Puppies and Ice Cream

Trendspotting

2010-07-26T11:19:00.000-07:00

I recently did a new music roundup for Trendcentral.com. The new "wave" of surf-rock-inspired bands from Cali and beyond...This is a trend I'd never notice if I still lived in L.A., not beach-challenged New York City.

Check it out here: California Dreamin' on Trendcentral.com

Go See This Movie Immediately

2010-07-12T12:19:00.000-07:00

I loved The Kids Are All Right. Not just because Mark Ruffalo gets down with lots of O.P.P. throughout the whole thing.

It reminded me of The Squid and the Whale; a family drama that's earnest without inducing bile, and the kind of awkward-funny that feels like a happy byproduct.

I almost forgot how Annette Bening can just crease her brow in disappointment and make you cry all over the purse on your lap. The only thing that could top the act-off between her and Julianne Moore is if Meryl Streep and Robert DeNiro showed up as the estranged grandparents or something.

Panda Baby

2010-07-08T14:48:00.001-07:00

I wonder if this panda in China read the New York Mag article on why kids suck.

The Particular Brilliance of Amy Bender

2010-06-15T16:07:00.000-07:00

I never write about books here because I have a GoodReads account, and a monthly book club with close friends and cocktails, where it's safe for me to sound like a tool.

But I can't-not write about Aimee Bender because she is the greatest. Here is why:

Aimee's characters are endearing and subtly psychotic. The strange things they do, even if it's eating soap, and the weird things that happen to them always seem reasonable.

Her style has been called magical realism, modern fairy tale, and surreal. She writes about a big man who buys from a pet store a tiny man in a cage. A family of pumpkin heads whose newest member, an anomaly, is a baby boy with an iron head. Mermaids. Boys with keys for fingers. A motherfucker (literally, a man who exclusively sleeps with mothers). There are potato babies, as well.

This would all be gimmicky and on the wrong side of absurd if Bender wasn't so capable with her spare, tastefully heartbreaking, and plain beautiful language. She makes words like "table" or "apple" sound peculiar and crafts sentences you'll linger on before moving to the next page.

I'm on a Bender-bender because last night she discussed her new book with Heidi Julavits at Symphony Space. Knowing their audience, the two authors also shared writing tips and advice, and talked process.

A few tips that stuck with me:

1. Write everyday, even if it's just a sentence. Pretty standard advice for anything you'd like to do well, but Julavits said Jonathan Lethem told her this and added, "Because the pain of reentry is excruciating."

2. Write what you're interested today, in the moment. There's no reason to kill yourself over Chapter 7 if Chapter 7 isn't happening. If you'd rather describe the bathrobe, do that instead.

3. Once you can read through a draft without wincing, you're ready to share it with friends for feedback. Any sooner than that, you're inviting people to intrude on your process.

4. Sometimes switching fonts on a new draft helps you look at it with fresh eyes. Julavits said she's currently obsessed with the Cochin font.

Read Amy Bender's books:

The Girl in the Flammable Skirt (Short stories)

An Invisible Sign of My Own (Novel)

Willful Creatures (Short stories)

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake (brand new novel, haven't read yet)

Pulino's vs. Motorino, Which is the Better Pizza?

2010-06-02T09:54:00.000-07:00

It's Motorino. Just sayin'.

Cali Living, Euro Living

2010-05-29T17:22:00.000-07:00

It's always nice to see from where your friends get their brilliance and excellent taste. This takes the cake. Ariel's parents' home in Tustin, featured in the L.A. Times.

In other friendly news, recent expat-Jess started a new blog about the little delights she discovers in Amsterdam and around Europe. Check it out here.

Leigh and Lindsay recently launched their own design firm and are already making wonderful things. Website for LMNOP Creative is here.

And finally, Katie and I are joining forces offline to create a print 'zine! It will be 90s in spirit but will hopefully look like the future. We had our first meeting the other night over burgers, spicy margaritas, and glasses of rosé at Barmarché. This will be interesting. I'm sure we'll set up a Tumblr about it once we have a name. Stay tooned.

Katie and Bailey when he was just a little guy.

Mallow Out

2010-05-25T08:51:00.000-07:00

Marshmallow (the plant, not candy) has a sweet and clean, sadly underrated odor. Back when L'Occitane was just a fledgling little soap boutique, they sold an awesome marshmallow bath gel and lotion. Then they discontinued it and became Bath & Body Works for Francophiles.

Method has it right with these Rice Milk & Mallow dryer cloths. Pick up a pack if you're interested in smelling edible:

Other sweetness:

The Generationals - When They Fight, They Fight

Sleigh Bells - Ring, Ring

Gorillaz - Melancholy Hill

California Dreamin'

2010-05-09T16:37:00.000-07:00

And this helps:

A Mini-Guide to the Boringest Beautiful City

2010-05-07T08:31:00.000-07:00

Venice is nice, but you only need to spend a few days there 'til you're like, "Okay, antiquity and opulence. I get it." If you're lucky enough to visit for a weekend, (as I was, on account of Sarah Nevada living and working there the last few months,) do these things which I have outlined for you right here:

1. Stay away from San Marco and the Rialto.

Or just go, take a few pics, and be done with it. These spots are jam-packed with tourists, and the whole point of leaving America is to get away from Americans, right?

2. Eat at La Vedova for Dinner

If you don't have a reservation, you have to be tactfully aggressive about getting a table from Nico, the churlish maitre/waiter. Our first night there, he told me there were no tables for us, and then he asked me if I was Spanish. I told him I'm American and he said to come back at 9:45.

Totally worth the wait and light discrimination. The house wine tasted like it was straight out of the barrel, and the food was perfect. Start with the meatballs, and don't make the mistake of asking for parmesan cheese on top. You'll get a curt "No."

Highlights: Fried calamari, liver and onions, pasta with egg and bacon, pasta with anchovies.

Maggie's Liver and Onions at La Vedova

Carafe of red

La Vedova is right off the Strada Nova, on Calle del Pistor. Waterbus stop is Ca D'Oro, and here's a Trip Advisor link for more info.

3. Try Paradiso Perduto for a late night drink

Nothing in Venice, or most of Italy for that matter, is open past midnight. But if there are enough people at Paradiso Perduto to warrant keeping the lights on, they will. And then it's the liveliest place in the neighborhood. I had a Spritz: prosecco, Apperol, and an orange wedge. It's like the regional drink of choice and old men start throwing them back at 9am. A friend got a glass of wine that was almost the size of her head.

Paradiso Perduto is on Miseracordia, also off the Ca D'Oro stop. Here's a Google Map.

4. Eat pizza at Casin Dei Nobili

I honestly don't remember eating pizza any better than this. I don't even remember anything else we ordered aside from the pizza. I still think of how fresh the cheese tasted and I want to cry.

Casin de Nobili is in the Dorsoduro. Not sure of the waterbus stop, but here's a full review from Time Out.

5. Wherever you get your coffee, don't order an Americano with milk on top.

You'll get enough attitude just for ordering the Americano. But Maggie likes hers with milk, so she got yelled at by a sour old lady at one place, and charged the rough equivalent of $8 for her cup at another place. Some other helpful coffee rules, if you care:

*Cappuccinos are for morning, not after dinner.

*Espresso is always okay, no matter what time of day.

*Taking coffee to-go is almost offensive. You're supposed to stand there and drink it at the bar like you have nowhere to be and your whole life is slow pace, la-dee-da, Italian-style.

6. Shop around for your souvenirs

If you see something you like, chances are they have it at every other store on the same street. (I still don't get how any stores make money when they all sell the same thing.) I looked for the best price on a big fat Murano glass cocktail ring, and finally found one for 7 Euro. Less than an hour later, I saw a prettier one for 5 Euro. Sorry for the bummer story, but life is just shitty like that sometimes.

A bounty!

7. Go to Lido for the day, and rent bikes if the weather's nice

Lido is is the last stop on most of the water bus lines. It's a quiet little island full of amazing villas that you will never own. Also, the people in Lido seemed a lot nicer than they are in Venice proper, but that could have been the Spritzes talking.

Our day trip Lido was perfect, and it consisted of:

* A stop at the public toilet (after a long ride on the Vaporetto). Maggie and I paid one and a half Euro, but it's totally worth it for how clean it is.

* A spritz at an outdoor bar on the main drag: Free potato chips and decent people-watching.

* Rented bikes and saw the rest of the island by riding around. It's heartbreaking in its charmingness, but we were also there before high season, when it's supposed to be crazysexycrowded.

* Got a caramel-and-sea salt gelato. Holy eff.

* Got back to Venice proper in time for dinner. Not sure where to eat in Lido.

8. Honorable Mentions for a nightcap

La Cantina: Good wine, nice atmosphere, shitty service. Stop by late night (that's like 11p in Italy) if you're in the Cannareggio neighborhood. Bring a pack of smokes to be extra-European.

Frulala: There are two of these juice stands in Venice; One in the Cannaregio, and one near Rialto. It's basically Jamba Juice spiked with vodka and other spirits. This means you shouldn't slam back 4 cups within the hour you're waiting for Sarah Nevada to "get done with her work thing." You will be sorry later. Linky-poo here.

Purposely left out museums and stuff because I didn't go to any. I think that's it for Venice! Stay tuned for the Croatia roundup.

And remember:
Never get caught traveling without a sandwich in your face.

Three Great Albums for Summer

2010-03-20T14:14:00.000-07:00

Free Energy - Stuck on Nothing

Super-clean without being squeaky, huge-sounding, classic rock. Free Energy are as feel-good as their name implies; full-on summer sexiness spilling out your car's open windows.

"Free Energy," by Free Energy

The Soft Pack - The Soft Pack

No frills, 60s-surf/garage rock from Southern California. Apathetic and energized at the same time. All of Matt Lamkin's lyrics sound like he sang them with his hands in pockets.

"Pull Out," by The Soft Pack

Real Estate - Real Estate

This actually came out late last year, but the psychedelic swirliness is just as good for hibernating in your apartment as it is for an al fresco lazy Sunday.

"Fake Blues," by Real Estate

Super Mina!

2010-01-03T11:38:00.000-08:00

I've been obsessed with Volume 1 of her greatest hits album for the past year. Don't let her pop-singer, variety show veneer fool you. Mina Mazzini was kind of a badass; the closest thing to a female rock star Italy had in the 60s.

Of course she was a badass! What else can you do with a bit of a hatchet face, a soprano voice, and a proclivity for screaming?

Watch her essentially kill it during her very first television appearance. You can see her hairy armpits at the very end.

And here's one of her catchiest hits, "Tintarella Di Luna." It's about a girl who moonbathes on her roof at night, instead of joining all the other girls at the beach and taking the sun. In other words, the girl would prowl around at night with "all the other cats." That must be 60s-speak for slut.

Below is my favorite Mina song from that era, "Rosetto Sul Coletto." It's about finding another woman's lipstick on her boyfriend's collar, but instead of freaking-the-fuck out, she's just like, "So, how was it?" and then she's all, "Maybe you forgot, but I'm the only one that's supposed be kissing you, okay?" And the discussion is over.

Kissing in this case is clearly a 1959 euphemism for boning. I just love the song for the chipper organ solo. I can't find Mina performing this one, so here is a clip that uses pictures based on the lyrics. Like a YouTube version of karaoke videos.

When Mina got knocked up by a then-famous and very married actor, she was banned from Italian television. Kind of a cultural exile since in Italy, still to this day, you're nothing if you're not a cheesy variety show staple.

She had a comeback in the 70s after RAI finally pulled the furniture out of its butt and let her back on TV, and she made records all through the 80s. I can't vouch for any of those yet because I'm still enamored with this mid-century pop. But I'll keep you posted!

Newness

2010-01-01T07:08:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year! Happy New Puppy!

This is Bailey, and he is actually unhappy here. We stayed out late and then I made him wear his Elizabethan, don't-lick-your-stitches collar this morning. We'll get past this.

He's a bit of a brat sometimes, but he makes me so happy.

Trailer Trash

2009-12-18T16:18:00.000-08:00

That's actually a bad pun because none of these movies look like anything you would throw in a garbage bag:

Let's start with NINE. Not too big on musicals, or Fergie, and kind of bummed they don't have any actual Italians playing Italians (Sofia Loren being the obvious exception)--but this still looks-a-very-good-a!

How will we be able to handle Penelope Cruz and Marion Cotillard in the same movie? I'm worried the whole world will look so ugly after watching their perfect mugs for two hours.

There are no words for Iron Man 2:

And The Runaways, finally! This is sure to be in the canon of great movies about a rag-tag group of girls with big dreams who refuse to listen to mean guys who say things like, "Go shopping!" Or, "Go do your nails!" or, in this case, "Go sell Girl Scout cookies!" (Though the only other one that comes to mind at the moment is Whip It!)

Dakota Fanning, a current valley girl, is playing Cherie Currie, a born-and-raised valley girl (now valley woman). Kristen Stewart is also in this movie and she and I are practically the same person because we both eat Spicy Tuna Rolls with our dads at the Kabuki on Ventura and DeSoto when we're home. Look:

The untrained eye can't tell, but they are indeed outside Kabuki

And look:

This actually isn't inside Kabuki, it's some Chinese buffet on Victory and DeSoto that my dad's obsessed with. Close enough.

Loafing

2009-12-16T07:22:00.000-08:00

I've been on a loaf-making kick: banana-walnut, and hazelnut, specifically. I don't share these loafs with anyone, and eat an entire pan over the course of a week's breakfasts.

To feel like less of a land mammal, I've replaced white flour with whole wheat flour, and white sugar with organic evaporated cane sugar. Throw in organic butter for good measure. It still tastes amazing, but the calories and fat don't count, because they are organic calories and fat. (And everyone knows that being an organic-few pounds overweight is way sexier than like, Popeye's fat.)

And in burger news: Shake Shack is coming to Nolita! This spring, corner of Mulberry and Prince. I keep walking past the tiny vacant lot and picturing what's to come, my eyes turning to giant, flashing cartoon hamburgers.

Shake Shack: The Accidental Empire of Fast Food on NYTimes

Easy-peezy banana walnut bread from Food Network

Hazelnut loaf cake from Kirbie's Cravings

*Photo of loaf is not my own, it's also from Kirbie's Cravings.

2 Songs for the Week

2009-12-15T04:33:00.000-08:00

Someone played this song on vinyl Saturday night at a house party I crashed in Cobble Hill. (Sometimes I get to say things like that and sound like a 15-year old Ohio girl's idea of cool. {Or my idea of her idea of cool--she's probably way cooler than me.})

The band is called Still Flyin', and the song is Good Thing It's a Ghost Town Around Here. I'm still figuring out if their other songs are any good, but this one is fun: It has a disco bass line, a saxophone , and a chorus!

Still Flyin' Good Thing it's a Ghost Town Around Here

Of course there is a chorus, look how many people are in this band! It looks like a Brooklyn Organic Cheese Co-Op Coalition. And what's a baby doing in this band, anyway?

I am very late on Deerhunter. It's sad. Katie put this song on my birthday mix a few weeks ago and my face exploded. I love songs that start out super-catchy and then spin off into something completely different, keeping you totally attached through all the changes, until it ends and you're like, "Wait, what just happened?"

If you haven't listened to Nothing Ever Happened by Deerhunter, do yourself a favor now, and thank me when you're done listening for the hundredth time!

Deerhunter Nothing Ever Happened

A Statue Flies in the Face of Corruption

2009-12-14T07:16:00.000-08:00

After the retarded, ridiculous, generally dumb-ass conviction of Amanda Knox, I am so mad at Italy.

But Berlusconi's broken nose proves that the Italian justice system does work sometimes.

Snicker-inspiring attack on Berlusconi.

Just the tip of the why-he's-an-asshole iceberg.

An infuriating symptom of judicial backwardness in Italy.

A tiny ray of hope in the intelligence of masses.

Holidays and Hideaways

2009-12-12T07:17:00.000-08:00

Marisa posted this video on her Facebook, and since I'm a sucker for super-group collaborations, heartwarming sentiment, 80s nostalgia, and transcendent choruses, I'm re-posting Do They Know it's Christmas?.

Still festive after all these years, but knowing what we do about the 80s, I can't help distracting myself by thinking, "Which one of them was coked-up at that very moment in filming?" The Bananarama girls look particularly hungover.

The following isn't holiday music, just some songs from the Where The Wild Things Are score (I'm embarrassingly late on seeing the movie and discovering the soundtrack's brilliance), by Karen O. I love her.

Hideaway - Karen O. and the Kids

Worried Shoes - Karen O. and the Kids

Eye Kandi(nsky)

2009-12-11T10:24:00.000-08:00

The current Kandinsky exhibit at the Guggenheim is a delight. Even if you're not big on abstract art. Especially if you don't remember what you memorized about him for your freshman year art history final. ("You," in both cases means me.)

Wassily (a first name to repeat in a funny voice as much as possible) basically worked until the day he died. Now, lots of serious artists do that but usually the swan songs they leave behind are highly stupid like Eyes Wide Shut, or hyper-boring like A Prairie Home Companion.

Kandinsky's work just gets better and better as you ascend the upward spiral that is the 'Heim. By the middle you're like, "Oh, this must have been his peak." Then you keep going and you see that you were wrong. Finally, you reach the top level and see that all his years of theorizing, spiritualizing, painting, and other -ings culminated in perfect, bouncy treats like Succession, below:

Okay, so my next recap will be on MTV's fist-pump-ariffic, gelled-to-perfection, tanned to resemble overripe citrus, Jersey Shore. Another sublime work of art!

Dutch Door Press Greeting Cards

2009-12-10T13:51:00.000-08:00

I found these really cool, woodblock printed cards from Dutch Door Press at McNally Jackson. The designs are folksy but super-balanced and they come on this really nice, heavy white card stock.

Some examples of their cards:

Dutch Door Press: Letterpress and Design Studio

Dutch Door Etsy Shop

They also do stuff like calendars, and it looks like a line of stationery and textiles is on the way.

Good and Better

2009-12-08T08:04:00.000-08:00

How these guys arrange the weirdest and most unnatural noise until it sounds warm and hope-y is what makes them great:

Animal Collective - What Would I Want? Sky

I want to hate Vampire Weekend because they seem like soft Ivy League brats and rip off Paul Simon's own African rip-offs. But they do it so well! This new song Cousins is quite rad. Exciting enough to pay extra attention to. I suggest listening to the audio of this before you watch the video, just minimize distraction.

Zhu Zhu Pets Safe!

2009-12-08T07:23:00.000-08:00

Good Guide a buncha bullies.

Read the LA Times story here.

Mini-Thrillers

2009-12-06T06:12:00.000-08:00

Has anyone seen these amazing Broadview/Brinks Home Security commercials? (I have, because I've been attached to my couch in a 48-hour NyQuil stupor.)

They're like Lifetime Original Movies in cute travel-size packets. Brilliant!

Some of my faves:

The Stalker Ex

A.J.

Home Alone

Yay!

2009-07-07T07:49:00.000-07:00

Read this article and you won't feel so crazy for wanting to crotch-punch people in the middle of your next company meeting.

Here are three new and wonderful songs:

Swedish electro-chanteuse Lykke Li covering Nashville's Kings of Leon's "Knocked Up."

Sparklehorse and Danger Mouse featuring Julian Casablancas: "Little Girl"

A song about eating an entire chicken! My fave new girl group, Those Darlins, from Tennessee, and their near-perfect: "The Whole Damn Thing"

(Two Days) Ahead of The Times

2009-07-03T12:05:00.000-07:00

The New York Times published this piece on the vampire trend, two days after my far-less researched and copy-edited posty-pop below! That is all.

Happy 4th, batches.

Avoid This Burger

2009-07-02T09:17:00.000-07:00

So the burger at Sixth Ward is not a burger. It's a school cafeteria-style, pre-cut, vague-red meat disc, overcooked for maximum dryness. The bun clearly came from a giant plastic bag that was purchased sometime last week at the Food Emporium. Total bootleg burger. Fries were okay, but there were about six of them on a too-big plate that only made the meal look even more stingy. Service was decent, though, so just go for drinks.

The Sixth Ward
191 Orchard St.
New York, NY 10002
(212) 228-9888