Zoë Lance.

  • Culture Connoisseur: Tame Impala’s “Currents”

      The beginning of my interest in music began in late middle school and early high school, a time I spent listening to a lot of 1960s rock. I don’t really remember what prompted the exploration and why I chose to start there, but I was obsessed with “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” read…

  • Culture Connoisseur: Zoë’s Very Official Southern California Museum Guide

    One of my favorite things to do wherever I go is find the museums. In addition to coffee, museums are my thing. For me, the best thing about visiting these institutions is looking at art that challenges the viewer to confront his or her own perceptions of what art is and what it can do, in both…

  • Culture Connoisseur: The Last Bookstore

    When you’re a literature student, you get to be quite the purveyor of used books. I think my fellow English majors who read this blog can attest that while new books from Barnes and Noble or Amazon are awesome and beautiful, used copies are preferable. They’re already loved, and now they’re in your arms for…

  • Culture Connoisseur: The Top 10 Albums of My College Experience

    The other night I tweeted about how I tend to associate music and books. I like to listen to music while I read or do homework (which usually involves reading anyway) and can often think of a book or album and what I was reading or listening to at the time. I also realized that there are…

  • Culture Connoisseur: Zoe’s Very Official Southern California Coffee Awards

    One of my favorite things about living in Southern California is the close proximity to so many good coffee places. I appreciate the convenience of Starbucks (or making my own iced coffee) just like anyone else, but there’s nothing quite like a drink from an independent cafe. I’m no Yelp Elite, but I can enjoy…

  • Culture Connoisseur: Palm Springs Photo Essay

    I went to Palm Springs for the day last week, and it was awesome. See you later, PS. Now, onto spring quarter. Have you been to Palm Springs before? Let’s talk about it in the comments.    

  • Culture Connoisseur: Encinitas

    My best friend Paige always has the best ideas. One of her best ideas started with texting me about this art store in Encinitas, and subsequently us deciding to make a day trip out of it. Encinitas is a sleepy beach town in San Diego about two hours away from where I live. Neither one of…

  • Culture Connoisseur: The Strawberry Doughnut from Donut Man

    Full disclosure: I am a bagel person. If given the choice between a doughnut and a bagel, I will pick just about any bagel with just about any accoutrement. I usually have very little remorse about picking a bagel over a doughnut. Unless, however, that doughnut is one of two varieties: 1. A Krispy Kreme…

  • Culture Connoisseur: Whiplash

      I’m dreadfully behind on newer television (I really need to get it together for Better Call Saul and Broad City), but I saw a fantastic movie I’ve been thinking about all week: Whiplash. Whiplash has been getting a lot of awards buzz lately, and it’s well-deserved. The semi-autobiographical movie is about a young music student, played…

  • Culture Connoisseur: Sleater-Kinney’s “No Cities To Love”

    I’ll admit that the only reason I know about Sleater-Kinney is because of Portlandia. Carrie Brownstein is just so damn rad that I had to do some research, and that brought me to the riot grrrl band. Hailing from the Pacific Northwest, the band was highly influential in their scene and managed to go mainstream. Last…