The Banger Report: Vol. 3
by Nicole on May 18, 2012 in Entertainment, Music
Back at it with some BANGAZZZZ. So, the new Santigold record just came out and the whole thing is DOPE. But if you’re looking for a gateway drug to Santi fandom, or if you just want to hear la dope de la dope of the record, I humbly suggest “Go!”, banger #1. This is a song that will involuntarily cause your body to move (incidentally, my favorite kind of song), will not leave your head AND even the version that will play on repeat IN YOUR HEAD will make your body move involuntarily. It’s just that good. Props to Karen O who guests on the track and producers Santigold, Switch and Q-Tip for taking me to magical bangerland.
Banger #2 is from Light Asylum’s new S/T record. This track really jumped out at me the first time I heard it and made me realize that I never really gave these guys enough of my listening time. Their music could be described as electro-pop (I guess), but their synths have a more sinister, heavy edge. Almost industrial. Anyway, I really like this song “Heart of Dust” – it’s dark and creepy with lyrics about haunting, ghosts and being “face down in the river,” but yet, it’s still pretty danceable. Seriously, this will be on every Halloween 2012 party playlist. If not, you’re at the wrong party.
Banger #3′s description can write its GD self. All you need to know is Azealia Banks leaked a track from her upcoming mixtape and it’s called “Jumanji.” If you know anything about anything, it should go without saying that this is FIYAHHHHHH. Download / stream below!
There are vinyl and CD versions of Santigold and Light Asylum‘s new records at Insound.
Jewelry Love: Two-Finger Nameplate Rings
by Hillary on May 17, 2012 in Accessories, Fashion, NYC
I loooooooove nameplate jewelry–it’s classic NYC style. Ever since I lost my very first nameplate necklace that I got 10 years ago when I first moved to the city, I’ve been meaning to get something new.* So when my regular online trollings for fun jewelry led me to a place that makes custom gold-plated rings for $35, I went for it. I must admit I was slightly inspired by the dooooope BROOKLYN rings sported by a couple of ladies at the beginning of the Mr. Muthaf*ckin eXquire Huzzah remix video. I am definitely not pretending to be cool as those girls, I am merely engaging in the sincerest form of flattery. The ring came in only a few days and it is completely silly and gives me the lulz and of course I <3 it to death. And guess what? Now I want MORE NAMEPLATE JEWELRY. Perhaps PA Nicole and I will fulfill our dream to get nameplate necklaces that say MENSA. Weirdly, the place I bought it from was a vendor that uses the Sears online marketplace and appears to sell only custom two-finger rings and jaunty baby formal wear. Life is full of mysteries.
*sadly it was never to be found in the lining of my old purse
I tend to shy away from leggings, imagining that I’ll end up looking like someone on “People of Walmart” or one of those people I see on the street and think to myself “tights are not pants.” Legging technology, however, has improved quite a bit in recent years. So instead of flimsy fabric that shows each and every miniscule thigh detail, you can now find leggings in a variety of fabrics as thick as a pretty serious pair of jeans or pants for a much more structured look.
I saw these Easy Leggings at Uniqlo and figured, why not try them on? I was happily surprised when I tried a denim pair on to find that I didn’t look like a Person of Walmart or a scandalous lady of the night. I just looked like a person wearing a pair of REALLY comfortable, yet tight, pants. The Easy Leggings come in a ton of colors – maybe I’ll work up the guts to buy the bright yellow ones!
Draw Something: Why is Everyone So Much Better at This Than I Am?
by Melissa on May 15, 2012 in Art and Design, Entertainment, Video Games
via drawsomedrawings.tumblr.com
By now I’m sure I don’t have to explain to you guys what Draw Something is. The ubiquitous Pictionary-like app is one of my new fave things to play on my phone, and I have been pleasantly surprised to see some of my friends are really pretty good artists! In contrast, here is my latest attempt at the game:
*sigh*
So you can see, from my amazing art skills above, why I would be so in awe of the blog Drawsome Drawings. Submissions from readers mixed in with the blogger’s own Draw Something entries make for some pretty impressive art…I feel ashamed and crazy jealous.
via drawsomedrawings.tumblr.com
How do people manage this? I feel like my fingers are big meaty paws that can hardly draw a straight line on my phone, let alone create glorious, funny, impressionistic ART. Geez.
Check out a ton of awesome (DRAWSOME HAR HAR) art at Drawsome Drawings!
If you’re thinking about getting a pet, you should know that there are TONS of little buddies waiting for you in shelters all over NYC (and the world). Some of have been abused and some have been abandoned, but whatever their pasts, they all need homes and owners who will treat them with love. This is why the Mayor’s Alliance for Animals is hosting the third annual Adoptapalooza on May 19th in Washington Square Park, where over 100 dogs and cats will be available for adoption.
I adopted my dog Megabite at Animal Care and Control over three years ago and for real, I can’t imagine a better dog existing in the world. And he’s really cute:
Check out www.AdoptapaloozaNYC.org for all the details. And if you can’t make it to this event, you can check out the websites of the participating rescue organizations via that link or some others: Best Friends, Dog Habitat, BARC and of course…Petfinder! Keep in mind that if you can’t adopt a pet, but you still <3 animals, you can always donate supplies, $$ or time to any of these organizations.
Be (Almost) As Royale As Latrice!
by Nicole on May 11, 2012 in Accessories, Celebs, Entertainment, Fashion, TV
Everyone’s favorite queen from the latest season of RuPaul’s Drag Race now has her very own dedicated bling, The Crown Royale Pendant! Latrice Royale won Miss Congeniality with her chunky yet funky ways (I told you she was everyone’s favorite) and if wearing this pendant gives me just an iota of her fierceness, then I’m getting one in every color!
I mean…
WORK. Look out for Latrice Royale on the upcoming season of Drag U…and follow her on twitter for upcoming club dates! PA Hillary and I saw her in Miami and it was nothing short of sickening.
And you can grab a Crown Royale Pendant here in many colors for a little over $20.
WARNING: Graphic images of a little dead mouse getting cut up follow.
See that cute little guy up there? Up until yesterday, he was a frozen dead mouse that had been ethically obtained from a company that raises mice to feed snakes, lizards, etc. This is what he looked like when he was first put on a plastic plate in front of me, at The Observatory in Brooklyn:
The class is called Anthropomorphic Mouse Taxidermy with Susan Jeiven, and if you want to take it, you better sign up for her wait list, because they are sold out all the way through August.
I don’t know why I thought this class would be a breeze…friend Lara mentioned that someone she knows had taken the class and loved it, and I imagined myself sitting in a room filled with cute little mice already gutted and ready to be dressed. I basically wanted a mouse to dress up, which I think really jives with my obsession with little hamsters eating food that’s been made to look like pizza or other human food. I think I just like rodents doing human things? Oh. Probably because of Splinter.
In any case, the class was definitely NOT like that, and while I have to admit that I found it to be pretty disgusting, I would also be willing to go again…teacher Susan was right when she said there was something so satisfying about taking a poor little dead animal that would have just been thrown away and giving it some sort of weird immortality by making it look happy and cute in a new home that you’ve made for it.
From here on out pictures of nasty guts abound so turn back if you have a weak stomach!
Bored at Work: Let Balki Bartokomous Fulfill Your Wildest Dreams
by Melissa on May 9, 2012 in Entertainment, Video Games
Stop everything you’re doing and please play this very short and very entertaining game called “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Me Now“, based on the intro from Perfect Strangers.
This is not even the weirdest part
Make sure to play the game three times, and each time enter a different tunnel so you can see different animation. Fulfill your dreams with Balki and Cousin Larry at your side! My dream was to “become a unicorn”.
And for those of you too young to remember, watch the amazingly cheesy and catchy intro to the late 80s show Perfect Strangers now. Your life will be better once you have.
I don’t know how I’ve made it through my entire sneaker-loving life without ever owning a pair of Reebok Freestyles! I’ve always loved them from a distance (especially how the sole matched the rest of the shoe – I h8 white soles!), but there was always some other pair I HAD to have instead. I assumed they’d always be around, as iconic as they are, and indeed they’re now celebrating their 30th anniversary. This special Reign-Bow color collection was resurrected to honor the occasion. It might be time for me to finally pull the trigger – I’m kind of obsessed with that neon purple!
Reebok’s online store is sold out at the moment, but there are other places to cop them online for about $70, including JimmyJazz.
PS: While Googling these shoes, I came across an amazing female-centric sneaker blog – http://sneakherbox.com. If you are a sneaker-loving lady, check it out!
Sabre’s Mirrored Sunglasses: I Will Look Like A Tool In These But I Don’t Care
by Melissa on May 7, 2012 in Accessories, Fashion
The Dude, $75 / Madness, $94.50 / Heartbreaker, $100 / Poolside, $75
After watching Grimes perform at SXSW on YouTube all I could think was “I NEED THOSE SUNGLASSES”. I guess with the reemergence of neon it would only make sense that mirrored sunglasses would not be far on its heels, and I am just that much of a fashion victim that I am now kind of dying for a pair.
Sabre makes some really dope pairs, even if you aren’t into the mirrored sunglasses look their site is worth taking a look. Cute sunglasses abound, and it’s almost summer!
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