bon bon iver

This is the cover art to Bon Iver's upcoming album. I think it's really beautiful.

blonde ambition

Legendary. And much better than a meat dress.

felt like 127 hours

My Redbox dvd viewings this week:

127 Hours - Actually kinda boring. You would think it would be boring because it's about a guy whose arm is stuck under a rock and he's all by himself. But then the critics liked it, and the reviews said it wasn't boring, and it's got James Franco in it, whom I really like. And it's directed by Danny Boyle who's got a flair for sure. But guess what? It is in fact boring. And I did kinda squirm at the arm cutting part. James Franco, nominated for best actor here, to me was actually better in Pineapple Express. Now that movie wasn't boring at all.

Country Strong - Somewhere between her stopping hanging out with Madonna, her Glee appearances, her friendship with Beyonce and Jay-Z, and her cookbook and website Goop, I started to find Gwyneth Paltrow to be really annoying. And she is really annoying here in this movie, cuz she plays a troubled, alcoholic fallen country diva. I don't get the Country Strong part cuz her character is anything but country strong. The real star here is Garrett Hedlund. He's got enough charisma to light up all of Texas. He is the one you root for in this movie. You already know that I've been obsessed with his songs from this movie since late last year and think he should put out an album pronto. I cannot wait to see him as Dean Moriarty in On The Road, which should be coming later this year.

sometimes it lasts in love

Weather: Niiice
State: Finally coughing seems to be gone (I swear as soon as I typed this, I started coughing)
Music: Fiona Apple old stuff, just waiting for new music to drop
Last Movie: Never Let Me Go - so sad
Reading: Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby
Last Pleasure: My iPad 2, shiny and new
Last Worry: Work - it's always work
Looking Forward To: Getting a nice case for the iPad 2, so I can stop worrying about it
Not Really Looking Forward To: Going back to work Monday
Gas Price: $4.19/gallon for the Honda, $4.37 for the BMW
Clothes: Land's End Canvas hoodie, Gap 1969 jeans
Today's Headline: UN, French fire on Gbagbo residence in Ivory Coast (at first I read that as "UN French Fries...")
Current iPad Wallpaper: NYC street at sunset
Last Website Visited: macrumors.com
Last Meal: All Season Restaurant at Diamond Heights for dim sum
Last Purchase: Sharp Microwave, 2 JCrew dress shirts
Item Off My Wishlist: Apple bluetooth keyboard
Latest Evidence It's A Beautiful World:

when someone great is gone

Ah, so LCD Soundsystem is no more, having played its final show this past weekend in NYC at Madison Square Garden. I am a late comer to James Murphy and his sound wizardry and surprisingly touching, introspective songwriting, but that doesn't make this passing any easier to take.

I think I first heard of LCD Soundsystem with Daft Punk Is Playing In My House, and it is really only with the Sound Of Silver cd where I fell in deep love. To this date, I cannot listen to Someone Great without getting emotional. That song coincided with a rough patch in my life and something devastating that I have yet to recover from, so the melancholy lyrics hit me with exponential weight.

The worst is all the lovely weather,
I'm sad, it's not raining.
The coffee isn't even bitter,
Because, what's the difference?
There's all the work that needs to be done,
It's late, for revision.
There's all the time and all the planning,
And songs, to be finished.

And All My Friends, I Can Change, and Home reach equally great heights.

Someone great is gone indeed.

pretty little things

Oh, I also spotted this new cupcake place in Japantown called Cako. I realize that I am not a fan of cupcakes in general cuz they tend to be too sweet for my taste. When do we get a scone shop instead? But the one thing about cupcakes is that they are pretty to look at, and pretty always counts for something:

I didn't end up buying anything here. I was saving myself for ice cream at Bi-Rite Creamery. I drove all the way down to the Mission only to fail in finding a parking space. That area is parking madness during weekends. So I gave up and instead went to Eggettes on Noriega for an eggette and a papaya shake. Worked for me.

cherry blossoms

Went to Japantown for lunch today. It's cherry blossom season, which means photo op!