Soane Love

Today Hollister Hovey led me to The Architecturalist, following the breadcrumbs back to Malplaquet house. The intrigue here lies not in the house's magnificent decor, which is a bit cluttered for my taste (I would have nightmares about the dust in that place), but in the owner's occupation. Tim Knox, who lives there with his partner Todd Longstaffe-Gowan, is the director of Sir John Soane's Museum!!!! While that may mean nothing to most people, it makes me freak out like a tween at a Jonas Brothers concert (I refuse to link to them for fear of even slightly inflating their perceived popularity). John Soane was a British architect, and an early interior designer. His house (now the museum) is a temple to his love of architecture, built to showcase his vast collection of architectural artifacts. It's a must see for anyone visiting London, and in my mind, being the director of it all sounds like the most fabulous job on the planet.

Upon seeing that the Architecturalist got the Malplaquet house pictures from "Barry Lewis" I freaked out again, thinking it was this Barry Lewis, when in fact it is this Barry Lewis, a British photographer. While British Barry Lewis appears to be very talented, he could never hold a candle in my heart to New York's Barry Lewis. You may recognize him from his Channel Thirteen shows, "A Walk Around Brooklyn", "A Walk Through Harlem", etc. His Modern Architecture and Design courses at The New York School of Interior Design were by far the most interesting classes I have ever taken at any school! I think you can take them without being a matriculated student, and if you are a NYC dweller, I highly recommend them. He's hilarious, and you will learn so much about this city that you never knew.

People, Let Me Tell You 'Bout My Best Friend

My husband and I have recently become obsessed with Dogtown, a new show on National Geographic, or "Nat Geo" as he jokingly calls it. It profiles Best Friends Animal Society, an amazing place that takes in hundreds of abandoned animals of all kinds. The show focuses exclusively on the dogs at Best Friends, most of which were taken from shelters who could not rehabilitate them. They handle the worst cases that are thought to be beyond saving, most notably the fighting dogs taken from Michael Vick. Most of these dogs would be euthanized if not for the saviors at Best Friends. These people dedicate their lives to helping these dogs, and their skills will have you in awe.

Ok, enough gushing about Best Friends, and let's get down to business. If you click here and download this new Neko Case song, Neko herself, and ANTI- will donate $5 to Best Friends.

And seriously, start watching Dogtown! If you are a dog person, it's totally addictive. Almost every episode brings me to tears, and has me ready to hand them my paycheck every week. I also end up begging my husband to let me adopt all of the dogs on the show, to which he always replies "yes" despite the obvious flaws in that plan.