Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Perception and Dianne Wiest

So yesterday I was meeting someone in the village and I noticed, as I was making my way there, that I passed a bunch of people with roughly the same face which is a situation I find myself in not infrequently. In this case, they all looked like Dianne Wiest.


All over the village yesterday

So here is the question: what's really going on when this happens? Is it that there are only a limited number of faces, which is something I think I may have blogged about before? Is it really that people of a certain type live clustered together or that I possibly stumbled onto a pocket of Dianne Wiests? Of course not, right? So then it must be that for some reason my brain is processing certain stimuli in a certain way and lighting up with all the Wiest potential and either seeing it in everyone or rather just noticing a certain set of similar features and grouping them together. It's an issue of parsing and perception. Sort of like how once you become aware or sensitized to a certain notion you'll suddenly see it everywhere and wonder whether it was there all the time and you're just now noticing it or it's actually suddenly all around you. For example, I think people everywhere are absolutely in love with me and so I see that quality in everyone I come across. Also, I think dogs and babies are cute and so I see cute babies and cute dogs everywhere, particularly in pet stores and nurseries. Or also I just learned that there's this place where you can get coffee called Starbuck's and wouldn't you know it, now I see Starbuck's on every corner.

I'm joking, though not very successfully, but this is a situation I find myself in often when I travel. I'll be in an unfamiliar city and I'll see someone who reminds me of someone I haven't thought of in awhile (someone from my past usually) and then I'll see a bunch of people who look like that person. For example, San Francisco many years ago was filled with people who looked like a guy named Frank. Brooklyn is often teeming with people who look like someone named Michael. And apparently I also used to date Dianne Wiest. But it's not just people I've been involved with, obviously. And all these thoughts make me feel like I'm wandering around in a Charlie Kauffman film. Another film reference? Ok then: Everything Is Illuminated had a scene at the end which captured this face thing perfectly. Did anyone see it?

21 comments:

superfluid said...

Its much like when I bought a Honda Accord. I never noticed them much before but now when I drive it I see them everywhere. I'm glad Honda doesn't make a Kathy Griffin.

Five Star Prototype said...

Or...it could mean that you want Edward Scissorhands to cut your hair?

Eh, it's natural, miss. I always find lookalikes everywhere I go. As a matter of fact, just the other day last week my and my homie Michael (yeah, I know, another Michael for you, right? - but this is Michael Norris - #22 CB for UCLA football!) and I were sitting in our nutrition physiology class, bored, so we decided to play a game of lookalikes by scanning random people in our class to see who we can find that resembles someone else. That shit can get hilarious! I picked out: Soleil Moon Frye (who happens to be my TA), Joe DiMaggio, Sabrina the Teenage Wench, David Faustino, Mr. Monopoly (my professor), Chris Brown, Jackie Chan, and iJustine. But yeah, I always notice people whenever I'm out in public, and whenever I'm with other people, we always see who can find more lookalikes. You should try it sometime.

Toddrod said...

Alison, perhaps you've just realized that white people look alike. I work in a job where I meet a lot of white people, and lot of them basically have the same type of look. It's not a racial thing, except I don't seem to see this with other races.

Toddrod

P.S. I'm back!

Five Star Prototype said...

Um...how about Asians?

Welcome back, Toddrod. I hope you left Las Vegas fresh for me when I head there next week! I'm not down for sloppy-seconds, you know!

Toddrod said...

Dude, Asians totally look different from each other. They only look alike if you are really drunk. BTW, Badabing has a nice Asian lineup. And if you get away from the strip, check out the new M Resort. It is south of Vegas, and very cool. Thanks for the welcome back! It's good to be home again, where I can work hard again to remake all the money I spent/lost in Vegas!

Toddrod (I think I am going to dump the "meringue" moniker)

Trapp said...

Thanks, Prototype. It restores my faith in humanity, when I see that the new generations remember Joe DiMaggio. Not that I'm old enough to have seen him play. He was doing coffee commercials, and old timer games at that point.

I've noticed that even within ethnic groups, there are certain varieties. Different Jewish looks, or Italian looks, different clans, or whatever you want to call it.

As for me, I've had the pleasure of looking like Tony Orlando my whole life! And believe me, strangers would come up and tell me so! "Do you know who you look like?!!"

But thankfully, I like Tony, and so did all those people who approached me. Much better than looking like someone that people hate.

P.S. I'm having a banner day with the verification words. Is there an award for the most perfect one? I'm literally staring at the ultimate word for AliRo bunions: Grovel!

Five Star Prototype said...

Toddrod - What the fuck is "Badabing"? But nah, seriously, most Asians do look alike! I mean, you're from the Bay Area, right? You should know first hand! Take a cruise around Oakland or San Jose (or as some peeps like to call it, "San Ho"). Or just come down to UCLA, otherwise known as "University of Caucasians Lost among Asians."

I'll be at the Palazzo, which is gonna be awesome! Speaking of which...Alison! Would you like to join me? It's all expense paid, and I'll even fly you out there!


I don't know if I'll make it around to seeing the M, but I'll try. I usually just hit up hotel/casinos like the Wynn (where I stayed last year), Encore, Venetian, Palazzo, or Bellagio. Although I've also driven around the residential areas off the strip and a few miles out, which is really nice and peaceful! I recommend it. I did it a couple years back because I needed a free Wi-Fi hotpot, and so I hit up a few Coffee Beans, a Super Wal-Mart, and an internet cafe. So now whenever I'm there, and decide to take a break to have some time to myself, I just go for a drive off the strip. Or, whenever I need something cheap like a snack or a drink, I just go to the Super Wal-Mart.

Sorry to hear about your financial loss. I usually gamble more on sports, as that is where I've been most successful at. I party and drink more when I'm at Vegas. Although sometimes I do have the urge to rock some roulette and poker tables though.

Trapp - Not a problem. You're talking to a sports expert here!

I don't know who Tony Orlando is, so I had to Google him. He looks like Geraldo Rivera + some triglycerides (no offense). But hey, good to know you like that comparison.

As for me, I've been compared to Jason Behr (from the Roswell days) when I was in high school, except with a little Canadian-first/Vietnamese spice. My hair kind of looked like his, I talked like him, sounded like him, and had his serious/quiet attitude. Now, I'm just a more gangsta Jason Behr!

My verification word: rapie

Waddafuck?!

Trapp said...

Well, in our defense, both Tony Orlando and I have better noses than Geraldo. I'm also much younger than either of them. Orlando's heyday was in the early to mid 70s.

You probably won't know who Freddie Prinze was, either, but I used to get him a lot too, when I was a kid. A great comedian. Died far too young.

Fortunately, no one (who's seen me,) has ever told me that I looked like Geraldo, and God willing, no one ever will!

Five Star Prototype said...

I know his son, Freddie Prinze Jr.

DAILY SAVAGE said...

This is kind of like saying "I went to the club the other night and I saw a bunch of girls that looked the same - skinny, blonde hott girls with big tits [probably implants] - and I don't know how to explain it!

C'mon Rosen. Demonstrate that you are more intelligent that Seth Rogan Miss Rosen.

"Alison Rosen? More like Seth Rogan!"

Yes, feel free to use that on Red Eye next time you go on.

You're welcome.

And hold that camera steady girl!

~**~

DAILY SAVAGE said...

Trapp said:

"Fortunately, no one (who's seen me,) has ever told me that I looked like Geraldo"

Yeah, very good thing!

You ever use the name Geraldo as a verb? Like "I Geraldo'd all over the kitchen after the party".

Geraldo = Jerry Riviera.

Geraldo = 20% less cool than Gerardo.

FYI - Gerardo = Rico Suave.

That's Riiiico....Suaaaave.

See music video here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeX9zoWSut8&fmt=18

alison said...

Actually, Daily Savage, it's totally NOT like that.

Ted from Accounting said...

It's not often that I consider myself lucky number 2000 (by surrogate but let's forget that detail)!

FYI - I'm transfixed by the lady in the photo Ro Ro....please make her go away!

Hey Trapp, you look like Geraldo! J/K

Trapp said...

WHAT???!!!!!

LOOK LIKE GERALDO?????
#$&%@##$&@%!!!
ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!

I have been Geraldoed!

On the other hand, I was actually trying to remember Prinze's son's name earlier... DUH!

So maybe I deserve the Geraldoing. I get confused with all the famous kids of celebrities. Jakob Dylan, Ben Stiller, etc.

Ted from Accounting said...

Okay...okay your not a Geraldo...more of a young Mario Lopez (Saved by the Bell)....(Okay everyone just refer to Trapp as Mario although we know he is more of a Geraldo)!

DAILY SAVAGE said...

Favorite name for a child of a celebrity:

OLD SCHOOL - Moon Unit [daughter of Frank Zappa]

NEW SCHOOL - Pilot Inspektor [son of Jason Lee]

Ted from Accounting said...

Ro Ro please post something quickly...that lady in the photo is staring at me again! Ahhhhhhhhhh

I don't care if you write about your fondness for Lamas, Gnomes or meringues....you could even combine the three into one post!

Toddrod said...

Alison has a fondness for Lorenzo Lamas? Teeheee!

OK, I thought that was funny. Sorry

Toddrod

Ted from Accounting said...

Thank God Dianne did not reach 20 comments....I feel as though her sarcastic little smirk would have turned into a picture of her laughing at me!

DAILY SAVAGE said...

20th comment

Wallow in despair at the knowledge of 20 comments for this blog Ted from Accounting!!

Dianne Wiest lives on, she lives on I say!

~**~

WFG said...

Wiest makes me think of Law & Order. I understand she's a friend of Sam Waterston's, and he'd hoped to have her take over for Steven Hill as the DA on L&O, but that the schedule wound up being too much for her. I can't say I blame her. It's not exactly the most challenging, let alone interesting role. Wiest might have thought the effort wasn't worth it. Also, I believe she prefers film. Apparently William Petersen left CSI: Las Vegas because, in part, the television work no longer appealed to him. Now he's doing theater.