Will the real Mark Zuckerberg please stand up?

Last week I read The Rumpus' Elissa Bassist's "review" (or rather, mockery) of the film, The Social Network. You may have heard of the film by David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin (that guy from Entourage) about the Harvard student who creates an online social network that rises to fame overnight; also known as Facebook - which you have probably heard of unless you have been trapped in a mine for the last five years.

I have to admit, the movie is pretty damn entertaining; even if Bassist is totally spot-on that the film is loaded with testosterone and belittles the woman's role in social revolution: "Women are there to blow the dick, excite the dick, but not wield the dick." Much of the film consists of hot, oversexed Asian women throwing themselves at Mark Zuckerberg (played by Jesse Eisenberg) and his fellow entrepenuers, including one scene in a bathroom stall where Jesse's character's pants drop to the floor and his date gets down on her knees (don't get too excited guys, all you see are her stilettos and his jeans around his ankles). Later in the film, there is another scene in which two young girls are taking rips from a five-foot bong while men sit "wired in" at computers, building what is to become the most successful website of our generation.

Sorkin paints a picture of a sex-obsessed asshole who uses his vast computer knowledge to make something "cool" - even if it means stealing ideas from other programmers, comparing his ex-girlfriend to a farm animal, shamelessly pushing his best friend out of their company and showing up to an investors meeting in a bathrobe and slippers. The Mark Zuckerberg that viewers experience in The Social Network is cold, arrogant and somewhat aloof.

I've never met Mark Zuckerberg, but I have a lot of friends who work with him at Facebook who say he's nothing like the guy that Sorkin depicts in the film. I read the article in New Yorker that was written a couple of weeks ago, which I felt was a pretty non-biased description of Zuckerberg and the evolution of his success. In one sense, he's just a nerdy guy who's made some lucky business decisions. On the other hand, he's one of the youngest billionaires in the world and you don't just get there by being lucky. He has a vision of what he wants Facebook to become:

"Zuckerberg imagines Facebook as, eventually, a layer underneath almost every electronic device. You’ll turn on your TV, and you’ll see that fourteen of your Facebook friends are watching “Entourage,” and that your parents taped “60 Minutes” for you. You’ll buy a brand-new phone, and you’ll just enter your credentials. All your friends—and perhaps directions to all the places you and they have visited recently—will be right there."

While I might not agree with the idea of doing things solely because your friends are doing them, I think he makes a valid point in that people are attracted to the same things that their friends are - why else would we be friends with them?

I think back to the days in my freshman dorm room at Washington University in St. Louis when my friend's older brother (a senior at Princeton) urged us to join TheFacebook.com, as our school was the twelfth university to be added to the exclusive network. We were in the middle of finals and the only thing we could concentrate on was this silly website where you could add friends and see their photo, interests and what classes they were taking. There was no messaging, no walls, no photos... nothing that Facebook has today - except for the Poke, which I still use every so often when I am trying to remind people what Facebook used to be. Don't get me wrong; I love where it's taken us and I'm excited to see where it's going. My generation is defined by communication, and I believe that Facebook is the most efficient means of online communication. That is, for people that use it as regularly as I do.

Yummies: Volume 7

Last night I really felt like cooking something, but I hadn't been to the grocery store or farmers market this past weekend so I wasn't sure what resources were available to me. After a glance in my fridge and pantry, I realized that I had enough vegetables (that, frankly, needed to be consumed that night or they would start rotting) and starches to make some kind of pasta. But pasta wasn't enough work for me; I needed something more involved. I started chopping vegetables and figured it would come to me once I started cooking. I started sauteing, and my roommate walked in the kitchen and asked me what I was making for dinner. "I'm not exactly sure," I said. "Just cooking everything I have." Oh," she said, "everything but the kitchen sink!"


Kitchen Sink Risotto

Ingredients:

• an assortment of vegetables (i.e. mushroom, bell pepper (any color, but green or purple is best), onion, zucchini, scallions, spinach, squash, etc.)
• two garlic cloves
• 2 Tablespoons of olive oil
  
• 1 cup of chicken or vegetable broth
• orzo (wheat or regular, but I prefer wheat)
• Israeli cous cous (optional)
• 1/4 cup black olives (optional)
  
• 2 Tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

• heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat
  
• heat a pot of water to boil, with a little bit of kosher salt
  
• chop garlic and add to olive oil, saute for a couple of minutes before it gets brown
• chop all vegetables into small, bite size pieces
  
• add the harder vegetables first (pepper, zucchini) and saute for a few minutes
• start adding the softer vegetables (onion, mushroom, scallion) and saute
• add the spinach and saute for a minute before it wilts too much
• if using black olives, chop them and add with the spinach
  
• by now, your water is probably boiling so add the orzo (and/or Israeli cous cous) and a teaspoon of olive oil - let it boil for only about 4 minutes, just to soften it up a bit but not so it's fully cooked
• add 2/3 cup of chicken or vegetable broth to the vegetables and lower the heat to let it simmer
• strain the orzo, then add to the skillet with vegetables
• add the remaining broth, and cover over medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the orzo is cooked and the broth has absorbed
• add salt and pepper to taste, and Parmesan cheese.
  
• stir to mix, and serve hot!

Notes:

• When using wheat pasta, it takes a bit longer to cook. This is why you soften it up a little bit first in the boiling water. If you're using regular pasta, then you can just add it dry to the vegetable mixture with all of the broth at once.
• Israeli cous cous is a great orzo substitute - or supplement. I used both because I had a little bit of both and I wanted to make a larger serving. You can find Israeli cous cous in the ethnic section of most grocery stores.
• The black olives make the taste a little more Mediterranean, and they go great with the spinach and zucchini.
• The vegetables can be freshly bought, or they can be on their last legs - as long as they're ripe and in good shape them throw them in!

Someone Told Me It's All Happening at the Zoo

I awoke to another sunny day in San Francisco this morning and met my friend for brunch in Hayes Valley. (Note: this summer has been so cold. We're talking 50's. Last week we had a heat wave for a couple of days, and then it dropped back down to the 60's. So when I wake up to sunshine on the weekend when I can actually enjoy it and I'm not sitting behind a desk in a dark room that faces a pigeon-filled alley way, I get a little excited.)

After brunch, my friend and I wanted to take advantage of this sunny day and do something exciting in the city. So we eagerly decided to take the MUNI across town to the San Francisco Zoo, a place neither of us had ever been since living here. The MUNI ride was a little sketchy. There was a foul BO stench for the majority of the ride (not unusual) and we rode the L line through parts of the city that I didn't even know existed. Such as, Forest Hill: SF's very own Stepford community.

Once we arrived to the Sunset District where the zoo is, I realized that my outfit of shorts, a tank top and a short-sleeved cartigan - an appropriate choice for brunch in Hayes Valley - was a very big mistake. Had I known we were going to the foggiest neighborhood in San Francisco, I may have opted to wear more clothes. After checking out the $40 oversized zip-up sweatshirts in the gift shop, I decided to buck up and stick out the weather and the dirty looks from old people who were offended by my bare skin in a family place.

We then realized that we overlooked the fact that the zoo is a place for small children. Though children in a zoo can be incredibly obnoxious, this made for amusement at times. Especially at the primate exhibit when we overheard a seven-year-old boy say to his father, "I'm really bored." Apparently so were the animals, because with the exception of the galloping giraffes, most of them had their backs turned to the spectators as though they were trying to punish us.

Many of the animals seemed very sad, and it made me second-guess the idea of viewing caged animals. Lots of them had very little space to roam, and many of them were in areas alone with no other animals to mingle with. I did enjoy the penguin feeding, and the man who was caring for this injured bald eagle was quit interesting, in an awkward eye contact kind of way. We encountered a very relaxed kangaroo, and I chased a roaming peacock around for a couple of minutes until it got frighteningly territorial.

Everything else was sort of just eh, and the foggy weather wasn't helping my disposition. Maybe I have grown to expect a lot from zoos since my vast experience consists of consistent trips to the San Diego Zoo and the Wild Animal Park (now known as the Safari Park) when I was growing up, but I really wasn't impressed by what the San Francisco Zoo had to offer. I think what excited me the most was the gift shop filled with fluffy stuffed animals. I love stuffed animals.

Tout Seul a le Cinema

One of my favorite things to do by myself is to go to the movies, especially if it's a movie that might make me cry a little. There's something about it that's so liberating and calming; watching and thinking and quietly crying to yourself in a dark theatre surrounded by strangers.


So this past Saturday, I awoke at 9am (internal alarm clock sucks) and showered off Friday night's festivities. Then I picked up a bagel and iced tea at the corner cafe and hopped on a bus to the AMC 14 to see a 10:50am showing of The Kids Are All Right, a film I have been wanting to see since I read rave reviews from this year's Sundance. Though I probably could have found a few people to see it with me, I was tired of waiting on the agendas of friends. And I knew it was the perfect movie to see alone; whereas if I had seen Inception without the party of five that joined me, I would have been utterly disappointed when I had nobody to debrief me on the timeline of dreams.


When I walked into the theatre there were about fifteen people already seated, most of whom were in groups of 2 or 3, but a few solo viewers like myself. I settled into my seat, lifted my feet to rest on the seat in front of me, and silenced my phone - normal things one would do when attending the movies with friends. Fortunately, the previews weren't too enticing and nothing I hadn't already seen so I didn't feel left out when I had nobody next to me to whisper "I want to see that!"

Now, on to the film itself... You may have heard some ignorant folk describe this film as "the lesbian movie" - so wrong. Yes, there are two lesbian women in the film who play the role of the concerned parents, Julianne Moore and Annette Bening. They worry that their son might be getting into trouble with his crude friend, they're proud of their daughter's high school accomplishments but sad about her going off to college, and they work hard on keeping their marriage successful - with regards to sex, social activities, and of course playfully picking at each others faults. Sounds like "normal" straight parents, right?


This is not a family film, but it is certainly about family. When Joanie, the daughter played wonderfully by Mia Wasikowska, turns eighteen her fifteen-year-old brother, Laser (Josh Hutcherson) - who is longing for a fatherly relationship like the ones he sees with his pals and their dads - begs her to reach out to the sperm doner who is seemingly an integral part of their family. After some thought, Joanie reaches out to the sperm bank and gives permission to be reached by her doner, Paul (Mark Ruffalo). Paul is a motorcycle-riding, successful farmer/local restaurant owner who we later find out dropped out of college because it "wasn't his thing" to pursue his passion for cooking. Needless to say, the moms aren't thrilled to learn of their kids evolving relationship with Paul, but they try to embrace it for the sake of their children. Paul is more than happy to acquire his insta-family without the real burdens of fatherhood, but he soon learns that parenting is a lot harder than it seems - or does he?

Without giving too much away on the plot, I will say that there are some unexpected turns and folds that will leave you aching and tearing up, making you feel as though you're a part of this onscreen family. I cried. Twice. It felt great. Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo are outstanding as their characters, and Ruffalo may even get a Golden Globe nod. Wasikowska shines once again, proving that this is only the beginning of what's going to be a tremendous career in acting, but the real show-stopper is Bening. Her portrayal of a tense, worrisome mother who balances running her house with her demanding job as a doctor, indulging in the more than occasional glass of wine to calm herself down (that description sounds eerily like my own father) - is exquisite and outstanding. The film was a truly wonderful and eye-opening viewing experience, and I recommend it to anyone who does or doesn't know a thing or two about family - I think that includes all of us. And if you can't find anyone to join you, catch a weekend matinee... tout seul.

Einstein and Petit

"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed."
-Albert Einstein

My boyfriend shared this quote with me last night after we watched Man On Wire, a film we both have been wanting to see for quite some time. We agreed that while the scientific part of the quote was represented by the Great Albert Einstein, the artistic element fit well with the life outlook of Philippe Petit. Both men shared the seemingly effortless ability to challenge ideology; I'm sure they would be great friends if they had ever crossed paths.


What struck me most about the film was the reaction of those who were close to Petit at the time he crossed the twin towers. They were frightened for him, but much more than that they desperately wanted to see him succeed. His girlfriend at the time, Annie Allix, was interviewed for the film. Years after they parted ways (shortly after Petit walked across the towers), she still had this look of awe on her face as she described the beauty she felt when she was watching Phillipe on a wire.


Like Einstein, those who didn't know Petit thought he was crazy for taking such a risk. But the documentary reveals the world inside Phillipe's mind; it shows the viewer the inspiration and the mystery behind the man.

"To me, it's really so simple, that life should be lived on the edge. You have to exercise rebellion. To refuse to tape yourself to the rules, to refuse your own success, to refuse to repeat yourself, to see every day, every year, every idea as a true challenge. Then you will live your life on the tightrope."
-Phillipe Petit

My Own Personal Hell

DMV, Department of Motor Vehicles - the worst form of torture that exists.

I arrived at the San Francisco DMV yesterday at 8:50am. There was a line of people out and around the building, waiting to receive paperwork to begin the process of obtaining identification. Behind me was a guy who was kinda wacked out, missing some teeth; he wanted to "get his life back together", which meant getting a photo i.d. In front of me was an inpatient teenager and her annoying mother who chatted on the phone nonstop. Other line attendees included a short, angry Spanish man who had an affinity for the word "fuck", a woman who thought she was a stand-up comedian, and a young thug with ice in his ears who was trying to pass his permit test for the third time.

The majority of the people who arrived after me were just as baffled as the line, and thought it somehow didn't apply to them. I found myself thinking, why is everyone so surprised? It's the DMV - of course there is going to be a long wait. But I had no idea the hell that was brewing around me...

After an hour of waiting outside, I finally reached the desk and received paperwork to apply for a California Driver's License. Once I filled it out, I was given a number: G123. I looked at the current number in the G sections (there were also numbers beginning with E, H, I and J in the mix) - G034. Fuck. Bookless and ipodless, I wanted to go to my nearby apartment and wait it out for a while and come back with my number in an hour or so. But I stuck it out in fear I would miss my number being called. It was kind of nice to sit down for a while and raise my braced leg up on one of the chairs. But then my back and my ass started to hurt because I sat there for about two and a half hours.

When G123 was finally called, I gathered my belongings and locked my leg brace and marched up to the teller at counter #7. This is it, I thought! Done, finally! Wrong. After spending about five minutes with the teller filling out necessary paperwork, she pointed me in line to wait to get my photo taken. Another 15 minutes, not so bad. 1, 2, 3, smile, flash! Then I was pointed to wait in line to receive my written test. With only two people working the front desk and another at lunch. A mean woman was checking people's tests and giving them their temporary license, and an awkward man was providing paperwork and numbers to people arriving. There wasn't anyone to pass out tests to the people waiting, so our line was at a stand-still for the first 20 minutes I was standing in it. There was a lag in people checking in, so our line started to move about, then came to a halt again when the awkward man had to attend to the other line. In all, I waited 45 minutes in a line of 12 people to receive the written exam.

I got the exam, hobbled to a test taking counter and knocked it out in under four minutes. By then, the line inside the test-taking area to hand in your exam was about 25 people crammed into a 20x10 space with other people taking their tests. It was pretty cozy. I had been standing for over an hour at this point, and my leg was starting to stiff up. I told the person I was behind to save my place in line so I could rest at the handicap seat for a little bit. Just when I was starting to get the feeling back in my knee, I'm tapped on the shoulder by a woman with a Polish accent who looked about 7 1/2 months pregnant. "Ma'am, can you please stand up so I can sit down and finish taking my test?" (Earlier I had seen this woman cheat the system by demanding a lower number so that she could be seen quickly.) I was speechless. Did she see my leg brace? Did she understand I was more "handicap" than her? It's not my fault she got herself knocked up. You didn't see me cheating the system because I had a bum leg, I waited it out with all of the other able-bodied people. But of course, I got up and gave her a mean glare as if to say "I hope your baby looks like a monkey." No more than ten minutes later, the preggo woman gets up and marches to the counter, skipping everyone in line, and hands in her test. If I was running the DMV, I wouldn't have tolerated that bullshit. Even if the woman looked like this:

My total wait time: 5+ hours. Did I get my license? Yeah, and I got a 34/36 on the exam. I'm now the proud owner of a California state temporary driver's license. We'll see if they actually send the real one.

Makeover!

I was inspired to give my blog a makeover today when I came across the blog of my friend, Emily. I was getting kind of bored with the old orange layout, and I needed something that was more "Kelsey" - I think this is a pretty good fit.

This was a nice distraction from reading the California DMV handbook all day long. With the week off to recover from my knee surgery, I decided I would finally get my CA license tomorrow - after nearly three years of living here. Apparently it's illegal to drive in California with an out-of-state license if you've lived here longer than six months and are registered to vote. I'm hoping I can somehow keep my New York license for nostalgic reasons, but I have a feeling the DMV won't let me. I wonder what top I'm going to wear for my license photo....

Redecorating my blog was also a nice distraction from the mouse in my house that has been taunting me all day. Not only did it enter the corner of my room - TWICE - but it somehow managed to escape from a crevice in the bathroom that has not been plugged up with expanding foam. Tricky little bastards, aren't they? And what the hell is it doing in the bathroom? Shouldn't it be looking for food in the kitchen? Am I dealing with an anorexic mouse? My roommates are not fans of deadly mouse traps or extermination, so I've decided to take matters into my own hands. I placed a sticky trap on the floor of the spot that the mouse keeps returning to. I figure I can do what I want since it's my bedroom. The only downside is that I will have to dispose of the paper/mouse if I actually manage to catch it. Gross.

In any case, I hope you like the makeover!