Erica Palan

mollyeichel: So, let me get this straight: You named your...

Tue, 02 Oct 2012 10:56:05 -0400

So, let me get this straight: You named your children’s apparel company after a novel that is famous for its portrayals of physical, verbal and sexual abuse, the death of a child via arsenic poisoning and, of course, a couple counts of incest?

Cute clothes, though.

This man spoke no English, worked at a dive bar in San...

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 17:52:04 -0400

This man spoke no English, worked at a dive bar in San Francisco, but he was wearing a Temple hat. Made my night!

I went to ONA and all I got was this stupid Storify. (Lies: I also got a T-shirt, new Twitter followers, a tote bag and two hangovers.)

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 17:37:31 -0400

I went to ONA and all I got was this stupid Storify. (Lies: I also got a T-shirt, new Twitter followers, a tote bag and two hangovers.)

"And so we learn today from Mr. Brooks that “they say” (who?) “you’ve never really seen a Bruce..."

Thu, 28 Jun 2012 16:12:15 -0400

“And so we learn today from Mr. Brooks that “they say” (who?) “you’ve never really seen a Bruce Springsteen concert until you’ve seen one in Europe,” and then he tells us the story of how he and his friends went around Europe spending hundreds of dollars on tickets to Springsteen shows in Spain and France and they enjoyed themselves very much. The success of Springsteen is, apparently, some sort of object lesson in staying true to your (geographical?) roots, and not being too “eclectic,” or something, who the fuck knows. The column literally has this line in it: “Did it occur to them at that moment that, in fact, they were not born in the U.S.A.?” I don’t know, David, do Clash fans realize that London is not actually calling them?”

- This excellent piece by Alex Pareene. Except for the part where he claims “Tunnel of Love” is the best Springsteen album. Everyone knows it’s “Born to Run.”

phillymagswag: Yes, this is a Caesar salad in a mason jar that...

Thu, 28 Jun 2012 11:29:08 -0400

phillymagswag:

Yes, this is a Caesar salad in a mason jar that has a stem. Sure wish I knew where that wandered off to. Thanks to Larry Ward of ward Catering for the delivery. wardcatering.com

"Years after Sorkin’s terrible, fascinating “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” was cancelled, I still..."

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 12:30:42 -0400

“Years after Sorkin’s terrible, fascinating “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” was cancelled, I still occasionally run into someone who insists that Americans were just too stupid to get it.”

- The amazingly talented, staggeringly awesome Emily Nussbaum hates The Network. I couldn’t possibly be less surprised. (Not that this will stop me from watching for the recreational rage and to ease the pain of a West Wing-less existence.)

Look, I’ve solved the Republican Presidential nomination...

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 20:51:02 -0500

Look, I’ve solved the Republican Presidential nomination issue. “Romney” has the correct number of syllables for awesome parody songs. “Santorum” does not.

I know I have chosen my friends wisely when not one but two of...

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 20:44:00 -0500

I know I have chosen my friends wisely when not one but two of my dearest write about the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. Read Dan’s post on The Philly Post and Aly’s on Entertainment Weekly’s Popwatch. Also, OMG I want to lay my cheek on that doggie!

I’m thinking of my beautiful Grandmom—on the left—who died...

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 20:38:25 -0500

I’m thinking of my beautiful Grandmom—on the left—who died five years ago today. I didn’t know it until we started calling relatives to give them funeral information, but my grandfather proposed to her on Valentine’s Day. That memory makes a hard day a little happier.

"I think people deserve a second chance, you know. If you’ll note, he has not been on the Grammys for..."

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:55:10 -0500

““I think people deserve a second chance, you know. If you’ll note, he has not been on the Grammys for the past few years and it may have taken us a while to kind of get over the fact that we were the victim of what happened.””

- That’s what Ken Ehrlich, executive producer of the Grammy Awards, told ABC News Radio when they asked about Chris Brown’s return to the ceremony. Right, the Grammys were really the victims of Brown beating the living shit out of his then-girlfriend Rihanna. More on this in my piece on The Philly Post today.

Lemme Hear You Say "Awww!"

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:20:23 -0500

Lemme Hear You Say "Awww!":

I’m super-psyched that Clarence Clemons’ nephew, Jake, is joining the E Street Band for this tour.

Why, yes, I did spend Super Bowl Sunday watching the (super...

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:44:00 -0500

Why, yes, I did spend Super Bowl Sunday watching the (super boring) Puppy Bowl and writing about it for work. This guy, named Montana, is my favorite. He pooped on the field which added some much-needed excitement to the whole event.

To see more classic Super Bowl commercials, check out my post on...

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:00:00 -0500

To see more classic Super Bowl commercials, check out my post on Mental Floss.

Haters Gon' Hate

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:50:00 -0500

Haters Gon' Hate:

I hate this douche who says mean things about Downtown Abbey so I did the only reasonable thing: I wrote about it for work.

Also, while we’re on the topic: I am kind of obsessed with this picture of the Downton gals in modern party clothes.

How Can I See Bruce Springsteen Without Clarence Clemons?

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:00:00 -0500

How Can I See Bruce Springsteen Without Clarence Clemons?:

I miss you, Clarence.

But where will we stand?, I wondered, since I have always, always stood on Clemons’ side—mostly out of respect for the Big Man, but also to be as far away as possible from Springsteen’s wife Patti Scalfa. How will Bruce introduce the musicians? I can’t imagine hearing Springsteen sing about the Big Man joining the band in “10th Avenue Freeze Out” without Clemons’ distinctive sax. “Jungleland”‘s bridge cannot possibly fill me up the same way with someone else playing the notes.

Get Your Shabby Plastic Chairs Out of the Street

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:00:00 -0500

Get Your Shabby Plastic Chairs Out of the Street:

Lookin’ at you, South Philly.

"Maybe it won’t stop the assholes from beating an innocent kid to death, but it would certainly help..."

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 17:00:00 -0500

“

Maybe it won’t stop the assholes from beating an innocent kid to death, but it would certainly help morale—and maybe prevent a few senseless acts of violence—if we could all just try being a little nicer to each other.

Move your backpack off the bus seat so the old lady can sit down. Hold the door for the person behind you. Don’t pee anywhere besides the bathroom. (Lookin’ at you, Mummers.) Use a trashcan—especially if you’re in Center City and there’s one on every corner. Instead of sucker-punching the dude who cuts in line at the bar, perhaps, just say, “Hey, I was next.” Don’t block the box.

”

- [Via Philly Post]

I didn’t know until college that it was weird to hum your...

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 17:00:00 -0500

I didn’t know until college that it was weird to hum your high school’s alma mater under your breath—or even to know all the words. Students at Cardinal Dougherty High School, where I attended from 1999 through 2003, sang the alma mater all the time. At assemblies. On buses. At pep rallies. It was just a thing.

Ten years since my graduation, I still know all the words and sometimes the tune will pop in my head at inopportune moments—like during my yearly performance review at work—and I’ll have to bite my tongue to keep from singing out, “We’ll bear your glory far and wide—FAR AND WIDE!”

I’ve been thinking about this sort of thing this week thanks to the announcement that many local Catholic high schools and elementary schools will shutter at the end of the year. Dougherty closed last spring and now my grade school, St. William, will merge with St. Cecilia’s. I wrote about it for the Philly Post today.

Anyway, because I was thinking about it, I YouTubed “Cardinal Dougherty High School” to see if I could find some footage of people singing the alma mater. I was surprised to find this video of the Cardinal Dougherty High School Alumni Band playing my favorite song in the whole wide world, “Stars and Stripes Forever.” See that guy conducting? That’s my dad! [Read about the CDHS Alumni Band here. They’re totally rad—and still together despite the school closing last spring.]

I Wanted to Call This Post #DoucheBagProblems

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 17:00:00 -0500

I Wanted to Call This Post #DoucheBagProblems:

But I thought that wouldn’t go over well. Instead I went with, “Doctors Whine About iPads.”

This is me on New Year’s Eve after I dragged my friends...

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 16:00:00 -0500

This is me on New Year’s Eve after I dragged my friends three blocks only to discover we had a better view of the fireworks right in front of the studio where we were partying. Fun fact: All those sweet decorations you see? They’re not real. Some movie with a Christmas scene was filmed on this street several months ago and the crew never removed the lights. I hope they’re still there in July.

Speaking of New Year’s, here’s the Philly-centric resolutions I made this year.