Looking forward, looking back

2010: the year of the Adam Platt food tour? Hey, a girl can dream.

2009: A Year in Pop. Maybe the new year will be blessed with a little less Miley.

Chef Coolio

Gangster cooking shows should really have a network all their own. I'd give up the Food Network for that shiz. Watch crackalackhead Coolio make some Soul Rolls, and see if you can stop yourself from snorting with laughter:

Xmas beats

Daichi, the Japanese beatboxing prodigy who's giving Rahzel a run for his money, has a Christmas present for you:

The year in film

Kees van Dijhuizen's mashup of every movie made in 2009 (that's 342 films!), all crammed into 7 minutes. Looks like a pretty good year, huh?

Nailed it

Because it's almost Christmas break and I'm not going anywhere warm, I let my nails take a vacation from boring basic browns and beiges ... every time I look down at my hands clacking the typewriter keys, I feel like I'm traveling far, far away (or at least out of the office).

Winter break nail experiments to tackle:
Black-on-black French manicure, a la Kim KardashianSnowflakes (and I wouldn't mind the gift of Minx either):

The science of aesthetics

New York's first robot-built public art installation went up this fall in Chinatown. Check out the looping brick wall at the intersection of Pike and Division St through January, and watch the robot R-O-B doing its thang:

Pike Loop Time Lapse from Storefront for Art&Architecture on Vimeo.

Time to turn that frown upside down, NY

I, like other residents of this little municipality, have a bone to pick with the Center for Disease Control's verdict that New Yorkers are the unhappiest people in the country. I think they failed to factor in the notion that we like to complain, that being or appearing unhappy makes New Yorkers happy. Or else we'd be hauling ass to Los Angeles to bare our chemically-bleached choppers faster than Tiger's wife could sign those divorce papers.
But this is the Good Newspaper, and I'm not really blogging in order to pick bones. So here are a few things that might prompt a natural, un-enhanced smile. Okay, a smirk - we don't show our teeth in this town.

Tomorrow: Soho's macbar will give out free mac 'n cheese to the first 300 customers.
Sunday: Meet in Washington Square Park to embark on the December Hot Chocolate Crawl, or pay-what-you-wish for the 3pm showing of Nutcracker: Rated R.
Now: Go for a walk, because we live in a city where you can do that. Even when it's really freaking cold out. Feel free to move if you don't like it.

Snoop helps Martha get baked

When M. Diddy invited Snoop Dogg to rap to the tune of her whisking brownie batter, she knew exactly what she was getting into.
Snoop: "Trying to make some brownies, but we're missing the most important part of the brownies."
Martha: "Which is, which is, which is ..."
Snoop: "No sticks no seeds no stems."
Martha: "You want green brownies."
Snoop: "Yes."
Martha: "He wants green brownies. Brownish green brownies."
Snoop: "The greener the better!"

Looks like that little stint in jail turned Martha into a G. Catch "Christmas Cookie Day with Renee Fleming and Snoop Dogg" tomorrow.

Not your grandma's gnocchi

I've been on a bit of a fall vegetable kick (pumpkin, sweet potatoes, and butternut squash have been shown equal attention and affection in my kitchen), although now I suppose autumn is technically over. But when I found this recipe for Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Arugula and Hazelnuts, how could I not suggest making a Saturday night meal of it? A few changes to note - we used butternut squash (halved and roasted at 500 degrees for 25 minutes, then scooped, mashed and drained) instead of sweet potatoes, crushed and toasted almonds instead of hazelnuts (which are also called filberts - who knew?), and added some dried cranberries in at the end to cover the seasonal color spectrum. All said and done, not too harsh on the wallet, thighs or schedule. And SO delicious.

On the fifth day of Hanukkah...

In honor of the festival of lights, I have five gifts for you (in the form of web links):

1. David Brooks breaks down the story of Hanukkah
2. Kosher-for-Hanukkah tequila
3. Some tunes to spin the driedel to
4. A funky Malaysian latke recipe
5. And finally, "Kosher Face":

Wyclef for president

This past Friday, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith hosted the Nobel Peace Prize concert in Oslo, Norway to honor President Obama. My man Wyclef Jean brought the house down as usual. Oh, and that gal with the power pipes singing backup? She sang at my dad's birthday party. Check her out with Dan Bailey & Living Rhythm December 26 at the Stephen Talkhouse.
Part 1:

Part 2:

Go ahead, play with your food

If Will Cotton was a photographer, not a painter, and liked healthy food instead of candy, he would be an awful lot like Carl Warner. Warner's Foodscapes take advantage of nature's bounty to reproduce nature-scapes, a visual synecdoche of sorts.

To create his lush landscapes, the artist first sketches a scene, introduces the edibles, then captures each section in separate layers to prevent the food from wilting. Computer technology is then used to merge the layers into a final print. Eventually, Warner plans to use the images as part of an educational book to encourage kids to eat healthier. Guess his mom never told him to stop playing with his food.
Thanks to Dana for wising me up to this guy.

Music to keep you warm

"To me, making a tape is like writing a letter — there's a lot of erasing and rethinking and starting again. A good compilation tape, like breaking up, is hard to do. You've got to kick off with a corker, to hold the attention (I started with 'Got to Get You Off My Mind,' but then realized that she might not get any further than track one, side one if I delivered what she wanted straightaway, so I buried it in the middle of side two), and then you've got to up it a notch, or cool it a notch, and you can't have white music and black music together, unless the white music sounds like black music, and you can't have two tracks by the same artist side by side, unless you've done the whole thing in pairs and...oh, there are loads of rules."
- Nick Hornby, High Fidelity

Remember the art of the mixtape? This is not a mixtape by Rob Fleming's standards (or Nick Hornby's). It's not a mixtape at all; in fact, it can hardly be called a playlist. But I thought I'd share what I'm listening to this December - some old, some new, and some free for you! In no particular order.

The Kinks - "Lola"
Edward Sharpe & Magnetic Zeros - "Home"
Vampire Weekend - "Horchata"
Mos Def - "Quiet Dog"
Julian Casablancas - "Out of the Blue"
Girls - "Lust for Life"
The Cardigans - "Great Divide"
Squeeze - "Tempted" (you know you're a child of the 90's when ...)
Baby Bash & Frankie J - "Suga Suga" (and speaking of the 90s ...)
Mayer Hawthorne - "Your Easy Lovin' Ain't Pleasin' Nothin'"
Strawberry Alarm Clock - "Incense and Peppermint"
Florence and the Machine - "Kiss with a Fist" and "Falling"
Nneka - "The Uncomfortable Truth"
Lissy Trullie - "Ready for the Floor" (Hot Chip cover)
Mobb Deep x Bob Marley - "Got it Twisted" and "Shook Ones Pt. 2"
Vivian Girls - "Can't Get Over You"
Plastiscines - "Camera"

Death Star Canteen

Eddie Izzard gives voice to an irritable Darth Vader, depicted in Lego form:

Psychedelic subway stations

Check out some of the coolest subway architecture in contemporary existence. I think it's a three-way tie between Stockholm, Shanghai and Moscow. Get on it, New York.Pictured: Shanghai's Bund Sightseeing Tunnel, 2,100 feet of light effects projected onto the walls for a trippy traveling experience.

Space buzz

Leave it to the Japanese (by way of Sapporo Breweries) to invent the world's first space beer. It's brewed with barley that comes from seeds that spent five months aboard the International Space Station, bringing researchers one step closer to self-sufficient food production in space. Currently there are only 250 six-packs of "Space Barley" available; at $110 bucks a pop with winners chosen by lotto, your chances of taking a sip of the futuristic brew are about as good as ... well, setting foot on the moon.Next up: astronaut beer helmets.

Festive flair

Today is the day I fulfill the official "new girl duty" of decorating the office Christmas tree. Having never so much as strung a light or held an ornament, I'm feeling a little apprehensive. What if I hang the angel or star (or whatever the thing is that goes on the top) in the wrong place? Is there a manual for this stuff?
Then I remembered the photos of a makeshift tree my dad put together when I was a baby, a salvaged, Duchampian readymade piece constructed from the bones of broken umbrellas found after a particularly intense New York storm. It was far from traditional, but there was no mistaking its identity. Why not make this a creative Christmas?

Drying Rack Tree
Ladder Tree
Wall Tree

Malice N Wonderland

Check out this trailer for Snoop Doggy Dogg's new album, Malice N Wonderland, which has a totally absurd cover and a slightly confused premise (Batman meets Alice in Wonderland ...?). Whatevs, it's Snoop, and he's still got it. Props for incorporating Jamie Foxx and what looks suspiciously like a split-second clip from that bizarro Spike Jonze-directed Kanye movie.

Books in a booth

When the mobile library stopped visiting the English village of Westbury-sub-Mendip (the nearest stationary library is 4 miles away), the 800 residents took matters into their own hands. They voted to turn a phone booth into a mini sharing library. It's pretty much the cutest atheneum ever.Here's what I'd want donated to share in the year to come (or, my shortlist of books to read in the early days of 2010):

The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver
Invisible by Paul Auster
Look at the Birdie by Kurt Vonnegut
The World According to Garp by John Irving
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk

Is it legal to start a phone booth library in Manhattan?

Blast the winter blues

If you're feeling anything like me today, you could probably use a drink to warm up and decompress from the post-Thanksgiving blustery entrance of winter. This one from the mixological mad scientists at Ideya Latin Bistro updates a summer staple and personal favorite (the Brazilian Caipirinha) for the chill of winter by adding cranberries. Bonus points for the fruit's immune-boosting antioxidants. So long, swine flu!

Ideya’s Cranberry Caipirinha

1 or 2 lime wedges (to taste)
1 small orange wedge
10 cranberries
1 tbs. brown sugar
1 oz. fresh lime juice
1.5 oz. aged cachaça

(1) Place the lime, orange, and cranberries in a mixing glass. Add the sugar and muddle with the fruit. Fill a rocks glass with cracked ice and transfer the ice to the mixing glass.

(2) Add the lime juice and the cachaça, and shake well.

(3) Pour everything, including all the muddled fruit from the shaker, into the rocks glass and serve.

Tunes4U

The holiday season is officially upon us (tomorrow is December?!), and what better gift to give than that of good music? For your aural pleasure, some slammin' jams:

Click for a free download of Lupe Fiasco's new mixtape, Enemy of the State: A Love Story.

If you haven't already, check out Blakroc, the rap-rock collab from The Black Keys and Damon Dash, featuring Raekwon, RZA, the late ODB, Mos Def, Pharoahe Monch, Ludacris, Q-Tip and more.

And lastly, swoon over "Heaven Can Wait," the first single from Beck and Charlotte Gainsbourg's collaboration titled IRM. Love. them. both.

Happy [Polish Spam] day

Das Racist does Thanksgiving, recession-style (with a little help from an ex-Gourmet food editor). Better than a combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell:

Thankful for all you lovely people in my life. Happy eating!

Thanks, MTA!

When you allow your eyes to scan all 400 square feet of your Manhattan loft, does something feel missing? No, I'm not talking about a dishwasher or a laundry machine, I mean something that would lend that special bit of New York apartment je ne sais quoi. Like, for example, a door from the subway car you ride to your poorly-paid-but-creatively/intellectually-stimulating job?
I know all I want this holiday season is to replace my front door with one of these puppies. But which? Decisions, decisions.

Blistering barnacles!

Image credit

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn, directed by Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson, is set for a Dec 23, 2011 release date, but the live-action version is officially finished!
The motion-capture adaptation, starring Jamie Bell as Tintin, Andy Serkis as Captain Haddock, and Daniel Craig as the villainous Red Rackham, will need about two years of post-production work, but, as Jackson recently told the BBC, a rough draft has been cut together. The animation technique is the same Jackson used to create Gollum in Lord of the Rings, but with a futuristic twist: it's going to be in 3D.
The forthcoming adaptation (based on the Belgian comic series comics about an intrepid young investigative reporter) has been almost thirty years in the making. Spielberg first bought the rights to a film option in 1982 from Tintin creator Georges Remi (better known by his pen name, Hergé), who thought Spielberg was the only person who could do his iconic character justice.

Starry-eyed SNL

This past week's Saturday Night Live featured my imaginary celebrity boyfriend, Joseph Gordon-Levitt (he of 3rd Rock from the Sun, 10 Things I Hate About You, and 500 Days of Summer fame ... weird number theme going on there), who rocked the house in all his heel-clicking hosting glory. Oh yeah, and then I saw him in the East Village on Sunday smooching a Zooey Deschanel lookalike - grrr. Check his performance out here:

Shoutout to this week's musical guests, Dave Matthews Band, who my uncle currently plays with! Okay, celeb-session ending now.

Party in my dress

What do you get when you combine two London-based designers with 24,000 LEDs? One Galaxy Dress. This piece of futuristic fashion is the largest wearable display in the world and runs on tons of teeny iPod batteries stashed in the crinoline of the dress' fabric. Wear it, and I can guarantee you'll be the light of the party.

A night in Tim Burton's brain

Last night I got to accompany a friend to a party and sneak preview at the MoMA in honor of the Tim Burton retrospective that opens to the public on November 22nd. There are no words. Okay, a few, which could not begin to do him justice: quirky, creepy, wacky, whimsical, definitive, bizarre, macabre, imaginative, unparalleled, otherworldly ... nope. The man defies description. The exhibit displays his dark humor and widespread vision by leading the viewer from his early years of alienation in Burbank, CA, through sketches and drafts of his work on films like Mars Attacks!, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands, and more. His body of work is a visionary masterpiece far from completion: Burton's upcoming adaptation of Alice in Wonderland has fans of the filmmaker and the classic tale waiting with bated breath.
I could go on and on about the pitch-black room displaying his blacklit sculpture and velvet paintings, or the candy cane-nosed witch of his adaptation of Hansel and Gretel (previously screened just once), or his illustrated volumes of poetry, but ... you should see for yourself. I plan to. Again.

Free music Wednesday

Courtesy of insound.com, free mp3's from their top 50 most downloaded albums of 2009. Kewl.

Better brussels

Anyone privileged to have sampled West Village tapas spot Alta's "Crispy Brussels Sprouts" (topped with fuji apples, pistachios and creme fraiche) understands the desire to order two or ten of the small plates. This past weekend for a pre-Thanksgiving potluck back in Baltimore, I decided to embark on a culinary adventure the stakes of which were nothing short of sky-high (okay, I exaggerate but hey, this dish is really good). Alexandra's Kitchen (a Bittman favorite) offers a take on the delectable morsels. I chose to slightly revise her educated guesses, ending up with a plate that was part-Alta, part-Alexandra, part-Allegra, and all good.
Here's the recipe. I substituted pecans for pistachios and decided to forgo the balsamic-honey mixture in favor of an apple cider reduction that more closely approximated the original. I found that baking the sprouts for 15 minutes then flash-frying them produced a crispier texture. Finally, if you find yourself in a creme fraiche-free situation, sprinkle a half cup of sour cream with a pinch of salt, stir in a half cup of heavy whipping cream, and refrigerate until use.

Leonid meteor shower

via the Examiner

One of the best meteor showers of our time will cross the night skies between 11pm tonight and dawn, peaking at around 5:30am Tuesday, with twenty to thirty or meteors per hour in North America, and as many as 200-300 per hour in Asia. Although city folk won't have as clear of a view, I'm still planning to squint from my rooftop and take in what I can of a sight that's sure to be out of this world.

Ground control to Major Tom

Today's Times reports that water has been found on the Moon - and lots of it. This means future scientists could hang out on the lunar surface, and suggests the possibility of recording the history of the solar system in the ice accumulated over billions of years. Far out.

Brooklyn Flea hits Manhattan

Great news for those unwilling to trek across the bridge to do their Christmas shopping: Fort Greene and Dumbo-based mecca of antiques, crafts and vintage, Brooklyn Flea, is coming to the East Village for one month only. The "Gifted" holiday pop-up sets up shop from November 27th to December 24th in the old Tower Records spot on Lafayette and 4th St, and will feature 50 rotating vendors, not to mention happy-hour shopping parties with DJs and free beer from Brooklyn Brew.

Cotton's candy

One of my favorite contemporary artists, Will Cotton (the man Mary Boone made famous for his creamy-skinned nudes lounging among clouds of cotton candy, sumptuous gingerbread houses and frosted forests) is bringing his artistic vision to life at Partners & Spade gallery on Great Jones St for the next two Sunday afternoons. "Bringing to life" in the form of food, not naked ladies, that is. For years, he has been making his own pastries to use as models for his work, and now Cotton will share his baked creations with the public. This gloriously decadent art (at recession-friendly prices) is truly good enough to eat.

Healthcare hurrah

The House of Representatives took one big step forward Saturday night when they passed President Obama's Affordable Health Care for America Act (and one of the 220 votes in favor of the bill was made by a Republican representative). Although the battle is by no means won (especially in light of the amendment prohibiting federal funding for abortion services in the public option), this move represents a chance, as Obama said, "to deliver" by signing this act into law by year's end. What a holiday gift that would be!

Keep on keepin' on

A woman in South Korea whose attempts to pass the written portion of the driver's license exam numbered approximately 950 finally achieved the minimum score of 60 points needed to pass. Hey, if she can do it, maybe I can too!

via Huffington Post

Line up, ladies

Posted on a billboard in TriBeCa:

Lloyd Dobler comes to life

Yesterday was the 20th anniversary of one of my all-time favorite romantic comedies, Say Anything. Because every girl wants a real-live Lloyd Dobler (in the form of John Cusack) to try to win her back by blasting Peter Gabriel from a boombox, a mob of impersonators (the "Mobler") reenacted this famous scene from Union Square to Times Square to commemorate love, awkwardness, and the 1980s.
Check it out:

Batter up, and bring me a beer while you're at it

After last night's political disappointment ($157 per vote, Bloomberg, really?), New York needs some good old-fashioned cheering up from the boys in pinstripes.
Here, BlackBook's list of some of the best alternative watering holes to watch our Yanks kick some Philly butt.

I gotta fever ... and the only prescription is more Gaga

Video of the day: Christopher Walken's spoken word rendition of Poker Face. Step off, Jude Law - you can't f**k with cowbell.

A screamingly successful soiree

Hope everyone had safe, happy and creepy Halloweens! Here's how mine panned out:
The meal: squid ink pasta with roasted butternut squash, orange peppers and olives (thanks Gourmet, R.I.P.), artichoke "bones," and Black Widow Punch (2 bottles Champagne, 6 cups Blackberry Brandy, 1 cup sugar, and fresh blackberries for garnish). Hello Kitty napkins optional.

The costumes:Night 1 - "Birds of a Feather" (parrot, peacock and flamingo). Still have the hot glue gun burns and feather-covered apartment to prove it.

Night 2 - Sexy Polygamists. Bibles not pictured.

I'm sad it's over. Time to start planning for next year!

A freaky fiesta

At midnight tonight, my favorite holiday begins. Here, some tips for throwing a ghoulishly spooktastic shindig that's really something to howl at:

Eat: Potato Ghosts, Creepcake Cupcakes, and lots and lots of candy corn

Drink: Eyeball Highballs and Pina Ghouladas

Watch: The Five Cheesiest 80s Horror Films or the Spike Jonze-Kanye collab ... one of the creepiest things I've ever seen.


Listen: The Zombie Danceparty Mix, Fever Ray's Halloween podcast, Dana's spooky playlist, and of course, Nightmare Revisited (a Nightmare Before Christmas cover album featuring Marilyn Manson, Rodrigo y Gabriela, RJD2, Devotchka, KoRn, and more).

Trick or treat yourself to the best Halloween ever!

Ready, set, type!

November is National Novel Writing Month, and if you register over at nanowrimo.org, you can race the clock with thousands of scribes across the country scrambling to write 50,000 words by November 30th. If you succeed, you'll receive a Winner's Certificate and Web Badge, and join the ranks of Times #1 bestselling author Sara Gruen, who wrote Water for Elephants during the challenge!

Meet Dana

Maaaaaaad props to my BFF Dana, whose carefully-executed inspiration board of a fashion blog is now being recognized for all its (and her) style and beauty by the Free People clothing company. Read the interview, check out her blog, and recognize!

Walt Whitman for Levi's

Is it just me, or have ad campaigns gotten way, way cooler since the effects of the recession clawed their way into the American conscious? I guess the whole involuntary post-death spokes-celeb thing could be conceived as a desecration of Walt's work, but since Levi's were around long before the Whit-man, and this commercial is more or less a piece of art in its own right, I think we can give the complaints a rest. Chris Farley for DirecTV feels far tackier, anyway.

From the Levi's Go Forth campaign (the first is a recording of Whitman reading "America," and the second - which I prefer - is an actor's recording of "Pioneers! O Pioneers"):




Directed by Cary Fukunaga, the man responsible for Sundance favorite Sin Nombre.

Devour those dumplings

Today is the 6th Annual Chef One Dumpling Eating Contest, but more importantly it is the first-ever NYC Dumpling Festival! Noon to five in Sarah D. Roosevelt Park (East Houston and Forsyth), hundreds will gather to consume the cutest of appetizer-sized pocket foods. Dumplings from all corners of the earth - the Chinese bao, the Polish pierogi, the Italian gnocchi - will be celebrated and consumed. I'll be cheering on the competitors with a $5 sample plate in hand.

Klosterf**ck

Man, oh man, first draft of a very exciting screenplay is in the works: The Hold Steady's Craig Finn and Letterman writer Tom Ruprecht are teaming up with one of my favorite authors of our day (that'd be Chuck Klosterman) to bring his 2001 memoir, Fargo Rock City, to the big screen. Fargo is the story of Klosterman's experience growing up in North Dakota as a monster heavy-metal fan. The guy could make Kanye like country music, if he tried. This one's gonna be a dorky teen movie for the ages.

For the french fry connoisseur

Famed French chef Alain Ducasse judges New York's french fries (my guilty pleasure food of choice) for NYmag. Glad to see neighborhood fave Pommes Frites made #2!

It was a monster mix

Props to Flavorwire for sharing their ghoulishly creeptastic Halloween mixtape. Ctrl + left click + save as on each song link, and do your best zombie dance.
They're missing one important tune, however:

Sweet Civil War

That's right, a Civil War reenactment with marshmallows. In Dumbo (where else?) on October 24th. BYO mallows & weapons. For more, go here.

Jonze gets it right

I saw it Saturday - Where the Wild Things Are, that is - after reading Dave Eggers' deftly-handled novelization (which aligned very closely with the screenplay). The film was visually stunning, shot mostly in Australia (in and around Melbourne). Spike Jonze did an incredible job of allowing the viewer into the mindset of a 9 year old child, lending depth, pain and poetry to the adaptation of a much-loved classic. Karen O's score, the voices of James Gandolfini, Lauren Ambrose, and Forest Whitaker, the ever-radiant Catherine Keener, and perhaps most of all, the raw talent of first-time actor Max Records (yes, he's really named Max), set Jonze's creation firmly in that most-difficult-to-enter of worlds: a successful print-to-screen adaptation.
Meet my own Wild Things - pumpkin cupcake monsters with cinnamon buttercream frosting.

C'mon get happy

If you haven't already seen this AmEx commercial, watch it now - I challenge you not to love it. One of the more creative pieces of advertising I've seen in a while.

Weekly wrap-up

Because this has been one hell of a week (TGIF), I figured it calls for a wrap-up of sorts:

* Falcon Heene (a.k.a. Balloon Boy) is safe. He was just hiding in the attic like any normal attention-deprived child.
* Crappy NYC radiators + WTWTA coming out (today's the day, for those who have been living under a rock) = great excuse to wear all the faux fur you can pile on. I know I will.
* Last chance to catch Lizzie Borden: The Show, a gory, period-punk rock musical that pays rollicking, foot-stomping, ear-deafening homage to the notorious New England spinster who was suspected of murdering her father and stepmother. It's a wonderful pre-Halloween good time, and the final two shows take place this Saturday.
* Don't miss Chromeo at the Fillmore tonight - I'll be showing off my best Fancy Footwork.

The golden boys

The topic is no good news, but the collaboration sure is: director Gus Van Sant (Milk, Paranoid Park, Elephant, Good Will Hunting, etc) is pairing up with literary Brat Pack king of 80's coolness and depravity, Bret Easton Ellis, to adapt The Golden Suicides, a Vanity Fair piece on the doomed love story of Theresa Duncan and Jeremy Blake. The outrageous artist couple committed back-to-back suicides in 2007, shocking the press and the New York art world. Van Sant and Ellis could be producing a movie about linoleum tiling, for all I care, and I'd elbow my way into a first screening.

Spidey's a veggie

Out of about 40,000 known spider species, the first vegetarian has been identified! Bagheera kiplingi (named after the panther Bagheera in Rudyard Kipling's 1894 children's classic, The Jungle Book) leaps from thorn to thorn to collect its "prey," the nutrient-rich acacia plant buds, avoiding the ants that live in the plant's hollow thorns. This tropical jumping spider essentially "hunts" these plants - sounds like us human veggies waiting to snag a seat at Angelica Kitchen.

The fun theory

Some Swedes test and prove the theory that making something fun to do can change people's behavior for the better. Let's choose to ignore the fact that this is actually a commercial for Volkswagon (I see their point, but wouldn't the "better behavior" really be walking? Or riding a bike? Perhaps public transportation?) If taking the stairs gave you tuneful toes as well as better calves, who could resist?

A new storm's a-brewin'

For the first time since 1951, a new cloud formation has been discovered and added to the International Cloud Atlas. Clouds of the asperatus variety (which translates as "roughened or agitated waves") are most common in the Plains states and often found the morning or afternoon after a thunderstorm. Who else is feeling a trip to New Mexico?

Jonze-in for some Spike

Excuse the poor titular pun, but I just couldn't help myself. Today is an exciting, nay, a historical day, because it is today that the MoMa launches Spike Jonze: The First 80 Years. The name of the retrospective is appropriately tongue-in-cheek (the guy is what, 40?) and self-aware: Jonze is something of a Gen-X genius. The exhibit is timed to coordinate with the release of the much-anticipated collaboration between Jonze and Maurice Sendak (Where the Wild Things Are, duh), and features clips from the director's commercials, music videos, and full-length films - most notably, the Charlie Kaufman-penned gems Being John Malkovich and Adaptation, not to mention Jackass: The Movie. The guy is a legend, and the tribute is well-deserved. Festivities end October 18th, so make sure you get your ass to the MoMa before it's too late.

Sweet ride

I never learned to drive, but then again there's never been a whip like this on the market to make me want to! Launched at Burning Man and now available in collaboration with Neiman Marcus (huh?) this cupcake car is fully customizable with your favorite topping Since we all know the red velvet craze is sooo last year, I'm guessing the ride of the moment may be lemon cake with lavender frosting (or maybe that's just a recipe I've been wanting to try). Just think: for a mere $25,000, you can drive down the street with that ridiculous little hat on.

Oh! You wild things

Because I don't think I can go a week without blogging about WTWTA (if you don't get the abbreviation you obviously don't share my enthusiasm), here's the latest in Sendak-inspired gear:

Avante-garde boutique Opening Ceremony has created a limited edition collection in collaboration with Spike Jonze that includes, among many other pieces of furry goodness and even some tooth-and-claw Pamela Love jewelry, a furry full-piece Max suit - complete with ears and bushy tail. If $610 is too much to spend on Halloween (what, you were planning on wearing it around the house?), make like this lil' guy and D.I.Y. the cutest costume of all time.

More Spike Jonze news comin' atcha later this week.

Maya's still movin'

Despite false alarms spread by panicky Tweets and started by that reliable source of news, TMZ, Maya Angelou is not dead. She is alive and perfectly well. In celebration of that fact, here's one of my favorite poems:

Phenomenal Woman

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Dunst goes Harajuku

Yet another example of why I can't bring myself to like Kirsten Dunst, but am always a fan of the work she does: she stars in pop art king Takashi Murakami's latest project for the Tate Modern (London) exhibit "Pop Life: Art in a Material World." It's a video installation in which the actress, dressed up in all the trappings of Tokyo street style, sings a cover of "Turning Japanese" while dancing through the shopping district of Akihabara. Okay, I'm sure she's still annoying and all puffy-cheeked in the video, but that outfit is freaking awesome. Weird, wild, wonderful ... Halloween can't come soon enough.

In the name of shameless self-promotion

For those Manhattanites looking for something to do tonight at 8pm, come by Kiva Cafe in TriBeCa where I'll be giving a short reading of some of the poetry I wrote during my senior year of college. The food is good, the wine, beer, coffee and tea will be flowing, and you'll have a chance to hear the literary stylings of yours truly!

Well the weather outside is frightful ...

.... but isn't this cloud-shaped umbrella delightful?

It inflates when you pump the handle!

Stream today, purchase tomorrow

Finally! The Where the Wild Things Are soundtrack is here in all it's aural glory (comes out tomorrow via DGC/Interscope). Warning: Karen O. may bring you to tears the way she does best. Ugh, I really cannot wait for this movie.

Courtesy of IMEEM:

Where the Wild Things Are Soundtrack

Don't mess with this mug

These brass-knuckled mugs keep your java safe from those who wish to steal a sip.

And here, more creative coffee cups.

Presidential smiles

It appears Mr. Obama is happy all the time, or at least was consistently smiley-faced at the MoMa reception on Wednesday. Check out that glorious grin:

Barack Obama's amazingly consistent smile from Eric Spiegelman on Vimeo.

This guy is good people

Landlord Ed Pierce works 8hrs/day in a Walgreens photo department to support a family ... but it is not his own. The parents of two families in his building have lost their jobs, and rather than send them out into the street, Mr. Pierce has taken on additional employment to help out his tenants. More here.

Double, double, toil and trouble

My favorite holiday is fast-approaching, and here to ring in the festivities is Tim Burton's Halloween-inspired fashion shoot for Bazaar. Also coming up is the crazycreepycool artist/director's retrospective at the MoMa, which is sure to be a weirdly wonderful treat for the eyes.

The tides are turning

My two-month unemployment (or partial employment) streak is officially over, as I got that magical "you're hired" call yesterday afternoon! First real-live job: foreign rights assistant (or, as my brother put it, "international pusher of words") at a legit, old-timey literary agency whose backlist boasts such greats as F. Scott Fitzgerald, J.D. Salinger and Agatha Christie. The office has typewriters, Filofaxes, and piles and piles of beautiful hardcovers that give off that incredible musty book smell.

So, goodbye to part-time telemarketing, blogging and freelance bumming around, hello working world.

Peace and pumpkin

Apologies for my absence the past two days - I took some time to reflect on how I want to spend this next new year (5770 in the Jewish calendar), and decided it's time to be more go-with-the-flow rather than go-go-go. In light of that mental move, last night I tried a new recipe (I find cooking to be the most relaxing activity), from Momofuku chef David Chang. It's fall-appropriate, involves Sriracha, and ... well, what else do you need to know?

Spicy Roasted- Pumpkin Soup With Whipped Tofu
1 medium- size sweet pumpkin, about 4 pounds
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons grape seed oil
4 – 5 cups chicken stock
2 – 4 tablespoons Sriracha hot sauce, to taste
2– 4 tablespoons honey, to taste
1/2 teaspoon Japanese seven-spice blend (shichimi togarashi)
8 ounces soft or silken tofu
1 1/2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
Garnish: 1 bunch scallions, green and white parts finely chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the pumpkin in half and remove the seeds and pulp, reserving the seeds. Season the pumpkin with salt and pepper, and drizzle each half with 1 tablespoon grape seed oil. Place the pumpkin on a baking sheet and roast for about 1 1/2 hours or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
2. Scoop out the flesh, of the pumpkin and purée in a food processor or blender with 1 – 2 cups stock. Pour purée into a saucepan, add 2 more cups stock, hot sauce, and honey to taste, and reheat gently, stirring to combine. If the soup is too thick, add more stock and season to taste with salt.
3. Meanwhile, toss the cleaned pumpkin seeds with 1 tablespoon grape seed oil and 1 teaspoon salt, place on a baking sheet, tray and bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until the seeds are crispy, dry, and golden. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the seven- -spice blend.
4. Place the tofu in a food processor or blender, and purée until smooth. Season with vinegar and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt.
5. Top each bowl of soup with 1 tablespoon each of whipped tofu and, pumpkin seeds. Sprinkle with and scallion and serve.

I substituted vegetable stock for chicken stock. Check out Sunrise Mart or M2M for the more exotic Asian ingredients, and feel free to use pre-cubed or pureed pumpkin if hacking into a big one seems overwhelming.

I'm on the pursuit of happiness

If you haven't yet heard Kid Cudi's new jam (ft. MGMT and Ratatat), enjoy:

L'shana tova

I always suspected he'd make a good Jew - he even speaks Hebrew! President Obama recorded a greeting to those celebrating Rosh Hashana (the Jewish New Year), which begins at sundown tonight. It is an appropriate sermon for the day, calling for peace and the repairing of old divisions between friends and enemies, Israel and Palestine, with the chance to start anew.
Barack atah ... here it is:

The Foodie Travel Guide

The Guardian put out their list of the 50 best things to eat in the world, and where to eat them. I have been to three of the fifty restaurants, but the pho restaurant in Vietnam was a terrible situation (chalked up to my own poor judgement - let's just say when they tell you not to drink the water in Southeast Asia, they're not kidding). Oh well, maybe I'll have to return to remedy the experience.

I'm with Bernanke

Yesterday, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke announced that the worst of the recession has very likely passed. Despite the fact that he doesn't think this change is great enough to alleviate the pain of the millions of Americans suffering from unemployment, I'll take a lethargic recovery over none at all. Here, something uplifting from my main man:

Rap-rock makes a bangin' comeback

What do you get when you mix the bluesy-70s-esque rock stylings of The Black Keys with the aged-to-perfection hip hop know-how of impresarios Damon Dash and MC Jim Jones? Blakroc, that's what. This genre hybrid project is no Bloodhound Gang: the Keys are giving rap-rock a full-on makeover. The album, which comes out November 27, features such legends as Mos Def, RZA, Raekwon, Q-Tip, Ludacris, Pharoahe Monche, and the late ODB. Phew. Listen to a little sample here, and get pumped.

B's a class act

For those who missed the orgy of Tweets surrounding the VMA's last night (reportedly over a million during the course of the show - Iran, schmiran, right?), Beyonce behaved like the classy b*tch she is and smoothed over Kanye's idiocy by giving Taylor Swift her deserved time in the limelight. Here's hoping Hov will rethink keeping crazy Mr. West in his new Rat Pack, cause there's a difference between deservedly cocky and just plain egomaniacal.

Yoshi, Luigi and Mario, oh my

This Super Mario nail art is awesome; reminds me of last Halloween when my friends and I went all out as Mario Party characters. Which reminds me that Halloween is in, like, almost a month. There is nothing I love more than that holiday: preparations, decorations, costumes, candy, and the age-old, carnivalesque thrill of the masquerade. I'm working on a few ideas now - luckily, this year it's on a Saturday (meaning parties Thurs-Sat, meaning opportunities for at least three different disguises). Anyone have any great costumes in the works?

Jay-Z at MSG

Tonight, Jay-Z is giving a benefit concert at Madison Square Garden to coincide with the release of his eleventh studio album (The Blueprint 3, in case you've been living under a rock). All proceeds go to The New York Police & Fire Widows' & Children's Benefit Fund. Tickets were sold out the first day of presale, but thanks to a speedy pal, I'm going! Fuse is broadcasting it live at 9pm, so you can catch Hov and the bevy of special guests (Kanye? Rihanna? Pharrell? Alicia Keys?) expected to pay tribute to the lives lost on 9/11.

Fashion week freebies

Tonight is Anna Wintour's ... I mean, Fashion's Night Out (on a side note, that lady is a loon - saw The September Issue last night and yikes, cannot believe how freakishly normal her kid is). It's an evening meant to invigorate our long-lost (?) love of shopping, a.k.a. "boost the economy," a.k.a. empty our wallets, but it doesn't have to be all about spending.

Here, the downtown recessionista's guide to doing tonight on the cheap (adapted from nymag):

Unis: 226 Elizabeth St., at Prince St.
Thai food from Lovely Day (my #1 fave restaurant). D.J. Johnny Mischeff from the Jane Hotel spins.

Tory Burch: 257 Elizabeth St., nr. Prince St.;
Across the street, La Esquina is barbecuing (paired with Champagne).

Le Labo: 233 Elizabeth St., nr. Prince St.
Free five-milliliter bottle of one of the scents from Le Labo's collection.

Korres: 110 Wooster St., nr. Prince St.
"Detox" cocktails based on the beauty brand's natural ingredients. Makeup artists offer complimentary touch-ups, and all visitors receive a gift bag full of Korres cosmetic, bath, and skin-care best-sellers.

Space.NK: 99 Greene St., nr. Spring St.
Free gift bag full of samples from Eve Lom, Nuxe, and Space.NK Laughter fragrance. Complimentary face masks and mini-facials.

Chanel: 139 Spring St., at Wooster St.
Free mini-manicures in Jade (debuts today!)

Tracy Reese: 641 Hudson St., nr. Gansevoort
Sally Hansen manicurists will be offering complimentary nail services. They're also serving drinks like the "Frocktail" and the "Plentini."

Opening Ceremony: 35 Howard St., nr. Broadway
Block party - custom-made wares out of the back of befitting custom cars. Check out the Thai Tie truck nearby from Band of Outsiders, which will be selling clip-on bow ties and neckties and dishing out Thai-inspired desserts from Momofuku pastry chef Christina Tosi.

C.O. Bigelow: 414 Sixth Ave., nr. 9th St
Free tube of Mentha Lip Shine, a glossy balm scented with peppermint oil. Free sodas from a vintage soda fountain.

Rag and Bone: 100 Christopher Street (at Bleecker Street)

Turning store into an Irish pub, complete with free beer, sawdust on the floor and an Irish band.

See you there!

Auto-tuned ABC's

Now even a baby can go platinum (or just sound like it) with the "I Am T-Pain" iPhone app, allowing users to Auto-Tune their own voices. Kid Cudi thinks it's "really fresh." Jay-Z is shaking his head in disgust.

Hasbro joins Google in world domination

San Fran's Candyland is so yesterday. Tomorrow marks the launch of something bigger, better, and more billionaire-friendly: Monopoly City Streets, a joint venture by Google and Hasbro using Google Maps as the board. It is essentially a giant game of Monopoly, wherein each player starts with $3 million and can buy any street in the world, with the goal of becoming "the richest property magnate in existence." Gather up your millions, citizens of the world. It's your move.

Happy Monday

Cheers to all those enjoying the day off from work or school - hope you're kicking off the last weekend of summer with a bang. Double cheers to my fellow unemployed folk, for whom summer does not yet have to end! An event appropriate for your all-white outfit: Deer Tick is playing tonight's Rocks Off Boat Cruise, and tickets are just $25 at the door.

Color me happy

Taking a little break from the sights and sounds of the city, meaning I've been away from my computer, relaxing by the pool with a glass of rosé sangria in hand (thanks Meika), yet somehow unable to get thoughts of apartment decor out of my head. I've always been a fan of chalkboard paint, but it's not super-easy to find, and the gray color palette can be a bit limiting. Martha to the rescue, with instructions for making your own CUSTOM-COLORED chalkboard paint! Oops, craft-dork alert. But come on, you know that's cool.