July 2011
19 posts
1 tag
little mr. condescending graffiti artist needs to...
Oh, wait—is this a commentary on the debt ceiling debate? Whatever the meaning, I love how even the graffiti in New York City is aggressive, opinionated, and stylish.
On that note: Have a great weekend, everyone!
1 tag
tip: be a good friend for $1.43
I don’t do well in hot weather, and I caught myself turning into a one-woman Summer of Sam this weekend when people bumped into me. I CANNOT HANDLE THE EXTRA BODY HEAT, STRANGERS! (Oh, you didn’t hear? There was a heat wave.) I’m so glad I don’t live in Palm Springs … I’d never make friends and feel so sad when Coachella came around and I had no one to go...
4 tags
i look so "i'm a new york woman in my thirties" in...
I’m the one on my right. The other night, my sister Coco and I got dessert with the fam at Eataly, which is a supermarket that only sells foods that are a) local or b) from Italy. (Which, as my friend David points out, makes it “Italocavore.”) Eataly also has some really good restaurants—kinda like the food court of a shopping mall—but instead of Panda Express,...
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more joys of having a large irish catholic family
One of the joys of having a large Irish-Catholic family is that I have lots of cousins. This is great because cousins are “people who have to be my friend,” simply because our moms are sisters.
(In case any of my cousins are reading this: OK, maybe you don’t have to be my friend, but it’s likelier, given that we’ve been attending the same weddings for 30 years. And...
5 tags
in defense of miss piggy
Yesterday I mentioned my lifelong affection for Miss Piggy, and was reminded that she is a highly polarizing figure.
In particular I was struck by a comment from this man:
“I’d like to turn her into a BLT.”
Ouch.
It’s hard to think about, because I loved Miss Piggy. Still do. As a kid, I liked that she was a happy pig with pretty hair who wore pink lipstick and lavender-colored hats....
5 tags
fireworks are for everyone
This is embarrassing, but until July 4, 2011, I thought “setting off fireworks in your driveway” was something only pyromaniacs did.
I know, I know, but my excuse is that DIY fireworks are so illegal in Los Angeles and New York that it’s practically illegal to think about them. I assumed this was true everywhere else in the USA… until I stopped by a tent-with-fireworks-for-sale just outside...
4 tags
a real, stereotypical conversation in boston
Recently I went up to Boston to attend a birthday party for my uncle. I didn’t have much time to see the city because I was mostly with family. However, I did get to walk around Copley Square for an hour.
This is the transcript of an actual conversation that occurred while I was taking this photo of Trinity Church.
MAN WITH BOSTON ACCENT: Don’t go in there! They charge you. [He shakes his...
3 tags
the high line
I had a list of things to learn about this weekend, including: the War on Drugs, Ron Paul, and Michelle Bachmann. But instead, I walked over to the High Line to check out the new part (“Section 2”), which opened in June and looks a lot like the rest of the High Line, which is a good thing:
[Quick tangent: Do you ever think it’s amazing that we live in a world in which Michelle...
7 tags
people whose lives i love following
I’m really fired up about these blogs and hope you enjoy them as much as I do … if you aren’t already reading them!
1. Gubbi of Arabia: Expat Life in Dubai. A gal from Tennessee who moved to Dubai amid her quarterlife crisis. Four years later, she’s still there, still a fish-out-of-water (or whatever the desert version of that cliche is) and writes funny tales about life...
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7 ways to hate L.A.
This is a wild theory, but hear me out. If you hate Los Angeles, it’s probably your own fault. No one ever thinks about this when they inevitably slam L.A. So much easier to blame the city!
For years, I’ve kinda dreaded that moment when I have to tell people I’m from LA. Inevitably this triggers flashbacks of that time they were dragged to Mann’s Chinese Theater during a heat wave, or the OJ...
11 tags
seattle restaurant round-up (also titled: "so...
A critic of this blog has pointed out that I purport to want to leave my bubble, but often just prance around with progressives in other cities.
Today is not the day I prove her wrong.
That’s because I learned two important things yesterday:
1. Many of you really like Seattle a lot. 2. RockSprings and Away, Abaddon are in Seattle right now.
Clearly life is telling me to do a restaurant...
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cultural differences between seattle and the rest...
I had the good fortune to go to Seattle earlier this month for a wedding. Apparently, I gravitate toward people who get married near Sea-Tac. I’ve been there five times for weddings.
This one was at Golden Gardens, which is a beautiful beach surrounded by forest. (But not in Maine!)
If I lived in Seattle, I’d hang out at Golden Gardens at least once a week.
I’ve decided that...
1 tag
a joke from mom
My mom is adorable, especially when it comes to email. She doesn’t use words like email or forward as verbs. So, for example, when she wants to share a joke that her friend Jill sent her, instead of saying, “I’ll forward it to you,” she says, “I’ll put it on the machine.”
I love it.
I really want to put her picture here, but I have strict instructions from Mom to...
8 tags
PTMFBF: props to my fellow bloggers friday #1
I’ve always wanted to do one of those Friday round-up posts, but I never got my act together. Except this week I did. I wonder if I’m fueled by patriotism?!
Not only that but I clearly nailed the title.
What a week! Hope you had a good one. Here are some of my favorite reads:
* PoliticalProf explained why politicians lie. It’s so simple when you stop and read his post.
* I finally got an...
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the truth about "rhode island"
I went to Providence, Rhode Island last weekend for a wedding. I’m amazed by how little one can learn despite being there for 36 hours.
So little, and yet, so much.
Like the fact that—despite what I’ve believed my entire life—the state of Rhode Island is not actually called “Rhode Island.” It’s called The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.
Excuse...
4 tags
is it lame to not be a patriot?
I think I figured out my problem with America.
For years, I’ve been thinking of my country as an elder relative who should know better, who should have god-blessedly figured it out by now. But what I’ve realized is that even though she’s 235 years old, she’s basically a teenager in nation-years. America’s an impetuous, bratty adolescent who sometimes makes horrifically wrong...
