July 20, 2015 Our Daily Correspondent I Know This Much Is True By Sadie Stein Years ago, an old boyfriend of mine had an academic colleague. One day, he said, “Language informs consciousness—we know this.” We found this sentence so hilarious that we incorporated it into our lives. Whenever either of us was being didactic or ponderous, we’d catch ourselves and say, “Language informs consciousness—we know this.” Sometimes we’d just use parts of it: “Varick Street runs North–South—we know this.” It was a rhetorical device that functioned both to leaven the conversation and to end it. It was useful for sweeping, ludicrous generalizations—“dancing requires gum—we know this”—and highly specific observations. “Cloves are the scepters of elves—we know this.” Read More
July 17, 2015 Our Daily Correspondent Dress Code By Sadie Stein From a 1962 Clairol ad. My mother called me to ask how much to tip on a haircut. “A normal haircut,” she said. “I usually tip upwards of 20 percent,” I said, “but of course it’s at your discretion.” “That seems awfully high.” “I don’t know, not for something you wear every day. And if you have a relationship with your hairdresser—” Read More
July 16, 2015 Our Daily Correspondent Rubbernecking By Sadie Stein Photo: Max A. Khlopov In the moment, it was hard even for those of us steps away to know what had happened. A bicycle, a school bus, an improbably loud collision, a figure thrown clear, screeching brakes. Then we were all running and calling 911 at once, as if this one moment justified telephones. We actually put our hands over our mouths in horror; we actually said, “Oh my God!” although I don’t know what we would have done if we had never seen a movie or read a book or heard language. Read More
July 15, 2015 Our Daily Correspondent Slow News By Sadie Stein From an ad for White Beaver’s Cough Cream, ca. 1900. I phoned my dad. I was eager to discuss the recent cover story on a New York City tabloid. It featured a homeless man who lives in my neighborhood, and I was indignant on his behalf. I knew my dad would have read the piece closely and would have strong opinions. “Did you see that cover story?” I demanded, rhetorically. “No,” said my dad. “We’re not reading any newspapers these days. Or watching any news.” “Oh,” I said. “Why?” Read More
July 14, 2015 Our Daily Correspondent Downward Spiral By Sadie Stein It is a truth universally acknowledged that in the Monday-through-Wednesday crossword world, ELO is the most listened-to band in history, Ava the most popular girls’ name, and time divides into eras and eons. Think of it as the blue-plate special, but with Ali instead of meat loaf. There are algorithms and programs that can predict the frequency of these usages. Of course there are. But for those of us who begin our day with the easy jog of a crossword, that’s of no interest. We don’t need to know; we know. It’s not that writing in the answer for “Architect Saarinen” or “Actress Thurman” makes us feel smart, it makes us feel safe. As Stephen Sondheim said, “The nice thing about doing a crossword puzzle is, you know there is a solution.” Read More
July 13, 2015 Our Daily Correspondent Sunshine Day By Sadie Stein A bank note of the Chung Hwa Republic. Since moving to a neighborhood with a rapidly aging population, it has been my observation that old people enjoy going to the bank. While banking is, for most of us, a necessary ordeal, it’s also easy to see the appeal for someone isolated: you get time and contact and attention—all while conducting some sort of business. Plus, the air-conditioning is generally glacial. The employees of my local branch are a patient bunch. On a recent visit, an old man in a baseball cap burst into the office where I was sitting, arranging a trip and enjoying the air-conditioning. “Where’s Melissa?” he demanded querulously. “I want to see Melissa!” “Melissa isn’t here anymore,” said her replacement. The old man looked bewildered and sad. Then he gathered himself up and said in my general direction, “Don’t expect any service around here!” and left. Read More