I love fashion.
But perhaps I should explain myself, because it isn't a label or trend love. I just admire the way that certain people just look so asthetically stunning, even in the subtlest of ways. A perfectly cut suit, a well-hung dress, an air of sophistication, a sense of fun.
And if there is any group that knows just how to pull it off, it's old men, they simply know how to wear clothing better than anyone else, be it experience or attitude or simply instinct aquired over a lifetime. So I present to you the fruits of my daily purusing of The Satorialist, my favorite source of fashion inspiration/entertainment simply because he knows that style extends far beyond the catwalk.





a mailman with some wicked kicks.

I am a fan of his blazer.

works for Ralph Lauren, not actually homeless.

a painter, and he's rocking the look.

this lighting is amazing.

this is how to ride a bike.

Good instincts usually tell you what to do long before your head has figured it out.
Michael Burke

So summer's here and I [unfortunatly] am still jobless. Which means I have more free time than a Real Housewife. In anticipation of this i have a stack of books a mile high waiting to be read, re-read, or finished. And here i present them to you for your own reading pleasures;

House of Leaves



This book is a beast.
I can really think of no more appropriate way to describe it.
I bought this book at the recommendation of the man at the bookstore who wears the slightly-too-short ties. He couldn't give me a summary without "ruining it" and simply summed it up as "awesome." So after a quick glancing over, I took it home with me and became engrosed. If you are looking for something lighthearted and fun, put this right down. This book requires concentration, patience, and a healthy dose of curiosity.
if you're curiouse for more, there are plenty of online forums to discussing the book. Just do a quick Google search and you're likely to find plenty.





Pride and Prejudece and Zombies



"An expanded edition of the beloved Jane Austen novel featuring all-new scenes of bone crunching zombie mayhem"
As a counterbalance to House of Leaves, I picked up this little number in San Francisco. You've likely heard of it, and I'm here to officially recommend it to you. The musings of the english elite are far more entertaining when sprinkeled with gore, mayhem, and the undead. Plus, there are pictures, and really how can you go wrong with that. Plus, next time you watch the movie, you'll be on the edge of your seat waiting for Kira to kick some major zombie butt.









The Phantom Tollbooth


Recommended to me by our very own Stephanie, this book comes with nothing but praise from everyone who has read it. And I really can't explain why I have yet to read it, except for possibly my childhood fixation on reading only long winded "Classics" that would make me seem smarter, {for the record, the message of Gullivers Travel's was far above my head, even though it wasn't above my reading level.]
Perhaps when I'm done with the book I'll be able to track down a copy of the movie to compare.








The Elegence of the Hedgehog


It's rare that I find myself so interested in a book based purely on the jacket summary, no recomendations, no reviews, no flashy display.
Translated from French, it is a novel about a chubby and cantencorus hotel concierge and a young, meek girl living on the fifth floor who hide their true personalities until a serendipitous coustomer from Japan checks in. The cover proclaims it is an "international bestseller", and i have few doubts that it will live up to these expectations.











A Confederacy of Dunces


"When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this infalliable sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him."
One of those classics that they didn't have time for in school, but will inevitably make me feel just that much smarter to refernce in conversation. It sounds uncannily similar to the vastly under-rated Luke Wilson movie Idiocracy, though I may be entirely wrong in this assumption. Either way, you can't go wrong with a Pulitzer Prize.












Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

This beauty has been hiding on the shelves of the philosophy section of the bookstores for almost forty years now. It has come to be one of the best selling philosophy books ever, and is published in over 27 languages. And to clear up a few points, it's not really about Zen or Motorcycle maintence. It is however the story of a man and his son on a 14 day cross-country motorcycle trip. Along the way, a bit of bonding and a bit of philosofizing is interspersed with all the adventure such a motorcycle trip entails. pne of my favorite books, full of scribbles, stains and tears, and just waiting to be re-read.







So there you have it, a [short] list of books on my to-read list. Hopefully I was able to turn you on to something new. If you happen to have read all of these, touche.

I should be writing a bill for pro euthanasia right now, and packing a ridiculous amount of things for next week, but of course I'm not. Instead I'm typing out twenty songs I've been playing over and over again this month for no particular reason (well partly because I don't want to finish this bill,) and none of them involve Michael Jackson. Sorry.

But yes, some of these like Zee Avi and Regina Spektor, I love waking up to in the mornings. They start of my day in a cheery way.

Regina Spektor's new album "Far" is so adorable. I've always loved her work.

Read the review! (http://www.prefixmag.com/reviews/regina-spektor/far/26895/)

Listen! (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=105518205)

Something about her having such a rich family history (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regina_Spektor) makes her music even more unique and special to me then it already is.

And I love how its called anti-folk. I just love it.

Others like Caves by JM and Fleet Foxes, I've been memorizing on the piano so i've been hearing those lately.

I have about 30 ish cds in the car from the library, two of which are the full John Mayer and Belle & Sebastian albums so they've been playing around my head.

The others are just an eclectic mix I've been hooked on and revisiting for no particular reason. :]

1. All 'Cause of You - The 88

2. Honey Bee - Zee Avi

3. Soft Shock - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

4. I'll Believe In Anything - Wolf Parade

5. Gender Bombs - The Stills

6. Letter To Noelle - Something Corporate

7. Folding Chair - Regina Spektor

8. House of Cards - Radiohead

9. Amsterdam - Peter Bjorn & John

10. Wind in the Wires - Patrick Wolf

11. No Such Thing - John Mayer

12. Quiet Houses - Fleet Foxes

13. La Llorona - DeVotchKa

14. Coney Island - Death Cab for Cutie

15. The Canals of Our City - Beirut

16. Famous Flower of Manhattan - The Avett Brothers

17. Caves - Jack's Mannequin

18. Her Tea Leaves - Iron & Wine

19. All The Trees Of The Field Will Clap Their Hands - Sufjan Stevens

20. Step Into My Office, Baby - Belle & Sebastian

finished this today. it made me want to hop in a car, drive away, and leave my little city behind.

it's such a lovely book with a great perspective on life tied into a an adventure.

i'll always be the type of person to want to strap on a rocket and fly off somewhere, and right now, i think john green is a genius for incorporating the whole idea of 'paper towns.'

the two little words have such meaning after reading this.

Paper Towns.

it'll be something i'll be thinking about when i step onto the airplane tomorrow.

So Michael Jackson was confirmed dead at 3:15 today. My condolances to all of his family and friends, may the media leave them room to properly grieve their loss.

The thing is, I heard about his death at 2:30 today, 45 minutes before the traditional news-media confirmed it. It scares me how fast news travels sometimes. It isn't nessecarily a bad thing, we are the most informed generation in history, but it's just a strange new means of learning news. I first heard about it on Facebook, then i got a text, checked it on TMZ, confirmed it on MSNBC... and now it's finally being repoted on CNN.
Just the fact that i get my news from Facebook -a social networking site- first is a strange feeling. It's almost like we don't need the media anymore, we're back to word-of-mouth news, just thousand times faster than it used to be back in the day. I just think we're all going to have to be careful in this new world order.

Weird days.






We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.
Joseph Campbell

I'm talking of course of the infamous sprite rainbow cake. No eggs, no water, no butter. Just sprite.

It sort of reminds me of something that would jump out of a dr.seuss book.

It's plainly the oddest, most delicious thing I have ever eaten. I'm planning to make it tomorrow and I'm a little nervous it'll turn out looking like poop. What will happen, is that I will end up mixing too many colors together (like I used to do all the time in art school when I was little on a palate and it would turn out black or something instead of purple...) 

Ah, well I'll eat it if no one else will.

You know how people would bring a cake for one of their friends on campus for their birthdays? And a few forks to share with people? Well I'm always the one pigging off another person's cake. So it's about time I learn how to make this for myself.

Description:

This cake is suitable for many occasions:

• A child’s birthday
• Your mom’s birthday
• Coming out to your conservative parents
  • If you’re a lesbian, they’ll be thrilled that you won’t be forgoing your feminine kitchen duties.
  • If you’re the kind of gay dude who makes cakes for your parents, they were probably on to you anyway.
• Coming out to your conservative parents on your mother’s birthday
• Your friend’s jam band CD release party

But check it out. :] http://www.omnomicon.com/rainbowcake

My name's Sami.
I am the boy that lived.

I enjoy a whole lot of things, many of which will surely be mentioned in the near to distant future.
But if you want to know about me, this is about all you're going to get:
I will always claim Santa Barbara as my hometown, and the central coast will never cease to awe me. I watch more movies than most, almost every Sunday morning i will find a movie on TCM to watch, which i guess you could say makes it a sort of religon for me. I like listening to people's stories, and I tend to talk too much when I am nervous. I take my tea naked, and my chocolate dark. I enjoy stars and constellations and meteorites and most especially the moon.

When I grow up I want to be a traveler, a designer, a mother, a reader, a wife, a volunteer.
As for when it is that i'll grow up, we'll just have to wait and see.




“Life is a lot like jazz.. it's best when you improvise.” George Gershwin