links for your monday

Hi there! Here are a few enjoyable links to help you while away your Monday afternoon:

• Design Sponge has a great collection of gift guides for everyone on your list, from flower lovers to cheese fanatics. The "gifts by color" lists are my favorite.

• Susie Bubble of Style Bubble reflects on her deep affection for hats on the Lucky Magazine blog.

• Siri at Ringo Have a Banana! always makes the best comfy-cool outfit collages.

• Pretty pretty pillows! I discovered ferm living's amazing shop through Happy Mundane (one of my favorite design blogs), and I'm so glad that I did.

• From In the Wabe: a puppy chow recipe and a cute puppy, too!

renegade craft fair

Renegade Craft Fair Holiday Sale in LA this weekend! I'll be there on Saturday to stock up on awesome handmade goodies for my family and friends. You should go, too!

Visit renegadecraft.com for more info.

sofia coppola for louis vuitton

Hello there. I know I've been absent for way too long. I've never been very good at being consistent, but I'm working on it. If anyone out there is still checking in on this little old blog, I hope you know that I appreciate it. Here's some Sofia Coppola for your trouble.

need supply sale

Need Supply Co. is currently having an extra 30% off sale on lots of great summer items. Just use the code "SURPRISE30" when you check out. I finally scored the navy striped tank dress that I've had my eye on since the beginning of summer, at an amazing price. I already own a similar striped dress, but this deal was just too good to pass up!

mad men

Season 4 starts tonight!

INCEPTION

I've seen this film 3 times in the past 5 days. It is so mind-blowingly great.

I've been following Christopher Nolan's career since I first saw Memento in 2000. Each film that he's made since then has dealt with similar themes (loss, guilt, atonement) and possessed the same complexity, dramatic tension, and emotional resonance that have become his signature.

Nolan brings everything full circle with Inception. After seeing it for the first time, I felt that same distinct feeling that I had after seeing Memento a decade ago: astonished, amused, slightly unsettled, and knowing that I'd be thinking about it for days and weeks to come. There is no other director like Christopher Nolan. He is, arguably, my favorite director working today, and will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the greatest filmmakers of this generation.

summer shoe wishlist

vans palisades vulc in hemp frost gray/yellow cream

toms classic linen slip-on in blue bridgeport

keep company the benten in navy

cheer up, charlie

Charlie Bucket in his favorite napping spot on top of my bookshelf

summer purchases

kimchi blue dress from ebay

shipmate stripe dress from shopruche.com

animal beach hut tote bag from julia pott's etsy shop

pizza & cupcakes

Last month, I flew to Seattle to visit family and celebrate my grandmother's 90th birthday. I also ate some stuff.

roasted mushrooms & truffle cheese pizza

chocolate & graham cracker cupcake with marshmallow frosting

And, of course, I made sure to visit to my favorite ice cream shop, Molly Moon's. This time around, I got a scoop of their famous salted caramel. So, so, so good. I love Seattle.

the baxter

Just watched The Baxter, starring Michael Showalter and Michelle Williams. Really funny. I love Michelle's sweet, understated vintage style in the film.

new york eats

Since it was my first trip to New York, I decided to stick to the classics. Every meal basically consisted of some variation of bread, cheese and/or some type of meat. I probably should mention that, until recently, I hadn't eaten red meat in over 12 years. The reason I decided to start was so that I could enjoy a New York hot dog, which is just as arbitrary a reason as the one that made me decide to stop in the first place (I just felt like it).

Here are a few highlights from my NYC food adventures:

On our first night in New York, we went to Lombardi's for dinner, where I received an embarrassing amount of attention (and a free drink!) from the bartender and, more importantly, had the best pizza of my life. This is saying a lot, since I consider myself somewhat of a pizza connoisseur. I've been to the best pizza joints in California (Northern and Southern), Las Vegas, Chicago, Seattle, and New York. Of course I expected New York pizza to be the best, by far. It did not disappoint. This slice of pizza is the slice against which all other slices will be compared.

Gray's Papaya. This is what I gave up over a decade of red meat abstinence for. And you know what? It was worth it. My friend and I got the recession special: two frankfurters and a drink for $4.45. There is only one frankfurter in this photo because my friend stole the other one before I could get my camera out.

B.L.A.T. sandwich from Friedmans Lunch. This wasn't a planned visit; we just got hungry while walking around Chelsea Market. This sandwich was a nice surprise, though. A bit heavy on the L, but the addition of A (avocado), plus a good amount of herbed aoili, made up for that. I just had my very first B.L.T. a few months ago, but it's already my favorite sandwich.

On our final night, we had dinner at S'Mac. S'mac is a delightful restaurant in the East Village that serves macaroni & cheese...and only macaroni & cheese. There are four serving size options: Nosh, Major Munch, Mongo, and Partay! How could I not love this place? My friends and I shared a Major Munch-sized "Garden Lite," which was incredibly good. It was packed with veggies, so it wasn't just the constant taste of cheese and more cheese, which could get overwhelming after a while.

We ate much more than this. These were just the things that I decided to take photos of. Even after all this gluttony, I somehow managed to lose weight during my trip. How the hell did I manage this? My feet would probably tell you that it's because of all the walking we did, but I'd like to think it's because New York is just that amazing.

new york snaps

Non-food-related New York highlights:

• First subway ride and walk through Manhattan to visit the Met
• Strolling though soggy, gloomy, beautiful Central Park
• Attending a taping of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
• Exploring Strand Book Store (and buying way too many books)
• Running into Patricia Clarkson and her dog while walking to Chelsea Market
• Meeting Mindy Kaling at Magnolia Bakery later that day
• Seeing the original Batman masks on display at the Tim Burton exhibit at MoMA
• Visiting 30 Rock, where my television alter ego, Liz Lemon, works

New York food post to follow!

top 5

Jon Hamm had to do last-minute reshoots for Mad Men on Sunday and couldn't make it to the Tootsie screening. What. A. Bummer. I went to Disneyland and watched Kick-Ass with my friend instead. I thoroughly enjoyed Kick-Ass. It was very violent and very entertaining.

Anyway, I haven't done one of these lists in a long, long time. Here are five people/places/things that I've been enjoying lately:

1. Beach House's latest album, Teen Dream. I love love love this band.

2. Donald Glover. He used to write for 30 Rock, and now stars in Community, a show that's only in its first season, but is already one of the funniest and most creative comedies on television. My friend and I saw him do stand-up at the Laugh Factory in Hollywood last month, and he had us laughing non-stop. Donald also blogs about cool stuff and writes and performs intricately worded rap songs with indie/geek leanings under the pseudonym Childish Gambino. He's a modern-day Renaissance man. I have a huge crush on him.

3. Party Down is another one of my favorite shows at the moment. It's about a bunch of failed actors and writers working at a catering company. The spot-on cast includes Adam Scott, Lizzie Caplan, and Martin Starr (of my all-time favorite Freaks and Geeks). The show just entered into its second season on the Starz network. The incomparable Jane Lynch was part of the cast in season 1, but left to be on Glee. Megan Mullally is taking her place this season. Her character is funny, but I still miss Jane. All episodes are available for instant viewing on Netflix, and you can also watch a few episodes on the official website.

4. Marias USA, a cool little independent shoe line that pairs simple shapes with interesting details. Their designs are fun, classic, and effortlessly stylish. Affordable, too! The Low Top and the Two-toned Flat are my current favorites.

5. Cute boys with cats on tumblr. What a genius idea for a blog. This cat totally looks like Tiger from An American Tail.

hamm & banksy

This handsome, handsome man will be hosting a screening of Tootsie at the Silent Movie Theatre in Los Angeles tonight. To say that I'm "looking forward to it" would be a huge understatement. I get to see Jon Hamm and the (almost as good-looking) young Dustin Hoffman in the same evening. It's win-win!

Yesterday I went to a screening of the Banksy film Exit Through the Gift Shop. It was really great - unexpectedly funny and thought-provoking. It was interesting to see the story and process behind all the street art that's so prevalent throughout LA. There's so much amazing footage in the film. If it's playing anywhere near you, go see it!

happy earth day!

the donut man

I still haven't gotten around to sorting through the New York photos. I've been busy enjoying every second of my Spring break. So sad that it's coming to an end.

Last Saturday, I met up with my best friend for an early dinner at The Boiling Crab. Later that night, we picked up a few donuts from The Donut Man. We got a strawberry donut to share, plus one for our friend. It is the best donut ever. The strawberries always taste fresh and sweet (but not too sweet), and the donut itself is so big that you have to eat it with a knife and fork. In fact, this donut is so good that it made the cover of LA Weekly's "99 Things to Eat in L.A. Before You Die" issue.

We also tried a few cream puff-inspired donuts - French donuts filled with cream cheese and topped with powdered sugar. We got all three flavors: plain, blueberry, and raspberry. I liked the plain one the best, but all three tasted delicious. I was afraid that the cream cheese would be too rich, but it was really light and fluffy. I grew up 5 minutes away from Donut Man, and it hasn't changed at all since I was a kid. It's always been great. If you ever find yourself in the San Gabriel Valley area, definitely pay them a visit.

nyc

Just got back from my first trip to New York City. I'll blog about it later, when I'm slightly less exhausted.

la street food fest

The 1st Annual LA Street Food Fest was a couple of weekends ago. Since it was the first event of its kind in LA, I knew to prepare for disappointment. That being said, I actually ended up having a pretty good time. Sure, there were huge crowds and long lines, but the people were friendly, the DJ played good music, and of course, the food was delicious.

My goal was to visit three food trucks that I'd been wanting to try out. I was able to try two of them: Coolhaus and The Grilled Cheese Truck. I got to sample two mini treats at Coolhaus: a chocolate chip cookie & maple with candied bacon ice cream sammie and a brownie & strawberry ice cream sammie. Both were so good and perfect for the near 80-degree weather that we were having that day. My friends and I tried out a few different sandwiches from The Grilled Cheese Truck, but the hands-down winner was the Brie Melt - double cream brie, a slice of crisp Bosc pear, and honey on cranberry walnut bread. The textures and flavors were incredible! The perfect mix of creamy, crunchy, savory, and sweet. I've been craving another Brie Melt ever since. I plan on recreating it at home sometime soon. My hunger wasn't even close to being satisfied by the time I left the festival, so I ended up stopping for chicken wings at Kyochon (best chicken wings ever). Yeah, it was a fairly gluttonous day, but I'm not making any apologies. Food is amazing. Days like this make me feel lucky to live in LA.

I (h)EA(r)T LA

Going to the LA Street Food Fest today, armed with an empty stomach and a fully charged camera battery. Stay tuned for photos! In the meantime, here's Amy Poehler and her dreamy panda boyfriend:

via Bust

Whatever you're celebrating this weekend, have a great one!