i don't understand the parisians

furiously packing every piece of black fierceness i can find for paris, i realized that one of the films that has most shaped my sense of style and my definition of joie de vivre is gigi. mamabasco and grams on my mom's side used to luuuuuhv watching it on tv when we were kids. highly recommended for the holidays.

i have always dreamt of wearing a dress like this:


FEATHERS!!!

and thimble

this is what iphones were made for

from A LO:

I am out the nail polish Mecca. Can I pick u up any colors? They have everything.

i commissioned her to get OPI's "hey! get in lime" - inspired by chanel's sold-out jade color.
--
should i begin to tumbl? thoughts?

kind of the shit

LOOKBOOK.NU

AWWW

bethany asked for my opinion on some wedding locations in DUMBO, and i kind of died when i saw the photos:





aren't they obnoxiously cute?

automated postal center, i love you

no lines and super easy. you can do ANYTHING you can do at the counter (even pay with credit card, weigh, print postage, etc). find yours here.

"you think your guys are so studly with their cell phones"

from mad men costume designer janie bryant's twitter:

Trudy’s dress at the Sterling Cooper party is one of my faves.

i never noticed it until now. but gorge.

can you see me

hello october

my sister ran in my pace group in this morning's run. we chatted the entire time, and eight miles whisked by. a few blocks from the finish i turned to her and said "let's race." she ran off before i realized she had agreed, i had to sprint to catch up, and we were both laughing. we had a satisfying post-run stretch in the marina grass that left us with muddy hands and knees, and then i treated her to a birthday brunch at art's, where she gave me a big ol' pep talk. something here is happening, and it is something good.

--
email from A LO, 9/9/09:

Don't be weirded out by me, but I thought you might be entertained to hear I had a dream last night that you were preggers (not showing). It's because right before bed I watched a Project Runway episode where they designed maternity wear!

---

asobi seksu, kind of a let down, but loney, dear - SO GOOD. "airport surroundings" is good

---

"I like how they dress like hip English TAs."

phoenix must be collectively the best dressed band of men right now. i mean skinny pants and short brown leather boots COME ON


you want MOAR louche tucked in chambray oxfords? YOU GOT EM.

eat it, sartorialist

ok that title is misleading. i do luv the sartorialist, but i'd say he's my stable rock. jak & jil photog tommy ton is my bad boy. i like how he writes in all caps, and his commentary is totally spot on. he just got a sweet gig doing fashion month street style snaps on style.com. click till your finger falls off.

salad of the week

32 Cobb-ish salad: Chop bacon and begin to brown it; cut boneless chicken into strips and cook it with bacon. Toss romaine and watercress or arugula with chopped tomatoes, avocado, onion and crumbled blue cheese. Add bacon and chicken. Dress with oil and vinegar.

to be fair, calling it a salad is slightly misleading, as it's so savory. i use the pancetta cubes from TJ's cuz that shit can go in ANYTHING (i threw them in the jook i made sunday), roast chicken already cooked from costco, and crocker galleria farmer's market greens. my salads are PIMP, didn't you know???

from the minimalist, of course

the easiest game ever

Rodolfo-Jose: it's going to be like that one time
where they brought in a drug dog into a high school
and planted 6 kilos of cocaine
and the dog found 7

salad of the week

82. Cut pancetta into matchsticks and crisp in a skillet with some oil, then caramelize onions in the fat. Toss both with chopped bitter greens — radicchio, escarole or endive, for example — toasted pine nuts and halved cherry or grape tomatoes.

i use pancetta cubes from TJ's and whatever salad greens i have around.

from the minimalist

for chai

favorite chai moments:

-working furiously (and all the london emails)
-dramatic mafia handshake with tan on 07 camping trip
-almost crying twice over the best lobster roll evar at nettie's crab shack
-"she has a boyfriend, you know."
-"let's do it."

2006-07 NYE
2007

2008-09 NYE

my mom is a fob

ok you all know she's not. but her email from just a few moments ago reminds me of the site. i will post in its entirety:

Hi Lisa,
How was the weekend? Bday picnic and then the shakespeare in moraga. hope you're not hung over. anyway, i want to ask you which acct do you want me to put the $ in? i'll try to get it done this week. Next, i spoke to aunt rose. can you hook her up with a few passes to moma. she called yesterday to congratulate me for making it to 60. she said glen was coming in sept. to stay with her for a month. she humorously has membership at asian and de young but not moma. i can be the in between about dates and how many. i didn't tell her that you had 5 tickets daily. i just said you could get her a few passes, but did not specify daily. she was kind of thrilled. is it ok? she thought she had to meet you at a specific time, but i said no. there's a will-call?
i had lunch with a few old coworkers and jack said if you want he'll connect you with a website for social security jobs, but when i mentioned this offer to uncle randy, he laughed and said he couldn't imagine you working for social security with your background. i didn't think so either. job security and more $$.

wow where to start. i wish blogger had an annotation feature.
-how do moms always know when you're hungover?! ... or am i just typically hungover.
-i like how she says "she was kind of thrilled." this is typical of the understatement my j-school roommate kiera is queen of; i think i picked it up from her and started saying stuff like "it's kind of amazing." or maybe moms really is THAT droll, and that it is a characteristic passed down in our amniotic fluid.

--

this reminds me, dad was talking to laurie and i a few weeks back about the child study center preschool i went to at state - it's basically a center staffed by psych masters's students as a way for them to learn hands-on, i think. laurie had commented that many of her friends also attended similar child development study preschools; i told her i'm the only person i've ever met who did. dad says they were quite popular at that time, as it was shortly after the dr. spock fad and many parents were trying to find ways to give their kids an edge or promote better development, or whatever. anyways, i mentioned that the one good thing about going there was that i have really detailed behavior reports from that time (i guess age 4 or 5) - my mom still has them and i looked at them a few years ago. i like to tell people that it was noted that when i'm angry i tend to sit with my legs straight out and my arms crossed - and i still cross my arms when i'm angry! but my dad added another thing he recalled from those reports: "lisa likes to spend time alone."
i kind of can't stop thinking about that.

--
and a gif of my beloved PC dancing, for your enjoyment. one of the best parts of yesterday was after one of PC's scenes, sylvie said: "do they ever portray him in a positive light?" jericho agreed that he has little to love about him. i think he is really the most compelling character on the show, but am still fleshing out the argument.

bleating out little truthlets

California Roll Salad

soy sauce, you were always the one real seasoning for me, but i never knew it till now. parmesan and red chili pepper - those were just flings.

21. Dice cucumbers (if they’re fat and old, peel and seed them first) and toss with cubes of avocado, a little mirin (or honey, but then it’s not vegan), rice vinegar and soy sauce. (You could mix in a little lump crab meat, really not vegan, even rice, and call it a California roll salad.)

from the minimalist, natch

Camping

chai accidentally forwarded this to me yesterday instead of to mateo; i thought i'd post for your enjoyment.

i believe i had just casually mentioned i was going camping with friends. a few days later this was the reply.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Mamabasco
Date: Jul 12, 2007 3:12 PM
Subject: im going campin
To: Lisa

okay, you may use our blue bucket for catching fish, dad has fishing pole and other fishing equip, tackle box, net for catching fish, etc. talk to him when you get home. found the mat, it's brand new and folds into rectangle, found table cloth(pink), took out barbeque long handle thongs and spatula, have garden glov es and kitchen mitts for handling hot items.

Food
water enough for all for 3 days & washing/cleaning/rinsing
drinks(box drinks, apple juice, lemonade, refrig night before or in freezer)
snacks(trailmix, raisins, cookies, chips, energy bars)

Each should plan a meal so you guys arent starving bears staring at each other grumpy and hurry up looks, it will not be fun to be hungry, no fast foods around:

breakfast: cold cereal, use box milk, rolls, instant quaker oats

Lunch: sandwiches: peanut butter and honey w sliced bananas or apples, lunch
meat or tuna

dinner: spaghetti(can be precooked and in plastic bag or cooked on propane stove, bring a jar of sauce(ragu: garden primavera) or make your own, freeze and it will defrost by the time you need it.

barbeque hamburger(prepatty them, freeze night before leaving, place in cooler)
hot dogs, buns, ketchup, relish, mustard
chicken, wash, marinade ahead, place in refrige and keep in cooler

we use to buy at least one or two bags of ice to keep perishable items in cooler cold and when the ice melts, add to cool drinks, or eat, throw out before comin home or keep at bottom of cooler for drinks on way home.

Bedding:
tent,hammer in you have to hammer stakes into ground, we have a small hammer
sleeping bags
if weather is expected to be warm to hot sleep on top of bags but bring old sheet to be top cover
pillowcases stuffed with jackets or towels (at least you'll know where your jacket is)

towels for face, bath

cooking

propane stove(ours is a 2 burner)
lamp(cuz when it gets dark it's pitch black) or a lot of flashlights
if barbequing: mini weber
charcoals(we use to buy the matchlight so we didn't have to have the ltr fluid)
shovel to douse coals
thongs, spatula if barbequing
long chop sticks if making spaghetti

do you need tinfoil, to cook corn???cover campsite grill????

dishpan
dishwashing liquid(we have some small package ones)
dish towel to dry or air dry

hanger or wooden sticks for toasting marshmallows(crucial to a camp trip)
(soak sticks in water before using or sticks will burn)

hot chocolate (optional)swiss miss is our favorite

Miscellaneous:
car (full tank)serviced recently, tires check and has air, spare tire, flares(hope you never have to use them)
flashlights
repellent(i don't care what anyone says, there are bugs and mosquitoes), put
on before as soon as you arrive, kicks in in 30 mins)
suncreen
hat or visor
playing cards, games, you will not entertain each other for 10+ hrs
folding chairs to sit on, mats are uncomfortable cuz the ground is bumpy

paper towels/napkins/kleenex
plates
cutlery
1 or 2 knives (one for cutting small stuff and one larger for watermelon, meat, etc
flexible cutting board, never know when you have to cut something

HAVE FUN!! if you leave the sight, take your valuables($$, cell, camera, ipod,
keys, boom box, tv)cuz if you return they might not be there)

the person next to the driver should check the driver periodically to make sure he/she is not drowsy or sleepy. if he is pull over and get some refreshments or better yet rinse face with melted ice water in chest you kept.........

easiest, most delicious breakfast for cold SF summer mornings

everyone knows the coldest winter that mark twain ever experienced was summer in san francisco. it has been especially cold the past week (44 degrees and misty at night), so i present to you my current eating obsession. i got the idea from the minimalist and a post from a while ago about savory grain-based breakfasts (i actually did make the polenta pizza, and while delicious, especially with the pancetta, it looked nothing like the photo and was technically difficult to eat). further down in that post, he suggests a sort of congee with brown rice, scallions, and soy sauce. i think he also recommends substituting oatmeal for brown rice somewhere, and i thought i'd give it a whirl.

oatmeal is one of two go-to, weekday breakfasts, switching off rotation with greek yogurt topped with a drizzle of agave syrup and whatever small berries are in season. i heretofore had topped my oatmeal with honey, brown sugar and/or cinammon, and it was fine, if a bit boring.

but this new look at oatmeal is amazing! i'm one of those people who think about dim sum 2-3 times a week, and this is a healthier and more cost-efficient substitute - and i think all i really want is breakfast that involves soy sauce. so i cook up a big pot of oatmeal on the weekend and put it into a tupperware. then each morning, i scoop out about a cup into a smaller tupperware and drizzle with soysauce and sesame oil (to taste) and as many chopped up scallions as my little heart desires. when i get to work, i heat it up, driving my coworkers mad with hunger in the process as the aroma of sesame pervades the office. ta-da! there you go. and your belly is full and warm at least until 11 a.m.

it's inspired me to try jook in the slow cooker this week. will report back later.

swoon

spied hot curator crush leaving work - he rides a motorcycle!

yes, i am 13.

"Wii, weed, or wheat?"

been watching the wire first season and memories of murder concurrently. i actually laughed out loud at some parts of memories of murder (e.g. the part when the cop jump-kicks the cop from seoul after mistaking him for the rapist). kind of weird how they complement/contrast each other. there's a part where the cops all eating what looks like jajang myun, and the way they were eating it reminded me of how steve eats - kind of hunched over and almost shoveling it in. i wonder if that's a cultural thing.

started training for half marathon. ran 6 miles today and then craved carbs.

i've been kind of obsessed with textures lately - silk, linen, suede, things to run your hands across.

feelin good lately. dunno if it's the weather or life has fallen into a good routine or all the fresh berries i'm eating or what. hence my new mix, which calvin says "has a good vibe."

the only times there's negativity is around 1) some friends' significant others and 2) unwanted male attention. to the first point — as nicky said last month after i complained about having to hear everyone's conversations/problems on the streets after work: "people need to shut the fuck up." nicky's got that whole new yawk-bravado thing so he can say stuff like that, and it sounds right.

to the second point: starting to feel more and more that i want to be invisible. i can see what people want from me, and i just can't or don't want to supply. trying to just evade for as long as i can stand it, skate around and just have a good time with friends. but i told chai it's all about confronting, no more evading this year. so hard to live up to tho...

Summer In The City - Regina Spektor

The Slow Dance

chai made me tear up tonight! gonna miss that girl - a lot!! thanks for everything

dos and mainly don'ts
i started this blog six years ago ostensibly to chronicle the sf nightlife/dating scene. i took a five year hiatus, but now i'm back.

i humbly present to you a new ongoing feature based on the newly single life: "dos and don'ts for men" (inspired by ali wong's controversial tips for grown ass women). ALL ARE BASED IN FACT AND NOT EXAGGERATIONS OF REALITY.

- a flickr-logo fleece is not acceptable bar attire, even if it is the mission. might as well read "don't want to get laid."

related: "you guys the google reader folk?" might not not the best opening line (apologies to nick); in fact, if you have to name drop any dot-com product to a woman, you should not be allowed into a bar (again apologies to nick)

- don't mention online dating. like many man-related things (video games, porn, etc.), i don't care if you do it, but i don't want to hear about it.

- don't ask "who's crazier," me or my friend

- do text a girl right after you get her number cuz she might have given you a fake one - and if she did, SHE GOT CAUGHT

nyc postcards



found some stuff while looking for notes from a j-school class - not sure what year this is from, it's dated 3/20 - might be 2005 or 2006:

Greenpoint
-The sun comes in through the windows between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. only
-The hamster runs on its treadmill
-There is a dive bar across the street that we never go into. On weekend nights, they play reggaeton so loudly it sounds as if the radio is on in the room - on loud.
-At 2 AM, the music stops, but the yelling does not. Men in baseball hats + jerseys loiter in front, smoking, and talking so loudly and angrily that it seems a fight will break out every night - but it never does.
-There are two bodegas across the street, one closes at 10, the other at 11. The one that closes at 10 has spam, but no mac + cheese. The one that closes at 11 has mac + cheese, no spam, a friendly cat loping around, and a nice man who calls me "sweetie" and is always watching sports. They also have coconut ices that we offer to visiting guests late at night.
-A few blocks down is an overpriced cafe that has an interior like a turn of the century NY pub. The hipster waiters are rude and inattentive, but we go there anyways.
-One block away, on Manhattan Ave., are bodegas that are open later. We don't go to the one on the right anymore because you were accused of shoplifting a newspaper you paid for. The Middle Eastern boy who accused you had a birthmark covering half his face. You did not argue with him and gave the paper back.
-The teenager who works at the bodega on the left knows us and likes us. We buy: 40 ounce malt liquor (everyone), single packs of Oreos (me), sunflower seeds (you), Doritos, Hershey chocolate bars (me), Snickers (you), milk for coffee, and ice cream sandwiches (both of us).
-There is a chicken factory midway down the block. White vans reading "Ying's Poultry" bear live chickens there in the morning. If you're unfortunate enough to pass there in the morning, you'll smell the thick air of meat + blood. You'll see the dirty feathers stuck to the wet ground. Chinese men in stained white aprons squat in front and spit near your feet. Bethany crosses the street rather than pass by there. You think that's a waste of time.
-On Manhattan Ave. are produce stores where vegetables are cheap and fresh. I buy: cilantro and brussel sprouts. You buy: bell peppers of all colors and one jalapeno.
-There is a fancy banquet hall that proclaims "Polonaise" in off-white lightbulbs and cursive script. Every Saturday night, Eastern European men and women of all ages shiver outside smoking in heels and sport coats. Sometimes the bride will be outside, smoking and holding up her train in the other hand.
-There is an out-of-place organic market around the corner. Surly Polish girls in Goth makeup work the cash registers.

i've been thinking a lot about pretext, subtext, context, and post-text, whatever that is.
there's so much unsaid, even to those we love or want to love or surround ourselves with regularly. we don't know the whole story. only later do we realize the real dynamics at play. hopefully we can laugh about it in the future. but why can't we just be honest with each other about our motivations, our needs, our desires - the subtext, the pretext, etc.
why do we do this? i'm starting to see this pattern emerge among my friends every day and i can't help but think - what is everyone not saying?

formed again

very cool work at sfmoma's william kentridge exhibit. gotta see it in person

overheards

"this is how we roll."
"2009 is the year of being a man."
"2009 lisa can handle it."

taking the training wheels off

there's a gulf in my mind with your name on it. i keep myself busy and try to stay away from the edge.

The Butcher - Final Fantasy

new crush




--
new project
--

the embarrassment is gone but the mix remains!

some popes are evil!
act three of this week's TAL made me laugh for about half a mile running from the tennis courts (across from the statue) to the new academy of sciences (passing by the back) - not just chuckling, but full on i-don't-care-if-tourists-are-staring-while-i-run-and-laugh laughing. check it out.

in other news, facebook is actually good for something since someone just posted a story that oakland's parkway is closing - i think i've only seen one or maybe two movies here, but man watching the departed there with steve and chris while stoned out of my mind was one of the most fun moments i've had in the past five years. if i recall, steve laughed each time someone got shot, especially if they got shot in the face. we both giggled each time anthony anderson was on screen. and you've never quite seen a movie until you've heard black folks yelling back at the screen - e.g. "why'd he do that?" "damn."

since you asked

i had a bad night
i had a bad night of drinking and mikey had to drive me home (i puked two blocks from the apt).

this morning i had to pick up my car where mikey parked it next to rossi playground. mike left my keys on your dining table, and i used my old set of keys to get in. i haven't used those keys since you left. i was overwhelmed with the memories of opening your front door, walking through your mirrored foyer, going up the stairs and thinking about you the entire 20 seconds. by that i mean i would think about you the entire way, each time i walked through there, not just this morning. i would think about what you were doing in the apartment, what your mood was like, did i look presentable, etc.

i know the sound all my various shoes make on those stairs, and this was the familiar slap of my sneakers. i was wearing my onitsuka tigers (asics) which i used to wear all the time on the weekends when we'd walk around, also the same pair i wore that night we first slept together five years ago, which mike found as evidence the next morning in your dwight st. apt. they were new shoes then.

i got to know the sound of you coming up the stairs as well, listening from your bed right next to the stairs. you like to bound up if you were wearing sneakers, skipping a few at a time if you were in a good mood - though you'd walk up step by step if you were reading your mail or wearing dress shoes or not in a good mood.

i walked down your hallway and remembered all the smells from other apts - popcorn, sometimes bacon, or chicken. we'd try to guess what was cooking.

i opened your front door and remembered you told me to ring the bell first in case mikey was home instead of just busting in. i forgot to do that this time, it's been so long. i apologized to calvin, but he seemed cool about it.

i grabbed the keys and walked to my car. on the walk up anza, i remembered how you'd walk me to my car on sunday nights, usually in your pajama pants and hoodie, and how you sometimes didn't want to walk me but i made you, and you'd carry my overnight bag. how i had to park in that quiet dead end street when i couldn't find other parking, and how you said it was a nice place to park though it was farther. sometimes you wouldn't walk me if we were fighting or if you were sleeping.

i see you everywhere, i think of you every day, i love you every moment.

'THOSE DAYS ARE OVER'

email from vilar (she puts it better than i can):

subject: Re: regrettable burrito

wow, yes. i can't believe i almost ate the whole thing. ugh. i fell asleep in my clothes and woke up at 4am dehydrated and still drunk. i don't know if i remember really enjoying the burrito either. i do remember spilling a lot of salsa.

you know it's bad when popping out your contacts before collapsing in bed seems too strenuous.

saucony winter leauge began last night, and this means 1) the partying now starts on wednesday and 2) you're guaranteed to go home way too drunk. this was the case in the summer when we played various games at dolores park and then headed to a bar afterwards; it must be doubly true now that the games are held inside bars (eliminating the physical exertion part).

notables from doc's clock and afterparty:
-way too many hyphen people (16 on the team this time!)
-'why does harry [the editor in chief] always have two drinks in his hands?'
-mikey's michael krasny impression
-superfluous, regrettable detour to mission bar before farolito
-rolls royce
-comparing clarks wallabees

check out my runs - i run way slower at the gym than in the park - i think i am still psyched out by the treadmill (fear of eating it while running fast)
when there are two runs in one day (usually one long run and one very short run) it means i was fiddling with my ipod too much (trying to rewind podcast) while running and accidentally ended the workout - apple, please fix in next generation

in translation

things explained to my european guests last night:

-LOLcats
-in n out's cult following
-what a douchebag is
-what a mashup is (we went to bootie) - tho i thought that concept originated in the UK?
-how much to slip the girl at the door to bypass the line (it worked! and it was about 20 percent of the cover)
-that steel container in my backseat was my water bottle (klean kanteen) and no you can't make a bong out of it

things explained to me:
-skiing is more elegant and graceful than snowboarding
-people from holland don't think we're prudes about drugs here, but are always looking for the similar minded
-in holland they smoke everyday - yet still may not be able to roll a j (!!!)

if marc says hot pink

then hot pink it is

also loving chris kane

one of my favorite times' blogs is proof. lots of insight from those who have spent a lot of time around alcohol and can write about it thoughtfully. highly recommend.

the other one that's high on my google reader list is the moment, the blog for the times' style magazine. lots of cool little readable features here, like scorecard and the hi-lo.

MICK LOVES HIS LIL SMOKIES

I DIE! I DIE! I DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
today's obsession: kate lanphear
next haircut: kate lanphear
fashion blog j'adore: jak & jil

[ click to zoom ]



From Monument To Masses
Noise Pop 2009

with special guests Crime in Choir and Built for the Sea

FMTM will be making an all-too rare SF appearance—the first since December 1, 2007—at the annual Noise Pop Festival in anticipation of the band's long-awaited fourth album entitled "On Little Known Frequencies" (March 10, 2009).

SHOULDER SWIVELING
my room on saturday mornings looks as if i have been robbed. the level of drunkness on thursday and subsequently friday is indicated by:

- whether the clothes are on the ground, thrown into the closet, still on the bed, or all three (trifecta!)
- whether the aforementioned piles of clothes are mysteriously damp with what i hope is water or rain (smell test results inconclusive)
- whether there is an empty plate next to my bed or whether there are nine uneaten tater tots on the plate
- whether i am still wearing my makeup from the previous night and find odd traces of eyeliner on my upper arms
- whether my forehead is tender from banging it on the floor (in a non-falling related incident)

--
8 tracks i've been into this month - still trying to figure out the best method for embedding music here, bear with me

murakami on lying and novelists

Of course, novelists are not the only ones who tell lies. Politicians do it, too, as we all know. Diplomats and military men tell their own kinds of lies on occasion, as do used car salesmen, butchers and builders. The lies of novelists differ from others, however, in that no one criticizes the novelist as immoral for telling lies. Indeed, the bigger and better his lies and the more ingeniously he creates them, the more he is likely to be praised by the public and the critics. Why should that be?

My answer would be this: Namely, that by telling skillful lies -- which is to say, by making up fictions that appear to be true -- the novelist can bring a truth out to a new location and shine a new light on it. In most cases, it is virtually impossible to grasp a truth in its original form and depict it accurately. This is why we try to grab its tail by luring the truth from its hiding place, transferring it to a fictional location, and replacing it with a fictional form. In order to accomplish this, however, we first have to clarify where the truth lies within us. This is an important qualification for making up good lies.

SO STEVE
steve: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephenchung/3292418202/
ive spent $6 so far trying to win it
i think the lobster is just too heavy

me: omg i thought you meant a plush lobster

steve: real lobster
it fights back too
its a bit inhumane i guess

lay the real thing on me
it rained all night and in the morning there was a strange stillness.

--

there are moments at bars when, through the chatter, the peanuts, the clinking ice, the bitten straws and mikey's maniacal laughter, i can faintly hear a song that i have forgotten that i love. i shall share with you as and when this happens.

from homestead last night -

Moonage Daydream - David Bowie

really moving since you asked column

'...for the desire, even in the face of death, to set down, for readers still unborn, all the sweetness of our common life.'

..the sexual explicitness that he pioneered in American fiction was additive, ameliorative—the one thing that had been left undescribed, a piece of the world’s experience previously unfixed. Compared with more obvious pioneers of sex writing, how blended his descriptions are into a larger world of memory: sex in Updike happens not in a stripped-down theatre of two but in a coliseum of many, part of the continuum of sensation in which we live.

Throughout all that varied work, one theme rose and was repeated over and over. Updike’s great subject was the American attempt to fill the gap left by faith with the materials produced by mass culture. He documented how the death of a credible religious belief has been offset by sex and adultery and movies and sports and Toyotas and family love and family obligation. [...] He viewed the material culture of American life with a benign, appreciative ironic eye. But he had no illusions, either, about its ability to cover the failure or wish away mortality. His 1996 novel “In the Beauty of the Lilies” [...] makes this almost schematically apparent: the death of American religion is matched by the rise of American movies.[...]

One has a sense of someone who—as much as, though with more wit than, Andy Warhol—has spent a good deal of his life liking things. Women’s clothes, their hair, the hybridization of American accents; the way that the hyper-cold of the airline baggage compartment can be felt like a secret in the bag as you unpack—all these images and moments, recalled at random from his work, are not just reported but quietly rhapsodized, registered with love. It is his affections that rise, and that we recall.

nonniversary

five years ago, i wrote on a walgreens valentine's card (the tear-off kind you gave and got in fourth grade - i think this one was WWF-themed): "love is for suckers!"

the best advice i've received over the past few months is that there are no rules (i think i got this from benjamin button, but still).

my valentine this year is this dress. i'll have to save two unemployment checks to buy it.

playlist 1

lost, near sanchez x 21st street

one great thing about getting lost in san francisco is that you will come upon amazing gorgeous vistas (like this one, at left).
on another note - i cannot believe i got lost between here and toast! FU google maps. i shall only trust my native's instinct from now on.

chai: "you know what they say about people who make complicated snacks"



giada's chicken and avocado napoleons

what i should have said was nothing

i've been talking about this for days: comic mike birbiglia's bit in last month's episode of this american life. i was literally laughing out loud. check it out, it's act 2.

i'm going to start blogging again now that i'm unemployed. i plan to stay away from whining, feeling sorry for myself, or gloating about doing things working stiffs can't do. just notes from someone who has a lot of free time during the day, let's say.

so first note: the winter sky around 4:30 to 5 p.m. - absolutely gorgeous. kind of a crystal blue-grey that just looks cold. something i haven't seen in a long time.

-don't watch the food channel when you're hungry. i think most of have figured this out a long time ago. goes hand in hand with the rule of not going grocery shopping when hungry. when you watch giada cooking 'california light' while feeling like you need to detox all the cookies and PUMPKIN PIE! from the holidays, you end up devoting yourself to a recipe that is way too ambitious and time consuming and not nearly as tasty or satisfying as say, the minimalist, who i completely j'adore. have you seen his recent piece on things to have and to toss in your kitchen?

-while the streets are less crowded with cars, there is a ton of street construction going on in the city during the daytime. and senior drivers. maddening.

for your own good winter:

Skinny Love - Bon Iver