Jul19
It’s not often I get excited to go see a movie {Husband, on the other hand, is a movie/film.o.phile}, but wow, Christopher Nolan’s work reels me in every time. And Inception doesn’t disappoint: it’s complex, ambiguous, smart, with mesmerizing visuals, and a captivating storyline. And let’s be real here, how often does something intellectually original like this come about these days? {Movie critics: there are plenty of other movies (Sam Mendes) to get pretentiously snobby about.}
{Photos by Stephen Vaughn and/or courtesy of Warner Bros.}
Jul18
These are probably the cutest “how-do-I-organize-all-my-computer-wires-and-cables” ties I’ve seen! Very clever and more aesthetically appealing than say a normal rip-stop cord {or those weird according tubes}. Lufdesign, the Korea-based company that makes these leaf ties, just got more in stock so grab them up quick! {They come in six colors: emerald green, olive, espresso brown, scarlet, white reindeer, and kingfisher blue.}
{Photos via Lufdesign and Min.Song}
Jul8
I’m not an outdoor-sy person, let alone a “summer/sunny” person, but these stylish, city denizens make me want to quit my indoor-cubicle-desk job, buy understated-chic summer clothes and wander around the open streets of some European city {I’ll even take NYC, once their heatwave simmers down}. Who’s with me?
{apparently the summer temp in Florence allows for gorgeous, rich,
brown, linen suits — super lux style, super non-California weather style.
bummer.}
{Photos via The Sartorialist, Stylesightings}
Jun30
I stumbled upon these black + white oil paintings by Howard Pyle {more known for his Americana genre illustrations; akin to Norman Rockwell’s style} the other day. Who knew a Realism painting of a cargo ship could be so surreal (awesome!)? and somewhat Impression-istic? (My art history/critiquing skills at its finest, yes). Seeing this image reminded me of one of my favorite painters, James Whistler {part of the Tonalism movement}.
Ships Loading on Albemarle Sound
There is such a resonating brevity to his paintings…the atmospheres he creates are luminous and ephemeral; drifting from reality into subconsciousness….
Nocturne: Blue and Gold - St Mark’s, Venice
Nocturne: Blue and Silver - Cremorne Lights
Nocturne in Blue and Gold - Old Battersea Bridge
Nocturne: Black and Gold - The Falling Rocket
{Note: Although I admire his work, from what I remember reading about him, he was kind of a douche. Sorry, it had to be said.}
{Image via Antiquarian Society}
{Images via WebMuseum}
Jun29
Not that my piles of dirty clothes mulling in my super-plain laundry hamper (great visual image) aren’t enough to make me do the laundry, but wow, this gray ruffle laundry bag would at least make it slightly more enjoyable.
It can be bought here, for a very dirty-laundry price of $36. {But lets be real: I don’t think I could muster the energy to actually shop for cotton voile, let alone sit down and realize how crappy I am at basting ruffles for 2-3 hours, only to churn out a mediocre replica…}
Jun8
Hello! The next time I get flowers, they are going to be parsed into small glass bottles and placed on window sills around my house. {This spread could even spruce up my dull office desk if only the architects of our newly constructed building believed us office-worker minions deserved windows in our rooms}.
{If you haven’t checked out Ginny’s blog, my favorite color is shiny, go there now! She has great sense of Southern charm + style, and all things nostalgic. Photos above are from her blog.}
May25
I don’t watch a whole lot of TV, but when I do, I am absolutely glued to the screen every Sunday MM is on. {Geek sidenote: I also love to read about and analyze each episode. My Husband definitely gets an ear-full of my theories and wtf? questions. I am probably the worst person to watch anything with because of my Mystery Science Theater 3000 like tendencies to provide running commentary}.
Can’t wait until Season 4! Just two more months {July 25th} of sub-standard television…
{Photos by Annie Leibovitz for Vanity Fair, Sept 2009}
May21
I remember seeing these stunning images of abandoned amusement parks in Japan, on the interwebs a couple years ago and I wish I had remembered them before my trip to J-pan last year; it would have been surreal to visit this in person. There’s something so hauntingly beautiful and sad about these photos.
My mom said a lot of these abandoned parks/buildings were created for mining boomtowns that are now defunct. It’s amazing that some artifacts — beds, computers, shoes, hospital equipment, comic books, posters, backpacks, and even food, etc — still remain, all while slowly being enveloped by the surrounding foliage.
{Be sure to visit this site for more photos + locations — you can google-translate it, but the translation isn’t accurate} :
{While on the shinkansen - Japanese bullet train - to Kyoto, I could have sworn I saw this little amusement park outside my window, minus strapped-down Gulliver; I had no idea it was abandoned. Eerie yet sad.}
Abandoned Hospital Clinic
{Straw from what used to be a mattress}
{pharmacy}
Abandoned Business Building {modeled to resemble a Tea House}
{can you believe these beautiful linens were just left there?}
{apparently the building was a call center}
{pachinko machines from a hotel lobby}
{the plants in Japan grow like mad-crazy if left unattended}
{Photos via here}
May20
Due to my misshapen right foot {thank you auto accident, circa last year}, I think I’m going to take the plunge into hippie territory, via the Birkenstock. Too bad they are such a departure from my edgy, fashion-forward shoe collection of yesteryear.
Kidding.
I hear Birks’ are mad-comfortable, with great arch support — all things my right foot now demands in a sandal. And at least Birkos’ don’t look like medicinal, orthopedic correction shoes. I’ve narrowed it down to these beauties:
{my black-socks-with-sandals European tourist transformation is almost complete…}
{Images via here}
