happy friendings

Friday, jul. 28, 2006   |   0 comments

BUT FIRST, ANOTHER READING ANNOUNCEMENT:

Do you live in Yay Area? Are you free and easy next Wednesday night? As in August 2, 2006, at 7:30pm? Have you long been longing for an opportunity to point at me as I point out scintillating details about your chosen sleeping pose(s)? Then come on down to Black Oak Books, located at 1492 Shattuck (that’s right, “sail the ocean blue”) in scenic, scenty Berkeley. Also featuring a reading from the amazing Dustin Long (of Icelander fame), and possibly followed by iffy, girlish drinks. Not to be missed!

MEANWHILE:

One of my favorite conversational exchanges I had while I was in Seattle was with Ed Page (the assistant editor of McSweeney’s website), which transpired while drinking pitchers and pitchers of beer alongside a spectacular lineup of drinkers: Megan, Scott, Jay, Brangien, my cousin Ben (happy birthday!), plus Ben and Brangien’s two lovely friends, whom I liked a lot but whose names just escape me and my weak brain. And speaking of ailing grey matters, here’s that Ed exchange I was talking about (remember that?):

Evany: I think it was Einstein who said, “It isn’t what you know that’s important, all you need are knowledgeable friends.”
Ed: Wasn’t it Malcolm Gladwell who said that?
Evany: QED!

Isn’t that awesome? It’s like the world’s shortest one-act play, a self-proving one-two-three punch! Though it turns out that I was kind of right: Einstein DID say, “Intelligence is not the ability to store information, but to know where to find it.” Then again, it was Ed who found the actual quote for me, so I think the point still holds.

Really I do kind of live my life that way. I’ve been very, very lucky with the group of friends I’ve managed to assemble over the ages. And I really do rely upon them to spackle-yin my many yang-holes. This week alone, I’ve, a) hit up Paul for his amazing copyediting skills (I’m actually a fairly good editor, but I just don’t have the right kind of anus for copyediting…unfortunately, few clients have the budgetary luxury to finance both, assuming they even know the difference between the two, which is a sweet rarity), b) leaned on the amazing and cheddar-sharp Jill for her great record-keeping skills (“Do you have the address for Y?” “What day are we X-ing?”), c) turned beseechingly to the fine Sunny for her vast hotelier connections, and, d) tapped my friend-since-third-grade Amy for her Italian bilinguality (I just got sent the proof for the Italian edition of my book (!), which was a utter “ummmmm?”).

But more than just a library of resources and information, my friends are also an amazing pool of — dare I say it — INSPIRATION. They’re just so busy beavering away on all these astounding, fascinating projects. Like, just take a look at these, a mere sampling of things my little kitten party posse has come up with as of late:

Maggie‘s very first book is now available for pre-order! It’s called No One Cares What You Had for Lunch: 100 Ideas for Your Blog, and if you order it from her directly, she’ll inscribe it, lovingly, by HAND. Is that not the classiest thing you’ve ever heard of? Way to raise the bar, Maggie. Damn you. (Of course there’s also an option for those of you who like your books Amazon style.) Oh yeah, and? She’s having a baby. A baby sure to be as fantastically beautiful, generous, insightful, listener-friendly, and outrageously well-shod as his/her parents. Yay world!

Kristin Windbigler‘s heart-scalding short film, Boot Camp, is playing in the NYC’s Rural Route Film Festival this weekend! Her section is called Cowboys ‘n’ Aliens, which I think is the world’s shortest motivational argument that I’ve ever heard. (Them: “What’s on the hotplate tonight?” You: “Hello? Cowboys ‘n’ Aliens?” Them: “Dude, we’re in.”) Pretty much a must-see for anyone even remotely in the area: 3:30 pm | Sunday, July 30 | Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Avenue (at Second Street), NYC.

The inimitable Liz Dunn pushed and pulled out an amazing redesign at Technorati (see her narrated feature tours, here and here, for more details), which launched this week. The new interface is so clean and accessible, I can’t quite stop using it — I’ve been back seven times today, no lie! Pulling off a redesign like that, one that makes a site both easier and more compelling to use, that is not easy, no sir. I sure am proud of you, Liz Dunn! (Now that’s what I call GITTIN’ IT DUNN! No, A DUNN DEAL! Well Dunn? Medium rare? Meow? Prrrt?)

And then Pamie‘s got a new book out, it’s called Why Mom’s Are Weird, and it’s getting all kinds of gold stars and upward-thrust thumbs. My copy’s on the way right now, where’s yours?

Meanwhile, Jeff’s been working himself into some kind of frenzy in a series of truly nutty music videos, Gene has put together some pretty, little dirgies with his new band, and Paul’s constructed an insanely detailed bridge blog called seven notrump, whatever that means.

So yeah, lots going on in my many splendored sphere. And, most impressive of all, it’s all so very DIFFERENT. Movies and websites and cards and books and songs? My friends are geniuses. And worth every last penny! (Re: friendship payments…get it?)