Eh

I haven't updated in a while.

'teves.


Maybe more in 2010. I need a new camera n whatnot.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

I Could Do This All Day

My sister and I were OBSESSED with Emmett Otter's Jugband Christmas. This one's for you Kate!

What's Your (hair) Damage?

How to ruin your hair 101 goes like this:
bleach it
dye it a bunch of colors
dye it over and over again
straighten it
curl it
blow dry it all the time
sleep with it spread out on your pillow so in the morning it's just one huge knot
have the Jewish hair gene
and finally...

CRIMP IT!!
Inspired by White Lightning's collection of Teen Beat and Big Bopper magazines over here at the office, as well as this little lady:


It was pretty hard to find a crimper, but I have some secret hair spots around the city. This one costs $20. Besides it being a totally awesome look, it it's also just plain fun to do.

The following photos are of the crimping process going down BUT I was at my office and suddenly felt weird cuz I thought people were watching me.

Please Turn This Into An SNL Sketch

via Santa V Satan



Wait, I'm sure I know this kid...

New Favorite Thing From Funny Or Die

Rachel Zoe Outtakes - watch more funny videos

Thanksgiving is good, but Christmas has better songs

And better movies too. I used to watch this one over and over and over...

D.I.S.C.O.

You might recognize the two people in this video as my friends Bill and Merks. Just kidding but how good is this song/dance moves/outfits?

Thanks availaBILL

Are Women As Horny As Men

Watch this video that me and Judi Rosen make a guest appearance in. I almost ruined the entire thing because I couldn't stop laughing. When you watch it, you'll understand why. It was by far the hardest acting gig I've ever had to do. WARNING: DO NOT WATCH THIS DURING SCHOOL HOURS. YOU WILL GET SUSPENDED FOR WATCHING PORN.

Am I late on this bit of awesome?

LOL EXTREME

Scar Stories

Do you have an awesome scar that can be accompanied by an even awesomer story? Please email me@lesleyarfin.com

I wanna interview you!

You'd Look A Lot Better Without All That Black Shit Under Your Eyes

Sometimes I think as a writer I have to pigeon hole myself into a certain category, and if I don't fit into said category, I'm a failure.

I feel like a lot of my closest friends are constantly telling me to write a screenplay, yet most of them don't even read this blog. So why would they want me to write a screenplay? It surely can't be because they love my writing. I think it has more to do with the fact that I'd sound a lot cooler as a friend if I was a screenwriter.

Make that a successful screenwriter. The buzz of Hollywood. BFF's with every buzzworthy screenwriting name. My scripts would be so funny and awesome. I'd lunch with the Apatow's and have slumber parties with The Fempire.

I don't mean to sound like I'm dissing those people--why would I? I love their work just like everyone else. But am I nothing if I'm not a success? Does it not sound cool enough? You can't name drop me. You can't make yourself seem cooler cuz you're BFF with me.

And then there's the book scene. I'm sure whatever I write will never make it to the NYT book review. I'm pretty sure my poems aren't getting published in The New Yorker anytime soon. I didn't go to an Ivy League school and I don't plan on teaching at one either. I barely went to college. I barely went to high school!

I knew when I was 16 as I do now, that the hierarchy of what we were all dealing with back then would follow us around forever. In the office, at the meeting, in the scene. It's The Breakfast Club wherever you go. What I didn't realize was how cool it would be to be uncool. Nirvana had to come along in the 90s and ruin that for everyone.

I know rationally that I am what I am, etc. But still I'm not immune for wanting to be a cool, awesome, successful, paid person. Just "wanting" that doesn't really mean anything though. I can take action, and even if I do it's still not a guarantee.

I know logically not to measure my worth by who wants to be my friend or how big my apartment is or whether or not I'm the toast of the town, but I'd be lying if I said that my work doesn't get caught up in this kind of spiderweb of thoughts.

It is a spiderweb exactly. It's fucking sticky and enticing and I'm pretty sure that if I don't get myself out of it, I'll be eaten alive.

Jinx

I have some cool things going on right now. A part of me is like "Don't talk about them, you'll jinx it!" but then another part of me is like "Really? You believe in jinxes?"

I actually don't believe in a "jinx." Is it a hex? Is a ghost or a witch secretly plotting against me (maybe). I do believe that what I really mean to say is "saving face" and how embarrassing it can feel when said face is covered in shame. Just in case the really exciting thing I'm excited about doesn't happen, I don't want to feel stupid and be the boy that cried or wolf. Or in this case, the girl that cried TV show.

Yes that's right, MTV has optioned the rights to Dear Diary for TV. Yes it's fucking awesome! But really, you know how these things go. I guess I won't really be super excited until I'm on an actual Dear Diary The TV Show set. Sometimes these things don't happen, and if they do, the idea that it might even be a good show that goes to series is kind of one in a mill. But it is a high honor nonetheless. So jinx or no jinx, how about I just feel siked for a wee minute?

Another cool thing that I'm doing is getting my counseling license. It isn't the coolest job in the world or anything but it's something I'm really interested in and have been wanting to do for a while. It's specifically drug/alcohol counseling. It seems like a pretty dark career choice but I'm ok with that. I really like the TV show Intervention. It's so good right? Anyway, I know I will be really good at this and maybe one day I will go for an MSW or PHD but who am I kidding here? Probably not. MAYBE!?!?! WHO KNOWS!?!?!

Weirdly I am more excited about the counseling thing because the probability of that happening is greater than the TV show and I'm mostly just interested in things that have a beginning, middle, and end. Not so much things that have a beginning and a middle and then the person doesn't email you back.

Another thing about something good happening is the fear that people are wishing I will fail because there's that quote "Whenever a friend of mine succeeds, a small part of me dies." It's a funny quote though and yeah jealousy and envy are real things, even when we are totally cool people who are nice 99% of the time.

There is a fear I have that those negative thoughts people have suddenly go viral and before you know it, not only do I not have a TV show but I have nothing. And I'm poor and alone and old and no one likes me anymore.

I know logically I don't REALLY believe this to be true, but since when did logic have anything to do with anything anyway? Aside from math and driving.

My Style Icon

Many people have style icons, and that's cool. My style icon is Lizzie Bougatsos from Gang Gang Dance. It's not because she has a dark, weird, punk style (although that don't hurt), but more because she has the rare ability to throw on anything and make it look good.

First, she is beautiful. She sort of looks like that actress Laura San Giacomo from Sex, Lies, and Videotape.


Second, have you ever seen Lizzie perform? She was made for the stage. Her voice is like a combo of Kate Bush and Betty Boop. She dances like a ballerina on a lot of coffee. And Gang Gang Dance is also just a really good band. When Lizzie performs I can't take my eyes off her, even if she's just dancing around on a regular dance floor. Watch her play the drums! I dare you to take your eyes off of her! (note: this isn't the best live video of GGD because their sound was fucked up, but watch her drum in the beginning of the song).

So I have known Lizzie for a few years now, and we're both from Long Island and that's a big plus for me in terms of friendship. Even when she's just wearing a t shirt and jeans she looks great. She can be wearing high end, or something she bought off Orchard Street and I wouldn't know the difference. Her hair is like a pile of black ribbons and even when it's a big old mess, I can't tell if it's intentional or not.

A lof of people drool over expensive clothes, but I don't think that's what makes good style. I think it's the ability to pull off something casual, normal, ordinary, and/or inexpensive and make it look fabulous. That's what Lizzie does and I salute her for it.

We carved pumpkins, what have you ever done with your life?

Fuck Embarrassment!

It's not like I go around saying I'm punk anymore, but when you grow up with a bunch of punks, you live under an unspoken code of conduct and rules that seem to stick on your ribs like the fattiest of foods. And even after you've digested a whole bunch of bullshit, that punk fat is still there except its evolved past your ribcage and has traveled into your DNA.

Of course it's all kind of a joke now but I know one true punk can sniff out another, like a junkie on the street. We're still around and just because some of us have traded our safety pins in for Brooks Brothers, it doesn't mean we can't find each other. In turn, just because someone trades their Brooks Brothers in for safety pins, we can sniff out poseurs too. Especially when the safety pins are made by Balenciaga (Brooks Brothers would have sounded better in that sentence, but I doubt that company makes safety pins).

Without going into further explanation (punks don't feel the need to explain) I will say that "being embarrassed" is NOT PUNK.

Embarrassment is for the weak. Embarrassment is clearly stating "I care about what you think of me, even if you're a total stranger."

I won't lie and say I don't care what other people think of me, of course I do. If I didn't, I'd wear Juicy sweatsuits everyday because they're mad comfy. Fuck it I'd wear sweatpants. I don't because I care what people think. Mostly my friends, people who might offer me a job, and not to mention I like to feel good about myself--which happens to be punk.

Does that mean I won't start doing a dance routine in front of a crowded restaurant because I feel like it? No. And if it embarrasses you then go find tickets to a Taylor Swift concert and get off my fucking stage (punks say "fuck" whenever they want).

Sometimes we get loud and obnoxious. Sometimes we get "inappropriate." So? That's how we live. Maybe you're reading this right now and realizing that you are in fact punk and you didn't even know (not very punk but we'll let it slide).

Another punk thing to do is contradict yourself and feel ashamed and dumb and embarrassed and say dumb things but tell the world anyway because bottling shit up and pretending it never happened in such an ugly way isn't for punks at all. It's for boring people who hate things that are ugly and off-putting and weird and not always easy to understand. Or stupid. Or smart. Or sloppy. Or apologetic.

For more on what I think punk is, read this. It pretty much sums it up.

COME TO THIS PARTY PLEEZE

It's on Thursday and I am DJing.

Top 10 Favorite Things: Footwear Edition

I'm gonna start making lists of my top 10 favorite things but narrow down the specifics, so this is the first one and it's SHOES. I want to do shoes first because most of the time I plan my entire outfit starting from the bottom up. And everyone knows that when you have a good outfit, you have a good day.


1. Merrell Hiking Boots: Woah. Bet you didn't think I'd start with these! Even though Machine will probably make fun of me for wearing these, I don't care cuz I really love them. They are a bit hippie but if you wear the shoe in a non-hippie context, they look really cute. If you wear them in a normal way, you'll just look like a lesbian from Colorado who enjoys hiking---which I'm not exactly mad at either.

2. Elizabeth and James pony hair flats: I just bought these flats and I love them. Mine are more of a cafe con leche color. They look like very expensive moccasins. When I bought them at Saks, they gave me a free "Influence" book which I left on the street outside my house. I don't know why. I just didn't want it. I thought it was boring.

3. Madison Harding Boots: One of my main homies makes this line of footwear, and last year she gave me one of my favorite pair of black boots. I am a huge fan of black boots/booties and am constantly buying them even though I wear sneakers most of the time these days. I wear black boots when I hit the streets but I just haven't been doing that very much in the past few months. Black boots-wise I have a whole army of these fuckers, from Alaia to Top Shop. As well as the Mad Hard ones. I love the Mad Hards because they are comfy and can be casual or fancy. Most of my black boots are the same shape and go a little higher than my ankle. I don't know why I keep buying the same pair of shoes. It's just what I like.


4.LL Bean Beanie Boots, Duck Boots: Fuck those tall Hunter rain boots. They're so hot they make my socks sweat, and ladies I'm sorry but unless you're Kate Moss, those boots will not get you laid. I guess if you are going to traipse through the wet marshes of the English countryside then yes, you should be wearing Hunter boots, but if you're short like me you should ABORT MISSION and consider these instead.

5. Black sneakers: I love sneakers and yes I have some white ones, but my eyes always go to black. All black everything...on your feet. I used to love love love these black Reeboks I had but I'm pretty sure they were bootleg because I haven't been able to find them or even find a picture of them in years. I got them at the Salvation Army aka Sal's Boutique. I love black sneakers and jeans because it makes me feel like either a jazz dancer or a waiter. I really enjoy costumes. Right now my black sneakers are these and I looooooovvvvvveeeeee them. Nike Air Max. I do enjoy wearing Nike's but that is mainly Machine's influence cuz he is obsessed with Jordans. I have black high top Jordan's but they feel too "moon boot."

6. Vintage Joan & David Tweed Bucks: I found these at Sal's Boutique for $5. Ultimate score. It's hard finding good vintage shoes in my size (6.5). I usually don't even like vintage shoes. It's the one vintage thing that grosses me out. I don't like "old heels" or "old leather" or wearing "old shoes that someone else wore the shit out of". Like you won't ever catch me saying "look at my new amazing vintage boots!" In my head that translates into "look at these overpriced old smelly boots I paid for at some dip shit lower east side store called Edith Machinist*." Anyway, these Joan & David are so awesome and in great condition and I'm pretty sure they belonged to my mom in the 80s anyway.
(*Side note: I have a side beef with the store Edith Machinist on Stanton street. Without going into crazy detail, she sold me a pair of shoes that fell apart the minute I got home and she wouldn't return them. Nevermind the fact that I live on the same block and have been a custie since day one. She left the old price tag on them as well, which was a sticker that said $7. And it was Christmas. I boycott that store now.)

7. Black Motorcycle Boots: These are classic. When I was just out of college I heard about a little website called "ebay." I thought it sounded cool so I searched "vintage motorcycle boots" and found these. I guess at that time, ebay items were sent down from heaven and God was a top seller. Haha.

8.Sven Clog Boots: I recently just threw out my pair of clog boots cuz they were worn the fuck out. When I went to buy them again I saw they were double the price. Typical. Even though I won't be buying them for this winter because they're overpriced, I will say that they were probably the best winter boots I ever had. They looked really cute with leggings when I wore leggings all the time. I'll miss you Sven clog boots.

9. Charlotte Ronson Hiking Boot Boots: These shoes are a perfect combo of two of my aforementioned favorites: the black bootie and the Merrell hiking boot. They are also lined with fleece-like material making them extra warm. At first they were too tight by the toes but now I put shoe stretch on them before I wear them and they're perfect. Shoe Stretch is a miracle drug for shoes and I HIGHLY recommend everyone going to their local cobbler to buy this stuff.

10. My shittiest running sneakers: These shoes make me the most happy. They are butt ugly and not cool at all, yet I would save them in a fire. They're silver Sauconys and when I wear them I basically look like a meth head from 'Zona. That's not a look I'm trying to go for anymore even though it might seem that way. I just feel most like myself in these ugly running sneakers. I really don't know why. I feel very confidant when I wear them. Even Moo, who is a footwear connoisseur, enjoys them. And I don't think he knows why either. I consider them the ruby slippers of my wardrobe.

The Anti-Happy Award: Because sometimes being happy is overrated, I will also add a shoe I really don't like. I know my friends will argue with me over this one, but I feel like the over-the-knee high heel boot is really gross. It's very Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, which is to say, whorish. Don't get me wrong, sometimes your feet need to be whores. That's why I own multiple pairs of Pollys. But these boots are a) highly trendy and b) highly expensive. Which means in a year from now they will look bad and you'll have wasted a lot of money on something that corporate America brainwashed you into buying. Not to sound too much like I "hate the man" but magazines are huge advertisements. It's not like I don't fall victim to this (I talked about leggings earlier, for example, or Nikes)but I don't feel like I'm that dumb to actually believe that I can pull off thigh high boots without looking like a midget whose shoes are eating me alive. I'm sure some girls can pull this off but in 6 months it will look cheap and passe and you'll be over it. Maybe my friends will prove me wrong though. I double dare them.

A New Kind Of Karaoke

I love karaoke but I got so bored of killing it every single sesh that I stopped going. I wanted to be fair and give other singers a chance.
Now there's this new thing where instead of a song, you get to do a scene from a movie and the screen basically puts you in the movie.
Some futuristic Japanese shit.
I haven't done it yet, but this is one scene that I will slay.
Of course it's still a song though.

i'm ok you're ok

I don't believe that any one person has more power over another person. Yes some people have a higher status, be it financial or social, but what I mean to say is, I don't think that makes another person "better."

I don't think anyone else has more answers than anyone else. The answers are there, you can work hard to look for them for yourself, or you can go to a trained person and get them quicker. That doesn't mean they will always be right.

I will always believe in therapy and a sixth sense, but I don't believe someone else knows whats right for me. If I really search, and I really listen to what's going on with me, I will always know the right answer.

My shrink isn't there to tell me what to do. She's there to listen to me come to my own conclusions on my own, even if it takes me a while to get there. And that's why she's so good at it. She's never once told me to do or not do anything. This is why I trust her more than anyone else I know.

No one knows my future. Thank God for that. What fun would life be if it were already sorted out? The universe is huge and complex and mysterious and there are things that exist for real, like grey matter and black holes and stars that are really planets and planets that are really stars. Because of that, I'm willing to believe that magical, supernatural, psychic things are possible.

What I also believe is that they aren't as extraordinary as we think. Everyday magical mysterious supernatural things happen, we just take them for granted as being average.

Like flowers that we seep in hot water to make our colds go away, or the sun that makes trees grow for longer than we will ever be alive. And that thing Augusten Burroughs says at the end of Dry: the real miracle is this glass of water sitting here. The real miracle is the fact that it doesn't just up and float away.

I know a lot of people grasp and grab and pull at something big, but I will truly always think this: you don't have to try so hard. You just have to open your fucking eyes.

No one knows you better than you, and if they tell you they do and you believe them, you're playing yourself.

But you know, that's okay too.

Updizzy

I haven't been blogging here so much, but what I have been doing is writing a lot more in my diary. Pen to paper style. I guess since my camera broke I've been using it as an excuse not to write here, because I always think who wants to read my stupid ramblings anyway? You just want pictures right? Right?

Maybe blogging is the way to fortune and fame and "getting discovered"? I don't know. Good writing is good writing and good writing means if you have nothing good to say, then don't say it.

Update on my life:

I just got back from LA where Hilary and I stayed with our friend Sophia. Sophia had just gotten back from Morocco and we stayed with for a week, and I got sick and then I got Hilary sick, so basically what I'm saying is that Sophia is a saint.

[cute photo of Sophia would go here]

I saw other friends too, like Chloe, Alex Olson, Chelsea, and Jonny Makeup.

[cute group photo of all those people together as best friends here]

I also saw Whip It and Good Hair. Whip It was cute but not hilarious or mind-blowing, and Good Hair was interesting albeit too long and a little boring. Save it for your netflix maybe? I don't know, I was also kinda sick and it was the second movie of the day.

[no photo here]

Some wacky hi jinx went down which included me breaking a glass picture frame, Hilary getting glass in her eye, missing our flight but getting on standby anyway, getting locked out of the house, getting into fights, getting late night meals with new friends, buying a cool jacket at the flea market, eating at Toast a lot, going to fancy/funny events and parties and hanging with new and funny people.

[video montage of all of those things here]

All in all the trip was LIFE CHANGING!!!

I'll miss you LA and LA friends.

From American Pastoral

It's back to school time, so let me quote another book.

"The fact remains that getting people right is not what living is all about anyway. It's getting them wrong that is living, getting them wrong and wrong and wrong and then, on careful reconsideration, getting them wrong again. That's how we know we're alive: we're wrong. Maybe the best thing would be to forget about being right or wrong about people and just go along for the ride. But if you can do that—well, lucky you."

--Philip Roth

It's Always Sunny In Phildelphia

is my favorite TV show. I wish I was on it. I wish I knew the cast. I hope no one else watches so I can have it all to myself.

Isaac

Isaac Mizrahi gave me style advice. Watch this video and let me know if you think I should take his suggestion.

Total Eclipse Of The Past

Amy Kellner used to have the best blog. I was revisiting the days of yore (2004-2008ish?) and noticed some interesting things.
We used to have a much bigger crew of friends.
I used to go out. A lot.




I wore a lot of crazy outfits (and Gunne Sax dresses).


Ben Cho and I took a lot of pictures together and quite often got into crazy
shennanagins.

Once I cut my bangs too short.

I saw Borat with Dan Colen and Leo (who knew?)

I used to belong in a different weight class.
I used to belong in a different hair class (it was so short!)
I used to belong in a different apartment class.

I met Greg before I KNEW Greg!!!

Some things neva change.



Lesley and Amy...RIP?



JK KELLS BELLS! SEE U ON TWITTER.

Sorry

for the lack of bloggin'.

My stupid camera broke.

In the meantime, my favorite person in the world, Bobby E. (his name is protected for professional reasons) wrote me a killer email about all the books he's read this summer. I love Bobby so much it's insane. For more on him, you should read Dear Diary. But for now, you should just read this.
And then I guess you should read these books.

Lez,

I am going through a weird phase where I want to start cataloging the books that I've read. And, I have 20 minutes to kill before a faculty meeting. So, I'm going to give you the low down on what I've been reading the last 6 months or so, since this came up when we spoke the other day. I just finished a book today. I have a short one to read next and then Middlesex. I'll keep you posted! Maybe at some point we can talk about some of these nuggets. I am dying to be in a book club. What is wrong with me? Here goes:

Lush Life (Richard Price). Excellent crime novel that goes well beyond normal genre limitations. Ultimately becomes a very rich character study. It takes place in 2009 on the Lower East Side and critics seem to think he nailed the nuances of LES life. I'd like to see what you have to say seeing as you're the fucking mayor of that town! Price is definitely a top-notch writer. A-

The Turnaround (George Pelecanos). My favorite, current crime writer. Price is the critical darling, but I like Pelacanos more despite some of his shortcomings. I was turned onto him because he was a writer on The Wire and consistently wrote their most powerful episodes. Which basically means he is responsible for the best episodes in the history of dramatic television. His stuff is somewhat formulaic detective/cop/crime stuff, but he does it incredibly well. This book had an excellent premise, nice characterization, but an uncharacteristically sloppy ending. A slight notch below his best books, which I highly recommend. B

The Short Stories of John Cheever. There are like 68 stories all together. To be honest, I only read about 40 or so. There are a small handful (five or so) that are easily among the best short stories I've ever read. Very few of them are clunkers. Undoubtedly one of the best short story writers I've ever come across. At his best, his writing is beautiful. A-

The Falconer (John Cheever). Better than average, but not great novel about a professionally successful, but emotionally disturbed heroin addict who ends up in prison and falling in love with another inmate. The ending was fantastic. Overall, I like his short stories better. B

Rabbit Run & Rabbit Redux (John Updike). These are the first two "Rabbit" books. There are four all together. I am waiting to read the other two because I want to savor the experience. Both of these books are truly great. In terms of simple, straight-forward, beautiful prose, I think Updike might be the single, best writer I have ever read. I literally wanted to underline certain passages every few pages like a gay college student. Rabbit is one of the most well-drawn, confounding protaginists I've ever come across. Among my favorite books of all time. A

Sleeping Murder (Dame Agatha Christie). This is the 30th book of hers that I have read and I'm beginning to worry I've exhausted the classics. This was below-average Christie. Which means it was light and fun while reading, and immediately forgettable once completed. C-

Libra (Don Delillo). Great writer, incredible premise, but only pretty good results. He took one (of the hundreds that are out there) conspiracy theory about the JKF assassination, assumed it was true, and wrote about it using a creative non-fiction narrative. Overall, I liked White Noise more. I plan on reading Underworld this winter. B+

Salem's Lot (King).One of his few "classics" I never read so I gave it a shot. I honestly didn't know it was about vampires. If I did I probably would not have read it. Vampires are played. It was only so-so. C (for creeeeepy)

Oracle Night (Paul Auster). One of my favorite contemporary authors, but this book was a let down. The premise and set up were fantastic and then it puttered out. If you ever decide to read him (which I HIGHLY suggest), I can suggest some others to start with, but not this one. B-

Blood Meridian (Cormac McCarthy). McCarthy continues to be an enigma to me. I've only been able to finish two of his books (this one and The Road) and they both let me down big time. I have tried so hard to like him and I've decided to give up. I totally get why so many people like him and why this book is considered perhaps the best novel of the last 30 years, but he's just not for me and I've finally come to terms with that. I find the ultra-violence and barren landscapes and religious imagery boring and redundant. There is something about his overly-minimalistic writing style, which most people love, that annoys the hell out of me. I'm clearly in the minority here. C

The Crying Of Lot 49 (Thomas Pynchon). Many consider him the greatest living author. So, I started with his shortest and supposedly most accessible book. It had a few redeeming qualities, but overall I found it dated, pretentious, and tedious. To me, it was like Vonnegut without the charm and plot development. I will probably give him a second chance at some point. C-

The Moviegoer (Walker Percy). Super fucking boring and meandering. I gave up a little over halfway in. I doubt I missed much. D

The Price of Salt (Patricia Highsmith). I am a big fan of Highsmith's. This was not as well plotted or suspenseful as her best stuff, but it was interesting to read a book that was so taboo when it was published, but is so tame by today's standards. Spoiler Alert: It's about lesbians!! I liked it, but didn't love it. It is middle of the road Highsmith. B-

American Pastoral (Phillip Roth). Blew me away. It's a slow-burn, it's oddly structured, and the tangents get frustrating at times, but it is one of those books where the tangents all matter. In retrospect, nothing in the book is insignificant. I continued to think about this book long after I finished it. Roth managed to write a 360pg work of fiction that more or less explains the major cultural shifts that have occurred in America over the last 60 years, without ever explicitly spelling it out. And, the writing is unreal. Great Novel. A

Black Water (Joyce Carol Oats). Her stuff is always so-so to me. This is a novella (that reads more like a very long poem) that is heavily based on the Ted Kennedy chapiquitta incident, but told from the victim's perspective. It is very short, and nicely written, but ultimately whatevs. C+

I also tried to read all of the Raymond Carver (who I continue to love) stories that I had never previously read and a bunch of Hemmingway short stories (not a big fan, to be honest).

I also read two essay collections. One on Springsteen and one on Robert Altman. I enjoyed them both.

-Boops

THE MOST EPIC VIDEO YOU WILL EVER SEE

BELL BIV FO SHO!!
STARRING: RED WHITE AND...WHO? JO-NAY. (aka Jonny Famous)
LITTLE RED RIDING HoOd (aka Lesley Arfin)
GOLDIE GLOCKS (aka Hilary Rosenman)



DIRECTED BY THE TALENTED MR. NIPPLEY (aka EB Sollis)
EDITED BY LENSKER DOODLE DOO (aka matt lenski)

DEAR DIARY EVENT

Mark your calenders! Sept 24 at Powerhouse...

It's just a phase she's going through

This used to be really hard to find...