Gaby Hoffman

About this Gaby Hoffman moment I have been having. Isn't she the coolest.Her mom was Viva. She grew up in the chelsea hotel.

Valentine's Day on Graham

One of the odd and charming things about my new neighborhood is that people are really, really into Valentines Day. It almost seemed like people were in a rush to take down their Christmas decorations and put red hearts in their windows. They were up by mid-January, this really sweet looking red light-up hearts in the windows of the otherwise pretty drab Williamsburg vinyl siding clod building. I love that all these elderly Italians are so romantic.I know my photos are pretty bad but seriously these light up hearts are great.

Cafe Capri, my variety coffee shop on Graham (sorry Variety) is celebrating there 35th anniversary today. I went in this morning and they gave me free candy and a piece of Panatone. Just like my grandma!I love these two, she always asks me if I want my lid folded back or closed.The 'chairman of the board' is prominently featured
Oh and the deli next door has heart shaped ravioli.xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

lets us talk of love and mary j. blige

The clock is counting down to valentines day and I had many ideas for related posts but I had a hard week complicated by sickness, a new job and general ennui.
so lets just discuss one thing. Mary J. Blige. How much does she rule? infinity times a hundred I think. This song popped into my head today.
The video is so cool. I'm going down. (embed disabled sad face)And of course my theme for 2009 and beyond Real Love. **and also Love No Limit.

I never claimed to have good taste in movies.

Dear Friends,
Ok I admit it, Friday night when you invited me out and I said I was wrapping some stuff up, and would come out later, I was home watching Now and Then. I AM A HUGE DORK. I somehow had never seen it, maybe because, it's not very good or because I associated it with my younger sister Margarita because she used to look just like Christina Ricci and I therefore thought it was for kids. My sudden desire to see it was partly related to this Gaby Hoffman moment I've been having (more on that soon) and Fant and I had been craving a girly friendship cheeseball movie and we both realized we had never seen it. Unfortunately for me, I had no Fant and had to watch it alone but fortunately for you (maybe) that means I was able to take TONS of screen caps. ARE YOU READY. Enjoy.
Love,
Leti

First there is 'Now' with this aquanet and chintz monstrosity.

Do you love Demi Moore and Melanie Griffiths outfits?and there is 'Then'... the art direction of the bedrooms is particularly greatUm, is this keren's old sty-town apartment?She grows up to be a movie starthis is the chintz monstrosity as a girlHi mom!Christina Ricci/Rosie O'Donnell is not supposed to be a lesbian even though she tapes down her boobs.
Um, Janeanne Garafalo avec Klute haircutGABY! I love her. She looks so much like my baby sister Mariana.My friends never do cool stuff like thisneeded some tarot advicethe wallpaper! the jello!My friend Tony Polacci (now known as Coalmine Spindle) had that same Karmen Ghia in high school with a license plate that said "THX JERRY"Brendan Fraiser makes a cameo as a Vietnam vet hippie.He gives them cigarettes
Hello! little girl smoking.
Mar? Is that you?Hi mom.Flannel-clad garage painting/dance party. My life is not this cool.And the tree house and some seemingly Mooka Kinney type ensemble on Thora Birch.

Medicine for Melancholy

My cousin Nikolas Zasimczuk came to town last week just in time to invite me and Vern to the premiere of a little film he did the sound for called Medicine for Melancholy. Turns out its not so little. It even got a hearty nod from A.O. Scott at ye Olde Timey New York Times. I was pleasantly surprised and beaming with familial pride.
It's basically a mumblecore-inspired story about a one night stand with a Black hipster angle and a bunch of San Francisco gentrification politics thrown in for good measure.
Shot by my S.O.T.A classmate James Laxton (so quiet in high school) using an interesting stylistic choice of extremely desaturated colors to make San Francisco look beautiful in its grayness. It was just thing to kick the San Francisco nostalgia I can't seem to get rid of into high gear. There is even a scene where they go to Soul Night at the Knockout and a soundtrack packed with SF bands.But it's Wyatt Cenac of The Daily Show charming and hilarious performance as Micah that really holds the film together. I chatted with him at the party, he is pretty mellow, turns out he lives in my neighborhood. Nice guy.
SEE THE MOVIE!**
Oh and by the way... we partied. Family style!

Zasimczuk Cousins! Nik, Leti, VeronikaNik with the filmmaker Barry Jenkins