1) My gladiator sandals: I’m milking this whole “When we were in Europe…” intro to conversations for as long as I can (and feeling like an expiration date is approaching), so let me just say, when we were in Europe, I fell in love with and had to buy this pair of sandals. The sandals worn on the feet of European women? Yeah, YOU CAN’T FIND ‘EM HERE. Believe me, I’ve tried. I could have bought and filled another suitcase with all the shoes I fell in love with there, but it feels special having come home with this one pair. Which I hope I can wear for the next 10 years to continue the streak of nonchalantly being all, “Oh, these? Well, you know, I bought them in Paris.”And BTW, if European women are still rocking gladiator sandals, well, I figure I’ve got at least three more years’ worth of mileage on the trend here in the states. Right?

2) Inception: Nick and I saw this film on a double date this week and IT BLEW MY MIND. No really, I felt like I had to pick up the bits that were left after we saw it. It was THAT confusing, that complex, but also, that amazing. We talked/argued/talked and argued some more for about an hour post-viewing on all the loop holes that make up this film, but I love Christopher Nolan and love slipping into a movie where I have to think for a change. Which, I can assure you, doesn’t happen much with a viewing of, say, Eclipse. Unless I’m thinking of how much I’d like to see Edward with his shirt off for a change.

3) Frommer’s Day by Day guidebooks: If you’ve ever traveled with me, you know I don’t leave the house without one of these guides (which happen to fit oh so nicely in a pocket of a ShootSac). All the smart phones in the world can’t replicate the simplicity of a well-made pocket guide and I think Frommer’s are the best (full disclosure here: I occasionally do a bit of copyediting for the company). Check to see if the next city you visit has one in stock and I promise it’ll be the best $13 you spend the whole trip! (Unless you’re in Europe, in which case, it will be that hazelnut gelato you had in Rome).

4) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series: I won’t be able to think of this vacation without thinking of how I devoured the three books in this series in all the downtime we had in airports, train stations and hotels along the way. I’m not usually up for books heavy on violence and crime, but curiosity got to me with these novels by Stieg Larsson and I’m so glad it did. I just couldn’t put ‘em down. If you’re looking for a fast-paced read with one of the most intriguing heroines in contemporary fiction, I highly recommend.

5) Nutella: One more time before I become a giant pain-in-the-you-know-what with this, but when we were in Europe (cringe), Nick and I developed a unhealthy obsession with Nutella. They love this spread over there the way we Americans love our peanut butter. But you know what? NUTELLA IS SOOO MUCH BETTER. Since we’ve been back, Nick and I have put this stuff on croissants, bagels, toast, waffles, bananas …basically anything edible in our kitchen. As he stood there with the jar, Nick paused mid-lick to ask the (very good) question of “How come it took us so long to discover this goodness?!!” To which I couldn’t help but agree. It’s seriously that yummy. Don’t believe me? Grab a slice of bread and give it a try.

2) Aasics Onitsuka Tiger sneakers — I don’t want to own up to the number of hours I’ve spent trying to find sneakers for Nick and I to bring to Europe that are comfortable and don’t scream, “HEY EVERYBODY, I’M AN AMERICAN!!!!” Nick doesn’t understand this fixation of mine (the other day he joked about sneaking an American flag T-shirt into his suitcase—OHNOHEDIDN’T), but what can I say… I want to look cool. And if I can sneak in a cute pair of treads (don’t they call them trainers in England? HA!), all the better. Having tested these out during my recent NYC visit, this pair definitely passes the test!

3) Oscillococcinum — Osci whhhhaaaatttttttttt????? Last month, with all the traveling I was doing, I started to find myself feeling REALLY run down. Knowing I couldn’t get sick before my trips out east, I hit the Interweb to find ways to hold off a cold or the flu. That’s when I stumbled across this stuff. Is it for real? I don’t know .. I’m not a doctor. All I can say is that I’m not sure I could have survived these past eight weeks without it. And that, when I’m taking it, I seriously do feel better. Maybe my belief it’s making me better is all in my head, but better that than a cold!

4) Griffin House’s “The Learner” — Griffin is one of my FAVORITE musicians and I’ve been waiting for him to release new material for TWO years now! I got to see him in concert back in 2009 and he did not disappoint. It’s so hard nowadays to find artists who are amazing song writers, whose words stick with you (even stir your soul a little), and Griffin’s work does that for me. BIG TIME. “The Learner” does NOT disappoint. (The words to “River City Lights” are SO beautiful.) Do yourself a favor and check out his work. I promise you’ll fall in love with his sound too! (oh, and he’s a Midwesterner too… )

5) Little Bee by Chris Cleave — I’d heard good things about this book and its cover intrigued (I’m such a sucker for well-designed book covers), so when I found myself at an airport bookstore, I was drawn to this book like, well, a bee to honey (pun totally intended here folks ) Oh.my.goodness. This story totally sucked me in. Want to make eight hours of air travel and airport madness fly by in a blink? Find a good book to dig into. Poetic and haunting with characters you won’t forget, I couldn’t put it down. (I was seriously trying to finish the last few pages on the shuttle back to my car!)

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And then you’re like, “I have GOT to tell someone about this.” And then you email your best friend at work and are all, “You’ve gotta check this out.” And sometimes that Web site is, you know, just pictures of Robert Pattinson on the set of his newest movie. But sometimes, well…sometimes it’s something bigger. Something you want to share with more than just the person who shares your celebrity crush.

And so it is I’m introducing to y’all Pictorymag.com. I learned about this site from my co-worker’s wife when we all traveled together last month to NYC. She had mentioned that their current story project was on NYC and so I clicked on over and within minutes—from the quotes to the stories to the images—I was just mesmerized by what was in front of me. But don’t take my word for it … if you’ve got 5 minutes (heck, better give yourself 15—it’s THAT kind of site and every one of these story projects is so so cool), check it out.

Here are a few shots that grabbed me in their most recent project:

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1) Simply Vera Vera Wang dress pants from Kohl’s

These pants float my boat in a major, major way. With wedding season in full swing, I’m donning a pair every weekend and I love how well they are made, how they fit, how they’re not 100 percent sweat-inducing polyester. And the best part? I’ve washed my pairs (yes, I have several, I love ‘em that much) multiple times and they come out of the dryer every single time with a crease that would leave a seamstress at an ironing board breathless.

2) The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

This book was SO fascinating. It’s the story of Henrietta Lacks, a black woman and mother of five who died in 1951 of cervical cancer. Doctors took pieces of her tumor without her consent and those cells (known as HeLa cells) launched today’s multi-billion biotech industry. Lacks’ family never saw a dime from their mother’s medical contributions and none of them could afford their own health care. Skloot poured her heart and soul into this book and earning this family’s trust and my respect for her as a journalist makes this one of the best works of non-fiction I’ve ever read.

3) Stacy’s Pita Chips and Sabra Hummus

There are folks out there who open say, a bag of Doritos or a pint of Ben and Jerry’s and find they can’t stop eating until the bag or carton is empty. That’s kind of how I feel about these chips and this hummus. Gooooooooooooodddddd stuff!

4) New albums from Josh Ritter and The National

Two of my favorite musical artists released new albums in May. Josh Ritter’s folk-rock sound steals my heart (if you’re a Dylan or Springsteen fan, you’d love him) and if you’ve never heard the baritone of The National’s lead singer Matt Berninger, then you’re missing out on one of the most unique and distinctive voices in music today.

5) Escalate Live

A two-day conference with the likes of Dane Sanders, Becker, Jasmine Star, Jessica Claire and Jerry Ghionis? Count me in! Well, “in” thanks to their free Web stream. Because I missed out on a lot of it, I’m checking out the video on demand option so I can watch (and rewatch) this crew give out a healthy dose of advice and encouraging words. If you need your own nuggets of inspiration, vision and creativity, you should check it out too!

See more of Gail’s work at www.gailwernerphoto.com. Friend Gail on Facebook. Follow Gail on Twitter.

1) NBC’s Parenthood

A few weeks ago I was laid up sick on the couch and NBC’s Parenthood came to rescue me. To say I love this show is putting it mildly. I mean, I REALLLLYYYY love this show. In a way I’ve only loved one other family drama, my favorite of all time—The Wonder Years. Great cast (Peter Krause is such a great actor) with storylines that tug at the heartstrings and a line-up of music that has me scrambling to find songs on the Internet after every episode. Here’s one from a recent episode I’m still obsessing over. The best news? It just got picked up for a second season. YES!

2) Laura Marling’s new CD, I Speak Because I Can

A Brit barely out of her teens, Miss Marling has a voice that just speaks to me. Soft and sorrowful, it’s been the reason I’ve been giving her new CD LOTS of listens as of late. Check it out with a first listen yourself. Standout tracks: “Rambling Man,” “Blackberry Stone,” and “Goodbye England.”

3) My neti pot

I’ve used one of these for about four years now and, as someone with seasonal allergies, I can attest they do really work. The problem is, they might work a little TOO well. I’d gotten out of the habit of using mine since I no longer was dealing with allergies but whooooaaaa boy did my laziness get me in trouble! Earlier this month, I got hit HARD with a sinus infection. Hard enough that as I laid there on the couch with my head feeling as though it was in a vice, I promised that neti pot of mine I’d never leave it behind again!

4) A Year of Mornings
What a beautiful little book … a gift from a friend, I recently took the time to sit down with this slim little volume and pour over its contents and I just felt so satisfied/relaxed/creatively inspired for having done so. Perfect addition to your coffee table and a great idea when you need a cool “something” for a special “someone” in your life. Love it!

5) Date Night
Ooooh you guys, I laughed SOOO hard at this movie. Like, my-stomach-hurt-until-I-went-to-bed-that-night hard. If you love Steve Carrell and Tina Fey and HAVEN’T seen this movie yet, well, get thee to a theater PRONTO And if you HAVE seen it (and giggled your bootie off), well, I have two words for you: Sex Robots. HA!

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2) My Keel’s Simple Diary: Another fab birthday present that offers a twist on traditional journaling, it’s had me giggling lots in recent days. Consider the first entry, in which you’re asked the following:

Your day was (only choose one): (   ) a party.  (    ) a U-turn.  (   ) a smarty.

Or discovering quotes like this:

You like potato, I like potahto, we like French fries.

If you get one of these for a friend, I promise you you’ll be that cool gal who gets remembered as the person who giveth the best gifts. In this case, Michelle, this happens to be you

3) Jamie Oliver & his Food Revolution: I know what you’re thinking … it’s not healthy for me to say I love another man the way I love Jamie Oliver ’cause, you know, I’m a MARRIED WOMAN. But when I make meals for Nick from Jamie’s Food Revolution cookbook, well, he’s all “I LOVE JAMIE TOO!” I’m working on getting him just as psyched as I am for Friday night’s 2-hour premiere of Jamie’s Food Revolution reality show on ABC. (and great news for non-cable folks, you can watch it online too!) I am a HUGE fan of what Jamie is trying to do in this country. Now that the First Lady is right there backing him up, I hope we start to see real change in this country as far as what we put on our tables. It’s time to teach everybody to cook for themselves. I’ll get behind that!

4) She & Him’s Volume Two: Good grief if I talk any more about this duo, I may have a restraining order slapped on me by Zooey Deschanel’s attorneys, but for real, I.cannot.get.enough.of.their.sound. If you swap out Bret and Jemaine for Zooey and M. Ward you’d have me as Mel from Flight of the Conchords. Stand-out tracks on their new album, Volume Two, (which dropped today): Thieves, Don’t Look Back, Home, Gonna Get Along Without You Now (ah-huh, mm hmm) 

5) Fantastic Mr. Fox: I know Up took home the Oscar, and I loved that film too. But in the high school cafeteria of the cartoon world, Up’s the school body president who’s also captain of the football team and pretty predictable in his Pixar-ness. Fantastic Mr. Fox, on the other hand, is that quirky fella with the guitar in the corner, who draws cool stuff in art class and comes up with the one-liners that make you laugh. I don’t purchase a lot of movies (let alone cartoons) but this one, out today on DVD, will make its way into the Werners’ DVD collection. One of the best films I saw in the theater in 2009.

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1) This season of The Bachelor

Guilty confession: If I would let myself, I’d get horribly hooked on every craptastic reality show there is out there. When we had cable (notice the past tense), I got sucked in to the worst of the worst. For hours at a time. I’m talking GIRLS NEXT DOOR, PEOPLE! I’m sure if we had MTV, I’d be watching Jersey Shore.

Stuck now with the networks, there’s still one old reality habit I can’t kick and it’s watching the occasional season of The Bachelor. Why? I seriously have no idea. It’s trite, cliched and just plain awful television. And yet, when it’s on, I’m suddenly all, “Oh no she didn’t” and “Could these girls BE any more fake?!” So, for those who are fellow viewers, who do you think Jake’s going to pick? I was SO rooting he’d take Ali back (she was my fave), but after this week’s episode, for some strange reason, I’m now pulling for the person I h-a-t-e-d from the get-go: Vienna. Again, I’ll echo what I said before with a Why? I seriously have no idea. Maybe it’s ’cause she’s got that crazy eye.

2) Pureology shampoo and conditioner

Folks, this stuff is not cheap; I’ll be the first to admit that. But I buy one bottle of each for an ENTIRE YEAR to get me by, so I figure if other girls can buy handbags and shoes, I can invest in the one type of shampoo and conditioner that makes my hair feel like I could just *maybe* pull off starring in a hair-care commercial. The kind where they frollick in fields and swing their tresses around like they don’t have a care in the world. ‘Cause we all want that kind of life, right?

For real, this stuff is liquid gold (especially if you color your hair). The fact I’m almost out of my yearly stash means I’ve been trying to milk every last drop out of those plastic tubes (which have been hanging upside down, toppling out of my shower caddy for 2 months now).

3) “Bright Star”

I watched this film earlier this month and it darn near took my breath away. If you’re a sucker for anything Jane Austen-ish (aka, all things romantical about bygone eras), it’ll probably grab you too. I’m not sure what I loved most about it. An incredible true love story portrayed by two awesome actors (Abbie Cornish was robbed of an Oscar nom, I’m tellin’ ya), shot in the most BEAUTIFUL locations, it made me think about romance in a time of true courtship and how much sentiment can be wrapped up in a few words on a page.

Unfortunately, I still can’t “get” poetry. Sigh.

4) OmmWriter

I have Dane Sanders to thank for the introduction to this one. OmmWriter is a free app for your Mac (sorry PC folks) that lets you mentally get your ommmm on with soothing music. I like to listen to, you know, stuff with words most of the time while I’m editing , but when I’ve got a deadline I’m facing or something I have to concentrate on while writing, I turn this program on. It’s been a lifesaver at the office for cranking out policy documents! Great way to get your concentrate on if somewhere along the way, Twitter/Facebook/TV has caused you to lose it.

5) Diane Birch’s “Bible Belt”

This woman can sing. And sing. And SING SOME MORE. This is her first album and that fact alone blows my mind. She sings like someone who’s had her fair share of gigs behind old pianos crammed in smoky bars — so in other words, this is a gal with a voice beyond her years.

Give her a listen whydon’tcha? (and thanks to my former student Hillary for turning me on to this gal!)

Fave tracks: Valentino, Rise Up, Photograph, Mirror Mirror and Ariel

Which leads me to this, your first installment of my “What I’m Lovin’ Round-up”. Up for the first take:

1) Coconut Records

I cannot stop listening to these tunes! If you’ve seen Rushmore, I Heart Huckabees or The Royal Tennenbaums, chances are you’re familiar with Jason Schwartzman THE ACTOR. But, folks, y’all really need an introduction to Jason Schwartzman THE SINGER. He performs under the name Coconut Records and to say I’ve spent the month of January obsessed with his work would be an understatement akin to saying the iPad is, you know, “kinda” cool . The song below is my personal fave track, but give either of his albums a listen over on Lala.com and let me know if you like. Stand-out tracks: “Wires,” “The Summer,” “Slowly,” “Mama” and “The Thanks I Get.”

2) How I Met Your Mother

My friend Tracy introduced me to HIMYM about a year ago (she always told me she thought Ted looks like Nick and I dig, I dig … ) I was all, “Yeah, yeah, but I realllllly don’t need another TV show sucking my will to live.” THEN I got the first and second season on DVD. And didn’t move my butt from the couch for an entire weekend. From there it was on to Seasons 3, 4 and now, 5. My own HIMYM DVDs have been on a rotating “interdepartmental” loan with colleagues in my office as I think I’ve told every person I work with to watch it. And those who take the bite? Well, they too, skip a weekend’s worth of homework and housecleaning because you JUST.CAN’T.STOP.WATCHING. For those who are fellow HIMYM fans, share a favorite episode with me in the comments. My favorites always involve anything to do with a SlapBet or Robin Sparkles (Non-viewers, any chance you’re curious now? )

3) Dawn Landes

Ever zone out in front of the TV and all of a sudden, some commercial comes on and you sit up and pay attention ’cause suddenly you’re all WHO IS THAT SINGING? Well thank you Chrysler Town and Country for my introduction to this gal. “Straight Lines” (the song in the commercial) is fab, but it’s another track that’s been stuck in my head off Dawn’s debut CD, which came out last week, and that’s “Romeo.” Check out the video below. Bonus cool points for Dawn: She’s married to my FAVORITE folk singer, Mister Josh Ritter.

4) Victoria Secret’s Beauty Rush lip gloss

I usually am a Burt’s Bees or Bonne Bell kind of gal when it comes to this kind of stuff, but the other night I went out to see a movie with some gals, one of whom had on this superfab gloss that was, well, distracting. BECAUSE IT LOOKED AND SMELLED SO AWESOME. A few days later and a trip to the House of Pink and suddenly I’m sporting it too.

5) Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

I first read this book a few years ago and just fell for it. HARD. With its Depression-era circus plot and one heck of a love triangle, it was hard NOT to get swept up in the storyline. And of course, I couldn’t help but immediately start visualizing who’d play the key characters in a big screen adaptation (my vote had always gone for Ryan Gosling or Jake Gyllenhaal to play Jacob and Scarlett Johansson to play Marlena).  But this week, I heard that Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson are closing in on starring in the film and well, HELLLLOOOOOOOO HOT STUFF. I’ll go see those two in this in a heartbeat. So check the book out first if you haven’t yet. It’s hard NOT to fall in love with it!

So here it is. While I’m at it, I’m gonna share each one of these albums with you by introducing you to Lala.com. This site does for music in 2009 what Pandora did for music in 2007. As in, GIVES US ENTIRE ALBUMS TO LISTEN TO FOR FREE. Seriously, if you haven’t already, spend 5 minutes on that site and try not to fall in love with how it works. If you decide you love Lala too, make sure to find me on there (search for Gail W.) and I’ll share all sorts of music with you in 2010. ‘Cause that’s what I love to do. You know, share. Lots.

Oh and make sure to hit me with some of your fave tunes of 2009 in the comments section ‘kay?

(EDITED: If you’re viewing this post in a feed reviewer (like Google Reader), the Lala track lists that let you listen to the music may not show up. So try clicking on the entry to see ‘em and you’ll be set!!)

10. Monsters of Folk by Monsters of Folk
This is an album created by some of my favorite artists — Jim James from My Morning Jacket, Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis from Bright Eyes and M. Ward. I pretty much KNEW before I even heard it that I’d love the thing and yup, the boys did NOT disappoint!

FAVE TRACKS: Baby Boomer (oh M. Ward, I love your voice), Ahead of the Curve, The Sandman, The Brakeman and Me

9. Bitte Orca by Dirty Projectors

I’m not usually one to fall hard for experimental music. But there was just something about this group that stuck with me. Upon first listen, I didn’t like this album. At all. But the more I gave it a chance, the more rewarding I found it. Beautiful harmonies, crazy dissonance, and awesome guitar picking add up to a really really unique sound. Oh, and a really cool album cover!

FAVE TRACKS: Temecula Sunrise, Stillness is the Move

8. Manners by Passion Pit

Oh this band is just fun. FUN. FUN. FUN. This album became my go-to listen when I needed a pick-me-up. You know, to get ready. Or to clean the house. Or just to find the energy to power through one more hour of editing at the computer.

FAVE TRACKS: Make Light, Little Secrets, The Reeling

7. Middle Cyclone by Neko Case

This is a woman who can do no wrong in my book. Every song on this album is just exquisite. She has a beautiful twang to her voice and I love the way she experiments with the arrangements of her music.

FAVE TRACKS: This Tornado Loves You, The Pharoahs, People Got a Lotta Nerve (I’m a man, man, man eater – great lyrics

6. Strict Joy by The Swell Season
What is there to say about Glen and Marketa that I didn’t already sum up in this post? I feel blessed to have watched this act perform live in ‘09. I will never forget it. Passion to the core, those two.

FAVE TRACKS: Low Rising, In These Arms, I Have Loved You Wrong

5. Oh My God, Charlie Darwn by The Low Anthem
I had never heard of this band before this year and I have Paste Magazine to thank for the find. Beautiful lyrics to their music, a lush sound, and yet, a band that can let loose too. I almost got to see these guys live in Indy. Fingers crossed for 2010.

FAVE TRACKS: Charlie Darwin, To Ohio, To the Ghosts Who Write History Books

4. First Day of Spring by Noah and the Whale

I loved this Brit band’s first album from ‘08 so much, I couldn’t wait to hear what they had in store for ‘09. I expected pep, but this album instead is one of the most beautiful break-up albums I’ve ever heard. When I needed to just “step back” from life this year, I turned to this album a lot. It gets better with every listen.

FAVE TRACKS: The First Days of Spring, Stranger, Blue Skies

3. Lungs by Florence & The Machine

This gal is No. 1 in the U.K. and I feel like she’s about to hit it big here in the states. Incredibly talented. Like, helllooo pipes. There is just so much to love about this album and Florence Welch’s voice, I don’t even know where to begin. Other than to say, if I COULD sing, I’d want to belt it out like her. Sexy, sultry, powerful. Uh huh.

Fave Tracks: Kiss With a Fist, Dog Days Are Over, Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)

2. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix by Phoenix

Who in 2009 DIDN’T fall for this band? Their music was everywhere and rightfully so. I don’t think I’ll be able to hear “1901″ again without envisioning myself cruising down the Pacific Coast Highway. That song was a perfect soundtrack for my trip to L.A. this fall. Love EVERYTHING about this album. It’s pop-alt perfection.

FAVE TRACKS: Lisztomania, 1901, Love Like a Sunset Parts I & II

1. I And Love And You by The Avett Brothers

I hate being a bandwagon fan to music but whatever. I’ll jump on board while the jumpin’s good I feel like these guys are the 2009 version of Kings of Leon. Really good for a long time, playing small gigs, then get big and everybody is all, “They sold out!” Folks, if selling out sounds like this, I’ll have more please. And when I see ‘em in February live, I’ll do just that

FAVE TRACKS: I And Love And You (this music video is SO beautiful), January Wedding, Slight Figure of Speech, Kick Drum Heart, Ill With Want

See more of Gail’s work at www.gailwernerphoto.com. Friend Gail on Facebook. Follow Gail on Twitter.