I’m “giving the recession the finger” over at Salon:

As I was lying beneath a lustrous sun last week, with a top-shelf daiquiri in my hand, at a luxury resort that I couldn’t afford in good economic times, I thought to myself: So what if we’re on the brink of the next Great Depression? This was a good decision. […]
There’d be plenty of time for boiling raccoon bones into soup broth, I rationalized, should a full-fledged depression hit, but for now I was going to enjoy my drink and watch the azure waves crest into gold. I was on a beach in the lovely town of Tulum, Mexico. And I was relaxed. This was my “last hurrah” vacation. […]
“I call it the ‘fuck-it phenomenon,'” said Matt Wallaert, a social psychologist with the financial advice site Thrive. “Everywhere you go the media tells you that things aren’t going to get better any time soon,” he said. “But if you feel like life has dealt you a bad hand, it’s easy to say, ‘Fuck it, I deserve this.'”

Read it all here.

Grizzly Bear has been one of my favorite indie bands ever since their debut, Horn of Plenty. Plus, they’re my neighbors. Not literally, but they all live within a mile. I did a quick interview with Ed Droste over at FREEwilliamsburg. Check it out.

I’ve got a new featured article over at The Huffington Post.

“With all due respect to the president, he shouldn’t have his arms and feet blocking the aisle,” said Boehner, who sustained minor injuries. “Everyone knows he’s lanky.”
“If you ask me,” Boehner continued, “this liberal concept of reaching across the aisle is dangerous. We need to keep those aisles clear. What if there was a fire and people needed a clear passage to the exits? We need to refocus our energies on tax cuts, not liberal spending and aisle-reaching.”

You can check it out here.

As I alluded to in the previous post, Salon posted a cover story last weekend by yours truly called “The random beauty of ’25 Random Things’” (2-7-09). Here a taste:

I was in the middle of typing up my “25 Random Things About Me” list on Facebook when a funny thing happened. I hit clear and decided to abandon the whole time-wasting endeavor. I’d made it through what I intended to be my sole entry before coming to my senses:
1. I like certain books and films and things that taste good. Also, kittens. Thanks for including me in this important social experiment. Now, please stop tagging me.

KEEP READING.