February 29, 2004
I'm not sure you can ask for more than a 57 degree sunny day in February in the city. A perfect day for walking around - and shopping of course. Jim and I walked into Manhattan for lunch and then a little conspicuous consumption. See? I did learn something in college. Speaking of college, we had lunch at the old standby Dojo's. Many people spend their college years getting by on Ramen and mac and cheese. My cohorts and I got by on $2.95 soyburger dinners at Dojo's. The soyburgers are still delicious and cheap but the service is close to non-existent. Today I had to tell the waitress that there was a CD label in my water. Love that place.
We also stopped by Toys in Babeland which was totally hopping today. Must be that spring-is-in-the-air vibe. And I went bag crazy, picking up this one at Fab 208:
And these two at Mexx:
On our neverending quest to rent all of Netflix's documentaries, this week we saw Stoked. There's some pretty funny old Vision Streetwear commercials in there along with some footage from Club MTV with "Downtown Julie Brown" - who introduced one of the more annoying and unintelligible catch phrases of the early 90's - "Wubba Wubba". Happily this never caught on with anyone but herself. But probably the most amazing thing in the film was watching Gator, this skating superstar on vertical ramps, not be able to skate street at all. It was almost painful to see.
Billy Corgan reveals that James Iha was the real reason the Smashing Pumpkins broke up. The question is: does anyone besides Billy Corgan still care?
In more 90's rock news: Dig wins the Sundance Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary.
So what's the deal, is Ashton Kutcher really 30? I mean he could be 40 for all I care. I still think he's hot
Real World off to Philly for season 15. That's right I said FIFTEEN. Whoa, that makes me feel like, ancient...I guess that is because I am.
So a long, long time ago me and my friends Lisa G, Lisa W and Tracy tried out for a new MTV game show they were doing. This was back when MTV actually showed music videos and did not have original programming and quite frankly, we had no idea what we were getting into. I don't even understand how we ended up there to be honest. I just know there was the possibility of winning money. Apparently we signed up for this somewhere and were asked to attend a casting call...Its all a big blur... I'm probably repressing the episode out of acute embarrassment... What I do remember: The show was called "Dirty Laundry", we were supposed to be revealing each other's deep dark secrets, we went through a fake episode on camera and I was teamed up with Lisa G...Oh yeah, and I was labeled the slut. The only really clear memory I possess of the day was at the end of it all when they photographed our group. The four of us stood against this wall, not smiling, all in black from head to toe. In contrast, the other groups of potential contestants, who seemed to be made up of musical theatre students, were all animated and colorful and smiling. And that was the moment we realized, cash or no cash, this was not cool. Thankfully, the show never made it to air.
Could someone point me in the direction of the MP3 of The Strokes covering the Clash song Clampdown? I know it exists somewhere out there. Thank you.
Randomness:
Man eating fish drops from the sky.
Raising the insult to an art form.
February 18, 2004
Jim and I were in bed last night cracking up at the Chappelle Show. The episode was Superfreak Rick James vs. Charlie Murphy (Brother of Eddie Murphy, whom Mr. James refers to as "The Darkness".) Since Comedy Central generously repeats their programs over and over I am sure you can catch it. And check out the profile of Dave Chappelle in the Times. Oh wait, you can see part one of the video here: Rick James: Habitual Line Stepper.
Hungover couple unaware they broke up last night.
I love reading the New Scientist. Little blurbs of scientific knowledge released into the world wide web. Y'know I love a good medical study. Preferably one that offers a genetic explanation for abberant behavior...Like this one. Or this one on how fertile women rate other women as uglier.
Rent Capturing the Friedmans off of netflix now. You won't be sorry. It's up there with Crumb.
February 16, 2004
On Valentines day it was very sweet to wake up to pink and orange roses - just like my wedding bouquet - and Haribo gummy. The best gummy ever. I once decided to order 10 pounds of Haribo Alphabets online. For real. I really had no conception of what ten pounds of gummy looked like and kinda freaked out when it arrived. I had everlasting gummy. I had to bring 5 pounds of it to my office just to unload it somewhere. It lasted forever and I didn't eat Alphabets for a long, long time after that.
We had Lisa and Tom in for the weekend with us, so we took a tour of the Brooklyn Brewery and found out the following fascinating facts:
1. Brooklyn Brewery is run by 100% wind generated energy. Sadly no, there are no windmills on top of the building. They pay into a wind-energy fund. The wind generated energy actually feeds into the same power grid that serves all of NYC, so its more about paying a premium for energy and hoping that other environmentally conscious companies will join them. So to all those opposing the proposed power plants over here - drink Brooklyn.
2. Brooklyn Brewery is not a Microbrewery. They are a Regional Craft Brewery, the distinction being how much beer the company produces.
3. Designer Milton Glaser, best known for the "I Love NY" logo designed the Brooklyn logo.
4. You get a free beer - of your choice - for taking the tour.
Tom and Lisa enjoy their Brooklyn beer.
Triumph the Insult Comic Dog pisses off Canadians. The title of this article is worth reading alone - "An Insolent Puppet Roils Canadian Politics".
Former WWF wrestler, Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake shuts down Boston's Downtown Crossing Subway station, due to a passenger mistaking his stash of cocaine for anthrax.
Half of all languages face extinction in this century.
VH1 wants to take your story of romantic heartbreak or heroism and turn it into a song. And for this, they will pay you 16 Amercian dollars! C'mon people: trying to break the news of your unexpected pregnancy to that guy you picked up in a bar last month? Here's your way to do it AND make 16 big ones at the same time.
Also wanted - personal social network coordinator.
February 13, 2004
Yeah, it gets worse...Spokane? Boise? What am I supposed to do with this?
Courtney Love (yes we are back to this, I can't resist) loses daughter backstage at the Grammys, wants to publish her diaries, blows off court date, then calls the Howard Stern show to explain. Oh yeah, she put out an album too.
How do I get my hands on this?
Time for games? Throw rocks at boys. Or listen to these singing carrots. They love you and you love them.
So you're trapped in a plane with a bunch of prostelitizing Christians. Sounds like a bad dream, right? Maybe you are on American Airlines.
Ten charities that could use your ten dollars.
I've recently admitted to some that my television habit has been spiraling out of control this winter. And while I like to tell myself it is due to the miserably cold season we have had here, I do realize it is time to ween myself off the box.
But not until America's Top Model is over...Ok, so this week Shandi admitted to having a police record and Xiamara was given the boot. Oh, exciting.
They are accepting applicants for the next season of The Apprentice. Apply now.
Village Voice article on Pod People - all about swapping music on IPods. Well not really swapping as in file-sharing, just letting people listen to what you got. A confession now: My IPod is like a drunken kareoke singer's wet dream. I have a habit of not being able to sleep, and getting on the computer at 3am to download any bit of insanity or cheese that tickles my fancy at the moment. Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive?" its on there. Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful"? Check. I am completely freaked out by the idea that someone will pick up my IPod one day and look at what I have on there...and judge me. That's right, I know y'all are judging my every move. Don't think I don't know. Even the quote-unquote quality crap I have on that thing could potentially cause embarassment. After seeing the Yeah Yeah Yeahs when I lived in Boston, I decided immediately that I hated them. And of course, vocalized this opinion to anyone who would listen. Maps? Its on there. I couldn't help myself. That damn song is catchy.
Finally, is Drew Barrymore gettin' all political on us? She even received an award from the UN. Upon accepting the "Dove of Peace" Drew had this to say:
"We wake up every morning thinking, like, what more can we do in this world to make it a better, happier, more peaceful and beautiful place?"
I couldn't, like, agree more.
February 10, 2004
No time for chit chat this week. Simply linkage:
I stole this one off of Lisa. Interesting. According to my results I should be voting for Kucinich and I don't even know who that is. My next two matches were Kerry (at 93%) and Sharpton (at 92%). Based on my criteria Bush scored a whopping 0%. Who would have thought it?
If you need more in-depth assistance with your voting decision check out:
Now let's hear who the celebrities like.
Sunday I spent alternating between napping and watching this. Really good.
She bangs! She bangs..well you know the rest...
Does your kid suck? They'll take care of that.
February 2, 2004
The weather changes everything. All I'm asking for is one nice day a week. Like today. My mood shot up immediately when I realized it was warm enough to walk home from work. Every time I walk the Williamsburg Bridge I hit this spot in the middle of the bridge where I can see over lower Manhattan and I get inexplicably happy and full of that loving-NY feeling... which can sometimes be hard to conjure up...or even remember...like when you are being harrassed by some lunatic on the street who is screaming "I got my dick in my hands! I got my dick in my hands!" But that is another story entirely...
Instead today, after a beautiful, peaceful walk that cleared my head and my heart, I hit the pizza place around the corner to pick up a salad. And then I realized I had no money. And then the guy next to me in line insisted on paying for my dinner. And then the chick in the store told me she liked my hat. And I'm still smiling about it all.
Ahhhh, good day.
And now:
Good thing I like to walk, cos the MTA hates hipsters.
BTW, that whole Williamsburg versus the LES is so 1995. (Refering to the comments below the former link) Here's the deal: The majority of people who do not live on trust funds or other variants of their parents money, can no longer afford to live on the Lower East Side. I deeply DEEPLY resented being priced out of the LES. Wait, did I emphasize that enough? Cos I felt it. As someone who lived in the LES for years, including a stint on the corner of Clinton and Stanton in 1991 when the corner was still an open air drug market, finding random dead bodies was not uncommon, and other New Yorkers were scared to visit us... I cannot help but feel a little shudder of resentment when I pass the restaurants and the clothing stores that now stand where the bodegas and mom-and-pop stores used to be. That said, I've adjusted. I've even come to love my Brooklyn neighborhood. Hipsters and all.
Janet, Miss Jackson if you're nasty.
I heard Mos Def say "gully" last night and realized I had no clue what that word meant. Now I do. Gully.
Wait, our friend Jay in Austin is in a band called the Christopher Walkouts. I am deeply amused.
Speaking of bands, I get googled for "mr california and the state police" constantly. So to those here to find out more about Mr California -I know nothing.
But I did receive a copy of this rockin 10" from the man himself. (Yeah, I said TEN INCH, the coolest vinyl record format EVER.)
And this really frightening photo:
So there's your fix.
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