vacation reading

Photo via

One of my favorite parts of vacation is the license to do nothing but read for days on end - by the pool, on the beach, under the shady cover on the patio. It's a total indulgence and I feel like I always need to tackle enough reading to keep me going until the next break. I've read quite a few great books this summer - ones that I'm sure you've seen coming and going on the subway - The Help, Hunger Games and most recently, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, all great reads. I'm looking over this list compiled by Becky for more inspiration. Becky's challenge is to read one of these a week - I'm hoping to squeeze a couple in over vacation.

 What was your favorite summer read? Are you picking up anything new this fall?

leaving town

Photo by Chris Shipman for Chance

I'm on my way out the door for a week of vacation. Thank goodness. Plenty of reading, eating, sleeping, and sun. I'll be back soon - probably before I'm ready.

Brown Bagging

How fantastic is this lunch bag art done by a guy for his kids everyday since 2008? Love. Check out all of his work over on his tumblr.

Swell Swill

What do you think of these quirky wines from Swanson Vineyards? Cute labels make nice gift bottles and the descriptions make the wines themselves sound pretty tasty... and other wines from the vineyard are highly rated, whatever that means.  Worth a try?

Hi-Fi Weddings

I recently stumbled on what has to be the coolest wedding blog yet. At Hi-Fi Weddings, blogger Ashley profiles awesome off-beat weddings with serious playlists. I remember struggling so much with every song, from rehearsal dinner to reception and spending hours digging through our iTunes library to still end up not totally in love with the end result.  Ashley has you covered with a massive index of suggestions and plenty of fantastic wedding pics to go with.

Brides-to-be - this would be a first stop for me. Here are some great pics - and a sample playlist from this gem of a blog.

From Lauren and Matt's incredible wedding

Pre Ceremony
Avett Brothers: The Weight of Lies, The Ballad of Love and Hate, Go to Sleep, The Perfect Space, Backwards with Time, Die Die Die
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club: Shuffle your Feet
Brett Dennen: Ain’t No Easy Way
David Dondero: South of the South
Kings of Leon: Back Down South
Old Crown Medicine Show: Tell It To Me, Wagon Wheel, Hard to Love
Iron and Wine: Such Great Heights
Dolly Parton: Jolene

Cocktail Hour
Andrew Bird: Tables and Chairs
Band of Horses: No One is Going to Love You More
Bruce Springstein: Radio Nowhere
Cold War Kids: Hang Me Up to Dry
Coldplay: The Scientist
Copeland: Thanks to You
Counting Crows: Catapult
Dean Martin: Everybody Loves Somebody, That’s Amore
Death Cab: Soul Meets Body, Marching Bands of Manhattan
Eels: Novocaine for the Soul
Frank Sinatra: Come Fly with Me
Jack’s Mannequin: Dark Blue
Kings of Leon: The Bucket
Lucero: All Sewn Up, Drink Till We’re Gone, Chain Link Fence
Manchester Orchestra: Shake it Out, I’ve Got Friends, Everything to Nothing
The Promise Ring: The Deep South, Best Looking Boys
Queen: Radio Ga Ga
Rilo Kiley: Bulletproof
Smashing Pumpkins: 1979
TV on the Radio: Staring at the Sun
Vampire Weekend: Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa, The Kids Don’t Stand a Chance
Cold War Kids: Hospital Beds
Death Cab: Crooked Teeth

Specialty Songs
Wedding Party Announced to: Ratatat
Groom and Bride Announced to: Johnny Cash – Ring of Fire
Matt and Lauren’s First Dance: Band of Horses – Marry Song
Matt and Mom First Dance: Cat Stevens – Wild World
Lauren and Dad: Frank Sinatra – The Way You Look Tonight AND The Jungle Book – Be Like You

Reception
Prince: 1999
Billy Idol: Dancing With Myself
The Beach Boys: I Get Around
Franz Ferdinand: Take Me Out
Gnarls Barkley: Crazy
Kenny Loggins: Foot Loose
Jay-Z: Change Clothes
Kanye West: Touch the Sky
The Cure: Just Like Heaven
Kings of Leon: Taper Jean Girl, King of the Rodeo
Madonna: Into the Groove
Michael Jackson: Beat It, Billie Jean
M.I.A.: Paper Planes
LMFAO: Shots
The Knife: Heartbeats
Queen: Under Pressure
Neil Diamond: Cherry, Cherry
The Killers: Mr. Brightside
T.I.: Live Your Life
MC Hammer: You Can’t Touch This
U2: Sweetest Thing
Lucero: Sweet Little Thing, Drink Til We’re Gone
Enter Shikari: Juggernauts, Solidarity
Tone Loc: Wild Thing
Ratatat: Crips, Seventeen Years
Phil Collins: Sussudio
Van Morrison: Brown Eyed Girl
The Murder City Devils: Boom Swagger Boom
Phoenix: 1901

All photos from Hi Fi Weddings

100 Years of Style

One more post for the day - in honor of fashion week in NYC, a fantastic video spotted over on A Cup of Jo. 100 years of East London style in 100 seconds. Did you notice the guy leaves for a second in the 40's to go off to war?

Living Stills

“I would like all at once: to be your wife.” 

La dolce vita (1960)

I'm very taken with these animated GIFS or cinemagraphs by Gustaf Mantel. They have a way of distilling the entire film into a single moment and creating a living movie still. His tumblr is filled with them - definitely worth some exploring 

“Dave!”

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) 

“Well, I don’t think it’s very intelligent to keep an electrical gadget on the edge of the tub. … I tie it to the radiator.”

The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

“A boy’s best friend is his mother.”
Psycho (1960)

 

“In the industry, we call them cigarette burns.” 

Fight Club (1999)

Contemporary Realism

 

How much do I adore these ridiculous paintings by Christopher Stott? I've been staring at them for weeks. The reflective surfaces, dreamy cool mid-afternoon light and contemplative sense of quiet. I love them. 

Rain

Matej Andraz Vogrincic Photo by Peter Bennetts

Absolutely raining buckets in DC today for the second day in what looks like will be a wet week. Dark skies and flooded streets are enough to make me wish I was working from my bedroom. Feels like fall is hitting hard, and I'm not sure if I'm ready for summer to be over. 

Feeling fall-like where you are too? 

The picture above is from an installation by Slovenian artist Matej Andraz Vogrincic in Melbourne. A little Magritte, a little London train station, a lot of love.

Moving Forward

I have some major life changes coming soon - and this brilliant video from STA Travel in Australia is enough to convince me that the next step is the right one. Doesn't this make you long to see the world? And although this one is my favorite - it's worth watching the other two as well.