On The First Video That Meant Something To Me: The Birthday Party's "Nick the Stripper"
Amazing. At age 16, in the wastelands of suburban San Diego county, I saw this exact video on "goodnight LA"--fuzzy reception, pre-cable--and had a similar life-changing experience. I am still grateful to Nick Cave for helping me survive high school.
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On Local Millennial Doesn't Deserve to Live in New York City
Using the rent regulation laws to screw your landlord: Yet another great and dying art practiced by a dwindling number of true New Yorkers.
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On Elements of Trolldom: Katie Roiphe and Pico Iyer
Is it me, or is Katie Roiphe more and more like a watered-down Andrea Peyser for the booky set?
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On How Many Crickets Can't You Hear?
This is absolutely wonderful! Except that when the internet-looking-glass reminds me that I am old, it is a relief. I don't have to be cool anymore!
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On What's Invisible At Harvard: A Conversation
@Samantha Seconded by another non-harvard ivy league grad. I did get a good education, bookwise, and I also got a more insidious education in How People Act In Order to Win in the World that, frankly, I would have been happy to skip. Except maybe it was a good (if painful) lesson to learn early in life, IDK.
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On Prince Philip's Greatest Hits and Blunders
Shit my duke of edinburgh says.
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On Somewhere To Cry About
Oh wait, I know: Worst place, Conde Nast cafeteria.
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On Somewhere To Cry About
Bars = best and worst place to cry in NYC, all in one. True story: I was crying at Odeon, in 1994, at about 4 am, and David Letterman suddenly materialized and asked me what was wrong.
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On Ask Polly: Should I Dump My Stupid, Lazy, Alcoholic Husband?
Oooh...strongly disagree with answer #2. The number one predictor of success in therapy is that the patient wants to be there and wants to go through the process. Therapy can be hugely helpful for someone motivated toward self-exploration and insight and change. But it is not always successful and can also be disruptive and painful. She is certainly within her rights to ask him to deal with his issues, if they are posing a problem in the relationship right here and now. But to require him to undergo this process in the hopes that it will forestall some potential problems in the future is unfair. Plenty of people sort out their issues without therapists! Guilting him into it is only going to make him resent her and feel like a failure. I think she can only ask respectfully, and then pipe down about it.