I just really enjoy reading a Joyce Wadler story in the Times, always each more charming than the last. This newest one is a little thing about terrible summer houseguests. (I also enjoy saying this because I know there are people inside the Times who find her infuriating. They are wrong!) Anyway: adorable. And I like that at least one commenter found it within himself to offer the oldest-fashioned blowback: "It's August. Someone has run out of material. Seriously, how did this get past the editors?" You, commenter, have no joie de vivre! You have no esprit de corps! You are boring me, get off my Internet!
I do appreciate Joyce Wadler, she's delightful, but, come on, YOU REALLY LOVE Joyce Wadler. She makes you go ASDFLJKL;SDFLSDFJKL. You have the same reaction reading her articles that Jolie has when reading The Awl daily newsletter. I bet you even have a Segue Man statue on your desk. You're clearly biased!
(I have to admit, the Z. Lazar cartoons are dressed really well on this article.)
This is the saddest statement I will ever make on my life: No one knows me better than BrianVan.
AND ALSO: WHERE IS MY CATPILL??
Do you guys have editors? Because if you do I am SHOCKED this post got past them!
/someone had to do it :)
When I was younger I used to sleep with my house guests. Now that I'm married I politely decline visitors. I would leave that comment on the Times story instead of here, but I'm afraid people would actually read it.
That is the truest generational growing-up shift I've ever heard explained. Quite so!
hah, another proud member of Team Wadler here, who unfortunately grew up with the totally wrong kind of houseguest, because I never even *wanted* to sleep with any of them.
Wanting didn't have much to do with it - just like Wadler's subjects, I did it to be polite.
Although the concept is positively antique, houseguests keep finding new ways to be irritating â€" and old people keep remembering crazy things that happened sixty years ago!I can't imagine what I would say to any "car-centric" houseguests who asked to be picked up at "the airport."
All I could think was: "Houseguests! What were we thinking?"
It ain't "The Man Who Came to Dinner", but few things are.
I enjoyed the story too. It's a good thing to keep in mind next time you have guests or next time you're staying over with friends.