A Question for the Peanut Gallery

So, help me out with this one. When is a date not a date? Here are the facts. The other night I asked this guy I kind of know to see a movie (he had a car!), but I didn't consider it a date until another guy said it definitely was. He did pick me up at my place. We went out for drinks before, and he actually paid for mine but only because our tab was on his card. I tried to find out what I owed him, but he said not to worry about it. Okay, then we went to the movie. I paid for my own ticket. After he took me home. Hmm... I did have trouble deciding what to wear because I wasn't sure if I should dress like I was going to the movie with a friend or on a date. So??? Was this a date in disguise or just two almost, kind of friends hanging out?

See This Movie

For a couple months now, I've been hearing about this small Irish film called "Once." It was being hailed as one of the best rock and roll movies of all time which I thought was a serious claim to make. Well last night I finally had a chance to see this movie and can say that the hype is well-deserved. "Once" is simply fantastic. The nameless characters (listed in the final credits as "Guy" and "Girl") are so affecting as they draw you into their seemingly ordinary world of an Irish street busker and a Czech street vendor. The male lead is the singer of the Irish band "The Frames," and he wrote most of the music which is definitely a highlight of the film. Songs appear throughout the movie in places such as a music store, a city bus (one of the most entertaining scenes where the "Guy" sings about being a "broken-hearted Hoover fixer sucker guy"), on the street at night and in various apartments. The best song is when the "Girl" runs out late one night to get some batteries for a cd player and sings "If You Want Me," new lyrics she's just written to some music he'd given her. Over the course of a week, these two people write music together and fall in love, but the romance is just modern enough that things don't happen in the expected way. Taking out a loan and recruiting some street musicians as a backing band, the "Guy" records a demo which he plans to take to London to get a recording deal. The film ends ambiguously because we never learn if he's successful, but at that point, it doesn't really matter. What matters is the music that was created in collaboration with the "Girl" and the connection they had. If you haven't seen "Once," you need to. It's completely unpretentious in a world full of pretense.

Pink Backlash

Okay. I'm ditching the pink.

Hipster is the New Yuppie

Wow. I can write in pink now. Cool. Okay, today's topic has to do with Hipsters. It's come up a couple times in conversations recently with everyone denying being a hipster but pointing out someone who is. I got to thinking... what if Hipster was the new Yuppie. Back in the gloriously-greedy 80's, we all knew who the yuppies were, but you never heard anybody refer to themselves as a yuppie. Hipster, like yuppie, is a slur. It's said sneeringly. With contempt. So imagine my shock when a friend casually called me a Hipster which, of course, I vehemently denied. Ok, yes, I work at Urban Outfitters, but we all know that place is full of wannabe Hipsters which is so much worse. Anyway, I've made a list of why I'm not a Hipster just so there's no confusion.

1. I don't read 'zines.
2. I don't drink Red Bull or Rip It.
3. I don't wear skinny jeans or Chucks.
4. I'm not on MySpace.
5. I'm not an acolyte of Bukowski, Palahniuk or Vonnegut.
6. I don't have any tattoos.
7. Or piercings.
8. Or have an ironic new-wave haircut.
9. I don't shop at American Apparel.
10. I don't really like the White Stripes.

Hope that clears things up.

Farewell Beantown

Well it's time once again to say farewell to Boston. In two hours I leave for Logan Airport on my way back to Charleston, SC after being here for a week. It's been fun. Highlights include...

1. Taking the ferry out to the Harbour Islands (Georges was my favorite) on a gorgeous day and having an amazing view of the entire Boston skyline from the water.

2. My great friend Kerry coming up from Westerly, RI and whiling away a couple hours in the MFA, one of my favorite museums ever. Except we never did find that little Egyptian head that's supposed to be so incredible. We did on the other hand see a necklace made of crack vials and syringes. Nice.

3. Poker Night at Dan's. "Pass the Trash" is the bomb. I also had 4 large gin & tonics without feeling a thing, so either my tolerance for alcohol has reached unprecedented levels or Dan serves the weakest gin & tonics in the history of bartending. Brian, on the other hand, needed some help getting home.

4. The Police show at Fenway Park on Saturday night. It was AMAZING as you can read for yourself in the posting down below. I have to give a major shout-out to my brother who scored the most fricking great tickets I've ever had. Six rows back on the field. I'm still in shock.

5. Mt. Auburn Cemetery. Incredibly I'd never been before, but it's got the most unbelievable view of Boston from its tower. A full 360 degrees. Plus a hit parade of 19th- early 20th century luminaries... B.F. Skinner, Buckminster Fuller, Mary Baker Edy, Longfellow, Isabella Stewart Gardner, Winslow Homer. The list goes on. And, I saw a coyote.

6. Tullio's in Quincy, my absolute favorite restaurant in the metro area. If you go, get the Penne with Grilled Chicken. You won't be disappointed.

7. Newport. Went to go surfing, but the waves were tiny. Like they've been all week. Luckily, there's so much else to do in Newport.

THINGS I DIDN'T GET TO DO:

1. Have a burrito at Anna's Taqueria... now that really is a bummer.
2. Go surfing... see above.
3. Spend more time with friends
4. Climb Mt. Washington... this is my Everest. One of these days...
5. Tanglewood... I had to get my culture elsewhere.