HOT Stuff

Our 3 day heat wave is nearly over. I have to say - I've heard nice things about Boston in the Spring and Fall. So far all I've really experienced is Winter and Summer. It was hot one day when we arrived. Then Winter started. Sunday I was wearing a sweater (I think of that as the day Winter ended) - and today it's about 4000 degrees.

People assure me that this is not normal. I don't believe them.

Famous People
I'm taking this screenwriting class which is very interesting. I'm learning a lot, having a good time and meeting some interesting people. In particular I've enjoyed the budding friendship that I've been developing with people after class when we head to a local bar (preferably a dive bar) and drink and talk. Sadly, there aren't enough women in the class - so if you're a single woman looking to meet men, this class is a good one to sign up for.

Anyway - our teacher and friend, Andrew, has a new movie out called On_Line. It will be in Boston later in the summer but it's out in LA and NYC. Salon wrote an interesting review of the film. I'd call it a positive review. If you see it playing at your local movieplex, you should check it out.

Labels: 2003

By: Alyssa | Friday, June 27, 2003 at Friday, June 27, 2003 | |

With a friend like Harry

I didn't think it would be so difficult to pop in to a bookstore and pick up a copy of the new Harry Potter book. I was so wrong. By the time I arrived at a gigantic Barnes and Nobel early on Saturday afternoon they were sold out. After further investigation I found out that the books had sold out about an hour after they went on sale. I missed the sell-out window by at least 12 hours.

The story was the same at a couple of other places I went to over the weekend. It was a good weekend for running errands in Boston. That's the polite translation for "it's raining so hard we might want to build an arc". So - I did what any self-respecting, urban woman would do. I decided to spend my few "disposable" dollars at the MAC counter. I'm as happy as a little girl dressed up like a wizard.

Why Harry?
I thought it was a good way to get my niece and nephew into reading. I wanted to encourage them. So I read the books over the course of like - 3 weeks - sometime before the first movie came out. I thought we could see the movie together and then read the books and talk about them. I was trying to be the hip auntie.

Turns out that small children in my family aren't really interested in reading books about wizards. They are more interested in watching cartoons - the Powerpuff girls, which are cool - and in their Gameboy. So - my big plan didn't really work. But the books are a quick read and now they children are getting more interested in the books and seem less intimidated by them. I figured I'd give it a shot. Looks like I'll be waiting another week for Amazon to deliver my HP book.

Until then - I can console myself with really glossy lipsticks and shiny mascara.

Labels: 2003

By: Alyssa | Sunday, June 22, 2003 at Sunday, June 22, 2003 | |

Oh I remember, I remember don't worry
Good god - I remember when I thought I was going to write once a day - maybe more!

Now if I write once a month - I'm damn fortunate. Anyway - I've been busy doing other things like the big Indian wedding and nearly running over Stephen Colbert of Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

It all started...
A few weeks ago - as the haze of the Indian wing-ding wore off, Deeps mentioned that Colbert would be in town performing Wigfield - a play adapted from the book he wrote with Amy Sedaris and Paul Dinello (of Strangers with Candy fame). I hopped on the ol' Internet and found the info. After multiple handling fees and a few days later - I had the tickets to the show in my hot little hands.

Flash forward a few weeks. We're eating some really questionable food at an "Italian" eatery in Summerteeth and I'm wondering aloud why so many Italian restaurants have pictures of Frank Sinatra displayed on their walls when we realize that the show is like 20 minutes from starting. We flag the slow waitress and high-tail it to the theater.

We reek of garlic breath - really, I needed a Smint in a bad way. I could smell myself. Anyway, I was thinking - well it's not like Stephen Colbert is going to be hobnobbing with the crowd in the lobby. Of course - cue lobby entrance. We waltz in all stinky and garlicky - the crowd parts like the Red Sea and there stands Colbert chatting not 8 feet from us.

Me: Dammit - we can't talk to him now.
Deeps: Why not?
Me: We reek of crappy garlic.
Deeps: (sniffing) Yep - we do smell.
Me: Those bastards didn't even use real garlic on the freakin' garlic bread. They used GARLIC SALT!
Deeps: Settle down...
ME: NOW I'LL NEVER GET TO TELL STEPHEN COLBERT HOW MUCH I LOVE "EVEN STEPH/V/EN"
Deeps: You need to go to your quiet space now...

I buy some Junior Mints - fighting past some pale woman who can't decide what she wants. I inhale about half a box and turn to smile. Colbert has gone back stage and I'm left with my husband who smells like garlic and is judging me harshly for my bad behavior (in public).

Deeps: What were you going to say to him?
ME: I dunno - that we're big fans. ... that I love him.
Deeps: He's not even your favorite.
ME: I know - but I enjoy him very much.
Deeps: You don't even watch the show every night - you're usually asleep when it comes on.
ME: Not always... sometimes I go to bed later...
Deeps: You're like 63 years old and you go to bed at 9:30
ME: Now you're just being mean.
Deeps: I'm not lying - am I?

The Show
Blah - blah - the show was good. There were some hilarious moments - but there were some slow spots. Deeps referred to the slow spots as "Amy Sedaris" - I can't disagree. About 40 minutes into the show - Paul Dinello starts cracking wise about these women in the front row who keep getting up and leaving. They had been escorted into the theater earlier - before the show - and had the privilege of sitting in the first row. Then they kept getting up like 4th graders looking for their Ritalin dose. It's a 90 minute show people - please feel free to pee before you go in.

I digress.

Dinello cracks wise after like the 9th time they get up. Some chump in the audience - a man that many in our row called "Bastard" afterward - starts heckling Dinello. I was stunned - as was Dinello. I was stunned because I figured if people were shelling out almost $40 a ticket to see a show with Amy Sedaris and Paul Dinello and Stephen Colbert - they are probably fans of at least one, if not all, of their work(s). Why heckle? I suspect the guy thought he was at home and he could stick his hand down his pants and yell at the TV.

Colbert came out after Dinello left the stage - Dinello didn't get in the pithy comeback I was hoping he'd have for "The Bastard". But Colbert was ready, but nary a peep came from the audience. Flash forward to minutes before the end of the show when Dinello makes his last on-stage appearance. He remarks to the man, directly - takes a shot, then basks in the roar of the audience's approval. Take that heckling Bastard.

After the play we headed to a local dive for some type of desserty type thing since we still reeked of fake garlic and dinner kinda sucked. We had cake at this total dive - the cake was good and the ambience was suitably cheesey. We talked about staying, about wandering, but we decided to head back to the homestead. As we pulled the car around, Deeps started to turn but then some dudes jaywalked in front of us and I was all... "Wait! It's them!"

Paul Dinello and Stephen Colbert and the piano player were trotting over to the dive we'd just left seconds earlier. Deeps nearly ran them over - Colbert gave us a look like, "Don't run me down."

And so that was our brush with fame. We debated going back - but neither of us had anything clever to say to Dinello or Colbert. Maybe next time I should try to fall back on my old J-school skills and think of good questions to ask. Mostly I wanted to say "We liked your show - but why'd you give Sedaris all the crappy parts?"

Labels: 2003

By: Alyssa | Sunday, June 15, 2003 at Sunday, June 15, 2003 | |