Thursday, November 29, 2007

Spinster aunt countdown commences

With this post Megan is officially getting old. Not so much for the content as the tone, and for thinking anyone who's lived in the US for any significant amount of time doesn't know that "brain on drugs" commercial, if only because they were doing versions of it for at least a decade.
There's also this;
My college roommate had a terrific poster of a plate of breakfast food, captioned: "This is your brain with home fries and a side order of bacon.[sic]
I understand humor is inherently subjective, and Megan went to college in the late 1840s, making the poster hip in its time, but that's just not funny.

11 comments:

M. Bouffant said...

Perhaps if MM had explained that the poster featured two fried eggs (& the sides) rather than "a plate of breakfast food," you would have found it amusing. Or it would at least have been understandable. Or perhaps not. Either way, she certainly can't type a joke to save her life.

brad said...

I "get" the "joke". It was made several thousand times within 12 hours of the first airing of the first ad, is the problem.

Adam Eli Clem said...

I'm guessing that McArdle's dormroom decorations included Doisneau's done-to-death "The Kiss," a photo of a man and woman snogging in Paris. Or prints of Georgia O'Keefe paintings. But not both.

Anonymous said...

"I'm so cool. I did drugs in college."

M. Bouffant said...

Ooops. I may be entering bachelor uncle territory.

Hey, how 'bout those Knicks?

Maybe even, "I'm so cool. My roommate did drugs in college."

Dhalgren said...

You simply have not lived until you have been in McArdle's shoes.

Otherwise, she has to explain to you, in detail, what the Upper West Side is like, what it's like to be college educated, and why it is important that the value of your condo or co-op goes up.

Kiddo said...

I didn't even know who this Megan was, I'm getting educated all over the damn place. I tried to learn on her site, but the ads were flashing enough to give a non-epileptic a seizure.

Now I do need some tips...I'm no stranger to the NYC area, but what is the Upper West Side all about? I got a brief description from someone who just moved there, but that friendship is on the rocks, so I can't figure out what this area is really about. Any succinct summations?

Adam Eli Clem said...

Hey there, Lex. Things to know about the Upper West Side:

-Traditionally defined as the area between 60th and 125th Streets, West of Central Park. Broadway is the UWS's spine.
-Home to Columbia and Fordham universities, dens of liberal iniquity.
-Home to Zabars, legendary overpriced food emporium.
-Home to Fairway, legendary slighly less overpriced food emporium.
-Home of the Beacon Theatre, legendary music hall and host to many Tyler "Madea" Perry productions. The influx of African Americans Perry's shows draws causes consternation among some white folks.
-Home of the Freegans, vegans who dumpster dive.
-Borders Harlem, Morningside Heights and Hamilton Heights, home to many black folks, some of whom may have teased McArdle when she was a 6'2" five year-old.
-Home to the AMNH (American Museum of Natural History), closest thing I have to a house of worship.
-Home to the Metropolitan Opera.
-Back in the day (1900-1950, roughly), the UWS was considered Manhattan's artsy neighborhood. Gentrification began in earnest in the 80's. Preponderance of rent-controlled apartments and good schools made it attractive to young families. Still considered a relatively affordable place to live in Manhattan, but burgeoning condo development and a hot sales market are conspiring to drive rents through the roof.
-Home to many eccentric old folks who have lived there forever.
-Home to H&H Bagels, which some people consider Manhattan's best bagel shop. They are fools.
-Wind coming off the Hudson River gusts up the bluffs, pressurizes against the wall of buildings on Riverside Drive and blasts down the sidestreets with remarkable force.
-Not as many hot-looking people as in other neighborhoods, but still respectable.
-Primary subway service is via the 1,2 and 3 trains.
-Home to many who believe that Bush and Cheney could actually be impeached and removed from office.
-Home to a fair number of Jewish folks.
-There is a Starbucks on every damn block.
-Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade route dawdles on the UWS, causing impressionable young children to associate childish awe with corporate mascots.
-Arguably ruined by Seinfeld.

brad said...

Having lived on the UWS for three years, a couple things to add.
-Also the A, B, C, and D trains.
-The Natural Museum History is a fantastic place to visit when tripping.
-Sal & Carmine's on Broadway and 103, or so, is the best slice in Manhattan. Arguably best in the city. Some will point you towards Brooklyn, as they are either tourists or locals with a point, depending on where they point.
-The beautiful people are very much there, been a while since Clem visited, I guess, at least between CPW and Broadway.
and etc.

Adam Eli Clem said...

Ah, so the hotness factor has increased since August, 2007, when I decamped from NY to Boston? I stand by my claim.

brad said...

Maybe it got less hot since I left.
Depends a bit on how you define hot.
Tho I suppose you're right, compared to trendier areas I've lived in since.
CPW has too much money not to be hot, tho.