Monday, April 23, 2007

Pangs, part II: nostalgia

One of my Netsurfer Digest (NSD) writers asked to use me as a reference (hi, R!), and a man from the company called me Friday afternoon. I gave her a glowing recommendation, because she deserved it - she needed relatively little editing and was always willing to take on more work so that I could carry on with my life of leisure - and in the process explained a little about the way NSD operated.

"Yeah, I remember Netsurfer Digest. That was a lot of fun," the guy on the phone told me. He remembered it! It was a lot of fun, and I do miss it. Now, when I stumble across nifty and/or important Web sites, I have a much smaller audience, usually only my wife. I always wrote NSD for her anyway, so I keep sending her stuff I find.

I've found a couple over the last week or so, and in a fit of nostalgia, I decided to post them here in NSD style.

Manny being Manny

Most baseball fans outside Boston and Cleveland, and perhaps New York City, know Manny Ramirez as a line of fearsome numbers in boxscores and stats compilations. But in a recent New Yorker article, teammate David Ortiz tells the writer that he should write "David Ortiz says Manny is a crazy motherfucker." Ramirez, you see, has a reputation as... - well, as a huggable man-child from another dimension whose brain hasn't quite yet reached our own coordinates in space-time. Ben McGrath's profile of Ramirez relies primarily on the interpretation of Ramirez's actions by those around him, but he does get some face-time with the player himself. Aside from the implication that Ramirez smokes up inside Fenway Park's green monster during games - or did we misinterpret that part? - it's a strong profile of Boston's latest oddball. Full disclosure: Manny Ramirez's lawyers threatened my brother and forced him to surrender his mannyramirez.com fan site in 1994.
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/04/23/070423fa_fact_mcgrath

Grade your Web site

Sure, you think your Web site's esoteric, eclectic, and easy on the eyes. You know who you're writing for, but are you hitting the mark? Website Grader will help you find out. Put in your URL and Website Grader will analyze the text at your Web site. Once done, it spits out an assessment of the readability of your site, gauged by school year. If you're writing for Grade Six, you don't want a Grade Three writing level or you'll bore your audience. Exceed your target and you'll wind up with the same result. We hope Web sites lose points for misused apostrophes, but we aren't holding our breath. The rank of 101 blog? Freshman year in university.
http://www.websitegrader.com/

I can't believe I used to get paid to write like that. What a blast.

Another nostalgium occasionally rears its head and did so this weekend. Montrealers of a certain age and time and entertainment inclination remember Thunderdome, a club that was next door to Chez Paree on Stanley. In October 2005, I posted about recognizing a face from there. The post shows up on the first page if anyone Googles "Montreal" and "Thunderdome", and a few people have left comments about that period of our lives. Somebody should throw a party. A good time was had by all.

Oddly, or maybe not, I didn't know the wife back then but we both hung out there.

I can has bonus?:

I created a submission for I Can Has Cheezburger? Cheezburger himself rejected it with this note:

LOL... thx u for ur spirit. that kitteh is so cute I would put him in my pocket if i could.

i think we has posted him tho :(...

plz be sendin new one maybe?

chz = ^ _ O =

I don't remember seeing mah kitteh pixtur there, but so be it. I will post it here instead.


Together, we can fite teh powr! U can has teh pixtur but plz dont steal mah bandwidth k thx bye.

2 Comments:

Blogger Regan said...

BTW, L, you rock. I got the job. I was writing copy for a t-shirt today and thinking of you. In particular, I was wishing you were here to edit me from amusing into funny territory, which you were always so good at. :)

Oh and that's going to be one toasty, pink kitteh. Somebody get the aloe vera ready.

April 23, 2007 9:51 PM  
Blogger Naila J. said...

LOLOLOL

April 24, 2007 12:00 AM  

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