STATIC: The Buried Life

The idea is as simple as it gets: Four guys. One question. What do you want to do before you die?

This question steers the paths of four dudes from Victoria, Canada (and you know they're awesome if they're from Canada) on a mission to cross off everything on their list of 100 things to do before they die. For everything they do on their list, they find a stranger and help them cross something off their own list.

After a good friend of theirs passed away during college, the boys realized that life is too short. They hopped on their purple fixer-upper of a tour bus Penelope and drove across North America, documenting their adventures on Youtube as they crossed items off their list. What was supposed to be a two-week road trip ended up being, well, life. The guys were offered a TV show by MTV.

Some of my favorites on their list:

#24 go to a rock concert in all leather (completed)

#39 stand under a plane while it lands(completed)

# 78 fall in love

# 100 go to space

What once started as a Youtube documentary series is now not only on TV but viral in every way possible. Check it out:

Official site: http://feed.theburiedlife.com/ (currently down)

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tbl

Twitter: http://twitter.com/theburiedlife

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/buriedlife

Full list:http://www.adamcarolla.com/ACPBlog/wp-content/gallery/2009-09-15-buried-life/the-list.jpg (copy paste)

If they really like your post they could end up helping you cross something off your own list.

VOLUME: Late Summer Playlist

Sorry about the long absence, guys. My summer has been dominated by a trip up north to the Pacific Northwest for a combo of baseball, river rafting, and hipster watching (quite sporty over in Portland, Oregon, second most eco-friendly city in the U.S.); Now I'm following up with a five-week theater bootcamp. All this innersparsed with sleepovers, beaches, movies, and the Vans Warped Tour (Sum41, you always have a special place in my heart).

So now unfortunately July is coming to a close, and August is coming around to shine a brilliant sunset on our summer days. However, it's not too late to stock your ipod with a few of the best summer tunes:

"Summer Skin" -Death Cab For Cutie

It's gotta be first because this one has been in my head all month. Base+simplicity+lyrics from joyous to heartbreaking = nothing less than Death Cab's best.

"At The Cut"- The Cave Singers

These boys take a song-long break from their usual gentle folk sound and decide to rock out a bit. The KingsofLeonesque steady beat makes this song perfect for any occasion, from hanging out in your room to going for a ride on your fixie (hehehe).

"Rain On" -Woods

Interesting summer choice...but as I discovered from Oregon, not everyone is living here in sunny SoCal. It even rained here a couple times this July. So if you look out your window to find that the summer days where you live have become uncharacteristically gray and wet, press play and get lost in the chill rainy vibe.

"Goin' Down" -The Pretty Reckless

Litgtle J was always my favorite good-girl-gone-bitch over on Gossip Girl. But while TV's miss Jenny Humphrey was shipped off to boarding school, the real life Taylor Momsen hit the road with her band of dudes to perform at the Vans Warped Tour (the only place where emo kids and boycrazy beach bunnies collide). This single's more uptempo than the rest of their songs. But between the band's sex-filled lyrics, grunge guitar work, and Taylor's gorgeous, platinum post-sex hair, the Pretty Reckless is here to stay.

"Bulletproof" -La Roux

For the past year, a dance party goes on in my head every time I flip this song on. Now that it's getting some airtime on the radio, this is the perfect song to jam to and get you hyped for whatever may come your sunny summer way. Whether or not electronic is your style, you can't deny that this song is way to catchy to resist.

So now you know my fave five of the moment. Load up your ipod and enjoy the rest of your summer days!

TEXTILES: Lace

Maybe you see doilies or the tablecloth your grandma pulls out for Christmas, but when I think of lace, I see a history: Victorian women waltzing at the ball, the trim of an all-American girl's petticoat as she ran along the prairie in her Sunday best, Spanish girls sitting on the benches of the missions...and of course, those dollfaced Lolita girls living it up in Tokyo.

Although the lace fashion statement has taken the backburner during, well, the later half of the 20th century, lace has been cropping up more and more recently in the world of street style in ways you wouldn't expect: nude heels with black lace have become a saucy new look, and new versions of fishnets are coming in the most abstract patterns possible.

However, beat generation descendants- hipsters and indies alike- have been digging through the racks at the Goodwill for decades now, discovering lovely lacey dresses through the sport of thrifting. Also, I did my research and lace made quite an appearance in the resort 2010 fashions of the summer, since fabric that breezy can be pretty refreshing in the heat of SoCal, Miami, or wherever you may be heading.

Lace has not exactly been the icon of fashion since the 1800's, but it is still as beautiful and intricately a designed fabric that it has always been and will remain. If you like to flashback to the good old days, a lacy vintage dress will have you looking sweet as pie. But if you're not exactly disappointed we're not still walking around in ball gowns, lace clothing and accessories can either sweeten or sexify any look, no matter the year.

A Victorian dress with lace designs in the chest area. I would have loved to waltz in one of these...how romantic.

A song that pulls on your heartstrings with every pluck of rhythm guitar with a tragic-love-story video set in Mexico. To top it off, Sonia Couoh wears an old Spanish style white lace skirt and blouse that makes her look sweet, innocent, and adorable.

Leave it to the late great Alexander McQueen to think up taking the leggings off the legs and stretching them over the dress! As worn by Kelli Lumi

FACE PAINT: Avatar

I suppose it's a blogger's job to stay on top of new and upcoming things, but what can I say? People make mistakes, and I'm new at this. So when I say I only just saw Avatar, the major motion picture that took over the world and founded this age of 3D madness, please try not to laugh.

To recap, Avatar is James Cameron's story of crippled ex-marine Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his discovery of the beautiful planet of Pandora and its Na'vi people, including his love interest Neytiri (the wonderful Zoe Saldana). The catch? He's been sent by the U.S. and disguised as one of the Na'vi in order to destroy the region in order to obtain fuel (aka unobtainium...get it!?). The heavy duty message of enviromental preservation, both inspiring and guilt-tripping, is enforced by the beauty, color, and spectacular imagery of the jungle and its otherworldly animals. Countless viewers of this movie across the world claim they were lost in Pandora while watching this movie.

after watching, I decided to try my hand at Youtuber Michelle Phan's Avatar-inspired eye makeup. I've been a big fan for a long time, but I've never tried this tutorial before because only recently did I obtain the colorful shadows I needed to try this look. Michelle Phan is the #1 makeup artist on Youtube, loved for her use of fearless use of underrated techniques (multi-winged eyeliner, eyelash curling) as well as her natural remedies to your facial needs (olive oil makeup remover, hot cocoa bronzer).

Above is my very own Avatar Inspired Eye. Try it out yourself!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BcAxgcuTRY

P.S. Yes, I do have thick eyebrows. Thick is in baby!!

VOLUME: Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

These guys are one of my favorite bands right now. If Bob Dylan took over Arcade Fire, this would be the new sound. This is an ensemble band, led by Alex Ebert, who originally sang for the power pop band Ima Robot (be sure to check them out if you're into that sort of thing.) Alex experienced a breakdown and total revaluation of his life, accompanied by Alcoholics Anonymous and lots of facial hair growth. He threw together a band of friends, his new partner in crime Jade Castrinos, and his new persona which he named Edward Sharpe. According to him Edward Sharpe "was sent down to Earth to kinda heal and save mankind...but he kept getting distracted by girls and falling in love (Paste Magazine)." Together the band hopped aboard a big white school bus and traveled the country while making music and movies together. They released their first album Up From Below in July 2009.

I first saw these guys while they were at Coachella 2010, and while tragically I could not be there to experience the magic firsthand, I did see their live stream on Facebook and fall in love. Check out their heartwarming old-timey videos and tunes:

An introduction to the madness.

My favorite song by them, "Home."

Be sure to check out the first two parts of their Musical:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buQpcpQqdKo&feature=channel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gwXpLpfb3Y&feature=channel

By the way, if you're watching the vids and wondering, who's that blondie with the groovy dresses? That's accordionist Nora Kirkpatrick!!

Stylin at Coachella 2010

HIGH PLACES: The Berlin Wall

In 1961, the city of Berlin, Germany, was split into four territories owned by four seperate countries: the U.S., the U.K., France, and the Soviet Union. The first three countries wanted Germany reunited for economic purposes, so they united their territories. In a shocking response, the Soviet Union built a wall around West Berlin, trapping people for decades. Though the wall was destroyed in 1989, Edward Murray tried to document as much of the wall as possible, including some excellent graffiti artwork. Check out these pictures from 1971. For more, go to

http://www.berlinwallart.com/webdev/index.html