The Paul Krugman Song

Guys, it’s no secret. I adore Paul Krugman. I have the biggest crush on him. Every time I’m on the fence or unclear about some major US issue (generally economic, of course), I then see that Paul Krugman has written his weekly NYTimes op-ed about it, and suddenly everything makes perfect sense to me. If I’d gone to Princeton (like one of our other esteemed Taste Testers), I would have sacrificed my beloved English degree for an Economics one just to spend more time with Mr. Krugman. I feel lost and forlorn when he takes a week off and doesn’t write his NYTimes op-ed (okay, I really just read Gail Collins’ twice).

Today, The New Yorker brought sunshine to my email inbox and my gray Parisian life when it made this week’s feature article all about Paul Krugman. I thought I could die happy. And then I read the article and discovered that someone else out there loves the articulate economist as much as I do, possibly even more. After all, he wrote a song about our hero, and I’m just writing a blog post… (video after the cut)

I’m Getting Married in Philadelphia

I went to Philadelphia once. It was nice. Lots of historical stuff. Cute city. I’d like to go back, but it’s been about seven years at this point and there are a lot of places way higher on my list, so I don’t anticipate going there anytime soon.

And then the New York Times just published this article. I now feel an urgent need to go to Philadelphia and make lots of friends who are getting married soon, and maybe get married myself. But mostly just wedding-crash. I want to take cookies home for breakfast the next morning…

-Kate

Ed: We apologize to any Phillidelphians or Pittsburgians out there who are offended by Kate’s inability to tell the difference between your two great cities.  She obviously visited Pennsylvania a long, long time ago and has since forgotten about it, the way most people do.

Ed. by Kate: It’s okay, because I am probably going to a wedding in Pittsburgh this summer. SO THERE. Also, we apologize to all Philadelphians for Willa’s inability to spell.

Take That, Mary Kate Olsen

And my love affair with the NYTimes.com continues…

Finally, someone is coming to their senses. Rejoice, women everywhere! All we have to able to do is walk at a steady pace on an increasing-incline treadmill for five and a half minutes and we’re fit! No, seriously. But, more importantly, the importance is being taken off weight as a measure of health, so, seriously, let’s rejoice.

Where The Hell is Matt?

I discovered this some time ago (thank you, NYTimes), but an article about it popped up in my local paper yesterday, and it occurred to me that if I haven’t already shared this with you guys, I absolutely have to now.

I suggest reading the NYTimes article first, as it gives some interesting background. After reading that and checking out the website, this might also be a useful link. And kind of amusing.

This is an awesome video/project. First of all, um, who doesn’t want to be this guy?! Because I know I do. I think he discovered how to do my dream job, dammit. Secondly, I’ve teared up every time I’ve watched these videos. I know, I know, I’m sentimental, but, seriously, it just puts everything that’s going on in the world into perspective. While the Olympics may be promoted as a symbol of international unity, people are still competing. Matt’s videos show rather how very much the same we all are, how something so simple as dancing and being silly can bring people together, because it is something with which we can all identify.

Plus, it’s just pretty funny to watch a pudgy white guy do the awkward white boy dance.

Cookie Craze

Apparently everyone now has to weigh in on Chocolate Chip Cookies, ever since the NY Times published the “definitive” recipe.

I love a good chocolate chip cookie as much as the next person (and probably more than many – I have a cookbook entirely devoted to chocolate chip recipes, most of which are for various ways of making the cookie), but it does start to get old after a while, when everyone insists upon voicing up. Kind of like the cupcake and frozen yogurt fads – I love both, but tire of all the hype after a while.

So, people should really lay off the cookie recipes unless they have something genuinely new and awesome to add to the equation. For example, the crew over at Cakespy can continue their brilliant contributions. I’m only bummed I didn’t think of these first.

The Best of Living History: Part III

What?  You thought Willa was the only one here nerdy enough to blog about Living History?  Oh dear friend, how wrong you were.

I managed to secure a copy of the Times on my Wednesday morning flight back to London (mostly because the flight was less than half-empty, meaning there weren’t enough business class people to snap up all the copies) and discovered this little gem in the Dining Out section.

That’s right, you can go watch men in breeches make whiskey the way they used to make it.  121 proof whiskey.  In Virginia.  Four miles from Mount Vernon.  Whiskey and Washington.  Does this sound like heaven to anyone else?  Or is it just me?

Mark Smash!!!

Mark Bittman, The Minimalist, amuses me. As does his pink KitchenAid mixer. And these no-bake blueberry cheesecake bars look yummy. Mmmmm…Kaks like!

Because the world needs more couch potatoes…

I have to say, I think this is a brilliant invention. Particularly for people like me who do really like to exercise, but don’t like the pain and suffering of getting into shape. It’s also wonderful for people with diabetes, who need exercise, but often haven’t been exercising their whole lives, thus making it significantly more difficult for them to ever get healthy.

Unfortunately, not everyone has such pure intentions as the diabetics and I. I would rant against the psychotic athletes who want to dope up, but, really, I’m starting to think Matthew Goode had the right idea. No, the real issue here is that while I am out there suffering through cramps and lack of breath while trying to whip my ass into shape, millions of people can just take these pills and just keep watching Days of Our Lives and playing XBox, and we’ll all be in equally good shape. I feel so cheated.

[ed - Some interesting counterpoints to the NYTimes article can be found here and here]

Tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me

According to Maureen Dowd, the presidential race is like Pride & Prejudice: America is Elizabeth, Obama is Darcy, and McCain is Wickham. Um, yeah…sure, Maureen. You were watching the mini-series when your editor called and told you that you needed to fill in for Frank Rich’s column, weren’t you? Don’t get me wrong, I like Obama well enough, but he’s not exactly my idea of Darcy. And is McCain going to tempt America’s younger sister into running off and living in sin with him? Well, we can only hope.

The New Love of My Life

I’ve been known to have passionate, ongoing affairs with various attractive male celebrities, and I appear to have just made another conquest. Or, rather, one of them just made a conquest of me.

I saw the new movie version of Brideshead Revisited (which Kaks is dreading) at a pre-screening the other night, and while I, like many young women, have been a fan of Matthew Goode since his turn as a dashing “undercover” British Secret Service Agent (American Secret Service, mind you) to Mandy Moore’s President’s daughter in Chasing Liberty, [ed - I have not, as even I did not sink low enough to actually watch Chasing Liberty. ed 2 - I have, since I kind of sort of own that movie. god my life is sad.] I think this is the movie that will finally shoot him into almost-stardom. (If Brideshead does well – and it might, as its makers clearly aim to cast it as this year’s Atonement, similarly banking on the fact that most people haven’t actually read the book – he might even reach stardom, but no matter what, the critics should like him.)

So, imagine my pleasure when I found this on the NYTimes.com… (I told you it was good for so many things).

Do yourself a favor and watch it. It just may make your day.