5 More People from Twitter Who I’d Like to Meet Offline

15 Mar

twitter-logo-circleI love Twitter the most when it’s people talking to people, not marketers promoting their products and services, or people autosharing their Foursquare check-ins or Instagram photos, or readers generically sharing an article headline.

Just good ole person-to-person conversation.

When people on Twitter let you in, and show you that they’re about more than their job, and they actually show a personality, then you want to learn more about them and everything they want to share.

Even better, you begin to feel like you actually know these people, even if you don’t.

Because a simple “Follow Friday” tweet wouldn’t suffice, last week I shared a list of five people I follow on Twitter who I’ve never been in the same room with but I feel like I kinda sorta know, and who I would love to meet offline.

Here’s another five, in no particular order:

Continue reading →

They’ve Got Magic to Do, Just for You!

14 Mar

incredible_burt_wonderstone_posterHarry Houdini.

David Copperfield.

Penn & Teller.

Ricky Jay.

Those are the names of some great magicians.

Burt Wonderstone thinks he’s on that list, and the huge crowds that come to see his show every night at Bally’s in Las Vegas may back that up, but times are changing, and this spray-tanned egomaniac is not the star he once was.

Of course, I’m not talking about a real person. I’m talking about the title character in the new film The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, in which Steve Carell rebounds from the awful Seeking a Friend for the End of the World to show us how funny and endearing he can be when he’s in a comedy.

Continue reading →

I Just Can’t Let Go

12 Mar

delete-buttonLadies and gentlemen, I am a pack rat.

If you’re a long-time reader of this blog, this will not be breaking news. But it’s still true.

I save nearly everything: Magazines, concert and other event tickets, posters, mementos, books, DVDs, CDs, promotional tchotchkes, hangers, etc.

I save clothes until they’ve either shrunk to the point of not fitting, faded to the point of being unrecognizable, or ripped so badly that they’re useless — and that applies to shoes, towels, and backpacks/messenger bags too.

I have 20 Newbury Comics pint glasses, and I still use them, even though I have plenty of actual, nicer glasses (and I live alone).

I drove my last car for nearly 11 years before getting a new one.

I still have my old computer, which I replaced in 2006, my old VCR, my old TV, and my old DVD player.

It’s March 12 and I still have holiday cards displayed on my refrigerator.

“Something to Save” was one of my favorite tracks on the George Michael album Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1.

Maybe you get the point. I’m not exactly a candidate for Hoarders, but there’s a reason I have two — yes, two — basement storage units. Continue reading →

5 People from Twitter I’d Like to Meet Offline

8 Mar

twitter_logoIf you use Twitter the right way — that is, you use it to engage with other people, not just to share headlines or Foursquare check-ins — then you provide a window into who you are.

That’s why, if you’re active on this social network, you often find you think you know people really well when you’ve never actually met them in real life.

I have that “problem” all the time: I forget that I don’t really know some of the people I interact with on an almost-daily basis.

But that’s a good thing, I think (thus the quotation marks around “problem”). I wish more people used Twitter in a way that made it seem equally personal.

I wanted to find a way to recognize some of the people I enjoy following, but I didn’t think a simple Follow Friday tweet would do it. So I thought I’d start a regular feature here on my blog, a list of a few people on Twitter who I feel I kinda already know and would love to meet offline.

You won’t find celebrities or politicians or other big names here, even though, sure, I’d love to meet Cory Booker, Bill Maher, Alec Baldwin, the writers of Modern Family, and others like them. I’m keeping this list limited just to regular people, ones with whom I’ve never been in the same room.

Here are the first five, in no particular order: Continue reading →

Not Quite Wizard Enough

7 Mar

oz-the-great-and-powerful-horiz-posterShall we get some of the expected clichés and puns out of the way now?

Pay no attention to that movie behind the curtain!

This Oz is not so wonderful.

No brain! No heart! No courage!

It’s wicked bad.

Don’t go off to see this Wizard.

Witch movie should you see this weekend? Not this one.

And of course … There’s no place like home (when you’re deciding whether to go out to see Oz the Great and Powerful).

From those lines you can probably surmise that this Wizard of Oz prequel is neither as great or as powerful as the 1939 classic film that inspired it. Not even close. Continue reading →

Are You Ready to Check in to a Life Less Social?

6 Mar

Foursquare-stickerHow times have changed.

It wasn’t so long ago that I used to check in on Foursquare everywhere I went, to an almost obsessive-compulsive degree.

The supermarket, the gas station, the post office, my home, every store I shopped at in the mall, T stops, my parents’ apartment, my friends’ houses … if it was on Foursquare, I’d check in there right away. And if it wasn’t, then I’d create a place or find somewhere close by to check in to.

I was a stalker’s dream.

But now, I hardly check in at all. Only when there’s a mayorship I need to maintain, or it’s a particularly interesting place (like a movie or a good restaurant or a special event).

Otherwise, checking in to the same places all the time — whether it’s an office, gym, coffee shop, or whatever — isn’t all that exciting anymore. And more important, no one really needs to know (or, if I’m being honest, cares) where I am at all times. Continue reading →

Argo Get Yourself Some Oscars

22 Feb

oscar-statuesTo quote the great Billy Crystal, Sunday night is going to be a wonderful night for Oscar.

Oscar, Oscar … Who will win?

The easier question to answer may be who will lose, because with so many good movies in 2012, a few categories that are actually competitive, Family Guy and Ted creator Seth MacFarlane sure to crush it as host, and the prospect of seeing Jennifer Garner and Reese Witherspoon looking fantastic again, I’d say we’ll all be winners Sunday night.

But all kidding aside, who will win? Allow me to make a few predictions and share some commentary … Continue reading →

Maybe We Should Just Let “Die Hard” Die Already

15 Feb

A_Good_Day_to_Die_Hard_posterThe calendar may say 2013, but at the multiplexes this year, it sure feels like 1988.

In January, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone both headlined their own action flicks.

Now Bruce Willis is reviving his John McClane character for another Die Hard sequel.

What’s next? A revitalization of the three actors’ Planet Hollywood brand? (If so, then pass me the Chicken Crunch!)

But anyway, that’s right: Wisecracking New York cop John McClane is back, for the fifth time. Don’t get too excited. In the earlier films in the series, McClane was the right man in the wrong place at the wrong time, completely outmatched against some real bad guys, but winning anyway thanks to his resourcefulness and charm. Those were great movies. In fact, the first one is a true classic.

As the series has gone on, however, McLane has increasingly been the wrong man in the wrong movie. And in this latest go-round, the cumbersomely titled A Good Day to Die Hard, he’s as unnecessary as he’s ever been.

Continue reading →

I Love These Things, on Valentine’s Day and Always

14 Feb

love-sunset-handsHere’s the thing about Valentine’s Day that so many people forget: It’s not just for people in relationships.

It’s a day to celebrate love, and to do things you love doing.

That’s how I spend the day: Eating at places I love, listening to music I love, giving attention to people I love, and so on.

If you look at the day like I do, it’s hard to get all grumbly when confronted with all the flowers, candy, and general mushiness in the air.

One day, I’ll get swept into all that again. But until then, I’ll be celebrating these things that I love, on Valentine’s Day and always:

Continue reading →

Fool Me Once, LinkedIn … Shame on You

13 Feb

LinkedIn emailLike so many other people, I recently received an email from LinkedIn telling me that my profile was one of the most-viewed ones of 2012.

Specifically, that I was in the top 5% of all profiles.

That’s awesome, especially given that there are now more than 200 million people on the social network.

Woo hoo! I’m so proud.

And I’m definitely cooler than all those people who’ve been bragging that they’re in the top 10%. Ha ha!

The email from LinkedIn gave me a nice ego boost. And clearly, I’m not alone: A ton of people have been bragging on Facebook and Twitter that they were also in the top 5% … or the top 1% or the top 2%. Continue reading →

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