Friday, March 21, 2008

The New Yorker Is Good.

The Boy has a subscription to The New Yorker. From what I've observed, it is impossible to stay on top of one's subscription, unless one is unemployed and wont to sit around reading all day. Which doesn't sound half-bad to me, honestly, except for the whole no-income part.

Anyway, I don't always have interest in all (or most, really) of the articles, as they are pretty dense and I'm sorry, but if the subject doesn't interest me, a densely written article about it won't interest me either. However, I am almost always interested in the Arts & Culture articles, and of course, I love the cartoons - when I understand them, anyway. Sometimes I will flip through a recent issue (The Boy always has at least 6 recent ones on his desk) just to see if anything catches my attention, but recently I've started reading the Arts & Culture section via the internet. I set up a subscription on my Google Reader (I mention it a lot, but seriously, I love this thing), and I'll read whatever articles look interesting (judging by the title and first couple of sentences).

Recently, I found this article on Sarah Ruhl, one of my absolute favorite playwrights. She's relatively new (relative to my other favorites anyway, Shakespeare and Arthur Miller), and is just extraordinary. Berkeley Rep is doing her newest play, The Vibrator Play, in their 2008/2009 season, and I have to toot my horn a little and say that I got to help with a teensy bit of the dramaturgy for the script. Yes, part of my job last year was to research the early vibrators, how they worked, why doctors used them as part of treatment to cure women's anxiety, and how they developed over the years. And Sarah Ruhl emailed my boss to tell her how great my research was. Oh yeah. I am awesome.

Anyway, I can't even tell you how excited I am to see The Vibrator Play - and no, it's not as dirty as it sounds. It's actually quite beautiful and simple (well, as simple as a Ruhl play can be) and is just all around lovely. I can't wait.


Also New Yorker-related, this article (courtesy of Emily) made me laugh and smile. It's about the job of a cultural attache (accent on the e), and that's all I'm going to say about that. Except that it would be a very difficult, but totally awesome job to have.

2 comments:

  1. Immediately upon receiving the New Yorker in my mailbox, I sit down at my kitchen table and scan the table of contents, making a mental list of what I want to read, and what gets a pass. Perhaps this is the admin in me. But you gotta have a game plan or else you will drown! :)

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  2. i read the entire new yorker (except for the goings on about town part which doesn't apply to me because it's only in new york) every week thanks to the shuttle! you'd be surprised at how much of it you can finish in just a few days if you read it there. i admit though that sometimes i skip the fiction...

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