For rent

As you've noticed, my internet presence has been dwindling as of lately. We're almost one month away from moving out of our current apartment. I've been spending most of my time pondering if I will ever be happy in Los Angeles, while stalking even the most cryptic Craigslist posts, filtering through way to many toilet bowl close-ups...who really needs the toilet close up? The past year has been very impacting on my outlook on this city and where I choose to call home. You'd be surprised what a year of living in an interior loft in a less than moderately gentrified part of the city does to the psyche. Our impending move could change my whole outlook on the city, and save hundreds in future therapy, if chosen carefully.  I know in my gut that Los Angeles is not where I will end up, it's just not my cuppa tea.
Right now, we live here, we work here, need a place to be comfortable, which makes this is move a very precise task at hand. Apartment hunting is not as simple as picking the best looking place here in L.A. It's all about location, down to each corner you turn. I hope that I end up North of the 101, south of the 5, west of Echo Park, north east of LACC and not one bit further west than Hillhurst, with several stipulations between( This is how you think when you look for apartments in this city) and that I sign a lease to rent an apartment, and rejuvenate my clarity and happiness that previous apartments once brought to me.

If there's anything that I'm learning, it's that this lovely app is brilliant, check out the "Alert" feature that allows you to zoom into areas and create filters for real-time push notifications on new listings.

Have you ever lived in a place that you just couldn't wait to leave? How do you bear through the difficulty of moving? I'm truly dreading the closet packing.

Our Valentines Day

It was our sixth Valentines day as a couple. That's two hands count now! A reserved day to do something for each other is actually quite nice in our case, as we hardly see each other for a few hours a day due to our hectic schedules. We went for the classic gift exchange & night in plan. 

Chris surprised me with a Clare Vivier foldover Clutch, I'm still over the moon.  I surprised him with a box of cake truffles from The Velvet Rope Bakery delivered by Fancifull while he was at work & chose a fancy new pair of Oxford shoes for him. We topped the night off with takeout from Little Dom's in Los Feliz. We ate at (Big) Dominick's in Hollywood last year, but decided to do the chilled out thing at home this year. The prosciutto & egg pizza was quite fantastic, as was the gem salad with lemon creme fraiche and a side of, yes, I said it, rice balls. Not the most eloquently named Italian dish, but definitely tasty!

Sunday in Pictures

 

Hello, Friday

It's Friday. Enjoy an amazing track, Letter of Intent, by Ducktails featuring synth work from Oneohtrix Point Never's Daniel Lopatin, and vocals from Jessa Farkas of Future Shuttle. Ducktails is Real Estate guitarist Matt Mondanile's project that includes fellow New Jersey natives Big Troubles. Their latest record  The Flower Lane was released 1/29 by Domino. It's effing amazeballs. There's just no other way to really put it. Well to say things more eloquently, the album has a certain level of musical sophistication that differs from the surf-pop suburban rock sounds of Real Estate, which makes this a great listen for fans of both bands, proving a Matt Mondandile's versatility as an artist.  I find the album to check out as seductive,  jazzy and dreamy. Make sure you give each track on the album a listen. This album will be on repeat, indefinitely. I'm not even sure I could wear it out, it's that good.

Mondandile & Farkas; photo featured in Vogue

Audio/video via SUNDAYNYT

Also, it's NYFW and my emails and Twitter feeds are all about the hype. If I were a financially advantaged individual, I'd invest in this entire re-imagined punk collection by Rachel Comey. Holy-cute-striped-dress-in-photo 17.

Yeah, I will keep dreaming on that one. I'd love to get my hands on at least one of her pieces, ever, someday! Have a good weekend!

Simple Beauty

The older I'm getting, the less and less beauty is all about the makeup. Check out these simplified beauty products that I am digging right now:

Clarks Botanicals Ultra Rich Lip Tint ( I love the shade Rachel Red) $19

Mason Pearson Hair Brushes. They've been around for 100 years, and are known to strengthen and disperse sebrum from the root through the hair. Image above of the Nylon brush at Barneys. I opted to do some further digging on Amazon for a better price. These brushes are beautiful, and well worth the money, a new hair tradition for years to come!

Roberts Florentine Rosewater is a refreshing facial moisturizer and helps minimize pores $10 at Catbird

 Benefit Boi-ing Concealer. I look like an extra from AMC's The Walking Dead without it. Need I say more? $20 at Sephora


On a related note, my hair stylist recommended a store on Sunset Blvd. near the Sunset Junction called Eco Apothecary, where they sell sulfate and paraben free, Vegan essential oils and you can bring or buy your own bottle to make your own blends. I can't wait to check it out.

What are your beauty favorites?

A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III

Weekend plans? A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III, Roman Coppola's new comedy is set to open in select theatres in NY/LA on February 8th.




An aberrant and refined journey set in the 1970's through the breakdown of a graphic designer whose sex drive and shenanigans have finally cost him the one woman he loved. Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray play support to the lead,  none other than the highly appropriately chosen Charlie Sheen. I'm looking forward to the film, as it's always a treat to have a new film from any member of the talented Coppola family to watch. A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III is Roman Coppola's second directorial effort since CQ in 2001.

What will you be watching this weekend? 

Super what?

 I like a man of his word. Earlier this week, Kevin Shields said the follow-up to 'Loveless' "might be released in two or three days, and here it is. M B V, My Bloody Valentine's first full-length album since Loveless, 21 years ago, is available. now. here.

There are no words. Except, I've been waiting for this for years now.

Happy Caturday!

It's Caturday, so let's keep it kittenish with cat themed products from the best Brooklyn based one-stop-shop for home accents, beauty products, jewelry and accessories... Catbird!

Keep your ears warm while keeping in stylish kitty fashion with this adorable knit  kitty ears hat $36

Stay organized AND a total design freak with the elegant and modern Fieldguided dreamcats calendar $30


They have plenty of cat themed goods to buy, hence the name, now head over to their site and swoon (<3)  over their perfect offerings in every category. I shit you not,  I die over their affordable hand crafted engagement rings, and pin my favorites to my futuristic Pinterest board. Warning, the site puts your better judgement in a spellbound state.

Back to Caturday, are you crazy for cats? Do you snuggle your furry children each Caturday for an appropriately timed cat nap?

x

That guy on Girls

As a devoted Girls fan, naturally upon watching the series, I've been canvassing the work of the talented stars of the show.  It's hard not to be intrigued by the funny and cynical series regular Alex Karpovsky,  who plays Ray Ploshansky, manager of Grumpys Cafe and boyfriend of Shosh on the show. The Russian-Jewish Bostonian studied grad level Anthropology at Oxford University before dropping out and moving to New York to pursue stand up comedy which didn't work out so well for him, leading him to turn that energy into writing monologues and creating films. Karpovsky has been a star in indie  film for a decade now and began by creating low budget films for small audiences at film festivals, Karpovsky then met Lena Dunham one summer at SXSW Festival, where she asked him to play the role of resident mooch Jed in her debut film Tiny Furniture. From there, we've been seeing more of him each Sunday on HBO, as well as on the big screen.

Alex Karpovsky has two films coming out this month that he wrote, directed and starred in. Rubberneck, a psychological thriller in which he plays a scientist who has a lingering infatuation with a co-worker, and Red Flag, an improvisational comedy. Both films are being released by Tribeca Film. Additionally, Karpovsky stars in Supporting Characters by writer/director Daniel Schechter which is on VOD & iTunes now. The modest indie explores the relationship tribulations and friendship amongst two editors as they are putting the finishing touches on their own indie film in the movie. The film is smart aesthetically shot on high definition digital video with your average Manhattan apartment and street scenery.

Aside from taking Tribeca Film by storm in 2012,  Karpovsky has also landed an acting role in the upcoming Coen Brothers film Inside Llewyn Davis , starring Carey Mulligan and Justin Timberlake, which is set to be his major motion picture debut.

His fantastic filmography should be enough for you to check out Alex Karpovsky's work if you haven't, (The early cuts, too!) however, if you're not convinced, get a feel for his clever quirkiness in Rookie Magazine's ongoing Ask A Grown Man video series below:

photo via Terry Richardson