Welcome to my world...

Tuesday, September 18, 2001

Hey kids. Just checking in. I am still without real Internet, so I can only check my e-mail occasionally, and for a few minutes (including once at Amy's work, the superfabulous ESPN office, which is the coolest themed workspace I've ever seen.) Things are much better in New York, though still a bit scary (they started checking IDs in my office -- of course my company doesn't have IDs, so they just let me go up. Which sort of defeats the purpose. However.) When you look downtown, you know something's missing in the skyline, but you can't quite remember where the World Trade Center was (except for the fact that it is still smoking) because you always sort of took it for granted that it was there. Weird.

But things are relatively back to normalness. On a completely unrelated note, I finally got to see Legally Blonde last night, which I enjoyed, except for Reese Witherspoon's increasingly poofy hair (no self-respecting sorority girl would be that poofy in 2001, let me tell you.) Tonight, I'm going to attempt to see Tick, Tick... Boom, which is Jonathan Larsen's new/old play (written before both Rent and his death, obviously, but just released off-Broadway.) So. Yeah.

Thursday, September 13, 2001

I don't have much to say except that I am okay. Thank you to everyone who e-mailed or tried to call. Being without a landline or e-mail, it has been sort of maddening and frustruating and scary, but I am okay, and most of the people I know are okay. Though somewhat stuck in Brooklyn, but at least I was able to make it back here from Manhattan on Tuesday night. I hope you are all okay too.

Thursday, September 10, 2001

Possibly the best (or worst) thing about awards shows like the VMAs are catty recaps. This one ignores what I thought was one of the funnier moments of the night: Julia Stiles and Chris Kattan's "interpretive dance." Silly, nonsensical, and wildly amusing, it was a highlight -- I love when people don't take themselves too seriously. And while I was never a huge Julia Stiles fan before, I think she rocked for getting up there and prancing around for laughs. Much better than Britney's hyper-serious performance (what was up with the snake?)

I love Obscure Store for regularly pointing out that in this crazy-mixed-up world, people still know how to do the right thing. Okay, I also love it for it's wide array of bathroom humor.

Awwww. Pam and Judd from Real World San Francisco get hitched. Was Puck invited?

So, if the Video Music Awards have taught us anything (yes, it's a stretch, I know), we can safely assume that A) hats are in, and B) there will probably be some Britney backlash due to the ridiculously blatant lip-synching to that hideously awful song. I mean, teen fans will only put up with so much, and with Alien Ant Farm's "Smooth Criminal" being so catchy and all, well... Let's just say it might be time for a changing of the guard.

Good read, good read! Not that I'm first on this, by a long shot (I'll get in line behind both the Pulitzer Prize board and Leanne) but Michael Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay is truly one of the best books I've read in a long, long time. Extra bonus: It's about comic books!

So I chewed down all my nails in anxiety for the first set of the Hewitt-Sampras US Open final and -- as rough as it was to root against Pete -- cheered on cute Lleyton Hewitt to his win. The reason (before you Sampras fans send me hate mail): I had made a bet over who would be the victor, and if Sampras had prevailed (though I just didn't think he could take one more grueling match) I would have been hefting soccer gear to several games, rather embarrassingly I imagine. However, Hewitt ran around the court like a madman and I prevailed, and so am now am waiting my victory prize. E-mail me if you want to know what it is. Isn't gambling fun?

Thursday, September 6, 2001

I gotta agree. (Incindentally, "gotta" is also on my banned-words list, but I'm making this little exception because I'm talking about the Bronx. So, therefore, appropriate.) There is no way Danny Alamonte didn't know he wasn't 12. Now I'm sure they told him to just go along with it, and I'm not saying he had the ability to realize what was going on, but he had to know. I mean, it's not until you get to be around that age that you can really pass for a little younger. (For example, you can pick the 4-year-old out of a group of 2-year-olds. Or the 10-year-old out of a group of 8-year-olds.) So this age-changing thing had to be a relatively recent thing. I just feel bad for them all. Although admittedly, you know how I love a good scandal.

Blah, blah, blah. Here is cutesy-wutsey article about Rhett and his fashion model girlfriend, via Catherine (unforgiving article moment: the writer uses the term "galpal" which, if I were editor in chief would definitely be on my banned word list.) But. Anyway. Fashionista/style maven Simon Doonan declares in this week's Observer that models are SO out. So there.

Tuesday, September 4, 2001

I'm with Linnea on the hilarity of the Janet Reno Dance Party on SNL, but I don't think they could top the episode where Janet Reno was actually on the show. They showed it on a rerun last weekend and I laughed myself silly. When she burst through the wall, it was priceless. And the resemblance between her and Will Ferrell is uncanny. It is a classic moment on television, I tell you. But I think sometimes it's better to stop when you're so, so far ahead.

I am SO behind on this whole state quarter thing! (My map was temporarily lost in the move. It happens.) Turns out they're up to Vermont already. Rhode Island is SO last May. Also, I barely have any from the Denver mint (we just get Philadelphia mint ones here -- look on the front of your quarter for a little "D" or "P") so if you west coasters could keep an eye out for me, I'd be appreciative.

Have I told you I've taken up knitting?

This weekend I, with Amy's helpful supervision I hope (since I have never painted anything well in my life), will be painting our front door with Crayola chalkboard paint. How cool is that? Please come over and color on it.

Price, schmice. I think someone might be required to buy me this nice bag because we have the same name. I mean, how often does that happen? [For reasons unknown, this link insists on taking you to shoes. However. There is a new Kate Spade "Betsy" bag for a mere $515 available elsewhere on site. Christmas is only four months away, you know.]

I just got my first Rhode Island quarter! Though I've been a bit lax about updating my State Quarter Map lately (I don't even have North Carolina—so keep an eye out), this might get me back into the ball game.

A few things: A) I hate, hate, hate when you write an entire, witty, amusing, intelligent pita entry and your computer inexplicably freezes and all is lost. B) I can't believe no one wrote in to say they would act like a kid for an afternoon and go to TRL!?! (Holly? Nate? Anyone?) C) I may have not gone somewhere exciting this weekend, like Seattle, or Burning Man, or Canada, but I did manage to make it down to the beach, and thus was not able to update my pita, to answer the threatening messages left by some adventuresome travelers telling me that other (supposedly cooler) people had updated their pitas but I had not. To which I say: pffffblt!

I did manage to win $60 after playing a few dollars in the nickel slots in Atlantic City, which might not seem like much to some of you richer folk, but it is free money! Free money! Only in America, kids.

I'm making a Labor Day Resolution to provide many more interesting and informative links and much less personal commentary about, say, gambling or TRL, but my plan was thwarted by the crashing computer. However, I would like to have a moment of silence for the great film critic Pauline Kael, who died on Monday.

Also, I heard on the radio this morning that Justin and Britney got engaged. Though I didn't see any corresponding articles on this rather slow gossip news day (must be the holiday weekend.) Stay tuned.