08 January 2010
06 January 2010
Smart Bio by Olivia Judson
"A Tale of Two Flagella" via NYTimes Opinion
"A Gazillion Tiny Avatars" via ditto
"Betting on Copenhagen" via ditto
04 January 2010
OMG, BSC.
So I'm lolling around in bed, ostensibly catching up on the news and actually half-watching episodes of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and come upon this. I mean, THIS:
Ann N. Martin is, after years of inactivity re: The Baby-Sitter's Club series, coming out with a 224-page prequel, or, as Kim Hutt aptly notes on her blog, "what claudia wore," a Super Special. This makes me wonder what ANM has been up to all of these years, though all it could amount to might be a break (she wrote the first 60 of the 213 book series) or perhaps going through each installment to line edit out any mention of Walkmens or scrunched tube socks.
More importantly than ANM's current occupations (which realistically probably have a lot more to do with siccing her lawyer batallion on leakers and squeekers than anything that I could construe) is whether or not a new generation of young girls is even going to be interested in reading these books. Surface-level updates aside, it sounds like the series isn't changing all that much, which makes me wonder if the trivialities (intricacies?) of Kristy not wanting to wear dresses and Dawn crushing on a ninth-grader - hard - will even be able to hold a candle to today's pronounced romance that is Twilight, or even the Harry Potter series. Or if today's generation should care. Sappiness aside, aren't these books a little, well, patronizing? Even for 8-10 year-olds (who are the main age demographic that the new ones are aimed at)?
Gender marketing issues aside, I'm excited to see how these books "do" which, by most modern standards means how many copies will sell. But what I'm looking for, what'll convince me that the BSC is officially back, is when one particular kick-ass little girl that I know actually wants to recount or talk about the stories themselves. Even if she's saying that they suck.
---
Explanations, Breaks, and Personality Makeovers: A Babysitter's Club Revamp Wishlist via Jezebel.com
Comeback Planned for Girls' Book Series via NYTimes.com
Ann N. Martin is, after years of inactivity re: The Baby-Sitter's Club series, coming out with a 224-page prequel, or, as Kim Hutt aptly notes on her blog, "what claudia wore," a Super Special. This makes me wonder what ANM has been up to all of these years, though all it could amount to might be a break (she wrote the first 60 of the 213 book series) or perhaps going through each installment to line edit out any mention of Walkmens or scrunched tube socks.
More importantly than ANM's current occupations (which realistically probably have a lot more to do with siccing her lawyer batallion on leakers and squeekers than anything that I could construe) is whether or not a new generation of young girls is even going to be interested in reading these books. Surface-level updates aside, it sounds like the series isn't changing all that much, which makes me wonder if the trivialities (intricacies?) of Kristy not wanting to wear dresses and Dawn crushing on a ninth-grader - hard - will even be able to hold a candle to today's pronounced romance that is Twilight, or even the Harry Potter series. Or if today's generation should care. Sappiness aside, aren't these books a little, well, patronizing? Even for 8-10 year-olds (who are the main age demographic that the new ones are aimed at)?
Gender marketing issues aside, I'm excited to see how these books "do" which, by most modern standards means how many copies will sell. But what I'm looking for, what'll convince me that the BSC is officially back, is when one particular kick-ass little girl that I know actually wants to recount or talk about the stories themselves. Even if she's saying that they suck.
---
Explanations, Breaks, and Personality Makeovers: A Babysitter's Club Revamp Wishlist via Jezebel.com
Comeback Planned for Girls' Book Series via NYTimes.com
15 December 2009
"i told cory to go to jam-i-zon, and he went"
[11:42:48 AM] Wah: i am currently reading a letter written to me by a 'BFF' from junior high while i was in costa rica for my dad's sabatical
[11:42:50 AM] Wah: it is HILARIOUS
[11:42:52 AM] Wah: yeah yeah it's perf being home
[11:43:34 AM] Alexandra Smith: oh my lord re: the letter.
[11:43:49 AM] Alexandra Smith: so good. does it profess undying and everlasting friendship 4-eva?
[11:44:31 AM] Wah: yes and the questions
[11:44:31 AM] Wah: i mean
[11:44:34 AM] Wah: i can't even express it
[11:45:25 AM] Alexandra Smith: yowza. like, "do you want to run away after school ends in may?"
[11:46:33 AM] Wah: like, here is a direct quote, "he went down my underwear, and didn't go like up, up. but he kind of went in. n-e ways i don't think you want to hear all the details.'
[11:46:44 AM] Wah: here is more:
[11:47:09 AM] Alexandra Smith: ohmygod, amazing.
[11:47:10 AM] Wah: 'one night i was so happy, because i told cory to go to jam-i-zon, and he went, but lauren and ashley took him from me and hung all over him, it really pissed me off, what bitches'
[11:47:14 AM] Wah: HAHAHAHA
[11:47:16 AM] Alexandra Smith: i am laughing out loud.
[11:47:17 AM] Wah: i can't throw these things away
[11:42:50 AM] Wah: it is HILARIOUS
[11:42:52 AM] Wah: yeah yeah it's perf being home
[11:43:34 AM] Alexandra Smith: oh my lord re: the letter.
[11:43:49 AM] Alexandra Smith: so good. does it profess undying and everlasting friendship 4-eva?
[11:44:31 AM] Wah: yes and the questions
[11:44:31 AM] Wah: i mean
[11:44:34 AM] Wah: i can't even express it
[11:45:25 AM] Alexandra Smith: yowza. like, "do you want to run away after school ends in may?"
[11:46:33 AM] Wah: like, here is a direct quote, "he went down my underwear, and didn't go like up, up. but he kind of went in. n-e ways i don't think you want to hear all the details.'
[11:46:44 AM] Wah: here is more:
[11:47:09 AM] Alexandra Smith: ohmygod, amazing.
[11:47:10 AM] Wah: 'one night i was so happy, because i told cory to go to jam-i-zon, and he went, but lauren and ashley took him from me and hung all over him, it really pissed me off, what bitches'
[11:47:14 AM] Wah: HAHAHAHA
[11:47:16 AM] Alexandra Smith: i am laughing out loud.
[11:47:17 AM] Wah: i can't throw these things away
16 October 2009
Friday Night
I'm sick. Sick enough to give up a chance to hear a great alt.-rock local band, Birds of Virginia, at a cool local venue, Cedar Cultural Center, at their CD release party with Starpusher, and a good friend. I'm sick enough to stay in on a Friday night, and sick enough to watch movies that I got from the local library (Dune, Aurora Borealis, 12 Angry Men, et. al.) and sick enough to get intimate with a whole free-range chicken that's de-thawing as I type, for soup.
I'm kind of glad I'm sick.
I'm kind of glad I'm sick.
03 September 2009
I feel this way about copywriting/creative services.
"The idea came up at the time when I was completely bereft of ideas. I'd been working on my own music for a while and was quite lost, actually. And I really appreciated someone coming along and saying, "Here's a specific problem — solve it.
The thing from the agency said, 'We want a piece of music that is inspiring, universal, blah- blah, da-da-da, optimistic, futuristic, sentimental, emotional,' this whole list of adjectives, and then at the bottom it said 'and it must be 31/4 seconds long.'
I thought this was so funny and an amazing thought to actually try to make a little piece of music. It's like making a tiny little jewel.
In fact, I made 84 pieces. I got completely into this world of tiny, tiny little pieces of music. I was so sensitive to microseconds at the end of this that it really broke a logjam in my own work. Then when I'd finished that and I went back to working with pieces that were like three minutes long, it seemed like oceans of time."
-Brian Eno on composing The Microsoft Sound
The thing from the agency said, 'We want a piece of music that is inspiring, universal, blah- blah, da-da-da, optimistic, futuristic, sentimental, emotional,' this whole list of adjectives, and then at the bottom it said 'and it must be 31/4 seconds long.'
I thought this was so funny and an amazing thought to actually try to make a little piece of music. It's like making a tiny little jewel.
In fact, I made 84 pieces. I got completely into this world of tiny, tiny little pieces of music. I was so sensitive to microseconds at the end of this that it really broke a logjam in my own work. Then when I'd finished that and I went back to working with pieces that were like three minutes long, it seemed like oceans of time."
-Brian Eno on composing The Microsoft Sound
28 August 2009
Jamie Gots a Job!
I wanna consume some of these healthy and rich-sounding deeelights! And after getting a lovely gift of a t-shirt from Uniqlo and now this (plus some other kind of phenomenal reasons) I kind of wish I was there to do just that this weekend.
***
Farmstead Cheese & Salamihomemade crackers, pickled quail eggp/a
Wood Fired Tart heirloom tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, marjoram
Shaved Market Vegetables toasted almonds, wild cilantro, honey-cayenne vinaigrette Watermelon Salad feta cheese, taggiasca olives, mint
Chicken Liver Mousse vinegar onions, pistachios
Oven Roasted Seppia cauliflower, harissa, sultanas, pine nuts
--------------------
Sweet Corn Ravioli jalapeño, bacon, sage
Black Pepper Tagliatelle cherry tomatoes, cranberry beans, basil
--------------------
Cast Iron Chicken $15
Long Island Fluke cucumbers, dilly beans, pumpkin seeds
Boneless Braised Short Ribs Maytag blue cheese, heirloom tomatoes, croutons
Red Wattle Country Chop fingerling potatoes, crème fraîche, dill
--------------------
Sides
Roasted Corn Salad cabbage, lime, parmesan
Roasted Beets horseradish
Wild Arugula shaved parmesanPork 'n Beans
*VHH via The New Yorker
***
Farmstead Cheese & Salamihomemade crackers, pickled quail eggp/a
Wood Fired Tart heirloom tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, marjoram
Shaved Market Vegetables toasted almonds, wild cilantro, honey-cayenne vinaigrette Watermelon Salad feta cheese, taggiasca olives, mint
Chicken Liver Mousse vinegar onions, pistachios
Oven Roasted Seppia cauliflower, harissa, sultanas, pine nuts
--------------------
Sweet Corn Ravioli jalapeño, bacon, sage
Black Pepper Tagliatelle cherry tomatoes, cranberry beans, basil
--------------------
Cast Iron Chicken $15
Long Island Fluke cucumbers, dilly beans, pumpkin seeds
Boneless Braised Short Ribs Maytag blue cheese, heirloom tomatoes, croutons
Red Wattle Country Chop fingerling potatoes, crème fraîche, dill
--------------------
Sides
Roasted Corn Salad cabbage, lime, parmesan
Roasted Beets horseradish
Wild Arugula shaved parmesanPork 'n Beans
*VHH via The New Yorker
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