February 2012
20 posts
2 tags
WatchI hope you find this as funny as I do.
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Establishing my firm anti-pencil skirt stance.
I wore a pencil skirt today, and I feel the need to blog about this experience because it really made me feel flat, and there is no better way to put it. I felt like I could slip myself under a door. I deserve to occupy more surface area on this earth.
I think pencil skirts are only for people without butts because I barely even have one, but the skirt felt tight around my nonexistent butt all...
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This is Water - David Foster Wallace's... →
I am about a quarter of the way through The Broom of the System, DFW’s first novel, and it is a frustrating read so far, but I am going to keep reading because it says on the back that it has “lots of deeper meanings,” and I know that it was written by the same guy who delivered this speech.
A lesson from my Freud-loving psychotherapist...
No matter what I think they’re about, my dreams are really about sex, especially if they include birds or airplanes.
I checked out a cafe called Ost yesterday,
and let me tell you, they have that ‘indie coffee shop’ shit down. They nailed it so hard. Since the existence of proper indie coffee shops is essential to my happiness and well-being, this was an excellent discovery.
They played Cut Copy, Crystal Castles, and Passion Pit, which are basically their own genre, and I don’t really know how to describe it, but this is the stuff all...
You should like Joshua Bennett on Facebook. →
Not only does he have insane writing guns, but he is also kind, friendly, and grateful for his fans and his success. Reading all of his fans’ heartfelt comments and his enthusiastic responses makes me so happy. Recently, a high school boy said, “Please continue to inspire people with your words.” Oh my goodness. You’re sold, right?
This is why I keep Facebook around. This...
I've always prided myself
on having an ambiguous accent. I’m from New Jersey, but you would never know, and I also don’t sound like I’m from anywhere else! My friends from the UK told me I don’t even sound American, but I don’t really buy that.
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Kanye’s skits on The College Dropout and...
This is what I have been listening to lately!
1. Gold in the Air of Summer - Kings of Convenience
Did you know these guys are from Norway? This just affirms my belief that all Norwegians are inherently cool. It’s in the air! Also, look how cute they are.
2. Holdin on Together - Phoenix
This is probably a really good song for commercials in which people have to look really cool while walking down the street.
3. The Fear - Lily...
Readjusting my Social Goals
My friend Anne and I make social goals. We’re trying to come up with a new name for them because the current one sounds lame, but that’s essentially what they are. Since I became a working woman, I’ve been feeling like my social life is going down the toilet, so, this week, I decided to try and revive it. My social goal was to go out one night this weekend.
Last night, I had...
"Unless you are absolutely sure that there is life...
Hello.
My name is Rachel.
I tend to think before I speak, and I like to listen and observe. I am proud of my ideas and enjoy sharing them when the time is right and when the people are right, but I’m always the quiet one in the group.
There is a certain stereotype that goes along with being a quiet girl. Before people get to know me, I’m pretty sure they think I am either a nun or Emily...
It annoys me
when people use reflexive pronouns inappropriately. Here is an example: “If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask George or myself.”
WHAT?
Nope.
No.
What is wrong with the word “me”? A reflexive pronoun makes absolutely no sense in this instance. Maybe there is some rule I don’t know about, but it seems so wrong, and intelligent, well-educated people...
January 2012
24 posts
WatchA snapshot from my afternoon.
1 tag
The Beatles - Rocky Raccoon
I have no idea why,...
My Censored Thoughts About the School Day (Anyone...
- A watched xerox machine never boils.
- Sounding extraordinarily bored while saying the Pledge of Allegiance is part of the experience.
- Being in a school cafeteria makes me want to cry.
my favorite website at the moment →
I checked my baggage and received the most beautiful note from stranger:
“I think you are so brave.
I considered getting a degree in education, but I ended up with a plain ol’ degree in English for all of the fears you’ve listed here. But you’re tackling them head on. I admire your courage.”
Thank you.
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Best. Song. Ever.
Society depends upon a diversity of talents.
“I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in...”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
Musical Selections From My Sick Day
1. Gigamesh - When You’re Dancing.
I have a hard time appreciating DJ’s and connecting with them. I feel like their identities are hidden behind bleeps and bloops and bass. I relate better to the musicians who just sit there and play their instruments, but I still like the dancey music with bleeps and bloops and bass. Gigamesh is really good at what he does.
2. PS 22 Chorus - What...
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Teacher Style: A Mission
I feel a little ridiculous talking about teacher style. Compared to all the things I need to accomplish as a teacher, dressing well is insignificant.
Now that I have acknowledged how petty this is … I just want to have more fun getting dressed in the morning! I always like getting dressed up, and I don’t see why this shouldn’t carry over to my professional life. Of course, I...
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omg →
this is just so beautiful and incredible, and i appreciate every single thing about it.
“there is no form of music i can’t groove to with a little practice.”
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just got a call from a strange number. i picked...
i looked up the area code, and it’s from portland.
and here is how i have decided to account for this situation: somebody i know (who is also visiting portland) is madly in love with me and is desperately trying to contact me from a pay phone because he has really bad cell phone reception and cannot wait to get in touch with me. it is also raining. he has no coat.
katerinas:
Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn & Diane...
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maoz falafel is the greatest thing ever invented.
this blog is slowly turning into a commercial break in written form, but i don’t care because i have to tell you how amazing this place is. it is less expensive than chipotle and way more fun. (the reason why i compare falafel to burritos is because they are both giant sandwiches.)
if, like me, you have ordering anxiety (also known as the awkward orderer syndrome), this is the perfect place...
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"say something."
in high school, there was this guy who always asked me to speak because he liked the way i talk. like, he would LITERALLY ask and sometimes command me to speak. for his listening pleasure.
of course, this made me super uncomfortable, and i would try to escape by any means possible.
this leads me to an important piece of advice that i would like to give to him and to anybody else who acts...
“If you want to really hurt your parents, and you don’t have the nerve to be gay,...”
– kurt vonnegut
michelle konstantinovsky is a perfect writer →
although everything she says is a gem, here are some specifics:
“now that i’ve settled into the geriatric bliss of my late twenties …”
“sometimes the universe aligns in an inexplicable way and births something unexpectedly and profoundly perfect. in 2003, such a divine miracle took place in the form of the bluths.”
“my body seems to physically reject...
December 2011
28 posts
2 tags
i just have to take a moment to express my...
to ‘the limited’ for playing my favorite song yesterday.
in-store music is usually so shitty. i was really happy.
well done, limited.
best chain ever.
this is not paid advertisement, but i kind of wish it were. are you reading, limited???
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still processing reality bites
i absolutely LOVED it up until the moment winona ryder has sex with ethan hawke. the chase that ensues afterwards is just exhausting and uninteresting. but … i would definitely watch it again up until that point.
i read a review by roger ebert in which he spends far too much time focusing on the poor quality of lelaina’s filmmaking. apparently, the fact that we are supposed to...
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a made a list of songs that defined my 2011 ...
and i want to make a list of movies, too! i am using the end of the year as my excuse to talk about stuff i always want to talk about. here is a list of really good movies that influenced me the most this past year.
sometimes i consciously realize that a movie is influencing me, and it helps me to understand myself and the world better, and it encourages me to set new goals for myself, but...
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this is my cover of displaced by azure ray. i am...
i need the east end thrift store back in my life. →
where am i supposed to shop now? where????
i am in denial.
can they open up a new york location? what? it doesn’t work like that?
brb. crying. i miss this store so much. they always used to play really wonderful, tasteful music, but one time they played super hardcore gangsta rap that overused the word pussy, and it made me so angry. however, absence makes the heart grow fonder, and i...
a summary of 2011 in mixtape form! →
i always want to make one of those ‘best of the year’ lists. i love them and appreciate them for exposing me to all of the new music/films/books i didn’t hear about throughout the year, but i briefly considered making a best songs of 2011 list and quickly gave up. i listen to so much music and can never remember what is new and what is old. it all mushes together in my brain. but...