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Some random observations, descriptions, reflections and reviews to keep my spirit (and, I hope yours) from being crushed by the recurrence of the work week.
CONTEXT-FREE QUOTE OF THE DAY:
"I so almost had that!"
SINGLE SENTENCE PORTRAIT OF THE DAY:
He liked to paraphrase what had just been said, albeit in a less concise and less compelling fashion.
REPRESENTATIVE ANECDOTE OF THE DAY:
I drove by my old neighborhood in the Upper West Side where I lived about 20 years ago. I saw that in the place where Endicott Book Sellers (a vital, intellectually-oriented independent bookseller) once stood, there was now a Starbucks and a fancy establishment called Sotheby's Real Estate. I felt that the history of a neighborhood (and, indeed, a culture) was eloquently distilled in that little transformation.
REFLECTION OF THE DAY::
Someone where I work was just talking about how the Goth movement is back, but in a more mainstream, less radical form. They're calling it "Goth Light." How light? Well, this light: Ralph Lauren is designing little tweener jeans with skulls and crossbows on them. And a skull and crossbow beret thing with a pink bowtie on it. Goth Light, it's the newest rage. Soon to be followed by the new more user-friendly "Bloods Light" and "Crips Light."
Actually, hearing about the return of Goth, I couldn't help but wonder if the periodicity of the cycles of fashion is getting shorter and shorter or if it just appears that way cause we're getting older. It certainly seems that where it used to take the better part of a generation for something to make a comeback, now everything is rediscovered (with a rage of consumer enthusiasm) within a few years.
Also got me thinking about time and generation and so forth and I realized that in about 15 years when the baby boomers begin to shuffle off their mortal coils, they're not going to be listening to Perry Como in those Assisted Living communities, but The Stones and Hendrix and Led Zep. I don't mean to be age-ist, but isn't that a bit unseemly? Who wants to see (or be!) some ole fart air-drumming while they empty out his cholostemy bag?
OBSERVATION OF THE DAY: THE GENIUS OF EBAY
Ebay allows people to say "I won a ____" instead of "I bought a _____." An elaborate self-deception that allows people to to remain in denial about the basic economic truth of the experience: Namely, that they spent money. I guess the basic insight is that it’s a lot more glamorous to think of yourself a winner rather than a mere consumer.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DAY:
The private equity world. Thanks in large part to the tireless efforts of this administration, enormous wealth has been concentrated into the hands of a very few individuals. Like 180 of them. The world of Private Equity Services is essentially a group of highly educated people engaged in an elaborate, technically impressive, dazzlinglingly polysyllabic effort to isolate, contact and virtually fellate those 180 people.
REVIEW OF THE DAY:
Far too often these days, movies are just the longer, more boring versions of their trailers.
Happily "Syriana" was not one of these movies. In fact, it was that rarest of things: An American movie (in fact, an American movie about, among other things, American Intelligence) that actually respects the intelligence of the American audience. So, if you happen to be in one of those moods where you want your intelligence respected, check it out. Otherwise, just listen to a White House press release.
NOTE: The inclusion of the phrase "of the day" in the above descriptors is a bit arbitrary and in no way suggests these are or will be daily occurences. If just sort of sounded good.
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Posted on 12/12/2005
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