CommonGate has dozens of fabulous photographs of Shusaku Arakawa’s awesomely innovative housing project in the Mitaka suburb of Tokyo. The project called Reversible Destiny Lofts is meant to be anything but comfortable and serene. The surroundings are meant to stimulate, invigorate and drive creativity. The outside of the lofts (left) remind me of a Japanese cartoon– so great! Be sure to check out Arakawa’s Architecture Against Death site as well for more info.

It’s business as usual over at Monsieur T. as the Portland company (known for their uncommon and nicely under-produced streetwear) gears up for Spring/Summer 2007 with some great new designs. They’ve welcomed several new designers to the team this season, adding to their already stellar line-up of a wide range of artists from diverse mediums. Monseiur T is still right up there with Threadless in the pursuit of the anti-tee (a.k.a. an un-basic basic), so if rare yet comfortable shirts are your thing, definitely spend some time checking out their new line. This Mondrian inspired design is my favorite for guys; just mix in a pair of comfy jeans, a rooftop bar, a little sunshine, and voila! Summer!

I have mixed feelings about subways. From one perspective, they’re one of the best places we have for musing and people watching; however, it’s also important to note that feeling comfortable in such an undeniably “underground” setting is tough, to say the least. Until I saw these pictures of the subway system in Stockholm, I hadn’t considered that the reason behind my feeling unnatural could have more to do with the way we try to cover up that fact than the actual fact itself. Normally, when I see pictures of subway systems, the words that come to mind are “dirty,” “fast-paced,” and “necessary evil,” but these pics invoke a sense of adventure- they’re even warming, much like how I feel when I look at pictures of homey mountain cabins (I never would have thought that could be a subway association). Ultimately, I responded to this subway in the same way that I respond to art, a fact that almost leaves me speechless just for the fact that it’s a SUBWAY. There are always perks to honesty, and by letting the natural underground setting show through, it appears as though Stockholm warded off the general feelings of displacement subways are typically known for.

Square One. It reminds me of a show I used to watch as a kid on PBS. It reminds Jamie of Coldplay. When you get down to it, Square One Organic Vodka is really like no other vodka you’ve had before. Square One Organic Vodka has very crisp notes with a subtle finish, making it a great base for a complex drink as well as superb stand-alone standard. Its overall pureness is the result of the organic process done right. Square One uses 100% certified organic American rye, water from the Teton Mountains and a unique process. The Square One process includes “proprietary organic fermentation techniques, four-column distillation and classic filtration methods” which makes me give a hip-hip-hooray for getting back to the basics. It’s silky, it’s smooth and should be a 007 co-star next time Hollywood decides to make a Bond Movie.