For The Love of Lists — POW! May 3 is Free Comic Book Day!

***UPDATED BELOW***

Tomorrow, Saturday May 3, is Free Comic Book Day and my kid will be beating down the door of her favorite spot, Thank You Comics, trying to get her hands on some newness. Though she has no concept of money, or saving (despite our best parenting efforts), she always manages to find just enough pocket change to keep her bookshelves well stocked.

We've never made it to one of these events (held the first Saturday of May), so I don't know what to expect. According to the official event site, Thank You will be handing out designated "Kid Friendly" comics. You can find participating shops using a Store Locator on the FCB Day Home Page.

If your neighborhood store is only handing out the racy/violent/dark stuff, you can always scan the shelves for these cool kids' titles*. They won't be free, but they'll be worth shelling out the cash.

*My suggestions are based solely on the number of times my own kid has read and re-read these titles. (Most of these are appropriate for, say, a mature 2nd Grader and range from either twee/girly to unisex.)

The "Hilda" Series by Luke Pearson.

The "Zita the Spacegirl" Series by Ben Hatke.

The "Amulet" Series by Kazu Kibuishi.

The "Bone" Series by Jeff Smith, and its "Quest for the Spark" spin-off.

Ugly Doll and Mameshiba manga.

And last, but not least, my kid's guilty pleasure...The MLP "Friendship Is Magic" comics.

Lately, my kid's been sniffing around the "Adventure Time" comics. We'll see what she picks up tomorrow.

Can you recommend any other kids' comic titles? You know the kind that's so good, they wanna curl up into a little ball of reading rapture until you force them to eat/bathe/sleep.

***UPDATE***
If you're in a book-perusing mood, don't forget May 3 is also California Book Store Day! Find out what's going on at our favorites, Vroman's and Skylight Books.

For the Love of Lists — Things I'm excited about this summer

1. Beasts of the Southern Wild. I just listened to an interview with the director and read an interview with the teeny little star and I am beyond excited about the July 6 release. I haven't really tracked an opening date like this in a while (other than Moonrise Kingdom, which I reviewed merely as "better than Darjeeling and Team Zissou, but, still...").

I've already watched the trailer an unreasonable amount of times.




2. Louie, Season 3 starting this week. I love a show that makes me a little uncomfortable and sweaty (the husband's pick of Breaking Bad makes me too, too uncomfortable and sweaty). Now that Louis CK is back in my life, he can fill the face-palm hole that Girls' season closer left in my life. (As for the latter, I fell for the hype hook, line and sinker. Loves that show.)

3. Our upcoming family trip to Toronto. Yes, it's still a month+ away, but I love pre-pre-planning my vacations. Thus far, I know AGO — we'll be there just in time to catch the Picasso exhibit — and the Ontario Science Center are on the itinerary. If you've been to TO (is it lame to call it that, á la, Frisco?) and have recommendations for exceptional espresso beverages and/or bougie dining, do please leave them in the comments.

For the Love of Lists — Get A Life Fest

I've been trying to reclaim my social life, but I must say that over the past year, things have been dragging. This is, chiefly, because I don't have a dedicated party posse like in the Austin Days of Yore (sniff). The last few weeks, though, have signaled a return to form. The iCal has filled with more than just first graders' birthday parties, school volunteering obligations and dental appointments.

Just what have I been doing? To the lists!

Shows/gigs that were well worth the cost of the babysitter:
1. Lianne La Havas at Bootleg Theater — She's charming, a solid songwriter, has great stage presence, and comes across as a less treacly version of Corinne Bailey Rae. The packed crowd — from where I stood, an odd blend of alterna-black girls and middle-aged white dudes in business attire — was spellbound. And, though, I refuse to chalk this up to anything more than urban legend, for the sake of my fragile constitution, Stevie Wonder was reportedly one of the admiring onlookers. I NEED to disbelieve these reports; surely, if my idol was in the building, my radar would've gone off.


Check out La Havas serenading Parisian shoppers:



Lianne La Havas | No Room For Doubt | A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.



Click through to see more...

For the Love of Lists — My Portland Top 9

I get the SAD's real bad. In fact, living in sun-deprived San Francisco for a year nearly sunk me. So, I know that there is no way — despite its myriad charms — that I could ever live in Portland. But, man, did I love visiting. We were sorely in need of a family vacation and a four-day stay in Portland was pitch perfect.

Yes, it rained when it was inconvenient and was only sunny when it didn't particularly matter. Yes, there were several down-and-out scenes I didn't really need my cloistered daughter to witness (including a Ronnie Dobbs-esque dramedy between some drunk and airport security as we were leaving). And, yes, the family headcold squashed our biking plans. But that bohemian burp-up of a city was just the respite we needed after a long, dull Orange County summer.

We had the benefit of two back-bending hosts who took us to nearly every part of town — from the Oregon Zoo to Mt. Tabor, hipster boutiques to a truly super market. Behold, the list of my Top 9 sites seen.

9. Here's the oatmeal brulée and nutty bunny smoothie we ordered for my daughter at Gravy. Despite gorging myself on my own perfect Mount St. Helens-sized biscuit drenched in country gravy and huge mug of jasmine pearls tea, I still managed to gobble up what she so foolishly wasted. Cool art on the walls, a cool waitress, a bookcase stocked with kid-distracting picture books and great Mississippi Ave. neighbors (Black Wagon, The Fresh Pot, etc.) earned this place a gold star.

8. Yes, cupcakes are passé by now. But after seeing a crew of goo-faced smiling kids walk out of Saint Cupcake, my daughter pressed her face on the storefront window and began wordlessly pounding the glass like a zombie. We had little choice but to go in. If you can stand in this festive, miniature-filled shop without letting out even the most inaudible squee, you may possibly be a jerk. We ordered cupcakes and they were extra on-point. So many who've cashed in on the cupcake trend forget that they are actually supposed to taste as good as they look, if not way better. This place knows what they're doing. Oh, and there's a boutique in the back, too. Hello! Noun carries a well-chosen selection of vintage homegoods and handmade jewelry. It's like a small, non-mall version of Anthropologie. Plus, their slogan ("A person's place for things") had be giggling all the way down the street.

7. The service at the Alberta location of local French chain Petite Provence was so warm and friendly that I could've stayed there all day. I had savory french toast with grilled ham and asparagus and gruyere sauce. Slammin'! Oh, and the huge bowl of cardamom rum latté was nearly enough to lay me out flat. I never even made my way over to the sprawling glass case filled with pastries and breads, so I obviously have to make my way back there.

6. Bella Faccia Pizzeria is not much on ambiance. In fact, it's very much like a no-frills New York pizza parlor. And that's why I loved it. That, and the fact that the pizza was crispy, thin New York-style perfection. And let's not forget the good, fresh salad, a nice pitcher of local beer and a huge scoop of some crazy-good key lime pie gelato from Staccato Gelato. Yes.

5. The onset of rain made caffeine very necessary. At tiny, little Bakery Bar I found the perfect macchiato, which was the first/best of Portland's famed coffee that I'd find on the whole trip (added bonus: the banana bread with chocolate ganache).

4. We were only in town four days, yet we ended up in Grasshopper twice. The over-priced kids clothes in the front of the store had me feeling skeptical, but the far more affordable toys scattered all about helped ease me into this place (so many under-$10 options!). There's a very inviting, hands-on set-up and even the bathroom was thoughtfully planned. The staff was super helpful, too. When I discovered they didn't carry what I was looking for, one employee wrote out step-by-step directions to someplace that would. On the next visit, another voluntarily jotted down some notable kid's book titles for me. Our total haul included some of their vast Playmobil stock, very hip stickers by arty French toy brand Djeco and a copy of The Secret Lives of Princesses.

3. Man, was I under-dressed for Multnomah Falls. This is the second tallest natural waterfall after Niagara Falls and, even on a nice day, the surrounding area is wet. It should be noted that I've lived in mostly arid climes since I was 17, so I don't have any of that performance fleece, wind-blocking gear that seemingly everybody there but me was wisely wearing. My suede moccasins weren't useful, neither was the dainty Splendid 3/4 sleeve open cardigan I relied on as a "jacket" on that chilly day. So, you have a city slicker without a slicker, stuck in the middle of real-live, actual nature. Though this is an equation for lousiness, I totally loved it. The beauty of the falls was second only to the site of my daughter splashing about the trail in her froggy galoshes, marveling at the giant moss-covered trees.

2. Powell's City of Books — The next time I am in Portland, I will right my wrongs and apportion far more than a piddly hour at this bookstore. Ridiculous. I loved it so much and I only saw a fraction of it. In addition to an armload of used books (including this Strawberry Shortcake cookbook I loved as a kid), we snagged a copy of the new J.otto Seibold, which isn't even on Amazon for another few weeks!

1. The Bye and Bye is the bar my friend Liam owns with a few good friends. It is freakin' lovely. Weird to say about a bar, right? According to a Portland law, bars have to serve food and some (though, I don't think all) are open to minors until 8 p.m. The whole family headed over to the bar for some delicious vegan plates (yes, for real). They have cozy seating indoors and out and a design-scheme that is so very un-bar-ish — great art, modern colors, no squawking flatscreen TVs, no stale jukebox...my husband even gave the bathroom a good report. It doesn't even have that gross bar smell. I mean, how many bars do you go to and find people reading novels and working on their laptops while they sip? If you go, get the vegan grilled cheese. Believe me. Oh, and tell Liam I said hi.

Edit: I'd hoped to round it out to an even 10 by putting our hotel on this list. It was an old grammar school converted into a hotel — complete with hardwood floors, current and retro films showing in the theater and a cafeteria-turned-restaurant. All over the building, there was actual school memorabilia and our room was once part of the woodshop classroom. Alas, staying there turned out to be as fitful as sleeping in an actual functioning school, which is to say, noisy and uncomfortable.

For the Love Of Lists — Rewind

Shows I wish I'd never seen so I could enjoy the pleasure of discovering them all over again (in no particular order).

1. Freaks & Geeks — Okay, this one's just starting to re-air on IFC. There is so much goodness in this show (the lame guidance counselor, "Come Sail Away," bitchy Busy Phillips, solar plexus-punching), but my favorite element was the delicious awkwardness of Jason Segel's mating ritual.

2. Buffy The Vampire Slayer — I actually don't need to have my memory wiped of this one. I can watch it whenever and wherever (provided my kid is nowhere near the TV). In college, this was the only show I actually even watched (too busy having a life for all the others). Enter pregnancy: My life slowed down A LOT and I rented and watched the series in its entirety. Now, if I could permanently delete Dawn, Drusilla and Tara...

3. The Wire (give or take Season 3) — Omar, Omar, Omar. Violent TV is not really my thing, but I made an exception for Snoop, The Barksdales, et al. Not for nothing, this reel waters the series down, but it's good for a little re-cap.

4. Arrested Development — It was too good to last (okay, if you skip the whole Charlize Theron storyline). I went around quoting that show so frequently — "Her?", "I blue myself!", "Marry me," "No touching!" — that I was nearly unintelligible to non-viewers. Linuses. HA!

5. Extras — I needed, like, prescription-strength deodorant and a box of tissue to watch this show. It made me so intoxicatingly uncomfortable.

6. Mr. Show with Bob and David — It's probably best if this one stays in my past, if I'm honest. It requires a lifestyle that's not exactly befitting a housewife and mother...

7. Chappelle's Show — Prince pancakes, Darkness! and The 5 o' clock Free Crack Giveaway. Laughing until you fart was always acceptable when this show was on.

8. Flight of the Conchords — Once upon a time, I came across Bret shuffling around a tiny L.A. neighborhood library. I made some weak-ass quip to him about wishing I had a camera-phone in my bag. Sigh. Good times.

I guess it's good that I've watched the show's two seasons multiple times; it makes my sing-alongs so much, um, "cooler"...yeah, that's the word I'll use.

9. Eastbound & Down — New episodes air in September. When I first came across this show, I couldn't believe it ever got made. Glad it did. Kenny Powers is so wrong, people.

Kenny Powers Is Back In September

Honorable Mention:

Degrassi Junior High — The original is what I'm talking about here, the one I used to fight my sister for the privilege of watching (we only had one TV to share and the Canadian series came on PBS at the same time as 21 Jumpstreet). These were accurately imperfect pre-teens with acne, split ends, jacked-up teeth and wardrobe repeats. None of the glossy wannabes you'll see on the show's modern-day incarnation. Thanks to Degrassi, I got my first televised inkling of the angst that I would later come to know and customize.

For the Love of Lists — Things to do in D.C. while you're waiting for Godot

"Did you hear about the volcano in Iceland?" my husband started, before giving me the details last Thursday.

"Stop playing with me," was my refrain.

If only.

We read the headlines, we dialed the toll free numbers and waited on hold, we even made the 45 minute trek to Dulles airport, fruitlessly looking for a human being to explain to us what would happen with our imperiled flight plans.

What it ultimately boiled down to was this: We had no idea if we would ever actually make it to France and I was going to have to make D.C. — my hometown and a place I'd long-since taken for granted — as fun a consolation prize for my daughter as I possibly could. There was no Playmobil exhibit at the Musée Des Arts Décoratifs, no cavity-baiting at Ladurée and no shopping at DPAM. Here are the highlights of what we did instead.

There was the sight-seeing...

...I mean, can you go to D.C. with a kid and not visit the National Zoo? The free-ness, alone, is a draw. We giggled

at naked mole rats, strained our necks to see a shy panda and marveled at the crowd-pleasing orangutans. If you

time your visit just right, you may see them on walk-about on their O Line. As long as you stand far enough back to

keep them from peeing on your head, you can watch them walk, or swing directly overhead as they go back and forth

between their two living spaces.

...We escaped chilly winds by browsing the blossoms in the humid Botanic Gardens.

...My dad drove us to Baltimore for some Inner-Harbor paddle boating and a visit to the National Aquarium, an

attraction I hadn't visited since I was in the sixth grade. The dolphins and sting rays were interesting and all,

but that dark, musty place is seriously overdue for an overhaul.

...And, of course, my daughter has to ogle the Smithsonian's taxidermied animals every single time we're in town.

...My personal favorite moment, though, was walking my daughter to and from the adorable little brick Takoma Park

library that I loved so much as a kid.

And then, there were the meals...

...I was reasonably satisfied with a mason jar of lemonade, delicious biscuits and shrimp 'n' grits (too light on the grits, I must admit) at cool Zora Neale Hurston-inspired soul food eatery, Eatonville.

...Dukem doesn't have the best Ethiopian food I've ever had (Ghenet, in NYC, earned that distinction), but the dinner entertainment was spell-binding.

This isn't what we saw, but does demonstrate the dancing style.

...Across from Dukem, the grown-ups hit up Ben's Next Door, where my "good" mom jeans were no match

for the Essence-mag-fabulous bar crowd. Everybody was far too fly for after-work drinks in the middle of the week.

...My kid did get to scarf down some pâté after all at out-of-the-way french bistro, Et Voila.

...We weathered the yuppie zone that is Dupont Circle's Pizzeria Paradiso and were rewarded with the lamb,

potato and feta pizza of the day.

...We lunched on more soul food at the renovated Eastern Market. The ladies at the famed and historic Market Lunch

counter may have nicer new digs than they did before the building's fire in '07, but that has improved their stank

Soup Nazi-esque demeanor not a bit. It's all part of the experience, though.

Less notable experiences at Kramer Books & Afterwards, Good Stuff (inaccurately named, over-priced burgers and

soggy fries brought to you by Top Chef's Spike Mendelsohn) and Tex-Mex Lite hot spot, Lauriol Plaza rounded out

our dining outings.

For a non-"vacation" trip, we actually managed to cram in quite a bit of goings-on, I'd say. Nonetheless, the universe

owes me another getaway! Where should it be? I'm definitely thinking somewhere in this same time zone because

there is not enough melatonin in the world to tame my jet lag disorder...

For the Love of Lists — Dance to the Music

This time, I'm taking it easy on myself and letting someone else do all the work. Flavorwire has posted their list of "The 35 Best Dance Sequences in Film." It hits all the right notes for me because I've been absolutely obsessed with hack-y old musicals on TCM lately. In fact, I'm watching a cheese-tastic oldie starring Bob Fosse as I type. In general, I'm not a fan of schmaltz, but it's an odd phase I can't seem to shake (plus, impersonating Ginger Rogers does make doing the dishes seem like less of a chore).

The list spans seven decades and includes personal favorites such as Footloose, West Side Story and Gene Kelly tap dancing on roller skates in (the otherwise whatever-ish, as I learned just yesterday) "It's Always Fair Weather."

The list and its accompanying clips is a fun way to pass the time and you get the same light-hearted feeling of watching the movies without having to actually sit through the talking bits. It does, however, have a few hiccups. For instance, where the hell is Cyd Charisse? Oh, and I winced through Freida Pinto's lousy dancing throughout the otherwise exhilarating "Slumdog Millionaire" finale (their #35). And let's not forget the omission of the following greatness:

Maybe they dissed "The Wiz" because YouTube won't seem to let you to embed decent clips of "Ease On Down the Road."

Here's the most recently released cuteness...

"Twist and Shout" from "Ferris Bueller's Day Off"

The hilarious inappropriateness of a little girl dancing to Rick James

You can't front on Rosie! She worked it so hard!

And how could you ever forget Corky's dance from "Waiting for Guffman"?

What did I miss?

For the Love of Lists — The existence of these things gives my brain gas

In truth, this list could easily extend to biblical proportions. But for the sake of brevity, i'll just offer up four things I've recently encountered that fit the bill. Such is the state of my mental discomfort over these things, that I can't even really write scathing commentary. Feel free to hit up the comments and give your best shot (or, hey, defend 'em if you feel inclined!).

1. Juicy Couture Monopoly (I recently saw this at TJ Maxx, but apparently, it was once worthy of Neiman's, shelves.)

2. Burger and Friends' high-waisted spandex "Pursuit Shorts" (No, I don't believe these are meant to be warn under clothes.)

3. Aristabrat Swarovski crystal pacifier (They're $120 each...only $10 more than the matching rattle.)

4. "Vajazzle" is now a word.

For the Love of Lists — Coachella Pros and Cons

These days, going to a concert is a special occasion for me, when, just five years ago, it used to be as common place as grocery shopping. I won't go into the whiny reasons why, but you know I could. So, the notion of one of the year's biggest music festivals opening its gates just two months and a two-hour drive away gets me as excited as Christmas. But will it happen? Here's how the Coachella facts work themselves out...

Pros:

1. Jay-Z — I'm not crazy about the new album (I prefer Aziz Ansari's "Hate." And, "Young Forever," really?). Still, friends at the Austin show raved about it and I want to see his live show for myself.

2. LCD Soundsystem

3A.-3B. Grizzly Bear & Beach House — Their Solana Beach show last fall was great, but my mood that night wasn't. I need a do-over!

4. Passion Pit

5. Hot Chip — I saw them a few years ago and danced until I literally had to sit my weary knees down (in the balcony, alongside a bunch of unenthused chaperoning moms)

6. Yo La Tengo — Remember when I posted this?

7. Miike Snow

8. Spoon — I never gave them much thought until after I moved out of Austin. Now, I can't seem to catch a show to save my life.

9. Thom Yorke??? — I'm going to pretend I know what the question marks are about and just go ahead and list this one as a pro. There have been rumors about a new Radiohead album. Maybe yes, maybe no. Until then, I need a way to soothe the fact that I've never seen Radiohead live. (Okay. I am not counting their opening set for Natalie Merchant and R.E.M. at South Park meadows...that was another lifetime ago, pre-OK Computer.)

There are those that I listen to that I'd pass on just because I'm not sure the fields of Indio are the right venue — The Whitest Boy Alive, Mew, Charlotte Gainsbourg. I just saw Vampire Weekend (one in a surprisingly small crowd at a Long Beach show), I've seen Little Dragon twice in a year and I'm seeing the Dirty Projectors later in the month. Then, there are bands I've once loved that I can't imagine are really still potent — De La Soul, Sly & the Family Stone, Talvin Singh.

Cons:

1. Port-a-potties.

2. Showering in a trailer.

3. Camping. They're actually trumpeting about how they have car camping now, versus tent or open air, I presume. They even added not one, but two exclamation points behind the fact.

4. Heat, of the desert variety.

5. A field full of dirt.

5. $269!!!

Advantage: Cons

Oh, wells. There's always Pitchfork TV.