Hi, friends.  Like a terrible editor, I got sucked into a hole of moving, traveling, and singing “Just Like Heaven” more times than you can imagine.  ABOVE IS AN ALMOST-COMPLETELY-ENCOMPASSING-AGGLOMERATION OF WHAT I HAVE DONE DURING OUR SEPARATION.

1.  When we last met, I confessed a profound desire to throw a Johnny Weir party.  My adoration has not dissipated, and has unquestionably intensified. Especially since I discovered that we get Sundance channel at home!  Therefore, I can watch as much Be Good Johnny Weir as I want (until a certain roommate wants to watch Say Yes to the Dress).  The show chronicles Johnny’s skating adventures leading up to the Winter Olympics, and will provoke you to shed tears of sorrow over not being best friends with Johnny Weir.  Prancing around in fur hats?! Bubble baths with wigs?!  If I haven’t convinced you yet, below is a teaser:

Oh, and PS.  I am currently watching Pop Star on Ice, an hour and a half documentary on Johnny Weir, AND, I’m going to see him perform Bad Romance live this week.  WIN-WIN.

2. Titus Andronicus recently released an epic second album, The Monitor, a cohesive collection of jangly, danceable punk songs with clever references and battle cries.  I love battle cries, and the album makes me wish I was from Jersey. Furthermore, I have the attention span of a chipmunk.  Despite this, I gleefully consume The Monitor (whose songs mostly exceed 5 minutes).  They’re really nice guys who deserve all the album praise they’ve been getting (an unrelated fact that acknowledges I am biased).  ANOTHER VIDEO:
A More Perfect Union

Titus Andronicus | MySpace Music Videos

3. While in NYC, I ate the most delicious cookie I had ever eaten.  I’ve ingested many cookies, but all of them are now inferior to the magical Levain cookies.  Various fortuitous events led to my introduction to Levain.  My sister and brother in law saw Rocco DiSpirito mention his love for Levain on the Food Network + I was a block away from the bakery.  The cookies are perfection: they are warm and gooey inside, but slightly crispy on the outside.  It’s unfortunate that I don’t live in NYC, and cannot afford to have them FedEx’d to Chicago.  This copycat recipe for the chocolate chocolate peanut butter chip cookies, however, is pretty good.

4. Have you ever eaten a sour patch kid, and thought, “self. I wish this was a vitamin.”  I have trouble remembering to eat my vitamins, but not when I have One-A-Day VitaCraves Sour Gummies.

5.  A couple of weeks ago, She & Him released Volume 2, a breezy follow-up to Volume 1.  I have mostly positive feelings towards She & Him.  Zooey always wears nice frocks, a fact that should have no influence on whether I like She & Him, but…it is a factor.  Beyond the frocks, my greatest criticism regarding Volume 1 is Zooey’s chalkboard screeching voice pings.  Example: the high notes in “Sentimental Heart.”  Not cute Joanna Newsom screeches.  Volume 2 is much stronger, and a great way to herald the arrival of Spring (sort of…it’s still cold in Chicago).  I especially enjoy their cover of “Gonna Get Along Without You Now.”ALSO THERE IS THIS CUTE VIDEO, WHICH MAKES ME EXTRA EXCITED FOR MY FUTURE BALTIMORE BAND AND DANCE NUMBERS:

6. I’ve been watching a few excellent TV dramas, oddly all related to drug trafficking.  Whereas watching The Wire is partly educational for my future move to Baltimore, Breaking Bad satisfies my curiosity regarding what it would be like if an accomplished science teacher cooked meth.  This curiosity stems from college organic chemistry lab, where the teacher schooled us in lab technique, and our fate depended on purity and yield.  Breaking Bad is amazingly engaging and well-written.  It’s intriguing to witness the character progression of Walt, the science teacher who cooks meth (and has lung cancer…and has a son with cerebal paulsy…and he’s poor because he’s a middle school teacher).  His thirst for power consumes his initial apprehension, and meth cooking grants him courage that he had never been bold enough to exercise prior to cooking meth.

1. LADY GAGA’S BAD ROMANCE. I know, I know — and yet, she does write her own songs, and she has her own sense of style (the wheelchair/invalid dance in Paparazzi?!), and you can play this song over and over if you’re caught in a bad roma-roma-ramma… etc. Oh, and the monster dance moves? Go ahead, watch the video now. I’m breaking out my monster claws at the next party.

2. PRESIDENTIAL FLASHCARDS. Go to the “One Spot” at Target where everything is a dollar, and get this set of Presidential Flashcards with a prez portrait on the front and fun facts on the back. I spent yesterday memorizing all of the presidents in order. I’m sure that will come in handy… never. (Whose the dude with the cool hairdo in the pic above? ANSWER BELOW.)

3. BIG LOVE. Rumor has it, the fourth season just began, but, as an HBO-less human, behind on the times, I just finished the first season ($26). There is a voyeuristic thrill in watching this rendition of modern-day polygamy, which, according to this one time I flipped on Oprah, still happens outside of crazy, fundamentalist-Mormon compounds. Oh, and it stars Gennifer Goodwin as one of the wives, and Amanda Seyfried as one of the daughters.

4. PENGUIN DELUXE CLASSICS. The covers of the Penguin Deluxe Classics almost make we want to read books I loath, such as Ethan Frome, which has its very best heartbreaking/hysterical scene immortalized on the cover. Many of the covers instead immortalize scenes in comic strips, including Chris Ware’s (you should know him) cover for Candide:

5. TRUE BLOOD (watch the trailer!). So, I was totally not on the vampire bandwagon until I watched the first season ($45 on amazon.com, but I think it’s on sale at Target!) of True Blood (the second season didn’t do it for me, so I didn’t finish it, but I still recommend the first) about a near-future world in which Vampires have come out of hiding to attempt to peacefully co-exist with humans (and have hot, naked HBO-sex with them). Sookie (Oscar winner Anna Paquin! Love her!), a minding-reading southerner, falls in love with Vampire-Bill (hot, but pale). Best of all, it’s produced — with some episodes written and directed by — Alan Ball, Oscar-winning writer of American Beauty. Finally, the title sequence runs like a music video about redemption and sin (read about it on Wikipedia):

ANSWER: William Henry Harrison! If you can’t remember anything about him, don’t worry, he was only president for thirty-two days!

A good year. Some favorites…

1. Favorite short story: “My First Fee” by Isaac Babel
Links: The Complete Works of Isaac Babel on amazon.com ($30)
Text of Isaac Babel’s (great) short story “Guy de Maupassant”

2. Favorite album: Up From Below by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
Links: Up From Below on amazon.com ($10)
Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros on MySpace
Song “40 Day Dream” Live (youtube)
Official Video for “Home” (youtube)

3. Second favorite short story: “Bullet in the Brain” by Tobias Wolff
Links: T. Coraghessan Boyle reads “Bullet in the Brain” on the New Yorker Fiction podcast
Our Story Begins: New and Selected Stories by Tobias Wolff, amazon.com ($11)

4. Favorite gift: Aerial 7 Matador headphones
Link: Aerial 7 Matador Headphones, amazon.com ($50)

5. Favorite novel: Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
Links: Lolita by Nabokov, amazon.com ($11)
Great Review of the Novel from The Second Pass

6. Second favorite novel: The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
Link: The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers, amazon.com ($10)

7. Favorite TV Show: In Treatment
Links: In Treatment Season 1 Trailer (youtube)
HBO’s Offical In Treatment Site
In Treatment: The Complete First Season, amazon.com ($55)
In Treatment- The Complete Second Season, amazon.com (for pre-order, $55)

8. Favorite actor: James Dean
Link: S&D Guide to becoming A Rebel, Without a Cause (including trailer, etc)

9. Favorite song: Skinny Love by Bon Iver
Links: Bon Iver playing Skinny Love live (youtube)
For Emma, Forever Ago by Bon Iver, amazon.com ($13)

10. Favorite historical figure: Napoleon (thanks, PBS)
Link: Empires: Napoleon DVD, PBS Documentary w/David McCullough, amazon.com ($17)

11. Favorite (newish) movie: Rachel Getting Married
Links: Rachel Getting Married Trailer (youtube)
Rachel Getting Married DVD, amazon.com $17

1. BOOTIES. I am too cheap to turn on my heat, thus my footwear has become extremely important. I love these because they have a soft foam bottom so you can sit on your feet with ease. Also, I am attraced to the bright, fair-isle pattern (yay!). You can get them in navy, white, or pink at Old Navy for $20, but maybe you’ll find them on sale for $8 like me.
2. WOODCHUCK CIDER. I’m not big on beer. When autumn rolls around, I like my cider spiked. You can find these in the alcoholic beverages aisle of most grocery stories, and get them in flavors like granny apple and pear.
3. RELATER BY PETE YORN & SCARLETT JOHANSSON. Here are some things I misinterpreted about this song: (1) it is not called “REALTOR”, (2) it is not bad because a famous actress sings in it, (3) the lyrics are not “I was high / I was hungry” but “I was tired / I was hungry.” I’ve been playing this song on repeat for weeks.

1. BANANAGRAMS. I AM OBSESSED. CURRENTLY. POSSIBLY FOREVER. I spent almost the entire thanksgiving weekend playing this game. If you ever loved Scrabble, and especially if you loved Scrabble but the game was TOO SLOW, then you will be in heaven when you start playing Bananagrams. In this game there is no board and each player makes their own little crossword. The first finished, wins. You can add fun twists by forcing people to use words only in a particular category.
2. AMERICAN SHORT STORY MASTERPIECES. For $8 (or less, if you buy an older used version like me!), you can have “36 Outstanding American Stories.” You might think the cover of this book is all hype, but IT IS NOT. Every story I’ve read thus far has knocked my socks off, made me either want to go write something fabulous or quit while I’m behind. James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues” and Vance Bourjaily’s “The Amish Farmer” and Tobias Wolff’s “The Liar.” SIGH. SIGH. DOUBLE SIGH. I have a super-duper, giant crush on this book. It’s also a Mass Market Paperback, which I am usually against, but I will tell you — it is great for holiday travel!

Technically, I should have titled this “Tricia’s Currently-As-In-The-Past-Two-Months Obsessed.”  But I didn’t.  Uniformity, I guess.

1. Have you ever had a dream about riding tandem with a special friend?  These adorable note cards will remind you that you’re alone and can’t actualize this dream.  I keed. valentine letterpress bike notecard set from Lark Press, $14

2. THE SMELL OF DECAYING LEAVES.  Can this count as a currently obsessed?  Since I make the rules, YES.

3. Seemingly eons ago (actually a year ago), I explored the appeal of bitty things.  These capsule messages are no exception, and I absolutely cannot suppress the “aww”s and shoulder shrugs.  Deftly sneak a love note to the object of your affection, and pray that they don’t swallow out the pill out of curiosity prior to reading your note.  10x better than a message in a bottle.  And you won’t get that Police song stuck in your head while thinking about messages in compartments.  Capsule Letters from Poketo, $3.25

4. If you’re ever in the lower east side of Manhattan (or LA…soon!), go to babycakes.  The Agave/Gluten-Free cupcakes and brownies are delightful, and perhaps you’ll run into Zooey Deschanel or Jason Schwartzman on your visit.  Too far?  I highly recommend that you obtain the babycakes cookbook, an easy-to-follow guide to recreating Erin McKenna’s creations.  Tracking down ingredients might be a slightly challenge (turns out Safeway carries Spelt, NOT Trader Joe’s), but the rewards of your effort exceed the pain of finding stuff like spelt.  BabyCakes: Vegan, (Mostly) Gluten-Free, and (Mostly) Sugar-Free Recipes from New York’s Most Talked-About Bakery cookbook from Amazon, $12.96

5. Yesterday at work, my boss saw me wearing these rain shoes, she exclaimed that she had not seen them since college, and proceeded to document my feet on her phone.  I asked her if she intended to send this picture to her college friends.  Nope, she wanted to post it on her Facebook.  My Target rain boots from my Ithaca days finally perished, which led to vexing wet sock days.  I got new rain footwear.  The end.  Sporto Aroostic Weatherproof Duck Shoe from DSW, $54.95

6. For some silly reason, I had never been to Quimby’s until about a month ago.  Now it is the recipient of a noticeable portion of my paycheck, and I will publicly declare it (bold) my favorite bookstore in Chicago.  Quimby’s has an incredible collection of literary/music/art zines, graphic novels, trinkets, etc.  On a recent visit, I obtained Little Otsu cards, my own copy of PS Comics (no more borrowing roommate’s!), and Hot Damn and Hell Yeah: The Dirty South (Vegan) Cookbook.  It’s as if someone fished in my head, and created a bookstore JUST FOR ME.  Arharharhar I amuse myself so easily.  If you’re too far from Quimby’s in the real world, Quimby’s has an excellent online bookstore.

7.  This purchase is relatively old now, but I bought this toy as an early birthday present to myself.  Very early.  It’s a portable record player!!!  Oh and for all you scowlers with your noses in the air….it plays wonderfully!  The old record player was broken, and whispered to me that it wanted to be replaced.  And I made it happen.   Since my future residence is cloudy, I wanted something that was non-committal.  Also, my dear friend Angelica has a portable record player, and we took it to the gorge one summer, and it was a fantastic time.  Copying is  form of flattery?  Note: I have the most pathetic arm musculature, and I am holding the record player with one arm.  This should give you a good portrait of how transportable it is.  And hey, Amazon claims it is 9lbs, so we’ll trust them.  That’s lighter than my laptop.

Above is an image of my little player in action.  At the time of the picture, I was listening to Madeline stories.  I’m a winner.  Crosley CR40 Mini-Turntable (Red) from Amazon, $65.32

Yay! It’s my very first Currently Obsessed post! I have a serious sweet tooth – as you will probably find out after subsequent posts – so I thought it fitting to relate all these items to mouth-watering sweet stuff!

1) Cupcake Car: When I saw these incredible “cars” capable of going a whopping 7mph, I actually screamed, in a pretty high-pitched voice: “Ohmygosh! They are soooo CUTE!” Because they so are. If any of you have $25,000 to spare you can get yourself the best Christmas present ever: a vehicle slower than a bike – but probably faster than your normal walking speed –  that is fully customisable so you can get a car that resembles your favourite cupcake! I’m dreaming of the day that I arrive to school in one of these…The only question that remains: Do I need a driving license for one of these?!!

2) Oreo Cupcakes: I got pretty obsessed with cupcakes this week, and these look SO delicious! I mean pink panda cupcakes that are made from Strawberry Milkshake flavoured Oreos! Can you get more mouth-watering then that?

3) Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain (Or just Amélie): I’ve just started my A-Level French course at school and my teacher said that we needed to expose ourselves to more French culture; movies, music, book etc. So I decided to watch a French movie – I’m so glad I picked Amelie! It has actually become one of my favourite movies of all time! Its about a kooky waitress in Paris who leads a simple life and decides to devote her life to bringing strangers happiness. It is the cutest movie ever – I know I overuse the word cute, but there is no other way to describe this movie! You don’t even need to speak French – watch it with the English subtitles!

4) Carmex Cherry Lip Balm: Cherry Carmex is the best lip balm ever! I have really chapped lips but this lip balm makes them feel all moisturised and smooth! Your lips actually tingle when you put it on AND it smells so good! Every time I reapply it people will go: Are you eating a sweet? What smells so good? It only costs £2 as well, I can’t find any downsides!

5) Nymph Costume: So Halloween isn’t as huge a deal here in The UK as it is in the US, but I still think it is a great excuse for fancy dress! How beautiful is this handmade, leaf-adorned tunic? I think dressing up as Greek Forest Nymph would make the perfect Halloween costume! It is obviously dressing up, it is a unique idea and its just really pretty and feminine! Too bad it’s not exactly scary!

6) Irregular Choice Shoes: Irregular Choice makes the wackiest most original shoes that I have ever seen! You need to check out their website! I love all the colours and prints and the different structures – can you use the word structures when describing shoes? – that all the shoes have, but, my favourite pair by far are the ones covered with little ice creams! I went and tried them on in the store and everything, but unfortunately I am completely incapable of walking in 6inch heels!

I know we’ve been semi-lame lately, but Tricia is mad-busy, and I’m packing packing (my poor room is beginning to look so very empty). Also, there were a few Wordpress upgrade problems, all of which hadven’t been fixed. In time. In time.

But while and between packing I’ve been happily entertained by several new (er, okay, only new to me) and inexpensive products of the entertainment industry. REMEMBER in addition to books, libraries also usually have lots of DVDs and CDs, so there is no need to spend a cent, unless you are lazy like me and have Netflix.

1. Enchanted. So two years ago? Yes, but I’m still Enchanted. Hee hee. This movie is great for me for three reasons: (a) It takes place in NYC, a place I’m Currently Obsessed with because I’m Currently About To Leave It; (b) It makes fun of Disney movies while BEING a Disney movie at the very same time (very meta); (c) great musical numbers (nominated for several academy awards, but beaten out fairly by Once), case and point:

2. Bon Iver. I just discovered this new band via Adele’s musical selections in a recent issue of Oprah Magazine (*air high-five with Tricia*). His song “Skinny Love” blew me away. (I also love: For Emma, Blood Bank — alright, I like most of them). Check it:

3. Shakespeare in the Park! This is the deal. Central Park in NYC puts on a FREEEEEEEE summer series (two plays, one always Shakespeare). It is a professional production, this year starring Anne Hathaway as Viola in Twelfth Night.

This was the best Shakespeare production I have ever seen. If you are afraid of Shakespeare (“I don’t know what’s going on!!! What language are they speaking!?”), fear not! This is so well done that you won’t have to struggle to understand. To get tickets, you have to get online early in the morning (ex. I got online at 8:30 and was safely a ticket-getter), though late-comers sometimes get lucky. Bring something to sit on and games to play for the line — you can’t hold a spot for a friend whose coming later, either. They hand out tickets at 1:00, and everyone is entitled to two. The show is at 8pm, and it’s outside so bring appropriate clothes! Twelfth Night runs until July 12 2009. (PS A raccoon tried to crawl on stage during the performance!)

4. Colbert Goes Commando. I love that Colbert is making it fashionable to support the troops while not necessarily supporting the policies that got them where they are. If you haven’t heard, Steven Colbert of the mock news show The Colbert Report recently voyaged to Iraq, entertaining the troops by filming a week of episodes on location in one of Saddam’s old palaces.
Full Episodes from his trip to Iraq are available on Colbert Nation. The first episode, from Monday June 8, is especially good.

5. Persepolis. Yes, I’m also years late on this obsession, but I’ve been thinking a lot about this autobiography / graphic novel concerning a young girl growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. I’m disappointed in myself for being so generally uninterested in foreign affairs (though I do think it’s my duty, as a human, to be informed), so I’m thrilled that this “novel” makes the plight of people in other countries seem so personal and real.

6. Marlon Brando. Last week, I really let my Netflix account go. Suddenly I was getting movies in my mailbox that I had meant to keep forever on the bottom of my Netflix queue and never actually receive. So there I was with A Streetcar Named Desire and On the Waterfront. In order to get my next movies, you know what I had to do. I had to watch them. What did I discover? Old movies are hella well-written, and Marlon Brando is hella hot. Also, you will get to see one of the most famous scenes in movie history, which I think is much better in the context of the movie, but here we go:

So, go enjoy yourself with all your new entertaining suggestions! (And let me know if there is anything I should add to my list!)

I have no time for witticisms and preambles! This is going to be short + sweet! I’m a woman on a mission! (If you see less of me this week, it’s all because of Number Five.)

(1) Jack Kerouac’s Invented Game of Fantasy Sports: Read the NY Time article (GO!). This is especially interesting if you are a writer or other creative-type who has an active imagination, even as an adult.

(2) Cute Outfit: Of all of the things I have seen on the internet lately, this outfit has been on my desktop waiting for me to do something with it. All I could do with it was stick it here. I found it on NYLON (which generally does a shitty job of linking to anything helpful, and which I will follow suit in in the interest of time).

(3) Twitter & Threadless: They have teamed up to turn your Tweets into Twats. Er. I mean, shirts. Just link up your twitter account with the Twitter/Threadless conglomerate, and you can nominate the tweets of yourself or your friends for T-shirt fame.

(4) Free Coldplay CD: Ahhh, I was skeptical as to the quality of something so audaciously free, but I actually like some of the live versions better than the studios. My favorite song is “Death Will Never Conquer” (in a rare change of events, the drummer, Will Champion, sings this folksy ditty). Literally, I have been playing through this + Tricia’s Lilly Allen recommendation for three days straight.

(5) The Dictionary: I am reading it. For real. Cover to cover. Six+ hours a day. And taking notes. It is exhausting. (I am scheduled to finish in one month if I continue at this rate.)

(6) The Little Prince: It’s true, as a lover of children’s books I probably should have read The Little Prince sometime long before last week. You’ll be happy to know that now that I have read it, I understand why everyone is obsessed! Such a lovely, deep story. (Go flip through it on Google Books if you haven’t read it!) A little internet research lead to the discovery that James Dean (I heart him also, btw) also loved the book, and had many passages memorized.

Hello, friends.  During the month we’ve been apart, I (unfortunately) have not been feeling well.  I wish I could report back with grand adventures to account for my absence, BUT I CAN’T!  Tragic.  Here’s a list of things that have been helping me maintain my sanity.

1.  I recently spent a delightful Sunday at Art Chicago/NEXT with my dear college/barista compatriot, Susanna Crum.  Overwhelmed by the amazing amount of work showcased by galleries from around the world,  I learned about many new artists that I had never heard of, including Edmund Law.

Based out of Toronto, Edmund’s never never land (shown above) is the most memorable piece I saw that day.  The sculpture features four pairs of joined fly wings that are arrested in a ceaseless flutter (thank you, wind tunnels).  And yes, they are real fly wings.  Edmund has a penchant for organic material such as his own sweat, and skin.

2. I adore clothing that is structurally eccentric, like Anthropologie’s Knotty Pine sweater (one of the best sweaters I have ever owned).  It’s no surprise that I love the chenin grape scarf from Ruche.

3.  In college, my friend Ali would occasionally play Miss Lily Allen at our gatherings, but apparently I wasn’t paying enough attention to the music.  During the past month, I have have been listening to her incessantly.  I even saw her live (Alone!  I stood in the back, sandwiched between prepubescents armed with PowerShots, and sorority girls!  Lily’s pretty and sings well in person!)  I’m convinced that no one else can mobilize an entire audience to wave double middle fingers, while melodically singing “Fuck You”s.  Her slow songs are okay, but her BOYS-ARE-FAILURES songs are superior.  Of course.  Oh, and I really like refried beans.  Which, I think, she’s eating in the picture above.

4. Due to recent health problems, I’m not really supposed to have normal coffee anymore!   TRAGIQUE!  “But, Tricia! Weren’t you a barista?!”  Yes (sad face).  Although it’s been a year since I last prepared a dry soy cappuccino, I could never ignore my visceral barista.  Thankfully, Intelligentsia offers a delicious decaf blend: Librarian’s blend!  This is the official Intelligentsia description:

A flavorful blend of Indonesian, African, and Central American beans, the Librarian’s Blend is named for that person who always told you to keep quiet when you were studying. This blend is representative of the soul of the librarian: steady, reassuring, and always there with that slight edge of eccentricity. It has a bold base with a bit of sparkle. Here’s to good reading.

How cute.  Testament to my love: I bought an airtight canister SOLELY for my bag of Librarian’s Blend.

5. Another singer I hadn’t listened to extensively until recently: Devendra Banhart.  OH, Devendra.  Devendra is an enchanting singer.  I normally possess a short attention span, and even though his albums are epically long, I find them both engaging and consoling.  He released his last album in 2007, however, he recently covered a cover of Kath Bloom’s “Forget About Him.”  It’s a lot of fun; you can listen to it here.

6.  I’m pretty late to declare my support for Mona and Holly’s Spring 2009 line, but it’s glorious.  The collection is based on “smart and tidy service uniforms of decades past.”  The entire line is impeccably bright and well-tailored, and reminds me of the pleasant aspects of Spring.  Tulips.  Just tulips.  No allergies.

7.  I received my new issue of O magazine, and I haven’t flipped through it all, but I did spot these neon Sperry Top-Siders.  I have normal Sebago Dock Siders, but you know, Oprah wants me to get neon boat shoes.  And of course I have to do whatever Oprah says.  Of course.

Alright, so we can all agree that life this week on Stickers & Donuts has been semi-lame. Why, might you ask, is this the case? Well, it’s because I’ve been busy with my new current obsessions (except the lip balm — that hasn’t happened to take up too much of my time). You might wonder what there is to be obsessed with this week besides Susan Boyle (yes, I am obsessed with her and with Simon’s face at 4:26). Don’t worry, I found a few things.

1. Rosebud Lip Balm ($6, I found mine at a “general store” but they also sell it at Urban Outfitters or the site linked here). This is the BEST lip balm I have ever owned (it’s The Balm, you might say) for several reasons, including: it lasts forever (last pot lasted yearS), it is like Vaseline but with rosiness, it will not ruin your lipstick, it will make your lips soft, it comes in a cute vintage tin, the packaging claims it can be used for other aliments such as blemishes, diaper burn, and detergent burn (though I haven’t tested this, it intrigues me).
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2. The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers. Considered awesome by both Tennessee Williams and Oprah, you’ll find this book in the Classics section of any library worth its name in salt (er?). McCullers wrote the damn thing when she was 23. Makes you ashamed, doesn’t it?
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3. Goodbye, Columbus by Philip Roth. The main character of the title story (novella, really) is like a less-cynical JD Salinger character. You’ll have enough humor and sarcasm to get you through, though. So good I’ve read it twice!
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4. In Treatment. This five episode a week HBO drama follows therapist Paul Weston for four of his regular sessions with patients, and then a final session with his own therapist. The second season started early this month, but the first season is already available on DVD. (Image in collage from New York Magazine review of first season.)

   

5. Donald Barthelme. I just discovered (how can that be I wonder?) this fantastic and ridiculous writer. Not your typical New Yorker short story writer, so to speak. His “story” The School is very funny and at only two pages, you should go read it now.
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6. Samsung Alias Phone. I know everyone has an iphone, but since I’m saving my pennies, I’m still on a ridiculously-low-rate family plan with verizon — and I still get a free phone every two! This is one of the few verizon phones that has a QWERTY keyboard but doesn’t force you to upgrade your phone plan to anything fancy (but I did add on a 250 text messages/month plan, so I can now update my twitter from the road!). Like Oprah, I feel so twenty first century.