You'll have to scroll down to get past all the new 2007 gift guides (that time of year again!), but there's a neat little Baltimore guide at Design*Sponge.

Covers a lot of ground and lots of neighborhoods. I would like to check off the few things on their list that I haven't seen, like Home Anthology, Housewerks and Second Chance.

Happy turkey day. Even if you don't eat turkey.

the heart of the matter

Sundays remind me of my best girl D, who fixes hearts for a living.


B Jewelry
The arrow helps to temper the classic heart shape, and I already own something by this jeweler - I'm sure the hammered silver will feel light as air on the skin.

Me & Ro
The sword makes it a little tough, but the petite size would make it wearable, almost delicate.

Analogous Jewelry
The most abstract of the three - and my favorite, I think.

Any thoughts?

Good design doesn't have to be expensive. A couple of examples from across the pond:

I maintain a soft spot for this WWII poster. I hope it has greater longevity than say, antlers - look at that beautiful font.


Picture courtesy of Apartment Therapy.


My stainless steel Parker Jotter pencil is my constant companion. And I'm not alone in this - it's been a best seller since 1954.



Ok, so stainless steel isn't the most ergonomic material to make a pen or pencil out of, but the heft and classic good looks more than make up for it. A better import than say, those evil and delectable Jaffa cakes.

Two mashup vids that have brought me a lot of happiness:


1960's Fosse dance meets "Walk it Out"


Love the Charleston...surprisingly difficult, but a great dance for including a leg kick or two or three or more...

October 2007 - the books.

Perfume, P. Süskind
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, M. Roach
The City of Falling Angels, J. Berendt *
An Unquiet Mind, K. R. Jamison
What the Dead Know, L. Lippman
Suite Francaise, I. Nemirovsky *
House of Leaves, M. Danielewski *

I am finishing The Satanic Verses as I type. This is a book that refuses to be merely skimmed.

I gave up on one book this month - The Poe Shadow. Pearl has an interesting theory, (especially to me) but it's such a slog through his book to get there. This Observer article can save you the trouble.