WES ANDERSON IS OCD

Have you seen the new Wes Anderson movie 'The Grand Budapest Hotel'? I love, love, loved Moonrise Kingdom and the trailer for this new film looked enchanting too.

(By the way I have a new theory about the luscious 'look' of Anderson movies and why art nerds like me adore them: every second looks like it has gone through a perfect instagram filter! Basically my dream world!)

A couple of weeks ago I went to see Grand Budapest and really enjoyed it. The sets were gorgeous (that pink box scene!) and there were lots of perfect moments of dry Anderson wit thrown in there too. So, when I got home after the movie, I decided to do some research on the movie and was surprised to see just how many people are talking about Anderson these days.

Basically, everyone thinks he's an obsessive compulsive mad genius dictator, they just won't come out and say it.

Why? Let me break it down . . .

BAGGU IN 3D: A TRAVELER'S BEST FRIEND

I have professed my love for Baggu here on the O.I. over and over (exhibit A) but I am not sure I have ever talked about how much I love Baggus for traveling. And what better time than now, while I am 'out of the office' for two weeks on the west coast? I love taking two or three standard baggus in my suitcase since they prove so useful. They are cute enough to take with you when you go out but sturdy and indestructible enough to sustain heavy wear and tear at the beach. Plus they clean super easily and pack flat! Win win!But you know what my new travel-related Baggu obsession is? These 3D zippered pouches! They come in various sizes and colors and are perfect for packing everything from dirty laundry to cosmetics to shoes. I just bought 6 or 7 of these beauties and I can tell you—they have been lifesavers for keeping me organized on this extended two part trip.See more of these babies (priced between $8 and $12) here.p.s. Bonus discovery! Baggu now sells on Amazon, meaning Prime membership will deliver Baggu to you in two days flat. Boom! 

HAPPY APRIL FOOL'S DAY!

In honor of April Fool's Day and all things hilarious, here is a quick round up some fabulously funny things I have stumbled across recently.

Amy Poehler, as always, is amazing in the outtakes of this Old Navy commercial.





The Ballad of a Wi-Fi hero is so dead on, except for me it's my fairly luddite husband calling in the cavalry for help. :) Also, the music and graphics are perfect.





Jimmy Fallon's lip sync battles are epic and hilarious. Also, news flash: Stephen Marchant can booty dance! (Also, this clip with Paul Rudd is not to be missed.)


Another thing I have to mention, while I am on the topic of funny: the new show on Comedy Central called @midnight is gut-bustingly funny. It's pretty much the only reason I don't feel insanely bad about going to bed at 1am on the regular. This clip with the cast of Community—another guilty pleasure of mine—sums up the awesomeness of the new show (wouldn't seem to embed properly, so you will have to go to the link!).

OFF THE WALL: 'EYE OF THE TIGER' DESKTOP WALLPAPER

I've got a new, free desktop download for you guys today! As I grind away doing archival research this week, I thought it only right to whip up something that would inspire hard work and determination.

Thus, the latest installment of the 'Off the Wall' series: 'Eye of the Tiger'. I've included a detail of the wallpaper's design so you read the full thing, which says "you've got the eye of the tiger so thrill in the fight" (inspired, of course, by this bad ass song). Now go out there and take the world by storm!

download EYE OF THE TIGER



(Want more? Previous 'Off the Wall' free desktop downloads here.)

PETER SMART IS A DESIGN GENIUS

If only everything you interact with in your daily life were designed by someone as thoughtful and clever as Peter Smart. Shower curtains would always stay in the tub, keeping your floor perfectly dry. Coffee makers wouldn't have infernally finicky on/off switches, leaving you woefully brew-less in the morning. Tax forms might actually be legible, allowing you to submit these important legal documents without worrying that an errant '1' might make you look like you are trying to claim 11 imaginary dependents.

Why am I so confident in the skills of designer Peter Smart? Well, he recently traveled all over the world to try to solve 50 Problems in 50 Days simply using the power of design. My favorite proposed project to come out of the challenge is by far his reworking of traditional boarding passes for air travel. Instead of the infernally ill-shaped horizontal pass, Smart came up with a vertical format that incorporates things you actually want and need to know—such as your gate, travel time and destination weather—through sans serif fonts and a simple bold layout. The proposed pass even folds to precisely fit inside your passport, with just the cliff notes version of your travel info sticking out of the top. Brilliant!

So listen up, TSA and airlines world wide! Let's institute some productive, passenger-focused legislation and get this design in the works, chop chop!

Read more about Smart's proposal here.

INSTA-BULLSH*T

I am not a big facebook poster (though you can follow the O.I. on it here), but I am pretty big into instagram (check me out here). I am sure if you popped over to my feed right now you would see a shot or two of a pretty beach/tropical fruit/exotic activity/other vacation cliché taken by yours truly in the last week. This hilarious post, by Drew Hoolhorst, shows the reality just outside all of our perfectly filtered photographic frames.

Check out more written by Drew on his website here (including the Bachelor/Bachelorette recaps, a show to which I find myself shamefully addicted).

AIRBnB INSPIRATION

The funny thing about traveling is (at least for me, anyway) the more I travel the more I want to travel. It's a self-perpetuating cycle of awesome adventure (and not so awesome hits to my bank account, ha!).

So while I am 'out of the office' so to speak in Hawaii, I thought I would share some travel wish list items I have been eyeing as I planned our current excursion. . . .

You know how Pinterest is the magical sorting hat of all things inspirational, aspirational and pretty (nerdy Harry Potter reference!)? I use it to put every visual idea in its proper place and as you can see for yourself here. Well recently I have been doing the same thing for travel with AirBnB.* I like the idea of building your trip around one-of-a-kind places to stay or living like a local in fantastic metropoles like Paris or Amsterdam.

Anyway, I thought I would share some of my recent 'wishlist' finds of fabulous rentable AirBnB places with you. Which one is your favorite?

Above: a stunning modernist apartment in Copenhagen ($228 per night)

The ultimate insider stay, how about a chic, minimalist house boat in Amsterdam? ($256 per night)

And while we're on cozy spaces, how about this sweet sixties-style Airstream on the beach in Rye, Australia? ($186 per night)

Or this sweet treehouse surrounded by lush greenery in St. Keverne, England? ($127 per night)
By the way, my family is (only partially ironically) obsessed with Treehouse Masters . . .

A gorgeous pool, floor to ceiling windows and a sleek design scheme makes this home in Puerto Escondido, Mexico seem almost too good to be true at . . . ($150 per night)

And last, but definitely not least, how about this sophisticated yet homey lighthouse in Medulin, Croatia? ($355 per night) I have been wanting to stay at this lighthouse for ages but the wait list is insane! Croatia may be easier!


Did I miss any of your favorite picks? Let me know in the comments!




*This is not a sponsored post! I just think AirBnB is cool and has some great travel options.