Oh, it's fun to be a girl! And Mr. Kim, who runs So Good Jewelry in SoHo, knows this (he also seemed to know the pre-teen me that would steel minor baubles with friends, mostly rings or rolls bubble-tape wedged beneath our armpits, and – maybe it was just paranoia – he appeared to follow me around waiting for those long gone impulses to return). He wraps the store's concrete pillars in pink, lace and roses and he offers row after row of the most sparkliest, girliest, cheapiest jewelry you, or the eleven-year-old version of yourself, could imagine.

It's such a screaming corner of ultra Barbie-type femininity that I'm shocked that I've somehow managed to walk by time and again without noticing it. It might be because it looks like one of those wholesale-only places that dot the midtown shopping-scape, but, in fact, the only thing wholesale about it is the prices.

The place is cheap, but the pricing can be a little wonky. When I've got two sets of oversized plastic earrings in my hand for $5 a piece, how can I be expected to part with $20 for a simple necklace or brooch – even if the necklace has the cutest tiny pair of scissors dangling from it, and the brooch is a rhinestoned giraffe (a rhinestoned scorpion is also available)?

Special thanks to Corinne who not only introduced me to the place, but got me some great purple bracelets for Christmas.

See more: Spend a Couple Minutes

Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on March 16, 2009

Ed's Lobster Bar has taunted me with its proximity to my office and the allure of one of my most beloved indulgences, the lobster roll. One attempt to dine in ended in heartache when we learned that it was closed for a private party — but good things come to those who what and on a recent, unexpectedly sunny Saturday afternoon my friends and I found ourselves in the neighborhood and we all ate like it was the middle of July and we'd never even heard of the word recession.

Most of us partook in the specialty, a large buttered bun stuffed with lemony lobster meat, celery and a touch of mayo. It's a traditional take on the classic, which is fine with me, because why mess with a good thing? Sticking to good formulas is something chef Edward McFarland believes in. He was recently embroiled in a law suit with his former employer, Rebecca Charles of the famed Pearl Oyster Bar who claimed he plagiarized her dishes and copped “visual elements” and from her place. It's been settled out of court and the tarnish of the accusations didn't darken our dining experience a bit.

The back room is airy and sunny, the food was great and it was fun to have the first lobster roll of many to come this year in such a bright, friendly environment; they also have a pretty good selection of beers on tap.

Weekly specials like $15 mussels on Mondays and $33 clam bakes on Sundays will have me coming back soon.

See more: Restaurants

Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on March 16, 2009

The feud between Mike Nelson and Joel Hodgson is a fearsome one, even if no one is up for talking about it much, so I'm being very careful this week to dispense praise equally. But, forgive me, just like the long haired, bratty girl you knew in 6th in grade, I'm going straight past the sleepy eyed, soft spoken quiet boy who was always “a good friend”, right for the handsomer, more sarcastic dude to pin my crush on.

Maybe it's because we're first introduced to Mike on screen in one of MST3K's best episodes (Mitchell), or maybe it's because he made a fine moaning Morrissey in the City Limits episode. Or maybe it's the dimples, or the way he always digs a little deeper and a little meaner. It could also be his great book, Mike Nelson's Movie Megacheese, which had my dad and I laughing out loud. Whatever the reason, he's irresistible in an unthreatening kind of way; like a delivery man you think's kind of cute, or an IT guy with a great smile and wry sense of humor (by the way, neither of these archetypes are references to anyone I've actually met – or even know to exist).

See more: Hunks

Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on March 16, 2009

I'd heard lots of praise for The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao before I decided to pick it up in the airport (after Francois Sagan's The Unmade Bed didn't work out – I'm just not the best reader of romances). Still, I had no idea what exactly to expect and the few expectations I did have (I thought I'd be reading a novel entirely devoted to the woes of a dork) were wondrously defied. While it's true that the titular character is a comic book quoting (including Watchmen), three hundred pound virgin nerd who obsesses over every girl he meets, there's much, much more to the book and, thankfully, there's much more to Oscar than geeky stereotypes.

The story sprawls over generations following the magical realism touches of a fuku, or curse that follows Oscar's family from their days in the Dominican Republic to New Jersey and back again. An intriguing and heart breaking history lesson about a country under the brutal dictatorship of Trujillo unfolds and, while the book is not so sentimental to proclaim that love conquers all, it does at least suggest that there are powers stronger than the threat of death that can give people the will to survive. Love, for example, can mean more than life when you truly know loneliness.

At first I was a little thrown by the book's language, it reminded me of uncomfortable emails or Facebook updates where people curse and employ slang to appear casual and cool but,?thankfully, I didn't get turned off enough to stop reading – besides, the voice is ever-changing and each chapter is told from another point of view. In fact, I think it's the book's constant change ups that contributed to its overwhelming success.

The book's main accomplishment is its ability to appeal to the two types of people that actually read books. There are references to Tolkien, the 80s, and teenage lament for the nerdier crowd, and there are tales of hardship survival, elements of historical romance, and lessons about politics and little known history for the Red Tent and The Kite Runner readers. And while few authors can successfully merge all these elements together in a way that pleases everyone, this modest and engaging novel has done just that.

See more: Books

Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on March 16, 2009

I grabbed these little ice pops, called mysteriously Calpis Ice Bars, in the frozen section of Mitsuwa Market because the idea of a sweet milk ice sounded great. Well, I am so happy to report that Calpis Ice Bars are better than great. They're stupendous and I am crazy about them.

The mild taste is hard to explain, kind of like a buttermilk sorbet. Not too sweet with a hint of acidity, it's so yummy that I feel like my craving for them once the box is finished (which is bound to be tonight after I write this) will drive me to make another trek into New Jersey to get them soon.

Calpis, by the way, is an non-carbonated drink popular in Japan and over the world. Apparently a version called Calpico is even distributed in the US.

See more: Desserts

Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on March 9, 2009