Laugh it up

This one's been researched by psychologists and hard scientists alike for years now, but a little reinforcement from Scientific American never hurts:

"Laughter relaxes us and improves our mood, and hearing jokes may ease anxiety. Amusement’s ability to counteract physical agony is well documented, and as Cousins’s experience suggests, humor’s analgesic effect lasts after the smile has faded.
Cheerfulness, a trait that makes people respond more readily to laugh lines, is linked to emotional resilience—the ability to keep a level head in difficult circumstances—and to close relationships, studies show. Science also indicates that a sense of humor is sexy; women are attracted to men who have one. Thus, in various ways, life satisfaction may increase with the ability to laugh."

And now for something to make you LOL: 

I want to go to there

Sweetiepie, a new restaurant in the West Village whose Marie Antoinette-meets-Rumpelmeyer's decor and menu inspire a return to wacky decadence (the owners are the same restaurant icons of The Russian Tea Room and Tavern on the Green), throws recessionary caution to the wind in favor of a whimsical romp through fields of ice cream and caviar.  

I want to sit in that oversized birdcage, order spaghetti with vegetarian meatballs washed down with a Shirley Temple, and watch some eccentric old lady or obnoxious Upper East Side family devour the Sweetiepig (a $75 sundae).  Yum for all five senses.

Audio art

The crazy-cool cassette tape art of Iri5:

Reduce, reuse, recycle.

Our prayers to the gods of free outdoor concerts have been answered

The news of McCarren Park Pool's switch from free outdoor concert/movie venue back to community pool status was devastating to the hipster community (not to mention all New Yorkers who appreciate not paying for cool stuff).

Good news is here, folks: the rockin' gigs that once took place in that glorious pit of man-tanks and Brooklyn Brewery sweat will find a new home this coming summer.  The NY Times reports that a strip along the East River between North Eighth and North Ninth streets will house up to 6,000 bodyboppers.

Crossing my fingers that the Slip 'n' Slide finds its way to the Williamsburg waterfront.

Amen, Dolaro

I know the story is a few days old, but couldn't resist blogging about this: a construction worker from Queens won $1500 using Bernie Madoff's prison number to play the NY Lotto.

"I'm going to be a winner with this guy even though everyone lost money with him.  Somebody had to get a little lucky with him," said Ralph Amendolaro.

Talk about making lemonade from the proverbial lemons of investment fraud.

Monsters and Sendak and Spike Jonze, oh my

Absurdly excited for this to finally hit theaters on October 16th.  Thanks to Sarah for the heads-up.

Sandwich porn

Newly discovered way to waste my time on the worldwide web/get drool on my keyboard: scanwiches.com, a site that scans photos of sandwiches from various NYC eateries "for education and delight."  Delight, indeed.  A great recipe for Vietnamese Lemongrass Tofu Banh Mi (similar to the sandwich above) here.

Tiptoe through the tulips

Pics from a portrait project I'm working on for my digital photo class: 

Check out my pretty little muse's fashionspiration blog here.

Let's get together and feel alright

Feeling wayy relaxed after spending a week on Negril's 7-mile beach ... highlights included incredible food (if you're ever in the area, I recommend Niah's Patties), some of the best live reggae I've experienced, many lackadaisical walks with my feet in the surf, and a last-minute  procuring of tickets to the MarleyMagic outdoor reggae festival, in which we witnessed Damian, Junior and Stephen Marley pay homage to the pride of the island.  Wishing I-and-I were still there, but satisfied to be back in Baltimore with a tan and a rejuvenated level of positivity.  

Flavor tripping

I suppose it's been circling the trendspots for quite a while now, but last night was the first I heard of miracle fruit, a berry that temporarily modifies the way tastebuds perceive flavor such that sour things taste like the sweetest candy.  Wild, no?  I might have to look into purchasing some berry goodness and throwing a group taste test.

Also - apologies for slightly sucking at the blog thang lately ... life's been a little crazy here, and I'm about to be M.I.A. for a week as I'll be beachside and out of internet access.  Hope to be up and running on the blogosphere come next Monday.  Til then, a little Jamaican hilarity to get you through the week: