Tad Friend strikes again

The New Yorker writer responsible for "The Next Big Bet," one of the magazine's finest arts features of the '00s, is back with a piece about movie marketing, and you know what? I might just read it right now. Can't believe I missed it the first time around. Maybe my new pledge to take the bus to work three times a week (which will be a lot more meaningful once my car is fixed and I actually have the option to drive) will help me get back to my peak New Yorker-reading pace. Believe it or not, there were a couple months in which I wasn't behind. At all. I'd actually be ready for each new issue when it arrived. Brigadoon, I know.

In other news, I've created a Wikipedia article about Childhaven. It's a work in progress (note Wikipedians' request for the citing of references or sources), but I think it's off to a pretty decent start.

No, I've not dropped off the face of the earth

I've merely been on the East Coast since Jan. 16. For future reference: A ten-day trip is a bit much, even when there are so many friends to see and good places to eat. My article about the Inauguration should go live at Jew-ish.com tomorrow, and once I get home and upload my pictures, I'll post them here. In brief, let it be said that New York has the best vegan food ever; my toes felt as though they'd freeze and fall off as I waited for Obama to swear the oath; and for the first time in a long while, I'm relatively excited about getting back to Seattle, and not as fixated on moving to New York as I used to be. I credit the Kibbutz (which is to say: my fantastic housemates and the wonderful community they've created), my new job at Childhaven, my challenging and rewarding freelance gig at Jew-ish.com, and my upcoming 30th birthday, which I'm much more in the mood to celebrate than pout about.

I should be back soon with Oscar predictions, but for now, here's a Wall Street Journal piece about star ratings for movies brought to my attention, naturally, by Michael.