Science Fair for October 12 - 18th

Eeek, it's a late Science Fair!

I was at APE with L. for most of the weekend, then at the Treasure Island Music Festival with Karen last night, so there was barely any computer time for me at all! (But it was fun!)

- Academichic covers comfortable yet chic shoes. (I know I've been living in my flat Palladium boots the past couple of weeks!)

- If you're in San Francisco this Thursday, come out to Velo Rouge Cafe for the very first Style Cinema SF night!

- Well-dressed San Francisco men abound at The SF Style's Man Morsel Mondays. (Points get docked for ciggies, at least in my book.)

- Halloween guides! Halloween guides! My most favorite thing of all! There's posts coming from What I Wore and The Coveted. I am so. excited.

- Karen and I are staring down some big looming challenges for a certain ladies-only contact sport this month (wow, has it really been a year since I wrote that post?), so I've been trying to commit the Rollergirl.ca Fresh Meat File to memory.

Have a great week! It's a busy one for me (so very busy!), but I will do my best. xoxo!

Science Fair for September 21st - 27th

It's been a busy week of getting back to normalcy -- sorry for the delay in this week's Science Fair!

- Check out My Vintage Vogue for excellent old fashion editorials and advertisements from the 1920s to the 1960s. (Yes, this was in Periodicals.)

- Have you read the BlogHer Food 09 liveblogs? I live-blogged the Vocation track, which was full of fascinating information that any blogger can use across the board. For even more info, you have to read How to Maintain A Good Blog. Excellent, excellent information for all of us. (I'm working on it, I swear!)

- Were you at the IFB Dress-Up Soiree in New York? Definitely look at the official IFB round-up post for gorgeous photos (seriously, I just bought a new camera last fall and I want a better one) and links a-go-go. (Related, I've been using the phrase "a-go-go" for everything lately, and I'm not sure why.)

- Karen of the Makeup and Beauty Blog addresses the MAC Style Black Mineralize Eyeshadows -- how to use 'em, how to love 'em. I'm on a beauty product diet (waaaah) until my budget returns to normal after the NYFW trip, le sigh, but it's free to look! (Waaah!)

Have a great week, everyone!

Science Fair for August 31st - September 6th

Yes, it's been a while since we've done a Science Fair -- sorry! I hope you missed them, at least?

Anyway, Karen and I are technically out on the beach right now (woohoo!), but here is a very blogger-happy Science Fair for your perusal!

- Need some packing tips? Fashion for Nerds is off to Argentina, and she's sharing her packing tips for beauty products and clothing. I love peeking in other people's suitcases!

- Going to be in NYC on September 10th? Check out the Fashion's Night Out events at j'adore couture. Man!

- Are you looking forward to Where the Wild Things Are? Check out the awesome blog/dramaturgy (filmaturgy?) they're keeping to track their inspirations (and show some behind the scenes magic) at weloveyouso.com. I seriously spent a good hour or two just clicking through and absorbing it. Awesome.

- Some gorgeous and, yes, creepy autochromes at LiebeMarlene for you.

- If you haven't heard Winona's Big News, go check it out! Yay, Winona!

- Finally, if you're planning on coming to San Francisco (we've finally got nice weather!), here are some places to eat via the NYTimes. Some PeriodicStyle favorites from the article: Humphry Slocombe, Miette, Bi-Rite Creamery -- are you seeing a pattern here? (But definitely do go to the Academy of Sciences -- it is AWESOME.)

Hope you're enjoying your final summer weekend! I know we are!

Science Fair for July 26th-August 2nd

I cannot BELIEVE it's August already. What a crazy month July was, we've barely had time to blog about anything! Jeanne just came back from BlogHer '09 in Chicago, I'm off to Denver in a week for vacation, it's summer and we have been CRAZY BUSY. I just got home from a local pub quiz with my friend E., where a guy who looked like a short/fat John Travolta was all over us. Last night, I trekked up to the city (that would be San Francisco, darlings) to see one of my all-time favorite, much-beloved bands, Stellastarr* play at Slim's with Wild Light and Mason Proper. Stellastarr*, as ALWAYS--this is now my sixth, possibly seventh time seeing them play live--was INTENSE and TOTALLY FREAKIN' AWESOME.

-Stellastarr*'s lead guitarist/backup vocalist Michael Jurin is far away one of the most innovative, talented guitarists I have seen in my life. Check out his work in the background of Christian Siriano's Fall 2009 collection: In one of his more remarkable performances, Michael uses a shot glass as a slide on his electric guitar in every performance of Moongirl. I first saw this happen in their show a million years ago at the Middle East Downstairs in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in probably...2003? It never fails to be completely jaw-dropping and pristine. I can wholeheartedly recommend Stellastarr*'s new album, "Civilized," since I've been listening to it nonstop for the last three weeks. Recommended if you like late Joy Division, early Talking Heads, and HIGH INTENSITY.

-Heads up SF Bay ladies, the Bay Area Derby Girls (or BAD Girls, as we know and love them) are holding tryouts for flat-track roller derby rookies on August 30th in Oakland. Jeanne will be there with quad skates and helmet on! Down in my 'hood, the Silicon Valley Roller Girls have recruitment sessions far, far away in October, but I am terrible/awesome and looking at skates already. Think we can do it?

-I have a disgusting, shameful habit. I have to do it at least once every day. I do it at work, I do it at home, I do it on the sly, I talk about it openly. I am afraid of what I might become if I stop. It's...Tastespotting. I LOVE IT. This week, Smitten Kitchen's sour cherry slab pie caught our eye. Yes, that is in actual fact a GIANT POP-TART. I could eat that whole thing in a single sitting. To the kitchen for me!

-Another guilty pleasure of mine is looking at impossibly expensive real estate online. It's the voyeurism of it, I think, that gets me--I like to see how other people live, or at least how interior designers/stagers want people to aspire to. This week, I dove headfirst into Christie's Great Estates, where you would be surprised to see the sheer volume of famous and architecturally important properties they have listed. For example: the Pickfair Estate, built by none other than Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. The Frank Lloyd Wright=designed Ennis Brown House, which I have touched after my tour of the Hollyhock House. You may recognize it from Blade Runner and Black Rain--it's not open to the public, but I just want to let everyone know that I will be winning the lottery to the tune of oh, I don't know, $20 million, then buying the Ennis House, restoring it, and promptly resting on my laurels while throwing crazy Eyes Wide Shut-style parties in my new house.

-We already Tumbled this, but good god...have you SEEN Luxirare's floating lollipop-pies??! Are they not to die for?

-This week, the UK Times Online ran first, 101 Uses for A Man, and in response, 101 Uses for A Woman. What do you think? It's all very war of the sexes, to my mind. Tongue in cheek, though, obviously.

-Big props for us this week via a link from none other than the HuffPo! It's like Arianna Huffington is right in my house, watching me blog. CRAZY.

Have a great week, everyone! Anyone have must-see (or must-shop) tips in Denver? I've got a schedule somewhat full of eating, drinking, and outdoorsiness with friends and family. I am SO READY for a vacation!

Science Fair for July 5th-11th

Summer has finally come to Silicon Valley! We had a little scare yesterday with freak rainshowers, but I have been pushing myself to hit up the gym pool as often as possible. As such, I've already managed to wear out a couple of bathing suits. I am not a bikini wearer, and after a long struggle with tankinis trying to find two matching pieces, I've finally come back to wearing one-piece bathing suits made for actual swimming. The suit by Longitudes (I have two of the same, shhh it's a secret) I've gotten bucketloads of comments on, but now it's time to change it again:

-I was looking at Unique Vintage's selection of retro bathing suits, including the ESTHER WILLIAMS collection (awesome!!) and came across this TOTAL GEM. For some retro, extravagant synchro inspiration, check out the Darling Mermaid Darlings from Pushing Daisies!

-Jeanne and I have agreed that despite our deep, undying love of shopping in Japan, it just isn't going to be feasible unless the yen-US dollar exchange rate returns to the 1960s rates of 360 yen to the dollar. Not joking, can you imagine the absolutely hedonistic partying and gluttony that would happen at those prices? The highest I've ever seen in my lifetime was 121 yen/dollar, so fingers crossed... The San Francisco Chronicle has a quick'n'dirty guide to traveling in Japan on the cheap. I would agree with all of Armstrong's points, and suggest being as adventurous as possible for your eating options to find cheap, fabulous eats. It's amazing what a 500-yen coin can get you at lunchtime in Tokyo. Ah, great bento and lunch special memories...

-The lovely Mademoiselle Robot needs to stop reading my mind, seriously, because I am way jealous that she was just in Stockholm recently. She's got a whole Google map shopping guide (LET'S ALL GO TO SODERMALM NOW!), love it love it love it! I just told my boss recently that I'd love to live and work in Europe someday, for the adventure of it, and she said, "Switzerland?" NO, SCANDINAVIA ALL THE WAY.

-Here at Periodic Style, we love cooking and eating and making a total mess, so we're shamelessly excited about seeing Julie and Julia this summer. I am still flabbergasted by the thought that a humble blog could turn into a book deal, much less a major motion picture seen by millions--certainly, it IS a unique story, but hot-damn! Crazy. Using that as inspiration, the amazing Whisk blog has compiled a massive online compendium of Julia Child recipes made by food bloggers. I'm half-tempted to do a "year of cooking dangerously", only using Amy Sedaris' I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence!

-I'm compiling a list of songs for summer here at Periodic HQ, and here's one I love, if you are into watching a couple of effing hipsters make out in France: "French Navy," by Camera Obscura off of their newest album, My Maudlin Career:


Enjoy, and have a great week, everyone!

Science Fair for June 28th to July 4th

Happy (belated) 4th of July! Today's Science Fair will probably be a little sparse, but hopefully you'll enjoy it!

- First off, don't forget that we have a lovely Tumblr -- it's got a lot of cool links to go check out if your Science Fair craving isn't satisfied. Karen updates it a couple of times a week (I know, I should be updating it too). I just added the little bookmarklet dealiebopper, so maybe things will improve there.

- Every Thursday, I'm writing up my recaps of So You Think You Can Dance at BlogHer. There you will see me fuss about producer shenanigans and dance styles and my predictions.

- This is possibly the most amazing house in the world. It comes fully furnished as is, and I would possibly like to live there, except for the fact that it is in Palm Springs, a place I do not care for.

- Speaking of the phrase "I do not care for", I *do* care for Arrested Development, and it *is* fully available on Hulu.com. (I just realized that I can't have The Final Countdown as a ringtone on my phone, and now I am sad. Curse you, iTunes protections!)

- Since everything is a tangent of everything else, Mad Men returns on August 16th. If you haven't yet caught up or even started, you can catch Season One of Mad Men on Comcast On Demand now, then Season Two after July 20th. Do iiit. And while you're waiting, check out Beauty Blogging Junkie's interview with Lana Horochowski, the head make-up artist for Mad Men. Product recs ahoy!

- I usually don't bring my baseball stuff into here, but I need you to go vote for San Francisco's Pablo Sandoval for the All-Star Game. Seriously. Do it. Voting ends July 9th.

Have a great week!

Science Fair for June 15th-21st

You guys, I have had a tough week. With a bit of family time, indulging (finally) in Jeanne's Gossip Girl DVDs, and just a liiiittle bit of shopping with Grandma, I'm ready for another slog through. I'm sure this will change, but I am somewhat in love with that Dan Humphries, mostly because he is a young Mark Ruffalo lookalike. How does that catty little Blair Waldorf pull off styles, like the pearls+brooch over fully buttoned-up blouse, that would look absolutely frumpalicious on me? These are my quandaries, people!

-After a childhood of Sega videogames with my older brother, being game system-less as an adult has left a gaping hole where gameplay entertainment is concerned. Sometimes, when I get bored, I'll do a little point and click adventure game. This weekend, I gave up on finishing all of the Warbears missions to become completely distracted by Japanese point and click game creator Minoto's little vignettes. The list of cute little game is endless, starting with Snow Festival, covering Japanese holidays, Christmas, and traditional fairy tales. Alice in Wonderland, Red Hood, and Hansel and Gretel are particularly cute/weird/awesome.

-Here's a vaguely offensive poll for you, from Glamour: Would you rather be average looking but have a but have a smoking hot boyfriend, or be drop-dead gorgeous but have an average-looking boyfriend? Per my observations, either way people will have an opinion about the relationship. "Why is she with him? He must have money," or "that poor guy couldn't do any better than that?" as if everything is money or looks. After Jeanne sent me that link, I showed her the news story about the woman who shot and skinned her Jack Russell terrier, so I deserve anything I get.

-If you are a fan of drinking in the SF Bay Area, the sticky-floored, bamboo-walled Tiki Crawl 2009 is coming up! Yum yum yum. We made it to the Tonga Room with my friend Courtney, a great tiki enthusiast, before it's about to be demolished to become condos and more hotel. There are still a few tiki holdouts in the Bay Area to enjoy, people, let's keep them in business--it's fake, kitschy American history!

-CMJ's Michael Tenner covers this year's Bonnaroo Festival so you don't get dirty and sunburned for the great music. Apparently Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog and Neko Case has a duet/incident? What?

-Princess Poochie of the lovely Shoe Daydreams blog is initiating a boycott/protest against Manolo Blahnik shoes for their use of ocelot fur! I am a subscriber to the practice of no fur-buying, not even fake fur. However, I do have a "grandfathered" vintage 1950s boucle swing jacket with a fur collar, that I was given as a gift/freebie by a family friend. That I will wear only for special occasions--I would never buy those cuckoo ocelot boots, and it is despicable that a massive international brand like Manolo Blahnik would use fur of an endangered animal to pull of some sort of misguided appearance of classiness. You know what's classy? Not looking like someone from Clan of the Cave Bear while contributing to species endangerment.

-Now that I've gotten all indignant on your asses, time for my favorite bit, food-related miscellany. Cooking Light has a quick true or false quiz on fat for those of you who need a little nutritional brain-teaser. A great waitress at the cafe we took my father to for an early Father's Day dinner tipped us off to Foodie Fight: A Trivia Game with Gameboard and Cards. Is it bad that I kind of want it, if only because I would totally beat EVERYONE?

Ahh, sweet ambition. Coming up in a minute, my three outfit choices for S.'s wedding next weekend! Have a great week, everyone!

Quick update: Holy CRAPOLA, Lady Gaga, why do you have to ruin everything? Please don't do what Gwen Stefani did and misappropriate Japanese fashion...I just couldn't take it!

Science Fair for June 8th - 14th

Today's a special Science Fair -- all videos!

But before we get into the videos, don't forget that you have until 4 pm Pacific Tuesday the 16th to enter the Max Factor giveaway at Periodic Beauty!

- Watch this one first, just in case it gets taken down:


- I have a sudden desire to learn this dance.


- Also, to belt out this song. A lot.


- Finally, this is to celebrate L.'s success at the Schulz Museum this weekend!


Have a great week, and don't forget to enter the Max Factor giveaway!

Science Fair for May 24th-30th

Hi all! This week's big news comes first:

-We have a Tumblr account that will serve as this blog's sieve, catching all of the bits and bobs that don't make it into full blog posts. Check us out at Periodicals! As of today, it's a lot of cuckoo things I like, serial killers, lepidopterae, vintage goodies--it will grow as we pass links back and forth to share with all of you.

-Second biggest news from this week is that the San Francisco Baby, the Stars Shine Bright store is ACTUALLY HAPPENING. We can't even believe it, Jeanne and I are going to go crazy all on their asses. A company called New People World is, in fact, building an entire new complex in San Francisco Japantown dedicated to J-pop/popular Japanese culture. I'm sure I will end up having a very complicated relationship with it due to my love of Japanese culture and my anger over its misappropriation.

-Check out these pictures from Copenhagn Fashion Week. What do you think, is it quintessentially Danish or what? Do city- or nationally-based fashion weeks have to represent their cities or countries overall?

-This week marked the 150th anniversary/birthday of London's iconic Big Ben, here are some facts you may not have known about that big ol' clock! That reminds me of my nerd-tastic love for Doctor Who, AND that at the Maker Faire yesterday some folks had crazy razor-sharp ball robots who rolled around, looked at you (!) and said, "exterminate! exterminate!" I nearly fell over in shock and delight, Jeanne can attest to it.

-In my quest to educate the rest of the world about the greatness of 1960s Nouvelle Vague film and the role of women in them, I'm sure you've read us talking about Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless. Jeanne's current haircut is a la Jean Seberg in Breathless, thanks to a night spent with me watching it on TV (you're welcome, buddy). This week, you can watch female director Agnes Varda's classic New Wave film, Cleo from 5 to 7 thanks to TheAuteurs.com. They're running a feature series on Cannes winners from previous years, all are definitely worth your time and $0 in the name of cinema education. Come back after watching Cleo from 5 to 7 and tell me if it didn't change your life.

Science Fair for May 17th - 23rd

Short and sweet today -- Kati is coming to visit!! I haven't seen her since August, so I'm excited and running around the apartment screaming KATI KATI KATI instead of RICK RICK RICK:



- Coming soon to a console near you: Fashion Week: The Video Game. I have no idea how this is going to work out, but I am intrigued.

- In other "why don't girls like (fill-in-the-blank), let's add fashion to it and then they will like it" news, Marvel is creating comics with Mary Jane (of Spiderman fame) as a supermodel.

- I am totally stoked for OPI's new matte collection this fall. I'm already planning on getting at least two or three. Nail polish, why must you be so awesome.

- Oh and duh, if you didn't catch Glee on Tuesday, you can watch it at Hulu.com/glee. THERE IS NO IRONY IN SHOW CHOIR.

Have a great Memorial Day tomorrow, everyone, and be sure to take some time to reflect. Meanwhile, back to cleaning (and screaming).

Science Fair for May 3rd-9th

I just returned home from a tough, but ultimately satisfying and memorable weekend spent helping my grandmother recover from eye surgery. English being her second language, there were difficulties in the Q&A portion of getting her checked in at the surgery center. Example: "What is your ethnicity?" The receptionist looked at me for the answer because Grandma doesn't know what "ethnicity" means. Oh, Grandma! You are Asian! Before she could say "Oriental," as she often does--come on now, totally politically incorrect--I said, "Asian." Again looking at me, question: "That's it? Asian and...nothing else?" Look, lady, just because I am mixed doesn't mean my grandmother is! Welcome to the melting pot! Someone else assumed I was Grandma's nurse aid. People! Anyway, we had a weekend of ice packs, swollen eyelids, Japanese food, stories about my grandfather who passed before I was born, funny sayings from old Japan, and reruns of the Laurence Welk Show. Wonderful, wonderful! Grandma says, "you know, in the old days, we had such nice music--like that 'Tokyo Serenade' and 'Smoke Getcha in the Eye.'" Clarification: that is "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes," in Grandma-speak. Smoke Getcha in the Eye!

-FINALLY, Maia Hirasawa's second album is out: GBGvsSTHLM (Gothenburg versus Stockholm)! Here's her first single off of it, South Again. Love the zeppelin balloon, love her little nonchalant jeans and tanktop, and I pretty much want to run away to Sweden to play the piano on a pier at sunset. I'm loving "Hush Now," "Come With Me," and "This Is What We Have." Highly recommended if you like: Hello Saferide, New Buffalo, Regina Spektor.

-I just discovered that my adorable friend Kate's little sister Molly has an Etsy shop, so of course I just HAVE to give my girl props! She is in high school, you guys! If only we'd had the entrepreneurial spirit at that young age. Jeanne and I are always coming up with crazy/stupid little business ideas for Etsy, like my plastic-mounted vintage button necklaces and knit animal hats. It'll never happen, but yet I still have a giant collection of buttons that only an obsessive hoarder could love. They will become fabulous jewelry and accessories someday!

-Another one of our shared passions is Gothic Lolita, or just sweet Lolita fashion...ugh, I love it, and everyone knows I would wear tiny boaters and feathered top hats with veils at, well, the drop of a hat. (Pixie Market, whose LA boutique recently closed down BOOOO, has darling wee boaters. I want to put my hair in big sausage curls and tie one on with grosgrain ribbons...to wear to work.) The Japanese brand Emily Temple Cute's Kyoto shop has a new blog documenting their new styles on display. Loving the vintage-hanky pattern dresses and skirts! Here's a tip from a longtime Tokyo denizen, shhh don't tell anybody but there is a tiny closet of a secondhand Gothic Lolita brand shop in Shimokitazawa, Grand Bazaar Lolita. Their merchandise leans toward the Sweet end of the Lolita spectrum, with much less gothic items than the better-known and easier-to-find Closet Child in Harajuku.

-Fabulous homegirl/fantasy bestie Mindy Kaling has signed a deal with NBC to develop her own show, possibly a ladies-buddy-comedy a la our boyfriends in The Flight of the Conchords. A MOST PERFECT/HILARIOUS UNION, I THINK--if the three of us were in the mix! What!

-I just wanted to share my joy over the news that Hulu might start distributing shows from UK television like Green Wing due to a new international deal. Allow me to illustrate via the chat I sent to Jeanne, below:
"OH MY GOD
GREEN WING
=FUNNIEST SHOW EVER
> Scrubs and How I Met Your Mother, combined
Sometimes I think about scenes from that show, and it makes me laugh out loud."
As a special Green Wing gift, I'll spare you the wait for Hulu and point you toward IMDB, where they have FULL EPISODES OMG. Mac! Guy! Now I won't get to bed on time.

-My nesting instinct must be in full gear lately, because not only am I tentatively looking at a place to buy (oh lord know I don't need the extra debt), but frankly drinking in all of the architecture and interior decor I can get my little hands on. I am usually super-derisive about silly contrived home photo shoots. This remodeled guest bedroom in lilac is delightful and I want to put it in an ice cream cone and eat it on a hot summer's day. Also on offer are six tips for a sexier bedroom, I know I'm going to regret mentioning it! Sometimes even we single-swingle ladies need a little help. It's just so easy to throw all the dirty clothes on the floor and pile up shoes in the closet, we forget.

-Blog and real-life friend Courtney sent me this gem to cheer us up on a gloomy day, you've probably seen it if you love that scruffy-haired scoundrel Robert Pattinson, but I do believe I love this more: Twilight with Cheeseburgers. Uh, YUM.

Have a great week, everyone--after 72 hours at Grandma's house, I am ready to be home in my own bed, so now it's off to finish reading The Black Dahlia Avenger (interesting, but kind of hard to believe a la recent claims that one's father was the Zodiac killer) and then, the Land of Nod! Ahh, home sweet home.

Science Fair for April 26th - May 2nd

Happy May!

After all of my complaining about the heat, the rain came back to San Francisco this weekend. Oops!

- You may already know that I have a special affinity for a certain little red beetle, and so the Trend de la Creme ladybug jewelry round-up made me super-happy.

- Right now, the Apartment Therapy Spring Cure 2009 is going on/winding down -- I haven't been participating officially, but I *am* working on tidying/cute-ing up the apartment right now. Spring's the time to get this stuff done...

- For the baseball nerds out there, I've been highly enjoying the MLB Fanhouse "The Dugout" posts, where they write imaginary Instant Messenger conversations with ballplayers, media people, owners, mascots, video game characters... it seriously cracks me up.

- Do you ever have a dream where you're eating something amazing, and then you wake up and you crave it? For me, that was banana pudding this morning. (Yes, I dream in flavors.) And putting it in a tart (versus banana cream pie, which I also love) sounds awesome.

- One of my college buddy's chief complaints back in the day was that there was no way to get the full-length version of Rex Manning's "Say No More, Mon Amour" from Empire Records. Of course, it is now on YouTube.

- Finally, now that I've been searching for mythical banana pudding and need to go grocery shopping, I leave you with a phrase that comes into my mind all the time: LAY OFF ME, I'M STARVING.

Have a great week!

Science Fair for April 13th-19th

In honor of Earth Day this Wednesday, I'm sure your life has been invaded by suddenly "green" advertising--it's inescapable! You would not believe the number of ads Wal-Mart has been running here in California, it's all very deceptive. I think it kind of subverts the whole message of Earth Day, because one day out of the year isn't going to make a difference, 365 days of the year should! So, on that note, onwards and upwards with this week's Science Fair:

-The New York Times (I only subscribe to the Sunday paper so I can read the Style section's wedding announcements, DUH) ran a feature called, How Green Is Your Water Bottle?. Little did we know, those super-chic steel and rubber-sealed containers are not that great. I can't seem to use one for more than a week without it starting to smell or just be generally nasty, despite washings. Of course, the plastic water bottle I just picked up for $1.50 at Ichiban-Kan in San Francisco looks like a sippy cup.

-Did you know that our beloved Silicon Valley was once known as the Valley of Heart's Delight? True story! If that doesn't make you fabulously enchanted with this area, then...well, we have a Babbage machine for you to see!

-Kyoto Foodie reminded me of great times with my grandmother and great-aunt in old Kobe, eating our way through bakeries and manju shops with this yuzu kokuto marmalade on fresh, European-style bread. Oh, YUM. Some of the best parts of Kobe, Kyoto, and Osaka are the hidden-away relics from the turn of the century/late Meiji period, when Western influence first came into Japan and coffeeshops and fried cutlets were all the rage. Those shops are just like walking into Paris in 1908, and I love it.

-Speaking of Japanese swirled culture, have you ever seen a moffle before? IT'S INGENIOUS. My grandmother grills her mochi bricks on a rickety old aluminum contraption that looks like it could give you third-degree burns if you just looked at it. The modern convenience of the electric waffle iron is a much safer bet.

-To go with those moffles, and your regular ol' waffles, a short history of maple syrup! Although the maple syrup harvest these past few years has been suffering, and due to ye olde Economics supply and demand, the price has skyrocketed (you may have noticed). Some local breakfast places are only giving real maple syrup with an additional charge, it's maple syrup blend for you otherwise. Sad.

-You heard all about the ridiculous nonsense surrounding this year's Miss America pageant, but did you know about Miss Aloha Hula? The lovely Cherissa Kane is your 2009 Miss Aloha Hula, check her out! Beautiful. My mom, who grew up in Hawaii, taught me a few hula moves--I know how to do the "waving palm," "sunrise," "sunset," and "waves." Yeah, I'm not about to win any Miss Aloha Hula contest, believe it!

-That movie, Ben Affleck's big-screen return with whats-his-nuts and Rachel McAdams (love her)? State of Play, that's it. The Baltimore Sun has exposed how the film's wardrobe department totally gaffled this reporter's style! Whaaat. I think it's great that they looked at how real reporters dress instead of making the lovely Rachel McAdams run around in stiletto heels like every other movie depicting professional women, ever.

-The fabulous Sally Jane Vintage scored a huge windfall of fab vintage clothing after a chance encounter at an estate sale. She'll list all of the items she's not keeping for her personal closet on her Etsy site next weekend! Check it out and let us know what you get!

Have a great week, everyone! Enjoy the beautiful weather and have a green, green Earth Day!

Science Fair for April 6th - 12th

Happy Easter Sunday, everyone! I hope you got to eat as much chocolate (and drink as many mimosas!) as you wanted to today. I know I have a giant chocolate egg waiting for me once I finish up today's Science Fair (booyah).

- Speaking of giant chocolate eggs, you do know about Pimp That Snack, right? Well, they're dedicated to taking your regular ol' tiny junk food and blowing it up to giant proportions. For example, this nearly-five-pound Cadbury Creme Egg. Add your own "om nom nom" and/or heart attack here.

- This is nothing new or no big "secret" (if you will), but if you aren't reading Post Secret, you should be. (You can also follow it at @PostSecret on Twitter.)

- The lovelylovely Ms. Wendy Brandes was in town, and she took me, Patti, and Annie out to a fab San Francisco dinner! It's always fun to meet up with the San Francisco blogger ladies! (Also, that lipstick I'm wearing is the Shiseido Perfect Rouge in "Salon".)

- Oh, for those of you who are bloggers -- are you participating in the ProBlogger 31 Day Challenge? I've been following along, and a lot of it is interesting -- it's good to get a kick in the pants every so often.

- Finally, you're probably all reading this already, but Coco Rocha's blog is awesome. And I want her apartment.

Have a great week, everyone! xoxo

Science Fair for March 23rd-29th

This week's is a spoooooky Science Fair...brought to you by the various joys and terrors of friends' GChat status messages, and our random web navigating! It's bad, every day without fail, I will send Jeanne a steady stream of links to interesting news articles, she sends me an onslaught of beauty-blogging posts. We should just run our own Jezebel site to boot, for how much we discuss the articles and comments on their site!

-From my college friend Stephanie (we bonded over weekly Tuesday nights watching Law & Order: SVU), the 21 Best Ghost Photos ever documented. I am a natural skeptic, but some of them are JUST TOO WEIRD. There have to be explanations, right?

-Culled from the best of the food photography best, aka Tastespotting, is Denver blogger Rachel Ruff's Egg McRuffin. Let me tell you, when I was living on my own, I basically ate this every single morning, noon, and night. My version: one toasted crumpet, one slice pan-fried Canadian bacon, maybe a slice of sharp cheddar cheese, and an egg cooked over-hard. NOM NOM NOM, as the kids say.

-I just came back from a business trip to dry, tourist-filled Las Vegas, where I wasted two of my hard-earned dollars on tiki slots machines, had no alcohol, and thoroughly enjoyed the Mandalay Bay hotel gym/spa. I walked down the Strip, those recreations of the Eiffel Tower and Statue of Liberty are WEIRD. Photographer Michael Hughes has a different take on the world's greatest landmarks: he replaces them with strategically positioned souvenirs. Genius!

-Upon my glorious return to California, which by the way is far superior to Nevada, I was bit by the baking bug and made a delightfully zesty orange cornmeal cake. This recipe has been approved by me, my family, and Jeanne! (If I hadn't brought her the rest of the cake, I would have eaten it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!)

-If you are a big fan of Easter eggs, check out Our Best Bites' silk-dyed eggs tutorial. Color me impressed! Who knew some old silk ties could be so lovely imposed onto delicous, delicious eggs? I may have to go raid a few closets...

-Last but not least, as if your cholesterol hasn't spiked dangerously already reading this Science Fair, I present--for your heartburn-inducing pleasure--CHICKEN FRIED BACON. Thank, and good night!

Science Fair for March 16th - 22nd

Happy Sunday! I took three days off of work this past week, so I'm currently on my fifth day of weekend... and am, well, ready to go back to work tomorrow! But I definitely enjoyed my time off. And so this week's Science Fair is a very home-y one.

- As I spent my brief vacation ("staycation", if you will, although that is an awful word) here in San Francisco, here's a little tidbit about Mayor Gavin Newsom, particularly what hair product he uses.

- Have you been following SFGirlByBay's Ode to My Deco series? Since Domino is closing down (noooo), she's been going through the Domino My Deco Files website and pulling all sorts of inspirational photo sets, from color themes (pink, turquoise, grey, white) to specific rooms (kitchens, dining areas, front rooms, bedrooms) to ways people display their collections or their artwork. Fascinating and inspiring stuff.

- Speaking of fascinating and inspiring stuff in your house, Chronicle Books has a fake deer-head for you to put together from foam core and wallpaper from their new book Dorm Decor. (My dorm decor was usually tapestries and string lights that I'd buy from street vendors, which would then fall down on my stomach or head in the middle of the night.)

- If I knew how to quilt, I would be making this color wheel quilt. I don't know if I would put it on my bed or put it on the wall, but I have loved this quilt for years.

- I recently (finally) went and picked up some soy sauce, mirin, and sesame oil at my local supermarket, so that means that nikujaga and oyako donburi is going to be happening, what what! (It looks like I have to get some cooking sake too.) And I've asked for my crockpot to finally come up to the city with me, so cooking experiments are a go.

Have a great week!

Science Fair for March 2nd-8th

Hi guys! I'm back from my business trip to sunny San Diego, where I discovered the amazing Pannikin Coffee & Tea, enjoyed lunch at Cafe 222, and sat in a conference for two days straight.

-Jeanne sent over this story on Glamour's photoshoots re-imagining present-day actresses as female "icons" of the 20th century. Our favorites are Rosie the Riveter, Althea Gibson, and OF COURSE! Michelle Obama. Amelia Earhart and Mary Tyler Moore deserve better.

-The UK Evening Standard has branded one of Posh's recent airport outfits crazy a la Thunderbirds. When you say Thunderbirds chauffeur to me, though, all I can think of is Team America: World Police. Would mere mortals be able to wear that cuckoo outfit of Posh's? Can a girl dream? Gary?

-I just discovered that the Polyvore head offices are just down the street from some of my favorite haunts here in Silicon Valley. Thus, when I ran across Blaze Danielle's all-grown-up versions of childhood storybook girls' fashion, I felt inspired! The Boxcar Children and the Chronicles of Narnia were probably my most favorite childhood books besides Goodnight, Moon. So many siblings who had adventures together, when I only had one who never took me on any adventures! (Except for that one time we explored the creek and my brother later told people he found a severed human ear. Liar!)

-You will just DIE when you see this baby otter falling asleep. I want him! He could live in my bathtub and be an adorably comical wild animal friend who would eventually have to be released back to his natural habitat, leading to sorrowful tears! Oh, my heart swells up with emotion just watching it.

Wishing you sleepy otter pups, happy childhood memories, and safe travels for the week ahead! My next trip will take me to Las Vegas, NV at the end of the month--anyone have interesting shops to share?

Science Fair for February 23rd - March 1st

It's Sunday, and so it's Science Fair time!

- We believe in science (obviously) and we definitely believe in cupcakes, and so we're stoked that there's a periodic table of cupcakes. Delicious and educational!

- So apparently Google is now mapping the ocean, which shows an interesting grid pattern under the sea. Could it be... Atlantis? Probably not, but fascinating all the same.

- Did you catch our bonus material over at Periodic Beauty? Karen and I put together a post on modernizing classic Barbie beauty and fashion for her 50th anniversary.

- In other spin-off news, I'm totally looking forward to the Gossip Girl spinoff starring Brittany Snow as Lily Rhodes (Serena's mother). I guess that's one more show to add to my must-watch list...

- Finally, Karen's been getting hammered over the head with these twice a week every week, but if you're watching American Idol, you have to read Jacob's recaps at TelevisionWithoutPity. Jacob is my most favorite recapper ever (his Gossip Girl work? Stunning!), and so I watch American Idol just so I can read his recaps.

Have a lovely, lovely week!

Science Fair for February 8th-14th

We are just about drowning with all this rain in northern California, I swear I have splashed puddles up my pantlegs at least a dozen times today, just running errands. Ridic. If there's anything worse than wet/damp jeans--wait, you know what's worse? Wet wool overcoat. To allay your rainy day blues, we have a few bright spots from our friend, the Internet!

-The Independent interviews Doctor Who star Freema Agyeman, who seems like a fabulous, bubbly lady I would like to be friends with. Check out the link, it's worth it for her super-sweet outfit! I love the look of a louche skirt with opaque tights and a chunky, funky shoe. (Freema's no-nonsense wardrobe as Martha Jones was also, as always, admirable.)

-The New York Times Magazine had a feature article about the late Yves Saint Laurent's expansive collection of antiques and beautiful things, auctioned off for charity recently. Some exceptional pieces are promised to the Louvre, his collection was that significant in the art world. Little did you know, but the Chinese government is contesting the provenance of several pieces from the collection, zodiac figurines from a fountain that may have been looted from historic sites. Whaaat! YSL, you little black-market connoisseur of Orientalism!

-Locally, the discovery of an endangered wee mouse is causing a hullabaloo in the debate over President Obama's economic stimulus plan. The Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse is probably adorable, we think local heroes Pixar should make a Stuart Little-esque animated feature film about one little mouse's adventures in the Baylands. His name will be Harvey. Yeah, that's what I'm talking about.

-For Valentine's Day, the Crumbly Cookie has done the legwork for you: finding the perfect red velvet cake recipe. I wonder if substituting mashed roasted red beet flesh for some of the butter would make for a naturally red cake, sans food coloring...YUM.

-One of my all-time top favorite vegetables is the perennially underappreciated lotus root. You can find it pre-peeled, pre-cooked, and pre-sliced in vacuum packs at your local Asian grocery, very convenient. I like to add them to stir-fry, soup, and tempura. My grandmother stews large hunks of lotus root in sugar, soy sauce, and sake with hot chili for winter dinners. The Passionate Eater pulls apart the mysterious "Swiss cheese" of root vegetables for your dining pleasure.

-The lovely Ms. Jeanne just sent me this link, quite conveniently. I spent four years walking the same halls as the ladies of my Victorian-era alma mater, and tragically, I will probably never be as classy as them. Scans of the early 20th century Legenda show Wellesley's daughters as they will live in perpetuity, super-fabulous Gibson girls with big, frizzy hair and awesomely chillax archery-club sweaters. Our Legenda came on a DVD, which I did not order. Ah, the times, how they change! My class will live in infamy for other reasons.

Well, it sounds like the rain has finally stopped, it's about time for this old girl to catch up on season 7 of Spooks and snuggle up under the covers. I love those damn spies as if they were my own little spying spy children.

Have a great week, everyone! Stay dry out there, keep those umbrellas and gum-boots at the ready!

Science Fair for February 1st - 7th

Better late than never -- here's this week's Science Fair!

- I have been having so much fun with Cornify.com. Note: it has nothing to do with corn and everything to do with AWESOME.

- Lately I've been loving the columns on Umm... Now what?, the blog for those of us in (or out of) our quarter-life crises. Seriously good stuff.

- Are you getting ready for Hello Kitty for MAC? I've got my appointment...

- The amazing Vivienne Westwood's DIY tips.

- Finally, I was chatting with Karen about this today and she hadn't heard it, so I'm embedding it for you: the Lily Allen cover of "Womanizer".


Enjoy, and have a great week!