We begin with Heidi's facebook status. What follows are the comments left.

Heidi is packing, laundering, showering, cleaning, throwing out, freaking out, and watching Kevin Kline in that movie where he's the president. 11:25am - 18 Comments

Nicole at 11:26am September 30
El Dorado?

(Get it? That's a joke because obviously she meant Dave).

Nicole at 11:26am September 30
Shoot. I should have said "Wild, Wild West"? BECAUSE I WOULD STILL BE RIGHT.

Ali at 11:29am September 30
The Big Chill?

Brian at 11:30am September 30
I believe the film in question is "Dave." A quirky look-a-like is put into the place of the President when the president falls into a coma, meanwhile Kevin Kline gets nasty with the First Lady. That's what I call a quality flick...

Brian at 11:36am September 30
He wasn't the president in Wild Wild West! Now, children, THIS is what's wrong with the country. Blatantly wrong fact checking...

Brian at 11:37am September 30
And not enough of an obsession with Kevin Kline films. Of course, I use the term film loosely, at least in the case of Wild Wild West.

Ali at 11:38am September 30
Wasn't he disguised as the president for about 3 minutes in an attempt to misdirect the evil deeds of Kenneth Branaugh?

Nicole at 11:46am September 30
You're an asshole, Brian. He played Ulysses S. Grant at the end of the movie.
SCHOOLED.

Rebecca at 12:12pm September 30
DAVE!

Eric at 12:29pm September 30
If I remember correctly, Sigourney Weaver's character makes some very morally questionable choices in that movie. I suppose it's all in the name of "love" and "character development".

Brian at 2:53pm September 30
I submit evidence A. IMDBitch it Yo!

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000177/

Heidi at 2:58pm September 30
Actually, Brian, if it doesn't count that he dresses up as Ulysses S. Grant, then it ALSO doesn't count in DAVE, since he spends the entire film "dressed" as the president, not AS the president. On on unrelated topic, it made me a little uncomfortable how sexy Kevin was in this movie. I mean, seriously ladies (and Eric), let's talk about that showe... Read Morer scene where Sigourney realizes he's not her husband because of his, well, you know....

Nicole at 3:00pm September 30
You guys are all idiots. Kevin Kline plays the real President at the beginning of Dave when he's banging Laura Linney on the floor and has a heart attack (spoiled!) And Kevin Kline plays Artemus pretending to be Grant AND Grant in the movie. He does. Trust me. I am having a movie watching party soon.

Nicole at 3:04pm September 30
PLEASE SEE THIS TRAILER FROM THE MOVIE AT 1:15 seconds in WHEN KEVIN KLINE IS FACE TO FACE WITH KEVIN KLINE.

Nicole at 3:05pm September 30
NOW I AM GOING TO ACTUALLY POST THE LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnNEtWtXsYs

Brian at 3:08pm September 30
After further review I submit that the character is playing at President, which is somewhat similar to the character in Dave playing at President... Therefore, I might, perforce, may have put my foot in my mouth. Le sigh. You were right, Nicole. How can I ever make it up to you? And to you, Ali, though I do not know you, I apologize for my ass... Read Morehole ways. All I can say is that I am disturbed with the impending vacancy of my lovely girlfriend.

Nicole at 3:09pm September 30
Also, here's a wikipedia plot summary where they point out that Grant and Gordon are in the same room quite a few times. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Wild_West_(film).

Brian, do you want to come over and watch Wild Wild West and cry about our mutual loss?

Brian at 3:15pm September 30
I would love to come over and watch Wild Wild West and cry. I'll bring the mac and cheese. Have you seen the Kevin Smith video I posted about Wild Wild West?

In the interest of full disclosure, I was 50% having fun and 50% really upset. I should also point out that Brian is Heidi's boyfriend and one of my absolute, favorite persons on this green earth.

Still, he's clearly an idiot.

I feel like I should be taking greater advantage of this laundromat internet situation but I've got nothing I want to talk about and there's nothing going on here.

Current thought:
American sitcoms don't have enough goofy sound fx.

Other thought:
Crushes are weird.

Like so, so weird.

/angela chase

You guys, I am writing this from the laundromat.

I realized I have internet connection here. Mind blown. I do not have to finish the book that I don't like or watch "So You Think You Can Dance" en espanol.

So now I'm blogging from the laundromat and gchatting with Elisabeth. This is how I spend 80% of my life but more exciting because I'm in a new location.

Oooh! Gotta go. Final spin.

Even though it's near work, I rarely go to Trader Joe's. Then I went last Monday with Polo, and it was a pretty great experience. I went back tonight and there was - like - no food. At a food store. Is that normal?

Anyway, I went in with the specific goal of buying a Spinach and Mushroom Quiche ($1.89!) to bring back to work to heat up in the microwave while I get stuff done. (Try not to be too jealous of my life). There were rows and rows of Mexican quiche but only ONE Spinach and Mushroom.

But the box was open.

Not broken. Just open. Like it might have been unglued from heat or something. I know you're not supposed to buy food that might have been tampered with but the plastic covering still looked all good. Anyway, I'm eating it now. I'm gonna be fine, right? Please leave your vote in the comment section.

Update:

Stephanie: it was some dude trying to get into the apartment with slushies

I love my life again.

Sometimes, I stop and think I really am living the adorable New York life I always dreamed I'd have: Manhattan (kind of) apartment above a pizza parlor with adorable, twenty-something lady-roommates, an eat-in kitchen and a craft room. Bookshelves!

And then...

Stephanie: Some one is trying to break into the apartment
Sent at 1:49 PM on Friday
me: ...
WHAT?
Stephanie: They keep banging on the door
and trying to stick a key in to open it
me: are they breaking in or knocking?
it's not breaking in if they knock
go look
Stephanie: They knocked for a little bit
and now they're just trying to break in
me: Stephanie, it could be the landlord
Stephanie - call someone or do something
Stephanie: I don't know what the landlord looks like
me: he's a large polish man
Stephanie: ok
hold on
me: yeah, I'm gonna do that.

Stephanie is offline. Messages you send will be delivered when Stephanie comes online.

We are not adorable and frequently are barely functional. We also might not all be alive anymore.

Does everyone remember these?

How to Host...

Do people still have them?

I always wanted to do one in high school but never did.

I think I might.

New Blue Plus headquarters, Central Park.

We are in the process of closing out the uptown theatre for the winter. Still, Blue Plus thought this was a good time to build themselves a new HQ in the House Right Vom.

Dear Mr. D (Dad),

There is a section on my blog where you can comment on my blog. It's the "comments" section. See below.

You don't have to post on my facebook wall. Those are different parts of the internet.

Love,
The Favorite

"No," by Brian Doyle, featured in The Kenyon Review, Spring 2008.

(via bookslut.com/blog)

My mom hates the Beatles. Don't worry, guys - she's still cool. Her feelings involve a very complicated turn of logic that include a particular appreciation for Davy Jones.

What this means is I never really listened to the Beatles growing up - except for the way their work has seeped so deeply into the fabric of popular culture that it's impossible to avoid. Anyway, I got to go away to college and "discover" the Beatles - and have it be a rebellious thing. My first year at Swells, I definitely spent at least one weekend on the floor of my dorm room, listening to their albums in chronological order, having borrowed them from the Wellesley Free Library. Good times.

We're listening to the "George Harrison" station on Pandora. It made me think of that.

Listen, listen, listen.

I used to listen to podcasts a lot when I was commuting. I don't anymore. I went home to my 'rentals house this weekend and had time on the train out of Hoboken (there's potential for a second entry here - if I wanted to go into my incredible, frightening, non-functional temper when it comes to unreliable public transportation). I listened to an old RadioLab podcast from March. See, you guys? I talk smack about science but I try to understand it. The topic that week was "(So Called) Life", focusing in the latter acts on bio-engineering. You think particle physics makes me nervous? We should talk about bio-engineering sometimes. Really, we should not.

Anyway - go listen to it. Now. They get particularly quirky after the first half-hour. ("FREEMAN DYSON") I like that Robert articulates the exact same fascinated terror that I'm feeling. And Jad is dreamy. Not just radio dreamy. Real life dreamy too.

I slept in late so I forgot to be worried this morning. Congratulations, Stephanie, on throwing yourself out of a plane and living to picture-message us about it.

I don't remember exactly why, but college radio came up in a conversation I had this past week. Since then, I've spent a significant portion of time thinking about the basement under Schneider, plaid couches, transmitters, boys in skinny ties, and seafood madness. Also, about the art of broadcast radio.

I have nothing specific to add to that, except a suffocating desire for a time machine. I will maybe be more thoughtful later.

I was just overwhelmed by the flash-memory that somewhere out there a very creepy music engineer has a roll of pictures taken while the e-board played flip-cup with a marginally successful indie-band while Kate's thirteen year-old sister sat in the corner.



Oh, Electric Ladyland - how I miss thee.

Also, Blue Plus just walked into my office wearing full-body cardboard boxes with cut out arms and drawn-on faces.

Just when I worry I'll never go back to that life again...

"The world's largest particle collider malfunctioned within hours of its launch to great fanfare, but its operator didn't report the problem for a week."

Everybody just stop doing science and go write poems.

For the last six minutes, I've been trying to open my mind enough to really understand what's going on with the LHC. Somewhere between Higgs boson and supersymmetry, I started to accept the fact that I will never be proficient in particle physics. I am okay with that, because I still think I can be a complete person. And then I read this part of the Wikipedia article on LHC's purpose:
"Are there extra dimensions, as predicted by various models inspired by string theory, and can we detect them?"

Okay. That is cool. Proceed.

Ashley and I grabbed dinner before seeing a play last night. We went to my new favorite place. It is steps from Times Square without feeling like it is steps from Times Square. Also, it has couches. Anyway, I burned (burnt?) my tongue on...whatever the hell I got that was definitely not worth burning my tongue. It still burns. We are going on 24-hours. Concerned?

This is not the point.

The points is, I just googled "burning tongue" and one of the first results was this, from netwellness.org.

"My tongue started burning six years ago..."


Wait. What? WHEN? YOU WAITED HOW LONG?

You, sir, do not deserve a functioning tongue.

Also, I hope IT doesn't monitor our google searches.

My status: my tongue burns

Julie: Stop making out with dragons

Matt (Julie's other-half): I hear you've been making out with dragons.
me: boy you guys. you guys and your bits
Matt: we've fused into one person. sadly, you only get about 5% more humor for the combo
me: great
Matt: gotta run, the woman is making do dishes.
seriously
me: wow
Matt: she's actually yelling from the kitchen about dirty dishes
me: hit her
Matt: yeah. I plan on it. with a frying pan.
me: yup
Matt: you are going to show this her her, aren't you?
me: nope
me: posting on my blog
Matt is typing…
Matt: oh great. Well, for the record, you are the one that suggested that I hit her.
Matt's new status message - Dresblogged! 6:53 PM

I just stopped short of ending two conversations with co-workers by saying, "Okay. Great. Love you."

Either I am in a wonderful mood or I have completely lost my mind.

But really, are they so different?

My mom is my favorite mother.

I just got this facebook (yup) message from her:

"Can I have full access to your profile? Love you. Thanks."

"The campaign a person runs says everything about the way they'll govern."
- excerpt from Joe Biden's upcoming speech in Michigan. More at TPM Election Central.

YES.

When I made the switch from heartbroken Hillary believer to hesitant Obama supporter, it was on exactly this ground that I made my decision. I believe so firmly that you elect an individual's judgment before you elect his/her policies and the most accurate reflection of that is how they run for office. Aw, man. I know some people are bored by campaign-related talk but I love this junk.

Lots of stuff -

Dear girl on the 1 train who is vomiting,
Putting your jacket over your face is not going to make this any less embarrassing. It is only going to ruin a very nice jacket.

Dear guy with the girl on the 1 train who is vomiting,
Doofus. You are holding two plastic bags. Stop rubbing her back and do something useful.

Dear girl on the 1 train who is vomiting,
You need to break-up with him.
______________

I made a "to do" list back in January for the new year. I just checked my room and I definitely lost it. Shoot. In any case: Elisabeth, Stephanie and I all made new "Fiscal Year 09" To Do Lists. Interesting fact - paying down credit card debt showed up on all our lists. Bender has a spending problem but we are fully aware.

______________

It is very pleasant to be somewhere and then experience the quiet rush of realizing you are exactly where you would be if you could be anywhere...that you wanted to be. Just so you know, that is a beautiful sentiment poorly conveyed.

______________


Enjoy.


(via Chris' mouth)

The following was just brought to my attention:

The HND suggestion box has no key...that might be a metaphor.

You guys, it probably is. I can't tell what it's a metaphor for yet ... but it can't possibly be good.

Reason #439

I just won the raffle.

Jay Dove won second prize. Second prize is a copy of a Theatre World book fake-autographed by Patti LuPone. It says "Keep on dreaming."

First prize is naming rights to the suggestion box in the kitchenette. That's right. If you come to visit and you have any suggestions, you can leave them in the Honorary Nicole suggestion box. We'll never know what you write though, because we can't find the key.

Reason I love my workplace #438:

Occasionally, the Press Department holds raffles on Fridays. The prizes have included tiaras, alize, and a sparknotes of the Scottish Play that belonged to the old executive director.

When I went over to get my raffle ticket today, I found our press agent racing around his office. He wasn't setting up an interview, finishing a release, or arranging a pair of tickets. He was trying to find a glue stick to finish the raffle sign.

The prize is always a secret until it's revealed.

Also, this exchange:

Me, Production: Is it a boyfriend?
Sam, Press: If it was a boyfriend, would I be raffling it off?
Jay Dove, IT: If it's a boyfriend and I win, you can have it.

I remember wandering around Mass. a few years ago, listening to Samantha recite The Jabberowcky and being much enamored of the way it sounds. I keep meaning to memorize it myself but then I keep forgetting.

This is to serve as a reminder.

"Oh, that's just Joe."

Cringe-worthy/adorable/hysterical.

Cannot wait until the VP debates.

Cannot. Wait.

(should note: via G. Brennan.)

This was prompted by a conversation Langan and I had about romantic couplings (see also Marianne and Colonel Brandon, Jo March and Professor Baehr):



I don't mean this in a sarcastic way at all: there are very few things I'd rather be doing than watching youtube clips from Jane Eyre movies. It is probably my favorite book of all books, but I've avoided most adaptations. I don't know why.

By the way, crying with joy at your desk is the cool kid thing to do.

(via leilacohan.tumblr.com via her co-worker)

I'm about to introduce you all to a very special, very important part of my life.

Meet Blue Plus.

Blue Plus does bits.

Blue Plus comes into my office every Thursday to discuss the non-negotiable stamp across their paycheck.

Blue Plus' motto is "Safety, Fun, THEN Learning."

Blue Plus "hired" me as their Production Administrator a few months ago, and will frequently call me into the production suite for group meetings (finishing crossword puzzles).

Blue Plus is the name they gave themselves. Robbie hired them last year to work freelance on a few smaller projects. He also gave them some tools and told them to differentiate from the rest of the shop supplies. When they finished tagging the tools, they started tagging different parts of the office.

Blue Plus has no official affiliation whatsoever.

Blue Plus is what would happen if you put the 4077th, the Muppets, and a Boy Scout Manual in a blender.

This summer, about half of the members have been touring around eastern Europe. The rest have been pursuing side projects. My life has been a little bit emptier.

Today, they are all in the same country again. And at 4pm, we have a team meeting.

I was discussing Blue Plus with another girl in the office. We agreed that separately they're all just enjoyable young men. Collectively, I have the crush of a lifetime.

I don't like science.

I like science fiction. I think that's fun.

But science in real life? No thank you. I have a very pretentious Tom Stoppard quote (entirely removed from context) at the ready for situations like this but I'll refrain.

I mean, I do like Radiolab.

Anyway.

I make an admirable attempt to remain up-to-date on world affairs. But when it comes to science stuff? No sir, no thank you. I'll skip that section of the paper, please pass the scones.

So I am reeling from something you all must have known about already.

Witness this recent gchat conversation.

Anna Adams: did you know the world might end tomorrow?
me: ...
me: ARE YOU GOING TO FOLLOW THAT UP WITH ANYTHING?
me: ANNA
Anna: oh, right. they're kicking on the worlds biggest super collider at 3:30am eastern. and tossing a bunch of protons together.
me: ...
Anna: and it miiiiiiiiiiiiiight form some black holes.
Anna: but we're not supposed to worry
me: I want to be 23
Anna: ?
me: tomorrow is my birthday
Anna: oh shit
Anna: happy birthday
me: why are they doing that?
Anna: for science

I went to grab lunch with co-workers today. We typically go to St. Mark's Market and bring back. While I was standing outside of BBQ Chicken, waiting for Frasco to come back from the smoothie place, I noticed this picture on the storefront window.

Is that particularly gross to anyone else?

The description claims it's for people "on the go." If you are so busy you need to eat your food like that - it is time to take stock.

Here is a complete list of the music I have listened to this morning:

Two Hearts - Phil Collins
What About Love - Heart
Fields of Gold - Sting
Hold on My Heart - Genesis
Can't Stop Loving You - Phil Collins
Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now - Starship

(This song reminds me of the end of Mannequin 2: On the Move. I have probably seen that movie dozens of times in my life but not once in the last decade. I love that movie. Also, there's a place in my heart where I still genuinely believe this will be my wedding song. It is very close to the place in my heart where I still believe I'm supposed to marry Jonathan Taylor Thomas and where Katie, Jackie and I will raise our children on the same block in Pearl River.)

Against All Odds - Phil Collins
Broken Wings - Mr. Mister

(I have fantasized about being in an all-lady improv group and naming it Mrs. Mister. I am probably not the first person).

Little Lies - Fleetwood Mac
Out of Touch - Hall and Oates
I Want to Know What Love Is - Foreigner

(Sometimes I am glad that I work in an office where it is not embarrassing/uncommon to cry at your desk).

Land of Confusion - Genesis
You Can Call Me Al - Paul Simon

(This was Dead Serious' theme song 04-05. Before that happened, I had very specific and embarrassing intentions for this song.)

She Drives Me Crazy - Fine Young Cannibals
Higher Love (UK Extended Mix) - Steve Winwood
King of Pain - The Police
Hard Habit To Break - Chicago
Alone - Heart

You guys, I am a different person from who I was when I woke up this morning.

I'm reading Hillary Rodham's Student Commencement speech from the Wellesley College Class of '69 graduation.

According to lore, the first portion of this speech was written during the ceremony in response to earlier remarks from an invited speaker. I think having the context of that earlier speech would be immensely helpful in understanding Rodham's point. I'm having trouble expressing my own feelings about HR's speech - and I'm not sure what made me read it now. I have a very, very sentimental attachment to the idea of late 60s Hillary. In spite of all the moments when her text becomes passionate but incoherent, the speech is immensely moving (for me anyway) for the glimmer of a person it reveals.

Also, the whole point of this blog post was to draw attention to the following:

We protested against the rigid academic distribution requirement.

Thank you. The only thing in my entire existence I've ever wanted to take up arms against. Yup, Wellesley College Science Classes - the social injustice of it all.

Things that seem like a good idea on 1.5 beers and 2.5 hard ciders:

- Talking about female autonomy
- Talking about the twelfth century - but not really - just bringing up the twelfth century a lot as a reference point for anything
- Interrupting conversations to shout "What's your favorite movie?" and not even remembering the answer (ETA: Singing in the Rain and Apocalypse Now. BAM.)
- Emptying the contents of my bag onto the table (special thanks to Katey for getting them back in)
- The Incident
- Saying the words "Listen. Listen. Listen" a lot and then not following up with anything.
- Holding but not opening an umbrella in the rain
- Math

Mostly talking at all seems like a good idea but is not.

Guys, I am not even scratching the surface.

I'm pretty sure I owe a few people an apology. I think that because I woke up this morning to a note-to-self written on the back of my Con Ed bill


You might owe [omitted] an apology.

Also, you should really clean your room because this pen was hard to find.


Drunk, I call it like I see it.

You guys, these blog posts have been misleading. It's not that I drink a lot. It's that I never drank until it was legal and I'm just playing catch-up.

Nonetheless, welcome to what I'm going to call "Sober Til October '08."

Samantha,

If you didn't already know this, I think you would find it very interesting:

What New York did about Typhoid Mary (from http://ephemeralnewyork.wordpress.com)

Mary Mallon was born in Irelend in 1869 and came to America at 16, working as a cook for wealthy families in Boston and New York. In the early 1900s, several family members came down with typhoid—a potentially deadly bacterial infection spread through food when a carrier doesn’t wash his or her hands after using the bathroom.

Eventually a New York City typhoid researcher identified Mary as the source of all the infections. She denied having typhoid, but tests proved otherwise, and city health officials forced her into quarantine in a city hospital at North Brother Island in the East River.

After leaving quarantine and promising not to handle food, she went back to work as a cook, promptly infecting more people. Eventually she was brought back to the island, where she lived out her life. Mary died in 1938, a celebrity for being a healthy carrier of a lethal bacteria.

Do you know how sometimes people are like "If I could marry any character from a Victorian novel it would be -" and then they finish the sentence?

You do.

Mine is Mr. Rochester. Duh.



Samantha, who would yours be?

You know how sometimes people are like "If I could have live in any time period/location it would be -" and then they finish the sentence? Yeah. You know. I don't do that. But I do know that "If there were any time period I would absolutely not go back in time and live in it would be the French Revolution." It. seems. scary.

But I love musicals about the French Revolution.

By which I mean, I don't really like Les Mis but I love The Scarlet Pimpernel and I loved Tale of Two Cities because it reminded me of Scarlet Pimpernel with flashes of Jane Eyre but only because of the lead actor.

Excerpts from bluegobo.com below.



I'll warm you. I'll rouse you.

Yes, please.

ETA: Please see Samantha's comment below about the time differences referenced in the musicals above. And technically, The Scarlet Pimpernel is about the Reign of Terror. In my opinion, if a musical is set in France, and there's fighting, and everyone has different classes of British accents in order to distinguish themselves - it's a musical about the French Revolution.

I really like this time of year. I really like late August/early September. I really like that many wonderful, delightful things that have happened in recent memory have begun at this time of year. Those wonderful, delightful things include my year in Freeman Hall, WZLY e-board, moving to New York, starting my job at the Public, and starting improv classes. You might observe that a number of those things happened when they did because of academic calendars but shut up, whatever. I'm finally saying positive things and not talking about boys. Dammit. Why are you undermining my point?

ANYWAY

There's a life-symmetry to the timing that I appreciate. And so, September oh-eight: what new and delightful beginnings do you have in store?

I hope it's a boyfriend.

Shoot.

(via leilacohan.tumblr.com)

It is such a good thing that my biological clock can't vote. SUCH a good thing. For the love of God. ADORABLE.

Edit to include video in place of the picture.

Here are some things that I think are a good idea after 1/2 a bottle of wine but that I will not think are a good idea in the morning:

- The people who own the deli downstairs want to hear me criticize their snack selection
- Our front door has "gotta go" because it makes a loud buzzing noise
- Stephanie and I are amazing singers
- If we are two girls walking into a deli, and two boys walk out, we should invite them upstairs to watch movies because the numbers match
- If I like a boy, I should send him an e-mail telling him about his dreamy eyes
- If Stephanie likes a boy, I should send him an e-mail telling him to "shape up"
- Drunk blogging
- Wearing a washcloth on my head
- Doing so much improv-y stuff on the weekends that any at-home socializing has to be scheduled during the week. Wait. I don't agree with that now either.
- Drunk blogging

I came home, did laundry, and - seriously - was planning on watching Sarah Palin.

I swear.

BUT

Stephanie and I are having girls night instead. This involves sitting on the couch, drinking $3 wine, and talking about boys. In case you wonder what that last part might be like you should go listen to a marathon runner and a paraplegic talk shop. Get it? Because she dates a lot and I can't walk.

Is that joke horribly insensitive?

Anyway, we are about to watch While You Were Sleeping. Place your bets now. I'm putting money on me crying by 11:15 and trying to marry Bill Pullman from 1995.

Restored

You guys.

I missed undercutting my emotional experiences by making jokes for my friends to read on the internet.

Also, my mom kept asking when I was going to start blogging again.

Mom and Aunt Laura, this is for you.

PS - some old entries are back. And some old entries are back but links or videos don't work. Tough.