Glotz visits + Another Movie (rated G)

Glotz was here, prompting much wine consumption and yet another late night cheesesteak (though just prior challenge winner Geno's-- we shunned Pat's).

Also, another follies movie is on the internet. This one is clean, though the whole joke is a Matrix spoof featuring a professor named Metrick who teaches venture capital at Wharton. It is very well made.

I had another dinner party last night, and would like to thank Glotz for his stuffed mushroom recipe. Hot tip: I topped them with grated Pecorino before popping them in the oven, providing extra zing and a little crunch on the top. Delish!

Not A Waste Of Time

A warning: today's post contains links to things with really bad language. If you are easily offended, skip this. Regarding the post's title, it refers to the fact that the trifling item I link to below probably ate up about 8 hours total of my life.

A few days ago, Glotz asked if there was anything from Follies available on Google video. The answer is yes.

Before you click on it (too late?), a warning. It contains not infrequent use of the f-word. It's a parody of the song, "America, F$&@ Yeah" from Team America, World Police. And the video itself is a parody of this video which has been circling the net for some time.

Anyhow, it's a song I helped write (really challenging, as you can tell). I'm one of the raspy voiced people yelling in the background of the recording. And if you don't blink, I'm in one of the images for a millisecond.

Turn down the volume if you're at work.

Enjoy!

Pats + Geno's Wiz Wit = Crazy Delicious!

Last night, after I had a fabulous three course meal with some visiting family and went out dancing with some friends, we decided to attempt the Pat & Geno's Challenge. Well, we really set out to get a cheesesteak at one of the two most famous cheesesteak places in Philly. They are in the middle of nowhere and yet right across the street from each other, so you really just cab down there and pick one. I had been to both, but not in years (I dropped in during two different business trips from back in my past life), Helene had never been to either. We opted for Geno's because our cab dropped us slightly closer to its line and it was 10 degrees out. Keep in mind there's no indoor seating or anything, but we figured we could warm up with the cheesesteaks seconds faster by picking based on proximity.

The line at these places moves so quickly it's like blink and you'll miss it. They make the soup nazi seem normal with their ordering rules: you just say the kind of cheese you want and either 'wit' or 'witout' to indicate if you want grilled onions. Hot tip on cheese: I would suggest the traditional 'wiz', rather than the snobbier 'provie' for provolone. The problem with provolone is it doesn't always melt and you really want the cheese to melt. Cheese Wiz has no such issues.

There were people in tuxes. There were Jersey girls in miniskirts (10 degrees, people) and tube tops getting heckled by the guys in line to "Go back to Jersey!" There's a sign in Geno's window that says, "You're in America-- order in English," which strikes me as ironic given "Wiz wit" does not resemble any English I was raised to speak.

We happily sat down with our cheesesteaks (fair disclaimer, there were four of us and we each went halfsies). We were almost done when Helene started whining that she was still hungry, and the momentum quickly changed this from a food run to a challenge. So across the street to Pat's we went and repeated the ritual. I've discussed this with several people who claim to have completed the 'challenge,' and beyond far too much detail on their gastrointestinal distress, they've also shared that they feel there's no difference between the two places. I disagree (on both fronts, actually, I feel great!); Geno's is clearly superior. They win on the only two metrics in which they could differ, since I believe they have the same bread supplier and Cheese Wiz=Cheese Wiz=Cheese Wiz. Geno's meat is far more flavorful, and Geno's onions are more fully cooked.

So come to Philly, people! I am now a Cheesesteak wizard.

Literally

Two photos: Sodom and Gomorroah party (with bday boy) and opening night of Follies "It's fun to wear formalwear to a dive bar!"


I'm sorry I've been so bad about posting lately... I'm just inexcusably flaky.

I just wanted to point out another blog with a subject matter I feel very strongly about: vocabulary abuse.

This is a blog 100% devoted to misusing the word literally. Literally.

Last night I went to a "Sodom and Gomorrah" themed party. It was convenient that I could just wear the same scandalous top (purchased by Marji) I wore to my birthday.

Miss you all!

Opening Night Picture

I'm Alive

I wonder if I have any readers left. Follies opening night was last night. The night before, I pulled my first Wharton all-nighter. Alas, I did no schoolwork during said all-nighter. Instead, it was pulling together slides for the show, fixing a few jokes, and trying to figure out how to pull off all the technical stuff we have to do during the show. It was tons of work. And then I had to get up and actually do the technical stuff. It was totally worth it. At least I keep telling myself that.

There were two shows last night. The 5pm one was all admits, and they were pretty mellow. Some of my favorite jokes did not get laughs. I was despondent. So I and my fellow first year writers went to the bar across the street and decided to drown our sorrows. We were unexpectedly joined by the dean of the school, who I met this week because he is in the show and my cameo overlaps with his (finally, a payoff for selling my life to this thing). As we were talking to him I got an email on my new Blackberry with a job offer. One I'm really excited about, actually. So I'm not unemployed. And it looks like I'll be in New York this summer.

Then we went to the 9pm show. The house was packed (totally sold out). The audience was all students. And they laughed at everything. They were tremendous. I was on cloud nine.

Then we did karaoke.

That's the latest from Juliedelphia. I plan on figuring out what's going on in my classes (finals are in two weeks!) and starting to call the people I love starting next week. For now, it's back to naptime!

Post-DIP

DIP was pretty bad. I remain unemployed. But that's OK, many of us are in the same boat and that's expected. I did enjoy the below email thread from some of my classmates. Enjoy!

________________________________

From: Someone

Subject: RE: Words of Wisdom

Hi there,

Hope all is going well for you guys. I have some wisdom I'd like to pass

on from an interview that I had today. The guy asked me how I would

quickly find out the cost of capital for a project in Los Angeles. I

told him to check the internet. He laughed. I was serious. An awkward

silence ensued! I think the correct answer (although technically I still

believe I wasn't wrong) was municipal bonds. So if any of you get asked

that question, I think the internet is not the right answer.

Good luck!

-----Original Message-----

From: Someone

Subject: RE: Words of Wisdom

Joe, you were so close ... I think the answer he was looking for was not

"check the internet" but "check Google". You need to keep up on this

technology, man ...

I hope no one got my favorite question from today: "Why did you put your

clubs in this order on your resume?" That seemed like a great way to

evaluate people.

-----Original Message-----

From: Someone

Subject: RE: Words of Wisdom

My favorite question of the day was "did you think of being a

politician?" Note: there is nothing on my resume or cover letter that

would suggest an interest in politics.

Whatever...

Good luck with the rest of the week.

-----Original Message-----

From: Someone

Subject: RE: Words of Wisdom

Mine was "Are you sure you should be at Wharton?"

________________________________

From: Someone

Subject: RE: Words of Wisdom

For my scheduled 5 pm interview (that didn't get started until 5:15 because he was running late)....

My guy glanced at his watch at least three times, made two references to catching a 6 pm train, didn't take any notes, and midway through the interview started asking me a question, only to pause and say, "Wait, have I already asked you this?"

-----Original Message-----

From: Someone

Subject: RE: Words of Wisdom

My guy started the interview with "you are standing between me and lunch"

-----Original Message-----

From: Someone

Subject: RE: Words of Wisdom

My guy stopped in the middle of the interview to send an email to her

assistant and answered a call right after that, then cut it short to

catch a train back to NY.

-----Original Message-----

From: Someone

Sent: Tuesday, January 31, 2006 11:59 PM

To: other people

Subject: RE: Words of Wisdom

I had some dude punch me in the face, grab me by the neck, and ram my

head through the drywall. I didn't even have a chance to tell him "Why

Wharton".

Those Rohm & Haas guys sounded a lot nicer in the Marketing Case.