Hollywood bites

Last week was marked by a sudden and uncharacteristic bout of depression, which began sometime around Wednesday and lasted until Sunday.

During this time I existed under a cloud of gloom so heavy that I was walking with a stoop. A veil had dropped and the world became a pretty crappy place by all accounts, populated by grim people.

I longed for smiling faces, for a sign that someone, at least, was enjoying themselves.

That must be why I watched Forgetting Sarah Marshall twice. I know this is essentially a film about a bloke who has had his heart broken by a sour faced blonde ex (we've all had them) but in my bout of melancholy the gags and the smile of Mila Kunis (pictured) were like beacons of hope. And it's got a happy ending.

The trouble is, the humour of this movie, and the laugh they seemed to have had making it, brought on anxiety like I had never experienced before. I became overwhelmed by the feeling that I was missing out on all this fun to be had in Hollywood. Life was passing me by. I could not leave it a moment longer - I would have to go over there.

So by Friday I had decided that we should no longer live in England (I would take Lizzie and her smile with me, whether she likes it or not).

The upshot of this is that our Managing Editor has an application on her desk for the position of LA Correspondent and if I had seen the job of anchorman for KTLA TV a little sooner I would probably have applied for that, too. I also know the best neighbourhoods to live in, what the traffic is like and that the sun shines for 340 days of the year.

By Saturday, day three of the depression, I had been through a blow-by-blow re-run of sad stuff and tried to find my dog's ashes on a hill. I had also researched the best place to stay in LA (Chateau Marmont).

If it had gone on any longer I would probably have booked a flight. But when I woke up on Sunday my cloud had lifted.

The cause of that episode? I reckon it has to be the antihistamine pill I took for horsefly bites. Depression and anxiety are known side effects.

I might add to that a desire to go to Hollywood. Which still seems to be in my system.

Adidas Star Wars Chewbacca: Look what they did to the wookie

I honestly thought Adidas would have moved on from this whole 'Star Wars realised through the medium of footwear' thing, but it looks like they're going to milk it a little bit more.

Look at these. Chewbacca? Granted the wookie was a legend, but these are just wrong. Maybe it's the fur. Is that supposed to be his eyebrows?

Kanye West: Nice shoes, shame about the whistle

I don't know if this is a good thing or not. Kanye West can credit himself with some catchy tunes, but he is a bit of a nutter, and the stuff he's done with Louis Vuitton doesn't bear thinking about.

But there he is hopping round the stage in a pair of Visvim Shaman Folk. And a pink suit. You wouldn't think it would go.

I suppose it says a lot for those shoes.

Image via Kanyewest.us

Saturday in the City

Took a little wander through the city on the way back from Spitalfields last Saturday. Not a soul about, apart from a few tourists. Sort of peaceful really.

Visvim Bickle: The grey days cometh

I've had this Visvim Bickle hanging in the wardrobe for a few weeks now, due to the absence of any sufficiently inclement weather to wear it.

But this being England I haven't had too long to wait. The mercury is heading south, the clouds are brewing, and pretty soon those benefits of 3 layer Goretex technology will be called into action.

The chap who sold it to me said he regarded it as a work of art, which is a killer sales pitch if I ever heard one, but I have to say I'm inclined to agree with him.

I can see a great, if rather grey, future together.

London: the glorious East

Found myself round Spitalfields and Brick Lane way last week, always good for a few shots.

I should thank Nath for the pic of the church, I was facing the other way when he spotted the sun on it.

Those of you familiar with Brick Lane and Shoreditch High Street will recognise a few of these places. I was quite impressed with the Conor Harrington near the Truman Brewery. That would have required a bit of nifty ladder work.

Outlier tops: How to stay cool in New York

You can just imagine what the heat must be like in New York right now, which must present the city's legion cyclists with a bit of a dilemma in turns of looking cool and actually staying cool while they're negotiating the mean streets.

But help is at hand in the form of Outlier. It's New York's answer to Rapha and provides well-cut cycling gear without making you look like a lemon, and that's physically as well as metaphorically.

The latest offerings offer some respite from the NY heat - a merino vest for the ladies and some slick shorts and tees for the chaps. Perfect for allowing that breeze to get to the bits they ought to.

But Outlier haven't scrimped on the technicality - the merino is 17.5 microns, which means it wicks the moisture away almost before you get the chance to sweat it out, and the shorts will take anything you can throw at them, including a refreching dip in some sewage after breaking into a boat.