Cameron, lay off the meth

Oh Parker, I forgot to tell you that I saw the episode of House with Cameron on meth. It was a shorter scene than I expected, but it was freaky, like you said. And for Agent 99, there was a Ryan Adams song used to open and close a different show. I looked it up; the song is "Desire."

Bible Beltin'

Today I walked by a man on the corner who was handing out tiny green Bibles. "Would you like a copy of the New Testament?"
I waved my hand. "No thanks."
For a second, I felt like I was in the south again.
And then I saw another man dispensing Bibles on the next corner. I'm not sure how much success they were having.

This reminds me of how when I stayed at a Hilton this past summer, there was a copy of Conrad Hilton's book about founding his hotels or whatnot. Obviously I had alternative reading material. At least it wasn't Paris's "writing."

Today's Etsy shop is Pulp Tart by Miss Anna Bronwyn. I love Anna's stuff because she uses such striking bold beads married to recycled metal (motorcycle parts) for her jewelry. Her paintings are worth a look too. When I accumulate more cash, I might need to increase my meager Pulp Tart collection.

Though I don't particularly read shopping blogs all that often, I felt the random urge to dabble in that area with this here post. Or I just wanted to waste more time since I don't want to do what I should be doing.

A lot of people know that I love to shop on Etsy.com and I was a bit wary about posting my favorites from that site so people would know where I've been buying my awesome stuff and awesome stuff for them. But some goods are way too marvelous not to hype.

Today I would like to spotlight Circular Accessories. I've gotten tops from this here shop twice and am pleased as punch with them all. Such gorgeous printed clothing! These are some of my current faves:

HybrID HyEGO HySUPEREGO

A Newsweek a couple of issues ago had a story called "A Case of Prius Envy" written by Keith Naughton. I would link to it, but I think only subscribers can read it online. For anyone who cares, it's the September 3, 2007 issue, page 40.

I once told someone that if you have to say you're classy, you're probably not. This was in reference to pop singers or pop tarts, I want to say J.Lo, but I don't remember.

Here's a quotation from the article:

Peter Kessner, a devout environmentalist, bought a Honda Civic hybrid four years ago to show everyone that he wants to save the planet. The only problem: no one noticed, since, other than the hybrid badge on the trunk, it looked like a regular Civic. So he traded it in for a Toyota Prius. Suddenly, strangers began stopping him on the street to ask about his hybrid, with its space-age styling and miserly mileage. "That's a big part of why I bought the Prius," says the Floral Park, N.Y., retiree. "It opens up conversations, and I push my theory that we've got to do our best to conserve." The Honda, on the other hand, didn't deliver what Kessner craved: green street cred. "If I'm driving a hybrid," he says, "I want people to know it."

If you buy a hybrid, you do it for yourself and the planet, right? Why do you have to blab it to the world? Yes, I'm all for promoting environmentalism but I'm not an attention seeker. That's fine, but that's not the point. I might be biased toward Civics, but why not slap on a pro-hybrid bumper sticker or get a hybrid license plate? It's probably secret vanity. You want people to notice and admire you. I've never had a stranger approach me about my non-hybrid car, but that's because my cars have never been remarkable. I don't know, something bugs me about this.

I have a solution! Paste a picture of Al Gore onto your non-Prius hybird. That'll do the trick.

Hipster Olympics

A friend showed me this video last night, and I think it's 'effin hilarious. I have a love-hate deal with true hipsters, probably because I know I could never be one of the cool kids. Anyway, watch and laugh.

Legally Non-Blonde

For Parker: Legally Blonde the Broadway musical will be filmed and shown on MTV. A friend passed along the Craigslist info about free tickets, but I'm not sure I want to deal with a bunch of shrill college chicks. Plus, I don't have a pink outfit. Tragic.

Love Queen, love this song

I've been realizing lately that I like Queen. A lot. I don't know why I didn't realize that the same band played all of my favorites, but anyway... I was intrigued by this Ask Metafilter question: "[Who plays the] alt-rock song... [that] sounds like I imagine Queen might sound if they were just starting out today?" One of the responders hit the nail on the head (the title of this post is a link to the YouTube video).

Inessa, have you ever heard of Mika? They seem quirky enough but maybe too perky for you. I haven't tried any of their other songs yet, but I love this.

Don't be an elevator hog.

If you need to take the elevator one floor down or up, use the stairs! People, they're called legs. Use them. Don't slow down travel for the rest of us who need to traverse multiple floors.

The Flaming Dells

I've seen this Dell laptop ad at the movie theater, before the previews, and I've fallen in love with the song. I Googled it only to realize that it's a Flaming Lips song, "The WAND." Ah ha. I didn't even think it could be them. Oh yeah, and the commercial isn't half-bad either. I might have to think about buying a colorful Inspiron for my new computer.

Tea time with Owen

I caught the blurb on Yahoo that Owen Wilson was doing better, according to Wes Anderson. Reviews for The Darjeeling Limited, which opens September 29 in limited release, aren't too promising. The two which have trickled onto Rotten Tomatoes are splats though. Never fret; we shall keep you posted.

Let's take the Lexus.

I saw a Lexus SUV taxi today. What's next, the Hummer taxi? The Porsche taxi? And for you people who've asked me about the Cash Cab, no, I haven't seen it yet.

Bourne again

I know it came out a month ago, but I saw The Bourne Ultimatum today and had fun. Terrific ass-kicking action scenes galore. I think there should be a Jason Bourne versus James Bond deathmatch.

For people who know me: http://www.observer.com/2007/truth-about-real-estate-bourne-ultimatum (slightly spoilery perhaps?)

Atone home

I read in my Newsweek (the fall preview) about the upcoming film version of Atonement which is directed by Joe Wright (of that blah recent Pride and Prejudice) and stars Keira Knightley (of that blah recent Pride and Prejudice). Atonement is a novel by Ian McEwen which I read a couple of years ago. It's draggy and difficult at times but moved me [to depression] at the end. My main gripe is that I considered the younger sister the main character while the movie will probably feature Keira mostly more than the sister. I used to be on the Keira train, but we're over. She can take her skinny self and Orlando Bloom doppelganger boyfriend and hide out for a couple of years. Bend It Like Beckham rules because Keira plays second fiddle and doesn't get the boy. I love Parminder Nagra.

60,000 Feet Over

Parker, the remix of the Six Feet Under theme was the squishing in your seat/getting the heck off the plane music on my Delta flight.

Interpol, Our Love to Admire

I must declare promptly my love for the first track and the last track on Interpol’s latest, Our Love to Admire. “Pioneer to the Falls” and “The Lighthouse” are massively beautiful gorgeous hymns, some of the best work this group has penned and performed. “The Lighthouse” particularly is sparse and atmospheric, recalling one of my favorite cuts, Radiohead’s “Like Spinning Plates” as well as “Song to the Siren” by This Mortal Coil. You can easily picture in your mind standing on a rocky shoreline at midnight, gazing out into the oily black sea and glancing as the stoic beaming lighthouse. I am not sure if the lyrics are anything about that since I usually don’t pay much attention to Paul Banks’s odd poetry, if I even can comprehend what he’s singing about, and the lyric book, true to Interpol’s spartan mod nature, contains no lyrics. My other choice cut is the first single, “The Heinrich Maneuver,” which is bouncy and jangly but the other tracks tend to warrant many listens before sticking into your memory. I came up with an analogy for this observation. When I graduated from high school, family friends gave me a set of brass bookends with my initial engraved onto them. In my dorm room in college, I used them to contain my textbooks which were mostly for unappealing subjects and classes (I disliked most of my classes). That is just like Our Love to Admire. The bookends are the opener and closer, and the dull textbooks are the tracks in the middle. There might be an occasional non-dud like the aforementioned “The Heinrich Maneuver” as well as “No I in Threesome” and “Pace is the Trick.” Some reviews have lamented the absence of Sam Fogarino’s militant drumming and Carlos D’s dope bass lines. As a consolation prize, new instruments join the fray, such as piano and double bass. Not quite the same. I want my jerky dance-y tunes like from Turn on the Bright Lights! I’ll keep listening though and be quiet.

Fried or fried?

I saw this on the Yahoo front page a minute ago: Mississippi ranked fattest state in nation. But fried pickles are so good! Parker, I had them when I visited Agent 99; they were sour and crispy and addicting, not like those mediocre ones which we had last time. Since that was the first time I had had 'em, I thought friend pickles were nothing special, but oh how I was wrong. Flamin' hot Cheetos? What? Fried okra, drool.

Eli Cash

It's so strange; Parker and I were just discussing Owen Wilson yesterday, rather his upcoming feature with Wes Anderson, The Darjeeling Limited, and then today I read that he attempted suicide. Crazy. Wish Hansel the best and a speedy recovery.

It's in your jeans

Designer jeans baffle me. First of all, they are in that 20 something, 30 something sizing system (European?) so you have to convert from your American size to a different size. Fine, I can deal with that. Then you have the outrageous price tag. I’ll admit I have purchased a pair of low-end designer jeans which I love to death if you could love a piece of clothing to death, but I’m talking about those jeans which retail at $150 on up, you know, those brands like Seven for All Mankind, Rock and Republic, and other brands which I don’t know about since I’m not loaded and ultra-trendy. Those jeans celebs wear. Aside from the price, my main gripe is that I can’t even put these jeans on. Once for shits and giggles, I was in Bloomingdale’s and decided to try on a pair of Seven for All Mankind jeans to see just how incredibly awesome they were (sarcasm). I picked up a pair supposedly in my size, took them to the dressing room, and then attempted to don then which didn’t got so hot as my thigh failed to successfully enter its designated region. I tried on a very large size and found out that the length was for giants. Later I found out that the rationale for this is that if you can afford costly denim, you can afford custom alterations. Bah. This scenario repeated itself at Belk with the devil jeans this time being Paper Denim and Cloth. I can’t even fit my massive thighs into a leg on the garment. Pooh.

Supergood?

Agent 99 and I saw Superbad which opened last Friday, this past weekend. Apart from feeling old from all the teenyboppers packing the auditorium, we enjoyed this high school romp. While there’s a lot of trash-talking and crudeness (especially from Jonah Hill’s character Seth), there is actually a heartfelt story about a close friendship being tested. Okay okay, it’s not as deep as I unintentionally made it sound there. While on the topic of Judd Apatow productions, I have been Netflixing Freaks and Geeks and would like to put in a plug for this show which NBC cruelly cancelled in the 1999-2000 season. It’s effin’ brilliant. Though most us weren’t in high school in 1980 (the year in which the show is set), a lot of us can relate, at least I can because I wasn’t in the cool clique (yes, hard to believe). I’d label myself a geek. Back to Superbad, I laughed lots and so did Agent 99. We were lovin’ the character of Fogell, aka McLovin (Christoper Mintz-Plasse), and I thought Michael Cera turned in a spot-on performance as the straight man, Seth’s best bud Evan. And I'm sure Superbad is better than The Nanny Diaries or other August drivel.