Monday Memos // 107

Listening:

“Coming Home” by Leon Bridges.

“There Is Something In My Heart” by Ghetto Brothers.

“The Dark Don't Hide It” by Kevin Morby & Waxahatchee.

Reading:

Terrible but important: Hideous Men | Donald Trump assaulted me in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room 23 years ago. But he’s not alone on the list of awful men in my life.

A positive male celebrity spotlight: Keanu Reeves Is Too Good for This World

Thank you for reminding me that walking around the neighborhood with no prerogative is important: You Are Doing Something Important When You Aren’t Doing Anything

Shameless self-promotion (Cup of Jo and Sight Unseen posted it too!): Experiments and Shapes Fill Oscar Piccolo’s One-Room Studio

Craving:

I’m still eating so much pizza. In Sweden and Denmark I ate so much amazing sourdough bread. Currently I’m downing oatmilk and cashewmilk ice creams and containers of fruit and cold coffee. (I.e. summer)

Not just so much pizza, so much fabulous rooftop pizza!

Wearing:

All the shortest dresses. Summer is fully here and I cannot handle pants. Plus, a recent move means I’ve unearthed all my forgotten clothes and I’m finding a lot of (short) gems. Black, plaid, floral, more black, chambray, I’m going through it all.

Even in Sweden I went with my go-to short black dress.

Watching:

Recently watched: Yesterday (“A struggling musician realizes he's the only person on Earth who can remember The Beatles after waking up in an alternate timeline where they never existed.) I hadn’t even heard of this but was invited to see it and said why not. Yes, it’s cheesy, but it’s a solid, feel-good rom com that I would recommend. The cast is very lovable, too.

Years and Years. (“Follows a busy family from Manchester with their lives converging on one crucial night in 2019.”) Either I’m not keeping up with pop culture or films and tv aren’t doing much promotion, because I hadn’t heard of this either. The first two episodes are up on HBO and IT IS GOOOOD. There’s a little bit of Emma Thompson and I only hope there is more.

If you watch a lot of niche HBO shows and/or brit sitcoms you’ll recognize some of the cast. (image via HBO)

Girls. I decided to rewatch the show, see what it’s like now that I am a woman of New York (I didn’t even remember Hannah lived in Greenpoint, probably because I didn’t really know what Greenpoint was). I forgot it started in 2012, too, so the fashion is terrible and memorable. It holds up. Plus, fun cameos like Christopher from the Sopranos as one of Hannah’s old professors.

Want to watch: Booksmart. I’m hoping it’s Ladybird level teen movie. (“On the eve of their high school graduation, two academic superstars and best friends realize they should have worked less and played more. Determined not to fall short of their peers, the girls try to cram four years of fun into one night.”)

The Dead Don’t Die. Jim Jarmusch—amazing. Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Tom Waits, Chloë Sevigny, Tilda Swinton, Steve Buscemi—amazing. Zombies—sure why not?

Dream team. (photo via Abbot Genser/Focus Features)

Treasuring:

A Joyously Spectacular Life: I saw this quote and thoroughly enjoyed it: “If all you did was just looked for things to appreciate, you would live a joyously spectacular life.” ― Esther Abraham Hicks

Adventure: Finally leaving the country—to Canada and across the Atlantic Ocean—has encouraged and motivated me. Here’s to the beginning of passport stamps. Saying yes to adventure is highly recommended. Aka omg I am having so much fun!

Monday Memos // 85

Listening:

"Don't Go Back at Ten" by Girl Ray.  This video is brilliant.

"All My Friends" by Land of Talk.

"All Our Base Are Belong To Them" by The Books. Minute 1:28–1:56 is my favorite.

Reading:

Rejoice! A new advice column to read! Dear Pepper — I am becoming a great fan of Liana Finck.

The Extinction of the Middle Child. They’re becoming an American rarity, just when America could use them the most.

I still enjoy this even though I really did win the roommate jackpot and love mine dearly (also makes me want to draw little doodles): Perfect Roommates You’ll Never Find

For interior/color palette drooling: Inside Villa Stenersen, Oslo’s Under-the-Radar Gem of Modernist Architecture

"The gallery room, which would have at one time been lined with drawings and paintings by Munch, lies on the other side of the glass bricks. The family's residences — including the nursery and master bedroom — were located on the topmost floor." Aka DREAM ROOM (via sightunseen)

Craving:

Fresh cherries. Iced coffee. Trader Joe's quinoa pesto. Persian cucumber salad. Thai cucumber salad. Sparkling water. All signs point to: it's summer.

I want to make this Smashed Cucumber Salad with Hot Vinegar. (via bonappetit)

Wearing:

Chic black sacks. Think art teacher caftans and slightly detailed pillowcase dresses. 

Thank-You-Mom business skirts. My mom gave me a bunch of nice Banana Republic sort-of pencils skirts and I've been pairing them with tees and funky button-ups.

Cushioned shoes. The heat and all the wandering make comfortable footwear a must. 

Questionable meets fun!

Watching:

Friday afternoon I needed a break from work, from texts, from thoughts, from self. So I went to the Angelika Film Center (one of my favorite movie spots) to see Sorry To Bother You. I hadn't read much. I hadn't done research. I just knew Lakeith Stanfield would entertain me. Turns out it is INCREDIBLE. 

Boots Riley's Sorry to Bother You ambitiously pushes the envelope of the sci-fi and comedy genres for a wholly unique, refreshing and hilarious film. —Molly Freeman

If you’re not bothered — also tickled, irked, mystified and provoked — by Sorry to Bother You, then you’ve fallen asleep on the job. —A.O. Scott

GO SEE IT NOW. If nothing else, it is worth it for the outfits and Tessa Thompson's constantly changing statement earrings.

I am now even more enamored with Lakeith Stanfield and Tessa Thompson. 

Treasuring:

Oceans and elation: On Saturday, I woke up too early and saw a bunch of hilarious street art in Harlem. I got a free juice from a literal oasis—Oasis Jimma Juice Bar. I took a long train ride to Brooklyn. I took two busses to the beach. I had an outrageously wonderful time in the ocean breeze, swimming in the water, eating snacks, telling stories, feeling so happy to have amazing new friends.

I laughed a lot. I was sandy. I took more bus rides. I wandered. I took more train rides. I ended up in Queens, at a party with a great deejay, lots of machinery covered in tulle, and great outfits to observe. The city got windy and the trash swirled in the air. I basked in the smell of my favorite tree (calliandra/powder puff). The rain poured. A stranger stuck his foot in the door of the 2 train so I didn't have to wait for another. I got into bed with my tangled matte of beach hair and thought about how many stupendous days I've had this year. 

Calliandra surinamensis and Calliadra haematocephala (Pink Powder Puff Tree). (image via youtube)

Monday Memos // 55

Listening:

"All is Full of Love" by Björk.

"Hold On You" by Valley Queen.

 "The Telephone Song" by Charles Bradley.

Reading:

This week, the Style section was very Modern Love-centric, my favorite!

• 13-Word Love Stories - We both love craft beer and public radio. So we’re insufferable, but together.
• The 13 Questions That Lead to Divorce - First, grab someone you hope to someday divorce. Choose anyone. Oh, hey, how about the person next to you in bed clipping their toenails and eating leftover kimchi with their hands? They seem super-divorceable.
• Mom: ‘Is He Jewish?’ Me: ‘No.’ Mom: ‘Is He Smart?’ - She once tormented me by asking if I’d hand deliver an envelope filled with photos of the company’s handsome male dancers. I was to carry this sealed parcel on the train from New York. Just before I left town, Selma called and casually mentioned, “Some of the photos are nudes.” And no, I didn’t open the envelope but I certainly cursed her.

Motherly love. (image by Brian Rea via nytimes)

I also enjoyed the writing of a recent Grub Street Diet piece with writer Howie Kahn. The last lines, as he shares a mush pouch with his young son, is particularly wonderful:

After a couple of small slices, he asks for a pouch, one of those squeezy packets of organic mush. This one has kale, broccoli, and mango, and he swigs from it like a gentleman with a flask.

Hospitably, he passes it to me. “Try,” he says, looking up from his high chair. “Daddy, try.”

So I do. And it’s delicious.

We split the rest, laughing and passing the pouch between us.

Craving:

This week is brought to you by Hot and Orange.

I don't usually have a desire for one-ingredient soups, but I had a homemade carrot soup from Alice Waters' "The Art of Simple Foods" and it was amazing. So creamy without any cream. So flavorful with just a few ingredients (onions, thyme, chicken stock). I even found it to be an excellent dipping component for leftover pizza. 

I've also been in the mood for all things pumpkin as this November gets in full swing. I made HowSweetEats' pumpkin skillet cobbler (salty and crunchy and perfectly spiced—lovely with vanilla ice cream on top) and Ambitious Kitchen's pumpkin oatmeal chocolate chip cookies (hearty and chewy and great for all times of day). 

Yes please. (via howsweeteats)

Wearing:

Since I've been living out of a suitcase for a month, I've been wearing the same few things over and over. It's kind of like I have a capsule wardrobe. One pair of jeans, one pair of black patterned slacks, one pair of black leggings. Two t-shirts, one grey sweater, one bright sweatshirt. One denim jacket and one colorful, hooded jacket. Thick socks and an assortment of brown and tan shoes. It's pretty easy to get dressed each day and also kind of boring...

I had to break out my favorite red hat and an old standby striped scarf for the consistently 30-40 degree days this last week, too. Feels like winter!

The Freelancer’s Uniform by Gemma Correll. (via medium)

Watching:

I don't know how this movie slipped past me, especially as a big Jim Jarmusch fan, but I just watched "Paterson." 

The power of “Paterson” is in its seemingly long-brewing and deeply felt outburst of personal mythology; its world-building comes off as a credo, a belatedly laid and lifeworn cornerstone of Jarmusch’s work, a quietly ecstatic vision of workaday perseverance and inspiration. It’s ingenious, rousing, passionate—and yet constrained by the iron force of its own sense of virtue. —The New Yorker

Now I want to go have a Jarmusch binge-fest. 

Adam Driver and Golshifteh Farahani. The art is fabulous and weird and I love it! (photo by Mary Cybulski via window frame films)

Treasuring:

Warmth. It's been cold this week! I feel thankful I have a cozy, highly blanketed bed to tuck into at night. I am so glad to have hot soup and hot showers. I'm staying in a place with long indoor halls and a lobby gym, too, so I can stretch my legs without getting a runny nose.

Adventures. Life is certainly a mysterious ride right now, but I am reframing it as a time of ample adventures. I've wandered around Baltimore, I've had peanut butter-stuffed, chocolate-covered figs with a favorite friend, I've relaxed on a couch surrounded by sweet cats, I've worked in coffee shops and cafes all over the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. Yeehaw!

(images by camille gressier for designlovefest)

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)