Oh and...

Dave is betting on the Oscars over at Oscar Meme 2004.

Dave Has Left the Building...

So my buddy Dave has moved to Philadelphia to be with his lady after a lifetime in Baltimore. This is historic as Dave was my last remaining tie to the city where we went to college. Now, save our university and a few places I worked, I really have no reason to go back there.

Time marches on.

*poof*

I had a long post here about Dinah and I's day at City Hall, volunteering to help out gay couples getting married. TypePad ate it. Read Dinah's description. She breaks it down.

Suffice it to say I was a witness to 6 marriages, poured water to 400 people in line, wishes at least that many well and spent the afternoon in a boundless see of love and devotion. One of the deputized commisioners said to me after he performed and I witnessed a particularly moving ceremony, "If the protestors outside could see just one ceremony, they would know that this is not about sex and all about love." Absolutely. I got home and immediately called my parents to tell them how I had spent the afternoon. Overjoyed,

Seems that this is going to be a hugely divisive issue in the upcoming presidential election. Politically, it's ingenious for the Republicans to be trotting this one out. Morally, it's out of the gutter. Never mind the economy which is growing and shedding jobs at the same time, never mind the fiasco of Iraq with 500 American dead and no sign of a resolution, we need to worry our heads over whether gay folks can get married or simply live together like married people. Well, no one ever went broke overestimating the puritanism of the average American.

Jane breaks it down pretty well also. And Derek took some killer photos and and has a great essay about the whole experience.

Digital Impasse:

Jason Kottke is attempting to read 52 new magazines in 2004. He's posted a list of the 350 publications suggested to him by his readers. While I'm intruiged by several of these titles, I can't get over how some of don't have websites. Precisely what century do these magazines think this is? Or are they hanging on to that tired old nonsense that not having a website is somehow an affirmation of their print cred? The truth is that in 2004, most people get at least some of their crucial information from the web. Not having a way to communicate to your audience online to me is no different than failing to post your hours on your front door.

Cometbus, you're among the most respected zines in the country. Get a website, ya bums!

Mayor Wow:

I never thought I'd say this but good for Gavin Newsom. This takes guts. Should these long lines and lousy weather continue, I'm going to volunteer to help out somehow. Maybe serving breakfast or something.

NY State of Mind:

So last night I went a reading presented by Paul Collins at Housing Works Books. Dan Kennedy and Tom Bissell were there on the bill too. All three are going to be in my book so the event was more than a pleasant coincidence.

We had dinner beforehand, drinks afterward. The group swelled and contracted as friends and significant others came and went. Met Tommy Wallach, the "boy wonder" who started contributing to McSweeney's at age 17 and was a steller fellow and Shana Berger, founder and editor of ReadyMade magazine, a fine Bay Area publication. Its editor is a total sweatheart. Matt Power, who contributes to Harper's and this really cool radio show called "The Next Big Thing." He lives in an artist collective in Queens called Flux Factory which is so rediculously well organized this it has its own web site and board of directors.

Somewhere in the midst of all this walking and corner turning and cab hailing, Shana said to me "to be lost and in circles and looking for a cab or someone to set you striaght is such a New York thing, terrifying and beautiful all at once. "

By around midnight, we ended up in the Soho loft of a friend of Shana's. Nick Denton was there but I only saw his back. Somewhere around 1, Tom invited us back to his place for late night chat and a view of Ground Zero.

After waiting nearly an hour for a train and then riding home, I crawled into bed. It was nearly 4 AM.

This morning, I was awakened by the phone. It was my cousin Jonah. We had agreed to do brunch and ended up chowing at Barney Greengrass, a Jewish deli that hasn't changed a lick since about 1939.

It was the New Yorkiest 12 hours of my entire life.

New Favorite Zine:

Pop Transit. How cool is this?

Quirky to the Max:

According to Quirkyalone.net, I am 95% or VERY Quirkyalone (or in my case, Quirkytogether since I cohabitate with another Quirkyalone) which means this...

Relatives may give you quizzical looks, and so may friends, but you know in your heart of hearts that you are following your inner voice. Though you may not be romancing a single person, you are romancing the world. Celebrate your freedom on International Quirkyalone Day, February 14th!.

I wish I was going to be in town for it. I won't. But if you are located near one of the 40 cities having IDQ's this year, check it out. Or if you're a more of a private QAer, just get the book that explains it all. It's lots of fun.

One Sentence Movie Reviews #10:

Anything Else (2003): Leave nebbishy mannerisms to the pros like Woody Allen, circa 1975.

No Oral Sex. Sorry...

Did you miss Paris Hilton's book proposal? Shame on you (via Readerville).