Frank O´Hara LIVE

Frank O'Hara never disappoints. I had never seen him live or heard him, but how perfect is this? The accent, his effeminate voice, the casual cigarette, the NY taxicab honk at 1:30, the perfect poem...awesome.

This is one of my favorites, "Having a Coke With You," partly because it's perfect romance, rather than sentimentality, and partly because it does a lot of art history name-dropping.

oooh-weeee-ooooh

Today, let's pause to remember the demise, 50 years ago today, of Buddy Holly — the hottest of nerds, the prototype for nerd chic worldwide and the inspiration behind Weezer's greatest video. Tears for Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper, too.

Nothing like a well-dressed man

TOP: Man on the street in Milan, from The Sartorialist
BOTTOM (l to r): Pocket square from Beecroft and Bull, screenprinted ties from Cyberoptix and Revue eyeglass frames from Eyeglasses.com.

On Friday, I went with my friend Pat to help him pick out a suit for his wedding. He and his fiance are going to have a really untraditional wedding; she's going to wear a blue dress and he wanted a three-piece gray suit. He invited me because I suppose my years of reading Vogue come in handy once in a while.

Let me say, it was awesome. I had never seen such well-dressed men in my life. We went to Banana Republic, Jos. A Bank, Men's Wearhouse and the creme de la Creme, Beecroft & Bull, a Virginia-based fine clothing store. Beecroft & Bull was like mecca for me.

I have a long-standing weakness for professorial types, and this place was lined wall-to-wall with tweed blazers and patched elbows, gorgeous silk ties and pocket squares, leather chesterfield club chairs and old-fashioned shaving kits. Now, all that said, a suit starts at like, $1,200 there. But oh man, it was awesome.

Pat ended up with a classic gray glen-plaid 3-piece from Men's Wearhouse, but let me just say, I called Sean from the store and said, "We are going suit-shopping, stat."

He was like, "um...maybe when I get rich."

We can only hope!

tragic sadness

It's one thing to mourn my industry from the inside, but entirely different when it affects my own reading.

Domino Magazine, a shelter mag from Conde Nast, will cease publishing in March, which is tragic, seriously. It was literally my favorite magazine for the past four years and now I'm wondering if I can get the back issues that I missed, because this magazine is truly that useful. I constantly flip through old issues looking for ideas.

It's rare you find a magazine you can grow with, but as my tastes have changed (along with my living circumstances), Domino has been a constant source of inspiration.

I am completely bummed about this.

Dear Mrs. Rigg

While cleaning out my childhood desk, I just found a third grade writing assignment journal with some hilarious musings. Here, I share them for your reading entertainment, complete with embarrassing spelling mistakes.

Dear Mrs Rigg,
I'm in the Cristmas play. I haft to be Dasher, and Everybody says that Dasher is Rudolph's mother. And that Dancer is Rudolph's father. But I decided that I must have devorsed him.
Your friend,
Amber

* my only assumption is that I did not like whatever boy had to play Dancer.

Dear Mrs. Rigg,
I'm glad that Clinton won. I guess the reason I didn't want to vote for Bush is because my parents have never elected a Republican before, we've always been Democrats. Let's just cross our fingers and hope Clinton can make America a better place to live.
Love,
Amber

* Okay, so I've always taken pride in my assumption that I liked Clinton because I liked him...not my parents. Um...yeah, this is disappointing.

i'm in hibernation

Around this time of year, I just give up.

I don't get out of bed because it's too cold.

I don't cook because I'm too lazy. (Though I have been reading and re-reading my cookbooks, trying to figure out what recipes scare me the least.)

I just wake up and go to work and come home and go to sleep.

But there is so much promise wrapped up in this spring that I don't even feel bad about it.

Complaint time: I haven't even gotten my W-2 yet. What the hell? I wants to be filin my taxes!

In two weeks, I'm going to California, which will be the longest and furthest I have ever traveled, my first time on the West Coast, my longest flight ever, etc. etc. etc. I am SO excited. The only bad part is that I am taking my corporate-mandated unpaid furlough that week, so I have to be super miserly with my funds.

I've already decided I'm going to limit my purchases to like, one amazing accessory I can wear for my entire life and/or something for my home that I will have always. No sense wasting cash on clothes I won't wear in less than five years.

Today was our first snow of the entire year and I am disappointed. Partially because it happened on my day off, but wasn't enough to play in, and partially because I was kind of hoping to have a snowless winter since my neighbors moved out and they took care of shoveling the walk last year.

Anyone else hoping for a snowless winter? I guess we could just disregard our feelings about polar bears, use up a lot of energy and have snowless winters for the rest of times.

harnessing the wimsy

I really need to find a way to harness whimsy like event designer David Stark, whose team created the papier mache birds and cut-out bouquets.

I find winter really takes most ambition out of me simply because I want to stay in bed and hibernate. But hopefully this spring will get me moving again and I can try to be creative on my own, without a teacher or boss asking me to be for an assignment.

By the way, how awesome would it be to make a whole menagerie of papier mache birds? Mom, Sara: You seem like people who could help me with this project.

Seth Vs. Julia

My new goal in life is to be a dancer on Yo Gabba Gabba.

In case you don't have Noggin or NickTV, Yo Gabba Gabba is apparently a show for kids that features kiddie breakdancing, Biz Markie beatboxing lessons and celebrity guest appearances. Basically, I wish I could Tivo it.

unnecessary necessities

I completely covet this $199 greenhouse from Anthropologie

I don't garden. I don't really have any need for it. But it just seems so classic, like something from The Secret Garden. And it's definitely heirloom-quality, that's for sure. For this greenhouse, I'd start growing things.

I've also talked about trying the whole terrarium thing. My mom had one when I was a kid, and it was really cool. I think I need someone to come show me how to be domestic. I have no idea how to garden or cook or sew. I wish I could hire a tutor or something.

strange attraction

I don't really know why or have a good reason, but I think this Blu Dot console, in watermelon or robin's egg, would be the hottest thing ever. $399 at Design Public