"every passing minute is another chance to turn it all around."
-vanilla sky

Apples and iPods

According to rumors, Apple might be holding hosting a September event. Then again, they might not. You know how Apple is. According to the tech gossip, the iPod world is getting a bit of a face lift. Here's what to expect:

- iPod Touch and Nano with cameras and microphones
- iTunes 9 with facebook integration (say what?)
- and the return of Steve Jobs

To take a further investigative look, check out Wired Magazine's article here.

The XX ::: Crystalized

fragile yet powerful... perfect for a late night drive

TEXAS FIGHT!

TEXAS football begins on SATURDAY!

HOOK 'EM!


game 1:

TEXAS vs. LOUISIANA-MONROE

Sept. 5, 2009 | 6 p.m. | FSN PPV
Austin, Texas

FALL PREVIEW

September 8
*Melrose Place (9 p.m.; CW)

September 9
Glee (9pm; FOX)

September 10
*The Vampire Diaries (8 p.m.; CW)
Twilight-esque drama

September 14
Gossip Girl (9 p.m.; CW)

September 15
The Biggest Loser(8 p.m.; NBC)

September 17
The Office (9pm; NBC)

September 20
*Bored to Death (9:30 p.m.; HBO)
A sitcom starring Jason Schwartzman, Zach Galifianakis, and the always sublime Ted Danson

September 21
Dancing With the Stars (8 p.m.; ABC)
House (8 p.m.; Fox)
Accidentally on Purpose (8:30 p.m.; CBS)
Jenna Elfman as a film critic

September 22
*NCIS: Los Angeles (9 p.m.; CBS)
The spin-off of the mysteriously popular NCIS, which returns tonight
*The Forgotten (10 p.m.; ABC)
Christian Slater investigates unidentified murders

September 23
*Mercy (8 p.m.; NBC)
Another show about nurses—suddenly as ubiquitous as vampires
*Gary Unmarried(8:30 p.m.; CBS)
Jay Mohr as a newly single dad
*Cougar Town (9:30 p.m.; ABC)
Starring Courteney Cox, as a desperate ex-wife
Modern Family (9pm; ABC)

September 24
Grey’s Anatomy (9 p.m.; ABC)
How will Katherine Heigl offend the show’s producers this year?
Saturday Night Live (11:30 p.m.; NBC)

September 27
*The Cleveland Show
Seth MacFarlane’s Family Guy spin-off (8:30 p.m.; Fox.) is followed by his Family Guy (9 p.m.) and American Dad (9:30 p.m.). Hey, MacFarlane, just buy the network!

September 28
*Trauma (9 p.m.; NBC)
ER with EMTs

September 30
*Hank (8 p.m.; ABC)
Kelsey Grammer as a CEO who loses all his dough

October 15
30 Rock (9:30pm; NBC)

November 3
*V
The anticipated remake of the ’80s miniseries. Alien lizards! (ABC)

Perfect for a hot day...

It has been hot and humid in so cal lately. Case in point, the California wildfires are back. Yesterday, I spent the entire day on a raft in my pool. If only I had one of these divine little desserts...

Ingredients

Makes 12

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips
• 1 pint vanilla ice cream, softened

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with rack in center. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add sour cream, egg, and vanilla; beat until smooth. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture; mix in 1 cup chocolate chips.
2. Using 1 rounded tablespoon per cookie, drop mounds of dough, about 1 1/2 inches apart, onto two baking sheets. (You'll have 25 to 30 cookies.) Bake until golden, 10 to 12 minutes; transfer to a rack to cool completely.
3. Scatter remaining chocolate chips on a plate. Place about 2 tablespoons ice cream between 2 cookies, bottoms facing in; press gently. Roll the sides of each sandwich in chips. (If ice cream is melting, place sandwiches in freezer until firm enough to roll in chips.) Transfer sandwiches onto baking sheets. Freeze until firm, at least 2 hours; then wrap individually in plastic. Freeze up to 2 weeks.

via: martha stewart

Happy Sunday!

photo here

Cheating Husband's Punishment

(via AgencySpy)

Learn Something Everyday

Cute project designed by Young
View more here Learn Something Everyday

(via vic)

Home

Molly first mentioned Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros here...and since then I've become obsessed... they play September 22nd at El Rey...very tempted.

"Moats and boats and waterfalls, alleyways and pay phone calls.... "

and "Home" live at the Troubadour in 2007.... acoustics are really off but great energy..

Lockets

So I've been on the hunt for a locket since my necklace's chain snapped.... going for something with a vintage feel... some favorites so far...

simple and small
from gr8timing
ping pang
from chatham09
might be my #1 favorite so far
from beadtopiavintage
Victorian feel and I love that it's signed by someone named Avon
from VintageandVictorian
shout out to the Illinois state bird, think not
from birdylove
girly but might be too shiny for my tastes
from ChezVous

Side note: I love Etsy as a whole but I swear some of the lockets described as "vintage" are really just the crap you get out of the 25cent dispenser at the grocery store

Wolfe Den

The Wolfe Den in Austin, TX

Won the Texas Society of Architects (TSA) design award and the AIA Austin design award

from Dwell

just couldn't resist...

Happy Friday!
Cheers,
M&B

(via cloneofsnake)

Wii Fit Plus

I've been getting really into my Wii Fit lately and as a result I'm super excited about the September 14th release of Wii Fit Plus... the update includes new strength and yoga poses, new balance games and more customizable options

Going Organic

An excerpt from the NYT article "Five Easy Ways to Go Organic"

5 organic foods that can have the biggest impact from Dr. Alan Greene author of "Raising Baby Green"

1. Milk: “When you choose a glass of conventional milk, you are buying into a whole chemical system of agriculture,” says Dr. Greene. People who switch to organic milk typically do so because they are concerned about the antibiotics, artificial hormones and pesticides used in the commercial dairy industry. One recent United States Department of Agriculture survey found certain pesticides in about 30 percent of conventional milk samples and low levels in only one organic sample. The level is relatively low compared to some other foods, but many kids consume milk in large quantities.

2. Potatoes: Potatoes are a staple of the American diet — one survey found they account for 30 percent of our overall vegetable consumption. A simple switch to organic potatoes has the potential to have a big impact because commercially-farmed potatoes are some of the most pesticide-contaminated vegetables. A 2006 U.S.D.A. test found 81 percent of potatoes tested still contained pesticides after being washed and peeled, and the potato has one of the the highest pesticide contents of 43 fruits and vegetables tested, according to the Environmental Working Group.

3. Peanut butter: More acres are devoted to growing peanuts than any other fruits, vegetable or nut, according to the U.S.D.A. More than 99 percent of peanut farms use conventional farming practices, including the use of fungicide to treat mold, a common problem in peanut crops. Given that some kids eat peanut butter almost every day, this seems like a simple and practical switch. Commercial food firms now offer organic brands in the regular grocery store, but my daughter loves to go to the health food store and grind her own peanut butter.

4. Ketchup: For some families, ketchup accounts for a large part of the household vegetable intake. About 75 percent of tomato consumption is in the form of processed tomatoes, including juice, tomato paste and ketchup. Notably, recent research has shown organic ketchup has about double the antioxidants of conventional ketchup.

5. Apples: Apples are the second most commonly eaten fresh fruit, after bananas, and they are also used in the second most popular juice, after oranges, according to Dr. Greene. But apples are also one of the most pesticide-contaminated fruits and vegetables. The good news is that organic apples are easy to find in regular grocery stores.

***Here's a great grocery store shopping guide with a list of the "Dirty Dozen" - the 12 most pesticide contaminated foods

Mercury in all fish

"Federal study shows mercury in fish widespread"

Read the full AP article here....

By DINA CAPPIELLO
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - No fish can escape mercury pollution. That's the take-home message from a federal study of mercury contamination released Wednesday that tested fish from nearly 300 streams across the country.

The toxic substance was found in every fish sampled, a finding that underscores how widespread mercury pollution has become.

But while all fish had traces of contamination, only about a quarter had mercury levels exceeding what the Environmental Protection Agency says is safe for people eating average amounts of fish.

The study by the U.S. Geological Survey is the most comprehensive look to date at mercury in the nation's streams. From 1998 to 2005, scientists collected and tested more than a thousand fish, including bass, trout and catfish, from 291 streams nationwide.

"This science sends a clear message that our country must continue to confront pollution, restore our nation's waterways, and protect the public from potential health dangers," Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said in a statement.


Yeesh...

Ceramic Notepad

Love it...

Purchase here at Yoyo Ceramics

(via Man Make Home)

Word's Weirdest Hotels

A refurbished 1965 Boeing 727 airframe—which looks as if it crashed into the Costa Rican jungle—is now part of the Hotel Costa Verde. (Courtesy Vincent Costello)

At Berlin's Propeller Island City Lodge, each of the 30 rooms is weird in its own way. This one was designed to look like a brightly painted medieval town, with an ultra-mini golf course surrounding the castle bed. (Courtesy Lars Stroschen)

Jules' Undersea Lodge, a former marine lab, is 21 feet underwater, close to the bottom of the mangrove-filled Emerald Lagoon, in Key Largo. You'll have to know how to scuba dive to reach your room. (Courtesy Jules' Undersea Lodge)

See more at Budget Travel's "World's Weirdest Hotels Part Deux" slidshow

Gifted and Flawed...

Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, a son of one of the most storied families in American politics, a man who knew triumph and tragedy in near-equal measure and who will be remembered as one of the most effective lawmakers in the history of the Senate, died late Tuesday night. He was 77. (read NYT article here)

Rifle

Awesome designs by Anna Bond
Rifledesign.com

Cool blog too

The Cove

My roommate got me into this documentary and I highly encourage everyone to see it...heartbreaking story
Learn more here http://www.thecovemovie.com/

"The Cove begins in Taiji, Japan, where former dolphin trainer Ric O’Barry has come to set things right after a long search for redemption. In the 1960s, it was O’Barry who captured and trained the 5 dolphins who played the title character in the international television sensation “Flipper.”

But his close relationship with those dolphins – the very dolphins who sparked a global fascination with trained sea mammals that continues to this day -- led O’Barry to a radical change of heart. One fateful day, a heartbroken Barry came to realize that these deeply sensitive, highly intelligent and self-aware creatures so beautifully adapted to life in the open ocean must never be subjected to human captivity again. This mission has brought him to Taiji, a town that appears to be devoted to the wonders and mysteries of the sleek, playful dolphins and whales that swim off their coast.

But in a remote, glistening cove, surrounded by barbed wire and “Keep Out” signs, lies a dark reality. It is here, under cover of night, that the fishermen of Taiji, driven by a multi-billion dollar dolphin entertainment industry and an underhanded market for mercury-tainted dolphin meat, engage in an unseen hunt. The nature of what they do is so chilling -- and the consequences are so dangerous to human health -- they will go to great lengths to halt anyone from seeing it.

Undeterred, O’Barry joins forces with filmmaker Louis Psihoyos and the Oceanic Preservation Society to get to the truth of what’s really going on in the cove and why it matters to everyone in the world. With the local Chief of Police hot on their trail and strong-arm fishermen keeping tabs on them, they will recruit an “Ocean's Eleven”-style team of underwater sound and camera experts, special effects artists, marine explorers, adrenaline junkies and world-class free divers who will carry out an undercover operation to photograph the off-limits cove, while playing a cloak-and-dagger game with those who would have them jailed. The result is a provocative mix of investigative journalism, eco-adventure and arresting imagery that adds up to an urgent plea for hope.

The Cove is directed by Louie Psihoyos and produced by Paula DuPre Pesman and Fisher Stevens. The film is written by Mark Monroe. The executive producer is Jim Clark and the co-producer is Olivia Ahnemann."

Mason Jar Lanterns - DIY

Cute end of summer project....using just a mason jar, bailing wire, sand and a votive.

See the full tutorial here

(via Chezbeeperbebe)

the power of branding

via: swissmiss

Designer Fire Extinguishers?

Sure. Stay cute and safe.



more info here.