly he's contributed a world of good since doing his "death-worthy" deed.
also terrible, the boy who was killed on the subway when he fell out the damn door that swung open. So awful.
I quite enjoyed maureen dowd's column today, even if it told gore to give up.
Cheney (pronounced CHEE-nee now, ya hear?) scares me.
sorry to bring you down, man.
5:25 pm
breaking news: Scient lays off 1/4 of its employees! My sympathies to omar and his colleagues….wow, and so close to the anniversary of my own layoff from new woman on december 8th. irony: their web site still boasts of high quarter earnings....guess not high enough.
Tuesday, December 5, 2000
5:30 pm well, I must say that yesterday's posting has generated a lot of commotion. So much defensiveness, so much anger. Who knew my nearest and dearest would speak up for the coolness of christmas tunes so wholeheartedly? I did not.
First, I get a very annoyed email from colin saying,
"David Bowie and Bing Crosby are pretty damn COOL! Don't be messin' with My little Drummer BOY either!!! You're touchin' nerves girl."
next up, the always articulate marco, who actually has the opposite to say about bing but a similar sentiment is there. The subject of his email was "In which Xmas tunes will be vigorously defended":
(an excerpt) "I thoroughly disagree with your entire statement. Many Christmas songs are very very cool. Drummer Boy is moving (except not if you have no religion, like you and McQuaide, who insist on running around New York with no God like bare-assed heathens with bones through your noses on some desert island). Do You See What I See is touching, Santa Baby is sexy and funny, not to mention poignant if you sit around analyzing it Will-Cohen-style. But the list goes on and on. O Holy Night is beautiful and Jingle Bells lifts the mood. Silent Night is peerless, especially the original version as composed by Franz Gruber. Those are the classics, but new ones are great, too, like that Waitresses tune or Blue Christmas by Elvis. Well, maybe it's not new but it ain't Bing frickin' Crosby, and damn it, it's timeless. I'll be Home for Xmas and the Mama-sita song (donde esta Santa Claus? Ole'! Ole'! Ole'!) Or the Carpenters Xmas?
Fuck you, Leaver, the best thing about Christmas is the decorations and the music. It's magical, really, and we're lucky to be a part of it here in New York where they go all out to decorate and spruce up for the Holidays."
Hmm….i insist that "little drummer boy" will never be cool, no matter who it is sung by. And let me point out that marco actually said that it was "moving," not cool-which I agree with, and that's why I said it's sentimental sap-but NOT COOL.
I remembered three entire actually cool christmas songs: "do they know it's christmas?" by Bandaid, "the chipmunk song" by the chipmunks, and "christmas wrapping" by the waitresses. Those three are permissible in my Book of Cool. Maybe there will be others as well, but NOT "little drummer boy." Ever. Get over it.
And in case some of you are thinking that I'm a big bad bah-humbugger, I have to admit that I'm just as much a sap when it comes to the holidays as the next guy or gal (um, nancy not included, being that she's overly sappy--in a good way, nan, of course). I totally get weepy when I see a nicely decorated tree, or when little kids get all giddy to see santa (except when at the mall--those kids I could slap), or when groups of people sing carols (this is a leftover from 4th grade--I'd seriously cry while the whole grade sang). And just because I have no religion doesn't mean I am a bad person with no interest in humanity or joy or peace on earth (quite the contrary when compared to our more religious acquaintances I believe you'll agree, marco).
Monday, December 4, 2000
7:07 pm okay. Catherine makes a plainly impossible statement today: "the
dandy warhols are now doing a very, yes, cool version of 'little
drummer boy.'" There is no such thing as a "cool version" of "little drummer boy." The song is not cool, nor could it ever be in any form. Ever. I don't care who sings it. "Rum-pa-pum-pum" is just not a phrase that rings of coolness. And saying it some twelve or nineteen times in one song really makes that song not at all cool. Even if it is sung by tori or the dandy warhols. I hope I've made my point.
but that brings me to the question: What christmas songs are actually cool? I think maybe ones that are just so obviously cheesy that are not trying to be cool. Really, the best ones are just out there and loving it in all their dorky glory. Like "have yourself a merry little christmas." I mean, talk about sentimental sap. Granted, I've sung it many a time, but I'm not going to say it's cool or appropriate for listening at any time other than the holiday season.
I bought a tree yesterday and lugged it home like a true new yorker. So fun! Now, to go decorate it.
Friday, December 1, 2000
6:00 pm why is it the days when my boss isn't here are the hardest days to remember to update? so stupid. maybe it's because i end up taking on her work and doing a lot of stupid little things. or maybe that's just a bit of insight into my psyche, in that i really only want to update out of resistance to the corporate monster. or authority. or something. i don't know. but, damn it, i should remember these things and focus, focus, focus.
i really didn't even have time to read the news today. shocking, i know.
ah, cape cod. let's go. nan? ker? come on....another new year's would be so choice.
Wednesday, November 29, 2000
6:30 pm okay, this is eerie: swiss scientists use global positioning system to track your exercise levels. talk about big brother. What's next? Figuring out how many doritos I eat each year? The number of beers I guzzle? Speaking of….gotta run to go drinky drink with the Wednesday night girls. Sorry, tomorrow I'll try to update with something more fun.
Tuesday, November 28, 2000
7:00 pm well, well, well. ironminds actually pulls off a couple of good stories that i actually want to mention today. the very amusing "DSAFARIK Doesn’t Live Here Anymore" and the wonderfully bitter "The Inside Scoop on Novix Media".
it's only been a good two months or so since i felt the site worthy of comment. and if you'll remember that, prior to novix media's dumpage of ironminds, i actually vowed to never mention the damn site again.
and why in the world would i never want to mention that fabulous site, you ask? well, funny you should ask. what perfect timing, really. pop quiz!
I know, you're just dying to know. well, try and guess. i'm sure everyone who reads this site regularly will get it right since all 5 of you actually heard the story face-to-face. with all my gesticulations and exclamations. and how outraged you were, no? what good friends you are.
ha ha: a cnn site parody [via metafiler]. i thoroughly enjoyed the "shrub republican" vs. "alpha male democrat" grid. you will, too.
hmm...makeoutclub? i'm intrigued. thanks, nanette. you mention, i try to click, the site is down, i cry. sad stuff. i guess i will just have to wait. but the suspense is mounting quickly.
Monday, November 27, 2000
7:45 pm oh dear. and i laugh and laugh and laugh at all you people landing here because you searched for "lita nude." my god. get a friggin life. what would your boss say? watch out! he's looking over your shoulder!
I'll take the pets.com mascot for $100...er, i mean, as my very own representative, thanks. I love that little guy. he better survive despite the death of his company. he should have his own show or something. or maybe he could get a gig on leno or some other late show to try to outdo that damn "for me to poop on" dog on conan who i hate to admit is actually funny at times. who knew i had a sense of potty humor? well, some of you did. but not many, i bet.
interesting article about working class teachers. I always appreciate it when the times or any paper for that matter talks about class issues. Always. Probably because it's just so rare.
also, quite a juxtapositioning of funny guy op-ed pieces in the times: bob dole and rick moranis. neither are that funny, though, sadly.
want to know why jersey cops are racist? because, as you would know if you grew up in my town, most of them start out as young, racist, troubled, school bully-type kids who have problems with authority. Then, they grow up and realize that cops have a lot of power and can push people--particularly those they deem inferior--around. And there you have it. plain and simple. go jersey!
speaking of my hometown, I was there this weekend, and people really failed me by a) not going out Friday night and b) not really being gossip-worthy. Why else do we go home? Jeez. i mean, being an alcoholic in my town is not big news so if that's all you guys have to offer me, come on. you're wasting my time.
ha ha, ho ho. This is a great article about all the entertainment things we should be thankful this year. I would like to add that i am grateful for felicity and ben being together (i always liked him better than noel, that loser who's now a stalker, gross), for the riveting tv viewing and electoral college know-how that this un-election has offered us all, and for murphy brown reruns (only on lifetime!)--almost as good as seinfeld reruns. so choice.
on the movie front, I am quite curious about the possible oscar contenders of 2000. there have been so few really good movies. And while I am very much looking forward to "proof of life," starring meg and russell, I really don't think it will be oscar material. but that's just a hunch. I hope I'm wrong. They're both just so good and cute, you can't help but hope that they make a quality movie together, and not just some sappy meg-typical flick. Clearly I plan to see it anyway though. As colin noted, "something for both of us." the movie's web site is pretty cool, particularly the music and "global hotspots" page. i love stuff to click on and play with that is educational even though it has to do with entertainment. (basically, my job.) Check it out.
Hey look! This amherst professor is getting written about in newsweek! Sweet. I know, who cares? But I'm always so impressed by this. I think it's because it's such a small school and, while I don't know the man personally, I know of him and know lots of people who had him for classes, so it's kind of like knowing him. And I'm always excited when people I know or kind of know are written about in small town papers, much less national magazines.
Ah! 350-lb woman accused of trying to kill child by lying on her! bizarre. i want to know how they got her off of the girl, but sadly, the reporter doesn't say. such incomplete journalism, man.
Tuesday, November 21, 2000
6:30 pm yes, so my birthday was so perfect. really, really, really the best birthday i can remember. i just felt showered with love (and emails and phone calls and flowers and gifts) from my friends and family. seriously. i mean, how often is it that i actually sound sappy? this is rare, folks, so, so rare. so enjoy it while you can, eh?
i think pop culture is eating my brain. it's great. for instance, every time i visit the new republic, which is now calling itself "TNR Online," i start to contemplate the sins and virtues of TRL. despite its brevity, i did enjoy TNR's piece about gen x apathy times 10 as a result of the election. although i was a little annoyed by its opening statement ("They are now eating the chads"), which clearly was simply used to be quirky and cute and to grab your attention. yuck.
i also liked slate's how the grinch stole election day. so cute. one of my favorite stanzas:
And the Grinch, he went back to his old Grinchy pad. But en route, he was nabbed by a little Chad lad Who had stayed up all night (quite ignoring his dad). He stared at the Grinch and said, "Sir, who's our leader? "Is it Bush? Is it Gore? Or, my choice, Derek Jeter?" And the Grinch simply smiled: This day couldn't be sweeter.
he he. [via angela]
anyway, i can't wait to go home for thanksgiving. things are getting crazy at work because everyone's so pressed for time in this short week, but it's kind of exciting and it's even oddly quiet. let me tell you, it's never quiet here since there are tvs everywhere and people are usually listening to music and laughing and talking and generally carrying on. but today it's eerily quiet. it's nice. not unlike working in the library during exams in college, ya know? i love that frantically working feeling, but only when everyone else is also frantically working. so comforting and not distracting. nice.
Monday, November 20, 2000
11:00 am it's a great day to be 24....
how cool is this? it's my birthday and my coctail calendar's drink of the day is the "yellow bird": 2 oz. light rum, 1/2 oz. banana liqueur, 1/2 oz. triple sec, 2 tsp. lime juice, 1/2 cup crushed ice. get it? yellow bird...linbird....?
Sunday, November 19, 2000
4:30 pm why is everyone looking for pictures of lita ford nude? i got like 15 hits from people searching for that term today. you guys are sick. i mean, lita ford????
Friday, November 17, 2000
4:00 pm catherine is very, very scary and clearly very, very bored. she just sent both me and holly these odd phone messages. here's what happened when i got mine:
me: this is linnea.
perky phone voice: linnea! you have a message from someone! press 2 to hear it!
me: (press 2)
computerized phone voice: linnea, this is god. i enjoy reading your pita but the more mystical entries about dreams [and such blah blah blah scary computerized voice talking to me and me being freaked out by the fact that it said it was god, knew my name, knew the pita, AND knew my number...].
yes, that was scary. thank you very much, catherine. now, back to work, okay? and they say i don't do any thing all day....
12:00 pm does anyone else find it excruciatingly ironic that rosie o'donnell, a person who, in my mind and the mind of many others, is clearly a lesbian, would decide to join up with mccall's, one of the seven sisters of magazines (read: traditional, old-world, secrets to keeping your man happy, your tits perky, your kids pleasant, and your food delicious!), for her own "rosie's mccall's magazine"? can we just say, please, please, please, come on out, rosie….?
ha! Down with aol instant messenger! I will not submit!
how long are the american people willing to chill? excellent question which I find so amusing since it is from the washington post.
I think that zoggle -- the place I was going to go work at had I not taken my current job - is dead or something. I now can't get past their completely obnoxious, excessively long flash with sound intro. Huh. I suppose I'm not all that surprised, though. One of the reasons I didn't go work for them.
do i need to remind you that my birthday is now only 3 days away? i didn't think so....
Thursday, November 16, 2000
3:15 pm alex kuczynski has an interesting piece in the times about refusing to cook for thanksgiving. i kind of liked the piece, but then afterwards felt kind of gross -- not unlike, say, after gorging yourself on a thanksgiving dinner -- because she's just so new york. ugh. i really can't stand that snotty i'm-too-cool-for-cooking-so-
i-must-order-in-or-eat-out-every-night attitude. i really, really can't.
also, colin says this woman reminds him of me. "or vice versa." he says she's really nice (unlike paula zahn) and actually bakes cookies for the whole crew on a regular basis. apparently the last thing she made was chocolate-covered peanut butter rice krispie treats. but, moreover, he says our voices are just very similar. all i can say is "really? huh." because what else do you say to someone who thinks you're just like an extremely domestic midwestern news reporter?
11:30 am ha! this is so funny: the bush-gore dance! my favorite is al gore as chris farley.
11:00 am okay, since complaints have been filed, I will do my best from now on to update the pita more frequently. Especially while my boss is on vacation.
heh heh. I really, really enjoyed this piece about "the chad." it would be quite amusing if the chad did indeed win the "word of the year" competition, but I have to say that a large part of my amusement from this word is due to "the chad," played by tom green in charlie's angels (more on this movie later). Every time I hear remarks about the ballot chad I think, "THE CHAD WAS BAD!" or "THE CHAD WAS GREAT!" or "THE CHAD IS STUCK!" depending on my inclination at the moment. (don't get the joke? they're lines from the movie....duh.)
now, as I promised, on to charlie's angels. Though last week I noted that, after reading some reviews, I thought it would be bad, it actually was quite good. Highly recommended. But if anyone else has recommended it to you, they've also probably added the disclaimer, as I would like to now, that "You have to go in with low expectations. If you go in thinking it will be great, you'll be disappointed. Just go in ready to have fun." And yes, about 5 people passed on that wisdom to me beforehand - verbatim - so, I would like to do my patriotic duty and pass that same bit of info on to you. So now you have it, don't you? use it wisely.
but anyway, I did enjoy the flick, and to my surprise, mostly for the action scenes. The girls do kick butt. The scenes which, in the legacy of The Matrix, included choppy slow-mo-like fighting, with kicks and twists and kung fu-esque probably impossible moves, got me really pumped to be in kick-ass shape. And I got so into the many scenes like this that when I walked out of the theater, I felt that I had actually been programmed and knew how to do all those moves - just like in The Matrix (which should always be referred to in capitals as it was such a damn good movie). So I think I'm going to renew my search for a good kick-boxing class in nyc (begun last spring) so I can really take advantage of my new programming. Email me if you know of one or more.
talking about The Matrix makes me think about a conversation I had the other day in which I actually said that I wouldn't be surprised if something like that was really going on around us. call me crazy but, when I was little, I thought that other people were probably fake and/or just saying what I should hear. I used to ask my mom about this. I'd say, "Mom, how do I know other people are real?" and of course she'd just look at me like I was a wack job. I kind of still wonder, mostly because lately I've been having a lot of déjà vu moments and actually being able to predict things. I'm not even kidding. I know I sound like a froot loop (can i think of anymore colloquial terms for "crazy"?), but it's just really eerie. For instance, last Friday, I went to amherst and spoke at this alumni career thing. Afterwards, I thought I'd drop by my thesis professor's office just to see if she was in. and though she's never, ever in on Friday's, she was there. I didn't think about this until part-way through our conversation but, whatever, a coincidence. But then, she started asking me about the internet and how people react to it, and as I gave my answer, I started almost remembering this moment where she was talking about it. it suddenly hit me that I had had a dream the night before about having this very conversation with her. So as I'm speaking, I'm pretty sure i know what she's going to say back to me. and she said it. verbatim. I'm not even kidding. All I could do was nod. Very strange, but true.
on a less happy note, I also predicted that my grandmother would end up being diagnosed with cancer. But I think that's just my pessimistic side more than my psychic intuition. Anyway, we'll see how things go. think happy thoughts for her, okay?
another important thought to have: linnea's birthday countdown: 4 days
Wednesday, November 15, 2000
5:15 pm sorry i've been gone for so long. was in amherst and then boston from friday through sunday. and work has been a bit busy lately. i know that's a terrible excuse, maybe the most terrible excuse around, but that's the way it goes sometimes.
a public service announcement: the countdown to linnea's birthday is now at 5 days. for all those interested in mailing gifts, you'd better get on that pronto because the 20th is fast approaching.
now, some weblog appreciation here….
yay for scott, who hit the nail on the head with the spaceballs reference regarding dick (colonel sandurz) and bush (darth helmet). Ah, ho ho. But, moreover, I do love how scott so often looks back on moments in his life and re-analyzes them -- something I, too, am prone to doing, but not nearly as articulately. (uh, clearly.) [sidenote: as I write this, msnbc reports, "DICK CHENEY VISITS BUSH CAMPAIGN HEADQUARTERS" on the tv behind me. Anyone else in my circle of friends get a perverted flicker of recognition when you hear "bush campaign"? you know, like "the project"…or something….]
clarablog actually created her very own (very amusing) name generator. Check it out. I personally liked "freely laughing rice cracker." Feel free to refer to me as such from now on.
usr/bin/girl led me to digsmagazine which is apparently an online 20-something thing. While the site may not be so fabulous, I'm actually quite excited about it because hell, we can do better, damn it. I'll keep you posted on when I, er, we (?) do.
kottke gave me something I was looking for: an electoral-vote proportionate map of the U.S. how enjoyable to see it and breathe that sigh of relief. Now bush doesn't seem to have won at all. Now you don't see that mass of red in the middle, but rather, an even distribution of both colors. Much, much better. Wooh.
moving on…okay, I've actually gotten into fights over "the view" before (my side: it's not THAT bad, they're not necessarily just acting out stereotyped personalities based on race and age and class), but I refuse to defend it anymore now that the co-hosts are actually promoting campbell's soup on-air like it's actually part of their content and their own personal opinions. Bull shit. At least tell people these things. That's just dishonest.
I saw tobey maguire on leno last night, and, as in the past, I was not at all impressed. here, my reasons:
(1) he's really not that cute in "real life" - and that's with TV makeup, too.
(2) he's so awkward and goofy. He looked scared shitless during the whole animal segment.
(3) he's really not a strong personality, nor did he come off as someone who's just quiet and nice but not showy, which makes me wonder how the hell he got into acting.
And this is the man who's going to play spider man? I don't get it. he really just reminds me of, say, chris addickes, who I went to grade school and high school with. You know, very unassuming, kind of hangs out in the background, not awful looking (though i'm sure nancy and others would argue with that) but in no way a hottie. And to tell you the truth, I really didn't think he was so great in "The Cider House Rules," but I had blamed it on the character, not his acting. Why am I totally trashing this guy? Sorry, tobey (and chris - no offense meant). Maybe he is a great guy and totally charming and all but he just comes off poorly on leno.
Thursday, November 9, 2000
1:00 pm I'm just shocked and appalled at this whole election thing - though, to be honest, obsessed, too. I mean, I keep checking cnn's state-by-state results (not to mention headlines) just for the fun of it and to figure out different permutations. (for example, had gore won new hampshire [4 electoral votes], the lone ranger new england state that fucked up and voted for bush, and then oregon [7 electoral votes] got its shit together and got all its ballots in at a reasonable time and a majority voted for gore, then he would win [271]!!!! Damn it.) I kind of feel like tim russert, really. And as for an explanation of the "balance of power" chart, catherine, let me explain:
Linnea's Poli-Sci Lecture 1:
Term: Up
Explanation: how many candidates up for re-election; in the House, all of them (210 democrats and 223 republicans); in the Senate, only 34 (15 dems,19 reps); in state Governorships, 11 (7 dems, 4 reps)
Term: Nov. 7
Explanation: how many candidates in each party won on election day; in the House, 211 dems and 220 reps; in the Senate, 18 dems and 15 reps; in Governorships, 8 dems and 3 reps
Term: Old
Explanation: the old balance of power pre-election in the various branches (reps had considerable control over all)
Term: New
Explanation: the new balance of power post-election in the various branches (reps have a somewhat smaller majority in all)
Term: Gain/Loss
Explanation: number of seats gained (+) or lost (-) by each party as a result of the election
Got it?
but as for my more negative feelings, I mean, how disorganized is our system? And how fucked up does this whole fiasco make our electoral college look? (still, I'm keeping some faith that, if the need arises, some might go against their pledge if they're supposed to vote for bush and instead vote for the popular candidate, our man, big al!!!) And the fact that thousands of dead people vote in every state - not just florida!!! I mean, with this in mind, we should just clean up the entire system and then do a revote. Is there no justice here? What has happened to the pristine view I had of our democracy? Okay, I never had a pristine view but still…
I watched the returns Tuesday night with ker, marco, lindsey, matt, and mikey at ker's, and followed entertainment weekly's recommendations for what to watch and what not to watch. we drank presidente beer (my little joke of the night) and had some munchies. We screamed at the tv, jumped up and down when gore won pennsylvania and california, moaned when bush won anything, grabbed and punched each other when florida started to become so crucial (okay, I grabbed and punched, no one else did), and flipped through the channels to mock the really poor broadcasters (namely, those at fox news…so bad!).
It's so crazy what has happened now. I can't believe that everyone is blaming this whole thing on gore and his poor campaigning. I couldn't disagree more. Do you know how hard it is to win after sitting in the veep office for so long? The fact is, so many people are voting against him simply because he's of the clinton camp and has been in the spotlight (sort of) for so many years already. And duh, no 8-year vice president has been elected to the office since god knows when. (or something) People just want someone new. People like change and switching things up. Plus, people are reverting to their '80s personas and getting really greedy (so get ready for a new wave of grunge-type music). Anyway, that's my theory.
But, really, what this whole thing is causing is clear-cut chaos. I mean, who ever is declared the winner is going to have a ton of opposition, probably a lot more than he would have had this whole bad ballot recount shit not gone down in florida. And this thought, though frustrating, makes me feel a bit better and more at ease, as then bush will most likely never get anti-choice justices into the supreme court or have any power to do anything significant at all.
That last phrase actually reminds me of his father. Isn't it funny that, when he was in office, a lot of people were so pleased with his work, but then while running for re-election, he became this tragic do-nothing president and has been looked at that way ever since? Well, that's how I see it anyway. I also find it funny to think about how friggin patriotic I was back during desert storm. Ya know, I even had a service man that I wrote to and wore a yellow ribbon all the time! Ah, how are children are brain-washed. I can't believe my parents let me do that after living through vietnam….
Anyway, some funner stuff now, okay?
Guys don't get PMS. Well fuck you! (that was a joke….)
woo hoo! Emode gets a cool handwriting analysis tool!
this nurse from malawi is awesome. Yay for cool people in third world countries.
a "gone with the wind" museum is finally established!
Monday, November 6, 2000
7:40 pm wow, what a great weekend I had. It's quite unbelievable, really. First, Friday: rachael came into town and so I met up with her and her boy, dave, and we had some drinks. Then they took me to a party at her boy's brother's place in a very shady part of town. But the apartment was amazing! Huge! Apparently in an old school, so the hallways and stairwells are just so reminiscent of high school. Kind of bizarre. But they have tons of space as a result and super tall windows. We went and grabbed some tasty jamaican food around the corner and came back and had some more drinks. Dave's brother, josh, is a dj, and he and a couple of other guys spun some really great music for us. We had some more drinks. Lots of people started showing up. We danced. Colin appeared. We all danced. Some guy who's a performance artist wrapped a towel around his head and lip synced [sp? Lip sanc?] a couple of songs for us, both of them being by female singers. I can only remember one: whitney houston's "it's not alright but it's okay," or whatever it's called. So funny. We were dying.
cut to Saturday night: this night was filled with strange coincidences. rach, dave, and josh came to pick me up. Josh was djing at a bar in the 20's at 8, and well, being that they arrived around 7:40 at my place on the upper west side, they were late, so we had to race there, but traffic did its best to stop us. Meanwhile, dave was driving like a maniac. But we got there intact, fortunately, and though we figured we'd be severely late while sitting, not moving, on the highway, we actually arrived at 8:07. Turns out, the place is the bmw bar - this cool place that has open mike and lots of scheduled music all the time which I'd been meaning to go to for a while - and josh isn't just a dj, he also sings and plays guitar. I was so impressed. He uses a lot of sampling and really cool beats behind his guitar playing, and he's got some smoking lyrics. I was actually drawing comparisons to moby and such, and we all know how much I love moby, right? I was psyched to get a copy of his cd at the end of the night. Maybe I'll get you one too. Email me if you're interested. The boy is good.
after his show, we went to the bendix diner. It was really strange though why we went there. Let me explain: when I was getting ready to go out with them, I was looking for a bag to use. I found my red one which I hadn't taken out in several months. I put a bunch of stuff in it, but then realized that it probably wasn't the best choice (no wonder I hadn't taken it out in a while). So I took all my stuff back out of it. that's when I found two cards, one for merchants, this great brunch place ker and I went to on columbus at 85th, and one for the bendix diner at 21st and 8th. I thought, huh, I remember merchants but not bendix. But I stuck them both in my wallet and continued trying to remember anything about bendix for a bit. So, as it turns out, the bmw bar, being on 21st and 7th, is right down the street from the bendix. So after josh's show, everyone wanted to get a bite to eat, and I was like, uh, I guess the bendix is right there on the next block. So we went. And we ate. Really bizarre though how it all came about.
afterwards, we went to the half king for dave's friend's 30th birthday party, but it was just a crowded bar so we left after one drink. Then we took a cab over to the izzy bar, and when we stepped out, I realized that it was the same place I'd been to for new year's a few years back and had never been able to remember the name or location of. So there it was. So odd. So we went in and listened to josh's friend jay play sax in this 8-piece spanish band. It was good, but then - just like on new year's - got really crowded and smoky. So we took off and drove up the upper west side. Once around the 80's, dave then said he was craving hot apple cider so he wanted to go to a café of some sort. Of course, no starbucks would be open at 1:30, so we had to look for something else. Josh said something about a café being nearby. Then I said that I had been to one in that area too. Josh said, "with lots of couches around," and I said, "yeah!" neither of us could remember what it was called, but then we drove right by it. it was d.t.u.t., this cute little place on 84th and 2nd. Of course they were about to close so it was a no go on the cider (but apparently they do have it - they were out at the time though).
yesterday, rach and I ran and went to the north end of the park (which is beautiful) and watched the front pack of the marathon come in. later, after seeing rach go, I went back to the park, this time straight across from my entrance, and watched the commoners come running in for their last 3 miles. So strange, because, even in that crowd of thousands of runners, about 10 minutes after I'd arrived on the side of the road, I looked up and saw the only person I knew was running it waving at me! yay aimee! so bizarre.
some newsy bits: I'm really worried about the election, and, as a result, I think I'm going to have a little political party. Damn polls. Why do they all differ? So agonizing. but want to know what's more agonizing? hearing that NANCY was thinking of voting for bush. girlfriend, what were you thinking? what what what? are we no longer soulmates? do i just not understand you anymore? have our different locations actually created a rift in our friendship? i am so worried about this matter. but i guess i'm no longer that worried, as my darling failed to register in massachusetts and she's not planning on hauling her ass back to jersey to vote tomorrow. thank god.
Want to read two really stupid articles about magazines? Then check out this one about the "mini" harper's bazaar (duh) and this one about how magazines are trying to persuade philip morris to stay in the mag ad business with their own "studies" about teens and smoking (bigger duh). can someone really go lower than tobacco companies? apparently. and, appropriately, it's cosmo! ha!
Friday, November 3, 2000
6:40 pm so I hear Charlie's Angels is bad. Good. I was pissed that drew barrymore has been making ignorant statements on national television. specifically, the today show and specifically, "I'm not a feminist. I'm an equalist." Duh. Same thing. What planet did she grow up on? Oh, right, maybe that slipped her mind during that drug-and-alcohol haze she was in between the ages of 5 and 15. Uh, I mean, get with it, drew. I actually normally think she's okay. Just feeling a bit bitter about this issue, thanks.
the mr. Garrison's angels south park spoof of charlie's angels is somewhat funny. But mostly I was just annoyed that my computer kept stopping the stupid film so I had to keep clicking the play button over and over. And then it would start the whole thing from the beginning. I hope you enjoy it more than I did. [via whitney's always fun hipclicks via catherine. don't you love the six degrees of blog hopping? So fun.]
so apparently the premise of the new season of the x-files is that scully is now mulder. Huh. I don't know how I feel about that and what I think about a new man entering the scene. I want my hottie DD back. Why is he hot, though? I mean, he's really not. But still, I like him. And I think his attractiveness is more in his personality than anything. And his wittiness. yes, i know this is ground-breaking stuff here, folks. sorry, gotta run.
Wednesday, November 1, 2000
7:40 pm the funniest thing, I think, about halloween is that, that day, nobody in corporate america dresses up, but the day after, friggin every single person comes in looking like a zombie. Bad joke? Maybe. But at least I made it up myself.
I swear though, this morning, everyone looked like hell. Clearly a little too much partying going on in this town that loves halloween way too much. The freaks really come out here in nyc. Even more so than on a regular basis. In the subway, I saw little bo peep and her four sheep - all wearing extremely tight clothing and obviously all male. I also saw this guy in a white leather thong and tasseled bustier. Scary. No one should be showing that much ass, ever, much less a short, chubby white guy. But I also saw some damn good costumes. Like the girl from the exorcist sitting on her bed and all the storm troopers and a few good witches. But I clearly didn't enjoy watching the parade from street-side as much as I did from the comfort of kerry's cushy couch via her HUGE tv.
Yes, ker-dog had a little shin-dig, if you will, and a few of us dressed up: I went as Dana Scully [couldn't hold back my excitement for the new season to start], she as Stevie Nicks, elyse as a cowgirl of some sort, annick as a biker girl/undercover "21 Jump Street" cop, omar as a med student/his brother. The other attempts as costumes were amusing but inadequate, namely, marco's declaration that he actually was dressed as Fox Mulder (he wore black and grey), matt's wearing of his Fred from "Scooby Doo" wig, nikki's wearing of an eye-mask, matt and GB claiming they came as a "gay couple," (they are not) and treut putting flowers in his hair which looked somewhat like antennae.
the whole thing was quite entertaining, as it was really a big high school reunion kind of thing. lots of flashbacks and rumor-spreading. lots of (probably too much) trashing of once-beautiful-now-fat girls. some things haven't changed at all in these years since we graduated, but the thing that has probably changed the most is the dynamic that exists between us all. back then, i was actually probably better friends with these other guys that we saw last night than i was with my now closest male friends, but that really isn't saying much at all. as i explained to someone last night, once everyone grew up, it was clear that it's not the dumb-ass boys that you want to be friendly with.
but man, I am so sick now. I'm really hoping this isn't bronchitis. That would be very, very bad.
so my good friend rach will be coming in tonight/tomorrow a.m. yay! She's coming for a number of reasons, not the least of which is to see moi, but includes seeing the marathon on sunday. I'm quite psyched for it myself. Tim is working it as a medic (scary) but I hope to be watching it somewhere along the course. but where? You can catch it all along 1st avenue but being that I live right next to the park, maybe that's a better bet. After all, it'll be close to the end and more exciting there. But still, there's something cooler about seeing everyone run by on the road. Want to see the leaders? Check out this mile-by-mile guide. Here's how to get there by the subway. I wonder though which is really the toughest mile of the course. That's really the place to be. I was quite happy to see though that there will be porta-potties available every 4 miles starting at the first 4 ½ miles, though confused to read that there will be a "Poland Spring Hydration Zone," complete with "one and one-half blocks of a transporting 'Maine Forest' environment that will include Norway Spruce trees, exhilarating music, and, of course, lots of water to keep you fluid!" huh? Ha ha: funny copy-editing mistake: the "stectator's page."
earlier today I was emailing with catherine about how afraid we both are of this election. Thank goodness joel achenbach came to the rescue. And really, he's so right. On so many points. I cannot even list them here as a result. But yes, denial, denial, denial, and if I hold my breath maybe everything will be okay, everything will be okay, okay, okay, okay, and it doesn't really matter anyway, it's all good but gore better win better win better win. Cross your fingers. Do it. now. Okay.
on the political tip, gloria steinem had some interesting things to say about britney spears, eminem, and the election. [via feminist media watch]
completely unrelated: check out the monkey amiHOTorNOT site. [via zannah]
ha ha.
