Category Archives: idiocy

birfday, idiocy, life in new york

iphone saga: the beginning

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PART ONE: THE OFFER

Adam: Ester, I would like to buy you an iphone for your birthday. … Hello? Are you there? What’s that sound?
Ester: Me jumping for joy while simultaneously descending into neurosis.

PART TWO: THE DITHERING

Ester: Am I cool enough? Am I important enough? Will people laugh at me?
Rebecca #1: I though self-deprecation went out in the 90s.
Ester: Not for me.

PART THREE: THE DECISION

Adam: You’re getting an iphone — just accept it. It’s a phone, not an existential crisis. Ok? Good.

PART FOUR: ACQUISITION ATTEMPT #1

Ester: Hi, I’m here to get an iphone.
Genius: Okily dokily! … Hm. This says you need to give us $500, which we would hold for a year.
Ester: This is like some sort of ransom?
Genius: Yes.
Ester: And at whose chest can I point this Gun of Desperation, which contains a magazine full of Trustworthy Looks and Sensible Explanations?
Genius: That would be AT&T’s. Store’s right around the corner.

PART FIVE: ACQUISITION ATTEMPT #1.5

Ester: Hi, I’m here to understand why I can’t get an iphone.
AT&T Lady: Hm. This says that there are stray cats that have better credit than you do. And felons. And street urchins.
Ester: That’s impossible.
AT&T Lady: Sea urchins, even.
Ester: Three months ago, I qualified for a mortgage!
AT&T Lady: Thank you, have a nice day.
Rebecca #2: Come on, honey. Let’s go resuscitate you and then get you some food.

PART SIX: A PASSAGE TO INDIA

Ester: Hi, I’m calling to understand why sea urchins have better credit than I do.
Bombay: Thank you. May I have your date of birth?
Ester: July 19th.
Bombay: Oh! And how was your birthday?
Ester: Like sex without coming. The iphone was supposed to be the big present, you see, but I couldn’t get one because there’s some problem with my credit.
Bombay: I see. To help you, I will need $15 every month for the rest of your life.
Ester: Here you go.
Bombay: Thank you. Here is your actual credit score.

Ester: Oh! But that isn’t bad at all. It’s lower than it was 3 months ago.
Bombay: That’s because AT&T checked it twice: each time knocked it down a bit.
Ester: How thoughtful of them.
Bombay: Be of good cheer! Your score is lower than that of my very efficient and capable twelve year old daughter, but it is higher than that of Bernie Madoff.
Ester: Good enough for me. Thank you.
Bombay: Thank you. And may the lord in his goodness and mercy grant you your orgasm/iphone.
Ester: Amen.

To be continued …

faux gender theory, idiocy, Susan Boyle

It’s always midnight on Montague Street

4 Comments

I live in the Land of the Broken Clock, under the jurisdiction of the Broken Clock, and what’s supremely funny about this is that it’s a fancy one-year-old “radio controlled” La Crosse we were given as a wedding present. We tried changing the batteries, which didn’t work, and now it serves as a constant reminder of how imperfect even high technology can be.

Speaking of imperfection, Robin Givhan of the Washington Post argues that Susan Boyle should get a makeover. Susan Boyle, the middle-aged singing phenom who has succeeded without altering her image one jot, should, now that she’s made it, stop being so damn frumpy:

Boyle has charmed millions, in part, because she comes across as unpretentious and pleasant. But she’s hardly Everywoman. She’s an odd duck, a bit of a loner. She’s a character. And she’s living out a fairy tale.

Transformation is always part of a good story. Cinderella didn’t go to the ball in hand-me-downs. She went looking her best in a glorious gown and won the heart of the prince. The ugly duckling becomes a swan.

The tale of Susan Boyle will not be complete until the shy spinster blossoms. Those who have been entranced by her story so far should let Boyle’s fairy godmother finish her work.

In other words, why should Boyle change? Because the narrative demands it! In fact, why stop at clothes and hair and shoes? This “shy spinster” needs a prince, too. I for one will not rest until Susan Boyle gets boinked good and proper.

“Spinster,” indeed. Jesus. What world are we living in? Maybe she’s gay, Robin. Maybe she’s not interested in sex. Who cares? Her personal life is her business, and she doesn’t need the Standard Gift Basket of Our Approval (“Comes with lipstick, a Maserati, and arm candy for the red carpet!”)

For the record, I’m not sure what Susan Boyle looks like or sounds like. I haven’t watched the YouTube video (should I?) But I also don’t care. Let the woman enjoy her moment in the spotlight. Her story doesn’t have to be a fairy tale to be interesting, and even if this is her own personal fairy tale it doesn’t have to conform to the Disney model.