Oh, Hello Kitty PEZ dispensers are not a kitchen accessory? Well, you haven’t been to my kitchen yet. I’ll be posting pics soon!

Things have been busy behind the blog but enjoy the short posts for now.

Update: PEZ candy is vegan!

The Eco Cottages in Venice Beach look cozy for a hotel. This is a nice break in the monotony of modern, sleek and all white hotel rooms that are too cool for bed frames (looking at you, Standard). I’ll admit (or brag, whatever), these homes remind me of my colony neighborhood and have that vintage home feel. I’m not a decorator so I’m not familiar with the jargon, but they are adorable. Venice Beach is an hour drive from Orange County, but for about $250 a night, it seems like a nice little break from the daily routines we get stuck in.

There are three cottages to choose from- Papa Hemingway (my favorite cottage that has a more masculine feel), Le Bebe, and Aunt Zoe’s Place.

All photos by Eric Staudenmaier.

When I finished the Virgin Suicides, I gave it 4 stars. I liked it, but I didn’t love it. I thought the writing was beautifully done, and the story was too dark for my over sensitive heart. That was a couple nights ago. Now, I’d give it 5 stars. I can’t stop thinking of the Lisbon sisters. I know it’s fiction, but Jeffrey Eugenides makes me forget this. Maybe because I’m familiar with the atypical depression teens faced, or maybe because it was the mystery that a young woman would take her life, it’s so real for me. It’s like the story is haunting me.

I can’t stop thinking of Lux’s halter top, I can’t stop thinking of Cecilia and her bracelets over the bandages. Or how the suicides of the sisters affected the economic state of their neighborhood. Or how poor Trip and the women he bedded down to replace what he was missing in his heart from Lux. Even Eugenides detailed description of the dead grass during the Fall on the Lisbon’s lawn I can’t get out of my head. Being a writer, having a writer in my family and being married to a writer, I know words can be used as an emotion. Eugenides’ words flow so well in the book, I forget I’m reading, and he’s describing my emotions, my curiosity, my sadness, my confusion. This isn’t real life; I never met any of the Lisbon sisters but I mourned their death just like the coroner did.

When I read about the plot, it was silly. Pretty girls with problems, I’ve read a ton of books like this. I was over it before I began reading it. It sounded boring and I assumed it was overwritten. How can suicide be glamorous? Eugenides doesn’t glamorize suicide. At the end of the book, suicide is grotesque as are the Lisbon sisters. Whether it was because they were beautiful or rarely seen, the idea of them will always remain a mystery, more than them living.

The Virigin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides is one of the two books for The Slow Readers Book Club. 

TGIF!

Danny Brito has opened up a new shop. I know it’s hard to move away from the etsy community and I think he’ll do fine on his own.

I’ll be traveling next month for 3 weeks, and my goal is to pack ONE carry on. I made a new board to visually check out what I have, what I want to take (not all of it of course). I think I can do it!

I appreciate really thick shaped eyebrows, I’m sure one day I’ll love my thin shapeless brows, but for now, I’m admiring the ones below

How to Dress Modestly without looking frumpy. I love this.

How to say I love you in math

A real life tower of books

This made me tear up.

Wes Anderson has officially made an art of making his own style, it’s very … Wes Anderson.

Enjoy your weekend. What do you have planned?

Man Can carries some great scents I’d love in my house like coffee (my favorite), gun powder, NY Style Pizza and campfire (I know one blogger who would love this one). Which one would you love?

I wanted to read this story because if you weren’t a reader at the time, I was scheduled to leave to Tokyo two days after the earthquake. I love Japan- the culture, the food, the history, everything Japanese. It was a perfect way to celebrate my 30th birthday and anniversary with Scott. As I watched CNN on March 11, with shock, I’ll admit, I had a “Seinfeld” moment- you know, one of those, “what about my vacation?!” moment. That selfish feeling lasted for a few seconds. It wasn’t just an earthquake with shaken walls, it was a blanket of ocean taking thousands of lives, stealing a last breath without warning. It was devastating and I cried for weeks, I felt like I was mourning with Japan.

William T. Volmmann returned to Japan shortly after the Tsunami last year. I was curious on reading a detailed story besides small bits through news stories. It was a good book, and I rated it two stars, “just ok” (according to Goodreads ratings). I didn’t love it, but the stories of the people who experienced and lived through the event was the reason I kept reading. As for Volmmann’s writing, he’s a book award winner, but for my taste, it was overwritten. I couldn’t keep up with his style. The actual journalism was great; it was factual, detailed, and emotional. At the time same time, it seems he writes for the art of it, rather for the certainty of it, which I don’t like. It also felt like it was cut short. What happened to each person he interviewed? What happened when he went in deeper to Sendai?

Into the Forbidden Zone is recommended for the curious on Japan and the March 2011 earthquake. It’s also a short read- it’s about 50 pages and took me a couple hours to finish. This is one of the many books I’ll be reading this year for Shelved 2012.

My favorite finds online this week, starting with Pinterest.

Lately, I’m set on backpacks over bags. I love my fancy bags but after so many years of carrying leather that weighs more than my contents, my poor shoulder is too young to progress to a high level of pain. I have my eye on a few including this one

I have the black Fjallraven but how about just a whole rainbow of them? Sure.

I’m not sure how silly I’d look with this, but it’s so fancy!

Have you ever been told you suck? I could take the critics if I’m striving for excellence but when I don’t have a goal, I wouldn’t pay much attention to it. This article puts things in perspective.

Lauren Moffat’s Fall ’12 line is inspired by women in academics. Brains and beauty.

Did you know Gadchick was having a fabulous giveaway this week? You have until the end of the weekend to enter here

This weekend I’ll be going through the archives of this blog, planning my trip to Paris next month (yep, Paris!), discovering Pete Yorn (seriously, why didn’t anyone tell me how amazing musicforthemorningafter was?) and going to try to veganize this pink heaven.

Enjoy your weekend and this cute vid from Field Notes

Bespoke Magazine is a grass roots publication for the crafty at heart. It supports indie artists, and is self publishing. Knowing what it takes to make a business grow, I have much respect for how *bespoke* works.

*bespoke* is a quarterly Australian Zine (with both print and digital versions available) made by the handmade community, for the handmade community.
It is full of stories, interviews, features, tutorials, recipes, and much more! Topics covered include craft/handmade, vintage, art, photography, and all things creative.

The magazine is available in print or digital, but it did feel great to sit down by the fire place on a gloomy day and read from cover to cover. It’s inspiring, and makes me wish I had more time to craft and create like I did before, but it does make me appreciate the handmade community on a new level.

Check out *bespoke* here!

*bespoke* is a current endorsement.

Do you ever watch Good Eats? That show is so dated, in Apple Family Values episode, they mentioned Apple computers as a dead computer company, along with calling corn syrup the “future” and I lost interest. My DVR kept recording and before I erased all the recordings, I watched “Tofu World”. Then another episode and another. Now, it’s one of my favorite shows on the Cooking Channel. Sure, I could do without the irrelevant commentary, but the recipes and advice on classic kitchen gadgets are as true now as they were then.

Here is the original recipe, but here is my version;
For these you just need a double boiler (I love this one), a food processor or blender, a spatula and a pie tin.

13 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 pound silken tofu, drained
1 tsp agave
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 pie crust (I used this recipe)

Melt the chocolate chips in the double boiler and stir with the spatula. Combine the tofu, chocolate mixture and agave in a blender or food processor and spin until smooth, about 2 minutes. While spinning, add the vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon. Pour the filling into the crust and refrigerate for 2 hours, or until the filling sets firm.

Moo-Less Chocolate Pie recipe is a gem. It’s one of the best, fastest things I’ve made and I can’t wait to trick my friends when I tell them “boom, you’re eating a tofu pie”. I just hope they don’t return the same surprise with a soy allergy.

To learn more about Much Love Monday, read about it here.

I have to start with Dani Hampton’s open letter. When I read the original article, I didn’t know whether I should roll my eyes, laugh, or just be really angry. Either way, it made me appreciate the tattoos I have, and where I am in my life, and the adversity I dealt with had nothing to do with my tattoos and everything to do with overcoming ignorant views.

I was featured on Kyla’s series, A Creative Start to a New Year. Going vegan this year is a huge impact on my personal goals, and I loved sharing. Even if you’re not vegan, I highly recommend the read for extra motivation.

If you want an epic book to read, or even the great review, Sam’s post is for you.

Anna had a chance to visit her brother in Tokyo and we get to see it through analogue.

These amazing matches from Badder Homes and Gardens (I know they weren’t a fan, but hearts?? I’m so predictable.)

A quick reminder- there’s always money in the banana stand.

Have you even been plagiarized? Here’s how to deal.

Oh My Goodness

These beautiful mirror from Trend Hunter.

Are you participating in #massmentions? It’s a great way to participate with other geeky girls, designers, gamers or other gadget lovers. Watch out for it every Friday on Gadchick’s twitter page.

This video is a bit long, but worth a share, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore.

This weekend I’m catching up on work, trolling this beautiful blog, giving Merry a bath, and bike riding downtown for Indian food. Enjoy your weekend!