The round up

I'm trying something new here.

Because I spend SO much time on the Internet - searching stories, reading news, snooping pretty blogs and web sites - I thought that I would compile my findings into a weekly round up of things that are lookin' good in cyberspace.

The categories will include but not always feature:

To check out - arts & culture stuff, i.e. visual art, music

To long for - clothes

To procrastinate - a ridiculous type of time suck web site

To cuddle - a stray cute animal photo might show up

To watch - movies / TV

To read - pretty obvious, but includes articles and books

To interACT - cool interactive stuff online

To eat - best of our weekly meals (I usually cook from online recipes, here's my chance to pass on those that actually work).

and, finally, Dear Design - favorite design web sites or blog posts because I have REALLY gotten into them (and there are just thousands of goodies to take away your afternoon)

And it's not like this is set in stone. These categories could change, disappear, multiply, get up and dance. It's hard to say.

But let's get going on this weeks, eh?

First off.

To check out - this music web site The Hype Machine (via Flavorwire).

It. is. awesome. It does the work for you - searching thousands of music blogging sites for the most featured music at this very moment. You can click and listen to the songs - like the whole song - find others like it or just let the player play through a whole bunch of tunes you never knew existed.

What I'm particularly liking is this Danish band called Fallulah - it has a good beat and a sweet female vocal. I feel like there might be some girls wearing white gogo boots clapping along in the background. I could listen to it over and over and over again (and maybe I have).

To procrastinate - I came across this site Rad-Dudes (via LA Times) and spent 20 minutes going through back posts. The best of the best are some vintage photes with short shorts or too long mustaches. Though they're not all rad in my book it's a regular look because you just might get gems like this:



To read - Orion Magazine Jan/Feb 2010, particularly the article 'Diggin In' by Hank Lentfer. Unfortunately, you cannot catch this piece online - they make only a few features available to read for free. So you may just have to (gasp) buy the magazine or, do as I did, and read it in a B&N.

This is a short article about what to do with your body after you die. Dark subject, but it's a reality that the author seems to be endearingly inquisitive about. So he sets out to ask his friends and family what they would like to be done with their bodies after they pass away.

I love the way he opens the story - "The first time I asked my parents..." it hooks you because you already know there is going to be a follow up. You wonder, have they changed their minds? Do they still want to be buried in the family plot, cremated, given to science? It's a simple but effective trick of writing.

Later he talks about his four year old daughter and how, he guesses, she is probably old enough to imagine some probably ridiculous scenario but he can't ask because "I don't have the strength to imagine her death." What starts out innocently enough has its consequences and I like that honesty.

To watch - R and I rented Ordinary People last night before going out to meet up with his school friends. Not exactly a pre-party mood elevator but it was a genuine portrayal of a family going through some hard shit after loosing their oldest child, Buck, in a freak boating accident. The young Timothy Hutton was incredible - sweet, scary, utterly depressing. A real teenager going through unparalleled heartbreak. Rent it. You'll find it in the 'tear jerker' section of your netflix site.

To long for - unruly things is my new favorite web site. It has a contemporary vintage aesthetic and features clothing, shoes, interior design, accessories and other swoon-able items shown in Polaroid-esque images. I want pretty much everything she features.
Suddenly and particularly these crazy Swedish shoes - am I alone on this?



Swedish Hasbeens - check 'em out

And finally To cuddle - I cannot resist a little daily bunny and these two little lazy muffins caught my eye:


That is all for now.

xoxoL