Right now I am taking a Modern Standard Arabic class as a continuing studies student at NYU. I must say, I really enjoy continuing my studies, even though Arabic is rather challenging. The students are much more fun in this particular class than they were in all the other classes I took at all the other colleges I went to and sometimes we get to learn swear words. So far these are the things I know how to say, read AND write in Arabic (triple threat!): Apricots, “I will bury you alive,” hashish, “I don’t want to humiliate you,” chicken, Lebanon. More tk. Ma’a salama.
Monthly Archives: July 2011
New York: day 626
At Rupert Murdoch’s tabloids, refusing to play ball meant being pushed to the sidelines. One reporter who said he went through that was Charles Begley, News of the World’s Harry Potter correspondent in 2001 when [Rebekah] Brooks was its editor.
The then 29-year-old reporter said he wore a Harry Potter costume to work and officially changed his name to that of the fictional boy wizard, all part of the paper’s attempt to tap into the Pottermania sweeping both sides of the Atlantic.
On Sept. 11, hours after the fall of the twin towers, Begley was stunned to be chewed out by News of the World management for not wearing his costume. He said he was then ordered to attend the next news meeting in full Potter regalia.
Shaken by the demand, Begley never showed up, and soon afterward parted ways with the paper.
New York: day 624
Good print (right) + feet
New York: day 623
I recently saw two movies. I will analyze them here.
1. Up Close and Personal, 1996
This has to be a joke, right? Like a huge joke played on the world by Joan Didion, as most JD works tend to be especially when they are in the form of screenplays written with her husband (as in this case). I was most intrigued by the character of Michelle Pfeiffer’s hair, which gave a truly dynamic performance. Takeaways: Teased blonde hair begs sexual harassment. Bobbed brown hair is good at covering prison riots.
2. All About Eve, 1950
Forty is such a scary age.
New York: day 616
Summer here means many things: Watermelon, bikes*, bugs, hot dogs, freon, moss, dairy-free fudgsicles, sweat and most importantly DIP-DYE. Special thanks to Leigh Patterson for providing the dyes + bathtub for the below creation.
*I wish I had one. I bought an Arabic class instead. Next year.
New York: day 612
I took the N train to the office this morning. The lady next to me held a hand-written list. It looked like this:
To Do: WORK
1. Promotion
2. Get own chair
!!!
New York: day 611
“He’s got his own ideas on everything,” Lu told me. “He won’t change for others, even when he’s wrong. For instance, he’s extremely lazy, and he’s always late. But he refuses to change. He’s got girlfriends, but he won’t change, even when he’s caught by his wife. He wastes money and drives himself into financial trouble, but he won’t change. All of this shows that he’s stubborn. Or, one might say, free.”
New York: day 607
Oh HELLO. Can you believe we are back here, in America. Whatta place. I spent this week immersed in the sludge that is reverse culture shock. Popular descriptions of RCS say that its symptoms include boredom, isolation and irritability. For me, the signs have been inability to ride the subway, locking myself out of my apartment repeatedly and thinking every woman wearing a skirt above the knee is a prostitute.