May 2009
Pregame
On a mass email requesting mixers for the pregame I’m hosting tonight, I asked people to contribute Red Bull and “Cocke”.
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Subject: Blind Item
Which ancient and long-lost FOURTH pre-graduation Harvard ritual did a famous campus icon just complete?
1- Primal scream 2- Pee on John Harvard 3- Sex in Widener 4- Vomit gallons of chunky orange stuff on Mem Hall
An email I received from Zac after a not-so-classy evening.
$50 for $125 Worth of Spa and Salon Services at...
Today’s Groupon is for Melt, a one-stop Back Bay shop for any and all beauty treatments imaginable. Boston’s Community Manager Susie says, “This is an amazing deal and will allow Bostonians to get pampered at one of the city’s best spas for way less than they would normally pay.”
Melt offers an array of spa and salon services, including massages, body wraps, cuts and...
“One of the questions on the senior survey was, “Libraries have many uses....”
– Jason
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Feminist Comedian Kate Clinton At Brattle Theater
Feminist humorist Kate Clinton is speaking tonight at the Brattle Theater in Harvard Square at an event sponsored by the Center for New Words and the Harvard Bookstore. This is CNW’s last author event, since the feminist organization will be shifting its focus to planning for the WAM! conference, the next of which will take place in Chicago next spring.
Clinton’s new book, I Told You...
Half An Hour To Proposition 8 Decision →
The California Supreme Court has announced that it will issue an opinion in three cases challenging the constitutionality of Proposition 8 at 10 a.m. local time.
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The Western Front - Blog comments and craigslist →
A few comments from my talk at Western Washington University. (There’s a DVD being made/shipped and I’ll post it after I get it.)
College Candy: "Sexy Time: Splitting The Bill On... →
In which I suggest that men pay for Plan B.
One commenter writes, “BEING A COLLEGE STUDENT IS TOUGH BECAUSE YOU’RE POOR AND CAN’T AFFORD ABORTION PILLS. LET’S JUST GET THE GUY TO PAY FOR IT teehee. I LOVE SHOPPING.”
Hmm … I suppose I should blow my “abortion” money on shoes instead.
Dear 2009 Class Committee,
closing-time:
Stop using the word “raging” in every email. Most of our fellow classmates have spent the last four years being uptight/lame/awkward… they’re not suddenly going to change because it’s senior week. Good day.
Note: Wearing sunglasses indoors does not constitute “raging”. You look like a fool.
Amen.
A Twitter Convo
@lenachen: When I lived in NY during the summer of 2007, I partied all the time at 230 Fifth. This was before I realized rooftop bars are for douches.
@strutting: ... and also that the top douche bars are for roofies.
What should I do during this trip in NYC?
I’m exhausted after a week away in Los Angeles and Seattle. I can’t remember the last time I’ve spent so much time flying, busing, and riding around. Oh, right. That one time I ended up flying for 32 hours around the world. Yeah, big mistake.
Now I’m in New York, which actually feels strangely calming … perhaps because I can at least navigate this place without...
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CollegeCandy: "Marriage is Like a Country Club" →
Marriage isn’t a right; it’s a privilege. Depending on the time, place, and partner, getting married could be harder than getting into Harvard, if not downright impossible. As recently as fifty years ago, miscegenation laws would have forbid me from marrying my boyfriend (or any man not my race) in certain areas of the United States. Before that, the legal and social benefits to getting married...
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Kennedy: I thought you wanted to get a massage.
Me: I wanted a cheap Chinatown massage. Couldn't find one.
Kennedy: With a happy ending?
Me: No.
Kennedy: Shiatsu on your clit?
Me: Stop it.
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Rally to Save Anonymous HIV Testing
Harvard University is discontinuing anonymous HIV testing on August 1st in favor of confidential testing because of “underusage”. To demonstrate the need for this service, attend tomorrow’s sit-in at University Health Services. Details and more information from rally organizers below:
Tomorrow, May 20 from 6-8pm UHS, Holyoke Center, 5th Floor (need HUID to enter through the...
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3 Buck Bites - Madison Cupcake at South End... →
Madison cupcake
This $2.95 treat beats the pants off Sweet, which I now find far too sweet for my taste. Buttery is a great brunch spot with outdoor seating and a super dog-friendly vibe. (Each cupcake is named after a dog of the owners!) Keep an eye out for the huge jar of free Polka Dog Bakery biscuits by the door. If your dog likes them, the bakery is just a couple blocks away.
Turkey BLT
...
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Freudian, much?
Me: So they're the type of people who go out to ridiculously expensive nightclubs and get bottle service ...
Kennedy: Bottle service? What's that?
Me: Ordering $1,000 bottles of champagne and having eight people wait on you.
Kennedy: It sounds like something related to breastfeeding.
Is Sex Positive Feminism Still Relevant? →
Come watch me talk about the chastity movement and the myth of the college hookup culture tomorrow night!
7pm on Monday, May 18th Western Washington University Communications Facility Room 110
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“He ends his email with “Best, [redacted]”. “Best”? What...”
– friend, in reference to an email exchange with a long-estranged ex
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Nationwide Complimentary Kérastase In-Salon... →
Salons throughout the country are offering free Kérastase treatments (with blow dry!) on Wednesday, May 20th. This is easily a $100 value in most major cities, and for girls who dye their hair, it’s worth even more because it’ll help you keep color longer. I’ll actually be in New York on Wednesday and will be heading to Michael Angelo’s Wonderland Beauty Parlor.
Make...
Trivial Pursuit
Kevin (reading aloud): What was the town Dawson's Creek was set in?
Johnny and Kevin (simultaneously): Capeside, Massachusetts.
Johnny: That's an easy one. I used to watch the show religiously.
Johnny and Kevin (simultaneously): But only season one and season two.
Me: Um ... seriously?
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Noodle City: Hometown Favorite For Vietnamese
Whenever I manage a trek back home, I always make sure at least one meal I enjoy is Vietnamese. The only Vietnamese place in Harvard Square is Le’s, where the dishes are pitifully flavorless. I’ve heard good things about Xinh Xinh in Chinatown but I’ve yet to make the trip. (And I don’t think trendier fare like Pho Republique counts in terms of authenticity.) So with fours...
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Octopus Balls
It’s next to impossible to get takoyaki in Boston. (The only place I know with Japanese street food is the food court at the Porter Exchange Mall.) I’m on a mission to find some of these delicious suckers in LA. I don’t want any of that frozen, mass-produced crap. I’m looking for housemade, lovingly flavored balls of gooey heaven. And no, this obsession probably isn’t...
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What Happens When I Write While Jetlagged
I quote Groucho Marx in a column about marriage.
Oops.
I maxed out my credit card for the first time today. I was politely declined when I tried to charge $15 on my Jetblue American Express card to check a piece of luggage at Logan International. Apparently, that flight to Seattle I bought last week was the $400 straw that broke the camel’s back.
I’m currrently paying the bill and hoping it works again by tomorrow.
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What Makes Us Happy? - The Atlantic (June 2009) →
The project is one of the longest-running—and probably the most exhaustive—longitudinal studies of mental and physical well-being in history. Begun in 1937 as a study of healthy, well-adjusted Harvard sophomores (all male), it has followed its subjects for more than 70 years … But hidden amid the shimmering successes were darker hues. As early as 1948, 20 members of the group displayed...
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Westward, ho!
Blogging ranks first on my list of favorite things to do while waiting for my seating group to be called at the boarding gate. Anyway, I’m peacing out of Boston for the next ten days, right smack in the middle of exam period for my pals.
First, I’m heading home to Los Angeles for an impromptu trip before flying to Seattle on Sunday morning to hang out with Kennedy (won’t be...
“I have a date for Thursday. We were going to go out Tuesday but he had to study...”
– my college senior friend
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3 Buck Bites - Crispy Daikon Cake at Gitlo’s →
Wrote up a review of my favorite menu item at my favorite Boston dim sum place for 3BuckBites.com. Gitlo’s is such a gem in a city lacking in quality Chinese.
“Unfortunately, your brother-in-law might be lactose-intolerant. Shame on him. In...”
– Jeffrey Goldberg, in his advice column in The Atlantic
“Apparently, I posted an ad for sex on Craigslist last night. I didn’t...”
– friend (on post-formal experiences)
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$20 Brazilians for Manhattanites
Receive a bikini wax (Brazilian or completely bare) or sculpted spray tan performed by a New York state-licensed esthetician-in-training at Completely Bare’s downtown training school. Available dates:
Tuesday, May 12, 2009 from 1:00pm - 9:00pm Wednesday May 13, 2009 from 1:00pm - 9:00pm
There is a $20 service fee. Schedule with a friend and the service fee is only $10. Call 212-366-6060...
“I am downrtairs, i wil l leave w iim”
– text message from the female friend with whom I went to Estate last night (for Quincy House’s formal)
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Feminist Review Asian Heritage Month Giveaway →
Feminist Review is giving away a set of five books to five winners. All you have to do is leave a comment (with your name and email) telling them about your favorite book written by an Asian author. The deadline is May 31st.
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Burtons Grill: $3.95 Small Plates
On my quest to uncover bargain eats about town, I headed to Burtons Grill last week to check out the restaurant’s After-Work Recession Buster menu (4-7pm daily), which includes small plates like sliders, lettuce wraps, jumbo shrimp, and goat cheese salad. Though some items were hit or miss, there’s no harm in trying out dishes you wouldn’t normally order at a price that nice. And...
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Come Summer, Canine Companions Hit The Town
The Beehive, the South End restaurant/music venue where Patrick and I had our first date (and anniversary), is re-opening their outdoor patio on May 26th. Hurray! Boston is in serious need of more dog-friendly options, and luckily, warmer weather means that I’ll be running around town with Hamlet in tow a lot more often.
Know of other Boston establishments that have dog-friendly seating...