Do the Yak

Full disclosure: I started this post back in February and forgot about it until trolling my "draft" list. So... old news, but related to the Elliot Spitzer scandal, see this hilarious " script " by Greg Howard, a.k.a. Geese Aplenty, on legalizing prostitution. Also, the American Film Institute issued (quite a while ago now) its annual list of the Top 100 Movies of All Time, as determined by an AFI jury of 1,500 film artists, critics and historians. Here's the original press release in PDF. I reprint the list here with color coding. Warning: if you're reading this, you are morally and legally obligarted to comment on this post with your reactions and opinions, citing your own movie viewing history as well as at least three academic sources. OK, none is fine as well. Green = Movies I've see and really love — I totally agree with the AFI on these. Black = Movies I've seen but that wouldn't make my personal top-100 list. Red = Movies I haven't...

A very nice weekend with family, centering on the baby-naming for Z's new daughter. On our end, we had gobs of people over -- Ben's father and stepmother, brother and sister-in-law, nephew plus wife and kids, and for Sunday brunch, also his niece, her hubby and four kids. Lots of grilling and recreational beverages. I really like hanging out with these warm-hearted, humorous and opinionated people, letting the talk (prominently featuring family gossip, of course) ricochet noisily, abetted by small children running around. As a kid, I saw one set of cousins two or three times a year and the other set almost never, so I get a kick out of watching Sarah and Becky play with their own cousins, sitting with babies on their lap and pretending to lose races with two-year-olds. They used to be the babies, of course (*sniff*), but now there's something even more poignant in seeing them interact so sweetly with younger kids. Some random web trollings: These animals are big. Really bi...

...in my new office with an honst-to-God window. Fourth floor, overlooking a plaza with lots of people, buildings and even a colorful maple tree. Before, I had to get up from my cubiel in the middle of the room and sneak into someone's perimeter office with a window to see if there was a thunderstorm (AGAIN) this summer. Don't get me started on the weather this summer -- the first full summer in our house, where I planned all spring for plants on our roof deck, knowing I always forget to water them, so I invested in self-watering planters with reservoirs on the bototm and no drain holes. And they all tuned into mucky swamps because WE'VE HAD SO MUCH GODDAMN RAIN. Though I think we may actually have some tomatoes if they manage to turn red before the first frost, which feels like it could come any day now. So yeah, the new job. I will certainly be busier than I was, which is all good. Also a lot more human contact so I can actually care about what I wear every day. I could h...

How interesting are elevators? Not so much, you think? Just read this article in the New Yorker -- fascinating stuff. And like any good informational piece, it's centered on a human story, and an amazing one: a guy was trapped in a New York elevator in 1999 for 41 hours . * * * Unbelievable story of child neglect . Though I have to think she was born with some organic problem as well (autism and/ore retardation). It shows yet again the importance of early childhood experiences in shaping a person for life. * * * Nantucket was amazing. I can't wait to go back with the kids, maybe in the fall when it's not so crowded. We zoomed all over the island on scooters, which were a blast but not so good on sandy tracks in the interior, but that's when you just have to push with your feet. The highlights: Madaket, Siasconset, Pocomo Point. The restaurants were expensive but unbelievably good -- I had no idea so much gourmet fare was to be had. We went to the Boarding House , The S...