Can't wait to see this.

I'm a sucker for documentaries.

HERE.

Wow.

HERE.

It's Thursday, and you know what that means... The New York Times practically writes my post for me. (Thanks, Big T!)

I present to you this Las Vegas treasure in all its glue-gunned glory. You can't really hate this place or these people. PURE LOVE:

Mr. Hart, a singer and composer whose gospel musical, “Sisterella,” counted Michael Jackson among its producers, created all eight bedrooms: the four-poster swags made of bed sheets; the ruched silk ceilings; the gold-leafed armchairs, which he bought 30 years ago for $10 apiece and gold-leafed himself.

“All my family has a black belt in shopping, and we have radar when something is 70 percent off,” Mr. Hart said.

Understood. But why so much?

“I’m just from Texas,” Ms. Hart said. “I like it big.”


And:


On arrival, though, it was clear that informal is something the Harts do not do. A round table had been set in the grand foyer with a printed menu, and red napkins were stuffed into black patent-leather stilettos on each plate. Tiny glass slippers had been hot-glued to the side of wineglasses from the local Dollar Tree store (a precarious gig for the reporter’s slipper, which fell off in her hand). More glass shoes had been glued to a six-foot silver-and-faux-candle candelabra.

Holy shit!

Mr. Hart wrote a song called “Big Hair Gets You Closer to God." I just thought you should know.



More from the article:


Ms. Hart began renting out the house for weddings in the mid-’80s, though she also officiated at Las Vegas chapels. She’s had her share of celebrities but is proud to say she’s always been discreet.

But weddings can be grueling, and disgruntled modern brides, aided by the Internet, vicious. “Totally run-down, tacky fake flowers everywhere, roaches, brought-in food and located in a horrible part of town with no outside ambience,” groused one, under the name travilyaya, on tripadvisor.com, with the heading “Do NOT Do It There.”

That review hurt Ms. Hart horribly — it was “not remotely accurate,” she said. But since she is getting on and is sick of mopping all those floors, she recently put the Hartland Mansion up for sale, for $8.5 million.

Larry, who now runs an events company called Botanica Las Vegas with his partner, Michael Flach, lives in a town house in the suburbs, and Ms. Hart often stays at her condo at the Las Vegas Country Club. The 34-pound bedspread in her grand bedroom at the Hartland Mansion is too heavy for her, she said, and when she does stay there, she sleeps in a workroom littered with bills.

The only family member who still lives at Hartland full time is Garry, in a suite off limits to reporters and reportedly utterly free of pearls.

Fancy.

I am at a questionable hotel, stranded in Pittsburgh due to some flight cancellations. This is my bed. That thing draped near the foot of the bed should be a blanket, right?

IT'S JUST A STRIP OF HEMMED FABRIC. What is this? A dickey? A bed dickey? Seriously? A belt? A sash? A giant eye patch? A tourniquet? Does this have any purpose? Maybe to keep shoe scuffs off of the bed for people who, uh, don't take them off before taking a nap? I don't get it.

Keep it classy, Marriott!

Best Easter Holiday Destinations

It's not a good time of year for us Brits. We've been bombarded with rain, snow and generally freezing conditions for what seems like an age and everyone is starting to get a little bit fed up. Luckily, spring is on the way and in turn some slightly warmer weather - but just when you thought you could go back outside - you can put your house on constant showers over the next few months to wipe that little smile off your face. So it makes sense that a large number of us fancy jetting off for a bit around this time of year in order to get away from it all in the rainy limbo between winter and summer. And luckily for us, the Easter holidays fall in April providing a good excuse to leave the country - the first bank holiday of the year. So where are the best holiday destinations for the Easter period?

Well it depends on what you are after. Much of Europe will still be fairly mild around this time so it may still be worth considering somewhere slightly further afield if you're after a tan to show off to your mates. A recent survey suggest the following destinations are among the top choices at this time of year:

Crete - One of the most popular Greek islands, Crete boasts an excellent climate at this time of year meaning you should see some sun. It's beautiful sandy beaches are a huge draw to tourists, as well as the clear blue sea surrounding the island. The notoriously friendly locals, and the fantastic food and drink, help cement Crete as a top holiday destination in Easter. You can also book package holidays to Crete for cheap, especially if you go for last minute deals.

Muscat - Muscat is the capital city of Oman - an Arab country bordering the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, with a good stretch of coastline in the form of the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman. Muscat has experienced a rapid development in its infastructure in the last 30 years or so making it attractive to tourists. The average April highs of 34oC mean your pretty much guaranteed good weather and the area is filled with enchanting beaches. The city itself is great for tourists with some stunning architecture. It is worth researching the customs of Oman however - for example women should be fairly conservative with their clothing, and there are laws regarding drinking alcohol, however drinking in hotel bars etc is usually fine.


Beautiful St Lucia

St Lucia - A beautiful Caribbean island, St Lucia is an exotic choice for the Easter holidays. The island is draped in rainforest, and the mountainous peaks provide really exciting hiking and cycling oppurtunities. For a more relaxing holiday the stunning beaches and gentle seas are exactly what you would come to expect from a Caribbean island. And if you're planning a gorgeous Easter wedding (maybe next year!) then the island is quite simply picture perfect and perfect for couples.

Celebrity Blogging from Belize

It is not often we welcome a celebrity to our small lodge (Or ex-celebrity as our guest/friend Ray Cokes puts it). To read the old punk rockers musings on the pursuit of happiness, kangaroos testicles, his experience of Belize and his definition of contentment visit his page at : http://small-things.eu/?p=2043

Disco

Can't stop listening to this. It's so jumpsuit-and-Chloe-Sevigny-with-a-little-coke-on-her-nose.

Whale Shark Capital of the World Your Next Vacation Destination in the Philippines

Shark seeing will be among the highlights of that Philippines has to offer when you are planning to take a extreme vacation adventure in the Philippines. If you are intrigue to visit this popular tourist attraction for the whale sharks in the Philippines your destination is in Donsol, Sorsogon- the Whale Shark Capital of the World.

Donsol is a popular tourist destination for the whale sharks that can be seen in the bordering seas. Swimming with whale sharks was featured as the Best Animal Encounter in Asia by Time Magazine in 2004. Since the discovery of hundreds of whale sharks congregating in the town of Donsol, Sorsogon the place became a word of mouth passed on to every tourist exploring the Philippines. Their presence became a major income generator, as thousands arrive each season to swim and witness the friendly behavior of these giant fish, bringing high revenue to an economy initially reliant to fishing and cottage industry alone.


The presence of whale Sharks in the town of Donsol was known to the local residents over 100 years. But the locals believed these gentle giants where sharks and dangerous. This wrong notion changed when in January 1998, a group of scuba divers led by Romir Aglugub – a PADI diving instructor, discovered its presence, and interacted and came in contact with the Whale Sharks. Even the members of the diving group of Romir was having second thought if the fish is docile, until the instructor led the way into the water and came in contact with the whale shark.

Copy of video footage taken by the group was passed on to the media and the WWF-Philippines. The original amateur video is on file by the Instructor as proof of the first video recording of the Discovery. Contrary to the fears and hearsays this large whale shark “butanding” are harmless because it is a filter feeder. It was also discovered by a marine biologist that it is ovoviviparous which simply means that the female butanding produces live offspring from eggs hatched in her uterus. By March 1998, Donsol became world-class tourist destination and now known as the “Whale Shark Capital of the World”.

Whale sharks can be seen between November and June, with presence peaking between February and May. These gentle giants arrive from as early as November but the official season starts from February and runs until end of May, where the sea of Donsol is at its clearest and calmest. Local tourism officials and professional divers have established guidelines on proper whale shark watching intended to maintain safety and to defend the creatures from over exploitation. Iteraction with the whale sharks is regulated by the local Department of Tourism (DOT) office. WWF guidelines are generally observed to protect the sharks. Rules include limiting the number of swimmers per boat to six, no scuba divers and staying further than three meters from the sharks. In practice many of these rules are broken on a daily basis. As many as 14 boats at a time may 'mob' a shark, with up to 30 or 40 swimmers following the shark on the surface. Most sharks are touched at least once during every interaction, accidentally by brushing with the fins, or deliberately

Previous practiced by fishermen of hunting and plundering the stock of whale sharks as extra income because of the shark's high demand for their meat for the delicacies, aphrodisiac and the medicinal by-products was also a headache to the government. As to preserve its number, the Philippine government has banned this practice and declared the whale shark as an endangered species in 1998. In return the fishermen were educated about the value of whale sharks and trained as tour guides as their alternate livelihood especially during the fishing lean season. At the same time the government and the people are working hand in hand to protect the eco tourism of the country.

Already eager to take your shark seeing vacation destination in the Philippines? Surely you can personally see, swim and interact with these gentle giants. So here is a simple tips that might help when you reach the place: hire a boat, a spotter, find a shark and slip in the water along side the creature. No flash cameras are forbidden since flash photography are not allowed so don't bothered in looking for one and be sure you have your Scuba gears (rental is available) and snorkeling gears before going. The town of Donsol, Sorsogon, holds and celebrates Annual Butanding Festival in the month of April so it is also a good idea to visit the place during that period as to enjoy the party within the place.

More on Philippines' best tourist vacation destination.

A few things to discuss with you:

1. Let's talk about this lamp (image pilfered from HouseBeautiful.com). There's a problem here, right? I don't like it when I can see so much of the... what do you call it? You know what I am talking about. The shade is short. It's like the lamp is wearing clamdiggers or something.

Is there a rule of thumb about this sort of thing?





2. "I like to do this myself at least once a year. Take every last loose piece on every surface — photos, vases, candlesticks, books, magazines — whatever is cluttering up your vision and chances are you no longer even see. Put them on a counter in the kitchen, then redeploy in new arrangements. But only use half of them. Put the rest into a closet for a free shopping spree the next time around." -Jamie Drake

I am totally going to do this. One of these days, anyway.



3. It was sunny today. SUNNY. And warm-ish. First day we mowed the lawn since god knows when. Sun + early cherry blossoms + smell of grass = total bliss.

Did you watch?

Who watched How to Make It in America? (New HBO show produced by Mr. Entourage, Mark Wahlberg.)

HBO will let you watch the first episode on You Tube HERE. (You have to sign in first.)

The music is really good. In order to get suckers like me to talk about the show, HBO is offering up free download of show music HERE, provided you become a "fan" of the show on Facebook. It's worth it. Especially for Alec Blacc's "I Need a Dollar," which is also the theme song for the show.

I liked the show. Gawker does not. (Gawker hates everything, which is sort of its charm...)

The first episode is sort of slow and uneven, but the last 10 minutes started to go, and now that we know what Ben and Cam are up to, I am really excited for episode two.

Let me know what you think of it.

I'm excited to have a new show now that I have officially divorced Lost and The Office.

This comment just in about the previous post:

Discuss.

In other news, the Canlis cocktail "Our Lady of Thermidor" is hereby renamed "Our Lady of the Raging Hangover."

Your Thursday New York Times.

HERE.

I love the kitchen.

Discuss.

Lonny #3. Discuss.

HERE.

New Lonny out on Wed.

...says Michelle. Just FYI.


In other news, I'll be light on posts this week (again). New job and a never-ending painting project have been serving up too many distractions lately.


And for those of you who chimed in on THIS post, thank you so much. The winner is Benjamin Moore's "Simply White." The "cat-lady yellow" is now gone.

Belize Trip Review - Atlanta, USA, January 2010

"Still can't get over the great time I had in Belize...it is the most beautiful country from miraculous, wide and wondrous caves, incredible rain forests with cool creatures like howler monkeys and tarantulas. Jaguars and toucans...Caracol Mayan temples. The people, food and drinks!! What an experience" from Suzanne Perkins who brought the group from www.lotsofevents.com

January 2010
Atlanta, USA

Belize Trip Review - New York, USA - Lesley Thompson - Jan 2010

I just wanted to thank you to you and your amazing staff for truly giving us a special vacation. The warmth and hospitality of your staff are unmatched. Karen and David make you feel right at home and make sure all of the details are taken care of. And Wani was such a wonderful cook and always brought our food with such a charming smile.

We absolutely loved all of our excursions. It is hard to pick which was our favorite. The ATM was such a great way to start. Wow!! is about all I can say. The kayaking was a really great way to see the country, learn about the wildlife and plant-life. Felt so relaxed after. The cave tubing and zip-lines were fun. And the Black Hole Drop - - that was exhilarating. My husband and I LOVED spending the night in the cave. That was spectacular and will be one of the most treasured nights on our life.

Thank you again. We are already talking of coming again and this time bringing our kids. They will love it!!

New York, USA
Lesley Thompson

Jan 2010

Advice.

I came home and overheard the man giving this advice to his son:

"Well, you don't really have the right to look at somebody if they look like they might stab you."