Off The Bookshelf

When Izgard of Garizon put on the Coil and crowned himself King, he set in train a course of tumultuous events that would reverberate around the continent. For the Coil must have blood.

And the first blood to flow is that of Berick of Thorn, the legendary conqueror of Garizon. His son, Camron, wants revenge and knows that Izgard can only be stopped by force of arms. He seeks out the man who knows most about Izgard's murderous hordes - Lord Ravis, a ruthless mercenary with a dark and secret past.

And Tessa McCamfrey is about to become caught up in this dangerous and exotic world - with the piratical Ravis, a beautifully patterned gold ring and a role to play in the momentous events that unfold.

I had a sudden yen to read again this, one of my favorite fantasy novels by one of my favorite fantasy writers. With every leap the same, and every plot and turn known, I suppose it should seem rote to the point of boring, but this novel never loses its fire for me. I highly recommend this novel as well as others of hers. You won't be disappointed! If you click on the cover art or synopsis above, a link will lead you to Amazon's Quick Look Inside.

Meter Exercise

A QUATORZAIN / IAMBIC / RHYMED / VARIED FEET

I took an angry walk today.
Not very far, but far enough away
to breed a distance from all I knew
-- and sat on the slant of a hill view,
on a lock of concrete overlooking a creek.
The late spring evening was a pleasant feel
against my livid cheek; that and the hustle
and leap of the stream relaxed me. Light shuffled
between the water and the trees,
gleaming like tinsel in a breeze.
If it were winter still,
the light would touch ice, not the rill;
and by this hour have come and gone, with the moon
already donned just like a cap on the sun.

Patience & An Eraser

William Kentridge

With patience and an eraser as his primary tools this artist creates, deconstructs and reconstructs a simple drawing on a single page and smooths each transition using the magic of an animator. It is a beautiful expression of art. Here is an example of his work:

Fashionably Late to the Party?

Kid Cudi doesn't have the flow I prefer but his lyrical strength and charm more than make up for that tiny, tiny, tiny deficit. I like his flow, I do, it is just not my favorite type. However, I am (fashionably?) late to the party so there's a very good chance I am speaking out my ass. Knowing myself, it is a certainty. So what is the remedy for such fashionable tardiness? A thorough Kid Cudi musical gorging! Sure, gorging is impolite and indelicate to say the least but what else can one do to make up the difference? Tucking in, let the gorging begin... or, um, continue since it has already begun with 'Pursuit of Happiness'. Actually I guess it began with 'Poke Her Face' or whatever, however, I wasn't in love with that song; it didn't force me to take notice. Plus I had to work past my initial "So Annoying!" gut reaction. I also admit to being a bit turned off by The GaGa, although I will concede a few of her singles are quite catchy. Back to Kid Cudi: the next bon-mot is 'Soundtrack 2 My Life' (which, just a few bars in, I already love).

1. 'Pursuit of Happiness' linked from iLike
2. 'Soundtrack 2 My Life'
3. 'Lovestoned freestyle' linked from BigHouse
I am not in love with this song but it is
undeniably sweet.
4. 'Day n Nite' linked from Newborn Rodeo
At first I thought to file this under the same
heading as his 'Lovestoned freestyle' -- obviously
talented but not enough of a draw for me.
Instinct, however, tells me a few more listens
will take this strangely addictive beat and
fresh, imaginative lyrics from solid to f-ing
brilliant.
5. 'Sky Might Fall' linked from iLike
6. 'CudiZone' linked from iLike

Interrupting our current schedule of music to editorialize...

Shit. Seriously, so far, so good. Ooh, ooh, I love when I am given an opportunity to fall in love with an artist versus a song.

We will now continue our scheduled Cudi gorging... (at a later date)

7. Alive (Nightmare)
Eh.


Sigh, it is times like these I wish I listened to radio because maybe I wouldn't be so behind the bell-curve. Then again, radio makes me want to claw at furniture and my face in screaming frustration so... maybe not? Unlike Beyonce, I am not in love with my radio, once upon a time perhaps, but certainly no longer.

Just Started

Kathe Kollwitz, self-portrait

Isn't that gorgeous? There is something so very vital about it.

I recently started the summer session at the local college. Divided into three terms, I am registered for the two most condensed terms (5 weeks each), and first up is 'Art Appreciation'. Originally I planned to take more than one class for my first summer session but had a few problems with registration and required texts, and so settled for one class, the aforementioned 'Art Appreciation'. The next session, which begins only a few days after the current one ends, will see me attending two classes, a math course and 'Photography I'. Should be fun, right? Well, it is only the first day but we covered much of the basics (the class is four hours long) and while uneventful, it wasn't boring. The teacher answered a few private questions I had about majors and the job market as it applies to a B.A. and her answers created for me a sense of freedom and opportunity just as I was feeling hemmed in. So, yeah, good day.

This Sunday Comes With Music

Just some stuff I'm listening to these days, ^_^!

Emily Wells -- Symphony 1: In the Barrel of a Gun linked from YouTube
Brooke Fraser -- C.S. Lewis Song linked from iLike



Talib Kweli -- Ms. Hill linked from iLike
I miss Lauren Hill so much! I will swear to the day I die
that 'The Miseducation of...' is one of the most perfectly
crafted albums, of any genre, of all time. So whenever
I'm in the mood to mourn, and not to do so alone, I listen
to this song.
Big Scary -- At The Mercy Of The Elements linked from ArtistDirect
This song is purely instrumental and this particular
listen is only a 30 second click.



Regina Spektor -- No Surprises (Radiohead cover) linked from MusicVagabond
What a gorgeous cover! Apparently not many have gotten
on the Spektor train but I have. I find her voice and
instrumentation beautiful, and her approach to song very
different from the standard fare. She belongs to the
category of Tori Amos, so if you don't like the latter, you
may not care for Spektor. Plus she's Russian and
occasionally drops a Russian lyric in a song.
Nina Gordon -- Pure linked from iLike
The Heavy -- How You Like Me Now linked from YouTube
Yes, from the car commercial. Shut up. ;) This video
is so weird.

Pausing our regularly scheduled English language songs for a much needed foreign music injection...
Coffee House OST linked from YouTube
Its the soundtrack for the Korean television rom-com,
'Coffee House', and it's damn good. So, here's the
foreign portion of the list. Sorry but I can only share
the artist name since the Korean characters won't show
up on my post.
1. SG Wannabe, Ock Ju Hyun
2. Jo Sung Mo
3. So Yeon (of T-Ara) and Ock Ju Hyun

Now resuming our regularly scheduled English language songs...



Nas and Jay-Z -- Black Republicans linked from iLike
The Cardigans -- My Favourite Game linked from YouTube
Kid Cudi -- (Pursuit of) Happiness linked from iLike
and for good measure, here's the video. linked from VeVo
This song is such a damn good groove. Like a caramel's
warm sweetness on my tongue this song just makes me
want to sit back, nod my head, and relax.
Rihanna -- Te Amo linked from Clutch
Uh, Ri-Ri is much more progressive than I would have
initially assumed. That video is something different
from your standard Mistress of R&B/Hip-Hop fare.



Kanye West -- Power linked from Clutch
Oh, Kanye! Why can't I quit you, for you surely are an ass!
Then again most creative types are jerks so, okay, in that he's
just following the prescribed pattern.

Off The Bookshelf

Sometimes I forget how amazing Google is; this feature is an oldie but a goodie. I'm not sure precisely how many pages of The RF Reader are revealed but I got to page 42 before I stopped checking. So I encourage you to "thumb" through as many pages as possible. Also Bartleby's offers an impressive selection of Frost poems done up by collections, in this case, four.

A jaunt to Half-Price Books unearthed this metrical delight, and working my way through the poetry (and soon, the prose) has deepened my appreciation for the melodies of meter and the deceptive ease of rhyme. I had read Robert Frost is 'America's Poet' but now I know it for fact. His subjects are as down to earth as snow and fields and picking apples at the height of harvest; his words typically stretch no further than the vernacular but there is elevation in every poem. Again I am amazed by the power and subtlety of words, all words. Of course I have my favorites, a handful of selections I'd like to draw your eye towards --

Into My Own, from 'A Boy's Will'
The Trial By Existence, from 'A Boy's Will'
After Apple-picking, from 'North of Boston'
A Star in a Stoneboat, from 'New Hampshire'

Funny story: the day I bought this book I stopped by a local CVS on the way home. I had carried the book with me (don't ask me why) and at the counter the cashier exclaimed at the sight, "Ugh! I don't envy you!" She thought I was in school, you see, bound by some English course to read the "dreaded" poetry! And honestly, her expression was all sympathy and pity... until I told her, with a laugh, I had bought the book for pleasure. She looked sheepish then and mumbled, "Oh... well, en... joy?" We all shared a laugh then.

Early Monday Spin

It has been precisely one month since my last post, and what a month it has been! Like an eager little beaver I have been bustling to and fro all over my little corner of Texas trying to get my schooling/tuition together. If all goes well I should be taking classes in a month. Yay! Today's 'Early Monday Spin', however, has nothing to do with education and everything to do with music. For the past month I have obsessively listened to these singles falling ever deeper in love (for a time). In no particular order:

Holly Figueroa (O'Reilly) -- 'Everybody Knows' off the album, Gifts and Burdens
A folk/alt-country cover of a Leonard Cohen classic.
Holly's sparse arrangement and folkish twang allow
Cohen's lyrics to gleam against a dark backwoods
background.



REM -- 'Drive' off the album, Automatic for the People
Adele -- 'Hometown Glory' off the album, 19
Susie Suh -- 'Why' off the EP, The Bakman Tapes
I love this chick! She's Korean-American with a sultry
voice deep, smoky and blue. She has two other songs
I really like 'All I Want' and 'Seasons Change' but I've
had those for years. 'Why' is one of her newest songs.



Eddie Vedder -- 'Hard Sun' off the soundtrack, Into the Wild
Radiohead -- 'Reckoner' off the album, In Rainbows
Band of Skulls -- 'Light of the Morning' off the EP, Baby Darling Doll Face Honey
Irene Cara -- 'Fame' off the soundtrack, Fame
It may be a bit of cheese but that doesn't dilute it's
overall awesomeness. Will only eighties babies like me
recall how wonderful was that movie? The iconic scene
of students pouring onto the NYC streets to dance and
strut their asses off, feeling for all the world like kings?

---
Here's a nugget of potential interest: EMusic (of emusic.com) is running several promotional offers -- variations on a large number of free audio downloads plus an audiobook. The deal I got came with a download of Winamp (a media player in the vein of Windows Media or Real Player) and included 50 free songs plus one audiobook for a span of two weeks. Offers on EMusic's site range from 35 to 45 free songs with or without a free audiobook. At the end of two weeks, or once all the free downloads are gone (whichever comes first), EMusic will activate the free account turning it into a paid one. If you have no interest in becoming a paying member be very mindful of the date and/or the number of downloads left in the purse.

What do I think of EMusic's site? Well, it gets high marks for a clean, uncluttered site that is very easy to use. The search function breaks down by general, artist, track, album, even label; however, funnily enough, it does not break down searches by genre which would have been more helpful than a label search, in my opinion. Under each artist is a gallery of comments either from established critics or current users of the site as well as relatively in-depth musical biographies. Although I managed to find 45 of 50 songs to download I did so with the help of my family. There were a number of songs which weren't available -- either because they could only be downloaded if paid for; or EMusic didn't have enough of an artist's discography; or didn't have the artist at all.

While EMusic has the bones of something good, currently it cannot compare to paying/streaming sites like Rhapsody, Pandora (internet radio), or iTunes for sheer access across a large cross-section of music and artists. In particular Rhapsody, which, for a reasonable monthly stipend, allows its users to stream all the music they like, even upload it to their mp3 players, on top of downloading. Pandora offers another unfair comparison since it, too, streams full songs (to EMusic's 30 second blurbs) and provides access to buying a liked song. The only system I know of which compares to EMusic's current setup is iTunes and that behemoth clearly mops the floor with EMusic. But if you are looking for an alternative to iTunes and its rabid protections, then certainly try EMusic -- you'll find just enough music to keep you relatively satisfied if not wholly so, just know you'll need to supplement with another music provider.

"Indeed."

on FFFFound!
quoted from dilemma on Flickr_Photo Sharing!
( farm4.static.flickr.com )

Tuesday Morning Liqueur

If it hasn't yet been made apparent, I am fascinated by a great many things, given to romantic stirrings over the classic and mundane. I am not a 'liqueur person'; for a good many reasons I limit my intake of alcoholic beverages. So it is with some incredulity that I recently found myself ensnared by articles enthusing the joys of homemade cordials & the like. Really. Like this fascinating little gem on 'milk liqueur' on Lottie + Doof, for example. Or this appealing piece of sunset in a glass courtesy of Gastronomer's Guide. Just glancing at it makes me ache to make it -- it's so simple (looking)! What stops me, however, is the question of who will consume my eager, eager efforts? Who?! Aside from a sip here and there, I will largely let it go to waste... unless I can successfully cook with it. That has been my thing for the last year or so; I cooked a lot of meats with some homemade Trini wines and they (the meat and the spirits) were much more delicious that way. We had Cane, Aloe, Ginger, Tomato (which was the best for drinking and for cooking) and something else I can't remember. So, if I can cook with any of the liqueur recipes that have been catching my eye, I may be able to talk myself into making a batch. I can also always send it away to friends, right?

In just writing this article I learned a little something, like the difference between liquor, liqueur and cordials. Well, I thought it fascinating.

Tuesday's Odds & Ends

Items like this make me want to take a wood-shopping class... then I remember my fear of circular saws. Ah, there goes the urge like a box of Krispy Kreme donuts in a room full of Airmen! Oh, lovely chair, you're still lovely. Too bad it's mad expensive... and sold out. On the bright side, the website has so many pretty, pretty things. With every post and site I cruise I am reminded of how clever and in search of beauty people are, how they continually carve it from whatever object grabs their clever fancy. It makes me kind of proud of "us".

---
Idaho, but why???


This is a hotel. I kid you not. And it's for people. Again, I kid you not.

Would you like to learn more?
---
Oh, History.com, what would we do without you?
On April 20, 1980 (hey, by this time, I'd been gestating in my mother's womb for about a month -- fun fact), the Castro regime announces that all Cubans wishing to emigrate to the U.S. are free to board boats at the port of Mariel west of Havana, launching the Mariel Boatlift. The first of 125,000 Cuban refugees from Mariel reached Florida the next day.

Would you like to learn more?

Sunday Evening at the Trailers

ONDINE
cast: Colin Farrell, Alicja Bachleda, Alison Barry, Derva Kirwan, Stephen Rea
in theaters, June 2010


iTunes synopsis: the story of Syracuse, a simple fisherman who catches a beautiful and mysterious woman in his trawler’s nets. The woman seems to be dead, but then she comes alive before Syracuse’s eyes and he thinks he may be seeing things. However, with the help of his ailing, yet irrepressible daughter, Annie, he comes to believe that the fantastical might be possible and that the woman (Ondine) might be a myth come true. Ondine and Syracuse fall passionately in love, but just as we think the fairytale might go on forever, the real world intercedes. Then, after a terrible car crash and the return of a dark and violent figure from Ondine’s past, hope eventually prevails and a new beginning is presented to Syracuse, Ondine and Annie.

personal note: I am a sucker for fantasy and romance and this particular offering comes with a healthy dose of Irish brogue, so yeah, I'm there. Also, the trailer is quite lovely, succeeding in striking the intended balance between fairytale and modernity, the melancholic and oft-times brutal romance of British Isle fae. If it fully succeeds it could just be a cinematic cousin for Emma Bull's 'War for the Oaks'.

Click here to see the trailer.

---
KILLERS
cast: Katherine Heigl, Ashton Kutcher, Thomas Selleck, Catherine O'Hara, Rob Riggle, Martin Mull, Casey Wilson
in theaters, June 2010

iTunes synopsis: Trying to recover from a sudden break—up, Jen Kornfeldt (Katherine Heigl) believes she’ll never fall in love again. But when she reluctantly joins her parents on a trip to the French Riviera, Jen happens to meet the man of her dreams, the dashing, handsome Spencer Aimes (Ashton Kutcher). Three years later, her seemingly impossible wish has come true: she and Spencer are newlyweds living the ideal suburban life – that is, until the morning after Spencer’s 30th birthday when bullets start flying. Literally. It turns out Spencer never bothered to tell Jen he’s also an international super—spy, and now Jen's perfect world has been turned upside down. Faced with the fact that her husband is a hit man, Jen is determined to discover what other secrets Spencer might be keeping – all the while trying to dodge bullets, keep up neighborly appearances, manage the in—laws…and work out some major trust issues. And you thought suburban life was easy.

personal note: I very much dislike Katherine Heigl. Oh, not in the admittedly irrational way I once disliked Keira Knightley -- a hysteria of irrational female dislike shared the world over it seems since Keira herself once remarked on it. Getting back to it, my dislike of Heigl has a bit more basis, at least to me. I find her to be grossly ungrateful to the vehicles which brought her fame, fortune and opportunities. However, I will probably watch this movie because it looks somewhat humorous, charming and right 'up my alley' as it were. Plus check out Ashton's body in the trailer and take a deep breath, kiddies... Yum!

Click here to see the trailer.

---
COCO CHANEL & IGOR STRAVINSKY
cast: Mads Mikkelsen, Anna Mouglalis
in theaters, June 2010

iTunes synopsis: Paris 1913. At the Theatre Des Champs—Elysées, Igor Stravinsky premieres his The Rite Of Spring. Coco Chanel attends the premiere and is mesmerized…But the revolutionary work is too modern, too radical: the enraged audience boos and jeers. A near riot ensues. Stravinsky is inconsolable. Seven years later, now rich, respected and successful, Coco Chanel meets Stravinsky again — a penniless refugee living in exile in Paris after the Russian Revolution. The attraction between them is immediate and electric. Coco offers Stravinsky the use of her villa in Garches so that he will be able to work, and he moves in straight away, with his children and consumptive wife. And so a passionate, intense love affair between two creative giants begins...

personal note: As with 'Ondine', I find the visuals of this trailer stunning (as they are meant to be). I only wish I had some assurance that the movie itself will be entertaining. For me, French films can be so hit-and-miss, swinging wildly from charged, fantastical and wonderful to inaccessible.

Click here to see the trailer.

---
CASINO JACK AND THE UNITED STATES OF MONEY
documentary
in theaters, May 2010

iTunes synopsis: This portrait of Washington super lobbyist Jack Abramoff—from his early years as a gung—ho member of the GOP political machine to his final reckoning as a disgraced, imprisoned pariah—confirms the adage that truth is indeed stranger than fiction. A tale of international intrigue with Indian casinos, Russian spies, Chinese sweatshops, and a mob—style killing in Miami, this is the story of the way money corrupts our political process. Oscar—winning filmmaker Alex Gibney once again wields the tools of his trade with the skill of a master. Following the ongoing indictments of federal officials and exposing favor trading in our nation's capital, Gibney illuminates the way our politicians' desperate need to get elected—and the millions of dollars it costs—may be undermining the basic principles of American democracy. Infuriating, yet undeniably fun to watch, CASINO JACK is a saga of greed and corruption with a cynical villain audiences will love to hate.

Click here to see the trailer.

---
THE HOUSEMAID
cast: Jeon Do Yeon, Seo Woo, Lee Jung Jae
in theaters, May 2010

javabeans synopsis: a housemaid moves in with a family of four and things take a dark turn. Seducing the husband is only the beginning of the trouble, as the maid’s bizarre behavior escalates and the wife tries to assert her place. Although its themes may seem familiar today — adultery, murder, twisted ambition — the provocative thriller was made in the “Golden Age” of Korean cinema, back before the censorship code descended upon the film industry.

personal note: I love the Korean entertainment industry, particularly their dramas. However I cut my teeth on their films and this one has me so excited (minds out of the gutter... okay, remain in the gutter). It is an erotic thriller after all!

Click here to see the trailer.

---
LIKE THE MOON ESCAPING FROM THE CLOUDS
cast: Cha Seung Won, Hwang Jun Min, Han Ji Hye, Baek Sung Hyun
in theaters, April 2010

javabeans synopsis: The historical action film pits main characters Chang Seung Won and Hwang Jung Min against each other; the former leads a rebellion to overturn the social order, while the latter is a blind swordsman who believes in protecting the world. Cha is of royal blood but was born illegitimate, and now vows to take the throne... As the preview opens, Cha Seung Won says, "I didn't dream this dream that we would all live together." Hwang Jung Min returns, "This is a dream that we all die together!"

Click here to see the trailer.

---
THE A-TEAM
cast: Liam Neeson, Jessica Biel, Patrick Wilson, Bradley Cooper, Sharlto Copley, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Gerald McRaney
in theaters, June 2010

iTunes synop... Oh, who am I kidding? It's the friggin' A-Team!!! My childhood TV memories demand that I include this, especially since, despite my ample worries, it looks so good! B.A. Barracus... Face... Hannibal... and Murdock (my brother's childhood nickname, fun fact), oh how I've missed you! If you still don't have a clue as to who they are, I say it is time to bone-up on your eighties pop culture. Get thee to YouTube right quick!

Click here to see the trailer.

---

The Clever Girl Sings

Sing along with me, if you will, and roll with my current WMP list...

Doves
Everybody's Free
Swing
Kettering
Florence + the Machine
Civil Twilight
Metal Heart
Cinematic Orchestra
Siren

Blogshare: Jamie's From Me to You

her 'pears and the afternoon light'
Jamie's site, from me to you

Her blog is chiefly photography, with food and recipes thrown into the mix. So really, what's not to love? I especially enjoy her site's design -- a mixture of vintage brown paper, bits of string, gorgeous stationary, old typewriter fonts and old-fashioned scripts and pins. She has made a visit to her page such an experience I bookmarked it right away and had to share the very same day! So... Go visit!!

EDIT

Only ageless quiet attends our altars
shrouds our days in motes and in shade, a half-life
lived in half-light. Even our fire can pale in
twilight and gray or
starve in empty temples though instinct never
Wavers, never dulls in the pitch - the God Who
Slumbers in the Waters still sleeps; the sun still
sets in our brother's
bloodless breast. We follow the endless arc to
guard the sun, descend to lustrate in gold-tipped
shrines where chanted litanies hailed the dawn. But
no one reveres us

now: a younger god has transfixed man's needy
eye. Unsung, we leave empyreal climes, slough the
night off (like a barnacle fastened to the
hip of the sun) to
pace abandoned Houses. In temple dusk we
wonder, will we ever again be met at
dawn? Be praised, our manifold Names half-sung? Will
anyone love us?

FOUND

So, I found this written in a book I'm reading -- a little something I had jotted down and forgotten. This isn't the original. I'm too lazy right now to type it out, maybe later? You know (or maybe you don't) I'm on this metered poetry kick, right? So I decided to take a stab at turning this into a metered poem. I'm not sure as of yet where the subject of this poem is heading but the journey should be fun.

The sun set (as it does)
behind the thunderhead,
on a pathway that was
washed with pinks and with reds.
The sky shrank to a bruise.
And I saw this old wound
as something almost new...

{like pulling teeth, the line after this... actually, so were the lines after 'with pinks and with reds'... hm!}
{finally got it!}

The sun set (as it does)
behind a thunderhead,
on a pathway that was
washed with pinks and with reds.
The sky shrank to a bruise.
And I saw this old wound
as something almost new
under the argent moon...

{So I have a bit more to add, came up with that bit more tonight}

The sun set (as it does)
behind a thunderhead,
on a pathway that was
washed with pinks and with reds.
The sky shrank to a bruise.
And I saw this old wound
as something almost new
under the argent moon.
Fingers out, the stars, too,
gaped at the livid bloom
as if to ask, "But who...?"

Tuesday Singing

Cyber-wandering YouTube to find Omiya stirred me up a bit and I'm currently playing my YT musical playlist. Quite a few gems housed there if I do write so myself. *wink* So I decided to share:

Well, I already wrote about (and shared) Omiya, next up -- Ghost, as covered by Greg Laswell.

I had never heard of the dude but I just about love his voice and love his version of the song. Indeed I searched out the original (sung, written? by Kristin Hersh) and while it is attractive in its own light it doesn't hold a candle to his cover.

Lahlumlenze is joy; I don't know how else to describe it.

When it plays I have to move, just dance. The singer, Thandiswa, has a gorgeous voice, I mean, don't you just love her style? And (shallow note) I absolutely love her hair!

Okay, now this song is just funny.

Every Dawn

For me this is the sound of every dawn:
from 0:00 the first blush;
long, lean tendrils to wash the sky in blue.
And as her voice kicks in,
all things holy rise... all things corporeal rise...
to herald the dawning.

---
Omiya is off the track listing of the film soundtrack, Kama Sutra
I highly recommend the film and the soundtrack.
The film is an exercise in sensuality, petulance and passion.
The soundtrack is, to quote a YouTuber, simply blissful from start to finish.
It is what made me such a Mychael Danna (the OST composer) fan.

How F-ing Cool Is That?!

pilfered from the blog, Elements of Style

Sometimes I see an object, hear a song or read a line somewhere and think,
"If only I were as cool as this [insert here]..." This is one of those times.
How f-ing cool is that piece of art?! It's acting as a headboard, a headboard, people!!!
It is SO gorgeously distressed, to steal a phrase from Rachel Zoe, I DIE.
I mean, your eye just goes, "Whaaaaaaat!!!!" in full soprano!

I Want

... to live here:

pilfered from blog, Elements of Style
the hotel, La Mamounia


please?

pilfered from blog, Elements of Style
the hotel, La Mamounia



pilfered from blog, Elements of Style

pretty please?

pilfered from blog, Elements of Style
the hotel, La Mamounia


(I WANT)
... to bathe here:

pilfered from blog, Elements of Style
the hotel, Bellinter