Monday Memos // 90

Listening:

"I Really Like It" by Our Girl.

"A Pearl" by Mitski. 

"Drunken Angel" cover by Alynda Segarra. (I saw a trailer for the movie Blaze and when this song came on I tried to keep it in my memory. I thought it sounded like Hurray for the Riff Raff, which turns out Segarra is the singer of.)

Reading:

Gather Journal. I stopped in a bookstore the other day to kill some time and was instantly sucked into the latest issue of this food and art magazine (what a perfect pairing for me). The images are amazing. The stories are too. 

Sticky Balsamic Figs. PHOTOGRAPH BY Gentl and Hyers FOOD STYLING BY Maggie Ruggiero PROP STYLING BY Ayesha Patel. (image via gatherjournal)

Craving:

Over the weekend I went to my first movie at a theater with dining and servers. It was fun and challenging. Eating dinner in the dark while trying to pay attention to a movie is kind of hard (Diner in the Dark). I did have a delicious pesto-y farro bowl and hummus platter regardless. Plus, I won a gift card to the place so it was all gloriously free. 

Nitehawk Cinema (image via bkmag)

Wearing:

Billowing dresses, red nail polish, and a sweaty glisten. I'm ready for seventy degree weather and sweaters and slacks.  

Image by Polina Washington. 

Watching:

I saw BlacKkKlansman this weekend. It was entertaining and disturbing and gut-wrenching. As A.O. Scott puts it, "Spike Lee’s new joint, BlacKkKlansman, is his best nondocumentary feature in more than a decade and one of his greatest."

Adam Driver and John David Washington. (image via pacificstandard)

I finally saw Baby Driver and loved it, despite feeling constant anxiety. The scene with the song "New Orleans Instrumental No. 1" really grabbed my heart.  

Ansel Elgort. (image via medium)

I'm looking forward to the show Forever, which stars Fred Armisen and Maya Rudolph. It had me at the song in the trailer: "Forever" by Pete Drake. "Plot details have been mostly kept under wraps, but here’s what we know so far: Rudolph and Armisen play a married couple named June and Oscar, who live a 'comfortable but very predictable wedded life' until they 'suddenly they find themselves in a completely unexpected situation' after a ski trip."

Maya Rudolph and Fred Armisen. (image via indiewire)

Treasuring:

Talking and dreaming: Talking to family and friends and artists and strangers, I enjoy it all. Dreaming in my sleep and waking hours, I enjoy it all. 

hand drawn type by maddy nye for designlovefest

Monday Memos // 56

Listening:

"Sound and Color" by Alabama Shakes.

"That's Why (I Love You So)" by Jackie Wilson. Those dance moves!

Reading:

A must-read in this time that I'm calling an earthquake of garbage and monsters: Men Don’t Get to Decide What Counts As ‘Sex’ By Liz Meriwether.

A satirical read for this stuff-yourself-silly holiday: Thanksgiving Nutrition Tips: Eat Whatever You Want, but Not That. Make food your singular focus while eating. Of course, there will be conversations at the Thanksgiving table. And that’s completely O.K. — as long as you stay out of them. Don’t speak and try not to listen. Earplugs are a good idea or, if you can, simply avoid all noise. Light is also hugely distracting. Think about a blindfold.

I've never experienced any overwhelmingly uncomfortable Thanksgiving meals (cheers to supportive family members!), but Philip is the man to ask: Thanksgiving, Solved! How to Deal With This Dreadful Holiday.

Stop. Wait. Don't. (image by Paul Windle via NYTimes)

Craving:

Celebrated my mom's birthday at Proof restaurant in DC. So much deliciousness.

I had a Butternut Squash and Apple Soup, which was garnished with cumin yogurt, truffle piccadillo, and sourdough croutons. Then I ate the Ora King Salmon with pickled mustard greens, a sticky rice cake, shiitake mushrooms, and shoyu sauce. Perfection. Everyone's dish had us oooh-ing and yummmm-ing. 

For dessert we tried the Warm Chocolate Hazelnut Cake—topped with gianduja gelato (chocolate hazelnut) and espresso sauce—and the Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake—topped with almond streusel and vanilla ice cream. I almost licked the plates clean.

I couldn't find a good picture from Proof, but the photography on Coming Soon's website is amazing. You'll want to buy everything, too. (image of Mosser Glass Pink Milk Glass Cake Stand via comingsoonnewyork)

Wearing:

Nothing new to talk about regarding my own clothing adventure, so here are some fabulous things for adornment:

Patches by Amber Ibarreche.

Bingo! Sweatshirt by Tuesday Bassen.

Smiley metallic crew socks by Hansel from Basel.

The Laurel Twist Mule by Loeffler Randall.

Watching:

Recently Viewed: The pilot episode of "Sea Oak." A genre-bending comedy from renowned author and creator George Saunders featuring Glenn Close as a working-class woman who dies in a home invasion and comes back from the dead full of rage, determined to get the life she never had.

Interested In: "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri." A darkly comedic drama with—Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, and Sam Rockwell. "The Florida Project." Willem Dafoe, my messed up home State, strong emotions... sold. "The Square." A Swedish satirical drama directed by Ruben Östlund and starring Claes Bang, Elisabeth Moss, Dominic West, and Terry Notary. The film is about publicity surrounding an art installation, and was partly inspired by an installation Östlund and producer Kalle Boman had made.

Treasuring:

Dreaming. I've been having some wild dreams, which have been leaning on the side of entertaining and humorous. Quite enjoyable, really. I've also been doing a lot of daydreaming. It's nice sometimes to stare off in a car window or walk around the fall foliage and think fondly about people, places and things.

Gifting. 'Tis the season and I love gathering presents. Making them, wrapping them, compiling them, looking at gift guides, researching best things... 

(Illustration by Alessandra Olanow for Cup of Jo.)