Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Auto-Fun of the Day :: 4-16-2008

quote:"It seems to me that a good formula to test the quality of a novel is, in the long run, a merging of the precision of poetry and the intuition of science. In order to bask in that magic a wise reader reads the book of genius not with his heart, not so much with his brain, but with his spine. It is there that occurs the telltale tingle even though we must keep a little aloof, a little detached when reading. Then with a pleasure which is both sensual and intellectual we shall watch the artist build his castle of cards and watch the castle of cards become a castle of beautiful steel and glass." (Nabokov, "Good Readers and Good Writers")

Some brief announcements (did you know that I secretly LOVE announcements? Like, in school? Especially on the P.A., for reals.):
1) April 17th (Thursday): In the Flesh reading. I will be reading. You will be there. Awesome!
2) April 17th (Thursday): If you wanna pre-party, I'd suggest attending this LGBT Rally for Economic Justice, which'll feature a performance by my friend Angelica's band "In Deepest Sleep" @6pm. Ang likes Tegan & Sara, so it'll probs be pretty hot.
3) April 22nd (Tuesday): WAR Against Human Trafficking: An Evening of Music, Art and Activism - Many of my fellow Interlochen alums, unlike me, have actually grown up and made something of their lives. E.g., the dude on Blue's Clues and Brooke Bryant. Brooke's founded Women Artists Rock, a series of events that bring together socially conscious female musicians, visual artists, film makers, and activists to make a difference about the negative impact of human trafficking on individual lives & society in general. They're hosting their first event at the JCC Manhattan on the evening April 22nd, everyone should go! Check out the website or download the flyer here.

links:
1) This is pretty much the best thing to ever happen, ever: fourfour's composed an Angela Chase (My So-Called Life) Highlight Reel -- "the wisdom of Angela Chase in all of its endearingly laughable splendor." She's probs my most formative influence. You'll notice this. (@fourfour)
2)I was just talking about this crazy bitch: Elizabeth Wurtzel, interviewed. (@the new haven independent)
3) Play the Font Game! I got 17/34, without cheating, which is bad, like worse than some people I know did on the ACTs.
4) One of my worst nightmares is getting trapped in an elevator. (@the new yorker)
5) Dirty Girls Book Party photos (I was super fashionably late, so um, not in any ... but still! Check it out!) and Live Girl Review interviews Rachel Kramer Bussel about Dirty Girls.
6)Bookstores are going extinct (@sf gate)
7) This would have been helpful when we had to sneak drinks into Naked Boys Singing: theater drink reform (@globe & mail)
8) The Guardian UK's Top 10 Archives -- matching great writers with great Top Tens in magical ways for many years. Highlights include "dystopian novels for teenagers," "books about outsiders," "books in which things end badly," and "books in which things end well." (@the guardian uk)
9) Poem by David Lehman: April 15. (@bap blog)
10) Democrats drink gin, vodka, white wine and Evian. Republicans drink bourbon, scotch, red wine and Fiji Water. Furthermore, Obama supporters like Bear Naked Granola, Clinton's fans (surprise!) like Kashi GoLean, and McCain's are constipated and therefore "enjoy" Fiber One. Seriously, I cannot make this stuff up, it's a real article. No word on the political affiliation of string cheese and leanpockets. (@the nytimes)

18 comments:

Jackie said...

I really think that this exchange, like, defines my time as a teenager:

"Why are you like this?"
"Like what?"
"Like... how you are."

Anonymous said...

Wow, you're up early for a Wednesday. My first thought this morning, upon glancing out the window, went something like: Hm. Never noticed how the back of that distant building looks like a Mac OS face icon from the 80s. Yes, I am that random.

I think that you thinking that you might lose fo'sho is giving me more credit than my recent reading stats indicate. It has taken me the majority of two weeks to get to page 158 of EPL. Blame it on really lengthy blog articles, music and Agit-Prop theater. Distractions abound.

I'm trying to balance the good reader/good writer gig. Really.

Have a good time tomorrow night. Yeah?

I got 28/34 on that Font Game. Embarrassing for a designer. Like I care. People who create such quizzes are commie hipsters. But people who make elevators are smarter than I thought, providing us with five 125% load bearing backup cables —- so, by all means, let that primary one snap-snap away. I once got trapped in an elevator for about 15 minutes. I wasn't alone. There was a strange Andre The Giant Has a Posse sticker on one of the walls. It was 1995.

Cody's was one of my favorites. Also, circa 1995.

FYI: I'm a gin drinking, Metromint water sipping, waffle toasting Obama whore! VOTE OBAMA!

caitlinmae said...

I was finishing your package... and watching My So Called Life for the FIRST TIME last night.
I am a poor deprived child. I still haven't had Tasti-D either.
How much hustle would I have to exert to get from poughkeepsie to In the Flesh? are you reading first?

frank said...

the only reason i wanted to be class president my senior year of high school was so i could read the announcements. true story.

and i think it's about time someone finished MY package. get it? see what i did there.

Meghan said...

"Can't people just cheer ... on their own? Like to themselves?"

So much love for MSCL.

My font score is too embarrassing to admit.

dani said...

this font-game is so random...I have absolutly no clue, so I just made some guesses and guess what: 15/34...so random! I should try this system of success in my final examination.
my so-called life is/was called "Willkommen im Leben" in Germany which means "Welcome to Life" (just saying) and I loved it. Jordan Catalano was my first love...and I was simultaneously in love with Brian from the Backstreet Boys (Hi, this B-Rok)...crazy times.

The Flesh reading sounds great. Have fun!!! I'm sure you will...

amlisdabomb said...

I used to actually do morning announcements in high school. Oh student council.

But the real reason I am posting is because I have, in fact, been trapped in an elevator before with about seven or eight other people. It was at the reception of my cousin's wedding. Of course, it was only his side of the family in the elevator. Also, the elevator happened to have a glass side, so everyone outside on the street could see all of us trapped in the elevator.

One of my mom's cousin's said right as the doors close, "I bet the elevator stops." We all chuckled and slapped him. Little did we all know he was Ms. Cleo.

You know those little telephone things you see in the elevators? USELESS!! We used it and it connected us with someone in Mississippi. Mind you, we were located in Miami. Thank god, my other cousin had her cell phone and we were able to call for help.

To make matters worse, my aunt is claustrophobic. And she had an umbrella...

We still call her Mary Poppins.

The worst part of this all was that it took rescuers over an hour to bust us out and we weren't even between floors. We were like an inch or two from coming to a complete stop. I mean, seriously?! Obvs, I am now very careful about taking the elevator.

DH said...

I feel like 13% of my life has been spent trapped in elevators. I couldn't finish that article, it was too traumatic.

Good luck at the reading. Wish I could be there.

Anonymous said...

In the high school I went to, the home room adviser would read announcements.

My So-called Life is one of the best TV shows ever. I feel like that show was something really relevant to me, like The L Word was/is.

The trapped in an elevator fear is interesting, because I'm actually 1000x more nervous about escalators. Escalators make me nervous in general, not the being trapped part, obvs.

eric mathew said...

I love Kashi...good, good, good. I feel like string cheese could go either way. You never know. I mean EVERYONE loves a good string cheese.

I did find this great Chedder stick at Trader Joes. It isn't string cheese persay because it is like square, but it still is semi-amazing.

I did the morning annoucements. It was called "Good Morning Eastern" it was on TV. I'm basically at D-List Celebrity.

a. said...

Yes, escalators scare me as well. I think it all goes back to an Unsolved Mysteries I watched as a kid where the kid was sucked into it.
I always freak out a little (on the inside) on old elevators though...waiting for them to send me to my death.

I got 20/34 on that font thing... I was doing really well guessing and then got cocky.

riese said...

jackie: Yeah sometims I say it to people still, and get annoyed if they don't know their line. "LIKE WHAT?!"

juno: I blame mine on lying on my bed and moaning, sitting at my desk and moaning, and staring at the wall. I like Fiji water, or Dasani or Poland Spring or Volvic, and I vote Obama. I left that part out, but apparently most Fiji drinkers like McCain. Also I like tap water. Also I like Andre the Giant. We had a plan to do that with autostraddle stickers, but no one knew what I was talking about.

caitlinmae: My So-Called Life is so much more important to your life than Tasti-D, it's better than fake ice cream. I think I'm reading third? So probs like 8:45 ish? You could probs make it ...

Lozo: They're lesbians, Lozo. All of them.
Speaking of getting girls, I believe you, about the announcements. Also, you better be there tomorrow night, or I'll kill you.

meghan: So much love.

dani: I love that your random is only slightly worse than my genuine guessing. Jordan Catalano was my first love too. I wrote about it in "why shane is the new jordan catalano."

amlisdabomb: I actually have never come anywhere close to being stuck in an elevator, though I used to imagine it, like it would be like in Speed or The L Word when Bette and Tina had sex, the latter of which is clearly a much hotter scenario. But now I'm freaked out that the phone won't work. Anyhow, I always take the stairs, for exercise, but some buildings won't give you an option.

crystal: I know you do have a lot of elevator stories. I wish you could be here too.

anonymous: Yeah MSCL was definitely the most influential show on my formative thinking. It was pathetic how many of those lines I already knew by heart.

eric mathew: But I bet people who eat string cheese like it's a stick of cheese are Republicans though. I love cheddar sticks, too, but I can't eat string cheese like a stick, and one time cait and i saw this woman on the street eating string cheese like it was a cheddar stick, and we were like, god, we hate it when people do that. You know? I think that probs the announcements gave you good practice for vlogging.

a.: I saw a girl who hit her head on the glass thing once, probs scared me for life. I think I got cocky near the end too, though perhaps that didn't effect my score in any positive or negative way.

eric mathew said...

TOTES.

like there is clearly a difference. with chedder sticks i still break them in little squares cause i just can't eat it whole.

i'm watching real world hollywood and im real disappointed there are ZERO gays. i'm not sure about this season. one girl is a big women's study type so she is okay..but still.

Anonymous said...

1. I know what Andre the Giant is. Points for me!

2. I fell asleep in class just now and had a dream that we got stuck in the elevator. (Then I told everyone that "sal" means "salt" in spanish.)

3. I think scoring higher on the font test than my Creative Director did means I should be making more money.

4. Lozo better come tomorrow...

amlisdabomb said...

I wish that somehow your latter scenario would have come true for me, but alas it was not the case. The phone worked perfectly fine, but I highly doubt someone in Mississippi can help me when I am dire need.

I'm hoping the next time it happens (and hopefully it WON'T) I'll have learned how to bust open the top of it and repel down the shaft, saving millions of lives. In the process, winning the heart of the object of my desire while a cheesy 80s pop song plays in the background.

Anonymous said...

I forgot to add just how jealous I am of all of you who had actual student-read annoucements at school.


....far too lazy to sign in to my blog for this one post.

Vashti said...

that font game. do.. do people really know those fonts? all that did for me was lower my self-esteem... well. no. not really.

but kind of. =[

we never had announcements over the pa system. all we had was the pledge. i did it ONCE in my high school career and i screwed it up by laughing at the end. =/

dani said...

I just read Why Shane is the new Jordan Catalano. Soooo good. I love it...and it's so true.
But somehow I'm (still) much more attracted to Jordan (and Brian obviously/obvs..sorry)...I get Jordan, you can have Shane. Deal?
But serious: Your writing is great/fantastic/entertaining. There's a lot more to read for me in the Auto-Universe and I'm really looking forward to it.