Halloween '15

My ideas for this year:

- Gloria Steinem
- cotton candy
- Ugly Betty
- ice queen
- Cher Horowitz
- Jimmy Carter
- Mr. Rogers
- a "Bob's Burgers" character
- Tintin
- "Chandelier" girl

- L'Editrice

Well suited

This is one of those experiments when you're validated in your hypothesis . . . but it's also kind of sad to be proven right, no? 

When I have little daydreams of becoming a politician or daily power-suit-wearing person, I imagine myself wearing the same suit every day and just switching up the blouses--like men do! Actually, I kind of did that exact thing when I had to travel for work for my old job and be at meetings in business attire: just wearing my one trusty suit (worn for every job interview since I started job interviewing) sure made life easier . . . and cheaper.

- L'Editrice

My review of "Veronica Mars"

It was definitely for the fans, and I am one, so I quite enjoyed it. And at least part of the ending made me really happy (the other part I could take or leave). However, three pieces marred me from loving it:

1) Were they trying to compete with The Wolf of Wall Street's F-bomb record by including as many B-words as possible? (Yes, I said "B-word." I am a feminist with strong feelings about the mainstreaming of anti-female putdowns.) I get that it harkens back to the series and how people reacted to Veronica as a strong woman, but at a certain point it felt gratuitous and like it was for cheap laughs. (The one great instance of non-cheap humor using it? Veronica's faux-hurt response to Gia and Cobb's conversation: "It's called curiosity!")

2) The inclusion of "TMZ" in any capacity immediately sleazes up everything it touches. Ten thumbs down.

3) James Franco. Blech, I am so over him. He was doing yet another stupid cameo as "himself," and that totally took away from the film's originality and indie cred.

That is all.
- L'Editrice

Happy birthday, Ms. Steinem!

On Tuesday one of my heroes, Gloria Steinem, turned 80. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom last November, and her speech on that occasion perfectly expresses all that is important about feminism.

Gratefully,
L'Editirce

Two things I learned from last night's Oscars

1) Joseph Gorden-Levitt and Emma Watson would make the cutest couple ever. (I learned this along with everyone else in the world, apparently.)

2) After Lupita Nyong'o, Constance Leto was the most beautiful woman there.

- L'Editrice

Houston-Downton connection

While I have yet to see the finale of this season (so no spoilers, please!), I'm proud of our homegrown "Downton Abbey" after-show making the NYT. Next season I've got to go watch this in person.


- L'Editrice

Consider me thoroughly charmed

This morning I overheard a little boy of no more than 10 say to his brother, "Isn't this exquisite?" about an item in my store. Plus he had an Australian accent.


- L'Editrice

Thank you!

The author's analogy at the end is a little crass, but otherwise, agreed!

"The problem, rather, is the patterns that emerge when you consider the film as a whole. One subplot about an older man wooing a much-younger subordinate? Fine. But three? And on it goes: not one, but two gags (three, if you count the Colin subplot) about how the only possible way a man could overcome heartbreak is with the assistance of one or more supermodels; two storylines in which women (never men) see their romantic lives shattered by obstacles that ought to be surmountable; and, most important, upwards of half a dozen subplots in which characters go directly from initial physical infatuation to (presumed) happily-ever-afters, without remotely bothering to get to know one another in between. These repeated themes are not coincidental."

And from his original article: "it is emphatically, almost shockingly, anti-romantic."

- Cranketrice

So-Called Life, For-Real Awesomeness

I am so jealous of my friend and former college colleague Posh Deluxe! And thrilled to learn about the ATX TV Fest.

- L'Editrice

It's June . . .

. . . so naturally I'm thinking of Halloween costumes.

Here are my current contenders:
- Jenny Lewis
- The Morton Salt Girl
- Madeline
- Amelia Earhart
- Miss Frizzle
- a pastel goth or Day of the Dead gal
- Amelia Bedlia
- Hello Kitty
- Daria
- a Downton Abbey-ist
- a suffragette
- Little Red Riding Hood

Five months ahead,
L'Editrice

Best. Show. Ever. + Redhead Pride

I agree with every sentiment in this article. 

Especially this one: "Random Notebook Dump: Between Jenny Lewis and the hot xylophone player, I have never wanted to be a redhead so badly. And I pretty much wish I were a redhead every day."

I am a redhead, and it made me want to be Jenny Lewis herself--or at least emulate her style exactly.

- L'Editrice

Astro-dreams

I couldn't care less about sports, but I don't like history/important architecture to be torn down, especially when Houston is already guilty of scrapping so much of its history for new buildings and parking lots. And, hey, it is a part of my childhood--we went to the rodeo there, the circus, and the one and only baseball game I have ever attended.

I love the park idea! Keep Mid-Century Modern alive.

- L'Editrice

An actual email exchange with my mother-in-law. (Names obscured to protect to the innocent and not-so innocent)

 

5/13/13, evening

From: MIL

To: Me; Family-Acquaintance-who-happens-to-work-at-the-same-place-as-Mr.-L'Editrice-and-thus-has-the-same-email-extension; BIL; BIL's girlfriend

Subject: Heiiko

 

Hellos from south each Oridaf

[Photo of in-laws attached]

 

(Translation: Hello from South Beach, Florida.)

 

 

5/13/13, evening

From: Me

To: MIL; Family-Acquaintance-who-happens-to-work-at-the-same-place-as-Mr.-L'Editrice-and-thus-has-the-same-email-extension; BIL; BIL's girlfriend

Subject: Re: Heiiko

 

Good drinks there, huh? : P

 

 

5/13/13, evening

From: MIL

To: Me

Cc: Family-Acquaintance-who-happens-to-work-at-the-same-place-as-Mr.-L'Editrice-and-thus-has-the-same-email-extension; BIL; BIL's girlfriend

Subject: Re: Heiiko

 

The old gin Angela Toni

Love u
Sent from my iPhone

 

(Translation: The old gin and tonic.)

 

 

5/13/13, evening

From: Me

To: MIL; BIL; BIL's girlfriend

Subject: Re: Heiiko

Ha, and you know you sent this to Family Acquaintance instead of Mr. L'Editrice . . . : ) [Which I'd only realized right as I hit "send" with my first reply.] I took Family Acquaintance off the chain now.

 

 

5/14/13, 7:47 am EST

From: MIL

To: Me

Subject: Re: Heiiko

 

Thank you for catching it i guess it was too dark to send email
Love

MIL
Sent from my iPhone

To add to my Netflix queue

I know re-posting is kind of a lame way to get back into the blog after several months away, but I've been very movie-inspired lately, so that's my excuse.

Here are some documentaries to add to my super-long "to-watch" list. I have only seen The Education of Shelby Knox, Hands on a Hardbody, Mariachi High, and Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room out of all of them, so I have a lot of viewing to do. And I don't think I've seen any of these final 10.

- L'Editrice 

Today's specials

- Miranda Kenneally strikes again! Does that woman ever sleep?!

- Joanna Hinsey has a brand-new blog. Welcome, Joanna!

- Rhonda McCormack was nice enough to plug me on her blog and on Twitter.

Proudly,
L'Editrice

Local love

Here are a couple of really tough (for me) things that I aspire to: veganism and local-and/or-handmade-only shopping. The past couple weekends have found me visiting some inspiring places that fit the bill, so I thought I'd share my suggestions for a perfect Saturday in Houston. (Bring your appetite and a camera!)


Morning:
Get your hair cut at Shine in the Heights. The salon is based out of an old house, they always have cookies to help yourself to (whoops, there goes the veganism), and there is a real community feel in the interactions between the stylists and their "regulars."

If you didn't grab breakfast before (knowing me, I went straight to the salon from bed), your next step is to grab some goodies from Revival Market. Definitely not a vegan place, but local and yummy. Plus it has an old-fashioned vibe, so the workers there all wear charming striped aprons, bowties, newsboy caps, etc. They also have fancy coffee there for all you caffeine addicts.

The Heights has tons of cool independent shops on 19th Street, so that's definitely worth a stroll after your grub, but don't miss Hello Lucky on Studewood either!

Next head over to the museum district, but check out some of the less-usual suspects: the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft and Lawndale Art Center. The former's gift shop is an exhibition space in itself, with amazing gifts at really reasonable prices from artisans all over the country, but especially locally. You can even visit some of these artists in their studios right in the building! And don't miss the historic theater next door, which you can apparently rent out for events. Then walk through the cool garden to the awesome, mural-decorated Lawndale building and check out their current exhibitions.


Lunch:
By now you're probably ready to eat again, so make your way to Almeda Rd., where you'll find the innovative Green Seed Vegan. (A word to the wise: arrive a little bit before you're super starving, because you will have to wait a little while for your food.)


Afternoon:
Spend some time in Rice Village, where ignoring the chain stores will result in some very good finds, particularly at Rush and Asha (both really cool jewelry stores on Rice Blvd.), and Ten Thousand Villages (which is simultaneously not at all local and at the same time very much supporting independent, local artisans . . . from around the world).


Evening:
Now that you've killed some time, you can eat again! Check out Field of Greens. Despite their being very confused in their signage over how to correctly (not) puncutate their name and an ambiance lacking some elegance, I give them an A+ for the food.


Dessert:
Did you not partake in the chocolate tofu pie at Field of Greens? Then treat yourself to gelato, sorbet, or cappucino at SweetCup, which I can never rave enough about.


Hooray, what a full day! Want more? For Sunday I recommend a when-it-opens arrival at Tiny Boxwood's (the beet burger is divine, and I believe their chocolate-chip cookie is the best I've ever had--again, not sure if this vegan thing is ever going to happen) as well as the wonderfully whimsical strip of Main St. between Alabama and Berry (Ensemble/HCC stop on the light rail), especially My Flaming Heart.

These folks also have some great Houston recommendations.


Listily,
L'Editrice

My current heroes (heroines!)

- Julia Bluhm, and Spark.

- Vogue.

- Nuns. (Actually, they've long been my heroes--the two "plain-clothes" nuns, as my mom calls them, in the family were always inspirational to me in their nonconventional lives.)

Love,
L'Editrice

Nothing "Rookie" about it

My sister introduced me to this amazing online magazine the other day by e-mailing me: Have you seen this? Seems like something you could write for?

I have no idea where she found it, but I was instantly obsessed. It felt to me like the online reincarnation of that wise-and-cool-beyond-its-years teen magazine of yesteryear, Sassy . . . and (though not saying I'm so cool or wise) also just reminded me of me. I mean, any place that has style-icon odes to both Dorothy from "Golden Girls" and Angela Lansbury is one where I want to be.

Then I discovered it is actually meant for teens--which only made me feel silly/disappointed for about a split-second. I obviously love teen things, especially smart ones, and it made me feel really happy that there are still quality (and fun!) alternative voices and spaces for teen girls these days. And I know I would have loved it as a teenage girl (as I still do, as I am still very much the teenage girl I was then--plus it's totally into 90s nostalgia as well).

I checked out some of the contributors, and discovered that the amazing young Tavi Gevinson is the founder and editor-in-chief! I remember hearing a while back about how she was starting a feminist website/magazine for girls. It's even better than I could have hoped.

All this makes me so happy, so I'm tagging this post under "Listetrice," since I decided that is also the appropriate tag for all of my loves/obsessions--and since all together they make up my (rather long) short list of awesomeness.

- L'Editrice

Sweet city

It's probably no surprise to you that I base much of my social/travel life around eating, especially desserts. Recently a friend came to visit me in Houston for the first time, and I had to push myself past my normal dessert tour to recommend other attractions (since in the 4 or so free hours she had she wasn't going to spend the whole time eating sweets). But if you have longer, all your sweet-tooth dreams can be realized . . .

What are you in the mood for?

Cookies:
- Go to Tiff's Treats and get an amazing Tiffwich (ice-cream sandwich). Better yet: get these warm cookies delivered right to your door! Tiff's has always been an Austin fave of mine, so I was thrilled when it finally arrived in Houston. (Also, their idea of cookie boxes as wedding favors is genius.)
- Enjoy beautiful and delicious macarons at Petite Sweets. Just make sure you have your camera handy, because you're going to want to document the gorgeous color combinations.

Gelato:
- Just a few months old but already a local favorite, SweetCup has a wondrous selection of artisanal gelato, and super-friendly owner Jasmine will let you try as many samples as you want.
- If you'd also like to buy some exotic groceries (or just pretend you're going to) and/or hang out at Discovery Green while you enjoy your gelato, head to Phoenicia's downtown location and dip it up there.

Cupcakes:
- Celebrity has the best chocolate truffle and s'mores cupcakes. It's also next door to Berripop, in case someone in your party wants yogurt instead--or in addition! (When I saw this cool new Spanish-style building, I totally wanted to live on one of the floors above, but sadly--or perhaps soundly, for me--it seems to only be business rentals.)
- Crave gets my vote for the best "classic" cupcake: vanilla/yellow cake with chocolate icing. Two locations: Rice Village/West U and Uptown Park.
- Sugarbaby's is a super-cute store, with lots more to buy than just edible goodies. It's as if Marie Antoinette opened a cupcake shop! I've had a great s'mores version there, but I'm also intrigued by the Peachy Bellini. Also, I would not be sad at all if someone gifted me a Couture Cupcake Hatbox. Just saying.
- Sprinkles is a national chain, and I'm disappointed that we don't yet have a cupcake ATM at this location, but their classic vanilla-with-chocolate-frosting and marshmallow chocolate (notice a theme, yet?) are top notch.
- Sweet is adorable, in a fun location for shopping and hanging out, and has the best s'mores cupcake I think I've ever had. Also: beautiful macarons!
- Though it's out in the 'burbs, I have to mention Frosted Bakery, as they provided the cupcakes for my wedding--including vegan ones!

Yogurt:
- Yogurt is probably my go-to dessert run these days, and there are many choices for self-serve yogurt in Houston, a few of which I have yet to try . . . but I'm always going to recommend the international chain Yogurtland above all others. It's well priced, has a great selection, and just really fun--and it was my first-ever self-serve experience, so I'm forever loyal. (Also, I discovered that the wifi from next-door Randalls at the Montrose-ish location works if you're sitting outside at Yogurtland--yes, I have spent a very happy workday afternoon there.)
- However, I will give a shout-out to Sweet Lola in Midtown, whose decor is so warm and adorable I'd like to live there--and they have wifi. Their selection is limited, but totally unique-y boutique-y.

Dessert variety:
- In the same area (CityCentre) as Sweet, Flora & Muse is a charming, charming place. They also have a bistro & bar next door . . . and fresh flowers to buy! I would also like to live there.
- The Town & Country Village location of Ooh La La Dessert Boutique has a sweet for every tooth, and plenty of space to spread out and hang out in.


There you have it! Now I'd better go eat some vegetables.
- L'Edi-Sweet

And a month goes by

As I'd been meaning to do for ages, I finally subscribed to the NYT online . . . happily and proudly, as I do believe in paying for professional journalism rather than expecting everything to be free when really nothing is free--either you're getting your "news" at the expense of reliable, unbiased sources and/or it'sw infotainment underwritten by corporations with an agenda.

. . . Anyway, allow me to stay on my soapbox for a while to link to this article that made me happy. I would have gladly stuck with my 6-year-old (isn't it crazy that nowadays that's old for technology?) dumbphone even longer had I not switched providers last summer and been forced to choose another phone that went with their system. But I still chose a dumbphone! (My husband and I totally thought we coined that phrase, but apparently others have as well.)

Stubbornly,
L'Editrice