Don’t worry, everyone: I’m alive and well and living in … Salt Lake City! That’s right, my dear readers, I’ve whittled my personal belongings down to two suitcases, strapped my guitar to my back, and made my journey to the foreign land of Utah. Sound exciting? Ok, it’s not really, but it’s kind of exciting […]
Archive for June, 2006
State of independence
I’ve never spent time in New Jersey, but there are certain things I know about this state: it’s industrial, yet it has beaches; Atlantic City is home to the Miss America competition; and Bruce Springsteen is one of its famous sons. (I live in dread of the upcoming holiday, knowing that The Boss will be […]
Keeping America strong: More very short reviews
Disappointed that flag burning is still protected by the Constitution? Can’t wait for the rest of the American Values Agenda to come up for votes? Seek solace in more 100-word-or-less reviews. Sketches of Frank Gehry (2005, directed by Sydney Pollack) Interesting movie about an interesting person. A little pretentious and self-serving, but he’s an architect, […]
A cry for help
My name is Jeremy, and I’m an addict. I tried to deny this fact as long as humanly possible, making excuses, constructing elaborate justifications. But I continued to feed my addiction, and now I’ve lost any ability to control it. My problem began when I watched the first DVD of the television show Freaks and […]
And now, a word from Mother Nature
It seems another weather apocalypse has struck the East Coast. Rain is pounding out of the sky, rivers are engorged, streams gush down city streets with gaudy abandon. Damn, it’s wet. I was lucky enough to miss last week’s onslaught, having left the muggy, mosquito-y environs of Our Nation’s Sauna for a quick trip out […]
Means, motive, opportunity
The question of motivation is a tricky thing. Our own motivations are often not transparent to us. Another person’s motivations are often even harder to figure out, although just as often we have a clearer view of others than they do of themselves. And then there’s the Bush administration — or to accept Billmon’s theory-laden […]
Canadian weekend
Gentleman Reg, Alex Lukashevsky, and Final Fantasy @ Tonic, 6/24 Jason Collett, Buck 65, and Feist @ Central Park SummerStage, 6/25 (w/ a brief reference to Sunset Rubdown and Frog Eyes @ Mercury Lounge, 5/22) Critics and fans of the (now years-old news) Canadian indie rock renaissance sometimes draw a line between The Arcade Fire […]
Pass the Lucky Charms
“It looks like a frog.” “It does not look like a frog.” “Yeah it does. Look, this piece of chicken is one leg; these pieces are the other legs.” “And I don’t think dinner is supposed to leak.” My son lifted the paper plate and although the quesadilla stayed put, a thin grey line of […]
It's always sunny in Philadelphia
About a year ago, I read about some local kids who were shooting a super-low budget sitcom about a fictional bar down here in South Philly. It sounded promising. “I’ll have to check that out,” I remember thinking. But then I never got around to watching an episode. In fact, I didn’t even notice when […]
Senseless
Someone very close to me recently learned that the child she is carrying has a condition called trisomy 13, otherwise known as Patau syndrome. It’s a chromosomal disorder that results in severe developmental defects, and isn’t as rare as you might think. Most people probably haven’t heard of it (unlike trisomy 21, otherwise known as […]
