Style Icons: Male »Kihachiro Onitsuka

Kihachiro Onitsuka Tiger Mexico 66With the Summer Olympics underway, I should probably include something sporty in this week's list. Honestly though, I'm so out of it with the whole thing that when a co-worker told me there were photos of the Opening Ceremony online, I thought she meant a new location of the clothing store…

Still, I watch Project Runway and being an Olympian seems pretty cool. Also cool? Kihachiro Onitsuka, manufacturer of the coolest sneakers out there.

I admit, I'm not sneaker crazy, but these are usually the only ones in the store that I totally could go for. I love that they've stayed true to original vintage designs, but I also love that they've stayed relevant and modern with their poppy colors.

The man himself, who passed away last year at age 89, was as radical as his designs. According to his company's site he spent “years in the military and having worked for a company who bought and sold beer on the black market” before he began manufacturing shoes. He found inspiration in octopus suction cups, he worked with marathon runners to fix the major problem of blisters, and he was an awesome boss who in 1958, “decided that Onitsuka should not become a family-run business, but an employee-run business. He distributed 70 percent of the shares to his employees.”

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Posted on August 11, 2008

Spend a Couple Minutes »Super Rich Conditioner

bumble and bumble super rich conditionerRecommended by my hairdresser at Public (I do actually get my hair cut ever couple years) Bumble and Bumble's Super Rich conditioner is for every day use and I've been using it to combat a smattering of little split ends.

It has a mild and lovely scent made to be remembered. After reading the confounding list of ingredients, though, I'd be hard pressed to name the one that leaves such an indelible olfactory impression. Could it be Behentrimonium Methosulfate or PPG 2 Myristyl Ether Propionate that stays on my mind? It will remain a mystery.

It's a bit pricey for conditioner, but I alternate like a grandma might with cheaper options like good old Head and Shoulders. Bumble and Bumble makes a good conditioner, but I am not ready yet to trust them with their free cuts from stylist in training yet.

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Posted on August 11, 2008

Desserts »Mo’s Bacon Bar

mo's bacon chocolate barI've had my share of samples of expensive chocolate bars, the luxury item no economic downturn can seem to halt the production of, but rarely (with my less that discerning taste buds) can I say that they are worth the price?until now. Vosges has many unusual flavors, but the Mo's Bacon Bar was the most tempting for me, and finally, I broke down and bought one at Whole Foods.

A square each in hand, Jim and I took our first bite and were almost left speechless. Before you shun the odd pairing, as Katrina Markoff points out on the back of the bar,”I began experimenting with bacon and chocolate at the tender age of 6, while eating chocolate chip pancakes drenched in Aunt Jemima syrup… beside lay 3 strips of sizzlin' bacon.. I combined the two”

It's one of those ingenious sweet and salty mixes make eating even more exciting. It's also not one of those chocolates that claim to have a flavor, but barely register as that actual taste. You can definitely taste the bacon, and it is real, smoky, apple wood bacon.

Available at Whole Foods and the Vosges boutiques, this bar of greatness will cost you eight dollars, but you can make it last for days. It's just too sensational and rich to eat more than a square at a time.

One of the very best treats I have tasted all year.

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Posted on August 11, 2008

Books »The Lovely Bones

the lovely bones alice seboldThe Lovely Bones, the surprise 2002 hit from then up-and-comer Alice Sebold was a book I resisted for a long time (too many Book Club endorsements just make me lose interest), so I was surprised when Jim began the book and got all excited, making comparisons to Donna Tartt's misunderstood gem, The Little Friend.

The story is narrated by Susie Salmon, a young girl who looks down from heaven on those she loves in the aftermath of her brutal rape and murder. It's a fine line to walk since it could easily tip to the exploitative, real crimey side of things or land on the overly saccharine heaveny side but, to her credit, Sebold manages, for the most part, to balance everything beautifully.

For the first 250 pages or so, your nights will be long as it's really hard to put down. The horrific crime is ingeniously tempered by the non-sacchrine knowledge that the victim/narrator is someplace better; the depiction of heaven is also pretty brilliant and, to my joy, totally non-denominational.

But there's a significant shift in the latter part of the book, a shift that has certainly helped to set the book apart from the hundreds of movie-like thrillers published every month, a shift that I'm sure Sebold decided to go with in an attempt to defy people that wanted a movie-like thriller. I'm sorry to say that, in my own opinion, this is where the book looses a lot of its momentum. Focusing on the long term realistic loose ends of the surviving loved ones' pain and recovery, the ache of injustice and the difficulty of moving on, the conclusion is decent and fair thematically, I just wish I was more engagegd.

But enough nitpicking the ending, The Lovely Bones is still a pretty phenomenal book and worth a read if you're not one of the millions that have have. Sebold has a clear and unique voice that deserves all the praise its earned.

Peter Jackson is in the middle of the long awaited film version starring Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weiss, Susan Sarandon, and Saoirse Ronan.

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Posted on August 11, 2008

Albums »Meat is Murder

the smiths meat is murderHaving only released four studio albums during their career, The Smiths may be one of the only bands on the planet to have never disappointed fans with a weak record. Their second album, Meat is Murder, is probably my personal favorite.

The melancholy, railroad rhythm of Nowhere Fast with the delightfully snide line:

“Each house hold appliance is like a new science in my town”

is one of their best songs, but the entire track list reads like a best of indie rock's greatest 80's achievements. The Headmaster Ritual, Rusholme Ruffians, I Want the One I Can't Have, How Soon is Now?, and Barbarism Begins at Home–these are impeccable songs. From its vegetarian title to the content itself, this is the most political record The Smiths made; that's a still from the 1968 Vietnam documentary In The Year of the Pig on the cover

At the time of the album's debut, only the sorrowful That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore was released as a single; surely a decision on the part of Morrissey and Marr (who produced the album on their own), who I assume delighted in the irony of releasing just one non-catchy single from an album filled with songs more appropriate for the pop charts.

This band meant the world to me when first I discovered them in my sister's tape collections and on college radio stations as a kid but, unlike many of the things that sparked my interest as a junior high schooler, The Smiths still sound spectacular–I can listen to them any time of day, any day of the week.

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Posted on August 11, 2008

Desserts »Palmiers

I was going to make a batch of palmiers. I have the pastry dough sitting in my freezer… but it's hot… I've been busy and I happened to walk into Ceci Cela and found a huge, perfect, already made one staring me in the face.

Sure, at $2.50 it cost as much as it would to make twelve or so by hand, but I have to admit, I just can't make them this good. Flaky and sticky, this cookie alone is worth a visit to the Soho pastry super star bakery.

If you're feeling less lazy than myself and want to make your own, this is a good recipe.

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Posted on August 4, 2008

Drinks »Wakatake Daiginjo Sake

Wakatake Daiginjo SakeWakatake Daiginjo Sake was recommended by our waitress at Zenkichi and we loved it. So now, instead of my usual complete and utter ignorance and confusion when faced with sake choices, I have a name I can turn to.

We got a bottle at Mitsuwa last week and it's as good we remembered. Easy to drink, clear, but with a strong little kick. It is according to this site also the drink if you:

“Want to drink like a Japanese gangster? Japan's Sake wines are rated by purity, and Wakatake's Daiginjo-rated Onikoroshi ($30/720ml) is one of the purest and craziest available. Though there are many Onikoroshi (“Demon Killer”) sakes out there, this particular one is guaranteed to have you slouched and fuming spicy vapors after only a single glass. Just make sure you get the right brand — it won't taste quite the same unless it's Wakatake Daiginjo Onikoroshi.”

Whoa, who knew? Diaginjo does indeed mean demon slayer (!) But in sake terms I've gathered it means that the rice has been highly polished through labor intensive means. This process gets rid of the less desirable parts of the rice and results in a finer sake.

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Posted on August 4, 2008

Spend a Couple Minutes »Chris Long – This is Fun

this is fun chris long gallery hanahouGallery Hanahou is becoming one of my favorite hidden little corners of sunshine in the big city. Nestled in a great building with a very classic New York City lobby and awesome catwalk hallways that look into offices, it's on the seventh floor behind a locked door (hint: press the buzzer with the glitter star on it). So while it's not the easiest place to find, it's worth seeking out.

We went to a fun plush show last December and returned for the Chris Long illustration show “This if Fun” which is up until the end of the month. The center of the room is taken up by a little table, just for kids to make their own pieces of art that hang alongside Long's joyfully innocent acrylic delights. Reminiscent of children's books from the sixties, but also thoroughly modern, he depicts kids having fun: climbing?up tree house ladders, feeding their favorite pony, playing dress-up in over sized clothes and, in my favorite of the bunch, having a pirate-themed birthday party.

Bright in color and feeling, the title of this show couldn't be more apt.

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Posted on August 4, 2008

Albums »Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me

the cure kiss me kiss me kiss meKiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me is a perfect smattering of all that The Cure does best. Poppy, depressing, slow, catchy, hypnotic, gothy–each song offers something new. Why Can't I Be You, The Perfect Girl, Hot Hot Hot! and Just Like Heaven absolutely shine as the album's big hits but songs with less radio play like the moody, eerie Snakepit; the bass heavy Like Cockatoos; and the albums final song, Fight are just as awesome. They each get right inside and make you shiver with poppy nostalgic melancholy.

There's been some criticism of this album for being all over the place and not as tight conceptually as their next release, Disintegration, but I think the eclectic vibe makes this one of their most fun to listen to.

Robert Smith re-released this a couple years ago with the original long version of Hey You and an entire disc of bonus materials like demos and alternate mixes, but I only have the original version so you'll have to tell me how all the extra stuff sounds.

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Posted on August 4, 2008

Books »Watchmen

watchmen graphic novelI was fascinated with long haired, silver clawed geek god Alan Moore long before I ever read a word he's written. Now, after completing his magnum opus Watchmen, I'm just as obsessed as the everybody else whose read this book. It's the mostly highly praised graphic novel of all time, often called “the Citizen Kane of comic books”; it's the only graphic novel to land a spot on TIME Magazines “100 best English-language novels” and to win the coveted Hugo award. And yes, it's about superheroes.

My expectations were high and they were met. I started it at JFK and read it straight through the flight, finishing right as I landed in Texas. It was the quickest four hours ever.

The plot, with its multiple shifts in time, numerous mysteries, dystopic politics, pages from a pirate comic book called Tales of the Black Freighter (which is read by a minor character), and chapters excerpted from a super hero tell-all called Under the Hood is, to say the least, complex. But it's also morally complex: the superheroes here are far from infallible; one in particular, The Comedian, is actually a sadistic rapist as well as a government-funded war hero. And the guy you sometimes end up rooting for is a ruthless vigilante weirdo who is beyond bitter towards the humans he has tried to save.

In direct revolt against the traditional super hero comic book, Watchmen is bleak, pessimistic, and harsh–in fact, there's a major part in the ending that I think audiences will have a very difficult time dealing with if it remains unchanged in the upcoming film adaptation. It's also an homage to the genre that so inspired it, Moore and artist David Gibbons are just taking the whole history of comics and running all the way with it; pushing the boundaries of the graphic novel itself, as well as our perceptions of good and evil.

It's not totally perfect, the end has too much direct exposition for my taste, but it comes pretty close, and it's certainly as good as they all say. Which is why all the fans are worried about the upcoming movie. Moore himself has already taken his name off the production (twice bitten by Heather Graham and Natalie Portman) and passing on all his royalties to Dave Gibbons. In the articles I've read (in EW) director Zack Snyder (a fan himself) swears his film is as true to its source material as possible–a claim I might have bought if he hadn't changed the book's tights and brights costumes to “more menacing” modern looking slick black materials. Idiot.

Thanks, Mike for letting me borrow your copy!

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Posted on August 4, 2008