L.A. Escapes — "Revenge of the Great Showdowns" Exhibit

One of Scott C.'s "Great Showdowns."

I professed my Scott C. love a few years back. And I'm hardwired to over-geek out over '80s/'90s nostalgia, due to my being a member of whichever generation letter it is that claims 1977 babies. So, Scott's upcoming "Revenge of the Great Showdowns" exhibit dovetails quite neatly with my interests.

L.A. Escapes — LACMA Tuesday Matinees

The Red Balloon, 1pm Tuesday, July 1 @ LACMA

I did a piss-poor job of planning out this summer break. Waited too late to sign up for most of the camps and classes, dragged my feet until their was no more decent air fare, neglected to book rooms in time. As such, it's been a long, languorous few weeks since school let out. (Our regular library-park-mall triangulation has grown tired as hell.) On the bright side, I'm not too bad at unearthing little local distractions to help us bide our time until summer comes to an end. (And, lucky for you, I'm down to share with all my fellow slack-asses out there.)

For instance, LACMA is hosting a month full of family-friendly movies every Tuesday in July. In between checking out the "Fútbol" exhibit and the Calder and Expressionist special collections, you can pop in for 1pm screenings of "The Red Balloon," "My Neighbor Totoro," (a forever favorite!) and Chaplin's "The Kid." Tickets are $2 for members, $4 for non-members. Check out the full line-up here. Oh, and, by the by, if you need more to eat something more substantive than a frou-frou handpie from C+M, you can usually find an embarrassment of food trucks parked along Wilshire Blvd., just across from the restaurant.

Wantables — Crooked Teeth Wood Pins

My Crowded Teeth fandom continues, unabated. These wooden pins are my latest Michelle Romo-designed fixation. There are about a dozen different styles and I'm pretty sure I could find a use for each adorably pointless one of them. Isn't Workout Alpaca just begging to be popped onto a jean jacket collar? Can't you just see Skeleton Dude riding around on your computer bag strap, protecting your laptop? And Space Unicorn could make any kid's backpack that much cooler. Each one is $15 (and is far less like to give you the kind of skin irritation the brand's earring packs tend to cause...eek!).

Song of the Day

Fembot, I'm coming!

Yes, this Sunday is all about seeing Robyn & Röyksopp at the Hollywood Bowl. I lack the kind of bonkers-ass outfit that such an occasion requires — I expect to see several iterations of this and these, plus a wide variety of these. Nonetheless, as long as I've had an "old lady nap" (a "disco nap" doesn't cut it anymore) and stay hydrated, things should work out juuuust fine.

This track is just the cool-down. Trust. Things are gonna get silly.

Song of the Day

This is my second ever "Song of the Day" to feature Emily King. But this time, she's not the focus; this lushness comes to us via producer, composer and son of Bobby, Taylor McFerrin. His new album, "Early Riser," dropped this month and he's touring behind it. I very much wish I could check out his set this Friday at The Bootleg Theater, but I already blew my going-out budget (check out tomorrow's "SotD" to find out how).

Coming Down Off A Reading High

I love lists, but I've never been too enthused about those ubiquitous "Summer Reading Lists" that pop up every year. (What is the point of those? To whom are they pertinent? Are there really people who loll around on beaches/yachts/international flights/vineyard terraces and read curated stacks of books from June straight through to Labor Day? Am I just hanging out with the wrong echelon of folks? So many questions! Damn you, "Summer Reading Lists," for filling me with such uncertainty!) 

If, like me, you read what you can during whatever scrap of time you can scrounge, let this be the book: Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. 

I just finished it and my mind is abuzz. The book follows Ifemelu, a young Nigerian woman who travels to America in search of education and something more elusive — not anything as trite as the "American dream," because she's too complex for that. I'd call it a "coming-of-age story," but angsty young white writers have long-since claimed that category. But then, there I go, sounding like Ifemelu, for whom the subjects of race, culture and identity become all-consuming. 

When I was half-way through, I read a blurb that described it as a love story and I wish I hadn't. That seemed like a lazy label and I didn't want to box the story in like that. To tell the truth, romance is not what I initially focused on at all. I was more wrapped up in Adichie's enviable powers of description — the way she captures the nuances of everything from a run-down braiding salon to an overwhelmingly bougie dinner party. So sharp, so relatable (especially in contrast to the last hazy, crazy book I read). I lapped up Adichie's words and read some passages several times in a row, feeling not a little bit envious. I kept thinking, 'I want to write like her. I want her to write like this about me. I don't want this to end. I definitely don't want this to be made into a movie.' 

Though I'd ultimately give the book a B+ (For reasons I won't clarify, for fear of ruining it for future readers...which should include you), it was the kind of book that had me dog-earing pages, talking out loud to the author and wishing I was part of a book club. 

Have you read it? What did you think? Sound off in the comments section…

Watch This — Some tUnE-yArDs With Your Morning Coffee

I've constantly been checking for tUnE-yArDs (aka, Merrill Garbus) ever since I first heard "Bizness." I didn't get my act together in time to catch her sold-out show at the Fonda Theatre, so this live version of "Real Thing" — off her latest album, Nikki Nack — will have to tide me over.

These ladies (and guy) are like harmonizing, grooving exclamation points as they layer lots of simple sounds to make one big, bold one.