Lipstick & Magazines #41: Observe

As the new year starts, entertain your inner voyeur:

As NYC social columnist Jeannette Walls is being driven to a swanky function, she spys her homeless mother dumpster diving. Curiosity piqued? Walls' memoir of growing up as a terribly functional and level-headed child with terribly dysfunctional fantasy-land parents, The Glass Castle is riveting family reading. Or reading about a family, rather. Highly recommended.

Postsecret is an online community art project, featuring homemade postcards with the oft-unspoken secrets. Apparantly the exhibition will end soon (a new book is out) so take a look while you can.

If you can get yourself in the mood to see a really powerful, albeit incredibly depressing film, seek out Down to the Bone, which has recently been playing at SF's Roxie Theater. An incredible performance by Vera Farmiga as a young mother trying to kick a coke habit in gray upstate New York.

Found Magazine - at your local good mag stand.

I'm often compelled to buy books just for the inscriptions inside - how could they have gotten rid of this, you say? Similar instinct to finding old photo albums in thrift stores. Dedicated to the One I Love posts some found inscriptions, with commentary.

Lipstick & Magazines #40: December

Sweet offerings: Food bloggers are offering up the goods for A Menu for Hope. For a $5 donation to support the Kashmir earthquake victims, you can bid on a pretty stellar line-up of goodies (from "meet your fave food blogger for ice cream"-style opportunities to food baskets to food photography lessons.) Ends on December 23 so get your bids in if you see something you like!

Cute Overload: No explanation needed really. (thanks Katey!)

Appliances that make things cute: Sandwiches with a Hello Kitty face or toast with a "Pop Art" symbol.

Lipstick & Magazines #39: Lists

As the year comes to a close, everyone seems to like to pull out their pencils and start making lists, lists of goals for next year, lists of books to read or re-read, lists of presents to buy, treats to bake, etc. Lists, lists, lists. If you're tired of writing your own, here are some lists of eclectic origin to inspire you:

A list of the 50 Greatest Independent Films, by British film magazine Empire.

Post-cookie gorge, check out this list of truly good-for-you recipes from The World's Healthiest Foods website. Use the recipe assistant to make sure you're getting all those nutrients lacking in the cookies.

A most excellent list from Chowhound of food-related books. Less cookbooks, more great regional cuisine titles, food reference guides, etc.

No, books aren't a prescription for solving social ills, but if you would like to form a themed book group with a "social conscience," as Arthur I. Blaustein describes in his piece "The Reading Cure," you will appreciate both the commentary and annotated list of books to start with here, from Mother Jones.

A bibliography (very fancy list) of crime fiction set in the Bay Area, thanks to UC Berkeley librarian Randal Brandt.

Not quite a list, but a clump of KCRW podcasts. I'm addicted to "Good Food," and "The Business" (entertainment, that is) has been highly recommended to me.

And finally, a refreshing "Not-To-Do" list from 52 Projects, an inspiring site dedicated to "project ideas, projects to create, projects to check out, and projects to participate in. DIY projects, homemade projects, writing projects, photo projects, projects, projects, projects... And more projects.

Lipstick & Magazines #38: Warm

Time to snuggle up. Sustain yourself with:

An Elizabeth Noble novel. Noble writes witty, warm, satisfying, chunky British novels about women's friendships. So far she's come out with The Reading Group (available) and The Friendship Test (out in January) and I loved them both.

The first season of Project Runway, recently release on DVD. If you didn't catch this on Bravo, you will have the joy of watching it basically straight through, as Josh and I did. The "characters" on this reality fashion design show are fabulous and some of the competitions are truly challenging. And lots of cat-fights!

A stunningly pretty rib-knit cashmere throw from Garnet Hill in buttercup or apple green. (No, haven't bought myself one of these yet...will when I can!).

Lipstick & Magazines #37: Easier

Save some time, keep it simple. Try these tools to make life a little bit less complicated.

It's lovely to be able to do banking and bill-paying online, but you still have to call annoying run-around phone systems every once in awhile. Software entrepreneur Paul English has put together the IVR Cheat Sheet so that you can immediately type in the right code to bypass the automated lady and the elevator music and get directly to a human being. Thanks Paul!

If you take full advantage of the fabulous joys of your local library(s), you may occasionally owe late fees, have books on hold so long that they are taken off hold, or experience other annoyances that detract from your experience. Library Elf lets you keep track of your borrowings, your due dates, and your holds on one page. You can also sign up for email or RSS updates related to upcoming dues dates etc. Pretty neat, if you're the kind of person who can benefit from this. Save those fines!

Search multiple sites and find the top-rated recipes with recipe search engine FoodieView. Nice selection of categories, including celebrity chefs, single ingredients, and holidays.

Lipstick & Magazines #36: Gift

If you're not my friend Peggy, who told me a few weeks back that she was long done shopping and wrapping all her holiday presents, maybe something here would be nice for the sweet folks on your list?

Donna Hay rocks. My friend Katey turned me onto this "Australian Martha Stewart" (crass but true) - she's got numerous gloriously photographed cookbooks and a beautiful magazine, if you can find and afford it. I absolutely love that every recipe comes with a photo - makes all the difference.

Is it wrong to collect silicone rolling pins if they come in amazing colors?

Just about the cutest kitchen-themed ornaments ever. Really- take a look. Everyone should have a Kitchen Aid Mixer ornament. And the utensils to go with it!

New York is enjoying the cupcake retail boom, and looks like chocolate is getting its own stores too - these Chocolate Bar NYC shirts are great.

A Cat & Mouse Cheeseboard!

Gorgeous Chocolate-Covered Oreos: for the person who likes to eat his or her gifts.

Someone you know still eating Cup O'Noodles? Help them enjoy them in style with these classy bowls.

A copy of Toast: The Story of a Boy's Hunger - one of the best childhood & food memoirs I've read, by British cookbook author Nigel Slater.

And for the kiddies, how about stuffed My Paper Crane plush treats - a strawberry sprinkle donut pillow or quart of Egg Nog?

Happy Shopping!

Lipstick & Magazines #35: Think

During my second year of college, my 6 female roommates took to calling me "Switzerland" because, for better or worse, I was horrible at taking sides. In my defense, most of these particular debates swirled around whether I believed X or Y was telling the truth in the Great Cereal Thief situation, but it is true that in many cases, I see things as very gray, not black or white, and sometimes this bugs people because it makes me a horrible debater (but a much better negotiator).

Here, then, are three items that have stirred up my brain recently, inspired me to think about all the many fences out there and all the sides to pick from:

Brain Child - No, I'm not in the target "thinking mother" demographic, but I read this smarty-pants literary and cultural magazine cover to cover. If you're interested in women, controversial concepts of "women's work," parenting & lifestyle issues, kids, or quality writing about compelling world issues that affect more than just moms, check out this publication. Great short stories too.



Nextbook- This "gateway to Jewish literature, culture, & ideas" could serve as a model for other cultural websites - what a wealth of articles, interviews, podcasts, and, especially, book features and lists. I recently read Myla Goldberg's books Wickett's Remedy (and have also been reading a lot of bad reviews of Bee Season, the new movie based on her first book) so I was curious to listen to the recent podcast interview with her. In it, she says she doesn't consider herself a "Jewish writer," choosing to right about Irish Catholics in Boston almost specifically to show that she doesn't just write "Jewish" books. Writers and identity politics are forever entwined (is he a "writer" or a "gay writer"? etc.), so I was interested to hear her take on the subject.

Everything Bad is Good for You - I am very much in the target market here: I'll happily entertain anyone who wants to prove to me that my consumption of reality TV is actually expanding my mental capacity. Steven Johnson believes that video games, modern-day television, internet use, IM, and all those other great things that "society" believes are killing the culture, are actually making us smarter in some capacities. The process of weeding through the increasing complexity of narrative structures in television, the video game experience of probing situations and problem solving...these should not be compared apples-to-apples with reading "good" literature, but should be looked at compared to the more simplistic popular culture of old. When done so, Johnson aims to prove, we can see less good vs. evil, and more of a widening of prospective positive experiences. An interesting read.

Lipstick & Magazines #34: True

Stranger than fiction? Maybe.

Nobody Knows - Four Japanese children abandoned by their mother, forced by the memory of her rules to stay inside a tiny apartment, only the eldest son "allowed" out, to spend down the small amount of money she has left them. By no stretch of the imagination is this a light movie, but children are children - they are lovely and innocent and resilient. Highly recommended and based on a true story.

Jesus Land - Continuing the themes of survival at the hands of neglectful parents, this recently-published memoir by Bay Area writer Julia Scheeres, tells of her childhood and adolescence, growing up in rural Indiana as a white girl with two adopted black brothers,a missionary wannabe mother, and an abusive doctor father, and her eventual banishment to a Dominican Republic reform school with her beloved brother David. I picked up this galley at ALA, had started it a few times, and when I finally got hooked in, finished it in a single day. Entirely compelling for being so unvarnished and so relatable.

Dispatches from a Public Librarian - Getting too heavy here? Take a laugh break with this ongoing McSweeney's online feature. Scott Douglas works at a public library "nestled cozily between Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm in Orange County, California," and tells stories about the craziness of public librarianship that more often than not induce cringing or chuckling - sometimes both. There are 20 here to start with, and he updates every month or so.

Lipstick & Magazines #33: Custom

You pick the fabric. You pick the color. You make the choice. Options are great.

Queen Bee Creations - The wallet that gets more positive reactions than anything I've ever owned. This handmade beauty has six plastic sleeves so you can really keep track of how many credit cards you shouldn't have. Pick your logo (cupcake? birdie? mix tape?), your leather color, and it'll arrive wrapped up like a special present just for you.

Aaron Sciandra's Brooklyn Bags - You'll see immediately the cutest bag ever here. Right? The Ella the Elephant bag. Pick your own fabric.

Miz Mooz - These shoes may not be custom-made, but most of the limited number of styles come in about 5 or 6 colors, of which you'll want to own 4 or 5. Miz Mooz shoes are so comfortable, no evil break-in period, and really light on the foot. I've found them at all the Shoe Biz stores in SF.

And finally, if you feel like springing for some extra-special holiday cards, Paper Source has great-looking letter-press custom cards this year. If those are beyond your means, plan to send gorgeous "custom" Victorian e-cards, available for free from Susanna's Loft.

Lipstick & Magazines #32: Taste

Chow Magazine has been on my radar for a few months now. But I could never spot it on the shelves at my "everyday" bookstores, and I wasn't ready to pony up almost $20 for a subscription without taking a look. Well, I finally found it at Green Apple (of course) and I'm mightily impressed. Sure, I flip through Bon Appetit, Gourmet, etc., but I don't really relate. Chow - it inspired my husband to make salsa in less than one day. Not just any salsa, but the mystery salsa from Papalote, which the writer "reverse engineered," after being denied the recipe by the owners (with good reason - it's a nice secret recipe).

Chow is already one of those battered, splattered cooking mags that will stay in the collection forever. The mag has a great layout, really workable recipes, and is especially fun if you live in SF, but great even if you don't.

Looks like we're on a chili roll here - Mary's story of consuming the infamous habanero hamburger in her fun food blog Mary Ladd's Food Finds is at once excrutiating and hilarious - isn't that the best kind of story? She also sniffs out great restaurants, offers up recipes, and shares good deals on cookware. And she always mentions the restaurant's cleanliness, which I have realized I totally appreciate.

What? Your mom didn't make you super-creative, gorgeous bento boxes for lunch everyday when you were growing up? We all probably missed out on this, so live vicariously through Bento Moblog. If you like to look at food you will spend hours here. And your sad, damp little sandwich will just not compare.

Lipstick & Magazines #31: Kids

I've been buying eeBoo products for a few months now without realizing:

A. It's a kid's toy company. Oops. I thought it was a hipster adult company (Anthropologie suckers me again).
B. I should have visited their website long ago so I could admire ALL their vintage-inspired goodies..

Candy dominos, Storefront Bingo, a really sweet Pin the Tail on the Donkey, and on and on. Plus, to buy from the site you have to "Click Pie to Buy," and, yes, it's a big pie.

If you want to dress the babies in your life fabulously, but aren't into the whole "mini Che or Bob Marley t-shirt look," check out Orange Cupcake. Awwww, little orange cupcakes, chocolate motorcycles, strawberry boots. Pretty darn cute. And despite what women at my gym seem to think, only babies can really work having "Cupcake" printed across their butts.

If you want to support a former graduate of my illustrious high school, or maybe just check out this nifty idea, take a peek at LittleMissMatched, a sock company that sells polka dotted, striped, and otherwise cutesy-cute socks in odd-numbered packs. Missmatched is expanding to iPod holders, pajamas, gloves, and more. You can buy direct from the site or find a store near you.

Lipstick & Magazines #30: Treat

If stuffing your face with candy corn or "autumn mix" is not satisfying enough for you this month, here a few other ways to treat yourself , ranging from free to not:

Jewelry! I saw Josie Adele's Fluidance jewelry at a Landor Associates art show when I was interning there last year. Gorgeous, clean lines. Substantial but not heavy or "too" dramatic. I'm partial to the Sterling Sculpture collection.

Furniture! Josh and I just became adults - we bought our first non-Craigslist, non-garage sale couch. And matching chair! Shopping at EQ3 was a blast. Basically I just wanted to move into the store, but I don't know if they would have liked that. Our sales guy was really nice though, so maybe he wouldn't have minded. Not only do they have the big pieces, but also awesome pillows, vases, little tables, bedding, and more. And locations around the country and Canada.

Cleanliness! Method, your packaging is so cool. And your hand wash is so yummy, pink grapefruit, pomegranate, lemongrass...when have you ever wanted a collection of hand wash before?

Pictures! Flickr Postcard Browser - this is a fun one. Type in a "tag" - pick a word - kitten, cake, flower, whatever, and see what comes up. An inspired alternative to Google image searches.

Laughs! I could just envy her for winning a Red Bicyclette contest including a trip to Provence (and spending money) just in time for her honeymoon, but since my friend Josie is telling the tales of her blissful month (chased by donkeys! forced to eat cuttlefish!), I can only be ecstatic that she's sharing the stories. Check out her blog: The Chicken Contests.

Treat yourself!

Lipstick & Magazines #29: Read

Five books I wish I hadn't read before, so that I could read them again for the first time. Also, books I like to recommend to people:

The Anxiety of Everyday Objects by Aurelie Sheehan

Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood by Alexandra Fuller

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

My Year of Meats by Ruth Ozeki

Wickett's Remedy by Myla Goldberg (full disclosure - I haven't finished this yet, and I'm trying to go slowly, but it's hard because I'm enjoying it so much. Testing my limited powers of book savoring...)

Lipstick & Magazines #28: Item

Sometimes you just wanna scroll. Not too many bells and whistles, just interesting articles, product reviews, and, of course, pretty things.

Arts & Letters Daily has the look of a newspaper and the content of a hundred newspapers. You will find something to read here no matter what you're interested in. Promise. A great site for those moments when you are so sick of sitting in front of a computer and yet, you must sit there for awhile longer.

Shopping blog Mighty Goods has its style down pat. Photo of the item (99% of which I go, yeah, that is very cool, I do want that), a short, pithy description, and a direct link to buy. Done. Shopping fix satisfied.

Kevin Kelly, founding editor of Wired, has his Cool Tools, the geekier version of Mighty Goods.

And India Romeo, while not serving the same scroll-happy purpose of the last three, is just full of so many gorgeous handmade "lovely things for lovely people" that I must share. These bird mobiles are my fave - sure you could make your own, but she already made them for you!

Shop well.

Lipstick & Magazines #27: Recommend

I subscribe to a monthly Trend Watching newsletter that excels at creating new marketing buzz-words. My fave thus far has been "Twinsumer," which they descibe as "taste 'twins': fellow consumers somewhere in the world who think, react, enjoy and consume the way they do." I get this - it's really what blogs are all about, helping us find people "like us" who are weeding through what's out there and can help us narrow in on what we like and want.

A few blogs I've been devouring recently, in search of my perfect twinsumer:

Design Sponge - stellar taste, lots of unique home products recommended

San Francisco Gourmet - fascinatingly anal reviews of restaurants, restaurant reviewers, and more

LJCFYI - always cute, always fun

My Little Mochi - May be TOO cute for some - beware.

Also, Yelp.com, which is part high school yearbook, part review site, is quite entertaining- much more personality and spark than citysearch.com - especially if you like to put a face (or kitten face or pretty image) with a review. A handy source of lists (best SF brunch, good romantic restaurants, etc.)

Lipstick & Magazines #26: Book

OK, I will now let you all know (again for some - way too much for others) that I am currently working on a very cool program called One City One Book: San Francisco Reads, which is our readerly city's first attempt at a citywide book club, following in the well-shaped footsteps of Seattle, Chicago, and other cities.

If you're from these parts, please do me the honors of reading China Boy, taking part in a discussion or walking tour, and checking out "my" list of novels set in San Francisco - I was surprised that this wasn't all ready for me to use somewhere in Google-land - I had to put it together myself, with help from my librarian-friends of course.

Let me also put a plug in for the upcoming Big Book Sale, put on by the Friends of the SFPL. If you've never been to this, it's joyous madness. If you have, you already know what I'm talking about and I'll see ya there at the end of the month.

And finally, a recent read, The Myth of You and Me. Friendship lost novel meets literary mystery - I loved it.

Lipstick & Magazines #25: Catchy

Free galleys? Sign me up, right? Check out HarperCollins' First Look program. You can fill out a basic form, select the categories you are generally interested in, and enter into drawings for free galleys. Sure it's a process, but I think it's a very smart way for the publisher to reach out and let readers have the early peek and get word-of-mouth excitement and buzz going.

Love her or hate her, Rachael Ray's $40 a Day concept is a catchy one. Becks & Posh, a Bay Area food blogger asked other food bloggers to come up with $40 a Day plans for their cities, and the posts are great reading. Don't you want to know what you'd be eating in Knoxville, TN for $40?

Finally, after two wonderful friends both RAVED about Crossing to Safety, I picked it up and have been sneaking it in at every spare moment. While I tend towards staying relentlessly "current" (as in, very recently published) in my reading, this 1987 Wallace Stegner novel is lovely, poignant, and obsessively readable. Except now I'm at the point where it's almost over, and I just know the end will make me cry. I hate finishing good books.

Lipstick & Magazines #24: Paper

If you are a paper addict like I am, you may enjoy the following:

• SEI - Holy cuteness! That Fruit Stand paper is outstanding. Note also these incredible fruit tags. Must. Place. Order. Soon.
• Paper Source - I can testify to their wedding invite packages, paper flower kits, and all-around amazing stock of goods. Order online or visit one of their locations.
• All Wrapped Up! Groovy Gift Wrap of the 1960s - People are always stealing my Chronicle Books ideas! But pop culture never dies...

Lipstick & Magazines #23: Three

Three favorite stores in San Francisco where I can always find something adorable and fun for less than $10:

Heartfelt: A reason to make your way up to Bernal Heights, if the great views from the hill-top aren't enough.

Cliff's Variety: A classic, though I always forget they are closed on Sundays and get bummed. Get your lightbulbs, your wrapping paper, and your birthday gifts.

Wishbone: The best selection of cards. Great scarves and jewelry, retro candy. Fun, fun, fun.

Three favorite movies I've seen recently:

March of the Penguins: Even my dentist and I bonded over this movie.

Broken Flowers: Bill Murray and Jim Jarmusch. But really, it's all about Sharon Stone and the teen who plays her daughter. Brilliant!

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring: A Korean film about a young man and an old monk who live on a floating temple. Lovely, subtle, passionate.

Three websites I've been enjoying:

101 Cookbooks: Tons to explore, and recently added discussion forums.

Wikipedia: Trying to figure out how to explain what a podcast is? Still not quite clear on what wikis are? Wikipedia is a free online encyclopedia created by the people, for the people. Even you can edit it - share what you know!

Entertainment Weekly's Popwatch: Fabulous for a quick hit of pop culture. Updated constantly.

Enjoy!

Lipstick & Magazines #22: Design

Josh was recently reading a biography of Frank Llloyd Wright - architecture and design are nice fantasies for us - we both drool over Dwell magazine monthly. The spare modernist look is quite the extreme fantasy though, given that we like our stuff, the kind of stuff that never appears in any of those photos. Storage! Storage! Anyway, I found this cool Architect Studio 3D site from the FLW Preservation Trust where you can build a house with "Frank" as your guide - try it out - very addictive.

After you design the house you will want to furnish it, and I think Velocity Art and Design will do just fine. (Hey, why don't they make these squirrel shirts in adult sizes?) Kitty freaks, look how cool this is...

Finally, you'll need some hip photos for the wall. I was recently in Chicago (highly recommend the architectural boat tour) and Terry Evans "Revealing Chicago: An Aerial Portrait" show was on display in Millenium Park. The website is really well-done, and though it doesn't look like prints are available for purchase currently, they would work really nicely in our sleek new house. Hey Terry, come shoot aerial San Francisco??