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August 27, 2006
Barry Manilow Moves Almost Less Than Dick Clark
Okay, I know this is mean, since Clark suffered a stroke and all...but, seriously, if Manilow has any more plastic surgery his face will be unable to move at all.
Have you ever moved? You know how you have a drawer or two full of Important Junk? You know how that junk is the hardest thing in your house to pack? Yeah, that's the drawer I'm dealing with right now. Except I've sold most of my furniture so I can't just hide it in a drawer anymore....
Must finish this arduous task. Then I can move onto the more interesting stuff - like rolling up my clothes and packing them. I'm really sick of this Verizon commercial. [/end rambling]
Posted by cj at 08:04 PM | Comments (0)
August 24, 2006
Lessons from Craigslist
1. Free stuff goes really, really fast.
2. Even if someone emails that "SHE HAS TO HAVE IT!!!!!" that doesn't mean she wants to pay your price or will actually buy it. It could be an unforseen circumstance, she could just change her mind. Either way, you're stuck with the item.
3. If you think too much about justice, you'll feel guilty for not making sure that the first person who emailed you gets the item. It can get ridiculous. Take my baker's rack: I had two people walk away from it and now have two other people who each think they're about to buy a piece of furniture. I'm anxious to sell it and move on to another part of my packing, and I worry about waiting until the person who was first in line can pick it up - the second person might not want it if the first person doesn't get it and then I'll be out $30. The fact that I'm still thinking about this proves how deep my anxiety runs (about moving and quitting my job and having no income).
4. This cycle will continue until you finish packing / get rid of all your stuff.
Posted by cj at 11:39 PM | Comments (1)
August 17, 2006
Fire Sale in Chicago!
Ok, I'm not really sure what a fire sale is; but in case you're in Chicago, check out Craigslist for some dirt cheap furniture and a stereo.
Getting ready for the big move to L.A., so I gotta get rid of everything. Sigh. And it felt so grown up to own furniture.
My beautiful, truly spacesaving kitchen table.
Loveseat. Still feel akward calling it my own, even though it was given to me about a year ago.
Posted by cj at 10:45 PM | Comments (0)
August 13, 2006
Esther Snyder, In-N-Out Burger Founder, Dies at 86
The best fast food restaurant in the history of this country has lost its founders. Esther Snyder co-founded the chain with her husband, Harry Snyder, in 1948.
The family, though rich in good business practices - including using fresh ingredients and paying all of its workers a living wage - is also brimming with personal tragedy.
Harry died in 1976. One son, Rich, died in a plane crash in 1993. Their other son, Gary, died of an accidental drug overdose in 1999.
And then this -
Mrs. Snyder was said to be in poor health, according to a lawsuit in January that accused her granddaughter of trying to force her out of the operation.May Esther rest in peace. If you've never had an In-N-Out burger, I assure you it is worth a trip to California, Arizona, or Nevada. Seriously - a double double and chocolate shake (fries are an acquired taste since they are pure potato, without any of the chemicals McDonald's uses to make theirs addictive) - is worth a trip to another state (or country).A lawyer for In-N-Out, Arnold Wensinger, said the suit contained inaccuracies. It was settled in May, and the terms were not disclosed.
"Esther Snyder, In-N-Out Burger Founder, Dies at 86," by the Associated Press in the NYT
Posted by cj at 03:47 PM | Comments (1)
August 11, 2006
Misogyny Writ Large
In the rush of films that were released around Xmas last year, I knew I could leave Woody Allen's newest for Netflix. After all, no matter how good the cinematography is, it looks perfectly large enough on my teevee. Little did I realize it would be a film that makes me disturbed to be alone.
A bit of warning - if you haven't seen Match Point yet, don't read this post. I usually try to leave a lot to the imagination when I comment on films, but I can't this time.
I admit that I was taken by the type casting - Jonathan Rhys-Meyers is one of my top ten screen candy, and having known someone who lusted after ScoJo, I was intrigued by the match.
But for the love of all things beautiful, could someone please start making movies that involve realistic female characters rather than "shameless blonde hussies" and "nagging shrews"? (Tip of the hat to Stephanie Zacharek for those descriptions in her Salon review of the movie.)
I am so sick of seeing the world through men's eyes. Male writers, male directors, male protagonists. This wouldn't bother me so much if they cared as much about the female characters as they do their males screen gods. I remembered that both Ebert and the NYT loved this movie; I remembered that a coworker also enjoyed it. So I was surprised at my revulsion. It's not that I need ultra-pure morality in film to enjoy it. I appreciate looking at the dark side of life as much as the next person. But I cannot stand when women are used as the balls and chains clinging desperately to the men around them. I've been known to enjoy romantic comedies in my day, and I've enjoyed a chick lit book or two, but this is a whole new level of deprivation.
My fury is not caused by the fact that two murders are swept under the rug; that the murderer is only punished in his head. My problem is that every female character is 100% negative; and every man has to placate these women in order to get on with their good lives.
Allowing the murders to happen off screen carries on the general detachment the viewer is forced to have from the film, a fact pointed out in Keith Uhlich's review in Slant Magazine. But seriously - does every Allen-replacing-actor have to succumb to infidelity because of the shrieking hag he's married to? How bout changing up the formula a bit and allowing the women to screw around because their husbands can't keep it up?
When the movie made it's final turn off the cliff, I started wondering - am I the only one who sees the blatant misogyny in this film? I'm relieved to see that I'm not. But I'm also disturbed that venerable critics such as Ebert and A.O. Scott couldn't see past the slick images of London high society and read the writing on the wall.
rotten tomatoes entry for this decidedly rotten tomato.
Posted by cj at 09:12 PM | Comments (0)
August 08, 2006
rhapsody blows
really, really annoyed that rhapsody's server is down.
can't connect to the website. few times I can connect to the stand alone player, it wont actually play any songs - so it's useless.
Tell me again what I'm paying a monthly fee for. sigh.
In more positive music news, Dylan is releasing his first new album in five years, Modern Times. (Link sends you to a Sony pre-sale.)
and he's touring. and as usual, he aint comin to any big cities. arg.
Posted by cj at 10:56 PM | Comments (0)