Um, Oops.

Dear God, it's been nearly 2 weeks since I last updated. I was packing, then I moved, and work has been crazy, and now we finally have internet access at home, but I'm going away for a long weekend, so, um, look for updates again towards the middle of next week.
Tuesday, August 14, 2001 02:17 p.m.

Xanadu!
The greatest hotel/casino never built in Las Vegas. And the strip is way poorer for it. How many modern-day ziggurats do we have? Not nearly enough, I'd say. Sadly, Martin Stern, who was the architect for much of the strip's look in the 1960s died this weekend. I'm so impressed with the Xanadu drawings that I made the artist's rendering of the atrium into my new wallpaper. Via blather.
Friday, August 3, 2001 12:59 p.m.

Lists of 7 Things
Alice is like a one-woman To-Do List Magazine.
Friday, August 3, 2001 12:57 p.m.

David Byrne + Windows XP = Perfect Together?
Apparently so. His Strangeness' song "Like Humans Do" will play the first time Windows Media Player is started up on the system. Those of you who are privileged to have your very own copy of Matt's latest mix CD know how good that song is. Via boing boing.
Friday, August 3, 2001 12:56 p.m.

Matt Groening's Favourite Episodes
Does this require extra commentary? Anything to do with The Simpsons is always going to be funny. Via listen missy.
Friday, August 3, 2001 12:54 p.m.

Bridget Jones: Unreliable Narrator
I love Bridget Jones. I love her diaries, and I love to cringe along with her escapades of humiliation and outrage. The first book is on my Reread When Grouchy, Grumpy, or Too Sad to Talk Shelf. When pressed to explain why I, an anti-Rules feminist with a very low tolerance for depictions of women as helpless, hapless fools (see: Dr. T and The Women), am so fond of Bridget and all her quirks and insecurities, I say that I've never once believed that Bridget was as hopeless as she made herself out to be in her diary. Rita Hao sums it up in this tidy, eloquent package, which you should go read in its entirety: "You can't trust what Bridget Jones is saying. The Bridget Jones of Bridget Jones's Diary isn't the real Bridget Jones. It's what Bridget Jones is afraid Bridget Jones is like. That's because what we're reading is her diary. By its nature, a diary is paranoid and self-centered and puts forth what is never a particularly objective point of view. My guess is that the Bridget Jones who exists outside of the diary is probably absolutely nothing like her diary's version. The actual Bridget Jones is probably quite competent at her job, handles herself with poise and aplomb, and is probably not nearly as irritatingly self-centered as you'd think. She's probably just like you and me." Once again, with four-part harmony & feeling: thank you, Bitch magazine!
Wednesday, August 1, 2001 01:17 p.m.

BUST's Grrrly Wire News
I wish they updated more frequently, because the news they post is stuff that isn't given front-page coverage elsewhere, and because their headlines are hilarious.
Wednesday, August 1, 2001 01:16 p.m.

The Bish Is Back!
Or, he will be, at some point today. Keep hitting refresh, and something new will turn up eventually.
Wednesday, August 1, 2001 01:15 p.m.

Tom & Nicole: They Really Mean It
Boy, does Tom want out of that marriage. His motion to have their divorce fast-tracked has been approved, and the Cruise-Kidman marriage will be officially dissolved by next Wednesday. The rush job really makes me wonder: Did Tom get a directive from the honchos at Scientology Central to dissolve the marriage? Did he catch Nicole in a really sordid affair? I'm not buying her whole "I'm as shocked as the rest of you" line, but Tom's overwhelming, cryptic mum-ness about the whole thing has me thinking that something really bizarre went down in that relationship.
Wednesday, August 1, 2001 01:09 p.m.

All About Levittown
I just finished reading The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. What an amazing book -- it's funny, absorbing, touching, heartbreaking, clever, and had me running for the dictionary several times -- made more amazing by Michael Chabon's attention to historical detail. A prime example is his accurate representation of a Levittown-style housing development on Long Island in the last third of the novel. He credits the above link with providing him with much of his information on the look and feel of post-World War II insta-towns. Good stuff.
Tuesday, July 31, 2001 09:40 p.m.

Killer MRI
This is genuinely bizarre, and really sad: a 6 year-old boy had a routine MRI, during which a canister of oxygen was magnetized, flew across the room, and struck him on the head. He died several days later of blunt head trauma. Why do certain things get dangerously magnetized during MRIs, but not others? I've had at least ten MRIs done over the last few years, and many of these were done with several items of jewelry (including my nosering) on my person. Never once have I suffered any ill effects, and not once has the jewelry interfered with the image quality. And why the hell was an oxygen canister in an MRI room, anyway?
Tuesday, July 31, 2001 09:05 p.m.

All Museums, All The Time
This massive index of museum-related articles at the Times is a trove of useful & interesting information. There are exhibit reviews, rundowns of museums on a city-by-city basis, and mini-photo essays. I have to take issue, though, with the site's discussion of Philadelphia museums -- where's Eastern State Penitentiary? The Mummers Museum? The Rosenbach Museum? Dudes, do your homework.
Tuesday, July 31, 2001 08:58 p.m.

April's Mean Zine
April wants you to talk some shit about some really odious celebrities so she can publish it in her new zine. I think that's a fine idea. I've been known to make fun of the celebs every now and then. You can get some good ideas for lesser known piles of famous crud (because taking potshots at Mariah Carey is just too easy, especially now that she's been hospitalized for "exhuastion") at the Fametracker boards, once they're back up. In the meantime, flip through a few issues of US, People, or InStyle for some ideas, then get to work on your screed!
Monday, July 30, 2001 09:24 p.m.

A Gross Oversight
I can't believe that Rock That Uke!, a documentary about ukelele enthusiasts & players, will not feature a profile of Mr. Stephin Merritt, ukelele lover & player extraordinaire. It still looks pretty cool, though.
Monday, July 30, 2001 09:22 p.m.

Music Lust
Lee's got some new reviews up in Latest Flames. Check 'em out, then head for the record shop. Or not, if you're me. Sigh. Being good is no fun.
Monday, July 30, 2001 09:21 p.m.

Snout! Snout! Let It All Out!
I love a good parody song, and a good food song, so good food parody songs are just my cup of tea. (Or is that the cream in my coffee? Buh-dum-bump! Thank you folks, I'll be here all week.) So it only makes sense that two parody songs about pork products would cause me to giggle uncontrollably in the library the other evening, wouldn't it? If you like the above Tears for Fears parody, be sure to check out Porknsuch.com's answer to "Like a Sturgeon," "Lucky Ham". Hee!
Monday, July 30, 2001 09:17 p.m.