Friday, January 29, 2010

Friday Five: I'm Baaaack Edition

Hey, all! Here's a Friday Five for a cold January morning:

1. J.D. Salinger, RIP. I was bummed about Howard Zinn passing on, but this one really, really hurts. The Catcher in the Rye was that book for me, the one to make me feel like I wasn't alone in the world. This means a lot when you're fourteen. And as I got older I appreciated his other stuff even more; in my early twenties I was completely obsessed with Seymour Glass, a creation I believe (with very little evidence) was the closest fictional representation of Salinger. I haven't read his stuff in years, but I predict a Glass Family binge for me this spring.

2. iPad. Regardless of the truly craptastic name (I mean, did they have any women at all in their focus groups?), I think the iPad is fairly awkward and impractical. Apple is going to have to work pretty hard to convince me otherwise.

3. Joisey Shore. I watched episode six last night, so I'm all caught up on the adventures of Snookie, Ronnie, and The Situation. I love these kids for their simplicity (Gym-Tan-Laundry) and the way they fully embrace their cultural identity. They are what they are, these guidos and guidettes. This is a total throwback show, and not to the 90s, where the kids are kind of stuck, fashion-wise, but waaaay back, like to Frankie and Annette frolicking in Beach Blanket Bingo and Yvette Mimieux experiencing Snookie-like drama in Where the Boys Are. Even with the drinking and hot-tub shenanigans, these kids are just looking for a good time, and when the bad times come, they stick up for each other, because they're, like, family. This is a wholesome show. It really is.

4. Knitting. I'm doing it! Two lessons and I can make a scarf. So I'm taking orders. If you want a cute, ladder stitch scarf with dropped stitches, random holes, and strange lumps, I'm your gal.

5. The Big Chill. It's flippin' cold in Chi this morning. 5 degrees. This should be good for writing, as there's no way I'm going outside. But it's seriously so cold where I type that my fingers are stiff. Oh, spring, you can't come soon enough!

Have a good weekend!

4 comments:

  1. YAY WELCOME BACK!!!!

    By the way, I heard that Snooks is gonna get her own show.

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  2. Woohoo! Welcome home. I hear ya on all five and would like to order a scarf because it is freaking cooooooold here too. When is Spring supposed to come?

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  3. I think the iPad is going to be cooler in person than it is on paper. Think of how much more you can do on that thing than a Kindle and they're roughly the same size. I mean it's got to be as sturdy as a Kindle, right?

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  4. I need, like, a handle or something. Carrying around a tablet just seems awkward to me. I don't think Apple has done a good job communicating how this thing will improve my technological life. If I'm going to spend 500 bucks on something I need to know its value. It might have that value, but Apple is not helping me to understand exactly what it is.

    And, what color scarf?

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