Fox: "Hi, this is Sally Payar calling from Fox. We were cleaning out our rolodex...er, casting for a new show and we were wondering if you're interested."

Washed-up actor: "Hmm, ok. What's the show?"

Fox: "Great, see you monday." [Click]

WUA: "Huh? Sweet, work."

This is my review of celebrity bootcamp. I do more reviews on the right side of this page, in case you've never noticed.

Below, is a post on Craigslist for a job that sounds pretty, er, hot.

HOT NEW NYC GOSSIP SITE

Im looking for a web site designer who knows flash. I am a famous photographer of all the famous people... I supply gossip to all the newspapers and tabliods. I am starting a flash site of gossip,interviews,photos..Designer will recieve 15 percent of site for work. The site will have millions of hits in a very short time and will be worth millions. Will add shopping after a few months of running....

Hmm. 15% of the site? Worth millions? Sounds like a great job. I'm in. Seriously though, I wonder what kind of people are going to apply for this job? It sounds like you'd really be getting the short end of the stick, unless of course it ends up being worth millions.

Over the last few weeks I have become a regular at Sharkey's Sports Bar & Grill. I am rather obsessed with the Chicago Bears and it is impossible to watch the games at home, so I go to Sharkey's.

It's exactly what you'd expect from a sports bar on NFL Sundays; there are dudes in team jerseys, 10 televisions and both kinds of waitresses -- the young cute ones and the older motherly ones. This week was a bit tame but in the past there were a group of regulars who would yell every 5 minutes and make up songs using players' or teams' names (for Joe Horn, "Oh me so horny, oh me so horny," and so on). Despite their absence, I was able to be entertained by a couple of incredibly typical dudes. As they watched games and knocked back brewskis, one of them made two choice comments:

1. "I need to date a lesbian couple before I die."
2. "Dude, you can comment on their eyes or their smile, but not their tits! What's the difference?!?"

Obviously, the place is entertaining from a sociological standpoint, but the reason I keep going back is because I can watch every football game at once. Oh, and they have a mean chicken parmigiana sandwich.

At this exact moment, the fact that the Gilmore Girls and Buffy are on at the same time is a bigger concern than lacking employment. What to do? If WB had just bid higher than UPN. Ah well.

Some good news: My Tivo is finally back in action and set to record a number of shows this season. Of course I was busy setting it up instead of doing my daily LSAT work.

Ah, priorities.

There are times when I find metafliter a little boring. There are a lot of nice links, but a lot of filler too. Occassionally, it serves a wonderful purpose.

In this thread, a person explains how a coworker recently committed suicide. There were no signs and the person was definitely shocked in many ways. This post didn't really offer much to the group, but it was itself a call for help. Someone was having trouble coping and he/she called out to the group for help. The group happily responed with personal stories and facts about suicide.

This is when a community site earns its title. Someone needed a support group, a community to help him/her get through some tough emotions. And since people are often "embarrassed" to get help, a more anonymous arena can make life easier.

The internet and Metafilter earn a way to go from me today. Thanks Matt Haughey.

Netflix recently introduced their Top 100 page, that catalogues the most rented movies. When i saw it I was not surprised but still disappointed. I was hoping that people using Netflix would be renting more interesting things. I guess independent and classic films remain that way, even when they're very available.

I haven't talked too much about politics lately but I officially think the Bush administration has gone off the deep end, drowned all the little kids on floaty toys and claimed itself king of the pool.

A few weeks ago Bush & co. said that they would invade Iraq because they are a threat to the World. Probably true, but the administration's main concern was the possibility of nuclear and biological weapons. If there were none of theses, then there would be no need for a war.

Last week, Iraq told the U.N. that they could resume inspections. Bush had gotten what he wanted and all is well, right? Um, yeah. Instead of being diplomatic Bush had a political hissy fit. "But I wanted to go in a blow things up! Come on, PUHLEASE!" He gets what he claimed to want but immediately begins criticizing the Iraqi gov't, saying they are not really willing to do this. He just wants to play war.

This is the reason I fear for my life as an American. There has yet to be a single thing Bush & co. have done in their administration that made me excited. Everything has scared me. All of his wars and events seem to be a diversion, but I don't know from what.

I really hope that we can just make it through the next two years.

I have a problem with our approach to standardized tests. For the SAT, ACT, LSAT, GRE, everything, we study our butts off to get a high score, but what are we proving? That we're capable of learning all the nuances of a test? Isn't the point to discover how well we are likely to perform in school?

So, wouldn't it be easier if no one studied and we all took it cold-turkey? I think this would be the best option. What do you think?

I know I haven't updated much, but it's because I've actually been busy. I've been doing work around the house the last two days and was busy atoning the two days before. Soon enough I will be back in swing.

As of today, I am going to be updating my reviews again. Sorry for the lapse.

On October 5th I will be taking the LSAT. "What?!? You are going to law school??" Actually, there is about a 5-10% chance I will go to law school and about a 2% chance I will be a lawyer, so don't fret.

Nonetheless, I began a Kaplan course today in preparation for the exam. It was actually refreshing to sit down and be taught again. I like the feeling of having a notebook and pen in hand, listening to a teacher. I also like having 5 day weekends and a two day schoolweek. This is fun though because it is like a little competition with myself. Throughout the next three weeks I will (hopefully) see my score rise and can really keep track of how well I am doing. Instant feedback is wonderful.

Also, since I am no longer in a learning environment, I have found myself turning to nonfiction books. Currently I am reading The Tipping Point, and Nickel and Dimed, which I conveniently got on the street for $7.* If you have some other good suggestions, let me know. I spend a lot of time using public transportation and need some good reading material.

*Jannelle is the one who brought Nickel and Dimed to my attention. Thanks (ex-)roomie.

This week, Apple released their free calendar app, iCal. I'm not going to review it, but I would like to discuss my favorite feature: publishing. Essentially, you can make a calendar available for subscription via the web and people can download your calendar, be it a concert schedule or your daily routine, into their calendar. Endless possibilites.

I was hoping someone would be able to incorporate this into Movable Type. It happened much more quickly than I thought. Morbus Iff created a template to export your calendar to iCal and Ben, one of the cofounders of MT, created an AppleScript to export your calendar to the web. I will have to implement this very soon.

What I'd really like to see is a website that allows people to post their calendars for all to see. It would be like a yahoo directory of iCal calendars, so that people could find tons of things to subscribe to. I would love to do this if someone wanted to help. Any takers?

...to a lot of things, but certainly not to corporate America and certainly not today. It is September 11th and I am being bombarded with special feature this, intimate conversation that and all day coverage. Everyone who has access to journalistic medium is trying to commemorate the anniversary of 9/11, and some of it is interesting but most of it is not.

I'd rather we all be a bit more reflective on our own, rather than wallow in the poem of an 11 year old girl. I don't want to watch a special program detailing how newscasters felt a year ago today. I just want to go about my day, and do things my own way.

As I've said before, if there's one thing we can learn from 9/11 it is that capitalism isn't always friendly or the best route. And so I appreciate the networks cutting back/out commercials, but I don't think that means that their hands are clean. So be reflective on your own time, avoid major media outlets.

Thank you.

Here I am, at the Apple Store in SoHo. I just missed Yoko Ono buying toys for Sean (Lennon, her son). He got everything and I'm jealous.

Thankfully I didn't miss my Uncle Ted, who is buying a 17" iMac. I am not as jealous because this will be around the house for me to use. His computer is just about ready so I'm going to go. Yay NY.

This weekend I was busy being Jewish. I was at my grandpa's place celebrating Rosh Hashanah. I've been thinking about exploring my religion a bit more lately. The truth is that I know the basics of Judaism and all the customs, but I don't know much about all the intricacies of the actual religion. So I might look into that, but I haven't decided yet. Anyway, for services we went to this service for people who don't belong to a temple. It was essentially a service for beginners. The whole thing was fine, except for when we sang "America the Beautiful," twice. So I was a little miffed by the whole experience. Thankfully it was a joyous, as well as contempletive, event.

The other part of the weekend was spent at concerts. I went to see the Thrill Jockey 10th anniversary show with Tortoise, Trans Am, Robert Randolph, Bobby Conn Band, The National Trust and Chicago Underground Duo on Thursday and then the Waxwings on Saturday. Both were good shows, but The Frames on Sat. were kind of boring.

Anyway, the real celebrity I was referring to was the DJ duo Andrew Andrew. They dress and look identical at all times, down to matching tattoos. They also DJ with iPods at clubs and have their own clothing line. I love seeing obscure celebrities at H&M in the Village, or something.

Should I see Spoon with John Vanderslice and Natural History on the 21st or with the French Kicks on the 22nd?

A question that would be laughable in Madison. Way to go NYC.

I've made it. I'm happy. I've moved in, but I'm not all set up. Once I am, I'll take some photos so you can see my little tree house. (I'm on the third floor with a room covered in windows.) For now, I will give you the log I kept while traveling. Enjoy.

Day 1

3:04pm EST Somewhere, IN

I made my first stop to get gas, pee and eat. or GEP. I was going to
stop earlier but I figured I'd take a chance so I could have Arby's. Arby's just feels like roadtrip food. I have a long way to go still, so I should probably get moving. These will get more amusing when I get a little crazier.

Tolls: $3.00
Tapes of Journey: 0 (this will change VERY soon)
Number of people I've worked with who I've seen driving: 1

4:26pm EST Kunkle, Ohio

Had to pee again. I feel much better now. People you encounter on the road are very...interesting. For instance, I held the door for a woman and her daughter and the mom said, "THANK you, he he he." Huh? Oh road trips.

Tolls: $7.15
Tapes of Journey: 0

6:22pm EST Elyria, OH

More peeing, but this time I also had to charge my phone. It started the day at 4 bars and it's completely dead now. It must be in analog mode. Ah well. Back to driving, more updates in a little under an hour (dinner time).

Tolls: $7.15 (but a whopper's coming)
Number of three-wheeled motorcycles driven by patriotic men in front of me: 1

7:18pm Freedom, OH

Ohio is an asshole. There are SO many cops around it is ridiculous. I wish I were hungry because I'm getting gas now. I'm not good at coordinating activities. Onward.

Number of trees: a lot
Number of hills: more than before

8:47pm Emlenton, PA

I waited a lot longer to get food than I had planned. As a result, my eyes and brain got very tired. I just refused to eat McDonalds or Burger King, so I waited until a Subway came along. It hit the spot. The girls there suggested I try to stop in Clarion or DuBois. I'm thinking DuBois. The best part was when I asked which "city" to go to and they said "There aren't any 'cities' nearby." A very astute point.

Tolls: $15.45
Turnpikes: Generally annoying, but the travel plazas are kind of fun, in a sociological way.

10:00pm DuBois, PA

After some trouble finding a place to stay, I ended up in a Holiday Inn. It is nice and I get a free breakfast. The problem was that it's Labor Day Weekend and there are a lot of weddings/parties/etc. I thought about getting a movie, but I'm too tired. I will talk about the road signs I found interesting though.

The funniest one I saw said "Buckle Up Next Million Miles." I love when state governments can have a sense of humor. The dumbest sign said "Emergency Stopping Next 1/2 Mile." I have trouble planning my emergencies. The most interesting sign was a flashing sign alternating the phrases "God Bless America" and "I'm Proud To Be An American." It gave the sign a personality and reminded me of a lot of the people who say that. They don't think, they just say it because they're programed to. But I digress.

The move is coming to a close and that's good. Driving is nice, but I'm ready for the city.

Hours of driving left: About 5.
My plan for breakfast: pancakes, eggs, OJ and toast.

Day 2

9:30am DuBois, PA

I just finished a nice "free" breakfast buffet and I'm pretty stuffed. Not exactly what I had envisioned, but it was good enough. Today is going to be mostly driving. I just want to get there.

3:00pm Staten Island, NY

I stopped twice today, but they were very brief. Once for gas, and once to pee. I didn't do much else. The music was good today. A really good collection. I'm going to figure out how to format my playlist into text so I can put it up on the site for ya'll to see. I have decided the Pennsylvania was my favorite state to drive through. Good roads, curteous drivers and nice scenery. New Jersey started out well, but it was impossible to get food without driving 2-3 miles off the highway. No way bro. Also, traffic around Newark was asstastic, but was to be expected.

All in all, the trip was relatively painless. Having my laptop with 4 days worth of music on it definitely helped. That is all.

Tolls: $22.45