Christopher Walken has ticklish knees

I could watch Zoe Kazan do an impression of Christopher Walken being tickled for hours.




Zoe, let's go shopping, talk about Nabokov and have a falafel double date with your boyfriend, Paul Dano.

a different kind of queen

There was a charming old hispanic man who was flirting with all the cahsiers at my neighborhood grocer - they called him viejito and giggled.

He held the door as I left with my groceries and gave me a wink, calling me "Queen of Queens" in Spanish. I, too, giggled. He was surprisingly charming. Until, wonderingly, I googled "Reina de Reinas."

Oh boy.

Things I Learned at a Texas Wedding

You can wear sunglasses that are equally effective at keeping out bees.


There is apparently a very real concern in Texas about flooding on the Dallas interstates. The signage continually commands you not to drown.

Sparklers at weddings are both awesome and terrifying.


It is possible (and this one is quite a surprise) to drive for half an hour in Ft. Worth and not see one bar or coffee shop!

But Ozona's in Dallas will make you giant mimosas and delicious juevos rancheros to share with wonderful friends. You might have to sit on a menu to keep your pants dry on the patio, but it will be totally worth it.


Also, here is a picture of my sister's hamster, Edward.

I am not a cat lady. I swear.

But this is the creepiest, most amazing commercial ever. It also happens to involve cats.

feminism

After 18 years of college and grad school, raising two girls (at least one of whom turned out normal) practically on her own , more than 10 years of teaching history to some really stupid college freshmen, running a household that included caring for her ailing mother (for 9 years) my mom is defending her dissertation today -- as I write this, in fact.

It is about the history of the Equal Rights Amendment in Oklahoma. And word on the street is it's a pretty great little book.
I can't wait to read it.
If all goes accordingly, as I'm sure it will, she will finally be a real live professor on Friday, May 14th. And I will be lucky enough to witness it.

Even if all does not go according to plan, she's still tops in my book.
These awesome little suffrage fliers, original to the era, make me think of her.

Feminism has never been a dirty word in my family.

aging

I just found my first GREY HAIR.

That's right, folks. It's the beginning of the end.

From observing my parents, I knew this day was coming. I know I'm lucky. Loads of people go grey way earlier than the ripe old age of 25 years, 10 months and 21 days. And let me just say I would be psyched, nay, double psyched to sport Rogue/Maria D'Ancanto streaks in the front.

Sadly, I could never be that cool. Or southern. My little grey hair is located in my right eyebrow.

Perhaps I'll take a cue from the NYTimes fashion blogs and start touting my newly found grey eyebrow as edgy.

Ed and Terry

Can I just please state for the record that I don't quite think it is my fault that for most of my adult life I believed Ed Begley Jr. to be a stately African American actor? It's a fantastic name. And as much as (it turns out) I sort of adore the real, white, environmentalist Ed Begley Jr, I think his parents gave him the wrong name. (I think, also, it's to do with Lou Gosset Jr., if we're being honest.)


I have the same issue with Terrence McNally. I always envision him as the guy James Earl Jones plays in Field of Dreams.

Right?!

I maintain that this is not as odd as my aunt who mixes up Haagen-daas and Birkenstocks. Or a friend (she shall remain nameless) who confuses November and January.