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philnoto: Ron Swanson

Thu, 04 Aug 2011 08:42:26 -0400

philnoto:

Ron Swanson

Taylor as a Tony-Award Nominee in “Acceptance...

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 12:14:57 -0400

Taylor as a Tony-Award Nominee in “Acceptance Speech.”

Kiley Fitzgerald celebrating her birthday with “All the...

Sat, 16 Jul 2011 20:32:03 -0400

Kiley Fitzgerald celebrating her birthday with “All the Single Ladies” at Revolution Rock Bar.

Norm teaches Cavan how to take “emotional swings” at...

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 02:51:09 -0400

Norm teaches Cavan how to take “emotional swings” at three in the morning.

Manchester United v. New England Revolution

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 20:21:27 -0400

Manchester United v. New England Revolution

Waiter from “sexylowermiddleclasssingles.com”

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 15:10:43 -0400

Waiter from “sexylowermiddleclasssingles.com”

Lunch after “Foodies | Secret Dessert”

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 15:09:10 -0400

Lunch after “Foodies | Secret Dessert”

From “Glen, the Easily Deterred Investigative...

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 21:32:58 -0400

From “Glen, the Easily Deterred Investigative Journalist”

Photo

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 00:22:53 -0400

Crossing the Line

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 13:44:20 -0500

I think I may have gone too far with this current show I’m working on. Will Bachelorettes and Girl’s Night Out parties really appreciate all the subtle winks to the Stations of the Cross?

Should be in bed...

Sat, 05 Mar 2011 00:32:00 -0500

Is someone going to tell Oprah the drag queen she’s gushing over isn’t really Diana Ross?

Judging a Book by its Cover / "Let the Great World Spin"

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 12:35:54 -0500

Have you read “Let the Great World Spin?” It’s so beautiful. It makes me so happy. I haven’t read it — but the cover is so great, I can look at it for much longer than I can look at any of the other books I’ve bought but never read.

It’s got this two-tone color scheme, this off-white eggshell background with reddish orange type and very fine line-art illustrations. You can really get lost in this novel’s cover. The illustration on the cover wraps around to the back side, detailing this adorably stylized depiction of New York City. Sometimes, just before I go to bed, I pick up this novel and the cover just takes me away. I think about what it would be like to live in that tiny city.

You know what’s so subtle about this novel’s cover that you almost miss? The little man! There’s a little stick figure of a man walking a tightrope between two towers. It’s right between two lines of type in the title. And the little stick figure is in black! Everything else is red! How did I miss him? He’s a treat.

The book is very popular. I have the trade paperback edition, which has “New York Times Bestseller” across the top. Don’t worry, it’s very tasteful. It’s like it has to say it, but it doesn’t want to brag.

And the book is so good, too, apparently. The golden “National Book Award” seal on it lets me know that it’s not just pretty. It’s smart. Or it has heart. Or both!

Just to prove that it has both - check it out, it’s got reviews from both Frank McCourt and Dave Eggers. Now, I don’t want to sound like I’m bragging here, but I’ve listened to an audio recording from one of these guys and actually read one book from the other and… trust me. Between them, they have smart and heart covered.

There’s one blurb review though that I particularly enjoy on the back cover, “Brilliant… a reminder to look up— and to look into one another’s eyes.” — NEW ORLEANS TIMES-PICAYUNE

Isn’t that great? This book’s cover has such a profound effect on me. It forces me to really reconnect with my fellow man. The environs around me are not just background noise to my own narrative. Every man, woman and child I pass by has their own narrative, their own completely beautiful, precious struggles. And now, I’m reminded how connected we really are.

I don’t want to sound like an idiot here, but I’ve been known to cry when looking at this book cover. It’s not a tear jerker, but I’m just that guy. I get really choked up at beautiful things. So, trust me, if you’re looking at book covers, you can do no better than “Let the Great World Spin.”

Okay, I know what you’re thinking, “Jesus Christ,...

Sat, 19 Feb 2011 17:12:58 -0500

Okay, I know what you’re thinking, “Jesus Christ, stop blogging about hearty soups already and get back to writing.”

But you guys…. This has leeks in it! How fun is that?!

So clean... Such pretty garbage.

Thu, 17 Feb 2011 00:53:48 -0500

How do I know when I’m supposed to be writing something?

I tidy.

How do I know when I’m behind on writing something?

I clean.

How do I know when I’m really behind on writing something.

I disinfect the inside of my kitchen trash can.

Urgh

Sun, 13 Feb 2011 20:43:32 -0500

Two sentences into Russell Brand’s monologue from last night’s SNL and I’m praying for some sort of embolism. At least he’s got the “projecting” part of performing down. Oops. Forget it, he’s just screaming.

A good use of time and money.

Tue, 08 Feb 2011 13:03:08 -0500

If you were to reconstruct how I spent 2010 according to my tax receipts, it would seem like I spent the majority of my time in the back of a cab drinking coffee.

Justifications and Rational Logic

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 14:19:02 -0500

I’ve been neglecting this thing for far too long, and now that I’m actually on deadline to write something, I’ve decided I’m long overdue to take a renewed interest in the internet. Also, because my apartment is already clean, my tivo is empty, I’m never really going to get through The Cloud Atlas, and I’m literally snowed into my apartment.

“When it’s freezing, because it means the molecules...

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 14:06:28 -0500

“When it’s freezing, because it means the molecules aren’t moving, so when you breathe, there’s nothing in the air, you know, you breathe into your body, the molecules have stopped. It’s clean”

And then there's the death of the ego

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 04:26:53 -0500

There’s a really delightful moment after a collaborative sketch show… It’s that kind of moment where you realize they it’s the group mind and not the individual performance… Gay, I know.

The most I could ever hope for as a sketch comedy actor? Competancy.

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 03:47:16 -0500

Jesus. Thanks to my collaborators and supporters this eve.