Can't Stop Myself

As if I have time to read, but I can't resist from buying a great book when I see one.  Here's my summer reading pile...

The other day I stopped at Kate Spade to buy glasses (I'm having the lens popped out and getting a super light prescription added) and decided to try on some gorgeous shoes.  

I've always loved this brand because when I first got into vintage I was into the 1950's and Kate Spade is very much inspired by this era.  I love the bold colors so much and not because it's a trend for summer, but because you can expect to see bold colors all year round from this brand.  I could spend hours at this boutique, I left truly inspired to revamp my space at home.

Happy first day of summer btw!!!  It sure was hot as fuck here!

Hello You

Work has been kicking my ass for the past two months and it's been difficult to be a normal human being.  When you add motherhood to the mix you have no time to do jack shit, but at last I am on vacation now and have a sec to post.  I miss blogging dearly and I miss reading my fav blogs on a daily.  Hopefully I will be able to post more often, even though I'll be working on a massive history project during the time I have off.  My brain is a bit fried at the moment, but I totally wanna share my latest purchase...

I thought- fuck,  I deserve this shit, so I got it and I feel a bit like this dude...who btw I had no idea had my second fav human being, Abraham Lincoln tattooed on his sexxy chest, hahaha...

I think I had a had a mild heart attack when I saw this, partly because he is so damn luscious and partly because I think it's hella tight.  And speaking of R.R., did you know that the dude is a cross dresser??!!!  Seriously, "Walking on the clouds, suspended in thin air, Do ones beneath me recognize the red bottoms I wear."  This really threw me off because he's referring to Christian Loubotin Shoes, check em out...

It didn't sound quite right that he was talking about wearing ladies shoes so I did a bit of looking around in the Christian Loubotin website; which is pretty awesome btw, and discovered that the dude makes men's shoes as well and they are mad stylish.  I'd mos def wear these if I was a man..

Christian Loubotin pics borrowed from the official website.

Review: The Conspirator

I got to see the Conspirator on opening night, April 15th; which coincidentally happened to be the 146th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's assassination.  I was very moved with a lot of scenes, in particular the part when John Wilkes booth gives his horse's harness to the man outside Ford's Theater, the scene when Lewis Powell breaks into William Seward's bedroom and he is lying in bed recuperating, both because I knew what was about to happen next.

Toby Kebbell as John Wilkes Booth

But what was most emotionally moving and sad was when Lincoln's body was taken out of Ford's Theater and across the street to the Peterson house.  It was also really amazing to see how authentic the bedroom where he was taken was to the actual room.  The bed where he was laid out was an exact replica and it really affected me when the camera focused on his feet dangling from the bed. Abraham Lincoln was a very tall man and his body had to be laid diagonally across the bed because it wasn't long enough.

James McAvoy as Frederick Aiken

The film focused on the conspirators of the assassination plot, in particular Mary Surratt. Before watching the film I studied a bit about her because her story is actually very unique.  She is the first woman to be put to death by the U.S. Government.  I believed that Mary Surratt was punished severely for her connection to the assassination of the president, but after the film I really felt bad for her.  I've also read plenty about Edwin M. Stanton's role/ crusade to capture and punish the conspirators, but I did not realize how merciless he really was.  I think he was, alike the majority of Americans pretty pissed off that Abraham Lincoln was killed and he acted out of emotion in determining the outcome of her trial in particular.  

Kevin Klein as Edwin M. Stanton

I don't blame him for being so angry and wanting justice for the horrible acts that were done by the conspirators, but I do think that everyone deserves a fair trial and that was pretty much the point of the film.  The constitution was written for the purpose to protect people from their government.  Our Founding Fathers after all fought so hard to rid this country of tyranny.

Robin Wright as Mary Surratt

This was totally worth watching and I'm happy that yet another film about Lincoln will soon begin production.  It's directed by Steven Spielberg and it's based on the book Team of Rivals!!  Daniel Day-Lewis who in my opinion is the best contemporary actor will be playing Honest Abe himself, yipppeee!

Photos credits- Official Film Photo Gallery

Snail speed but I ain't left yet!

You know what's completely bananas?  The fact that I have zero time to go online and do this.  If you're a parent and work full time you have very little time to just fall back and chill.  I'm not complaining, I'm just saying this is why it's taken ages to do a proper post.  I did have the luxury two weeks ago to have an impromptu photo shoot for my online shop, which will be up on Etsy. The shop has been a goal of mine for the past three years at least. Why it has taken me years to accomplish this I have no idea, but then again I have so many things on my to-do list it's not so much of a surprise.  The shop will offer vintage, vintage inspired pieces and jewelry.  The clothing in the first batch of items that will be up for sale in February are straight from my closet, check it out...

Photos by L. Vitello

I won't disclose the name of the shop just yet, but I assure you it's Electrifying!  Speaking of awesomeness is my food blog I blabbed about in my last post.  I've decided that there will be no food blog and instead I'll be talking about food here.  I'm teaming up with a super savvy techie to pimp the shit out of this blog and organize it into categories- food being one of them.  Before I take off to make money I must tell you about the amazing book I am currently reading, Bloody Crimes.  This gem is about Abraham Lincoln's funeral and the chase for Jefferson Davis.  I am a fan of James L. Swanson, who has also written Manhunt, this man is a genius!!!!!!!!!!!  There's too much to say and a whole post about his books will have to wait for another day, but I will tell you that if you LOVE to learn about Abraham Lincoln you will appreciate how this dude writes.

Here is a clip of James L. Swanson talking about the young adult version of Manhunt, Chasing Lincoln's Killer, which I've read and adored.

What I Want Now

When one thinks about California sunshine and palm trees come to mind. Both exist in this beautiful state, but when the fall starts to roll the icy Arctic winds hit the Bay with fierce. The weather has been kinda bipolar, sunny and hot during the day and windy and chilly during the evening. I find myself changing twice a day to adjust to this nonsense weather and boots and comfy stylish coats are usually what I consider when dressing up for the night.

I came to the conclusion that I won't be able to afford the $200 pair of Jeffrey Campbell boots I've been lusting over for the past month, but these by Forever 21 are equally as cool and totally inexpensive...


I've also been craving a leopard print faux fur jacket. This one by Express has a fair price tag and it looks so warm and fierce I must have it...


Curling up with a book and pilling on the blankets is also extremely appealing right about now. I've seriously been thinking about exploring historic preservation, so I placed an order last night for these two books that offer an introduction to the subject.



I probably won't become a couch potato or anything like that because I can't stay at home for long periods of time without loosing my head, but fall and winter are definitely the seasons to relax.

I Left My Heart in San Francisco, Again...

Another day in San Francisco. Honestly, I need to move here. I've been saying it ever since I was a little girl when my family and I used to take family visiting from Mexico sightseeing. I also recall us driving through the city on our way to Vallejo to visit our aunts, uncles and cousins and being totally enamored with the buildings and imagining having a little apartment in one of the cute neighborhoods with the cookie cutter homes. Another fond memory was when I was a freshman in college and I got an internship being a trend spotter for corporate Macy's. At the time I did not drive so I used to take the train to the city and walking a good few miles from the station to Union Square (I did not know you could take the Muni to downtown!) and I began to get acquainted with the neighborhoods. I also started noticing how diverse the city was and that became very attractive to me because the city where I grew up at had Mexicans and White folks only, boring!

The only thing stopping me from moving to my favorite city is the damn rent! It's totally expensive living there and even though I could technically afford it I wouldn't be able to do other things that I love such as going to shows and partying. So basically the situation is I think I need to start selling drugs, shizzz...

Full Moon Tonight

These are some of the best shots from my outing to the cemetery I care to share with you. Unfortunately there are none of yours truly because I ripped my pants when we broke into the spot and my ass was completely exposed...





The subject says "I see first lots of things which dance...then everything becomes gradually connected." - Jim Morrison

The San Francisco Presidio

My vacation is dwindling down slowly. Yesterday I spent the day in San Francisco doing a bit of exploring at the good ol' Presidio while I can still devote entire week days to doing things like this. I used to come here weekly when I interned for the San Francisco Film Festival and I would spend my breaks walking through the property and taking photos of all the beautiful buildings. This time though, I revisited those same buildings with a trusty photographer to capture me in the photos.









I had never walked through the San Francisco National Cemetery so I thought this would be the perfect occasion to do so, since it's also part of the Presidio. The cemetery was probably the most fun because you can hide behind the tombstones and play a little game of hide and go seek, but the view alone of the bay is enough to make one happy and at peace. This cemetery is the only one in the entire city and the people buried here are veterans of many wars so even though this would be a great spot to be put to rest forever it's not possible, bummer.



Plan your visit, it's all free baby!
http://www.nps.gov/prsf/
http://www.nps.gov/prsf/historyculture/san-francisco-national-cemetery.htm

Georgetown: Easy On the Eyes

One post will not do my trip to Washington DC justice so I will have to write a few to share all the gorgeous photos I took during my four day stay during the Fourth of July weekend. If you know me you know that I am a history freak and when I booked the hotel for our trip my homegurls and I stayed in the historic district of DC- Georgetown. I am so glad I decided upon this location because in my opinion it is the most beautiful part of this city. Judge for yourself...














Georgetown used to be the home of the Nacotchanke Indians until the arrival of the British in 1696 who eventually set up a slave port to carry out their immoral practices. Today many of the buildings remain including beautiful churches on practically every corner and a very old cemetery on Wisconsin Avenue which has tombstones that date back to the 1700's. I know this because my ladies and I had a fireworks show on the property (FYI: I paid my respects to the dead prior to the light show). Georgetown today feels very much like a college town because of the university being very close by and the majority of the people who live there are white, which is a bummer because I missed my brown and black folks. If you enjoy spending money on beautiful clothes, shoes and such material pleasures like I do this is definitely your spot because everything is here- Betsey Johnson, Gap, Steve Madden, Sephora, United Colors of Benetton, Barnes & Noble and the list continues. There is also an abundance of restaurants, coffee shops galore and the Metro System conveniently runs through this part of town frequently and at $1.35 per ride you can ditch your rental car and check out the beautiful memorials downtown. More of my DC adventure coming soon...

DC history credits: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/14/AR2006071401398.html