On the note of what I'm thinking about...this is a song that makes me want to sit on the porch with a boy as we steal glances at each other, both thinking things we're not ready to say:
Kindle's latest commercial, created by the same girlfriend and boyfriend team (Ithyle Griffiths and Heather Kohler) that did this adorable music video, is a new favorite. And it's not even because of the nautical theme and stripes. Though that helps.
Here's the first Kindle commercial, as a refresher:
Today feels like the last day of school before Spring Break. I feel that anxious "Let's just get it over with!" feeling about the rest of the day. In just a matter of hours, my best friend will be boarding a flight to bring her here! Five days of walking, talking, shopping, coffee shop-sitting, dim sum-eating, Ravenel Bridge-running, late night rambling, morning strolling, alley exploring goodness. To me, today is Friday with a 5-day weekend slapped on the back of it.
I was at a dinner party at a friend's house yesterday and he made the most delicious cocktails with a liquor that I've never tried before. I am now obsessed. This tasty drink was made with St-Germain.
I love everything about this liquor, from the taste to the sleek design of the bottle. It's made in France from handpicked elderflower blossoms and has a slightly sweet, citrusy flavor, kind of like grapefruit. It's refreshing and crisp and goes down a little too easy. I anticipate drinking a lot of this during the hot Charleston summer.
How to Make It in America The main character is a cute guy with good style who wants to make clothes. Need I say more? OK. The soundtrack is all over the place, in a good way. Download a mixtape inspired by the show here (check out the remix of Phoenix's "Rome" featuring Devendra Banhart).
Speaking of music, have you checked out PureVolume's 20 Top Unsigned Bands of 2009? Go to the site and get a free download from each band.
Southern Flourish, the latest digital magazine for you to swoon over, has premiered. My favorite Charleston blogger, Olivia, has two articles in the mag.
I miss the rumpled corners of correspondence,
the ink blots and crossouts that show
someone lives on the other end, a person
whose hands make errors, leave traces.
I miss fine stationary, its raised elegant
lettering prominent on creamy shades of ivory
or pearl grey. I even miss hasty notes
dashed off on notebook paper, edges
ragged as their scribbled messages— can't much write now—thinking of you.
When letters come now, they are formatted
by some distant computer, addressed
to Occupant or To the family living at—
meager greetings at best,
salutations made by committee.
Among the glossy catalogs
and one time only offers
the bills and invoices,
letters arrive so rarely now that I drop
all other mail to the floor when
an envelope arrives and the handwriting
is actual handwriting, the return address
somewhere I can locate on any map.
So seldom is it that letters come
That I stop everything else
to identify the scrawl that has come this far—
the twist and the whirl of the letters,
the loops of the numerals. I open
those envelopes first, forgetting
the claim of any other mail,
hoping for news I could not read
in any other way but this. ~Allison Joseph
When I read this poem on The Writer's Almanac this morning, I couldn't believe how fitting it was. Lately, I've been getting back in touch with people via handwritten letter and I thrill at the whole process--staring at your thoughts in ink on a page, sealing them up in a tidy envelope and shipping them across the country or across the ocean, and then racing home every day to check the mail for a reply. Allison Joseph's poem captures the magic in letters, "the twist and the whirl of the letters, the loops of the numerals." Receiving a handwritten letter satisfies something in me that can't be met any other way.
"Cause everybody needs somebody to hold them down When your feet are leaving the ground Oh everybody needs somebody To hold them down When your feet are leaving the ground Leaving the ground Leaving the ground Leaving the ground.
Be the blanket for my bones Be a place that I call home..."
I got the chance to make a quick stop by O-Ku's media preview today. In case you Charlestonians haven't heard, O-Ku (Japanese for "Oak") is the Chef Brett McKee-backed sushi restaurant opening March 18 in the old Waterworks space on the corner of King and Radcliffe (Upper King, holla!).
Picture this: dark wood, soft light, over-sized mirrors and the best quality sashimi this side of Nobu. The vision behind O-ku is that they pride themselves in the quality of their seafood--either locally sourced or shipped fresh from Hawaii and Japan--so they are keeping the decor low-key and their food free of any ingredients that muddle the palate. For example, their offerings today were clean, fresh, and surprising in some of their combinations. Their chef prepared yellowfin tuna with jalapeno and flounder with chive and citrus. Each bite allowed you to actually taste the fish and appreciate the unique ingredient pairings.
O-Ku opens just in time for the tail end of Charleston Fashion Week, and if today's sneak peek showed anything, it's that there isn't going to be an open reservation in sight for a while. Add this place to your "must visit" list.
The BAFTA poster for An Education, illustrated by Tavis Coburn, is so cool. This film and anyone in it (especially Carey Mulligan) has my vote for any and all film awards.
And then, she lets the front get longer while keeping the sides short, which is my favorite cut, which you can see from her Sunday Telegraph shoot here and here.
