onwards and upwards

According to the Dec 17th Economist print edition, "In the rich world the idea of progress has become impoverished."
This is an excellent article about this very reason of why the modern view of progress is so impoverished: "The popular view is that, although technology and GDP advance, morals and society are treading water or, depending on your choice of newspaper, sinking back into decadence and barbarism. On the left of politics these days, “progress” comes with a pair of ironic quotation marks attached; on the right, “progressive” is a term of abuse."


image by Matt Herring

onwards and upwards

banksy

some new work in London-town! 

banksy

Happy Xmas

Have a Merry Merry Christmas and Good Tidings to all...


xx Sydney

Happy Xmas

Passion Pit - Sleepyhead (unofficial video)

Very cool video....this clip does a great job of using vintage/archived film clips to create something new and original. There is something foreign about some of these clips that feels odd and relevant at the same time.

"Sleepyhead" by Passion Pit from Barker Gerard on Vimeo.

Passion Pit - Sleepyhead (unofficial video)

LA LADY

First of all, Happy Birthday to my little brother, Beau! You rock.


Second off, I fly back to LA tomorrow for the holidays! So excited! And to get me even more pumped, I decided to write about a favorite LA club...
Sometimes going out just can't compete with a great party at home...BUT, I discovered the perfect alternative: both at once! ...Hollywood's after-dark stunner: My House (7080 Hollywood Blvd.)

David Judaken and Tony Daly (Mood, Crimson, Opera) re-imagined a nightclub as a decked-out, supersize modern home...aka: my new favorite Dodd Mitchell-designed hangout house! Past the front yard, step into the foyer and plot your tour:  A contemporary kitchen serving fresh-baked cookies (perfect end of the night treat) is the club's main bar (as it's a fully functional kitchen).  The furniture in the plush living room is pushed aside in the late hours to make way for a dance floor and DJ; an upstiars "master bedroom" with a leather bed functions as a more secluded hangout (including a bedroom bar); the patio holds a fire pit, and bathrobes are doled out to patrons after dips in the hot tub!

It really does throw the most fabulous "house" parties!

LA LADY

white xmas?

Snow is falling in London today!!!!!!

There are bets on a white Christmas in London...so I suppose there's still hope yet!

white xmas?

treehouses

I want to move to a pretty land with a decent climate and find a nice old tree, and build one of these to live inside!
It will be marvelous.

 

treehouses

airports

It's the holiday season. And let me guess...you are traveling?? And let me assume, that you may, within the next few months, be stuck in an airport.  After-all, you can't predict massive snow storms!  So then you will become very tense and frustrated. 


But guess what?!  GateGuru is a new iPhone application that serves as an insiders guide to American airports.  I can't give you first-hand experience feedback because there are, of course, two downsides, which make me unable to use the app: primarily because it is not an application for Blackberry (yet) and secondly, it only features airports in the good ol' US of A (85 of the top American airports, and none abroad).
According to Dan Gellert, the creator of this helpful tool, the app uses GPS to recognize which domestic airport you're sitting in, and then you type in what you need to survive your delay—for example, a good beer and a decent steak, orrr maybe a foot massage—and you'll get a list of the best and closest options.

And soon, GateGuru will add flight notification—your phone will get a quick alert if your plane's been delayed, so you can keep on talking with that traveling lion tamer you met at the bar.

airports

books in winter

This weeks book is Stones into Schools.  This is Greg Mortenson's latest novel about promoting peace with books not bombs. A few years ago I was in a phase where I was reading loads of books on the Middle East, especially Afghanistan.  I finally read Mortenson's Three Cups of Tea, which I loved because I went to an all-girls school.  I then had the opportunity to see Mortenson speak at the University of San Francisco and it was so inspiring! 

His second book is even better in my opinion. Teaching people that they have the power to change themselves is so simple but sometimes takes incredibale amounts of work by other people. Mortenson and his team have performed incredible acts of bravery, endurance, and dedication to the noble cause of providing education to the girls of Pakistan and Afghanistan. You will not be able to put this book down. You also learn firsthand accounts of the success of many of the first girls to go through Greg's schools. 

I definitely recommend you read this book; it is an incredible account of an individual who has changed the world for so many people. It is so insightful and could only be written by Mortenson, whose experience as a philanthropist in the Middle East gives his writing a unique credibility. In many ways, Mortenson makes you want to be like him, and that's the biggest compliment you can give a person. Probably the most resonating element of the book is its ability to help us see war as completely archaic, illogical, and unnecessary. Please do yourself a favor, read this book.  It may be a slow and careful read at times, as there is a lot to take in, but it is well worth the effort. 

books in winter

LA LADY

I haven't been sleeping much, some might simply say this is because I've always been more of a night person than a morning person, soooo this week for "my LA".....


SWEET LOVE HANGOVER!


This is a diner at a Hollywood nightclub...I know, you are wondering where this is going, but just listen:
After a wild night of hedonism, bourbon, debauchery, and impressive feats of aerial endurance, you might think it would be unwise to immediately return to the scene of the crime, but you are wrong.  Sweet Love Hangover is open at Hollywood's Playhouse nightclub.
It has a glass facade right on Hollywood Blvd. and plenty of mirrors inside, the room offers views of that only-in-Hollywood two-step between shutterbug tourists and sultry night owls any direction you look. (Even if it's behind dark glasses.)

So drop in by those windows and order up some much-needed greasy delicious-ness from the all-day menu: Buttermilk Pancakes Straight Up, Eggs on Toast or The Hangover—which involves crispy chicken tenders, gravy, eggs over-easy and some Tabasco. They've also got Bacon-Wrapped "Dawg" (hot dog), Dan the Man's Bad *ss Burger, Sloppy Sliders and Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup.

And if only the old hair-of-the-dog cure will do, not to worry—a full bar at the back gleams with the promise of relief. Stay there long enough, and you can just go back to the dance floor.

(my kind of people).

LA LADY

mulled wine is amazing

So, it's been December for 8 days now and I don't think I've been to more Christmas fairs than I care to count!! Fair after fair but I haven't gotten sick of going to these festive gatherings! I just love it!
At every fair I've been to so far -- from my local block party to the Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park -- there is always, without a doubt, a stand with mulled wine.  
I had never actually tried mulled wine until this year...but let me tell you, it tastes like Christmas in a glass. It’s a lovely celebration of those traditional festive spices like cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg. 
So, I decided to try and make it last night since it was a typical London evening -- cold, rainy, cloudy, dark -- and it turned out delightful! So...here's what I did:
• 2 clementines
• peel of 1 lemon
• peel of 1 lime
• 250g caster sugar
• 6 whole cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 fresh bay leaves
• 1 whole nutmeg
• 1 whole vanilla pod, halved
• 2 star anise
• 2 bottles of Chianti, or other Italian red wine

Peel large sections of peel from your clementines, lemon and lime. Put sugar in a large saucepan over a medium heat, add the pieces of peel and squeeze in the clementine juice. Add the cloves, cinnamon stick, bay leaves and about 10 to 12 gratings of nutmeg. Throw in a halved vanilla pod and stir in just enough red wine to cover the sugar. Let this simmer until the sugar has completely dissolved into the red wine and then bring to the boil. Keep on a rolling boil for about 4 to 5 minutes, or until you’ve got a beautiful thick syrup. The reason I did this first is to create a wonderful flavour base by really getting the sugar and spices to infuse and blend well with the wine. It’s important to make a syrup base first because it needs to be quite hot, and if you do this with both bottles of wine in there you’ll burn off the alcohol.
When your syrup is ready turn the heat down to low and add your star anise and both bottles of wine. Gently heat the wine and after around 5 minutes, when it’s warm and delicious, ladle it into glasses and serve. mmmm, christmastime!

mulled wine is amazing

a posh secret lair in greenwich village

21 W. 9th Street, NYC:  No name at the entrance of this underground townhouse space...leading you down past the bar, into a warren of rooms: The Salon, Palm Terrance, The Library, etc... parlor rooms, hidden chambers...a world of wonders.  This is the Hotel Griffou.


It is a kind of dining club -- like the game of Clue, but with Gin instead of pipes and ropes. the owners are veterans of those seminal neo-speakeasy joints Freemans, La Esquina, and the Waverly Inn ... so they know what they are doing, or rather, they know how to feed people while maintaining some cool.  Leather banquettes, gold-framed paintings, and soft light from chandeliers call for stuffed lobster tails with brown butter veloute and steak tartare with a fried quail egg or bacon-Gruyère burger. Cocktails obligatory.


Things are never what they seem!

a posh secret lair in greenwich village

the wave

Yesterday I participated in THE WAVE -- the UK's largest Climate Change March ever.  There were over 50,000 people there and everyone dressed in blue to create "a wave".  The march took place yesterday as a public call to make sure something happens at the Climate Talks in Copenhagen next weekend. People started gathering as early as 9am, and walked through London, ending at Parliament around 3pm. People from all over the country dressed in blue encircled Parliament, calling on the UK government to settle for nothing less than a climate deal in Copenhagen that avoids dangerous climate change and protects the world’s poorest who are already feeling its effects! Not only did Ed Miliband (Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change) hear us, but Gordon Brown invited 24 Wave supporters to 10 Downing Street after the event to hear their demands -- so awesome! 

Great photos of excited protestors of all ages to come; I am quite exhausted to tell the truth and prefer to upload them later this week!  I have been at a block party in my neighborhood all day, which was adorable! Lots of cute children eating cotton candy, adults drinking mulled wine, families lined up for bbq hamburgers from the local butcher and Christmas carols throughout!  A lovely way to end the weekend.

Have a fantastic week.

the wave

Sophie Blackall's missed connections, revisited

I know that a while back I already posted about these "missed connections" drawings by illustrator, Sophie Blackall...but I saw this interview with Sophie Blackall about her illustrations and I decided to look at her funny and unique depictions of these fleeting moments, described in haste, and posted in public!

Sophie Blackall's missed connections, revisited

mmm, delish!

So...it's been a while since I posted a recipe, and now that Christmas is coming, I figured it'd be a good idea. Plus, I made some amaaaazing blondies the other day!

So, for those of you that are in the dark, a blondie is basically a brownie minus the chocolate. I know, I know...you chocolate lovers are all going to stop reading now, but I dare you to read on...even I, a devout chocoholic, adore this amazing treats.  While brownies have a common base of melted butter, granulated sugar and cocoa powder, blondies are created with melted butter and brown sugar. The result is a rich toffee-like flavor. Mixing the butter and brown sugar creates such a fabulous aroma that it will make you want to eat the batter by the spoonful. I’m not kidding. Be prepared to muster up some serious willpower. The flavors in these blondies are fabulous – the batter is rich, the coconut slightly sweet and adding a chewy texture, and the chocolate with the perfect amount of, well, chocolateness.

I was a huge fan of how the batter smelled when being mixed together, and loved the crisp, crackly, brownie-like top that the blondies had when they came out of the oven. MMMmmmmm, I want to bake more already!

So here I go...

Coconut Chocolate Chunk Blondies

Yield: 16 two-inch-square bars

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 ounces unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 cup chocolate chips or chunks

Topping:
1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon butter

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour an 8-inch square baking pan.

2. Combine the flour and salt; set aside.

3. Stir together the melted butter and brown sugar until smooth; beat in egg and vanilla extract until well blended.

4. Slowly beat in the flour mixture until blended, then stir in the coconut and chocolate chips.

5. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth even with a rubber spatula.

6. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until set in the center but still soft. Do not overbake. Let the bars cool slightly before drizzling with chocolate, then cool completely before cutting into squares.

7. For the topping, combine the chocolate and butter and melt until smooth. Using a spoon, drizzle over the bars.

Some notes on the recipe:

- I used Ghiradelli bittersweet chocolate chips, which are larger than regular chips, so more like a “chunk”. Plus I like dark chocolate.
- You don’t need to break out a mixer – I made these with one bowl and a large spoon.
- To get clean cuts, use a bench scraper to cut straight down...no slicing or sawing with a knife, perfect edges!
- I am now a blondie convert.

mmm, delish!

books in winter

What perfect timing for this weeks book, as I just finished it this morning...
Eating the Dinosaur by Chuck Klosterman


I just finished reading this book.  Solid 3 stars. Great tube-ride read.  The book begins by presenting a problem that most journalists would love to face: "For the past five years," Chuck Klosterman writes, "I've spent more time being interviewed than conducting interviews with other people." He then engages in a 20-page exploration of the nature of interviewing with gifted inquisitors such as documentary filmmaker Errol Morris and NPR's "This American Life" host Ira Glass. What at first seems like a self-absorbed stunt reveals itself over the course of the piece to be a thoughtful contemplation of media, truth and discourse in the modern age. And that's what you often get with Klosterman's pixilated intelligence and vivid prose. He is too substantial to be dismissed as a shallow hipster, too idiosyncratic to be easily classified. "Everyone I've met in New York or California tells me I'm conservative," he writes. "The rest of America tells me that I'm almost comically liberal." Overall, it's signature Chuck Klosterman which, if you enjoyed Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs should make you a prime candidate for enjoying this; on the other hand, I think the range of the essays starts to feel unnaturally stretched towards the end of the book. He still sticks mostly to popular culture, but instead of ruminating on Britney Spears and The Real World, he's discussing - in surprisingly complex terms - subjects like the possibility and mechanics of time travel, and defending to a degree the philosophy of the Unabomber (while not condoning his actions, obviously). It surprised me how unfunny most of this book was, while still being quintessentially Klosterman. Maybe not the best introduction to him, but definitely worth a read.

books in winter

LA LADY

This weeks post for MY LA...

I've been thinking a lot about LA recently because I'm heading back for the holidays in a few weeks.
So I've been planning all the places I want to go while I'm there and I won't miss one of my fave lunch spots, famous for its' chopped salad...
La Scala
434 N Canon Dr. (between Santa Monica Blvd and Brighton Way)
Beverly Hills 90210

So delicious! So..."chop, chop", get over there!!

And while you're on that side of town...some other places to check out:
Sprinkles Cupcakes (9635 Little Santa Monica Blvd) for a red velvet cupcake after lunch.
Ron Herman (325 N Beverly Drive, between Dayton and Brighton Ways) for a new Free City hoodie, special party dress or the latest jeans...

LA LADY

EMPTY LA

For anyone who is from Los Angeles, as I am, or has even just visited...Matt Logue's book, Empty LA, will kind of freak you out, but be totally awesome at the same time! Imagine an LA with no cars...

Check it out HERE

EMPTY LA