The Checklist

RENT "Hot Fuzz." A sly sendup of the high-octane Hollywood action movie, this Brit comedy from the team behind "Shaun of the Dead" sends an overqualified London cop (Simon Pegg) to a quaint English village.

SURF myhound.com. List your favorite authors, musicians or movies, and this new Web site will alert you to upcoming events, releases and performances.

READ "The Not So Big Life" by Sarah Susanka. Having shown the appeal of a not-so-big house, architect Susanka applies her unpretentious but original methods to life itself. Her enemies are haste, clutter and stress. Her solutions are: simplify, simplify, simplify.

BUY Customized playlists at emusic.com/travel. Download a soundtrack ($9.99 a month for 30 songs) to match your vacation, whether you're road tripping with kids or flying to Europe.

HEAR "The End of History" by Fionn Regan. With the kind of easy-strum, easy-go style of singer-songwriters before him, 26-year-old Regan adds an artsy edge to mellow, acoustic folk melodies.