For those of you keeping track at home, 2010 was full of suck for me and my nearest/dearest. The year ended with a cross-country move, never a fun thing, but especially stressful when you are facing the very grim reality that you may have to ask your vet to "put down" one of your dogs (who, for a specific set of circumstances, cannot make the move with you) for lack of any re-homing options for her---making your move date literally a deadline.

The actual move was followed by the unexpected challenge of living with my father, also known as the miserable asshole who is a toxic rain cloud of bad karma and an idiot, to boot. Then, the first week of 2011 brought upper respiratory infections followed immediately by a stomach virus (projectile vomiting!) for all three Catbirds.

All of this has not been helped by my chance encounters with seriously hateful parents---the stereotypical progressive California ones, who make Park Slope parents seem like fun in comparison.

I hate having to drive and park, drive and park, multiple times a day. I hate the damp cold and rain, which makes the basement dungeon we temporarily reside in even more depressing. I hate having to dress in layers and I hate that everyone wears clothing that makes them look like they are going on a day hike, even though all they are doing is driving to the grocery store. I hate the surly clerks at "The Bowl", who seem to resent having to work in a grocery store despite having graduated Cal in 1985 with a philosophy degree.

So you can imagine that when I saw this SNL skit, I was immediately filled with heartache for the insular, special world that New Yorkers (or rather, Manhattanites) inhabit. I miss this so much. I belong among those self-centered, over-entitled white people---not among the ones who currently surround me.