Got Minxed

My friend Liat treated me to a truly awesome birthday present: the Minx manicure, seen on Rihanna, Beyonce, Lady Gaga, and more. How could I resist blogging this? Just to bring it down a notch, here's a pic of mine (all silver with one chrome houndstooth) with my typewriter in the background.

Crank that

Here's what I'm bumping on re-re-repeat all month:

Yeasayer, Rome


The Black Keys, Tighten Up (produced by DJ Danger Mouse)

David Byrne & Fatboy Slim (ft Sia), Never So Big - I could not be more obsessed with this ridiculous project

Aloe Blacc, I Need a Dollar


Happy listening!

It was all a blur

This video records every painting that was hanging in the MoMA as of April 10, 2010. Not trippy/fantastical enough for you? Try muting it and streaming LCD Soundsystem's new album, This is Happening (coming out May 18) at the same time.

DeNiro's brainchild, back for round 9

Tickets to the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival went on sale for American Express cardholders yesterday; downtown residents can snap up the remainders on Sunday, and as for the rest of you plebians, well, you'll just have to cross your fingers and wait until Monday. I'm hoping to score seats at one or more of the following: Gainsbourg, Je T'aime ... Moi Non Plus (a biopic of French singer Serge Gainsbourg, starring Laetitia Casta as mistress Brigette Bardot), Sons of Perdition (a documentary about breaking free of a polygamist cult), William Vincent (starring the ever-talented and swoon-worthy James Franco), and Heartbreaker (a French romantic comedy about the business of breaking hearts, starring Johnny Depp's baby mama, Vanessa Paradis). Those of you cursed to live somewhere other than New York need not despair: starting April 21, 15 of the festival's films will be available on demand, in the comfort of your own home.

Castle in the spa

Get thee to College Point, dear readers, and there you shall find a 60,000 sq ft oasis known as the NY Spa Castle. The site is home to a veritable theme park of spa treatments, more or less the Korean answer to the Russian or Turkish bathhouse. $35 on weekdays or $45 on weekends (with a 10% discount applied to groups of 10 or more) grants you entry into the spa, sauna, indoor & outdoor bade pools, aqua bar, waterfalls, Hinoki bath, and foot & body massage pools, with additional charges for the fitness center, food and drinks, and spa treatments such as waxing, facials and massage. Does this place not scream birthday, bachelorette party or, uh, corporate meeting spot? Just gotta find my way to Queens.

The kids are alright

If you haven't heard PS 22's fifth grade chorus belt out covers of everyone from Jay-Z to the Velvet Underground, you don't know what you're missing. These kids are seriously talented, and it doesn't hurt that they're also pretty darn cute. In their latest rendition, they add their own flavor to Beach House's "Zebra" ... how cool is their director?!


In other news, I'd like to announce the addition of a few new features on this blog - you can now search previous posts, sites I've linked to, and all of Google (see the search box on the top right of the page). And at my friend Dana's suggestion, I've also added a list of the sites I check day-to-day, to give you a sense of where some of my post ideas come from. Always open to constructive criticism - feel free to leave it in the comments!

April flowers

Early bird special: from 10am to 12pm every Saturday, admission to the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens is free. Also free - admiring the daffodils and crocuses that are springing up all over the city. Here's a how-to for a cheerful flower arrangement in a vintage wooden box. Happy happy joy joy!

I'm speechless

If you haven't seen this yet ... prepare for the most amazing four minutes of your life. The magic starts at 1 minute 9 seconds.

Move out the way, Susan Boyle.

August in April

Today feels kind of like:

and:

Nineties state of mind, as per usual - how nice that the weather happens to agree!

¡Viva España!

I meant to share my travel pics yesterday, but the pile of work on my desk proved too immense to allow for a blogging break. At least the beautiful weather makes it slightly easier to be back. After the jump, some Barcelona beauty:

Cava, crema catalana and hot chocolate at Cafe Escriba in Las Ramblas

Didgeridoo player outside Parc Guell
View from the Gaudi apartments
La Boqueria - heaven on earth
Jugs of cava at El Xampanet, one of our favorite spots
Unbelievable tapas at Paco Meralgo
Street art in El Born

Anyone going to Spain in the near future? I have a list of bar and restaurant recommendations I promise will not disappoint.