El Mundo Unido por Un Balón.

i spent a lot of time with lost-and-found friend, juanita, over the weekend. friday night was really more of the same "let's go pretend we want to dance at the wave!", but saturday was the piece-de-resistance. she picked me up around 4:30ish and we went to her house in norview, where her god parents, god brother and mother were staying with her. her mom had cooked up some fantastic stir fried tofu and vegetables over rice that i couldn't have been more thankful for. during the course of my little visit, her godmother and mother gave me a Thai nickname: Tha. i haven't been able to find a literal translation of the word anywhere on the internet, but i'm told it means something like royalty. if anyone out there speaks Thai and can tell me if that's true, i'd love you forever.

but the really great part of saturday happened when juanita had to drive me back to my car so i could go pick up my room mate from virginia beach, where she was stranded. i don't remember why, but i was looking in her glove compartment and i came across the amazing sunglasses you see above. after a little research, i found out they're sunglasses that were sold at the 1986 World Cup, which was held in Mexico City. besides being the second time Mexico had hosted the World Cup since 1970, the UN had also declared 1986 "international year of peace," which gave way to the unofficial motto: el mundo unido por un balon (the world united by a ball). some other trivia about the games that year: canada, denmark and iraq all qualified for the first time; argentina won the cup; iraq played all matches on neutral ground (meaning away games i guess) due to the iran-iraq war; Mexico City was rocked by a massive earthquake only 8 months before the cup; denmark was dubbed "the group of death" because of their 100 percent record in round 2 of the cup.

juanita said they looked better on me, so she gave them to me. i'm seriously in love with these sunglasses. they're vintage 80's (i know, i know. i totally blasted 80's fashion last week), and they've got a great backstory to boot. i feel good when i wear them. so be jealous that you're not friends with girls who have great sunglasses to give away, kids.

a fourtypercent fall.

i am fighting the first sickdays of fall right now, and as a result can't sleep very well at night. so i figured now was as good as time as any to start mapping out looks for the fall that will make me feel as though i won't get sick anymore this season. (here's hoping!) i'm a huge fan of rainy days, especially between late september and the end of november, so hunter's wellington boots top series one of ///40% fall.

1. hunter wellington rain boots. i've had a love affair with rain boots for the longest time and have been waiting for them to catch on with actual people. not that i think they have, but my friend beth wore some out the other day and it made me so happy that i hunted down a pair for myself. they're a bit expensive, so i'm saving up for them, but they're available from jcrew for less than $100, which is very exciting. having not really taken my cowboy boots off since i bought them, it'll be refreshing to have another knee-high boot to rock when it's wet outside and i'm feeling slightly more whimsical. check 'em out. 2. WeSC Eddie Herringbone Duffle Coat. this is one of those coats where i actually did say out loud, "omigosh, it's amazing." the first time i heard about WeSC was the last time i was in california visiting my good friend bobby from kitsune noir. we stopped into their boutique, and i have to admit i wasn't too impressed. at that time, it was a new brand, and they appear to have come an awfully long way since then. at $258, this coat is an expensive addition to your fall/winter wardrobe, but damn if it's not worth it. if you can't afford something like this, sub it with a great peacoat or even a trench. i'm making this part of my official "bring classy back" movement. all of this 80's ironic hipster fashion is starting to make my head hurt. 3. any large, overstated, patterned or brightly-colored scarf. i have a "desert" scarf like the one pictured above in a green and black houndstooth pattern that i can't wait to start wearing all the time again. contrary to popular belief, scarves are not out of fashion. (as a point of fact, not much is out of fashion these days. it's about how you wear it.) throw a similar scarf in with the mix to spice things up a bit and draw attention to the way your cheeks and noses are turning red in the cool temperatures. 4. cheap monday tight unwashed jean. i know, i know. tight jeans are getting a little old. but as long as i can keep pouring my legs into them, i'm going to keep on wearing them. plus, they make wearing boots so much fun. cheap monday's skinny jeans are an exceptional find, as they're relatively cheap (in this case, only $65) and they fit like a glove, reinforced with a bit of spandex for movement.

obviously this look goes best on a particularly chilly day, flask of hot cocoa mixed with peppermint schnapps in hand. man, that sounds good. i can't wait until my body likes that stuff again.

surprise!

some of you may remember that i helped a friend record his album, Like Rasputin, back in the day by playing violin on some tracks. i tend to talk about it frequently, because i'm particularly proud of it. i mean, the album was just so good.

i do almost-daily searches for my name on google, to keep up with what's out there about me. mostly i get the same stuff: my embarrassing documentation on wonkette, youtube videos, PETA press releases... but today i stumbled across this "artist's profile" on some site called Discogs. it made me feel kind of important.

i warn you: if you google my name, you'll have to sift through the lawyers, cops, kids kissing minnie mouse (of which none are me), the horribly sad poem to christopher mcdonough, and other ridiculous things if you're not sure exactly who i am. and for the love of god, do not look at wonkette. ever.

also, i have never, ever been a navy boyfriend. just saying.

SmallDeer™'s Nike Campaigns

these ads and images are so striking and beautiful. using vibrant colours, fresh imagery and some of the simplest ideas i've seen executed well in advertising, SmallDeer™ gives runners everywhere something to look forward to. check these web blips out.



(for more clips from the Victory campaign, check out the SmallDeer™ Web site linked to above.)

///40% Mixtape Vol. 1: worldfallingdown.

it's getting colder out. i wanted to share what the fall feels like for me. so, i'd like to present you with the first ///40% mixtape: world falling down.

world falling down.

cartoon skeletons by Hyungkoo Lee.

in an exhibit in switzerland, south korean artist hyungkoo lee has created skeletons of what may lie beneath cartoon character's skin. among the characters were bubs bunny, donald duck, tom & jerry and donald's three nephews, huey, dewey, and louie. they're equally morbid and equally amazing.

///40% loves EQ3.

realizing that once my home was all unpacked and set up i still needed odds and ends, i decided to spend my money at EQ3 immediately after getting paid. (not always the best idea, but very fruitful.) i have a tendency to shop in black and white, so you'll see a lot of that in my decor. but i also am a fan of soft colors in contrast, and occasional splashes of bright colors in unexpected places. i'm also pretty scattered, owing to the fact that it's been quite a while since i've had my own place. (that's another story for another blog or after-school special.)

one thing you won't see is one of those russian doll things... you know, the ones that get smaller and smaller. i thought it would be really cute to have a set of those above the sink in the kitchen. the kitchen is such a family-friendly place, and since there's just two of us in our home, i figured the more the better! i still have to go to target to grab some necessities, and of course decorating is a process so i'll be going at this for several more months i'm sure, as money is available.

for now, here's my EQ3 finds (mostly from the summer sale). [pictured above are the artichoke tea light holders. i got 4 of these. two for the bathroom, and two for elsewhere.]



this tray is pretty awesome. it comes flat, and you fold the pliable wood into this bowl that's actually much larger than it seems in this picture. perfect for holding things like the beautiful red peppers above in a modern kitchen.

this bowl caught my eye from outside of the store. it's vaguely oceanic, in a coral sort of way. it's very deep, and will look beautiful on any surface. and at half-price, who wouldn't splurge?

i love trays. it's true. i'm a big fan of decorative and functional. i haven't quite decided where this will go yet. we'll see. i love the starbursts, though. (and yes, i realize that starbursts are a dying trend... again.)

i got a complete set of these glasses. (except the champagne flutes.) they're deep, and sturdy. but not only that, completely classy. i'm very excited to make these a part of my informal dinner experience. hopefully they'll make up for the fact that i don't have a dining table. think they'll go with floor cushions?