What to do, what to do...

I have to order something from Amazon for someone else, but need to add about $16 to my bill to get free shipping. Hence my dilemma. I am thinking of resubscribing to ARTnews, since it's the cheapest (and my favorite) periodical over there --> on my list of things to do, blahblahblah. But at the same time I want to order some new books, since I hate buying them at retail prices in bookstores and need some new reading material.

As I mentioned before, I read almost exclusively non-fiction. I like reading books on art history, history, dumbed-down neuroscience (especially when applied to aesthetic studies, i.e. anything by Rudolf Arnheim), and chronicles of random information. Below are a few books I've been thinking about ordering, so please weigh-in if you've read any of them, or if you think ARTnews is a better option. OR, better yet, if you have some titles unbeknownst to me that are similar. I'd greatly appreciate the help! Oh, and please note I'm too lazy to crop any of Amazon's images.

Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior Because I am endlessly tempted to see what would happen if I carried out certain irrational acts, and would like to know why that is. For example: throwing my computer out the window of a moving car on the highway. What exactly would become of it?

My Name is Charles Saatchi and I Am an Artoholic I thought for the longest time this read "I Am an Alcoholic," and was admittedly disappointed when I realized it was a play on words. But anyway, I include this as I love reading books/watching documentaries on galleries/gallery owners/auction houses/museums/museum directors. See: Making the Mummies Dance (one of my favorite books, since Thomas Hoving is a renegade idol of mine) and Seven Days in the Art World (entertaining, but not great). And Saatchi's married to Nigella Lawson, which oddly both perplexes me and preoccupies my thoughts (i.e. how did that one happen? how can I create a cooking show and marry a millionaire?).

The $12 Million Stuffed Shark: The Curious Economics of Contemporary Art Same reason as the last book. But since I read Seven Days in the Art World within the past few months (the book delves largely into the economy of the art world), I'm thinking I might want to hold off on this and read something else first. And plus, the (cheaper) paperback comes out in April.

How Proust Can Change Your Life I am not gonna lie: I came across Alain de Botton via (500) Days of Summer. And after browsing all of his books on Amazon, this seemed like the most appropriate one for me. Case in point, taken from the Amazon.com review: "the quirky, early 1900s French author Marcel Proust acts as the vessel for surprisingly impressive nuggets of wisdom on down-to-earth topics such as why you should never sleep with someone on the first date, how to protect yourself against lower back pain, and how to cope with obnoxious neighbors." I can see how one could easily reinterpret said writing for a book like this, so it might not be as clever as it sounds, but it's my frontrunner right now if I go with the book option.

American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House Some douchebag told me this is a really good biography after hearing that I like reading biographies. But I don't know if I'm down with the historic density of said genre right now.

And finally...
SuperFreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes, and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance I totally forgot that this book was coming out this past October, so after rediscovering it today on my Wish List, I think getting it is an obvious choice, since I lovedlovedloved Freakonomics. Only question is, is it as good as the original? Has anyone read it yet?

What to do, what to do...

Don Draper on SNL

Way better than Betty Draper. Don's got some mad acting skillz.

Did you guys see the Sergio short, though? Wtf?

Regardless, Jon Hamm is one sexy old man.

Vagabond Boutique

I forget how I first came across Vagabond Boutique, but the store's photos for its webshop/blog make me quite eager to visit the brick and mortar store in Philly.

via Vagabond's blog

And Vagabond carries Rachel Comey and Mociun, so the need to visit is obvious.

Potipoti S/S 2010

What a cool name; I could say it all day long. Potipotipotipotipotipotipotipotipoti. Anyway, here are some shots from the Spanish brand's S/S '10 collection:

via Potipoti

And all Winter '09 items in the brand's webstore are now on sale. For whatever reason, I'm lusting for the "pullover maroon disorder." Need a damn job...

You'da, you'da best...

Can I just say, in the words of Jimmy from Degrassi (oh wait, I mean Drake), you guys are the best. Even when I'm feeling down and out, you turn this girl's frown upside-down. And sometimes I forget how much I love doin' the blah-og thing and chatting with you guys online, so thank you for reminding me of that : )

On another note, look what I made:

Cupcakes! Granted, they look like they were made by a 2nd grader, but they taste pretty darn delicious. I don't bake and I don't cook (besides pasta, and I make some pretty good pasta), so even this simple recipe was a task for me, since I obviously left them cooking for too long and they look like cornbread. And then my father bought the worst icing from the grocery store (it smelled like the nasty chocolate icing they put on Hostess products...I wanted to barf), so I just went with whatever white decorative icing this stuff is. Oh, and I had mixed peanut butter chips in with the batter. Nothing special, but the first of five in my cupcake challenge for myself (via the list of tasks to complete before my next birthday).

And then I got this in the mail today:

Finally! I have been wanting this mmmg notebook for years (both the earlier version and this version), and I finally put out the cash to buy it. And I'm happy to say it's my first purchase from Mieke Willems, so thank you, Veronik and Mieke. I couldn't be happier (the cover is super thick, too, which is awesome). And, if you're curious, the cover text is in German (part of the reason I got it, in addition to the illustrations and the yellow color), and it reads "Zeichnen Sie Ihren Verstand." Now, I've mentioned my limited German skills before, so all I've got as a translation of this is "Draw your...Verstand." Verstand = reason/understanding, so it would literally translate to "Draw your understanding," but that doesn't flow well. So as I've said before, my Germans out there, Helfen Sie mir, bitte! Oh, and the notebook's still available in the stationary section of Tas-ka's webshop.

Thanks again, guys. You'da, you'da best, blahblahblahblahblah...

I decided I'm taking a break from blogging and the internet. I'll be back in a few days or perhaps a week, whenever I feel like my life is no longer in stasis. See you then.

tinywardrobe

Just stumbled upon the most delightful vintage shop, owned by the same proprietor that runs tiny toadstool on Etsy (whose embroidery skills I would die to have).

Jelle Martens

Just came across this artist via freckle farm. Fitting for my love of geometric shapes.

 

Much, much more on Jelle's site. I especially adore the "Science of Sleep" sketch (from one of my favorite scenes from the movie...I'm sure you'd agree).

The Graceful Lady's eBay shop, Kate Funk's mad skills

Have you guys seen Anna's eBay shop? I just assumed she'd be selling some old garments, but she's actually putting up for sale some of her handmade historical reproductions! How exciting, since she clearly is a very skilled designer/seamstress (I don't know what would be the appropriate term). And she has four Regency era dresses listed right now, and you know what that means: Jane Austen costume party! That's the best kind of party...

via the Graceful Lady's eBay shop (photos link to their respective listings)

And I couldn't help but borrow the following photo from Kate Funk's blog. Kate's one of my favorite Etsy-ers, as she's super nice and makes the best products (cards and calendars) featuring her cat, AC. And for people still looking for 2010 calendars, there are some available in her shop for the super cheap price of $3.50 (you can see some of the photos I took of the calendar here). And I cannot wait for her 2011 calendar, even though it's months away, since it has a movie theme this time around. Here's AC in part of his Willy Wonka get-up:

via ac!

I think she did an awesome job making the jacket, as AC looks quite dapper. I just love this cat more and more...

Uh, thanks for the memo?

First sentence of this article (via Refinery 29): "Are you wearing American Apparel nail polish?" My answer: "Yes. As we speak." Well, apparently it's poisonous or something if you lick your fingers, and is hazardous to ship. Just when I thought American Apparel finally had one redeeming product, it goes and tries to kill me. Is that the reason for the bad taste in my mouth or is it just your freakin' store? Ooo, BURN. No, but seriously, there is a bad, unexplained chemical taste in my mouth...

UPDATE: According to the original article on Jezebel, the glass containers are the problem, not the polish formula. Hopefully that's the truth.

Lock Love

I'm not as much a fan of these tube scarves from Light Vision (I prefer mine from FCUK...$10, wha whaaaa) as I am of the models' hair:

via Light Vision

A post for the men (and the ladies)

No. 1 Noodlepark

via I Am Donald

Some stylish coats and jackets for the menfolk over at NDLPRK.

No. 2 Man Morsel Mondays on The SF Style

via The SF Style

This feature has been brightening my Mondays for awhile now. Easy on the eyes, easy on the eyes...

I am such a loser. Eh, such is life.

Some rad kattoos and katzen

I haven't done a legit cat post in so long, and I know you all so desperately love the kittees. Like, totes. So to start, here are some aws kattoos:

via The Dainty Squid's Flickr

I believe her other hand reads "LADY." And I dig her nails.

via thenorah's Flickr, both via I Love You Sew

I like the realistic approach and the outlines, but personally I would have gotten them on my upper arms. Just my opinion.

And the magic of the CatPaint iPhone app:

via CatPaint

Kitty in the city.

PRINTS ARE SUPER COOL

Except when they're not conflict-free. But I don't really dig diamonds, anyway. I just dig this print, and statements that end in "super cool."

Scored from Sophie Davies, whose handwritten quips I mentioned a bit ago. The print's now available on her Etsy for $4 plus shipping. Major score. Goin' up on the wall.

Permanent Vacation S/S 2010

I haven't seen much from PV's upcoming collection for the ladies, but I love everything about the "Lisa Marie" dress, which I only came across today via Liebemarlene. Apparently it's named for a blogger from Sweden, but I laugh b/c I used to have a boss with the same name, and she would never wear a dress of this style. Anyway, back to the subject: it's chambray, a delightful length, and comes in different colors, fabrics and patterns. I am very excited about this.

photo via Up the Wooden Hills

By the way, has anyone in the US had success buying stuff from Permanent Vacation's webstore? I tried last year when they were having the S/S 2009 sale, but the payment wouldn't go through on whatever pay-service-thingie they use.

Sunken Treasure

Seems like errrbody's making jewelry these days. Here's some more to add to the list:

via Sunken Treasure's shop via Mieke Willems

the bottom half

I have always hated khakis--probably b/c they were part of my grocery store getup in high school--but this dame does the trousers good. And the socks, oxfords, and rolled-up cuffs? I think I might have to try this.

via Styleclicker

Have I not said before that the Germans know what they're doing? I kind of want to be (a real) one.

Some manspiration, etc.

No. 1 Some emaciated male models, via Jak & Jil.

Old picture, but good.

No. 2 I finally saw Precious last night. I enjoyed it, but it wasn't as good as I was hoping, in light of all the hype. But something else that was quite precious was the box my gummy bears came in. Ha haaaah, bad joke.

Jewels, wall ornaments, and my current Grizz Bear obsession

Too many things for separate posts, so I'm jamming them together, even if doing so doesn't make sense.

Dig No. 1 Came across the jewelry brand Chrisrann via Brandi and her sister's blog, mucho mucho bueno bueno (best blog name ever, especially for someone who bastardizes the Spanish language, i.e. me). Both the colors and interesting mix of materials remind me of Manu, but the pieces seem a lot sturdier. And cheaper. I'm digging the spartan bangle in particular. It reminds me of that one bracelet Lizzie Fortunato designed for Urban, but a lot more understated (in a good way). Don't know if I could pull off copper tubing, though.

The colors are brighter on the site, Blogger just sucks.

Dig No. 2 Mallory's blog is a constant source of inspiration and occasionally inspires me to be somewhat frivolous with my money (since that is not in my nature at all...not at all). The other day she posted about the Etsy shop teal & gold, which produces the most amazing trinkets (and picnic wine totes) out of wood. I'm pretty positive I added everything from the shop to my favorites, including the following bear wall ornament:

I'm a sucker for anything that's etched/engraved, though I don't know the proper terminology for when an image is burned into wood. At any rate, I would like to hang this on my wall. They also have this simple--yet lovely--necklace.

Dig No. 3 Last but not least, the Grizzly Bear cover of Hot Chip's Boy From School. I know my musical taste is so damn predictable, but Ed and Daniel's voices soothe my young, troubled soul. And the music, too; don't forget that, Megan. But anyway, I believe the cover was just released (?), and you can download the mp3 here. It's quite good. I think it's been on a loop now for the past 45 minutes on my computer.