Channeling Julia Roberts as Anna Scott

I suspect they intentionally made Anne Hathaway look like Julia Roberts in this poster for Becoming Jane.

Old?

I remember a time when there was no real cynicism in me. There was affected cynicism, but I didn't really feel it. I believed completely in possibility, of love, of adventure, of success, of doing things my way. Every action seemed to be a step toward something bigger. Before heartbrake, before cubicles, before rush hour subways, before the concept of 30 was comprehensible.

That time was not so long ago. But I often now find myself wondering if it is recaptureable. Could I love without caution? Could I drop everything on a whim a jump on a plane and just simply take off? Could I be at all spontaneous?

Plea to Olea

Olea still serves an almond tapa but it's not the same almond tapa, the one with paprika, that all on its own kept me coming back to the restaurant.

Stop Egging Eggers on!

The link below takes you to a special website containing a special ad for a special musical/bookish fundraiser to be thrown on August 26th by McSweeney's -- or okay, whatever, their NYC826 program, same thing. Tickets range from $35-$50. Interpret that as you will. I choose to see it as rampant arrogance. Even though: they've got some good musicians; and it's for a decent cause.

http://www.bookeaters.org/

Face Made for TV on the Radio?

Was the TV on the Radio show rained out yesterday or not, anyone know? I know I wussed out...

I have two sisters. Both are older, both are wiser, both are boring-er. Sorry, gals, you know it’s true. My un-boringness is the only thing I’ve got on them at this point, so I feel entitled to cling to it.

So, exciting, not-boring me has two siblings. Being the youngest, I’ve always had two siblings. I’ve never been, known, nor understood the Only Child. Growing up, my friends all had siblings. The Only’s kept to themselves. They played differently, with more reserve, more wariness of other children’s intentions.

One would expect to overcome such differences by adulthood, but alas, Only Children continue to antagonize me as 30 comes onto the horizon. They continue to think they deserve to have the things that maybe, just maybe, I want. They continue to not share.

As an editor, you'd think that I would be hyper-aware of which writers write what, But the truth is, I frequently forget to check bylines, even when I come across something I really like.

Fortunately, I did not make that mistake when I read this article by Katie Roiphe. I found her writing so perceptive and lovely that I made sure to remember her name (her love for Edith Wharton didn't hurt her, either).

So I was sad to see her new book about unconventional marriages get slammed in the Times Book Review this past weekend. I'd love to hear from someone who has read the book. Someone got something wrong, and it was either Roiphe or the reviewer, Michelle Green. I find it hard to believe that Roiphe would write something as awful as the review implies, so I am skepitcal of Green.