It may seem like a small comfort, but strolling through the narrow aisle of flowers at Dean and Deluca?always brightens even the gloomiest of days, for a moment at least. While I can never really afford them, just being in their presence for a little while is enough.

See more: Spend a Couple Minutes Shops

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Posted on October 12, 2009

Already a huge fan of the delicious, cheap and impressively efficient bahn mi shop, I was optimistic about the owners' expansion project; the full menued An Nhau next door. The fairly new addition to the Williamsburg dining scene has not disappointed. One meal we enjoyed a warm eggs and pork belly in broth dish that was perfect for sharing on cooler nights and a fresh shrimp vermicelli. Last night, we split a chicken vermicelli and a nice, tender shaken beef dish, cooked perfectly medium rare as requested.

It not only is a convenient place to eat but it's one of the most friendly meals your likely to have. Everyone seems so truly happy to be working there and to have you as their guest. They're awaiting a liquor license, but in the mean time this is a wonderful spot to enjoy a great non-alcohol fueled meal with an almost completely excellent menu of unique items not found in your run of the mill Vietnamese clone (the only thing we haven't been wild about are the fried spring rolls).

See more: Restaurants Vietnamese Williamsburg

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Posted on October 12, 2009

No one can have looked at a fashion magazine or had any knowledge of photography without knowing the images and name of Irving Penn. The forward thinking and classic image taker died last week at age 92. He left behind a legacy of amazing photographs and I am thrilled to read that the J Paul Getty Museum is currently showing the most extensive collection of his work. Wish I could get to LA in time to see it.

See more: Style Icons: Male Artists

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Posted on October 12, 2009

Crazy Price is an oddball little album that's added a bit of fun to the work day like a refreshingly fizzy glass of soda pop. Hailing from Russia, Messer Chups sounds inspired by lounge music like Esquivel and B movies soundtracks and employ all sorts of quirky instruments to make their happy sounds.

It's kind of surfy, kind of spooky, kind of jazzy, kind of exotica, and totally kooky and lovable; my favorite song is “Sex Euro and Evil Pops“.

Thanks to Shaun for passing this one along.

See more: Albums Pop

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Posted on October 12, 2009

Heartwarming, heartbreaking, humbling and uplifting; these are not exactly the words I expected to use when describing Sacha Gervasi's 2008 documentary Anvil: The Story of Anvil, an intimate portrait of the core members (now in their 50s) of a long-lived but commercially unsuccessful heavy metal band… And I certainly didn't expect to cry; but cry I did, profusely enough that I couldn't even pretend that there was something in my eye.

If you ever want a portrait of perseverance and inexhaustible optimism, you needn't look further than Lips Kudlow, the band's lead singer, who, along with his lifelong friend drummer Robb Reiner, have stayed together to play in small clubs, go on ramshackle European tours, and work full time at blue collar dead end jobs to make ends meet.

Comparisons to Spinal Tap are inevitable, but these are real people in real situations. Once metal gods, Anvil inspired numerous mega bands like Guns 'N Roses, Anthrax, and Slayer but, unlike those bands who all went on to make millions, Lips and Robb struggle to live the dream daily. While it's sad at times, it's an overwhelmingly affectionate portrait that doesn't judge, poke fun, or humiliate.

If you want to feel the power of Metal on Metal and the triumph of the human spirit, watch it!

See more: Movies 2000s Documentary Heavy Metal

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Posted on October 12, 2009