Author Archives: Jordi Gassó

As someone who grew up in the Dominican Republic listening to The Four Seasons, hearing about my father’s alleged adventures at the Woodstock Festival and rooting for Ross and Rachel, I consider myself incorrigibly Americanized. I usually think in English. I look up to Tina Fey. Billy Collins wrote my favorite poem. My high school »

So, my first post was supposed to deal with the reasons why you yourself should start your own personal blog but then someone else stole my thunder. That seemed like the logical tack to get the ball rolling after coaxing my way into a weekly blog series, in which I will try to infotain you »

Setting: Dominican Republic, maybe with a relative, maybe with a friend over some mojitos on a veranda overseeing your sugar cane plantation. (Note: These types of conversations with Mr. Dominican Somebody are almost always in Spanish. This has everything to do with how awkward they are.) Dominican Somebody: Jordi! Jordi: Dominican Somebody! DS: Hi! I »

So you’re at Toad’s and some blithering idiot starts to hang from a pipe, breaking it. Soon there’s water gushing down, and your body is now soaking wet EVERYWHERE. Where to go now? Obvi, back to your suite or back to your powerless off-campus dirthouse. Now, what’s that you’re saying? You want MOAR? All moist »

In the eyes of most Yale undergrads, graduate students unwillingly take on different monikers and attributes: “Creepy.” “My annoying TA” “A major asset to our education.” We have conceptions of graduate students already prepared in our heads, a mental picture shaped by discussion section horror stories, jokes about boning your teaching fellow and eyewitness accounts »

Yalies itching to learn more about the “James Franco Presents” project can find some solace in knowing the show’s cast, revealed Monday afternoon. The complete list: Sarah Rosen ’12 as Annie Gabe Greenspan ’14 as Dan Kyle Clark ’13 as Patrick Mark Trapani ’14 as Mike Julie Shain ’13 as Jessica Emma Barash ’11 as »

Ari Berkowitz '12 is writing and directing a new musical produced by James Franco GRD '16, tentatively titled “James Franco Presents.” No one outside of the production knows much about the show — and if Berkowitz and the crew have their way, no one will until the show premieres in April.

“Phantoms Go Down” starts out with Rosalind (Sarah Matthes ’13) whipping her belt back and forth, and proceeding to suck her toe. But at its core, this original play written by Ariel Shepherd-Oppenheim ’10 is really about the journey of three siblings to spread their mother’s ashes. In this process, the audience witnesses something as »

If you have been a Yalie for a while, chances are you have been a patron at Caseus. Probably best known for its nomadic Cheese Truck, Caseus has been an epicurean pioneer within the New Haven cheese market. It was not unreasonable for me to sit down in their bar stool with high hopes. The »

Garry Trudeau ’70 ART ’73 has broken one too many barriers. For starters, he has written his own obituary. Trudeau will die at age 93, in February, during the 2040s. He will be best remembered for his uncanny basketball prowess. After a successful yet fleeting run as a cartoonist, he found his niche under the »

Yael Zinkow ’12 does not think she’s funny; she’s just entertaining. “Give me a rubber band and I’ll be fine,” she quips. While her hard-to-pronounce name can also stave off boredom for hours, Zinkow believes the funniest moments come from just watching life pass by, gaining a source of comedic material by giving precedence to »

Michael Ian Black is a man of many talents: Comedian. Actor. Children’s book author. Poker player. While not necessarily a household name, making a living onbeing funny has paid off for Black, who has established himself a secure niche in the stand-up comedy world with his signature brand of absurdity. Flippant and sardonic, Black’s humor »