Monday Memos // 100

This week is brought to you by ONE HUNDREDTH MEMO! That corresponding with my birthday week and the colossal wave of happiness I am feeling is such serendipity—it’s spectacular.

Listening:

My first Monday Memo (April 26, 2016), I was listening to Beyoncé’s newly released Lemonade. (It came out April 23).

“After Laughter (Comes Tears)” by Wendy Rene.

"What If Birds Aren’t Singing They're Screaming" by Aldous Harding.

“Playita” by Land of Talk.

“Suspended in Gaffa” by Kate Bush.

Reading:

My second Monday Memo (May 2, 2016), I had just started Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch, which remains to be my favorite book. Life-changing. I’d love to read it again one day.

Bon App’s advice column. Hilarity ensues: “Is It Ever Okay... To Take Home the Wine You Brought to a Party?”

Passion, Romance and Yearning: Photos of People Kissing: From simple pecks to full-on makeout sessions, a new compilation of photographs reveals how couples have kissed in front of the camera since the late-Victorian era.

The look on that cat’s face! (photo from fine art images/heritage images/getty images via bonappetit.com)

The look on that cat’s face! (photo from fine art images/heritage images/getty images via bonappetit.com)

Craving:

My first Monday Memo, I was craving Brownie Brittle. “Can't stop thinking about and replenishing my stash. I eat it plain, I crush it up and put it on ice cream, I smear almond butter on it. The Peanut Butter flavor is hard to find but it is perfect. The Mint has the best chips. The Salted Caramel is that perfect salty/sweet combo. Even the gluten-free Trader Joe's version is great. I could go on. Yes, I have a problem.” I keep seeing new flavors in the stores and it still calls to me, though I try to resist the siren song. The Trader Joe’s version gets me sometimes though.

This week I ate a lot of oranges, drank a lot of ginger ale, and a lot of Conde Nast cafeteria meals. Plus, taste tested white English muffins. I’m not sure what my favorite brand was, but Stone & Skillet makes a nice, buttery dense version—very different from the Thomas standard.

I might just need to seek out the special holiday flavors. They look good. (image via sheila g’s)

I might just need to seek out the special holiday flavors. They look good. (image via sheila g’s)

Wearing:

My first Monday Memo I was was wearing “black tees and a black skirt or cut-off shorts. Plus a lot of light blue.” Seems about right. The beginnings of summer.

This week was a lot of black Chelsea boots, black leggings, black down jacket, black beanie. The winter version of black and simple.

Below is documentation of self—wow does my hair look dark!—attempting to let self portraits free, out into the world. That was in the same span of time, just playing with makeup and bang positions.

Watching:

My first Monday Memo, I was watching Friday Night Lights. Wow, I forgot about Tim Riggins. Good times.

I finally saw The Favourite last weekend and it was one of the best movies I’ve seen this year. It was strange and beautiful and WILD.

I really want to see the short animated film called Bao, where an older Chinese woman feels lonely at home and one morning, while eating breakfast with her husband, one of her pork dumplings springs to life as a giggly dumpling boy. There’s a dark twist.

Dumpling baby! (image via pixar)

Dumpling baby! (image via pixar)

Treasuring:

Life: This has been one of the hardest, most exhausting, most intense years of my life. It’s also been one of the most exciting, most fulfilling, and most enriching years of my life. Year of the dog, you have been something else. Something else! I’ve gathered a lifetime of stories. I made amazing friends and connections. I’ve cried a thousand years. I’ve walked miles upon miles. I’ve taken so many buses and trains. Life is life is life and I feel so fortunate for this one.

Year of the Bee, personally, I’ve truly been buzzing. (BEE / earnest, hardworking, democratic / sensitive creatures / they're artists at heart) (image via @dailyanimalspirits)

Year of the Bee, personally, I’ve truly been buzzing. (BEE / earnest, hardworking, democratic / sensitive creatures / they're artists at heart) (image via @dailyanimalspirits)

Do you have a favorite Monday Memo moment? Tell me please!

Monday Memos // 60

Happy New Year! 2—0—1—8!

A Monday, a full moon, a fresh start... everything feels good and right.

Listening:

"Audrey (Spending All My Time With You)" by The Shacks. 

"After Hours" by The Velvet Underground.

"Wild Heart" by Stevie Nicks

Reading:

Mistakes You’re Going to Keep Making Forever. 

The Anti-Resolution Revolution: 5 Vows You Can Keep.

9 Ways to Be a Better Person in 2018. Accept the things you cannot control. We reported on the wedding of 98-year-old Gertrude Mokotoff and 94-year-old Alvin Mann, who, like so many couples before them, met at the gym. The groom, who also earned a bachelor’s degree in history last year, shared this advice on living a long life: “Of course, one part of it is medical science, but the bigger part is that we live worry-free lives; we do not let anything we cannot control bother us in the least.”

Of All the Blogs in the World, He Walks Into Mine. I'm such a fan of this couple through and through.

I'm into wishes. (image by Julia Rothman via nytimes)

I'm into wishes. (image by Julia Rothman via nytimes)

Craving:

After spending most of December eating all the treats—favorite's including mom's oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, magic cookie bars, peanut butter blossoms, and Christmas carrot cake; an outstanding chocolate macaron from Ladurée; a homemade birthday peach pie... the list goes on—I'm ready for our lucky New Year's Day dinner (and hopefully leftovers): Hoppin' John. We're mixing it up this year with Black-Eyed Pea Chile Verde.

I love green food. (image by Gentl & Hyers via bonappetit)

I love green food. (image by Gentl & Hyers via bonappetit)

For those uninitiated: "Hoppin' John, also known as Carolina Peas and Rice is a peas and rice dish served in the Southern United States. Eating Hoppin' John on New Year's Day is thought to bring a prosperous year filled with luck." The peas = pennies or coins. Leafy green vegetables = more wealth. Cornbread = even more wealth, the color of gold.

If you're looking to eat your way to a better year: 10 Foods That Will Bring You Good Luck in the New Year.

I support the idea of cake being good luck. (image by Shay Harrington via bonappetit)

I support the idea of cake being good luck. (image by Shay Harrington via bonappetit)

Wearing:

The theme lately is warm feet. Birthday and Christmas brought me new boots (amazing black hiker boots, beautiful black Chelsea boots, and perfect for sloshy weather brown snow boots) and new socks (a running pair, a medium height/thickness pair, and a heavy duty pair—all Smartwool). Stepping into a new year right! 

IMG_5237.JPG

Watching:

Want to see: "Star Wars: The Last Jedi." "The Shape of Water." The new Netflix Chappelle specials: "Equanimity & The Bird Revelation."

Saw and loved: "Ladybird." Yes, finally, perfection.

Enjoying on a regular basis: "The Great British Bake Off." I'm one episode away from seeing every episode that exists. Highly recommend season 4 on Netflix. "The Big Family Cooking Showdown." My parents and I have been watching an episode a night and drooling. I want to eat all the things.

Treasuring:

Reflections. I'm not worried about great, big, overwhelming looks back on 2017, but I am holding onto the best of times in my memory. I traveled more than usual (Maryland, New York, California, Washington, D.C.). I got out of my comfort zone constantly (making huge changes, moving, moving, moving, trying, exploring). I made new friends (several incredible people came into my life in new, exciting, challenging, loving, heartwarming, and creative ways). I spent more time with family. I wrote more. I got incredible job opportunities. I felt great amounts of love and fell in love and cried about love and created things from love (direct, indirect, abstract, solid, complicated, superb). I found many things that gave me a spark, and to realize how long the list is, even though so much of it felt incredibly difficult, I'm taking that as a win.

Freshness. I am looking forward to this new year—the idea of novelty, crispness, and possibility buzzing around. Cheers to more of the best.

Great words, as usual. (via @adamjk)

Great words, as usual. (via @adamjk)