Vintage Mint

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.}

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}

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}

Happy Birthday, Nate. The big XX to the VI.

{Lovely photo via ?}

Once I become a full-fledged librarian marm, this is what I would do all day.  These images, by cheeky artist, Nina Katchadourian, kind of remind me of those poetry {faux-etry} fridge magnets but more thought-provoking and entertaining.  {Read: I’m slowly exposing my inner nerd-obscura}. I wish I had thought of this…

{Images by Nina Katchadourian, Sorted Books Project}

Finally {!} more than just the occasional, hil-ar-i-ous Twitter posts, Conan O’Brien is taking his pompadour-self on tour! I so wish I could go! Check out the tour dates here.

Side comment: The origin of my favorite nickname {ever}, Cone Bone, happened on Conan’s last night on Late Night with Will Ferrell as George W. Bush:

WF: I also want to personally thank you for 16 years of humortastical wonderment. And stupendictical wonderocity. Liked it? I loved it Cone Bone. Cone Bone. Cone Bone is a little nickname I got for ya.

Conan: Well did you ever give one to Will Ferrell?

WF: Hell no, that guy’s an a-hole.

{Unfortunately, the ‘Coco’ nickname, dubbed by Sir Tom Hanks on an earlier episode, was the one that stuck. Meh.}

Update: Arcade Fire licensed their song for a Haiti Charity. Phew! Street cred restored.

Arcade Fire’s “Wake Up” in an NFL commercial(s) {and played during commentary}? Okay? And now Grizzly Bear’s “Two Weeks” in an, admittedly funny, VW commercial? During the Super Bowl?? I don’t know if I’m comfortable  having my hipster music convoluted with pro-sports media just yet. What’s next? The Shins in a McDonald’s commercial? Oh, wait…

{Finally!} New episode of my favorite show this Thursday {Jan 14th}!  Bring it.

{30 Rock}

Jack: Lemon, I’m impressed. You’re beginning to think like a businessman.
Liz: A businesswoman.
Jack: I don’t think that’s a word.

{Thanks for the reminder, Jo!}

Hello? Anyone out there? I know, I’ve been a terrible  blog hostess. I for sure need to brush up on some serious blogtiquette. I hope to have some posts up later this week since I finally have some “free” time! YES!

{Replace “Your” with “My”}

Noo!! Another one of my favorite mags hits the dust: Cookie. There’s no bun in my oven, but, I’ve loved reading this quasi-alt parenting magazine. Sometimes, it got a tad pretentious {read: gruppy}, but on a whole, it had great layouts, ideas + tips, and wow! the photos…definitely made me look forward to being a mom.

{One of my favorite Cookie-cover celeb moms…}