uh oh

OK since aj doesn't have an iota of energy to look at this news and stuff (my father tells me I can use his credit card to buy a thanksgiving plane ticket home but do it now before the money's all gone uh oh) this is going to be an lol-aj.livejournal.com installment:

Neway this morning I was going over some readings for a class discussion I have to lead this week and noticed I had underlined a part in the text that read:

The ideological construction of crime is thus complemented and bolstered by the material construction of jails and prisons. The more jails and prisons are constructed, the greater the fear of crime, and the greater the fear of crime, the stronger the cry for more jails and prisons, ad infinitum.

And then I noticed that next to it in the margins I had scribbled:

in

MOAR! Because moar!

Here is a visual aid of what I think the author (Angela Davis duh) must have been getting at. I am pretty insightful!

In other news, pursuant to a conversation with an lolAJ tipster about the possibility of some white people being human (in which AJ desperately insisted upon his human bean status), I received this followup email:

On Mon, Sep 29, 2008 at 6:00 PM, xxxxxxx  wrote:

AJ, I do not think of you as a white and I do not think of you as not white...

I think of you as an angel.

LAWL! omg get it? it is a to wong foo reference, which makes it additionally funny, since AJ is ALSO a transsexual. ROFFLE! Moreover, it opens up a whole new possibility of ethnic identification for AJ since we all know whiteness is a real sticky mess to be caught up in and white people should avoid identification with whiteness whenever possible. AS A MATTER OF FACT some people even tell me my curly hair looks sort of angelic sometimes!

AS AN ASIDE: OMG THIS IS A REAL MOVIE IN THEATERS??? CAN I SEE IT NAO PLZ??

updated to add: I CAN'T STOP WATCHING THE TRAILER!!!

ALSO in more profane relevant happenings: My girlfriend, who is something of an Andy Samberg fan sent me this today which is pretty righteous. And then Andy Samberg reminded me of this fine lady (they are a couple if u did not know):

In conclusion, I just drank a litre of Perrier and a pint of stout. Eek! I think I'm going to float out the window. wait i have to write a paper warblgarbl

ANTM state of the union

OMG NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

i had a whole post but it is no longer relevant

~ aj, crying with his eyes

wat!

AJ to other white ppl: STOP STEELIN MAH LIFE.

wait aj is tickled by the fortuity but why is this article supposed to be interesting? 

maybe they'll start a real estate blog *crosses fingers* wait no it would be so boring

nevermind about that other thing! bai!

Nobody expects a transsexual

(wtf why is it so weird being of transgendered experience)

I will tell you whats on my mindgrapes!

I typically think of myself as *barely* passing, in that, while I take for granted my ability to pass as male in day to day existence, I don't expect it to require any large stretch of the imagination for the casual observer to imagine me as a former member of the fairer sex. At 5'4" I don't exactly tower, the fuzz that grows on my cheeks would be an embarrassment for most male-type persons old enough to see an R rated movie, and--as a lesbian I know personally once observed--being a masculine, female-assigned person gives new and ponderous meaning to the phrase "hips don't lie." So ya, passing, but not with flying colors.

As such I'm always sort of startled by the inability of laypeople to imagine the possibility of a transsexual incarnate. I suspect herein lies our greatest strength as a people. For instance:

Now that I have departed the homosexual metropolis of Gotham for the differently-queered Twin Cities, I have to go to a clinic for regular normal people. I sort of assumed that the nurse taking my medical history knew what was up when I explained that I was prescribed testosterone but he looked completely confused when I told him my medial records back in NYC might be filed under a former legal name. He sort of blinked and said "Oh really? Why? Did you like get married or something? No, that wouldn't make sense..." So I just sort of stared at him and was like "um anyway it might be under this name..."

In a similar vein, last week I went to go get my photo taken for my student ID card and the exchange was sort of like:

BUBBLY WORKSTUDY: Hi! Can I have your student ID number?

AJ: Um sure, let me find it... I guess I should warn you though I might still be in your system under my former legal name--I filed the name change form last week but I don't know if everything is updated yet. [AJ gives student number]

BUBBLY WORKSTUDY: Nope you're here! Oh wait! [laughs out loud] That can't be right unless your name is [REDACTED]!!! [Continues to LOL]

AJ: Uh... actually, that'd be that former name I told you about. I guess I'll come back once your system's updated.

Anyway, this week I went back to the student services center to see why it was taking so long for the system to update my name change. I explained the situation to the worker who agreed it was taking longer than usual and I was again asked for my student ID number. Upon looking up my record, however, the man's face went blank and he stared confusedly at the monitor for several seconds before turning it around to show me what was on the screen. Looking completely befuddled, he said "I think something's wrong--can you explain this to me? I don't understand." And I replied "Um yes. That there's my former legal name. That's what I'm trying to get changed. Also that gender designation is wrong--I don't know why it says that. Can you change that too please?" (It was interesting that I was entered as female in the University system since I definitely never checked any "F" box on my application. Fun fact: my girlfriend, who bears a decidedly masculine name despite being a lady through and through, has discovered in the past that the university she works lists her as male in their system.) 

Anyway the guy puttered off to speak with his supervisor and I ultimately learned that the reason my information was never updated in the university systems was because the form had never been processed: whoever got saddled with the paperwork I originally filed had apparently determined that it--I--must be some kind of mistake. Which, depending on your ideas about, you know, the particular discursive nature of gender in our society and everything, might in fact be more true than that person realized. LOL!

The moral of the story is obviously that NOBODY HARDLY EVER EXPECTS A TRANSSEXUAL (to exist). AJ will need to report back once he has determined how to best take advantage of this phenomenon (suprize! world domination?) but in the interim, recommendations are welcome.

youtube <3 <3 <3

hey look i found my favorite song from when i was like 12. i haven't even thought about this movie (liquid sky) in like a decade. 

w00t! youtube also has the trailer here. youtube and i are bff.

mpls is cool/poppin

sum thoughts on aj's new abode:

whar is the blogosphere? here is a photoblog about uptown, which is basically like the park slope of the twin cities and is also adjacent to my nabe. i can't find anything interesting tho. andminneapolis luxury real estate blog, u r so not curbed. halp!

lakes. we haz dem. when people swim in them, they say they are going to "the beach."

this lil journalistic jewel was front page news last week. LOLWTF

AJ did go to the MINNESOTA STATE FAIR. AJ eated:

- cheese on a stick

- pizza on a stick

- corndog (on a stick)

- sausage on a stick (note for future reference: sausage on a stick =  corndog)

- fried twinkie on a stick

Other things that can be eated on a stick can be viewed here.

Unfortunately by the time I'd finished eating I felt too sick to go see the barnyard animals :(

al franken is running for senate here and MY GF TOTALLY SAW HIM IN THE MSP AIRPORT.

speaking of political stuff somehow i've ended up with the rnc in town twice in a row! wtf aj h8s getting arrested and plans to have nothing to do with that dumb hoootnanny. also in anticipation the daily show has taken out some advertising along I-494. via. i also saw a billboard on hennepin advertising roast capitalist pig at some restaurant. le sigh.

being in a strange city and living on my own for the first time is pretty different, but dr. steve brule's pointers have been invaluable.

like the rest of urban american academia, the U of M american studies program is totally tranny chic, by which i mean there are a number of bespectacled white ftms in the program and i am told we are already being mistaken for each other lol. this is excellent news because aj has been in the market for a new avenue thru which to channel his righteous indignation for some time now.

the Cities also bear many commonalities to the City: 

for instance, we have our own version of cattyshack. 

also, like the only other two american cities i've lived in, streets in black neighborhoods have speed bumps in them (a la the south side of providence or bed stuy and brownsville in bklyn). aj is going to fess up about his own ignorance and ask if anyone can explain what the deal with that is (urban studies/urban planners amongst us?). it would obviously appear to be some form of social control but it would be nice to have a whole scoop.

also, on my way to work in midtown west/hell's kitchen, gentlemen used to offer to sell me fake IDs--and i would take on my best indignant affect and splutter "GOOD SIR, I AM TWENTY FOUR YEARS OF AGE!" similarly, here, as I passed by a liquor store a fellow lounging out by his car asked if i wanted him to go in and buy something for me (I assume he expected a modest commission for services rendered).

the main difference between minneapolis and nyc is that mpls is comparatively like a MASSIVE HIPPIE TOWN. however, this topic warrants a post of its own so i shall revisit it later. also ppl are pretty nice here but it is WEIRD. 

also i will probably go ahead and post some photos soon cause god knows i have the time on my hands and for whatever reasons i feel less politically conflicted about doing that here. 

kbai

o hai

aj interrupts lolaj's impromptu sabbatical to say i am still trying to figure out how to reconcile this blogs content with the fact that i suddenly live in the MIDWEST (zomg!). tips re: the minneapolis blogosphere would be GREATLY APPRECIATED.

in the meantime, i bring you these nuggets:

Tyra brings MODEL OF TRANSGENDERED EXPERIENCE into next season of ANTM. HOLY SHIT! tyra u r such an ally

Also Ellen and Portia are TOTALLY MARRIED. But Tila is PISSED! Ingrates!
Tila, I would totally invite u to my gay marriage.

very important items

One thing that is cool about sexual minorities is that we are always coming up with like new identities (can I get a "LGBTSTTQQIBDSMGNC"??). This is especially excellent for people like me and Judith (Jack? idk) Halberstam who suffer from really severe taxonomic impulses. One thing that is really funny is when ppl come up with new modes of identification and I totally don't take them seriously! LOL! But according to the innarwebs, G0Y IS NOW A MEME.

Also OMG AJ has been waiting for someone to write this post for a LONG ASS TIME. (It is a critique of Muslim women in comics focusing on Sooraya Qadir, otherwise known as "Dust," the niqab-clad mutant youth who first joined the Marvel universe during Grant Morrison's run

on New X-Men.) One thing AJ feels the article does not sufficiently stress however 

is how fucking cool it is that Dust can like instantly strip all the flesh off of your bones by turning herself into a wicked sandstorm. In the subject of "uber pwnage" AJ is happy to award Dust with a final grade of EPIC WIN.

In other news, here is an example of why its dumb when liberals are like "why don't we just give cops tasers" because they think it will solve the problems.

Gawker endeavors an answer to AJ's age-old question: wtf is the deal with the MSM not caring about LinRon??? 

WAFL award: Park Slope parents are all like: Who do they think we are, people of color or something?

There are totally some raccoons in Brooklyn and other parts of the city too! They are definitely adorable and potentially a public health threat.

Also you definitely want to hear Racialicious weigh in on Logo's new(ish) show Gimme Sugar. Logo, lol.  oh u.

And finally, AJ can think of no better way to leave his readers than with the words of this young warrior poet, for truly her work gives new meaning to our understanding of the erotic as power. Read poem here plz.

are you very bored at work?

...WELL I HAVE EXCELLENT NEWS FOR YOU. Two sites that will easily kill AT LEAST an hour or so of your day. 

Wikipedia: List of unusual deaths. (I skipped antiquity.)

ABC News: Medical Marvels slideshow! (sort of NSFW at times)

Bonus slideshow for my mormonphilic readers: RUMSPRINGA!

(WARNING: this slideshow is SURPRISINGLY BORING.)

QUICK HIT: YOUR LOLAJ MORNING TRAFFIC UPDATE

What, dear readers, have you been googling to find me? I will tell you some highlights:

• i hate diablo cody
• jodie foster
• they be stealin mah bukkit
  
• "lesbianism is a political ideology"
  
•  "lolcats" "jackie warner"
  
• diablo cody obnoxious
  
• diablo cody and her feminist politics
• the lighthearted feminism of a fine merlot
• is lolspeak racist
• dykes are the new fags
  
• genderqueer brooklyn hipster 2008
  
• h8 sex
• flds women sexual frequency
• lolesbians
  
• look, it's terrible, i know, but weakness really, really bugs me, to the point that if there is a wounded bird on the sidewalk, i look at it and i go: i think i'll just kick it
  
• roflcopter black white sex
  
• timeout ny christian siriano white trash

plus like a dozen permutations of samantha ronson and lindsay lohan.

oops i meant to post this yesterday

the good news is:

Some of you may be interested to learn that the Park Slope Armory, which will soon offer YMCA programs, used to be home court to the Smart Set Athletic Club, which assembled the first "formally organized and independent all-black basketball team." Admittedly, AJ has only really ever thought of the Armory as "that big building over near the Lesbian Herstory Archives" but you learn something new every day!

My girlfriend has appraised me that BAMs Afro-Punk festival includes a screening of The Federation of Black Cowboys which is a documentary on... YOU GUESSED IT! It's going to be awsum!! Aforementioned girlfriend and I occasionally see aforementioned black cowboys clip-clopping down the street with their ponies when we go to the Gateway Center out in East New York and we are really big fans.

the bad news is:

my girlfriend and i slept through a 2-alarm fire one block from our house at 2:30 this morning

mayor michael bloomberg is 'disgusted' by the death of esmin green, who waited almost 24 hours in a kings county hospital waiting room then keeled over, went into convulsions, and eventually died as staff continued to ignore her. the whole thing is on a (highly disturbing) surveillance tape... unfortunately for kings county hospital. readers may not be shocked to know that green was both a woman and of color, which likely goes some way towards explaining how the fuck someone can fall over and die in the middle of a hospital without anyone noticing. updated to add: aj just noticed womanist musings has a pretty ok post on green.

news that is neither obviously good nor bad:

the city is settling the shawn bell wrongful death suit but wtf happened to my link? i lost it

LOL! This article is silly! What is most silly is on the matter of the alleged anti-tight clothes movement in Brooklyn, the Voice abruptly defers to a presumed authority identified only as "Park Slope resident Jenny Brauer." Wtf who is that? And why is this "park slope resident" apparently the only one who has anything to say about homophobia?

So Starbucks is closing down 600 stores nationwide. Holy crap!

On the one hand: AJ thinks Starbucks is a loathsome union busting corporation hellbent on annihilating the locally-owned coffee shop with egregiously overpriced drinks that they bill as gourmet even though they taste like burnt dirt. Plus their baristas are poorly trained, most of their beans are procured without fair compensation to the farmers that grew them, and god knows what they add to their coffee to make it look dark like that (no, I assure you, that is not just the color of the roast).

On the other hand: Burnt dirt is a delicacy compared to the street stand coffee in my work neighborhood, which tastes like diesel fuel that somebody pooped in. And for someone with a caffeine dependency as formidable as mine, the local Starbucks--barring potable alternatives--is more of a "need" than a "want" for me. (And YES, before you suggest it, I HAVE tried brewing coffee in the office and it SIMPLY DOES NOT WORK for a number of reasons which for brevity's sake I will not explore here.) Also I am quite fond of the baristas at *my* Starbucks, who know me by name and habit and often give me discounts on my drinks (along with other freebies such as APPLE FRITTERS and compliments on my outfits). However, I'm fairly confident that my Starbucks is not underperforming and will ride out this string of closures with little trouble.

neway, i wonder if my coworkers can sense me not working...

strange things about homosocial (male) work environments

• My boss comes to work in a t-shirt and grabs one of my spare work shirts off its hanger saying "hey I can wear this, right?"
• My other boss laments that he will have to take this week's Observer into the bathroom with him because the Post hasn't been delivered yet. I still need the Observer to look over the public notices section and listen in dismay to his griping.
• Office small talk centers on comic books and frog jizz.
• Pretty much everything can be expressed using warfare imagery. We are 'going to war' with a couple developers right now, so I find I spend most of my days either 'manning the cannons' or 'in the trenches' or stuff like that. This makes me feel pretty manly and righteous.
• "Hey, man" is probably the most commonly-used phrase in the office, though my boss calls everyone "brother" since he is a real union man.
• My girlfriend says the whole office smells funny.

TO BE CONTINUED!

i guess it was a pretty ok day for the news and stuff

via Gawker, pearls of wisdom from Eric Schaefer, who explains The Way Things Are:

"In general, gay men don't want to fuck trannies.

In general, gay men don't want to get fucked by doms wearing strap ons.

In general, gay guys... like to fuck other gay guys.

In general, women, gay or straight, don't want to fuck trannies.

In general, women, gay or straight, don't want to get fucked in the ass by doms wearing strap ons. (Obviously lesbians have a slightly higher proclivity of course but that's mainly in their pussies, not in their asses.)

In general, bi sexual guys like real cocks when they fuck guys and therefore don't go in for doms, some for trannies but less so than good ole regular gay guys.

So that leaves one kind of people who are the NUMBER ONE GROUP INTERESTED in FUCKING OR GETTING FUCKED BY TRANNIES AND GETTING FUCKED IN THE ASS BY DOMS... wait for it... STRAIGHT MEN."

LOL! ...he goes on to talk about the str8 male-sustained multi-million dollar tranny escort industry and something about shemales. I TOTALLY CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE STILL SINGLE, ERIC!! also lol @ gawker for this one. Rock! \m/

AJ is pretty sure Entertainment Weekly's 26 best femme fatales just made him a lesbian all over again. Win! Why do I always forget that HOLLYWOOD is my #1 root???

^^^^Rock!!!!

Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl" is pearls before swine feminists. 

Also. Z.O.M.G. lilo and sam are TOTALLY going to have a baby. sweet!  

And there was like all this flooding at Carroll Street and 4th Ave last weekend.. CAN ANYONE TELL ME IF CATTYSHACK IS OK??? 

Finally, NY politicians totally heart pride I guess.

further reading

Albanian sworn virgins Pashi Keqi and others secure EPIC GENDER WIN by becoming family patriarchs. Leslie Feinberg eat your heart out! (Who needs sex anyway) Says Keqi, 

I was totally free as a man because no one knew I was a woman. I could go wherever I wanted to and no one would dare swear at me because I could beat them up. I was only with men. I don’t know how to do women’s talk. I am never scared.

Rock!

Also the NYC Trans March happens this afternoon at 3 which is sort of the only part of pride that I find to be even remotely politically compelling (unfortunately I am bound to my cubicle and cannot attend). Here is the info:

Come on out for the 4th Trans Day of Action for Social and Economic Justice this Friday!!!  This march is initiated by TransJustice of the Audre Lorde Project, a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Two-Spirit, Trans and Gender Non-Conforming People of Color Center for Community Organizing.

We have an SRLP banner that can lead our contingent. Wear your SRLP t-shirt or wear green!It will be fun, political and inspiring. 

This Friday, June 27, 2008 - 3pm
Starting rally at City Hall Park, Manhattan, NY

From the Points of Unity: “We call on our Trans and Gender Non-Conforming (TGNC) community and on all of our allies from many movements to join us for the 4th Annual Trans Day of Action for Social and Economic Justice. We as TGNC People of Color (POC) recognize the importance of working together alongside other movements to change the world we want to see. We live in a time when people of color, immigrants and poor people are disproportionately underserved, face higher levels of discrimination, heightened surveillance and experience increased violence at the hands of the state. It is critical that we unite and work together towards dismantling the transphobia, racism, classism, sexism, ageism, ableism, homophobia and xenophobia that permeates throughout our movements for social justice. Let’s come together to let the world know that TGNC rights will not be undermined and together we will not be silenced!”

TBC!

BEST local (and other) newz

Curbed has fun pics of anti-Thor Equities folks at last weekend's Mermaid Parade which AJ did not attend cuz that shit is TOO CROWDED.

Speaking of Coney, Ayveq the masturbating walrus is dead :(

LOLIKEA: OFELIA VAG!

Best headline EVAR: "Judge: Naked Cowboy can Sue Blue M & M" Rock on, naked cowboy.

Rock on, Ashley Dupre!

Uh oh, gender is complicated, complicates marriage! (Oddly decent coverage by CNN!)

AJ is ETERNALLY indebted to Gawker for their Guide to the Weird Ronson Family

On other gay matters, however, Gawker falls a bit behind the times (omgz0rz gay men arrested for public sex???? No. Wai. no wai. srsly wtf.) wut is ur deal gawker

This lady totally just gave birth on an F Train platform. TO A BABY. Eek!

AJ is pretty sure this new blog, NIMBY Brooklyn, is POLITICALLY OBJECTIONABLE... and yet... oddly amusing.

Basically no one likes jails, including the city's plan to make the House of D on Atlantic Ave much bigger and better (at incarcerating ppl) New nabe group Stop Brooklyn House of D doesn't like jails either but, you know, mostly for the wrong reasons.

fin.

QUESTIONS

I haz two:

1. There are railroad tracks that run east-west sort of along Avenue H that cut through my entire neighborhood. I believe the tracks go as far west as Sunset Park but I don't know how far east they run. Obviously, there are no subway lines that run east-west in this part of Brooklyn so it is not a subway. Also it is not LIRR or anything like that, duh. WHAT IS THIS?

and

2. It has recently come to my attention that there are MORMONS living IN my neighborhood.* OMG! Oft had I wondered who those roving groups of high school-aged youth were. They all wear the same conservative dress yet are not Hasidic, have matching name tags and, oddest of all, invariably smile and say HELLO to me whenever I pass! Quoth my girlfriend: "What the hell AJ we've talked about this like eight times already why can't you remember anything?" WHENCE CAME THEY? WHEREFORE LIVEST THEY IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD? It is very curious. I did not know there were any Mormons in this fine borough.

Anyone who can shed light on either of these matters will receive a PRIZE.

* It is sort of like finding a fish in your percolator.

EDITED TO FIX: massive proofreading fail.

oh my

For anyone who remembers these from her or his kiddie years, this video might be the most horrifying (amazing?) thing you have seen. Holy shitsticks!

ZOMG HAAAAALP!!!!

ALSO: OTHER SIGNIFICANT MUPPET NEWS.

here is a monday post from aj

OK here are sum soundbytes from the intarwebs

"This teacher has a history of encouraging noogie behavior."

"It looked horrific," he said. "Fifi was lying there covered in blood."

Instructional Video: Queefing

"enjoy my visual retrospective of the city's lost queer fetish clubs"

"The High Court in South Africa has ruled that Chinese South Africans are to be reclassified as black people" Wat!! Via.

here are the most evar:

MOST adorable epidemic EVAR!

MOST offensive neighborhood blog EVAR!

MOST annoying analysis EVAR!

MOST played-out progressive viewpoint EVAR!

MOST comprehensive SATC movie post EVAR!

AND IN OTHER NEWS:

Happy belated Juneteenth! 

The New York Times and Colorlines both have things to say about Border Patrol. Eek!

An intersex man raised as a woman becomes the second Bahraini FTM to have their sex change legally recognized by the courts. Neat! AJ noticed that: 1) Fox News could learn a few things about correct pronoun usage from Al Arabiya, and 2) The article reports the Bahraini Health Ministry paid for the dude's SRS. WTG Bahrain! Also: Via!

Bilerico has a post on fa'afine ppl in Samoa. LOL SCIENCE! if it weren't for science, how would we understand anything? Also this thing was posted like the same exact day the guy who cuts my hair was trying to chat me up about fa'afines and i was all like ummm wtf!

Also police brutality against trans ppls makes AJ an exceptionally sad panda :(    Also an update.

But on a happier note, Gawker: Why Lindsay Lohan is a Gay Hero. NEED I SAY MOAR???

ok tahtsall 4 now bai

UPDATED TO ADD: oh also duh! the convictions of 2 of the New Jersey 4 were overturned the other day OMG w00t! TIMES INFINITY. For anyone who doesn't already know, the NJ4 was basically a vicious lesbian gang. JK! They are four black lesbians (originally a group of seven) who got into an altercation with a d00d who was like rly mad when they were not wooed by his advances, so he decided to like throw his cigarette at them and spit and say some srsly rude things. Neway after defending themselves they all ended up getting 3-11 year prison sentences. LOL criminal justice! Anyway the other two convictions are pending and folks are hopeful that they will be overturned as well.

UPS AND DOWNS

k so some of these are old by now since i haven't posted in a while... YET AND STILL...

ZOMG! Mapquest only for bikes makes cyclists WINNARS

daria = perpetual win

Beverly Hills hotel experiences gender fail.

This d00d is trying to correct electoral politics-related gender fail only he FORGOT ABOUT ANGIE... YA DOOFUS!

TILA TEQUILA. words do not describe the fail (win?)! DO NOT FORGET TO SEND HER A CARD SAYING THANK YOU FOR YOUR MARRIAGE EQUALITY. rofl!

In the meantime, queer ppl win at complaining about everything.

Lobster fail. =C

NYT: Age is the new race/gender. Wat? taht is some sort of political fail.

flatbush gardener WINZ at his overview of the flatbush rezoning

And read about this dude for EPIC HIPSTER FAIL

And as far as I know the only thing left to say is ZOMG IKEA IKEA IKEA IKEA IKEA IKEA (etc)!!!! Death of Red Hook or single greatest event since Jesus? YOU DECIDE. Of particular note is the presence of my urban planner GIRLFRIEND at the opening ceremony--Dept of City Planning Chair and socialite extraordinaire AMANDA BURDEN (looking AWFULLY smart in that yellow suit). AJ thinks Ms. Burden is both classy and hilarious, in a highly nefarious sort of way. It is pretty hard to encapsulate Burden's nutty shenanigans on a mere blog, but this video of her unwelcome support for Shoot the Freak (and Bloomberg's ensuing eyeroll) is pretty classic. (NYT also had a pretty informative profile a while back: "Once at Cotillions, Now Reshaping the Cityscape" LOL!)

YOU ARE WELCOME