The Swell Season cover Neutral Milk Hotel

The Swell Season covers Neutral Milk Hotel

Vogue September Issue-A True Economic Indicator

If you watch the news and read the papers, you can get reallly confused. One day the housing index is up, the next day it's down. One day the stock market roars for some weird reason, the next day it tanks for other weirder reasons.

And you know what the best economic indicator there is?

The Vogue September issue.

We just got it today and it's nice and fat again. True, you have to flip through hundred of ads to get to some flimpsy content, but the nice part about that is, advertisers are spending money again! Which can leads to all kind of good things.

And we don't know about you, but we are having this frugality fatigue, big time. Enough already with all this self-deprivation.  Sure, the way we spend money is forever changed, but if you really really want those Channel clogs and you don't have to cut into the rent to pay for it, why the heck not...

So here's to Vogue, and to better times ahead!

PS There's a lovely feature on an art-filled apartment.  Click here to see the slideshow.

Source:  Vogue

My take on P90X

There are many workout programs on the market today, and many of them promise results in as little as 10 minutes a day, 3 days a week. Needless to say, I am skeptical of most of these. If you watch any amount of television, then you have undoubtedly seen the infomercials for P90X. A few months ago, my wife suggested that she would like for us to try and complete the P90X program together. I did some research on it, and since I had grown tired of just going to the gym and doing the same routine 4-5 days per week, we decided to give it a try. All you need is some space, dumbbells, pull-up bar, and yoga mat. We completed the 90 day program a few weeks ago and I have started on the P90X Plus program. I'll post some information about our experiences and opinions below.

1. This is an intense program, and you have to be dedicated to finish it. It requires a little over an hour of your time 6 days per week, and some days you may just not feel like working out. But, once you start the program, or pretty much any exercise program, you will likely be motivated to complete it. That said, with P90X, it requires a lot of time and effort, but we saw very positive results, such as strength gains, flexibility improvements, and an increase in cardiovascular endurance. It is not a "gimmick" workout program.
2. The workouts target every major muscle group in your body, which is good if you are a person like me that rarely ever concentrated on his lower body at the gym.
3. You can modify the workouts. Based on your fitness level and goals, you can change the number of repetitions of an exercise you perform, the amount of weight you use, etc. This is extremely helpful for those starting at a lower fitness level or not wanting to "bulk up."
4. The Yoga and flexibility workouts were extremely beneficial for me. Before starting this program, my flexibility was terrible. I knew it was terrible and knew that I needed to spend more time performing flexibility exercises, I just wouldn't do it on my own. Well, since this was part of the program, I was forced to do it. My hamstring flexibility was awful before beginning, I could probably only reach down about halfway between my knees and foot in either a standing or sitting position. After completing the program, I can bend over and put all 5 fingers on the floor, and I can also touch the bottom of my feet in a seated position.
5. We really enjoyed the workouts, they didn't seem to last an hour and we had a lot of fun. The workouts also have good warm-up and cool down periods.

Now, let me offer a few words of caution about the program.

1. This is an intense program, so you should be in relatively good shape before beginning. If you have any questions about whether or not to start, a visit to your physician is probably a good thing.
2. Tony Horton uses the terms "muscle memory" and "muscle confusion" during the infomercials and workouts. I've already blogged about the fallacy of muscle memory, and muscle confusion also does not exist. While a positive of the program is that you perform different exercises and routines, this does not result in muscle confusion. I'll have to do a blog post on muscle confusion in the near future.
3. Depending on what your goals are, this program may not be for you. If you are looking to make larger strength gains and really bulk up, or are just looking to lose a few pounds, then I wouldn't recommend P90X.

The most important thing to remember is to find some form of exercise that you enjoy doing that incorporates strength training, flexibility, and a cardiovascular component. It doesn't have to be P90X or some other fancy exercise routine. The best thing you can do for your long term health is to start moving!!

Perfection in Paddington

Beautiful Living...

General Features
PRICE RANGE: Around $7 Million

• Property Type: House
• Bedrooms: 4
• Bathrooms: 2
• Land Size: 396 m² (approx)

Outdoor Features

• Carport Spaces: 2

As I am recovering from my son's 3rd birthday party,
I now find myself back looking thru some lovely homes...
I found quite a few in NSW today, but this one stood out from the crowd!

An 1880's fully restored sandstone home,
this one is simply divine!

A lot of white throughout homes these days,
obviously a very popular colour, not so boring, just spectacular!

This is the epitome of indoor/outdoor living in Sydney I bet!

I can't imagine living with sandstone
in my hallway and bedrooms every day!

And I think the bathroom is perfect for this home,
bit glamour really!

This is living!

AND here is what the Agent said!

Meticulously restored and extended 1880s residence
A statement in superior craftsmanship and generous traditional proportions, this double fronted 1880s sandstone residence displays an inspired redesign that fuses original features with contemporary style to provide an exceptional entertainers' haven.
Nestled in one of Paddington's most prestigious streets
Grand formal reception rooms with exposed sandstone walls
High ceilings, refined period details and ornate fireplaces
Light filled contemporary living space with vaulted ceilings
Private entertainer's courtgarden
Heated swimming pool and secure rear parking for two cars
CaesarStone kitchen with Ilve and Fisher and Paykel appliances
Upper level double bedrooms and full main bathroom
Recycled blackbutt floors, period details and French doors
Within a short stroll to village cafes, eateries, boutiques.

WOWEE

Between Two Ferns: Steve Carell

Click Here for Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis: Steve Carell. Zach is good. So very good.

HOW TO MAKE a BEDROOM LOOK BIGGER

I believe that I've posted some tips on how to make a bedroom look bigger or maybe I'm thinking of the time that I decorated a teen girl's bedroom that had NO natural light and the moment I came home and posted ideas for how to brighten a dark room.

Well, if you read my post that I made earlier today before I went out shopping you know that I was craving fall colors. Or at least I thought it was the colors of fall that were on my mind. After being blasted with wind in my face that felt like it was straight out of a blow dryer on HOT, it came to me that open spaces with a cool breeze might just be the ticket to paradise.

After I left the mall, a decorator friend of mine had asked me to drop by to see (read: admire or rave about) a bedroom that she had just finished. When I drove up to the small ranch style home at the address she had given me My thoughts were, "How impressive could this be? The bedroom has got to be very small." I was right that the room was at best 12 feet square and the bedding was a solid color which was not exciting but she had a thing or two to show me about how to make a bedroom look bigger.

She had covered an entire wall (at least above the top of the bed) with a fabulous photographic wall mural that made the wall seem as if it had opened up and that you could literally step into the grove of trees. And guess what! There were my fall colors and I could almost smell the crisp, clean air and feel the leaves under my feet. The teen girls bedding set was nothing outstanding and there were no unique bedroom decorating ideas that jumped out at but in this room nothing more was necessary.

If you want to know how to make a bedroom look bigger the quick and easy way, I highly recommend one of these wall murals because they certainly give the illusion of wide open spaces and effectively fool the eye.

Pretty Chinoiserie Wallpapers and Prints

A while back we fell in love with a vendor called Jardins En Fleurs.  We probably blogged about it once.  They make beautiful, beautiful Chinoiserie paintings and accessories.  The problem was, it was so expensive it was impossible to sell.  The company closed down shortly after--a victim of the 2008-09 economy, evidently.

Anyway, we get this email the other day from Belle Chasse home and it has a very similiar look and feel.  Alas, we found out it was found by the same founder of Jardins en Fleur.  He has great taste, we must say.

The line is more affordable now.  If you are looking for pretty Chinoiserie prints, it's a nice choice.

Here are some samples:

For product and pricing information, visit Belle Chasse (beautiful hunt)'s web site.