Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Night of revelations!

Charlie and Cara's friend Max was DJing at Enid's on Friday and I was into it so I went.

Nowadays Justine has moved on to bigger things, but back in 1998 she and this guy James drove my car from New York to Santa Cruz for me. They were on their way to San Francisco where James was hoping to sell a bunch of dead-stock shoes at Buffalo Exchange. He made $500. Remember when $500 made it worth driving across the country in December and the only Buffalo Exchange was in San Francisco?



It was unusual for me to see Josh in Brooklyn, but mostly because it's unusual for me to go to Brooklyn. Oh, P.S.: If you have been missing out on HUGS Monday nights you are missing things like: two different versions of "Hounds of Love" and "Beautiful Girl" in one night, Collie Buddz, "The Obvious Child" and multiple songs from Graceland every night, Superchunk, plus I got Andrew to play "I'ma Flirt" even though (he claimed) it's banned by Lit security. What are you waiting for!

I took this photo and Cara said, "that's a good one, I can tell." Cara is psychic! Also, she stopped someone from getting into a fight with the police!

Then it got late.

Charlie didn't get rabies.

The next day Charlie and I saw "Eastern Promises" which was just great. I don't want to give too much away but if you are one of those people who's been waiting for Viggo to blaze a dude on-screen since he had that close friendship with the elf in "Lord of the Rings," well... I still think you're weird but I guess I can understand you now.

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Video special!

It was my dad's birthday and we had dinner at this Indian restaurant with many vegan options, because my sisters are both vegan. Drama central! But this is funny:



I am having a contest: try to explain what's happening in this conversation. It might be hard because my sister N. likes to be the center of attention so she keeps putting her hand in front of the camera, but it's worth it! Here's a clue: my dad is right!

Okay, more later. Such as: I have another video that features my sister E. explaining how she can tell when things have been made in China just by looking at them!

Friday, September 21, 2007

Can you even believe these exist?

It's like a regular hedgehog plus a baby rabbit -- no big deal!

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Like robot eyes and burl art

After my dad told me he'd googled me (his defense: "I google everyone now!") I stopped feeling bad about looking up people I shouldn't really be curious about. So, earlier this week I googled my late 90s/early 00s-era ex. I see him from time to time because he goes to my university, but I guess I was wondering what the rest of the world thought of him. I already knew that there are like 12 other guys with his name (including an ex-member of Mannheim Steamroller), but what I didn't know was that there's another guy with his name who (also) lives in Brooklyn and (also) writes for an obscure magazine.

But the weirdest part is, there was a picture of the name-alike on the column, and even though I totally knew that the picture wasn't of my ex -- they were both white, with dirty blond hair, but no other resemblance -- I couldn't quite believe it. I kept looking at the picture trying to recognize it! It was pretty uncanny.

In other news, my students in the class I teach (not the class I T.A.) have been calling me either "Professor" or "Miss" in emails. I told them to call me "Zoe," I swear! If I tell them not to call me "Miss," I guess I have to tell them they shouldn't really call me "Professor" either, right?

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

The big questions

I'm eating and apple and it tastes like vanilla! Does this mean I have brain damage, or could it just be a vanilla-y apple?

I'm at school, and there's a guy at the table next to mine who keeps grunting -- like, I guess he has some kind of grunting tic? Tourettes? I know this is rude but the grunting is really distracting. It's like a little "mmh! mmh!" grunt. And then after every few grunts he coughs.

He totally sat down at that table after I was already there, too.

OMG, I'm a terrible person, right?

Monday, September 17, 2007

For the public

Dear everyone,

Kombucha is on sale -- 2 for $5.00!!! -- at Fairway! Go get lots! The "Green" flavor is the best, and the ginger one is pretty good too!

But make sure you check the expiration date, because if you don't, no one else is going to do it for you!! That's just the way of the world!!!

Love,
Zoe

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Too much too young

I should be cleaning my apartment but "Superman Returns" is on TV. Lois Lane is rocketing toward space AS WE SPEAK. I love Superman!!!!

Do you ever worry that you've already peaked? Andrew and I were talking about this on Friday. Mostly, we were talking about this girl we both knew in high school from going to shows. Her zine was the Zine of the Month in Sassy one month, and she was in a band that opened for [a mid-90s "twee" pop band]**. After high school she moved to London, and that was basically the last I heard of her. Through friends I know that she has another zine and sometimes DJs 60s girlpop and Japanese 60s girlpop around London, and she looks the same, down to her haircut!

Anyway, Andrew says he looks at her myspace page sometimes and gets a total "revenge of the nerds" sensation. I guess I slightly worry that I am her. I mean, what have I done lately? How does it compare to how much I used to do? Are the things I make as good as they used to be? Is my gear as fresh? I know I don't really have as good taste in music as I used to, but do I at least have as good taste in general? I mean, I feel like I'm making progress, but am I really pushing things forward? Or, have I peaked? Also, do other people worry about this too, or is it just me?

OMFG Superman's kid is so adorable. He's like a cartoon baby animal!

** P.S. I suddenly got scared that this would show up in google searches for the band in question, because who else is creating internet content about them these days? So, I'm omitting the name, not that anyone cares about them anyway. Blogging is so much responsibility!

And a french braid

My shoulder still totally hurts -- last night I started to think the pain was going to cause a blood clot to form, and then the blood clot would break free and travel to my brain and cause a brain aneurism! To tell the truth it's still a worry in the back of my brain (no pun intended!!), so I'm trying to stick by more populated areas in case of emergency.

Here is my to-do list for today:
  • Buy coffee from Porto Rico Coffee Company
  • Buy backpack
  • Buy groceries from Trader Joe's including papadum chips
  • Clean apartment
  • Finish grading papers for tomorrow
  • Figure out lesson plan for tomorrow night
  • Make essay assignment sheet
  • Do reading for art history class (topic: panorama culture)
  • Pilates DVD + major walk (no time for gym!)
Sorry if that was excruciatingly boring for you, the reader. Some things are just like that! Here are some pics from when Delia was here:

It's weird, I didn't notice Eddie was wearing that pizza hat and Mets shirt.


Saturday, September 15, 2007

Crosstown report

  1. Vommed in my mouth just a little at the popcorn smell from the Loews on 11th Street!
  2. How come dudes think it's a good idea to talk to me if I'm listening to my ipod and reading on the subway? Awkward!
  3. How come dudes think I can hear them talking to me when I'm listening to My Chemical Romance on my ipod walking up Broadway? Brutal!
  4. Should I get a backpack? My shoulder hurts already. No joke!
  5. Some people don't know how to ride on elevators. Yikes!

To summarize, no one knows how to live their lives anymore.

This is confusing, but...






...I will continue to investigate.

Thursday, September 13, 2007

obvious resemblance!

my dad: I went to temple today.

me: You did???

my dad: Yeah, the Temple of Dendur!
















talkin' bout

Aporia
Antinomy
Epistemic violence
The differend
Force of law
Interpellate
Egg salad sandwich

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Next time: those new lit-up glass bus shelters.

Whoa I am so excited for fall TV. Everywhere I go (aka the street and the subway) I am reminded of this fact. "Gossip Girl"!!!!! Jason Priestly on Lifetime?!?!?!?!!!! It's a golden age that we live in. Also, that new show with Tim Gunn!!!! How can I be on that? (Also how can he expect everyone to only have ten items of clothing in their closet?) Also also, I keep postponing canceling HBO because I still haven't watched the Justin Timberlake special. But I don't really feel like watching the special at this time of my life, and I don't really feel like paying for HBO either! It's a real antinomian situation.

Monday, September 10, 2007

Fall Preview: The Arts

Here is a mass email I just got this morning from Mango. Did you know they're opening a Mango in SoHo? Okay, here is the email:
Layering is the key to creating carefree silhouettes. Low-waisted garments and knitwear create one of the main looks in this collection. The main accessories are an updated version of traditional Dr. Martens boots, combined with oversized woollen berets.
This automatically makes me think of think of the 1990/91 collections of both Limited Too and Eva Joia by Gitano -- you know, tween fashions.

Here are the new stores that have opened recently or are opening this fall in NYC that I'm most ambivalent-yet-intrigued about:
  • Pinkberry
    Concerns: Hard to complain, but awfulness of Spring St. store proves that NYC has turned into a less pretty version of Studio City.

  • Mango
    Concerns: Dresses that seemed cute when only available in London and Canada may not when everybody has one. Plus, combat boots and oversize berets.

  • Chipotle @ B'way and 111th
    Concerns: I just wonder if there's enough room for everyone to sit.

  • Muji Times Square
    Concerns: Many people carrying cardboard shelves on subway.

Taking one for the team

So, this is the first weekend since April where the ratio of how-much-I-am-down-to-hang to how-busy-I-am has moved from its usual 4:1 to practically a 1:1. I don't even want to imagine getting myself into a sitch where I'd be too busy to be down.

Anyway, no one cares about why I'm so busy, but maybe you will be interested to know that my old pal Delia just moved back to the States after six (or maybe a million) years of good times, leisure, and I guess some experiments on the brains of mice and rats in exotic Germany. At the end of this week she is moving away for graduate school on the West Coast, and on Tuesday Eddie is going out of town for a while, so there's a partying/good times emergency situation going on right now.

Last night was an old buddy reunion with me, Delia, Eddie and Eli. We all went to school together starting when we were four -- no joke. Eli is an Orthodox Jew now and lives in Jerusalem, where he is probs. about to become a settler, which is kind of a bummer, but last night was pure good times. I think we mostly just talked about what our third grade classrooms looked like and how the saran wrap on the chocolate chip cookies in the cafeteria smelled.

Then tonight Eddie and I met up with Delia on the 6th Ave platform of the L Train (I love mid-trip subway dates) and we went to a party at Micah's house. Here's what's weird though: it was a "tastemaker" party sponsored by Smirnoff Ice. There were all these cases of Smirnoff Ice, plus huge trays of mac n cheese, collard greens, and banana pudding (??). Plus people taking pictures of all of us shaping trends and holding bottles. After we couldn't drink any more Smirnoff Ice, we went to get beers and then headed for the train. Delia found a bunch of pink Bruce Nauman posters from Dia on a bench on the L platform, and she and I rolled them into tubes and spent most of the ride uptown listening to each other make experimental tube-noises. Then I got home and got my period!

Friday, September 7, 2007

Potatopourri

Here are some boring things that happened this week, not in the order that they happened:

1. I tried to pick classes. First I thought I was going to take a television writing class, an art history class, and an anthropology class, but now I think I'm taking a history class ("The Voice of the Witness: Testimony in Literature, History and Law") and a film class ("The Documentary Tradition"). Only two classes! That's so crazy. But not lazy -- I have lots of other things to do, ok?

2. While I was picking classes I went to one called "Latina Feminist Theory" (I had reasons) and then met with the professor afterwards. It started out okay, but then I said "reality" and the professor was like "whoa, 'reality'? Don't you know that 'reality' is always mediated?" Then she drew a picture of a frame on the notepad on her desk. I was so annoyed! I wanted to be like, "I said '"reality,"' not 'reality.'" Actually, I think I did say that, but she was on a roll. After I met with her I tried to get past my annoyance for a whole day! But finally I just gave in to the fact that I hate her now for doing that.

3. I totally haven't left my neighb. since Monday! Not even to go to the gym. Sick! Next week, it's ON, every night -- that means gym plus booze. Seriously.

4. In related news, I've decided that I'm moving in December or January. Seriously. My apartment is too expensive to be worth it, and I don't like living up by school anyway. I want to be free! And, even though I hate all that New York has become in general, I don't think that means I have to be constantly bummed out about living here. So, this is a record of my decision. Here it is, decided by me now. Amen.

5. My new students are cute and they seem smart. I always say that. Actually, they don't seem that smart, but they seem street-smart, and I don't think any of them are going to try to cross me. We'll see, though. I've decided to be totally low-stress about this semester. Under "policies" on my syllabus it just says "Don't cross me, and everything's cool. No big deal."

Sunday, September 2, 2007

Lady

On my way to the subway by my house there are always guys selling DVDs, purses, etc. Tonight there was a dude who kept waving a handful of sunglasses at everyone who walked by. But then when I got there he waved around a Dave Matthews Band CD instead. BURN!!!

Life is so hard vol. 1

On Friday I went to get a bikini wax and as I left my building my doorman said, "go around the corner! They're giving away free energy drinks!" He was really adamant. I got one and then went to the salon, and then afterwards I realized I didn't have my wallet with me! I explained the situation to the girl at the salon's front counter, and she seemed kind of baffled so I offered to leave my iPod as collateral, which satisfied her. So, I had to run home, get a SECOND free energy drink, put the energy drinks in my fridge, go and get an iced coffee, and then go back to the salon. The whole thing would have been less tedious if I'd had my iPod to listen to, I gotta say.

Anyway, the point is that just now I was feeling too lazy to either make or buy coffee so I cracked one of those energy drinks, and it's so gross. It has so much caffeine that I can taste it. The taste is like cigarettes plus mouth wash, in case you don't know, and it feels like it should burn even though it doesn't. I guess if you don't have the "energy" to make a pot of coffee though, you totally deserve what you get.