must giant together effort: giants at nationals park. i'd planned to head to dc for a much belated game at nationals park for months. it was much needed to support my giants. timmy was pitching but unfortunately it wasn't our night, losing 0-3. still had a great time with fellow giants fans and ben's chilli bowl dog and fries. a good time was had. geeno and joe, one more stadium for me. ; ) that's #14 for me. minnesota's up next.
must scandie goodness: lykke li's "sadness is a blessing" vid featuring stellan skarsgard. two minutes of acting until songs breaks in, but lykke' breaks out her signature moves. who doesn't love a hug from stellan?
best belated live performance: smith westerns at bowery ballroom. shar's been meaning to catch the smith westerns for some time now and friends they didn't disappoint. their breezy kinda rock was the perfect way to welcome in spring to new york. playing a set under an hour, a sold out crowd left a little disappointed that the smith westerns glassed over an encore. despite that, the infectious tune "weekend" is stuck in my head the morning after. that feeling reminds me of another concert i attended at bowery. funny enough ryan mcginley films both bands at pitchfork last year. vid below.
next up was caetano de almeida at eleven rivington. this brazilian painter creates colorful bursts that you can't help but love. layers of lines and circles cover his pieces. i would gladly purchase one for my imaginary loft with my non-existent six figure salary.
walking back on the conclusion of our crawl, i realized that storefront for art and architecture had a cool interactive exhibit up called dig. artist daniel arsham literally dug and picked through styrofoam blocks. 
results kinda remind me of reliving luke skywalker's time in the hoth system circa empire strikes back.
virginia's feet in the styrofoam oasis
i received the loveliest thank you card from my favorite across the pond couple, rich and michelle. they are getting hitched next month in france, but i won't be there. i sent them a little something and this card was so dear since i knew michelle had painted it herself. she used to paint movie sets. congrats you two!
worth the wait: sharon van etten. shar's been pining to see sharon live. so tonight was the night. i had to leave a bachelorette party and braved the rain minus a umbrella. when sharon walked on the stage the crowd cheered and then oops she had to run back for something. she opened with two solos and then her band joined up for "peace sign" and "save yourself". there was quite the audience saturday with one lady yelling "i love you sharon". ms. van etten was a sweetheart and obliged the shouters even when the rest of the audience found it irate. 
self-voluntary nhl torture: san jose sharks. every year i get behind my sharks and every year they dangle a stanley cup in my face then pull it away. thursday night though when joe palvelski slapped that game winning goal in overtime, shar was sucked back into the nhl playoffs. 
best professor of history: sarah vowell at brooklyn library. i was jazzed when a friend told me that ms. vowell would be at my local library reading from her recent book, unfamiliar fishes. luckily i was able to get a copy from said library prior to the reading. i finished it within hours of the event. i felt like i was in college again completing my reading for lecture. anyhoot, seeing sarah in person was a treat as i've mostly heard her on this american life. if you haven't heard the bit when ira glass teaches sarah to drive, please do here. speed up to the break between the 6 and 7 minutes.
must fltgc poster: ryan mcginley owl poster for agnes b's b gallery. the new space opened just this past saturday on howard street. the store is spacious enough to host an open area to lounge and view art. currently pieces from agnes' personal collection sprinkle the walls, from the likes of dash snow to louise bourgeois. i got talking to the gallerist and she said they anticipate having the space open up into the streets come summer or when spring arrives for us new yorkers. she gave me the inside scoop on the upcoming may exhibit, which will feature a young french woman who is currently still in school but producing photographs worthy of agnes' liking. so kids of ny , pick up your mcginley because you know it's in to put a bird on it. and my west coast friends, maybe this ny friend would be inclined to grab ya one.
first fltgc purchase: balance by mel kadel at gallery hanahou's prints&pages pop-up show. since i was introduced to her by kristin, i've been a fan of mel's for a few years now. something about her heroine's unsurmountable feats and acrobatic movement drew me in. i was happy to finally be a proud owner of one of her prints. i chose from 5 prints and i think i got the best coffee stained piece. what do you think? i also got some stickers for good measure. get your's. there's 4 left and plenty of stickers.
must documentary: bill cunningham new york. i caught this lauded about documentary on the tail end of it's run at film forum. beyond the snaps of fashion on the streets of new york is a lovable bill who rides his bike and doesn't eat on the job. a truly unique individual who keeps to his principles and isn't swayed by money or status. the whole time i was watching i just wanted to give him a hug. i hope to one day get that opportunity. ends tomorrow at film forum, ny kids. go see it if you can snap up the last tickets. friends of sf, it opens on friday. see it!!!
worst march madness final: butler 41, uconn 53. shar was psyched for some cinderelly action but unfortunately the shots weren't dropping for butler. and if you watched it, it was none too pretty. dare i say superbad. i haven't seen so many falls and flailing arms in the years i've watched the tourney. bulter was shooting 18% for the night and uconn a little better with 34%. i must now quote my friend richard's text from last night, "i play higher scoring games in the street". this was the little reprieve i received in the night. for a tourney that produced great upsets and no #1s in the final, it was a great disappointment that not even one shining moment could uplift me.
best monday ennui soundtrack: best coast session on daytrotter. mondays bring on a sense of utter and sheer mundane streams of busy nothings. somehow the distorted musings of one bethany cosentino gets me through what is going to be a very long week. sigh!
best smolder-deflect viewing: jane eyre. charlotte bronte's classic has always been one of my favorite books. above all the austen works, plain jane always had a special place in my heart. so much i created a lesson plan for the novel for extra credit. yeah, i'm a nerd.
belated fltgc: first saturday at brooklyn museum. shar snoozed last month on one of my fav days of the month. there's something exhilarating about first saturday. there's a cross section of families and young singles that attend this free monthly extravaganza. 
Fleet Foxes - Grown Ocean from Fleet Foxes on Vimeo.
