Saturday Wishlist

Sorry I’ve been sort of absent this week. Here’s the short version of my wishlist from the past few days.

1. Sony Alpha NEX5 Camera It’s the smallest camera with interchangeable lenses. It has all sorts of fancy features like a “14.2 megapixel APS-C sensor, a new E-mount lens system, 1080p video recording, ISO 12,800 sensitivity, 25-point autofocus, and a tiltable 3-inch LCD screen.” Plus it has some of the most convenient features of Sony’s point-and-shoots such as hand-help twilight mode. {from Uncrate}

2. Philips EnduraLCD Lightbulbs It last 25 times longer and uses 80% less energy than the standard 60 watt incandescent lightbulb. {from NotCot, press release from Philips}

3. Want Les Essentiels De La Vie Black Shopper Bag I’m a big fan of simple bags. Jack Spade and Lonchamp are my standard go-to brands when I’m searching for a new bag. So I love this black shopper. It’s simple and sleek. Perfect. {from Selectism}

Friday Links

Three fun ones to make it through Friday afternoon:

1. Bread-shaped cork coasters. {from Design Milk, via NotCot}

2. Elvis songs as online services. {from Stéphane Massa-Bidal, via NotCot}

3. R6 Conch and Dieter wallets. {from R6, via Selectism}

The Martha Stewart Show

Yesterday I got to be in the studio audience of The Martha Stewart Show!! Courtney and I went together and it was AMAZING. Martha looks so cute in real life and her set is unbelievable. I wish I could live in her set. Joan Rivers was the guest yesterday and they made personalized tea towels and no-knife pasta together while Joan promoted her new TV show “How’d You Get So Rich?” Martha also showed us how to make drawstring pants, cook a quick steak meal, and put together a gardening gift basket for Mothers’ Day. Then Martha went backstage to change for another segment they were pre-recording. Emma Thompson (one of my favorite actresses) was her guest and they made adorable little fruit tarts and talked about Emma’s upcoming movie, “Nanny McPhee Returns.” I had a fantastic time!

Check out more pictures from around the set after the jump!

Martha and Emma chatting on set.

Monday Things

I’m heading back to New York tomorrow, which means blogging activities will resume at their normal pace tomorrow afternoon. Here are just a few things in the meantime.

1. I saw The Young Victoria last night and it was amazing. Even though there’s no clear plot structure, the movie is gorgeous and very well acted. It also has some of my favorite British period actors (ex. Miranda Richardson as Duchess of Kent, Jim Broadbent as King William, Harriet Walter as Queen Adelaide, and Michael Maloney as Sir Robert Peel).

2. I love happy PostSecrets. This one was posted yesterday and might be my all-time favorite.

3. Selectism, as always, read my mind and posted this amazing striped jumper. I don’t care if it’s supposed to be for boys. This girl wants one.

When I get back I promise to blog about all the bread I baked this weekend and my photogenic cat and grilled cheese.

Advice for the Lovelorn

Hello everyone!

I hope everyone is having a lovely Saturday. I’m probably not going to be blogging much until I get back to New York on Wednesday, unless I come across something that absolutely has to be shared. Like this blog post from Marisa Silver. She was asked to come up with some advice for young/new writers and ended up feeling like she was writing a dating advice column. She offers ten pieces of advice for the lovelorn, and then explains how each one also applies to writing. My favorite is probably the last one: Don’t Panic. Ms. Silver explains this in writing terms:

“10. Your work will often look horrible and embarrassing.It will be unoriginal.  It will fill you with shame. You will lie down on your bed and think that no one has ever written more awful, ungainly sentences than you. Get up off the bed. Don’t panic. Like any kid – your work has to go through its awkward, pimply faced adolescence before it emerges as something another person might want to look at, hold in her hands, take into her heart.”

{image from National Geographic, quote from Marisa Silver on The Elegant Variation}

Happy Earth Day!

Two products crossed my path this week in anticipation of Earth Day, so I thought I’d pass them along!

1. These water bottles from KOR ONE are not only colorful and cute, but also charitable: part of the proceeds go to water-related charities.

{from Bliss Tree, thanks Dani!}

2. This great palette by EDUN for Sephora is in celebration of Earth Month.

{from NotCot}

Pretty things from some of my favorite blogs

1. These amazing city posters by Blanca Gómez on Black Eiffel.

2. These fun geometric post-it notes by Present & Correct that I somehow missed on Black Eiffel but caught on For Me, For You.

3. These chic driving gloves by Dunhill on Design Crush.

Sweet Validation!

I hate cilantro. Anyone who knows me knows this. I am otherwise a very openminded eater. I will try anything once and there are few things that I avoid on menus. However, cilantro I cannot tolerate. If it accidentally shows up in my food I’ll spend hours picking it out. I know the instant I walk into my kitchen if my roommate has brought home cilantro. I don’t know where this hatred came from or what has prevented me from overcoming it, but I really, really cannot tolerate the stuff at all.

The good news for me is that the New York Times published a story today tracing the origins of “cilantrophobia.” It offers historical, chemical, and neurological reasons why there is a minority of people who simply cannot get over their aversion to the herb. The article also cites Julia Child as a cilantro-hater. It also reminds me of the 2007 Time Out New York Chef Survey in which several of the top New York chefs admitted that they hate cilantro as well. I love collecting validation for my cilantrophobia. The article is pretty interesting if you have a burning interest in cilantro like I do, so check it out!

{image and article from NYT}

Bring back Pluto!

Kottke posted a great story today about all the mail the Natural History Museum received after Pluto got demoted. A lot of this hate mail came from children, for example from Mr. Will Galmot, whose moving letter is reproduced below.

{from Kottke, read more letters on the Nova website}

Random Links

1. I really, really hate dealing with dirty champagne flutes, so these wine glass sponges seem like they would come in very handy. {from NotCot, available at The Spoon Sisters}

2. I love traveling and I love various travel accessories, including chic travel wallets. I picture myself waltzing through airports or, even better, train stations with an elegant leather duffel slug casually over my arm, sunglasses on, trench coat collar popped, and all my travel documents and currencies neatly organized. I especially love this travel wallet because it has room for two spare sim cards, suggesting a particularly international and cosmopolitan lifestyle. {from NotCot, available from Gus}

3. Interesting piece from The New York Times on the reinvention of airplane food. {from NYT}

4. I saw The Redhead mentioned on Nora Leah’s blog and it reminded me how much I want to go there. I’m always on the hunt for delicious southern comfort food in New York. {from Thought for Food}