catherine's pita

the onion's a.v. club rants against racism in alt-rock radio. which seems a little weird: i didn't know there *was* alt-rock radio. then again, i don't listen to the radio, so what do i know?

i wish i had more for you, but i've been busy doing things like crafting the perfect cover letter, deleting unnecessary words from my resume, wrapping christmas presents in the coolest imaginable wrapping paper, making last-minute mix tapes for jewish friends who belatedly announced their intention to give me gifts. i am slowly getting into the spirit. "south park" helped quite a bit. gotta love that christmas poo!

tuesday, december 21, 1999
it's a sickness, really: wall of sound's most overlooked albums of the year .

julia "butterfly" hill has finally come down from the tree in which she lived for two years in protest of something or other. i bet she doesn't know what to do with herself.

monday, december 20, 1999
sonicnet bestows its top ten albums lists, and who cares, but i have an addiction to lists, which means i must also link to npr's list of america's 100 most important musical works. and it's not even that satisfying, really, as a list. i mean, abc order? chumps. [leanne was crafty enough to find this first.]

you gotta love gotcha journalism. this time john mccain was the lucky victim.

while i'm on the campaign trail, was anyone else disgusted with al gore's obviously calculated performance on "meet the press" sunday? kudos to bill bradley for openly laughing at him (though bill could have handled the situation without all that "a campaign is about talking to the people, al" nonsense). do either of them even have the time to debate twice a week? and both wearing the same exact outfit!

if you often wonder whether it's right to consider the effectiveness of a panhandler's plea when deciding whether to reach into your pocket for some change (or further inconvenience yourself by having to dig in your bag for your wallet, open it, etc.), this site won't really help. it's kind of interesting though: run by pbs, it polls visitors to try to figure out the most effective strategies for panhandlers. i forget to what end, probably none for those who need it most: are the homeless going to attend a marketing seminar, really?

find a salvation army or a goodwill. give them your closetful of old clothes.

because some people read this page for beck news: tour dates!

wednesday, december 15, 1999
in the tradition of the blair witch project, another interesting marketing strategy, but this time for a non-independent release, man on the moon. it involves a supposedly "guerilla" postering campaign and of course a web site. it's kind of cool, actually, that universal pictures won't talk about it-andy would have approved. but it's kind of shady too, b/c they're trying to make people think it's an underground thing. and getting all the more press as a result.

the justice department is investigating mtv for possible antitrust violations, including demands for exclusive rights to air videos. videos? on mtv? naaaahhhhh....

do you find that your legs jerk right before you're about to fall asleep, because you think you're falling? me too! an an explanation, found by simcoe, from the good folks at discovery, who also explain a little about where fruit flies come from, but not why i find them swimming in my morning coffee cup when i come home at night.

tuesday, december 14, 1999
i'm afraid there's still no update: i'm a lot busier now that i'm unemployed (ha!) and have not had time to troll the web. i'm freelancing this week at cosmo. i hate eleven-hour workdays, but they're paying me well, so i will deal with the job leads unfollowed, christmas presents unbought, failing immune system, etc. the pita will be back next week. in the meantime, read the village voice package on homelessness, but do it now, b/c they update soon and i don't think they archive. i must off.

or...check out a a whole lotta top-10 lists by the music writers at salon.

wednesday, december 8, 1999
I am officially out of a job. This morning I was informed that Rodale Press has given up on New Woman magazine. If anyone has any info on New York area jobs, freelance or otherwise, in the editorial arena, please do email me.

tuesday, december 7, 1999
Yes, i know it's been a few days since i updated. But sometimes actual life gets in the way of pita-making. In this case, work. It might to take another day to get back up to full speed, so hang on. In the meantime, check out western homes, who's taken up the indie-rock slack in the wake of bring the rock's absence.

You might also be interested in learning a bit more about the media-news website planned by former editors of Spin and New York magazines. Sounds cool, except it looks like they want to charge for content. I'm sure media gossip, from whence this link came, will keep me informed just fine.

William Greider, say it ain't so!

Um, Jennifer Lopez has insured her body for one billion dollars. Publicity stunt or truly crazy celebrity? You decide.

Go ahead, vote for the name of the next decade. I voted for the Naughties, but you can also support other dumbass names including "the uh-ohs" and the "pre-teens." [via tiara]

thursday, december 2, 1999
Two millennial questions I'm sure you're dying to know the answers to: 1. Where will the millennium start? Well, apparently there are several locations that could lay claim to the title. It all has to do with a bendy international date line. 2. What will the next decade be called? It came to one guy on the subway: The Naughties. And now there's a website to advance the cause. Thank you, please drive through.

wednesday, december 1, 1999
Thanks to Lake Effect for pointing me to the following info-laden links on the WTO: First there's "What is the WTO?", which explains that the WTO advances free trade at virtually all costs, viewing countries' established laws (on human rights, environmentalism, labor) as unfair trade barriers and using sanctions to force them to change their laws. From there check out "A Citizen's Guide to the WTO," then try the WTO's faq to get their side. I think I might have a tiny idea what all the fuss is about now. Check here for a daily list of news stories.

Lest I disappoint any Pavement fans dying for confirmation of the breakup, it's here.

But there's hope for the future. Just last night I was listening toJuliana Hatfield's "Hey Babe," and today I discover that her previous band, the blake babies, are getting together to make another album. I'd say it's "wicked cool" (New England slang?) but I'm not that dorky.