Poor Betty

Although it pains me to say it because I've got a secret soft spot in my heart for Ugly Betty, part of me hopes that ABC decides to cancel it so that a whole new generation of weird girls will be forced to recognize that maybe mainstream culture just isn't for them, that TV isn't designed to care about them, and that there's a much more interesting and diverse world to be found in books, music, and film -- just like I had to learn when they canceled My So-Called Life.

Westown: The Next Big Thing?

Given that we're pretty well priced out of Ohio City (at least as far as non-fixer-uppers go), we've started looking at greener pastures.

Jim has been blabbing my ear off for about a month now about Westown, the neighborhood around West 117th and Lorain, which he "found" during multiple bus trips to the podiatrist last month (don't ask).

At first I dismissed him out of hand. "Duh," I said, "there are none of your precious locally owned grocery stores in Westown, smart guy. Put that in your brainiac pipe and smoke it."

To which he replied, "Actually, there are four Middle Eastern supermarkets within a stone's throw of the West 117th and Lorain intersection."

And lo and behold, there are! Actually, Westown meets a good bit of our walking criteria, and for our purposes public transit-wise, it could be a hell of a lot worse. It's unpretentious, but there are plenty of houses with "Lakewood charm" (built-in leaded glass cabinets, natural woodwork, third floors). "Doesn't this remind you of Queens?" Jim asked nonchalantly as we drove around Halloran Park. (It was the only emotionally manipulative thing he's ever said.)

And oh, the house prices! I'm like a kid in a candy store. I could buy a house for about what my parents paid for theirs back in 1983. A bigger, better house at that! I could walk to Luchita's! And...and...Dennis Kucinich could be my neighbor! I wonder if Mrs. Kucinich would want to be my new best friend. Or am I too old for her?

So...anyone live in Westown? Have you got an opinion you want to share? I'm all ears.

New Year's Resolution

I only kept one of my two New Year's Resolutions this year, so this year I'm only going to make one.

It's nonspecific -- even downright vague -- but I find that against conventional wisdom, those are the only kind of goals I can ever keep.

So, on the heels of last year's read-a-thon, I want to make this a productive writing year.