"I work for a radio network that is less popular than jousting."

300,000 visitors per year. With a budget millions of dollars larger than NPR.

How do I know that? Because two of my favorite things magically came together as an episode of This American Life. From "Simulated Worlds:"

Act Three. Medieval Times. Ira takes a Medieval scholar from the University of Chicago, Michael Camille, to Medieval Times – a chain of fake castles where visitors eat Medieval food and drink Medieval Pepsi and watch a supposed recreation of a Medieval jousting tournament. The scholar finds that there are many historical inaccuracies, but that Medieval Times does capture something essential and interesting about the spirit of the Middle Ages.

I highly recommend listening to this if you care to playfully intellectualize the experience (vs. pretentiously over-analyzing it like this asshole from Slate). I would also recommend watching the film Cable Guy, which features an excellent and long scene that takes place at an actual(!) Medieval Times.


Or you can just ask me about it because I've been twice.

Twist of Fate

I saw pregnant Lauren Ambrose today! And then I cared like an asshole.

On the bright side, I remembered something. Lauren Ambrose was in an independent film that took place in Myrtle Beach! Oh, and it's so cute because it's before she got all skinny and before she got pregnant. The stars were totally aligned for this blog entry.


I really enjoyed this film, and not just because I could relate to the plot:

"It's the start of another Carolina summer, and it's becoming increasingly clear to Frankie Wheeler, a young local, that she wants more out of life than Myrtle Beach can offer."

See now, I don't remember her character ever going to Medieval Times or the Dixie Stampede, so in retrospect, I just don't think that she was trying hard enough.