Wednesday, August 05, 2009

'Cause in the city we're ourselves and electric too

I'm not a city girl. I'm not a country girl, either, for that matter. Nor am I a country club girl or a suburban girl or a southside girl or a campus girl. I'm not precisely sure what location descriptor might fit me best, really. Perhaps I'm a midtown girl. Whatever I am it's not city. And this depresses me a little bit because, oh, the lights and the pace and the sights and the culture (yeah, sure, junkies in the park counts as culture, don't you think?). But I'd be overwhelmed down in the thick of it for more than a couple of weeks, honestly. I'd want some trees and a little space before too long.

The Unbearable Banishment, however, straddles the line between suburb and city, sometimes embracing his banishment and sometimes pining for his lost city (which isn't really lost, since he works there, but still). He's a Midwestern guy who moved to NYC and stayed for twenty years but got sucked into New Jersey suburbia and family life.

This is the dullest design ever. Oh, it's fairly innocuous. I'm not seeing any antifreeze green or anything. But it's such a downer. Seriously, folks, get with the program. This isn't 2004. Find a better template. We've got loads of links for you to find something better. UB, you take lovely pictures of the city and your family. Snag one of those and make it your banner. The design you've got now says, "Ask me about purchasing medical supplies," not, "I'm a cool, arty, urban dad with a sense of humor." I will say this, it's not cluttered. Although you'd be better served with tabs for an About page (create one, please) and your blogroll.

UB is a bookish city boy and the father of two girls about whom he writes sweet and funny posts. He reminds me of my brother if my brother were straight: neat, organized, intelligent, well-spoken, artistic, and politely irreverent (that sounds like an oxymoron, but it's not). He's into theater , theater, and more theater (Why do I feel like I need to be spelling it "theatre"? Because I'm all snooty-balooty, that's why.) and art and books.

There's amusing commentary on NYC/NJ life and funny references to Bond, which is aces in my book. Anyone who can quote Goldfinger is all right by me. But he's also remarkably down to earth and his writing is approachable and conversational. And he's a marauding cell phone jammer, a practice of which I wholeheartedly approve. He needs a fucking cape.

Most of the blog is light and funny and erudite and sort of carefree, but there are some posts that reveal what's going on in his life and his heart, and these are very fine, too. I'd like more of them.

The morning is moving on without me, and I've got to get this review posted. But what I really want to do is settle back into this blog and read some more. It's being added to my feed reader as we speak, although there's one minor problem: I want to know more. There's not a lot of talk about Mrs. Wife, which is either a little off-putting or terribly protective and sweet, I'm not sure which. And we get a lot of now, but not so much then. I'd like some more exposition, but then I always do. "Take it off, take it all off" seems to be my mantra. I get that not all blogs need to explore the sharp, rusty edges of our souls or sift through the decaying pages of our sordid pasts, but, come on. Just a little?



20 comments:

  1. Great review, because I wholeheartedly agree that wanting to keep reading more is the best review ever.

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  2. I adore UB..I think I found him at A Free Man and have been reading him for a few months now. He also leaves great comments. Some people blog about NYC and make it sound exactly like every other city in the world. But he always manages to get some of the city's essence across.

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  3. Two comments, people? TWO!? What have I done to deserve this?

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  4. Oh Cal, keep yer britches on. Or off. Whatever the case may be.
    Great review.
    I'm a total lurker over there at The UB. Your review is getting me off my ass to add to my blogroll and start typing.
    There, now get dressed. Or undressed. Or whatever!

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  5. Oh how I miss ye all. Great review!

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  6. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  7. I didnt read the review nor the blob but I can say with all honesty that you are the best reviewer and are totally correct in your blog reviews!

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  8. Another thing about UB...sometimes when he leaves comments he spells his own name wrong. I have a comment or two from the Unbearable Basement.

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  9. I like his blog-- and great review.

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  10. Thank you for your kind words. I KNOW my layout sucks. I hate it but I have neither the time nor the technical expertise to do anything about it right now. Mrs. Wife read your review and has assured me that she will help me reformat.

    I’d like to create a tab just for my cell phone jamming shenanigans. I can’t tell you how satisfying it is to watch someone stare dumbly into their impotent cell phone.

    Here’s one of my favorite posts. I’ll make a tab for these, as well. Someday.

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  11. Incidentally, Mrs. Wife prefers to be left out of the blog. It’s a privacy issue and I’m completely okay with it.

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  12. UB, I figured maybe that was the reason your wife was noticeably absent from the blog. Understandable. An About page is still a good idea, though -- and maybe include that info.

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  13. He's solid, very good. One of my favorite male bloggers. Good review, Calamity, I agree on the layout side as well.

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  14. He's solid, very good. One of my favorite male bloggers. Good review, Calamity, I agree on the layout side as well.

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  15. I concur...UB = wonderful blogger and commenter.

    However, with the whole About Me page thing, (and I know UB is wordpress) but this tab malarky isn't a standard option on blogger. Unless you go all mental and fancy with other templates...which some peeps (ie. me) don't know how to do. What's the alternative? And don't most people read through feed readers anyway these days? I hardly ever notice a blog's template. Unless it's really awful and confusing, that is. Simplicity is best, I find.

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  16. Here's what you do, if you don't have a design with tabs. Create a post, date it back at the beginning of your blog. Post a link to that post on the sidebar of your blog. You can use that for about me, your blogroll, etc. That's basically how tabs are used. That way, instead of a long list of stuff, you have a simple link. Much cleaner and tidier.

    (see left sidebar of this blog for an example)

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  17. Normally I just lurk around here and revel in pointing out blunders on the part of the reviewers; a childish fascination on my part at best, but highly entertaining none-the-less.

    But I give kudos on this review. You did a fantastic job; particularly pointing out the personal piece on the job search post. UB is a blog that deserves what it got. I'm the better for your allowing me to discover it.

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  18. wtf? I thought all of your reviews were supposed to be negative and tear down the blogger! I guess it's just me!

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Grow a pair.