thursday, january 30, 2003
look at this: daily updates! how ya like me now??

here's a really good story by david gallagher about mix cds. i myself wish i could make them all the time, especially for other people, because they're way more user-friendly than tapes (though the captive-audience aspect is appealing too). alas, i lack the equipment.

there's still something about tapes, though...and their impending death makes me sad. i mean, is it true that you can't get a cassette deck in cars anymore? (john reports that it is! UPDATE: eileen says not true, VWs still come with them.) that is abominable! also fun to read: the automatic mix-tape generator.

so, i have to admit: last night's american idol was good, too. what is happening to me? i love it! note: i hereby decree that when Nerdy-Cute Redhead Boy (Who Apparently Is Into Hair Dye and Likes Jon Secada and Peter Cetera, Good Lord), Token Punk Girl, and "Hercules! Hercules!" are eliminated, i stop watching. and buffy always trumps.

this is a fun story about an ice-yacht race that was a long time coming.

wednesday, january 29, 2003
man, craigslist is funny. someone posted a long screed urging singles to "signal" their interest in other singles by brushing their hand by their ear...twice. heeee. it has created some confusion on the missed connections board, which is funny to read now and then, in between the anti- and pro-hipster rants and faux literary crap. por ejemple:

„ I think someone "Signaled" me on the #4 train !!
„ where are my dogs at?
„ I'm gonna post until you answer me Catherine....
„ i had a confusing weekend, did you?
„ you were on smack when i interviewed you
„ a message from the commander of the williamsburg army
„ Ayn Rand really creams my twinkie

doctor defends branding of uterus with alma mater initials.

if you missed the first few american idol episodes, forget it. it's over. they're picking the finalists tonight, so no more horrible singers being shat upon; instead, horrible singers being taken seriously. check out some of the awful auditions. also worth noting: a five-year-old auditioned last night, surely incensing the litigious florida professor who was denied the opportunity for being too old.

big news of last week: i forgot to mention that the roommates and i, and certainly many of our neighbors, are rejoicing at the fact that the subway entrance on the north side of delancey is finally open, eight months behind schedule according to the ever-watchful lockhart steele. this means that not only do we save those valuable seconds, even minutes, that crossing delancey adds to one's commute, and not only can we indulge our laziness by taking the escalator (uh, when it works; it was busted sunday night, just like old times), but now, now we have totally clean, sparkling white tiles! wooooh!! so worth the wait!

tuesday, january 28, 2003

a look at loose fur from the jim o'rourke angle. [thanks, ange!]

britney, having walked out of a sundance screening, explains: "Sundance is weird. The movies are weird - you actually have to think about them when you watch them." [via gawker]

last night i began serious work on my top ten list. of course, it is far from done. in the meantime, how about this list of things i got at the virgin megastore today on my lunch break, in return for giving them the buffy season 2 dvd i received as a gift? here we go:

„ calla, "televise." i hadn't even read the whole article, just the teaser on the front page that suggested it was a contender for album of the year.
„hot hot heat ep. lucky leanne gets to see them tonight in san fran with the walkmen; here's hoping for pictures!
„ my morning jacket, "chocolate and ice" ep. it's 40 minutes! can't wait to see them again on saturday.
„ liars, "fins to make us more fish-like" ep. i just needed more.
„ "yeah yeah yeahs" self-titled ep. never thought much of their live shows. but i finally broke down and bought it after listening to it in the store and gasping, "oh my god, this is good." i think it'll sound great in my bedroom.

awesome photolog, via lightningfield.

have i mentioned sea of angels? lots of good links from a sharp l.a. girl. including this profile of the guy who runs sympathy for the record industry.

in other news, tamar's mom has declared my site "incomprehensible." score!

oh why not, i was there, i smiled, what the hey: official peanuts website. wormwise?

sunday, january 26, 2003
it's been very much one of those weekends where i lay around doing something close to nothing. but i am getting into "the little friend" and i need to get back to it. i only have a couple hours before i have to be at amy's for the ooooooh big superbowl. yeah. i'm there for holly's seven-layer dip. who's playing again? in the meantime here are some links i'd been saving up:

giant yellow drapes in central park? um, okay, sure! pretty!

obligatory comments on the weather: "feels like 1 degree," you know. the new york times is writing colorful weather stories as well as informative and interesting weather stories, even (good lord) editorials, and i feel the need to write about the goddamn weather on the pita. people are saying things like, "it's a balmy 17 degrees" or "you just can't get warm" and announcing to their immediate world how many layers they have on. some people even like to pontificate on how it is colder uptown, or in brooklyn. this must stop. this person agrees, humorously.

i agree, florida man! american idols should be all ages! come on, look at my own personal american idol, robert pollard. he's 45 and still rocking harder than most. which reminds me: gotta get that new motel of fools solo album.

did anybody else see that gangly giraffe flailing about on man vs. beast the other night? best.

The National Park Service is steamed over a commercial in which a park ranger pours a glass of Metamucil into Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park to help the geyser stay regular. heeeeee.

that last link via a small victory, found via east/west's in-depth analysis of the bloggie awards, which if you care about that sort of thing, which i emphatically do not because nobody nominated me (how?! am i not worthy?), are here. you can probably find some good sites there, such as this joss whedon blog i had no idea about.

wednesday, january 22, 2003

please note the following notable things about the book party last night at swim:
„ michaelangelo accepted my request that he take over dj duties from the bartender, armed with three of his own formidable mix cds and about eight discs i'd brought just in case. he loved it, and we loved it too.
„ jami sold all her books! good job, people!
„ jami looked so hot. also, she is all breast.
„ i met the trio of blogspotters i like to call the literary weblog girls. they so cute! i introduced them to fellow 75 or less scribe emcee bard, so that they could, you know, talk blogging. heh.
„ i screamed "ONEIDA!" only a couple of times, thankfully not to the member of oneida in attendance.
„ i heard that george wanted to "get on the pita." unfortunately i took no pictures of george. and so: george, we love you! next time do something stupid so i can have an anecdote for the pita.

tuesday, january 21, 2003
it's party time! and in case you were not aware, it's "authentically punk to publish a small book on a shoestring budget, to organize parties to promote your work, and to try and create a community around shared interests: reading, writing, punk rock, and getting drunk." so says neal pollack, anyway, who is being published by the same "house" as jami.

fuuuuck, the dismemberment plan are breaking up. i'm heartbroken. anyone who reads this page with any regularity knows they're one of my very favorite bands. so that sucks. there won't be a new album. but there will be a few more shows (peeps: get your bowery tickets now), a travis solo album, and a remix album. i guess we can be glad, in between sobs, that they never started to suck.

in happier news, did you know motor city has galaga? good lord, what a cool bar. i spent a good portion of my time there saturday night (and many many quarters) delightedly playing that game, screaming every time i died. so much better than ms. pac man. also i went around screaming "oneida!" at people in a screechy voice. it's fun to do that! some people did not get it.

friday, january 17, 2003

last night at local, jami and i were inspired by the snow and the urban prettiness. that girl clearly needs her own digicam. i also received my copy of the book, and it is so incredibly cool! buy lots of copies! you get a bookmark with it! we're having a big party at a cool bar on tuesday to celebrate. if you want details, drop a line, cause you're invited. it's going to seriously rock.

thursday, january 16, 2003
last night, after putting in the (required!) appearance at a work party , i went with stu to go see clem snide at tonic. they were excellent. lead singer eef barzelay, who tamar pointed out is "geek-hot," opened with this fantastic riff that was like: "thanks for coming out in the cold. we're going to play all new songs tonight, so just relax, take off your ski hat, slooowly unzip your coat, put aside your flonase, your sudafed, your [long list of drugs]...." i can't remember the rest of it, but it was really funny. and eef does this slow jumping dance that is really special. you should go see them. clem snide. not kidding. do it. yeah.

reports are mixed on whether or not this is true. however, it IS true that they reshot a gold dress on the fashion director's body, and another reliable source tells me it definitely is not kate's body. looks like it could be true.

i am so getting one of these cool computer-geek t-shirts. you know, cause they're girly shirts!

i want to snag bags from trees too! really a great fucking story; please print it out if you have a ridiculously short attention span and read it on the public trans. guy uses the word "noisome" and in fact makes me look up several other words; i think we should get married.

here is a really interesting blog from a student in china, one of many chinese blogs. via betsy, who is now featuring fantabulous photos.

the onion is killing (that's a cool old word for cool, by the way) this week. free condom harsh reminder of sexless existence (ho ho ho) and of course bush on north korea: 'we must invade iraq.'

yay! new york city will resume recycling plastic this summer. this means i can return to my life's work. wooh!

i was against gawker in the beginning because of its annoying self-importance and laughable insistence on calling itself a "weblog magazine." but i must admit, it is entertaining as hell. check out this amusing interview: the quest for the perfect coke dealer. my favorite quote: "i went on a date with someone from the internet, and i went to the suburbs. it was ridiculous."

alyson hannigan is engaged!! more information for buffy nerds: to wesley!! thanks fresh hell.

vampires in malawi, no shit?!

monday, january 13, 2003
so I borrowed tamar's copy of death cab for cutie's "you can play these songs with chords" and have been playing the shit out of it. it's a collection of demos, covers, and rarities, but incredibly compelling. i'd forgotten what a good band they are. basically they're very poetic, dreamy indiepop: exactly what i want when i want sad and beautiful.

finally! new update from one of my favorite websites ever on this earth: kempa! three cheers for barnes and noble stories and cool internetty stuff!

holy hot old guy! spike from "buffy" is 40 years old!! also for buffy fans: this interview with joss whedon. i find this bit quite interesting considering the current state of the show (though for the record, i think there are still flashes of brilliance in it):

"The best piece of advice [my father] ever gave me-he's written sitcoms exclusively-was, 'If you have a good story, you don't need jokes. If you don't have a good story, no amount of jokes can save you.' I'm not really that interested in jokes. I like the more dramatic stuff. But that tenet of 'the story is god' is the most important thing I could have learned."

news flash: this winter is dark and depressing.

thank you mayor bloomberg! i have been trying to tell my "american idol"-loving heathen roommates that we do not need to pay for cable, especially if there's a rate hike coming up, just to watch more stupid shit on tv. now mayor mike wisely points out, and i am in full agreement with this, that we can read books instead! or we can watch programs like the hilariously titled sandwiches that you will like," as we did yesterday. note: if you do not love the title "sandwiches that you will like," you and i are not on the same page, mkay?

last week i was having a real problem with boredom. this week i am attempting to not have that problem. helping out the situation is this tour diary from kid millions of oneida. i swear to god you should read it. also this trove of insanely cute flash games.

saturday, january 11, 2003
today i'm going to go record shopping to make myself feel better. first stop: sound and fury, which is closing. so sad. i only ever had one conversation with the guy in there (he advised me on my first white stripes purchase); the rest of the time he would timidly conduct our transactions as if i were going to bite his head off at any moment. but the selection is good and the walls are bright yellow and have art on them, and they're always playing something cool that i've never heard before. i think they shut their doors this weekend.

bushisms always make me smile. and they just keep coming!

check out this old, old pic from the college days, which shows the pulpy at 12 years old. heh.

wednesday, january 8, 2003
preorder deli life, people. it's jami's book about delis and people and the importance of egg-and-cheese sandwiches. with pictures by moi. buy it!

get up to $20 back from the evil price-fixing music industry if you purchased a "music product" between 1995 and 2000.

pet spider causes fights in florida prison.

sunday, january 5, 2003
i'm siiiiiiiick. it suuuuuuucks. i'm so not going to work tomorrow.

ha! robert altman thinks kids would have gone to see "gosford park" if he hadn't added obscenities to get an R rating. part of the times's best of 2002 package of stories. i am still working on my own year-end lists. i'm just going to keep telling you that.

my neighbor lockhartsteele.com's lower east side awards. new places to eat and drink! wooh!

capsule reviews are an art form.

thursday, january 2, 2003

the next day, after enjoying some extremely sweet bagels at the milways', we went and had luuuuunnnnnch with the pulpy and golden boy in wilmington on our way back to new york. monday we did some holiday returns, had drinks with former review heads cindy and mugsy at belmont, then saw some rock at mercury with leigh ann and jami. it wasn't actually the greatest music. but whatever. moving on...

tuesday we went to see adaptation, which i found underwhelming. the whole thing is way more interesting in concept than in execution (read: it was boring). then it was time to prepare for the new year's eve activities, which were fairly low-key this year. a few people came over for cocktails, then we went to southpaw to see ted leo and radio 4: so great. even scott was seen dancing. the champagne was good, and i had somebody to kiss at midnight! that never happens. later we went to michelle f.'s tri-level house party, where somebody took a funny video of me doin' the humpty dance. it IS supposed to look like a fit or a convulsion, you know. what can i say, i like my beats funky. i'm spunky. i like my oatmeal lumpy.

yesterday we all ate yummy breakfast burritos that even the san franciscans admitted were good. then we got some needed couch therapy. later on, john and leanne and i headed to queens in the rain for dinner at bill and heather's house. they had an endless parade of food: salad, bread, stuffed mushrooms, fettucine bolognese, chestnuts, and some chocolate melty thing with ice cream that was the best dessert i have had all year! (ha.) bill, in addition to teaching me the fine art of finger dancing (spread it!), also dumped several cds in my lap in a much-appreciated attempt to see "if there's any hope for you and electronic music." (we'll see.) anyway i mean it when i say: good times, good times.