Chester French — Set to be the next big thing, or so I hear! Pharrell raves about them, & I love Pharrell, & what I’ve heard is great, so I’m sold. You can listen to their tracks here. Pharrell describes them as a mix between the Beatles & Motown… yum! They also do amazing remixes, which you can hear on their Myspace. Good stuff! Have a boogie!

Air conditioning! My landlord came over yesterday & “mounted” (not as dirty as it sounds) my air conditioning unit. I am so blissed out right now. The temperature here has been warm but the past couple of days it has started getting hot in the city, hot in the city toniiiight! (Click the link, haha! I love this comment on the video — I just have to add this to Things I Love Thursday: “I wonder how much tail he got in the 80’s. Women just wanted to f*ck him madly!!. He always did his best to please his female fans. Literally. Billy your the best. Rock on.“)

Giving back — On Wednesday night I met & made friends with one of the heroes of my adolescent years (Dame Darcy). The best thing? She wants help with some stuff & I think I have the ability to assist her. A lot, actually. I feel really good that after years & years of reading her work & admiring her from afar, I can actually give something back that is of true value to her. Yay!

Lush Cosmetics! I went into their store near Union Square yesterday & as well as having the manager offer me a job (haha — but at least it’s proof that I know what I’m talking about!), I also picked up lots of beautiful things. Cosmetic Warrior face-mask: stinky but gets the job done! Irridescent Glitterbug: smells fabulous & makes you sparkle like a mermaid from outer space! Ocean Salt: the most vigorous, hearty salt scrub of all time. & the pièce de résistance — American Cream Solid Perfume! Swoon-o-rama, I’m telling you! Damn it smells good. I am almost out of Viktor + Rolf’s Flowerbomb, which I love, but I feel the need for something slightly more vigorous for this new phase of my life. I will pick up a little somethin’ somethin’ in duty free (suggestions welcome!), but for now, the American Cream solid perfume is rocking my world!

My Moleskine — It is saving my life right now. I am scheduled out the wazoo: I have nary a free day from here until next Thursday (& then my friend arrives & I will be spending the vast majority of the week with her). Amazing. I spilt some water on the book two days ago which you would expect would be a horrendous tragedy, but I managed to soak most of it up & now the tops of the pages are satisfyingly wrinkled & crinkly. It gives it this really worn-in feel, which I’m digging. It reminds me of old library books caught in the rain. It’s good.

Palmistry & tarot cards — I had my palm & cards read last night & it was a fabulous revelation. “You were put here for one sole purpose, & you’re doing it right now.” Damn right! I have always loved anything mystical, supernatural or weird… I used to devour books about ghosts, UFOs, the Loch Ness Monster etc. when I was a child, & my love of anything clairvoyant & psychic-related has continued to this day. Sitting with someone who is talented in that area is an incredible thing if you are open to it. (In fact, if you are looking for an amazing psychic, my friend Ed is mind-boggling.)

Elliott Smith — Oh, like I need to explain myself!

Everything is exactly right when I walk around here drunk every night, with an open container from 7-11 in St. Ides heaven… I’ve been out haunting the neighbourhood & everybody can see I’m no good, when I’m walking out between parked cars with my head full of stars…

Honourable mentions: Lots of guests on the way (my friend from Melbourne arrives in the city next week, the first of many!); meeting new people (randomly struck up a conversation in Pure yesterday with a woman who is a fashion editor & stylist — we totally hit it off & are going dancing this weekend); new music — Bola’s Kroungrine, Vampire Weekend, Talib Kweli’s Beautiful Struggle, Sade’s greatest hits (yes!), The Roots’ The Tipping Point etc.; upcoming Venetian Snares show (heart attack, I am so excited); talking to Simon & being overwhelmed with love (it’s hard to show it from so far away, so I just keep telling him how much I love & appreciate him & hope that does the trick); crazy packages in the mail (comics & straightening irons & condoms with my face on!); reading trivia on shows I love (like Buffy & SATC); my camera (I cannot even begin to explain how much I adore it); Gilda (my nominated heroine of the week — kisses); my parents (who do not take shit from anyone & are perpetually inspiring to me); eating way too many cupcakes (I ate 8 cupcakes over 3 consecutive days… & I loved every moment of it!); Pierre Hardy (SWOON); endless opportunities; true freedom!

“Every moment is a golden one for him who has the vision to recognize it as such.” — Henry Miller

Okay, now it’s time for your joy to take the spotlight! Gather it all up in your mouth & spit it as far as you can — we want to hear it! Email your best friend & your brother & have them tell you what their favourite things today are, too. There’s no time to waste! Make this a golden moment. Don’t disobey Henry!