You're a good man, Jackie Brown

Listening to: Au Revoir Simone, "Hurricanes." Hailing from Williamsburg, meaning they are theoretically within a few blocks of me, Au Revoir Simone is a band composed of three ladies who all play the keyboard. Yes, an all keyboard band! Their name is a reference to Pee-Wee's Big Adventure but I so didn't get it. Probably because I've never seen P-WBA. That's probably an acronym that's never used right? My favorite part of the song kicks in...

Sometimes the snow comes down in June

I know the weather outside is snowy, windy, and dreadful right now but... Oh wait, you mean you didn't decide to move from San Diego to New York in the middle of winter? Well then, lucky you. However, if it's true that there can be no light without dark, then I will suffer the next few months and wait patiently for Manhattan summer nights to appear. The good news is that this upcoming summer will be particularly exciting because I'm going on tour!...

You and I Both

"Despite the saying about opposites attracting, people usually fall in love with people like themselves. There's even some evidence that people tend to pick partners with noses of similar breadth to their own and eyes about the same distance apart. At lunch, Harold and Erica quickly discovered that they had a lot in common. They both affected connoisseurship regarding prosaic things such as muffins, hamburgers, and iced tea. They both exaggerated their popularity in high school, and had the same opinions about the characters in 'Mad Men.'People...

Somebody to Love

Currently pushing: "Public Speaking," the recent Fran Lebowitz documentary by Martin Scorsese. We all need a person like Fran in our lives or we'll continue to feel empty inside. I will anyway. Lebowitz is so hilarious and quotable that I can't pick a favorite thing she's said. Check out the preview clip of the film and then get some HBO. Then invite me over.In 2009, I watched a lot of movies in the theater but after cleaning out the recent holiday...

Blue Valentine (2010)

Ryan Gosling kills it in every movie. A friend recently said that he wasn't a Gosling fan but then revealed he'd only seen him in The Notebook. I haven't seen that movie -- and probably won't for awhile -- but Gosling's other performances are so off the charts good that I'm angry he's known as "the Notebook guy," even if it's just by one person out of billions. Well, hopefully after this movie, Gosling will be known as "the Blue Valentine guy"...

Fresh to death, dressed to impress

Listening to: Arp and Anthony Moore, "Spinette." Instrumental, sparse, and absolutely lovely. Be patient, the piano kicks in halfway through. I don't know what "modern classical" music is but if it's all like this, more please!When I wrote the blog book a few years ago, I put a list together of 250 blogs, organized by categories such as food, gossip, photos, sports, politics, etc. Back then fashion blogging wouldn't have come close to making the...

So Much Depends On the Weather

Listening to: The best cover of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros' "Home" ever. I already was in love with the original, having included it in my summer mix tape, but this version by Jorge Narvaez and his daughter is just off the charts loveable. Usually I'm immune to the charms of children but after hearing Alexa's earnest singing and watching her killer facial expressions, I want one for myself! At the 1:47 minute mark she asks, "One day...

Always doing what you're told, can you help me

Currently pushing: Heytell. This is an app for smartphones that allows you to turn your iPhone or Android into a psuedo walkie-talkie. Reena told me (and everyone else she could get within virtual earshot) to get on this app and I was so against it. Haven't I been working to stay away from phone conversations? Why an app that requires me to talk and leave voice messages? Seemed incredibly backward. Well, during holiday break, everyone came...