Humour! (to recover from the zombies...)

This bonus feature from the movie Bridesmaids is pretty hilarious.

Zombies!

Okay, so this looks terrifying. Anyone fancy a role play game in a whole city infested with zombies? Do they do this sort of thing in the States? I've heard of zombie walks, but never of actual games where you are being chased by zombies.

If that's not creepy enough for you, then season 2 of The Walking Dead premieres October 16.

Sunday: Song of the Day

A friend recently told me he thinks that the new album by We are Augustines, "Rise Ye Sunken Ships", is the best album of the year. What do you think? Today I've been enjoying "Chapel Song". Here's the video:

Did you see the Google Doodle in honor of Jim Henson? Here is a fun NYTimes article about the making of the logo, plus a bit about Henson.

Hot Pants

 When people started using the term hot pants, I always assumed they meant pants that were the color red. Now, colorful pants are everywhere. What do you think? Are they fabulous or too full-on?

Here are some of the options I've seen:

• J. Brand for $176: I have to admit I tried these on at Anthropologie and they were too short for me. I think they're aiming for a cropped look, but these were more capris on me.
• BDG has a pair available for only $58 at Urban Outfiters, but the reviews say they run after only one wash. 
• American Eagle has a pair of red jeggings for only $44. Are jeggings cool, or, are they, as one friend says, simply glorified tights? 

Street Art

This is a neat post, featuring some amazing street art.

Speaking of street art, have you seen Exit Through the Gift Shop? It's a really neat look into some interesting artists. Plus, it explores how gullible people can be.

Here's another great article on Banksy.

Sesame Street is still Amazing

Songs Inspired by Poems

Flavorwire has a fun article on songs inspired by poets. Click here to have a read / listen.

Sneak peek--I especially like #7,M. Ward (of She & Him fame) singing a song called "Blake's View":

Last night, I met up with a friend to check out a Book Slam. She'd been before, but  I didn't quite know what to expect. For a moment, I even worried it could be like a pillow fight with books. Then I realized I have been to poetry slams before, and they were fairly non-violent events.

If you enjoy a night of literature, but wish it had a bit more entertainment,  a book slam is a great compromise. This particular event was hosted at The Grand in Clapham. Since the venue is a night club, the event differed from most book-type events I've attended. The Slam itself was like a literary round robin with a host, three performers and a dj.

The event was advertised to start at 7:30, but the host didn't appear on stage until just after 8. He opened by reading the poem "Invisible Kisses" and was followed by  performances / readings by Inua Ellams (a poet, playwright, and performer, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (a novelist), and Nick Mulvey (a singer / songwriter). Performances were interspersed with tunes from a DJ.

All in all, it was a fun night. As a warning, tickets, which are only about £6, have been selling out quickly, since the series received a mention in Stylist.

TV soundtracks

You guys. I was watching The Vampire Diaries season premier this past week and the music was really good.

I know. It looks like there are two questionable statements in that first paragraph. It's fine if TVD isn't your thing. But the music (at least most of it) really was decent. It made me think about all of the good TV show soundtracks I've owned.

It always starts the same way. You find yourself watching a show like Party of Five or Felicity. The music is decent, so you buy the album. You listen to it until you're sick of it. Maybe you even made a few mix tapes featuring songs from the show in question before this happens. But then it sits neglected in your CD case, or on display for years and years until you have a dinner party and people are rifling through your things and someone is like "why do you have the Dawson's Creek soundtrack?" And they say it in this way like they're judging you, so you get defensive and are like "Oh, that's ancient. I totally meant to throw that out years ago. My music taste is totally amazing now. he he?"

But later you realize that they're not reacting to the music. They're reacting to the fact that James Van Der Beek's face is on the cover of one of your CDs. In fact, the more you think about it, that Paula Cole song was really amazing and where have all the cowboys gone? Plus, who didn't feel like their love life was a little less bleak after listening to "Kiss me" by Sixpence None the Richer.

Sadly, you probably buried that CD at the bottom of the pile after this dinner party and forgot about the CD for another 5 years when the whole situation repeats itself. 

Anyway, here is a link to the list of music they played on last week's episode of TVD. I especially liked the two featured below. The Ingrid Michaelson song is sweet, and the video for "Hello" is pretty charming:

London Open House

 Don't you always wonder how other people live? Especially well-to-do people who live in posh, older houses? It turns out that London has an open house weekend, where the public is allowed a peek into some of these houses and buildings. The event, which was this past weekend, was a great way for designers, architects, and urban planners to showcase their work.
While at Portobello Market on Saturday with a friend, we passed one of the houses on the tour, but the line was around the corner of the block. Somewhat discouraged, we abandoned the plan to check out the open houses on Saturday.
Then, on the way to the grocery store on Sunday morning, we passed a flat in Angel that was open to the public. At this property, you were supposed to pre-book, but the architect at the door, allowed us to sneak into the tour. He and his wife then gave the group a quick talk about the challenge of renovating the house, and how they managed to create a sustainable flat that met the client's vision.
One of the neatest parts of the property was how they'd managed to update the garden. Since the couple living in the flat are only in London on weekends, they wanted a garden that was low maintenance. So, they built the patio up a bit higher, and created a way for rain water to be trapped underneath, and then irrigate the garden when no one was home.
They also had a beautiful wild flower garden on the roof. I only wish I'd taken pictures.

For more details about the event, visit londonopenhouse.org. 

Anne Hathaway Rapping

I kind of love this.

Music Covers

I love a good cover band. The Lost Fingers put a different spin on some modern day songs. Check out their video for "Pump Up the Jam":

The whole "Lost in the 80s", album is neat. As they're from Quebec, they also have some great French songs, in particular a re-make of "Belleville Rendez-Vous" from the movie "Triplets of Belleville".

This is a great article.

My Superpower Is Being Alone Forever

www.theawl.com

It’s pretty hard to reverse engineer a meet-cute. These things either happen or they don’t. If you were really serious about it, you could probably arrange for, say, an errant shopping cart to go charging off in someone's direction and then you could rush up behind it saying, "Sorry, sorry!" and tha...

Next Disney Movie?

Willow, Lost Cat From Colorado, Resurfaces in Manhattan

www.nytimes.com

 

Have you read about Willow yet? Such a great article. And a bit like The Incredible Journey Except that the dogs sat around not doing much....

I love that they still have her little Christmas stocking.

Sunday Soup Recipe

Last weekend I wanted a speedy soup recipe, so I pulled out Nigella Express. She had a recipe for Minestrone in Minutes. I have to admit, I was skeptical, but it turned out really well.

I didn't have any pasta sauce, so I ignored her instructions to add pre-made sauce, and I just added some sauteed onions and garlic, crushed tomatoes, a bit of dried oregano, and a bay leaf, as well as a bit of extra chicken stock. It was pretty tasty and express.

Here is the recipe.

London Bags

When I first moved to London, I asked a friend who used to live here where she'd suggest buying a new bag. She suggested Mimi Berry. Sadly, I can't (yet) justify the cost, but I think I would be happy with almost any of the bags they sell. Especially the Clementine or the Peggy (shown below).

Easy New 'Do

I wear my hair the same way every. single. day. Usually, I wake up, shower, blow it dry, and then throw it up in a messy ponytail after an hour or so. It's just boring. So, the last time I went to get my hair cut, I asked the stylist (whom I trust) if she had any suggestions for an easy, new way to wear my hair.

She suggested a modified bun. Here's how you do it:

• Put your hair in pigtails. The part doesn't really matter. 
• Tie the pigtails in a knot and then pin down the ends. 

I'm trying no to wash my hair every day, and this is a great solution to save my hair from looking flat or greasy. Plus, I can do it myself. What do you think?

Here are pictures:

Great Article

I love this article called "My Superpower Is Being Alone Forever". It's all about online dating and meeting people. Great line: "Everyone has a friend who is so charismatic, brilliant or good-looking that the idea of him or her trolling OKCupid is mind-boggling. I am haunted by those friends. What is it that separates us? Is it gluten?"

Zoolander

I love Zoolander, but had no recollection of Alexander Skarsgard being one of the "orange mocha frappuccino" male models...