Saturday, September 25, 2010
by Amanda.

I’ve been writing elsewhere lately.
Check out what’s been on the front burner. If you like what you see, please leave a comment or share it on Twitter, Facebook, etc.
1. The latest on my fire escape garden at the Burpee Home Gardens blog.
This summer, the NYC weather patterns fluctuated as dramatically as Lady Gaga’s wardrobe.
Read more here.
2. Blog posts for Nerve.com
Survey says: Old guys are hotter than ever
Why you might want to consider a career in marijuana
Fashion advice from an attractive stranger named Devin
3. Posts for BrickUnderground, an NYC real estate site
How to deal with a not so super super
An email I received that inspired the super post

Posted in: Mentionable, Writing.
Friday, September 24, 2010
by Amanda.
You’ll recall I have a thing for mensches.
I was recently contacted by the Jewish Federations of North America - which I shall henceforth consider a potential dating pool - about the Jewish Community Heroes campaign. This is the second year the organization will reward a Jewish Hero of the Year with a $25,000 grant to support his or her charitable efforts.

Posted in: Mentionable.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
by Amanda.
I visited my parents for a week back in August, and there was a point where things came to a head. I had to storm upstairs and cry angrily in a hot shower and then lock myself in the office that’s a spare bedroom.
I told myself, “It’s called a nuclear family, because it’s normal for you to want to blow them up.”
Yep, my dad started talking about the “mosque” near the World Trade Center.
Here’s a question from Ryan:
I’d be very interested to hear your opinion on the “community center/prayer center” or “mosque” controversy.
I know you’re not particularly political on NP, but you are a New Yorker… You must have an opinion on this, right?
My response:

Posted in: Ask Amanda, I Live NY.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
by Amanda.

The Jewish High Holy Days are unfolding like scrolls of the Torah. I had to take the opportunity to mensch-ion the Yiddish version of the “stand-up guy,” the one and only mensch. You know, those nerdy, sensitive guys who are all crazy hair, irritable bowels, and “Oy!”
Check out my first piece for Nerve.com called “Seven Mensches I’d Like to Schtup.” If you like it, please share it online and leave a comment.
Shalom!

Posted in: Mentionable, Writing.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
by Amanda.

Remember newspaper blackout poetry?
Graham Rawle’s Woman’s World is a novel made entirely of clips from British women’s magazines from the 1960s - 40,000 of them, to be exact.
Some people call this new genre metafiction. All I know is that each page looks like a ransom note.


Posted in: Overbooked.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
by Amanda.

Just in case you ever want to write a screenplay, but you’re worried your idea is dumb…

Posted in: Fluff.
Monday, September 6, 2010
by Amanda.
Happy Labor Day!
I’m about to go eat something fatty and grilled, but first here’s a link to a short interview with me posted on Nuok, an Italian online magazine all about NYC.
Ciao!

Posted in: I Live NY, Mentionable.
Friday, September 3, 2010
by Amanda.
If The Onion were a person, it would have to be my new best friend. Especially after yesterday’s hilarious story “8.4 Million New Yorkers Suddenly Realize New York City A Horrible Place To Live.” If you’ve lived in NYC, you know where this is going.
If you love it anyway, you know it’s one funny ride.
Here’s an excerpt:

Posted in: I Live NY, Mentionable.
Monday, August 30, 2010
by Amanda.

NYC in the 1970s was spooky. The 1980s weren’t that much better. And today it’s the safest big city in the world.
Most people would call that progress, and I can’t argue. But some people - usually white kids who’d crap their pants if they ever got mugged - romanticize the danger of old school NYC.

Posted in: I Live NY, Mentionable.
Monday, August 23, 2010
by Amanda.
This weekend I was going to enter the Hey, Hot Shot! 2010 photography contest, until I found out there was an $80 entry fee. I don’t really think any of my photos would have much of a chance of winning such a big contest. I’m not being negative, just realistic.
When you put money into the equation, the limit on submissions starts getting more daunting, too. You pay $80 for five chances to show that the way you’ve captured someone or something is superior to the ways thousands of other people captured someone or something. Maybe even the same someones and somethings.
I’m a bad editor. It’s hard for me to delete a photo. Sure, I know when one’s bad. But it’s hard to get rid of a flower that blew in the wind right as I snapped the picture. Beauty’s in the blur.

Posted in: Everyday, Thinking.