The Clinton Tapes

I also feel like I should do some financial reading but don't know which book(s) to start with.

This one?



Or maybe his book?

This one is waiting for me at home too (too bad it doesn't come in a fur-covered edition)

Tallyho!

Who makes a Lolcat with the wrong font? Get a clue!

Autumn Lights 2009

Last Saturday (Sept. 19) I went to this in Pershing Square. First I tried to go to dinner at Wurstküche but the line was heinously long, so we had some decent sushi in Little Tokyo.




I wasn't sure what to expect at Autumn Lights; anything happening Dowtown is a gamble as far as I'm concerned. The event, a "multimedia light art showcase," was a mixed bag but fun overall.

Hanging doilies?


Your brain on drugs?


Art in action

She was invisible with the flash on

Unaffiliated (I think) with the Autumn Lights show was this installation:

Wishlist

Dolce Vita Webber in Desert:

Michael Kors Midsized Chronograph in White or Black:

Or the shiny watch in gunmetal:

Starter Wife

My new favorite

Capital Punishment

Any practice that makes the Chinese government look humane by comparison is worth reconsidering.

Crunchwrap Supreme

" ... if she wanted food, we’d get her something to eat, like a Crunchwrap Supreme from Taco Bell."

Yogurtland coming to Beverly Connection!

See you there!

Mozza moving towards Wolfgang Puck-type growth?

The opening of Mozza2go was a strong hint, and this makes it official. I hope that one day I can eat Mozza in terminal one at LAX (watch out CPK!), and follow that up with Pinkberry for dessert; after all, it wouldn't be Nancy's first time.

Art gallery in a bathroom

Why not, indeed.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Greek Theatre, Thursday Sept. 17, 2009

Music later (setlist at bottom), fashion first: after seeing the Yeah Yeah Yeahs last night, I can officially declare that bangs, fedoras, and vests are on their way out, plaid is here to stay, and Asian girls are making a resurgence as the coveted accessory of white men at rock concerts (and beyond?).

Beyond that, I would describe the crowd as date night for those who may have smoked pot once in the late 90s. Some gays, some young people, some very cool, some art-house nutso, but primarly couples in their late-20s and beyond who are slightly ahead of the pop culture curve.

We missed Yacht, who must have gone on exactly at 8 and played for less than 30 minutes; we walked in around 8:30 to find The Breeders already on stage. I know little about The Breeders beyond Cannonball, but the audience was receptive. I immediately noticed that the sound felt louder than a typical night at the Greek, or maybe that was just Kim Deal’s loud (to the point of abrasive) vocals on Cannonball. They included a punkish rendition of Happiness is a Warm Gun.




I saw the YYYs a few years ago (when they were touring for Show Your Bones) at the Hollywood Palladium, and this show had just as much energy despite the larger venue. Based on the comments of those seated near me, Karen O is a fangirl’s wet dream (not sure if these girls were actual lesbians or Only for Karen O lesbians). Karen’s costumes are a crucial piece of the YYYs onstage persona; I would like to know what planet Christian Joy lives on and if I can visit someday.

I don’t like It’s Blitz as much as Show Your Bones or Fever to Tell, but it’s hard to be too critical when their performance is a bold display of raw talent and energy. The YYYs have tightened up since their first, self-titled release in 2001, but still feel wild and a bit unpredictable.



YYS setlist:
Runaway
Phenomenon
A song I can’t identify
Heads Will Roll
A song I can’t identify
Dull Life
Gold Lion
Cheated Hearts (with a lot of audience participation)
Skeletons
Hysteric
Soft Shock
Runaway
Zero (accompanied by release of 3 giant eyeballs into the crowd)
Turn Into

ENCORE
Y Control
Maps (acoustic)
A song I can’t identify

Do you want to cry?

All of the details from the Annie Le case are heartbreaking (though, for me, not as totally earth-shattering as the Lily Burk murder), and this excerpt describing the memorial attended by her family takes me straight to tear town.

Quang Van, a Yale Vietnamese language and literature lecturer who attended the Mass, said that Le's mother wrote a poem in Vietnamese. It was about singing lullabies for her daughter when she was young, but now having to sing a different kind of lullaby with her death. Le's younger brother, Chris, read an English translation.

Tonight

Too Gangsta

The Sept. 14 issue of The New Yorker (the style issue) has a very readable article about online retailer Zappos. The story is interesting chiefly in its description of nice and strange CEO Tony Hsieh, and the extremely dedicated workforce. My favorite line from the piece is semi-related to the latter, and comes from a moment where the author is riding in a shuttle to the customer service headquarters in Henderson, Nevada.

On my maiden shuttle trip, the driver mentioned that the relentlessly upbeat vibe at Zappos—Core Value No. 7: Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit—had broken up her marriage. “My husband didn’t fit in with the culture,” she said. “He was too gangsta.”

TOO GANGSTA.

I used to live in a psychic city

What is a Dona Juanita?

At the 2:55 mark he drops the bomb.

What do they know that we don't?

Is something really awful going to happen in 2010?

I don't mean to be morbid, but I predict Elizabeth Taylor's time is approaching rapidly.

Sugar Daddy

I received a mediocre $20 mani-pedi on Main St. in Santa Monica yesterday. As someone who is quite particular about polish color, I should track which colors I like and which I do not (the names are too ridiculous to keep straight; a written record will be helpful).

Let it be known that Essie Sugar Daddy (top) is too pink for my taste, but the sheerness level is acceptable. Mademoiselle (middle) is almost too sheer but a safe choice nonetheless, and Nude Beach (bottom) is great but sometimes I am embarassed about having sparkle on my nails.

As far as OPI goes, Passion is the best sheer for nails ever (but harder to find than the Essie sheers), and Bubble Bath is a nice opaque.

And while I'm on the subject, I refuse to try the matte trend that everyone is talking about for fall.

Mi Vida Loca

While reading this LAT review of the film Down for Life, I was surprised there was no mention of Mi Vida Loca. I used to watch Mi Vido Loca whenever it came on HBO; it is similar to Down for Life in that it is set in a low-income, heavily Latino area of Los Angeles, uses both professional actors (hi Salma Hayek!) and residents of the neighborhood, and all the lead characters are women.

At the time, I felt like Mi Vida Loca gave me insight into the lives of my junior high classmates, many of whom may have lived in Echo Park, where the film is set (pre-American Apparel). Looking back, I have no idea if the film is at all realistic.

I remember thinking La Blue Eyes (bottom left) was the prettiest girl in the whole world. How I forgot about the glory that is Whisper's (top left) bangs is a mystery.