I Love the Way He Moves Me

30 May

In the summer of 2003, I saw Bruce Springsteen at Fenway Park.

The next night, I saw Dave Matthews Band at what was then called the Tweeter Center.

Suffice it to say, the DMB show paled in comparison and I decided to take a break from what was, at the time, an annual summer tradition of seeing the band live.

Six years later, DMB are back in town to play a two-night stand at Fenway (their last time there was in 2006), and after attending last night’s first show, I can say that absence sure did make the heart grow fonder. Continue reading →

Who’s That Girl?

26 May

In The Girlfriend Experience, director Steven Soderbergh explores the illusion of human connection.

The porn star Sasha Grey stars as Christine, a high-priced escort, who is so skilled that she charges $2,000 an hour. Christine treats what she does like a business, staying detached from her clients, obsessing about increasing the SEO of her website, and always looking for ways to expand her livelihood (including seeking the advice of a character named “Sugar,” played by an old college chum of mine).

Christine’s clients go to her because she’ll listen to their problems and won’t judge. She’s like a therapist, only more fun.

Oh, and of course, she’s beautiful — in her designer Michael Kors dresses and sunglasses, she looks like a sexier, younger Audrey Hepburn.

But for obvious reasons, Christine keeps her clients at a safe emotional distance. They don’t know much about her beyond what’s on the surface. They don’t even know that her real name is Christine — they think it’s Chelsea — and that’s how she likes it.

After all, wouldn’t the fact that Christine has a serious boyfriend, for example, spoil some of the mystery?

If these clients wanted to know the “real” Christine, they wouldn’t be paying her. Continue reading →

Same People, Different Week

24 May

I was going to post something here about the people who are always in the Chestnut Hill Finagle a Bagel on Saturdays and Sundays for lunch, and how amusing it is that like clockwork, you can always count on seeing them. Because it’s true: There are a handful of people who are always there midday on the weekends. And I might have made fun of these people’s quirks or remarked about the endearing qualities of one particular couple, or commented on how these customers know the folks behind the counter so well. And then it occurred to me … The only reason I know who goes to Finagle at the same time every week is because I go to Finagle at the same time every week. How lame is that? Jeeeez. I’ve really gotta find a new lunch place.

Spacey

24 May

I went to the Wrentham Outlets yesterday to do some summer clothes shopping, and while it was a pain in the arse finding a parking spot, it was totally worth it. There were great deals all over, and I gave my credit card a good workout buying new pants, shirts, shoes, and other stuff.

But parking was a challenge and it reminded me of two long-held thoughts I’ve had about parking lots. Continue reading →

Oh, To Be David Letterman

24 May

As the ZZ Top song goes, “She’s got legs … she knows how to bruise them.” (Or something like that.)

Jennifer Garner was on The Late Show recently, and David Letterman got the chance to play doctor for her. Suffice it to say, he made me really jealous. 🙂 Watch for yourself.

http://www.cbs.com/e/CwGhXfH7nckEBOgDFS3T2OgSMU9IMw8Y/cbs/2/

Sweeter on Sweet

22 May

It took three or four loops around Harvard Square Thursday night before I finally found a parking spot, and I must not have been paying any attention to where I was driving. I was there to have dinner at Border Cafe with Amy, Amy’s mom, and AmyMac, and as good as the margaritas were (especially on such a hot day), you can only imagine how excited I was when AmyMac mentioned that a new cupcake place had opened in the Square. What was funny is that I had driven right by it those four times and didn’t even notice. How could I have been so blind?

Well anyway, this was no “new” cupcake place. It was a new, second location for Sweet, the Back Bay store that didn’t really blow me away when I tried it last year. And I have to say, I don’t know if it was the company I was with or the cake itself, but I certainly enjoyed my Sweet Cake with chocolate buttercream frosting more last night than the one I had exactly one year ago today. There was a very strong vanilla flavor, the icing was, well, sweet, and while the cupcake was small, it was definitely an ideal size given how full I was from dinner.

What I also missed while driving around: Tory Row had opened in the space formerly occupied by the Greenhouse. Next time I’m driving around Harvard Square looking for parking, I’m going to have to be better about looking around and seeing where I am. I can only imagine what other tasty treats I may have missed.

Back in the Swing of Things

21 May

Last week some coworkers grabbed me on their way out the door and invited me to join them at a local driving range.

Now it’s a weekly thing, and I’m happy to say that my golf clubs are officially out of storage.

Part of the appeal of buying my condo was its proximity to a public golf course, but I’ve lived here for more than a year and I’ve never taken advantage of it.

Now I don’t feel as bad about that because I work a short distance from another course and I’m taking good advantage of that one.

Continue reading →

Feeling Glee-ful

21 May

Did you watch the pilot episode of Glee on Tuesday night? No? Well do not wait another minute: Sit at your computer and watch it right now, right here. It’s funny, the music’s great, and I really liked it. There’s an instant-classic peppy cover of Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab” at the 28:30 mark that’s worth watching. And let me just say that Lea Michele, the adorable actress who plays Rachel Berry, sure can sing (fast-forward to the 40-minute mark for proof of that). Alright, stop reading, click “play,” and enjoy!
http://www.hulu.com/embed/Fq-gwzQizV6MdAgIlglF1Q

No Boundaries for Kris Allen Now

20 May

I predicted it yesterday and I said it as far back as the semifinals in February, and now it’s come true: Kris Allen is the new American Idol! Woo hoo! What an upset! What a great surprise! This is awesome. Kris has been a consistently good singer all season — maybe not the best ever, but he’s got a great sound that I like — and I’m very happy he won. Hell, even that lame winner’s song, “No Boundaries,” sounded good tonight. Wow … this is really cool. Maybe now Adam Lambert will go back to obscurity, taking that screechy/yelling voice and his memories of being totally overrated with him, and we can all get on with our lives again … till next season, at least.

I Predict an Upset

19 May

All season long, people have been genuflecting to Adam Lambert like he’s the second coming or something. Most talented American Idol contestant ever? Puh-leeze. Have they totally forgotten about Carrie Underwood? Adam can’t hold a candle to her — or to Kelly Clarkson. Hell, I haven’t seen an Idol contestant this overrated since, well, ever. So now that the season finale is finally here, and Adam is going mano a mano with Kris Allen, I think it’s time to put an end to all that hoo-hah.

You may recall that back in February, after only two weeks of semifinals, I predicted that Kris would win it all. Today, I’m standing by that prediction. Just wait for it. Tomorrow night, after all the random and unnecessary musical numbers are over and Ryan Seacrest finally gets around to announcing the winner, there will be an upset, and naive little girls will be crying all over the country (again). Tonight, all the people who voted for Danny Gokey are going to shift to Kris, and all the people like me, who agree that Adam sucks and have had it with his overly dramatic, screeching/yelling singing style, will finally pick up their phones to vote against him. I’ll be voting for the first time all season, as much to support Kris as to prevent Adam from winning.

Really, I don’t care that much — it’s been a pretty lame season of Idol overall. Heck, it’s like season six all over again. And I mean, Kris isn’t really someone I’d support in a better season. But IMHO, he’s the best one they’ve had on this year and he’s had my support almost from the beginning. And, alright fine, I’d just love to see Adam lose. So who’s with me? Vote for Kris!

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