Monday Memos // 97

Listening:

"Everything Apart" by Foxwarren.

“No No No” by Beirut.

“The Modern Things” by Björk.

Reading:

Destined to Marry the Cute Bartender - Sometimes you’re not meant to be with the guy who is always on time and has already bought the tickets.

Dear Friends, I think I figured out what I want to do for my birthday: Holiday Party Idea: Make Everyone Dress Like Cake

Dessert as fashion inspiration. (image by CYRUS MCCRIMMON/Denver Post via Getty Images)

Craving:

Delicious things I’ve consumed recently: pumpkin pie, apple pie, and chocolate pecan pie (slices, slivers, and crumbs). Broccoli rabe pesto pasta. A laminated baguette (that’s a baguette wrapped in croissant dough) from Arcade Bakery that I cannot stop thinking about (so flakey! so buttery!). Scarr’s Pizza grandma slice and vegan Caesar salad. Roasted scallops, fennel, and turnips. A flourless chocolate cake with butterscotch ice cream… Tis the seasoning for stuffing yourself with comfort.

Arcade Bakery, a magical place in the lobby of a Tribeca office building (image via thenewpotato)

Wearing:

Sweaters and sweatshirts. Coats and jackets. Hiker boots and thick socks. A red wool hat. Plus, my grandmother noted that I’ve worn the same thing three consecutive visits in a row—a billowy black dress. Hey, it’s classic and comfortable.

The winter look.

Watching:

I haven’t been on my solo movie dates like usual or really having too much time for television, but the Netflix series version of Get Shorty has been very entertaining to watch. GBBO is delightful and soothing as always. I can’t wait for the upcoming new seasons of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and High Maintenance.

Treasuring:

Family, family, and more family: To get to see my family so much this year has been a true treat. It’s nice when you don’t have to catch up on a thousand broad stories of “this is what I’ve been up to,” but rather fill in the fun details of recent adventures. I’m learning more. I’m laughing about whacky things. I’m relishing in the comfort when I just need someone I can be quiet around, and fully myself.

This sums it up. Myself in the middle.

Monday Memos // 95

Listening:

“Night Shift” by Lucy Dacus.

“Moonshine Freeze” by This Is The Kit.

“Honey, Let Me Know” by MarthaGunn.

Reading:

For a long, powerful story: Could an Ex-Convict Become an Attorney? I Intended to Find Out

For a pick me up: Trader Joe’s Autumnal Alfredo, Candy Corn Popcorn, and More Fall Stuff, Reviewed

For drooling over interiors: At 480 Square Feet, This Pastel Apartment in Barcelona is Tiny Yet Unbelievably Chic and In a New York Apartment, Dimes Co-Founder Sabrina De Sousa Lives With What She Makes

I WANT A GARDEN! (photo by IRIS HUMM via sightunseen)

Craving:

Last week Bon Appétit had their annual Hot Ten party. So, I got to eat an array of fabulous foods. I sort of went into a trance, snaking through the crowds and servers, trying ALL the things. Spicy swordfish curry, a latke topped with lox, daikon topped with caviar, and more and more and more.

When I snuck into the VIP area, that’s where I was truly in heaven: the desserts! I ate so much cake from Brothers and Sisters in D.C. It was phenomenal. The sugar high propelled me through the long train ride home and into the next morning.

Read more about those cakes here. (image by Scott Suchman via bonappetit)

Wearing:

Multiple people told me I looked like Jenny Lewis this week. Into that! I think it was the party look (wide leg jumpsuit and star-covered blouse) and a weekend look of high-waisted wide leg pants and a rainbow sweater. Now I want a suit. Or three.

Watching:

I saw Mid90s over the weekend. Written and directed by Jonah Hill, “In 1990s Los Angeles, 13-year-old Stevie escapes his turbulent home life by hanging out with a new group of friends he meets at a local skate shop, plunging him into a world of fun, danger and excitement.” Again, I didn’t know it would be so heart-wrenching! Still, it was well done, the music was great, and it really made me empathize with young boys and teens. Life is hard.

These two were my favorite: Sunny Suljic and Na-kel Smith. (image via A24)

I also started watching a new Netflix show, Wanderlust. All I needed was to see Toni Collette’s face and I was in. Only two episodes down, but I’m entertained, intrigued, and the music (most of which, see the Listening section) is wonderful. “The opening credits of “Wanderlust” — a BBC One-Netflix series, created and written by the British playwright Nick Payne, that came to Netflix on Friday — include a definition of the show’s title: strong longing for or impulse toward wandering. Its six hourlong, comic-dramatic episodes chronicle a controlled experiment in indulging such an impulse.”

Toni Collette and Steven Mackintosh. (image via Matt Squire/Netflix)

Treasuring:

Indulging: Eating too much cake. Not going to bed. Scheduling too many things. Making quick decisions. Saying too many things. Having so much fun.

Monday Memos // 88

Listening:

"Lonesome Love" by Mitski. Finally the whole album is out and it is superb.

"I See A Darkness" by Bonnie "Prince" Billy.

"Middle School Dance" by fthrsn.

Reading:

Beyoncé in Her Own Words: Her Life, Her Body, Her Heritage

The "It's Complicated" series from The Cut is one of my favorites

Graham Walzer's "Tools For Science," which entails images of his dad conducting "experiments"

These Vogue images are supreme. (Photographed by Tyler Mitchell, Vogue, September 2018

Craving:

Last week I got to eat some of my favorite things surrounded by some of my favorite people — comfort and grief wrapped up into a complex ball.

Carrot cranberry cake, vegan chocolate cake, Pop A Top brownies and blondies, plantain chips, blackened salmon salad... I didn't realize how much I missed it all and needed it all. 

Baby vegan chocolate cakes too. It looks like a flower. 

Wearing:

With all the heat and rain, it's dresses and sandals galore. I'm really dreaming about sweaters and socks.

Watching:

TV: Insecure is back: as good as ever. Binged several episodes of Claws: excellent Florida trash entertainment. Embarrassingly, but with the need of lighthearted junk television, I can't stop watching Insatiable on Netflix. 

Movies: I want to see We The Animals: looks emotional and beautiful). I saw To All the Boys I've Loved Before on Netflix: it was just the right amount of cheesy teen rom com that I needed. Read the IMDb page for The Goldfinch: I'm nervous to have my favorite book ruined by a movie, but the list of actors is so good (Nicole Kidman, Sarah Paulson, Luke Wilson, Ansel Elgort) fingers crossed it'll be amazing. 

Issa and Molly. (image via HBO)

Treasuring:

Gainesville: I was reminded of how comforting and beautiful and nurturing and supportive this little city is. I wish I could've visited under happier circumstances, but it still managed to bring so much brightness to a dark spot. Thankful for my home and my swampy Florida family. So many wonderful hugs.

I mean come on!

Monday Memos // 73

Listening:

"This Stuff" by Frankie Cosmos.

"Thanks 4 Nothing" by Nilüfer Yanya.

"Goodbye" by Porches.

Reading:

Finding My Florida - I came across this Florida story in the New York Times and thought it was an accurate and enjoyable journey through the state. There are so many worlds, great Cuban sandwiches, and lots of mossy oaks. 

Pizza Horoscope. - Because I exist on the cusp, looks like I need to eat a whole white pizza—"an exquisite pairing of garlic and ricotta"—with a variety of spontaneous toppings from the fridge AND a Grandma pie. Done.

The Orlando house where Jack Kerouac wrote “The Dharma Bums.” Looks like my old FL home! (image by Zack Wittman for The New York Times)

Craving:

I crossed another Brooklyn Blackout cake off my list last week, this one from Little Cupcake Bakeshop. It looked heavenly and there was a framed plaque showing off Food & Wine's description of this particular cake as "one of the best chocolate cakes in the U.S."

I have to disagree. It was delicious, but the frosting was a far too sweet and the cake was a bit too airy. I'd still be down to try more of their baked goods. The carrot was tempting and the banana Nutella looked lovely.

Wearing:

Dug into my storage unit and it was like going on a shopping spree. I got so excited about shoes and dresses and shirts I forgot about. I gathered several pink tees and green dresses. Pink, red, and black boots. A glorious leather fringe vest. Maybe it's to my advantage to slowly have access to my things over a span of time. I'm ready to shed the coats and sleeves. 

Youth fashion inspiration below. Digging the overalls and chucks. My mom and I at a May Fair is very spring-floral-forward. 

Watching:

I want to watch Barry on HBO—Bill Hader is always wonderful. I'm ready for Westworld to return. I've been catching up with the last season of Atlanta so I can get back into the new one.

I'm sad I'm done with High Maintenance and caught up with Queer Eye. 

I'm curious about the movie Chappaquiddick. Having lived on that island, I'm curious to see the familiar places in the film. Kate Mara, Ed Helms, and Jim Gaffigan—interesting selection for a cast.

Ted Kennedy's car being pulled from the water next to the Dike Bridge on Chappaquiddick Island in Edgartown on Martha's Vineyard. (AP photo)

Treasuring:

Open Windows: I love hearing the violinists and singers in my building. I love having open windows WITHOUT SCREENS because there aren't a thousand bugs ready to swarm inside. I love hanging with my family, the breeze coming in, the cats all sitting in the sunshine, and it feeling like spring is here. 

Illustration by Monica Lynch via thehousethatlarsbuilt