Monday Memos // 101

Pardon the unintentionally long break. I took a much needed vacation and felt true rest and relaxation. Then I got back to work where Mondays are no longer my constant day off. Adjustments, new year, new brain reorganization coming soon.

Listening:

“Diamond Day” by Vashti Bunyan.

“Poly Blue” by Jessica Pratt.

“Edge of Town” by Middle Kids.

Reading:

MATERIALS I’D RATHER BE THAN “WIFE MATERIAL”

Neither of my parents was exactly who I thought they were

What Is This Exercise Tool and How Do I Get One?

Craving:

I was in LA for Christmas and ate sooooo many delicious things. At Wax Paper, an amazing sandwich shop, I had the Ira Glass with turkey: avocado, cheddar, sprouts, pickled and raw red onions, cucumber, and garlic aioli on seeded wheat. Sitting in the sunshine with my brother, sipping a pamplemousse La Croix and eating amazing chili-lime tortilla chips (Rusty’s Chips—some of the best I’ve ever had) was wonderful.

Trois Familia was another gem. French-Mexican-California cuisine. I didn’t know what that meant but when we feasted it was all incredible. Beet tartare tostada—yum. A double decker potato taco with lime, crème fraiche, carrot pico, and cheese—this was wildly good. Parisian gnocchi with mushrooms—wow. Chicken milanesa, with raw and pickled cucumbers, and maggi ranch—wowowow.

Plus I finally fulfilled my lifelong dream and waited in line to eat at Sqirl. So excited that it was WORTH IT. My sister-in-law and I got the ricotta toast. It was like a dream. Brioche heaven, fluffy ricotta, and a rainbow spread of fresh jams—quince, blueberry and blackberry, and pluot. I got the sorrel pesto rice bowl too.

Bonus: My sis-in-law also made me the most perfect birthday cake and I, no joke, ate it every single day for an entire week. My pants are too tight but my heart is very full.

Wearing:

I was fulfilling dreams left and right in California (they do say something about dreamin’ there…). I bought myself the jumpsuit I’ve been pining over for a year, maybe two at this point. Big Bud Press: they really know fit, detail, and COLOR. It was hard to choose just one. The winner was mustang red. I also bought their pants in royal blue. Both have gotten lots of wear and lots of compliments. I will love them forever. I can’t wait for some wild color block outfit combinations.

Watching:

TV: Too quickly I watched the entirety of Friends From College and rewatched the last 3 seasons of Sex and the City. I’m ready to get back into the deeper stuff like new True Detective and High Maintenance.

Movies: On Christmas Eve I watched Love Actually (on an airplane) and Die Hard (when at my final destination while eating Chinese food and birthday cake). I’ve also recently seen Little Odessa (love Tim Roth) and In the Realm of the Senses (disturbing and… more disturbing).

“In the fact-based 1930s drama, streetwalker-turned-maid Eiko Matsuda hooks up with innkeeper Tatsuya Fuji; he leaves his wife and family for her, yet this only further inflames her obsession with him. The intense depictions of copulation and the couple’s fate will disturb even those familiar with the story.” (image via quad cinema)

Treasuring:

Connections: The last few weeks have been full of ups and downs. New, fabulous humans. Old, supportive folks. Friends and family, companions and strangers. Death and birth. Sadness and joy. Exhaustion and exhilaration. Stress and hope. But in the end, I’ve been squeezing my friends tighter and glad for everything around me. Definitely always say yes to friends and squeeze them as tight as you can.

I can’t remember where I found this, but I love it.

Monday Memos // 47

Last week I was in Los Angeles, this week I'm in Irma... there is so much in the world and my mind swirling about, but the significance of this day does not escape me, either. 

(image by Bill Bragg via nytimes)

Listening:

"Up All Night" by The War On Drugs

"The Price Is Right" theme song. Look out for me on December 7th!

Reading:

PLEASE FORGIVE US AT BLUE APRON FOR THIS WEEK’S MEALS. WE’VE BEEN HAVING A TOUGH TIME LATELY by Lucy Huber

A list of really beautiful places in U.S. I'd be down to visit. Crossed one off the list last week when I experienced the Griffith Observatory.

"Franny and Zooey" by J.D. Salinger. I watched a movie yesterday—not good enough to mention—and this book played a large role. I've been meaning to read it book since... forever. I started it in middle school, because of my name and my fondness for "The Catcher in the Rye," but I think it was beyond me at age 12 or 13. I have it sitting on my shelf, just waiting.

The two works were published together as a book in 1961, having originally appeared in The New Yorker in 1955 and 1957 respectively.(image via newsstand)

Craving:

Last week I ate some incredible things. A cruffin from Mr. Holmes Bakehouse—flakey, buttery croissant muffin hybrid; I think ours was filled with chocolate rye cream (house-made rye bread infused cream finished with 64% chocolate). 

I want to eat all the things. (via latimes)

At Spitz, a mediterranean place, I had the Döner Basket, which is a salad and fries topped with tzatziki, feta, pepperoncinis, crispy garbanzos, a falafel ball, olives, fried pita strips, hummus, tomato, onion, green pepper, cucumber and chicken. I could eat it a thousand more times. 

Salvating. (image via Two Peas & Their Pod

I didn't mind waiting in a long line to try some Salt & Straw ice cream. Experienced a cone while walking to Venice beach. One scoop of Chocolate Gooey Brownie (the house-baked brownies have marshmallow fluff folded in to keep them extra gooey) and one scoop of Apples & Sidecar Doughnuts (chunks of Butter & Salt doughnuts soaked in a homemade glaze, then stirred into ice cream spiced with a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg, finishing with a swirl of homemade apple pie filling). Wow! 

There's so much more, but I cannot stop drooling. (image via latimes)

Wearing:

This past week I put an old pair of shoes to use: my black and grey Saucony Originals Bullets. 

Six years ago, in my brief stint living in San Francisco, I needed a pair of black shoes for a restaurant job. I remember going to store after store after store, with some unknown vision in my mind of what I wanted to find. I didn't have much money and I love shopping for shoes, so it was a great game and source of entertainment. Eventually I found these sneaks, they fit the bill, and have served me well for years. 

I got them at Shoe Biz, on one of my favorite streets: Valencia. It was nice to wear them all over the West Coast again.

Watching:

Things I'm looking forward to:

"Jerry Before Seinfeld." "On September 19, Netflix is airing Jerry Before Seinfeld, a comedy special about how the world’s richest comedian got his start."

"The Deuce." "The first collaboration between David Simon and George Pelecanos since Treme, The Deuce is set in 1970s New York City, when Times Square had more peep shows and porn theaters than Olive Gardens and Elmo impersonators. In the eight-episode series, James Franco plays twin brothers Vincent and Frankie Martino, a bartender and a gambler who get swept up in a mob plan to profit from the burgeoning sex industry. Maggie Gyllenhaal is Candy, a sex worker with bigger ambitions."

"I Love You, America" "Sarah Silverman’s new weekly topical show for Hulu is being billed as an honest attempt for the outspoken comedian to engage with “real” Americans whose opinions and beliefs are at odds with her own. The series’s co-executive producers include Will Ferrell and Adam McKay (Anchorman, The Big Short)."

Plus, "Broad City," "This Is Us" and most likely much, much more. Hi, I love television. (Here's a list of so many Fall shows.)

I don't actually spend all day and night watching tv, surprisingly. (images via HBO / ABC / Netflix / CBS / The Atlantic)

Treasuring:

Visiting Los Angeles for the first time. (The Price Is Right! The Comedy Store! My brother and sister-in-law and their beautiful home! The beaches! The foods! The wanders! The cool breezes! The desert! The views! The change! The city! The excitement! The adventure! The weirdness! The architecture! The friendship!)

Having so many thoughtful people surrounding me during this hurricane scare. I've heard from old friends and relatives. I've been offered places to stay nearby, on higher ground and way up north—for myself, my cat, and all my friends. I've been offered help boarding up windows, I've been offered all the snacks... The world isn't full of monsters, which is a relief.

This is how positive humanity makes me feel. (image via popmyeyes)

Monday Memos // 28

Listening:

"Slumber Party With Alie and Georgia" a podcast. 

I discovered this podcast a few weeks ago when I went through the six degrees of separation game with another favorite podcast, My Favorite Murder. (Georgia is the cohost of both; there is an episode where Alie and Georgia interview the other MFM cohost Karen. Have you lost me?)

Ghost stories, rants, tales of embarrassing midnight snack obsessions... I love it all! Though there haven't been any new episodes this year, I'm combing through the backlog with great enthusiasm. 

I want to be friends with Alie Ward and Georgia Hardstark. (image via alieandgeorgia)

Reading:

“Everything I Want to Eat: Sqirl and the New California Cooking" by Jessica Koslow (the chef of Sqirl in Los Angeles) and Maria Zizka.

Sorrel Pesto Rice Bowl: The definitive grain bowl at Sqirl. (via luckypeach)

This place is at the top of my list for when I visit LA. I've never seen such beautiful images of toast. For real, the Sqirl toast is so thick and in that perfectly iconic bread shape, I just drool thinking about it. 

That Burnt brioche toast...(via civilianglobal)

I've had the cookbook on my Amazon wishlist since it came out last year, but I went for an evening stroll at my library tonight and there it was, waiting for me. I love that the first page I opened to had a stunning photo of Busy Phillips looking back at me (I love her!). I cannot wait to dive in. I'm drooling again. 

The design and images are perfection. (image via amazon)

Craving:

Honey sunflower butter.

I bought this jar of Wild Friends nut butter months ago from a discount shelf at a local grocery store. One day recently I finally broke the seal and have had it every single day since. On rice cakes, on banana millet bread, on sweet potatoes, licked off a spoon or fork or knife. It is great. 

Other interesting sounding Wild Friends flavors I'd like to try: 

• VANILLA ESPRESSO ALMOND BUTTER
• HONEY PEANUT BUTTER WITH CRUNCHY PRETZEL BITS
• SESAME CRANBERRY PEANUT BUTTER
• ORGANIC MAPLE SUNFLOWER BUTTER

I want to try the chocolate sunflower seed almond butter, too. (via wildfriends)

Wearing:

All I can say is: same as it ever was. 

Watching:

"Wild Tales," a 2014 Argentine black comedy anthology film composed of six standalone shorts, all written and directed by Damián Szifron, united by a common theme of violence and vengeance.

“As high-spirited as its title suggests, “Wild Tales” opens on a savage note and ends, well, that’s for you to find out. In between its shocker start and equally startling windup, this Argentine anthology offers up a scabrous, often unsettlingly funny look at human behavior in extremis. ”

— Manohla Dargis (via NYTimes)

Some great waitress revenge. (image via nerdist)

Wanting:

This is outlandish and aspirational, but I have been lusting after some Rosie Assoulin pieces. Friend of Leandra Medine, she makes the most delightful, breathtaking and fun wearables. 

Wrap Ruffle Bra Top. (via modaoperandi)

Thank You, Have A Nice Day Cotton Tee & Artichoke Hearts High Waisted Pants. (via modaoperandi)

Cork Screw Top. (via modaoperandi)