Remember when those WWJD bracelets came out? Those were rad, because I’ll tell you “what Jesus would do.” He’d be groovy. Because Jesus invented groovy. You’ve had a hectic day even though it’s only 10 a.m. You get in the car to go to the park with the toddler and realize you’ve forgotten snacks, so…
Popping Your Culture
10 Versions of “Over the Rainbow”: I Have a Little Obsession
“Over the Rainbow” is one of the most covered songs on the planet, and I’ve spent a good portion of the last two days chasing down its many incarnations on YouTube. Here are 10 versions of “Over the Rainbow” sung by Judy Garland, Norah Jones, The Ramones, the cast of television’s Glee, Ella Fitzgerald, Kylie Minogue, Rufus Wainwright, Ben Webster, Tori Amos, and Israel Kamakawiwo’ole.
Why Am I Here?
Recently, I wrote about my secret dirty love affair with the suburbs. I love the perfect parks with their gorgeously uniform rose bushes. I love the top-rated elementary schools. I love the happy, pretty people. I love my square footage. I know that something is missing: it’s that crazy, joyful buzz and diversity of the city….
Happy Birthday to Message Boards!
Internet message forums turn 34 today. This essentially means that our generation doesn’t know a world without message boards–they have always just been there like the mustard in the back of your fridge, the date of purchase for which you can’t remember. (Dude. It came with the house.) Conceived in a blizzard by two nerds in…
Hold Me Close, Tie Me Down, Sir, Before You Rock the Cash Bar
What do “Come on Phillinois” and “Daisy Dukes, zucchinis on top” have in common? They are the reason I can never be on “Don’t Forget the Lyrics.” It was years before I figured out Quiet Riot wasn’t inviting everyone to a party in their sister state of Illinois, they just wanted me to “Come on…
Guilt In the Age of Modern Parenting
I don’t know what my mother felt guilty for. Given that it was the 70’s it could have been getting divorced, having to work, making us wear plaid wool blends. It’s hard to know. But I’m quite certain that now, forty years later, guilt has evolved in all kinds of interesting ways. The things I…
Sumo Wrestle the Winter Blues Away
Winter got you down? Have you grown weary of leg wrestling day in and day out? Do you want to have fun but no one wants to Wang Chung? Well, I have just the thing for you: Sumo Wrestling! Recently, my partner and I co-hosted a Sumo Wrestling Cocktail Party. Sumo wrestling and cocktails may…
I’ll Take You All Out for a Bloomin’ Onion
I am stunned. Stunned, I tell you. As a blogger, I often get pitches in my inbox and today I received this: Dear Shari, dust off your secret shoebox and dig through your drawers and find those unwanted gift cards! According to a recent article from The Wall Street Journal, $41 billion in gift cards…
