What I'm Reading Right Now

Holiday Driving Tips. Good, considering I'm going to be one of those nut jobs on the road this Thanksgiving.

Iraqi Street Art

A breakdown of numbers from FEMA's news release on Hurricane Sandy.

Drooling over Shabby Apple's sales for pear-shapes.

Nerdy Moment: LOTR wallpaper.

Because I'm not-so-secretly OCD. A precision chopping board.

"Virgo (August 23-September 22)
It's really hard to stay organized and focused amidst all of the chaos in your life at the moment. Unfortunately, you're just going to have to ride it out because there's no time to stop moving." Yup, that sounds about right.

Winter Wedding Dresses. I'm absolutely loving three of them. (The one below was a close fourth, but I'd really want the detailing starburst in pearl and not silver).

Review of Shagri-La's Boracay Resort. Hello yet another dream vacation. (I still dream about the time spent in Sri Panwa in Thailand, but this seems pretty up there.)

I think I'm in love with Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Can I be their new best friend? "We've been visiting and anonymously reviewing stylish boutique hotels and vacation rentals for around 10 years now. We only select our favourites, and we share the same sort of insider low-down we'd offer our best friends. " Yep, I could have a glass of lemonade with these guys. Preferably on a beach. In the middle of South East Asia. Or on the Dalmatian Coast. 

Life-saving tips for driving in bad weather. A nice refresher course.

"The Good Night Lamp is actually a set of table lamps that you distribute among friends or family. The lamps communicate remotely so that as a lamp is turned on or off by its owner, that action is replicated in the others, giving illuminating little insights into the comings and goings of loved ones – even those on the other side of the world." Can you say fabulous idea for long distance relationships, moms who live far away, and best friends that want to feel like they're still part of your life? I really like this light.

Sites to watch for Black Friday and (more importantly in my book) Cyber Monday deals!

DIY for all those vases I have laying around. Super cute birch tree vase!

Veggie Pizza Cups. They look so yummy and super easy to make. I'm thinking next party I have, this will be the staple.

9 Vegan Recipes carnivores will eat? I must test this....

What I'm Reading Right Now

I'm now looking at apartments in four (count 'em, four) different cities across the US. And, being that I'm in the not-a-starving-college-student-but-still-not-quite-financially-comfortable stage of my life, I know I'm getting some place small (max looks like 400 sq ft right now). Here's a layout adjustment I'm loving for a small space, and one I may personally mimic.

In other news...HOSTESS IS CLOSING?!? But what about the Twinkies for the zombie apocalypse?

Sugru. I'm thinking caulk meets Silly Putty, and it seems pretty sweet.

I'm always on the lookout for new places to find travel deals, unique lodgings, or dream up escapes. Rentini is the newest thing I've found, and seems similar to airbnb in many ways. Currently I'm crushing on quite a few of their properties.

Heart and Stone Jewelry always has something cute and personalized to drool over. I'm thinking of getting a few necklaces for friends for the holidays.

A recipe for orange mocha?! That sounds delicious right now.

When I visited Disney World for the second time (though it's the only time I remember), my favorite place in the park was Epcot. The countries were awesome! A close second to wanna-be world travel was the test track. And it's been reimagined into something even cooler now. You can now design your own vehicle AND SIMULATE A TEST DRIVE IN IT. Sweet!

For my family and friends who drive a motorcycle, I like this idea: a loud @$$ horn called "The Plug and Play Screamer".

Table runners for parties that are totally DIY. Handy, considering I'm decorating for a party this weekend.

What I'm Reading Right Now

Tree Hugger's DIY-er Green Gift Guide

9 Dangerous Home Habits. I won't tell you which one I fall into... but there is one I do.

I can be a transformer! For real! My inner child is squeeing to the max.

I'm feeling homesick for Strasbourg... convieniently, TheKitchn put up a tarte tatin recipe today.

This Petraeus thing has gotten way out of hand. So here's a pdf to keep track of the insanity of story lines.

Cufflinks that open handcuffs? Convenient for those CEOs who get arrested.

Going to Vietnam is a dream of mine since college. My supervisor talked about it all the time and completely convinced me that someday I would go there. Here's BBC's take on a trip there.

Speakers for parties. Music is a huge part of my life, so I want to be able to hear it! Once I snag a better smart phone, I am all over that white amplifier (pictured below).

I want these hedgehogs soooo baaaad!! Hello, personal housewarming gift (when I finally get that new apartment).

I'm hesitant about this site, but it could be cool. Mr. Arlo helps plan your trip.

Magic equation on how much you can afford to spend on vacation!

Gaming hotels for the best price. I actually didn't know about this.

Budget Travel Strategies. Since the market is tanking and everything. Gotta still get my travel on (and I will skip meals, forgo fun, and stop buying gas to travel).

Ok, iNeverSolo seems pretty kick butt. And might finally stop my family and friends from worrying when I mention I'm going for a 2000 mile hike.

Nudist protest? Yes, they do exist. And I'm not posting photos.

I managed a lot of stuff when it came to Sandy. But it still impacts me in a big way when I see photos like this.

Patagonia. When can I visit you?

What I'm Reading Right Now

Whenever I'm down, I look at wedding stuff, in spite of the fact that I have slowly started to accept that my grandmother is right: I will in all likelihood die alone and in a fire. Perky, right? (She loves me, I swear.) Anyways, dresses. I love them. I wish we could wear pretty clothes all the time. Prettiest dresses can be found over at The White Dress.

If I had a man who refused to wear anything but sweats (or if I had a man in general), I'm thinking that these would be an awesome gift: sexier sweats

Pumpkin obsession continues. Pumpkin panna cotta? Yes please.

Apartment Therapy is giving away the most AMAZING looking sofa. Being that I'm sofa-less (and dining room table less... and chair-less...OK, so I own a bed and dressers and a bookcase and that's it. You caught me) I am lusting hard core after this thing.

Speaking of Apartment Therapy, their gift guides are in full swing. They even have one for hostesses for things under 20$. That mobile and coaster set are seriously cute.

Another comic love of mine: All New Issues. :-)

What I'm Reading Right Now

I'm taking this as a sign. "You should go to Genoa". Ok, TwentySomethingTravel, I will. It's now on my Summer 2013 list. Pesto, here I come!

I have a minor obsession with mac and cheese. It's on my comfort food list to be sure (along with Thai food, sushi, and scone). But this recipe could take the cheesy goodness to a whole other level. Behold: spicy mushroom bacon mac and cheese.

Alternatives to a real or fake Christmas tree that are still tree like? See the comments. Actually kind of handy for those of us who move constantly and are against chopping down a tree to put on display indoors. I don't care how good it smells. Burn candles instead.

And for decorating for the holidays, I'm loving these string lights. Especially the pewter crystal ones (pictured below). Lovely.

Steel pipe standing desk. I'm actually debating about making one of these as a regular table. Loving it.

India's festival of lights is one of the few things that could entice me to that country. It's rather low on my 'to visit' list, but it still makes it on. (The list of places I wouldn't go is short, and even then I might waver if someone asked me to go with them.)

Another food I'm loving is pumpkin. The king os squash in my world, I snatch up with eagerness any recipes I can find that involve the lovely orange beasts. These two I can't wait to try: a pumpkin torte and cheddar pumpkin scones.

I'm really hesitant about putting pallets in my home. Alot of them have been chemically treated and can actually off-gas toxins in a fire. But lately I've done my homework and found places that sell pallets untreated (YAY!) so I can finally create wooden goodies to my heart's content. Like this one: pallet day beds! I don't have a sofa, but I do have a crash pad (climber nerd alert). I'm thinking I'll store my wine in the gaps in the pallets. Or make tiny drawers. Or store books in there. Possibilities are endless!

Play dough using jello? Oh my gosh! Look at those colors! I don't have kids, but I might just make some anyways.

I saw these on Etsy and was super excited to find the tutorial. A bird's nest necklace. I'm also thinking of making them into ornaments for family members. How pretty would that be?

Warm industrial in home design is up and coming. But you don't need me to tell you that. What you should be doing is making these cement coasters to compliment your fabulous new desk I posted about earlier. This genre is booming I tell you.

It reads the music and plays it back to you. Oh my goodness. Can I get one of these for Christmas? PLEASE?!