No…more…pah…

 T. J. : We are planning an intervention.

Japan: Land of…

 The fearless group of Artful Dodger Travel Correspondents traveled to the beautiful land of Japan. Here are some photos from their trip. Japan is a land of…

Geishas

Serene temples

Incredibly Confusing Toilets

and Kenny G.?

Another awesome theme park: Dickens World!

Not only is there going to be a Harry Potter theme park, but there is already a Dickens World! Just opened in May 2007, it’s located in Kent, England. It’s like the Theme Park Gods are making my dreams come true. I wonder if there is a character actor walking around as the Artful Dodger!!??

Now if only there were a Louis Vuitton world… well actually you can visit the Louis Vuitton Museum in Asnieres, France, 25 minutes outside of Paris. Or you can just go to the Champs Elysees LV store, aka “The Mothership.”

Five Essential Tips to Losing Weight

Eat less and exercise more. It’s that simple. Trendy diets are a waste of time- your body needs carbs to function properly. Losing weight is hard work and takes time and energy, but these five tips will help you on your way:

1. EAT BREAKFAST. Numerous studies have shown that thinner people eat breakfast. Skipping meals only slows down your metabolism and this makes you overeat at your next meal.

2. Drink water- lots of it. If you feel hungry, drink a glass of water; often we mistake hunger for thirst. If you are still hungry, then eat. Drink 8 glasses of water throughout the day to keep your body functioning at its best.

3. Keep a food journal for one week. Write down every single thing that you eat. Most people underestimate how much they actually eat.

4. Weigh yourself once a day in the morning and record it on www.fitday.com. This is a great website; you can enter in your exercise for the day, say 30 minutes on the treadmill at 3mph, and it will tell you how many calories you burned. You can also enter exactly what you ate, and it will tell you how many calories, fats, protein, and carbs you ate.

5. Incorporate exercise into your daily life. Exercise should be fun- not feel like a chore. A little bit here and there adds up. Try taking the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator. In summer, go for a walk, rollerblade, or swim. In winter try skiing, try a workout video, or sign up for a dance class in your area.

Stay away from diet pills or herbal supplements of any kind (unless prescribed by a doctor). They are not approved by the FDA, and have been shown to cause a wide range of health problems, including heart attacks and can even kill you. Don’t go for the quick fix. The only tried and true way to lose weight and keep it off is by diet and exercise.

Good luck!

Movie Review: The Namesake

I highly recommend The Namesake. Based on the novel by Jhumpa Lahiri, winner of the 2000 Pulitzer Prize, The Namesake follows the Ganguli family from Calcutta to New York.

Starring Kal Penn (Harold and Kumar go to White Castle) as Gogol, the beautiful Indian singer/actress Tabu as his mother, and Irfan Kahn as his father. Directed by Mira Nair (Vanity Fair and Monsoon Wedding).

The story begins in 1970’s Calcutta, India. Ashima and Asook marry and move to New York City. Ashima has a difficult time adjusting to American life, but her loving relationship with her husband smooths the transition. We see their children grow up. Gogol, their eldest son, has a major identity crisis. He is Indian and American and neither- caught between his family and Indian tradition, and the rebellious need to be free, Gogol also has an intense desire to fit into American society. He dates a blonde, WASPy girl named Sam who means well but simply doesn’t understand him. A classic scene is at a party at Sam’s parents’ house, where Sam’s mother introduces him to another guest as “a wonderful Indian architect.” The guest asks Gogol if he was born in India, and talks about a girlfriend that went to India. Gogol can’t be viewed as simply an architect, he is that “Indian architect.” Gogol and Sam later break up, but Gogol finds out in a relationship with a Bengali woman that shared culture is not enough for a successful, loving relationship either.

“We all came out of Gogol’s Overcoat.” Read Gogol’s famous short story here: The Overcoat.

Artful Dodger rating: 4 out of 5 cookies

Amarante is here!

Amarante Vernis items are finally available for sale at Louis Vuitton. Go to Eluxury.com to check them out. This color is divine- a rich dark cherry- and it will make a fabulous fall/winter bag. I can’t decide which I love more- Pomme D’Amour or Amarante…

I’ve been tagged!

Grace has tagged me- check out her interesting and beautifully designed site!

Here are the rules:

Each player starts with 7 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to then report this on their own blog with their 7 things as well as these rules. They then need to tag 7 others and list their names on their blog. They are also asked to leave a comment for each of the tagged, letting them know they have been tagged and to read the blog.

Here are 7 random facts about me:

1. My favorite author is Charles Dickens (hence my nickname)
2. I auditioned for Jeopardy! – still waiting for the callback…
3. I have a slight obsession with Louis Vuitton- I know, you never would have been able to figure that one out on your own.
4. My darling husband and I are celebrating our second wedding anniversary soon.
5. My favorite food is Indian.
6. I’m a vegetarian- no meat, chicken or fish, but I do eat eggs and milk. But I’m not a preachy vegetarian, I swear!
7. I like to sing along to commercial jingles.

I am tagging: So Fash’on, The Clotheshorse, I Must Be Dreaming, Self Publishing on the Go, The Sartorialist, I Hate Generic, The Daily Obsession.

Schadenfreude

Pronunciation: 'shä-d^&n-"froi-d&
Function: noun
Usage: often capitalized
Etymology: German, from Schaden damage + Freude joy
: enjoyment obtained from the troubles of others

ex. Paris Hilton being sent back to jail to serve out the rest of her sentence fills me with a smug sense of Schadenfreude.

Fantabulous Gucci Sale

The Gucci sale is now online! Go to www.gucci.com
and check it out- there are some incredible deals on there. Happy shopping!

Here are some great items still on the website:

Bamboo flat pumps in fucshia floral canvas orig. $395, now $239

Hollywood heel in sand suede orig. $510 now $309

Bouvier medium hobo. This is a timeless classic. Shown in white Guccissima leather- was $1,250 now $719

What I’m watching on TV (that you should be too)

1) The Simple Life Goes to Camp- Trust me, there is nothing more hilarious than watching a 90-pound Nicole Ritchie giving a 300-pound man an enema. At first, I thought the producers were pretty sadistic sending these stick-thin, gorgeous girls to a fat camp, but the campers seem to like them just fine! Especially since P & N sneak off the camp with the fat campers and buy trashbags full of candy. And Nicole, god love her, brings a flaming red Chanel classic flap bag with her to the rustic camp. Watch some scenes here: http://www.eonline.com/on/shows/simplelife/index.jsp

E! channel, Sundays at 10:00PM EST

2) Rob and Big- Reality show about a famous skater, Rob Dyrdek, and his bodyguard, “Big Black”. Favorite episodes so far- Rob finds Big making breakfast one morning (bacon and eggs) while he’s eating a pre-breakfast of a burger. Rob tries to get Big to lose some of his 416-lb bulk. Another great one- Rob gets a mini-horse as a pet, so Rob and Big play Will Smith’s “Wild Wild West” soundtrack, get all dressed up in cowboy gear and dance around, and keep the horse in the living room.

Tuesdays at 10:30 PM EST on MTV, but they play repeats on weekends. Check out past episodes here: http://www.mtv.com/ontv/dyn/rob_and_big/series.jhtml

I bel.. I bleeve you have my stapler?

From http://icanhascheezburger.com/

Waiting for the Wii…

Well we have ordered the Nintendo Wii and are anxiously awaiting its arrival. I feel like Eric Cartman in this episode of South Park:

Watch Future Cartman call himself in the past here- hilarious: Cartman Calls Himself – video powered by Metacafe

Dying to play this game: Rayman Raving Rabbids

Louis Vuitton Vernis Sunset Boulevard in Amarante

Amarante is finally here! This speaks for itself. Amarante is supposed to be available in stores on June 15- more info to come. This is a new clutch called the Sunset Boulevard, shown here in Amarante Vernis:
Also check out this website: www.let-trade.com for great deals on secondhand authentic Louis Vuitton items.

Harry Potter mania!! Books and movies and theme parks, oh my!

Complete Harry Potter overload!

Coming in late 2009- Harry Potter Theme Park in Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida. Read more about it here.

July 11- “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” movie hits theaters. See the trailer here.

July 21-“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” book hits bookstores- preorder yours now on www.amazon.com . My official prediction: Dumbledore isn’t really dead, Snape is really good and helps Harry find the horcruxes, Harry and Voldemort fight, Voldemort dies, Snape dies