Bostonist has noticed that haircuts for women tend to be a big, expensive, high-stress affair. The people who do the job take an exceedingly long time to remove a very small quantity of hair at a very high price, and for this reason they are called "stylists," not "barbers." We have observed that these stylists are treated almost like mystic oracles - or at least like rock stars - by their faithful customers. ("I went to Gino today," says Mrs. Bostonist. "Hmmm," says Mother-in-law Bostonist, examining Mrs. Bostonist's hair critically. "He seemed preoccupied," explains Mrs. Bostonist apologetically. "Ahhh," Mother-in-law Bostonist responds.) Now Bostonist doesn't go in for all that. We like barber shops, where electric clippers are the tools of the trade, where appointments are not just unnecessary but unheard of, and where the total cost, including tip, seldom exceeds $20. But finding the right barber shop can be a tricky business, so we're setting out to share our haircut experiences, in the hope that other lowbrow Bostonians in need of simple cuts will benefit. We encourage our readers to chime in or, if they feel enterprising, to submit entire barber shop reviews for possible publication (and accompanying fame).
Results tagged “nowbostonist”
Bostonist once believed that we were defined as a "Gen X'er" since we were born on the tail end of that era (between 1961-1981). But after reading an article in yesterday's USA Today, we might have to recategorize ourselves as typical "Generation Y'ers." It seems that Generation Y, also known as "Generation Why?" with their questioning of everything, is 70 million strong and are taking over the office environment with lots of attitude, with flip flops on feet and iPods in hand. Defined by some as those born in the late 20th century, Generation Y is now starting to enter the "real world" and people are classifying them as those "who want to work, but don't want work to be their life." Now Bostonist must agree that work is work, and everyone should still have a life outside of a cubicle. But the Generation is also being called "nurtured", "pampered", and they've been active since pre-school, creating "high performance and high maintenance" individuals. This is the first generation who were introduced at a young age to the Internet, cell phones, and Instant Messager. Gen Y'ers, who are also finding themselves next to baby boomers in the work place, are also big mouths according to the experts; they like to have their opinion known, which some employers can find annoying to say the least.
When one finds herself stuck at her parents' house for the weekend, the suburban nightlife can leave something to be desired. So when Bostonist was in this situation last week, we did what we used to do Saturday nights in high school: we headed to the local cinemaplex, which always lacks independent films but always has a Starbucks in the lobby. Bostonist decided to take in the newest addition in the chick lit-turned-flick genre, In Her Shoes. Bostonist has been a fan of Jennifer Weiner, a Philadelphia-based author who's first book, "Good In Bed", looked at the single life of (gasp!) an overweight woman. Weiner's second book, "In Her Shoes," is now a feature-length film with Cameron Diaz and Toni Colette starring as sisters Maggie and Rose, who are complete opposites and are constantly entangled in each other's lives. Hen the two sisters have a falling out, a long lost grandmother, played by Shirley Maclaine, brings them back together. While the premise sounds pretty cheesy, the movie follows the book's format closely, so it's full of jokes and honesty, with very little cheese. Diaz is actually enjoyable to watch as she plays the not-so-nice sister and you'll find yourself pitying Colette's portrayal of the less than glamourous Rose. Now Bostonist isn't going to try to say that this is a film for both sexes. There were some men who were clearly dragged into the theater, but there are a few scenes of Diaz in her skivvys, if that helps.
Did you ever want to teach, but once you learned what kind of paycheck you'd be getting, you jumped into Corporate America instead? Well, Gov. Romney is going to attempt to make teaching in the state of Massachusetts more attractive by creating a bill, which would give public school teachers merit bonuses depending on their students' progress. If this bill gets the okay on Beacon Hill, 25,000 teachers or so could be getting up to...
Needless to say, she's like the grand dame of the chick lit genre and she's reading at the Wellesley Free Library tonight at 7PM. Hear her talk about her latest book, Little Earthquakes, and see if she'll dish on the upcoming film version of In Her Shoes, with Toni Colette and Cameron Diaz as sisters. Ask her whether it's really feasible to hide out in Princeton like you're in With Honors or something! From her website, she's as likable as her books and it should be a good time.
Bostonist would like to ask: What the hell is up with the weather? Being New Englanders, we can all expect the weather to throw us some curve balls here and there, but this is getting ridiculous. Does the sun not shine in the Hub anymore? After this past weekend being another washout, making it the fifth in a row, Bostonist was hopeful that things would turn around before the long holiday weekend. Well, according to...
Admittedly, Bostonist should tell you about tonight's Kathleen Edwards show at the Paradise. She's a Canadian variation of the venerable Lucinda Williams and she has a knack for writing hard-luck songs--Bostonist's personal favorite, "Westby", is a scathing Lolita track with a snotty chorus: "If you weren't so old I'd probably keep you/ If you weren't so old I'd tell my friends/ But I don't think your wife would like my friends." Catty! She's country,...
The golden boys of Boston known as the Red Sox might not be so shiny anymore...well, at least not Pitcher Bronson Arroyo. A link has been circulating around the city this week of some female co-eds hanging out socially with Arroyo and fellow Sox pitcher Lenny Dinardo. No big deal, right? Well, the photos on this girl's photo site are pretty interesting and Arroyo's wife doesn't seem to be in any of them. [ed. note: seems the girls took down all the Arroyo shots last night...sorry to those who missed out] This college girl must be pretty tight with Bronson to call him "B" right? And for those who think this might be a fraud, these girls don't look like they are spending their time working with Photoshop...
The 2005 Pulitzer Prize winners were announced yesterday and two Massachusetts residents were selected for their work with the written word. David Hackett Fischer, a professor at Brandeis University, won the Pulitzer Prize for History with his book, "Washington's Crossing." The book focuses on George Washington's crossing the Delaware River and winning the Battle of Trenton on Christmas night. The book was a National Book Award Finalist last year and was selected as "Best of...
The town of Brookline was the first to start a ban on smoking in restaurants and bars in November 1993, and since then, other towns and cities have followed suit. The state has set up some hefty fines ($300 per Business that violates it and $100 per smoker) but says that Boston has only had a dozen or so violations in 2005. Sorry smokers, but it looks like you'll still be relegated to the cold outdoors to have a cigarette. With this news today, it looks like this ban is here to stay.
The city of Cincinnati got some press in today's Sunday Boston Globe, which discussed how this midwestern city is getting some attention recently and how it measures up to Boston. Now Bostonist was very weary on this comparison, especially since Boston's nickname is "The Hub of the Universe," but Cincinnati, a.k.a. "Porkopolis," will soon have as many Fortune 500 company headquarters as we do here in Boston after the takeovers of Boston-area companies Filene's and Gillette. Businesses already located in Cincinnati include Toyota, Fidelity Investments, and even a new Boston Beer company plant. With a population of only 330,000 residents, this midwestern city might finally be catching up with the times. Average home prices are a low $143,000 (Boston is at $387,000) and business owners like the business costs too, which are below the national average. So why is Bostonist even mentioning Cincinnati? Well, with the recent loss of some staple company headquarters in the city, it looks like the trend to move west is hot like always. With companies leaving, the job market here in Boston will be harder to crack, leaving people here to fend for themselves...or moving to the midwest.
Now Bostonist wants you to go check out this master’s work for a couple of reasons. First, both films feature cinematography by the incomparable Christopher Doyle, who also shot the dazzling color-scapes of last year’s Hero. Secondly, Days of Being Wild is virtually impossible to find on video, and it features a sexy lead performance by the iconic late Leslie Cheung. And, in a masterpiece of scheduling quite fitting for Valentine’s Day, In The Mood For Love is one of the best films about sexual tension ever, and its moodiness is rather intoxicating. Watch Maggie Cheung sashay by in her tight cheongsams! Observe the meticulous art direction, which actually plays a part in this film! Afterwards you have the options of punking around the MFA or getting hot chocolate from L.A. Burdick’s in Harvard Square. Ah, romance!