Two Worlds Collide

Just when I think that Target couldn't get any cooler, they come out with a Hayden Harnett line! Two of my favorite things are joined at last. Has this been out for a while and I am the last to know?! Either way, I love the look of my Hayden Harnett wallet (purchased, probably for way too much money, at Anthro) and it has held up extremely well to the newspaper, pen and water abuse that it gets in my bag. I am anxious to see if their cheaper line has the same style and quality. Get thee to a Target!

Interview with Anthony Bourdain

Over the past couple of months, my Netflix queue has included the usual mix of old movies that no one cares about, new movies that no one cares about, and the occasional epic blockbuster that I so love. But it has also been overwhelmingly dominated by old episodes of Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations. I like Tony for his genuine love of food and his willingness to try anything. I came across this piece from DCist that makes me like him even more, particularly when he talks about how living in Vietnam may influence his daughter. And this quote, an explanation of his dislike for Alice Waters, is just fantastic:

“I'm suspicious of orthodoxy, the kind of orthodoxy when it comes to what you put in your mouth. I'm a little reluctant to admit that maybe Americans are too stupid to figure out that the food we're eating is killing us. But I don't know if it's time to send out special squads to close all the McDonald's. My libertarian side is at odds with my revulsion at what we as a country have done to ourselves physically with what we've chosen to eat and our fast food culture.”

Album Review: Bon Iver

Do you ever have an album that is so stunning that you just can't turn it off? Suddenly you find that it is the soundtrack for your subway ride. Or your cold walk to the convenience store. Or your reading of a novel before bed. Although I am a little late discovering it, Bon Iver's For Emma, Forever Ago is that album for me. Bon Iver (pronounced Boney Vair) is the brainchild of Justin Vernon, who spent three months in a remote cabin in Wisconsin playing around with old drumsets and guitars. And he did a hauntingly good job at it. Bon Iver means "good winter" in French and I have a feeling that this may well be the album that gets me through winter's darkest days. Favorite tracks so far: Flume and Skinny Love.

America's Finest News Source

I don’t know if the feeling of hope and change in the air has inspired the writers of The Onion or what, but this week’s edition is one of the best that I have read in a while.

Of note for the recession-riddled: Hey Man, You Got A Second So I Can Fire You?

And, for the parents out there: Take Time To Talk To Your Child About Whatever Crap They Like

Yes, we can!

Fifty People, One Question

From a production company called Crush and Lovely comes “Fifty People, One Question.” These short films are brilliant in their simplicity. The mission is to ask 50 “regular” people, who are randomly walking down the street, the same question. The key is that the films are done with great elements of style: touching music, an overwhelming sense of genuineness, and a good cross section of interviewees. Take five and a half minutes and check it out.

McSweeney's Monologues

McSweeney's has these great "Short Imagined Monologues" that I just discovered because of the funniest-guy-at-GPG Adam Goldstein. There are tons of them, but some of my favorites are: A Mail Carrier Realizes That a Family's Netflix Movie Has Yet to Be Returned; It Was I Who Flipped Over the Risk Board Last Night; A Pep Talk for the New Pair of Shorts I Will Wear Every Day This Summer.

It’s happening! It’s really happening!

The release of a new Andrew Bird album gets me all in a fluster. In fact, on the day that Armchair Apocrypha was released, I have a clear memory of feeling antsy on the metro, then mauling down tourists on my brisk walk into the office, then literally running to my computer and (finally!) downloading it immediately. True story. And while I don’t expect anyone to be as obsessed as I am, there are quite a few things floating out there right now that I thought everyone should know:

1. Here is a FANTASTIC article from The New York Times on AB.

2. NPR has kindly posted a streaming version of the new album (Noble Beast) before it is officially released on January 20th.

3. iTunes has a deal where if you pre-order the album, you get the single “Oh No” instantly.

4. AB is coming to our very own 9:30 Club on February 3rd. Even if you aren’t crazy about any songs that you’ve heard, his performances are intricate and fascinating.

5. And for the hardcore fans, there is apparently a deluxe edition of the album that has illustrations and another CD of extras. I will, of course, be getting this version!

For more up-to-date Andrew Bird news, check out his site.

Before Sunrise/Sunset

If you are looking to get your groove back, may I suggest that you curl up on your warm couch this weekend and watch Before Sunrise and Before Sunset . These movies (the first made in 1995 and the sequel made in 2004) are jam packed with romance, and not just the flowery, sunshine/puppies variety. This is the romance of falling in love with a stranger, but only having 12 hours to spend with him/her. The romance of European trains. The romance of good conversation. The romance of exploring an unknown city with an unknown person. They are simple movies, but they resonate with those of us who like our love stories a little more on the intellectual side. Ethan Hawke looks pretty good, too.
Awards: Oscar

A Few Words in Defense of Sex and the City

After receiving the Sex and the City box set for Christmas (thanks, Dad!), I have rediscovered the guiltiest of guilty pleasures.

For all of its pettiness/shallowness/“modern feminism”/eye candy, there is something incredibly true to life in just about every episode. The friends who you stick with even though they keep making the same mistakes. The back-and-forth relationship that you don’t ever really escape. The feeling of disconnect in a big city even though you are surrounded by interesting and fun people. And not to mention the fabulous fashion.

But I like to think that I moved to a city on my own and I don’t need the bullshit glitz that “typical” girls seek from the unrealistic plotlines of Sex and the City. I like to think that my friends and I are a little more advanced beyond the show’s stereotypes and we make our own experiences instead of living vicariously through Carrie, Charlotte, Samantha and Miranda. In other words, I don’t need fakeness to make me feel better about myself.

But the day after my 7 episode marathon, I was confidently stepping out of my apartment with a little spring in my step. I was imagining myself saying something charming and witty to the cute stranger that I pass every day on my commute to the train ::and this is coming from a girl who almost never says anything charming and witty:: Yesterday, I found myself wearing tan cowboy boots, textured tights and a black pashmina draped around my shoulders with a huge black leather, fringed bag dangling on my arm. I imagine one day I will be looking back at pictures and think “Whoa, I guess that was during the time that I was watching a lot of Sex and the City.”

Either way, as hard as it may be to admit, maybe we do need some fantasy in our lives. Even if it revolves around men, crude conversation and faux glamour. BUT, when I start dropping references into daily conversation, begin staying home to Saturday nights to finish season four or start looking into getting tickets for the Sex and the City tour next time I am in Manhattan, someone, please, stop me.