- Emma Hobson

My gosh– is that sadness I feel?

As any of my longest friends can tell you, I’ve been a hater of LA ever since I left eight years ago. My number one grievance is the geography, closely followed by the driving (the traffic, the gasoline, people who drink and drive, the sitting and not walking etc etc). Passive aggressiveness, lack of culture, and superficiality are just some other dislikes, just to name a few. Perhaps my friend George put it best the other day when he said,” Eva moved to Philadelphia and never wanted to come back.”

But between me and California, somethings changed, and its not California. I dont know if I can say I like Los Angeles any more than I did before because I dont know the city at all. And perhaps whats changed is my eagerness to actually explore the city I supposedly grew up in. I think its mostly because I have amazing family and friends here that I have fallen in love with California all over again. I dont know if any of you guys out there read this thing, but to my friends and family whom I love so dearly I just want to say– you bring light and love into my life and I am so thankful to know you. Its exactly because the people I know in LA are so interesting and loving, that for the first time in my life I can actually see myself settling down here one (far away) day when I’m older. I should be so lucky, eh?

But I sure am happy I’m going to New York now while I’ve got the chance. There are so many things I am looking forward to and I want to experience and take advantage of every second of change and new life. Stay tuned for news of debauchery, depression, and devotion to a new city.

Brooklyn, here I come.

“And I am going to treat you so good you aint never gonna wanna let me go.”

• Smoke



My favorite movies are ones with rich and deep character developments about random people who connect. This New York story holds down that standard to a T. Each character draws you in closely, until youre personally invested. The acting is superb and novelist Paul Auster deserves an award for his brilliant writing.  This film has won itself a spot on my list of ten favorite movies of all time.

• Serial Mom (watch this clip, its HILARIOUS!!)
  

  (….212 Fuck You? Hahahaha!)

  

  Kathleen Turner is simply GENIUS in this role as a psychopathic homemaker.  True to form, this movie is everything a John Waters’ film should be; side splittingly funny, disturbing, colorful, and dark. Loves it!

• I love You, Man



I think this was one of those films that came out when I was in Japan because I hadnt even heard of it until Emma played it for me one hung-over afternoon. Despite my original skepticism, this movie is actually funny and charming, which these days seems to be a hard combination to pull off.  But I should probably confess that part of the reason I love this film is because it turns out actor Jason Segal (dude whos doing the spot on Andre the Giant impression) is major boner material.  I have since developed a huge crush on him. Shortly after watching this movie, I watched Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Swooooon!

• The Departed



Yeah, yeah…. I cant believe I havent seen this film until now, either. Yet despite waiting until years of hype to pass, this movie did not disappoint. Mark Wahlberg was born to play this role– he makes for the perfect asshole. His character is by far my favorite in this movie. But of course Jack Nicholson has some pretty priceless moments as well, namely when he’s throwing handfuls of coke at big breasted hookers. And Leo. Oh Leo. Who knew you could be so hot as a tatted up jailbird. I will forever love you.

• The Big Chill



This movie is like the Breakfast Club for 30 year olds. Its cheesy and cliched, but oh so lovable. And usually I hate Kevin Klien, but I was able to look past his annoying character to find at the heart, a heartwarming story about friends, idealism, and youth gone sour.

• Revolution Road



Talk about heavy. Revolution Road carries so much weight, you feel like you’ve just eaten an anvil after digesting this movie. Yet its so very beautiful, precisely because its so tragic. I feel director Sam Mendes was very brave in taking on this sort of material, but he manages to create one of the most powerful films I’ve seen in a long time. It really left me breathless.

• Last Year at Marienbad

This movie was aiiite. But the trailer is cool and the film itself is stunning.

• Singing in the Rain
• The Cruise
• Manhattan
• Radio Days
• Hannah and Her Sisters
• The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus
• The Apartment
• An Education
• Volver
• Shutter Island
• The Aviator
• Basketball Diaries
• Give Me Shelter
• Food Inc.
• The Big Sleep
• Forgetting Sarah Marshall
• Joe Strummer- The Future is Unwritten
• The Secret to My Success (Michael J Fox’s next best work, after Back to the Future)
• Malcolm X
• The Hang Over
• BIG
• Up in the Air
• Knocked Up
• Humpday
• Milk
• Away We Go
• Its Complicated
• Taking Woodstock
• The Secret in their Eyes

So uh… you can’t tell from this picture (I think I was moving out at this point), but this room was actually amazingly dope.
The space was huge, the fixtures were antique and the wood floors shiny. Despite being next to a crack
house, I truly loved living at 911 S. 16th Street.

Thanks to my savvy roommate Fiorenza, we got hooked up with this AMAZING two room apartment in the heart of Rome.
Again, the picture doesnt do it justice. But Im fairly certain I had one of the best apartments in Rome that Spring.

This room was actually a living room-turned-bedroom. Once we put in a door, it was actually the perfect room. I had a great view
of an old church across the street and I loved the way the sun streamed in through the windows. Again, it was also huge. Thats what
so great about Philadelphia. Cheap rent, lots of space.

This was the last house I lived in before I moved away to Tokyo. My friends and I got stoned and did a terrible paint job.
But still, in the end it was a very cool room with a lot of quirk.

I absolutely loved this desk area. It was a little cove/nook in the corner of my room. I turned the above loft area into a bookshelf, storage area.

Enter tatami mats and paper windows! I love everything about a traditional Japanese room. Well, almost.
I love the way they smell, the way they feel, and the simplicity. I just wish they were more sound proof.

Shimokitazawa, Japan 2008

What was supposed to be an alter area for meditation/praying was sacrilegiously turned into my vanity mecca.

Im so excited to move to NY, its all I can think about! I find myself sitting around idle in the suburbs… daydreaming about moving in.

Load, watch and get ready. Its what Soul Train would look like if it aired on the porno channel and you were tripping acid. I cant get it to embed for some reason, but just go here:

Pon De Floor featuring Afro Jack & VYBZ Cartel from Mad Decent on Vimeo.

The waitress was awkward looking, but pretty-  just the kind of waitress you’d expect to find at a place like The Lion. She wore an uneven bobbed haircut and glasses that sat unevenly on her face, as if to match her hair. She had on an old-lady sweater, one of those frumpy ones with tacky, loud prints in pastel colors. She didnt look me in the eye as she served me efficiently and quickly and refilled my water glass. I didnt see her again for the rest of my stay at The Lion.

The second floor was just a little more brightly lit than the first floor, which meant for the first time, I could make out the furniture. I always knew the interior was old- I could tell by the smell. It smelled dingy and damp, like a thrift store or my grandfathers closet. In fact, I often daydreamed about bringing my grandfather here one day. He’d like it because he’d know all the music. And we wouldnt have to talk, just listen. It was the kind of place I’d imagine my grandfather frequenting in his 20′s, because he was sophisticated, even in his youth. He’d request Mahler or Brahms or Tchaikovsky and read his original copy of Gone With the Wind, the same book he passed onto me a few years ago. That book smelled of moth balls, too.

But the furniture- boy was it old! The rows and rows of red velvet chairs sitting low to the floor had marooned with age. And the creaking hardwood floors had lost all their gloss. The high hanging chandelier no longer glistened, but instead emitted a lukewarm bronze color of light. The rusted gold pews needed re-painting and the mahogany tables were scratched and worn. But on closer observation, you could tell they kept the place clean. The bare floors were free of dust or lint and the white cotton sleeves, wrapped tightly around each individual chair, were freshly pressed and bleached white.

I rested my head against the nook of my cornered seat and dozed off. The classical music seeped into my dreams and I had visions of clouds and blue skies and flight. I dont know how long I slept for, but when I awoke my coffee was cold. I scowled when I sipped it. Nothing tastes worse than coffee that was once hot, but no longer is.

I lit a cigarette to help wake up. The first drag was harsh. The second was familiar.

Then I sat as I remembered the last time I was at the Lion. I brought Mavis and Amanda with me, and I started to cry in the middle of the cafe. I wanted to show them my favorite spot in Tokyo, but instead when we sat down I was overcome with sadness. Maybe I was tired and I’m sure the music had something to do with it. They were playing a heavy, brooding piano piece that filled me with emotion in a way strings do not. But mostly, I think I was just lonely. I thought if I could share this place with my friends I could somehow bridge the gap, fill the emptiness I felt inside. But instead I was made more acutely aware of how empty the place was- the cafe, the city, the world. Outside, people ran around in the street, with clickity-clackity heels and black briefcases, all in a frenzy. Like ants. Only ants have more direction than humans. Having stepped in from a world of bright neon lights into this serene and ancient coffee shop made the whole outside world feel fake and plastic. I listened to the booming classical music. And then I listened to the silence. And I wanted the whole outside world to be just like this cafe, to be like The Lion. And it made me so sad to know I had to go outside again.

So I sat there and cried into my 5$ coffee and blew my nose discreetly.