Some shots from last night's Red Eye

So as you know, I’ve been going through a public identity crisis. (I do all my living exclusively in public now. When the cameras are off I just sleep in a closet, Small Wonder-style). When I’m on TV I’m something in between funny and informative—I’m fun-formative—and I talk about all kinds of stuff on various shows, so I don’t really know how to “brand” myself. I mean, I get the iron really hot but then I let out this blood-curdling death moo and kick up my hooves and it just doesn’t happen. As I’ve said before, obviously I am a journalist, but don’t put me in your little box! (Unless your box is a roomy studio or one bedroom come August/September in a safe neighborhood in Manhattan or Brooklyn.) So I settled on pop culture expert—I’m taking it for a spin, I have seen every episode of Facts of Life after all—and the guys at Red Eye have been kind enough to refer to me as a “self-proclaimed pop culture expert.” So that’s what was going on in this first photo.

And also in this second.

But then I recovered because I am a pro.

And then here I’m talking about the Dems video ad where a woman almost sleeps with a nerd but then stops when she realizes he supports McCain. And speaking of apartments, I was kind of distracted by the fact that I think I used to live in the apartment this was filmed in. I mean, not really, but my old apartment had that exact layout. It’s a little something I call “The Murray Hill,” because almost all apartments in that neighborhood have the same layout. And, points for verisimilitude: McCain supporters would totally live there!

As for the viral video itself, I admit I think it’s pretty clever.

Now see, I was thinking that I might get asked if I’ve ever had this experience, seeing as my dating life or lack thereof is a fun topic. I’ve never run screaming from some guy’s apartment because I discovered that his politics are different than mine. I’m more the kind who would overlook that kind of stuff and then feel tortured about it later because I like him but How Can I Like Someone Who [odious belief/action/hobby/ political affiliation/insignia here]. And I’m not speaking theoretically, but that’s a story for another day.