Name: Elvira Black
Weblog: elvirablack.blogspot.com
Articles: 56
First Published: Tuesday, January 3, 2006
Last Published: Monday, December 10, 2007
Currently listing articles 56-1:
-
Elvira's Adventures in Cyber-Speed Dating— American men may be emotionally dysfunctional — but New York City guys are downright Seinfeldian in their deal-breaking demands.
-
Welcome to New York City (Sort Of)— You can still fulfill your wildest dreams in New York City, but if you're a newcomer, you would best tread lightly.
-
Intelligent Design: Is it "Intelligent?"— Can one reconcile contemporary science with a belief in a humanoid "creator?" Aye, there's the rub.
-
Book Review: A Practical Handbook for the Boyfriend by Felicity Huffman and Patricia Wolff— This hilarious how-to for the boyfriend-in-training offers terrific advice; too bad most guys will never read it!
-
Passport Purgatory!— I thought I knew who I was until I tried to establish my "identity" with the U.S. Passport Center.
-
On Postmodernism: A Pomo Primer— In our new digital century, we all live and breathe postmodernism - even if we are not yet aware of it.
-
Theater Review: Five by Tenn - Five Landmark Plays by Tennessee Williams, New York— Turtle Shell Productions gathers together some early, rarely seen Williams one-acts and reinvents them for a postmodern age.
-
Should the "N" Word Be Banned? Part 2— The short answer: no. But it can be relegated to the history books and rendered as obsolete as "78 rpm."
-
Adventures in Real Estate, Part 2: The Lawyer Who "Phoned It In"— Paying cash for my new coop and having perfect credit should almost guarantee a quick and painless closing — shouldn't it?
-
Should the "N" Word Be Banned?— In honor of Black History Month, some black leaders have proposed legislation to ban the "N" word. Are they right?
-
Adventures in Real Estate, Part One: The Broker from Hell— Dishonest, greedy, and unscrupulous real estate brokers have given the industry a bad name.
-
Is Blogging Obsolete?— According to the technology firm Gartner Inc, blogs are on the decline worldwide. Could the Blogosphere be headed for obsolescence?
-
Is New York "Over?" - Part Two— New Yorkers are perpetually dissatisfied. Some so much so, they are actually abandoning the city they once loved.
-
Is New York "Over?" - Part One— Is New York's hipness factor a thing of the past? And if so, could the next big "scene" be emerging across the river in -
-
Hearing Poe's Christmas Bells in the Bronx— Poe Cottage in the Bronx - where Edgar Allen Poe lived from 1846-1849 - still resonates with the poignant spirit of the author's time here.
-
A Very Jewish Christmas— To me, Jesus was the ultimate Jew — the chosen one of the Chosen People.
-
The Holidays: Is That All There Is?— How could our frothing-at-the mouth holiday frenzy possibly live up to the hype?
-
Thanksgiving At The Toilet Bowl— Don't ask — but I'll tell you anyway.
-
Single Review: Talking Heads - "Life During Wartime"— "This ain't no party, this ain't no disco, this ain't no foolin' around." Indeed.
-
Computers in the Media: Those Juicy Apple Commercials— In the battle of the neo-nerds, Mac is the clear winner.
-
New York Story: The Crackhead Next Door— The new "neighbor" banged on the door: "Open up punk. I want to talk to you face to face."
-
Condoms: Look Into It— A moment of unbridled pleasure without protection is simply not worth the risk.
-
New York Story: Dysfunctional Family Reunion— What's a New Yorker to do when her boyfriend's cousin's uncle's dog's half-sister sends invites for an Oklahoma blowout?
-
The Last Seder— Passover represents a vital and abiding connection to Christianity for me, since the Last Supper was also a Passover Seder.
-
Release of Emergency Calls Taped on 9/11 is Heartbreaking and Infuriating— The release of emergency calls from the Twin Towers reopens wounds, and reveals how precious lives might have been saved.
-
Psycho Killers and Stalker Sluts— Does our culture encourage men to stalk and women to obsess — and if so, how dangerous is it?
-
Eat, Blog, and Be Merry— Some people long to live forever. But be careful what you wish for — it could be an awfully bleak ride.
-
What's with the Tattoos?— If "everyone's" getting them, how can tattoos still be taboo?
-
New York Story: Washington Square, Greenwich Village— Bob Dylan, Lenny Bruce, Allen Ginsberg, Jackson Pollack, and countless other notables spread their creative wings in this boho paradise.
-
New York Story: The Dark Side of Gentrification— As a "sketchy" neighborhood becomes more "hip" and "desirable," where do the current residents go? Aye, there's the rub.
-
The Freelance Life: Publish or Perish— Rejection letters, empty mailboxes, bruised and battered egos; for any aspiring writer, the road to publication can be agonizing.
-
New York Story: Elvira's Theory of Chinese Takeout-Related Gentrification— To chart the signs of a New York neighborhood on the rise, look first to its Chinese takeout menus.
-
The Blogs That Bug Me
— If you're gonna start a blog, for heaven's sake, respond when you get some comments! Plus other pet blog-peeves.
-
New York Story: Real Estate Mania— Far from being "worldly," New Yorkers are shockingly xenophobic when it comes to their pricey "turf."
-
Living in Death's Shadow— Most US adults anticipate a terrorist attack within the next year. How is this affecting our collective unconscious?
-
With a Name Like Shithouse Rat, it Has to be Good!— Attention all bloggers! Create catchy slogans for your blog INSTANTLY with the amazing ADVERTISING SLOGAN GENERATOR!!!
-
The "Offended" Offenders— Those poor, "deeply offended" radical Muslims--now who can really blame them for holding a Holocaust cartoon contest?
-
My Blogger Burnout— My blogging obsession has become hazardous to my physical and emotional health. Drastic measures are in immediate order.
-
Duck and Cover - and Kiss your Sweet Ass Goodbye— The Pentagon believes it has found a drug that can treat radiation exposure. So what's the holdup on mass-producing it?
-
John Lennon: New Yorker— As the mobs gathered in honor of Lennon, all I could think was: What would Lennon think of all this?
-
Love and Let Die— Half-dead bodies banging around in car trunks bring me comfort and joy.
-
AA: Threat or Menace?— Sex fiends, malodorous misfits, old timers with control issues, making amends to jerks - AA's enough to drive you to drink!
-
Let's Talk About Drugs— I'm sure I would be a "Ritalin kid" if I were a first-grader today. I'm grateful I wasn't.
-
Uh-oh: Brain Itch!— Why is it that the vast majority of mainstream pop music STILL comes only from the U.S. and the U.K.?
-
The Day the Bottle Dropped— On the mean streets of the Bronx, New York, you'd best learn to hold your liquor - and grip that bottle.
-
Those Army Ads Are BROILING My BUTT!— Army recruitment ads urge parents to help children "find their strength." Hopefully they won't "find" them returned in body bags.
-
Help! I'm Turning Into A Pack Of Marlboro Light 100's!!!— I started smoking at 16. Over thirty years later--especially now that I'm blogging--I am totally outta control. Help!!!
-
Pro-Life or Anti-Sex?— Pro-lifers have a "final solution" for anyone having extramarital sex--just say no!
-
Confessions of a Comment Whore— I adore comments, but respond lackadaisically. I post comments to blogpals' sites, then forget whether I did. I've got issues.
-
Soundtrack Review: Goodfellas - Martin Scorsese's Sensational Sounds of the Seventies— Incorporating "What is Life" and other seventies classics into Goodfellas, Martin Scorsese takes a good song and makes it better.
-
Annoyed? Don't EVEN Get me Started!!!— "Annoying" other people online using a fake name is now a federal crime. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
-
Website Review: Thank You, Mr. Skin!— Longing to see 27 seconds of Glenn Close's "breasts sitting down in the shower crying?" Check out Mr. Skin's site.
-
My Blogging Doppelganger— For me, blogging under a "pen-name" means that I now have a separate blog-self that's better-looking, more fun-loving, and more popular than "I" am.
-
Apocalypse Now?— Yeats' "The Second Coming"--a chilling vision of the End of Days--has somehow never seemed more prophetic.
-
Pomo for Dummies— What the devil is postmodernism (aka pomo)? And why should you care, anyway?
-
Here's Looking at Jew, Kid— As an emotionally challenged New York Jew, I identify with Woody Allen. But like all Americans, I also revere Bogart.
All BC Articles