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

Monday Memos // 70

Listening:

"Haunt You" by Bad Magic.

Perhaps hit by a pang of nostalgia and homesickness, this song by a Florida-made friend, Julie Karr, came to mind on Saturday night. I've listened to it repeatedly since. This video cracks me up, I love it. I'd recommend spending a few dollars for the album here, the sound from the album recording is a bit bigger than the video version. 

"Buddy Holly" by Weezer.

I went out dancing and between the Drake and Rihanna, for some reason this song was mixed in a set and finally something I know all the words too! It took me back. Myself and the other late-twenty/early-thirty-year-olds were feeling it. This video is just fun.

Reading:

All the remedies: The Healthyish Guide to Feeling Better Already

New York Magazine's How To Raise A Boy series has some touching, informative, interesting reads.

I learned a lot from The Epicurious Knife Guide. Most of these knives have been sitting around my desk for weeks, so I feel close to this. Plus, the photos are superb.

Mesmerized. (photo by Chelsea Kyle, prop styling by Beatrice Chastka, food styling by Anna Stockwell)

Craving:

I snack on thousands of new things lately, the wild, pant-tightening world of food publications. Dates dipped in sunflower butter. Rocky road cookies. French onion chicken. Partially popped and "probiotic activated" popcorn. Cookie crisps. BBQ sweet potato chips. Dark chocolate with coconut milk, vanilla sea salt, and nibs called "Kissed Mermaids." Maybe I should start turning down samples, but it really is deliciously exciting. 

If you come across this brand of chocolate (Xocolatl) buy it! (image via metaleap creative)

Wearing:

I brought out the beloved pink faux fur jacket this weekend. I also wore one of my prized possessions: a sweatshirt I embroidered for a project in art school — my modern interpretation of a Mexican huipil. 

I went to an awesome girlgaze event in my sweatshirt. This picture cracks me up. 

Watching:

I want to see: Flower (so many great actors) and Thoroughbreds (looks kind of creepy and enjoyable).

Treasuring:

New Friends: Getting to hang out with people, sitting on barstools talking about our lives and problems and making jokes, what a nice feeling! Having people to share cabs with and 5 a.m. waffle fries is more than I could've asked for. Having fun work friends to show you a new floor at work with free cereal and ginger ale is priceless. I definitely miss my longtime friends, but I'll take all these moments too.

By Ella Frances Sanders

Monday Memos // 57

Listening:

Terrible, Thanks for Asking. Hosted by author and notable widow (her words) Nora McInerny, this is a funny/sad/uncomfortable podcast about talking honestly about our pain, our awkwardness, and our humanness, which is not an actual word. A favorite episode: Episode #2: I’ve Made a Huge Mistake

Natch Beaut podcast. Comedian and self-proclaimed "Beauty Passionista" Jackie Johnson attempts to take the seriousness, mysteries, and intimidation out of makeup and skincare as she gabs with fellow artists about what beauty and self-care means to them. A favorite episode: Episode 16: Beauty Fails with Georgia Hardstark.

How to Be Amazing with Michael Ian Black. An in-depth interview show, hosted by comedian, author and actor Michael Ian Black.  Black sits down with some of today’s most provocative writers, entertainers, artists, innovative thinkers and politicians for humorous, thought-provoking conversations that dive into the creative process and the intricate minds of some of the most influential voices of our time. A favorite episode: Episode 38: Tim Gunn.

Reading:

One of the few reasons I am already looking forward to summer: Lauren Groff's new book "Florida." When Lauren signed my copy of "Fates and Furies" she wrote: "The next one's for you." I believe it!

The stories in this collection span characters, towns, decades, even centuries, but Florida -- its landscape, climate, history, and state of mind -- becomes its gravitational center: an energy, a mood, as much as a place of residence. Groff transports the reader, then jolts us alert with a crackle of wit, a wave of sadness, a flash of cruelty, as she writes about loneliness, rage, family, and the passage of time. With shocking accuracy and effect, she pinpoints the moments and decisions and connections behind human pleasure and pain, hope and despair, love and fury -- the moments that make us alive. Startling, precise, and affecting, Florida is a magnificent achievement.

Read "Fates and Furies" now if you haven't already.

Craving:

I have eaten three different household versions of Thanksgiving feasts. Three different versions of pumpkin pie. (Plus an assortment of treats including cherry pie and chocolate cream pie and pumpkin roll and crescent roll cheesecake squares and berry cobbler... Hello sugar rush!)

I always see these inventive ways of using leftovers and they have me keeping the stuffing and turkey in mind. Like: turkey and mushroom dumpling soup, leftover sweet potato casserole grilled cheese, leftover cranberry sauce greek yogurt coffee cake, breakfast hash with mashed potato pancakes, and stuffing waffles.

There are many things to do with stuffing. Drooling. (photo via Two Red Bowls)

Wearing:

• Flannel (tis the season).
• Wool socks (my pair of Smartwool socks have stood the test of time).
• Boots (thanks to my mom for passing on an incredibly comfortable pair of Kork-Ease boots to me).

Watching:

Finally saw "The Big Sick" and enjoyed it. Heavy on the comedy, not overly romantic, plus a much-needed dose of Holly Hunter.

I have fallen fast for "Search Party." A single-camera dark comedy about four self-absorbed twenty-somethings who become entangled in an ominous mystery when a former college acquaintance suddenly disappears. All the characters and cameos are brilliant. If you find yourself adoring Elliott, go check out all of John Early's other stuff. 

I need to start watching "At Home with Amy Sedaris." Her and her brother are some of my heroes.

Looks like Florida. (image by KC Bailey)

Treasuring:

Driving. I don't necessarily love driving, but sometimes it's therapeutic to just set out on the road and drive for several hours. This past week I make a new trek on the Pennsylvania turnpike (plus a tiny bit of Ohio's). The rolling hills and snow-covered patches were beautiful. I listened to so many wonderful podcasts, too.

Celebrating. Birthdays, holidays, togetherness. Giving gifts, giving thanks, giving hugs.

(hand drawn type by maddy nye for designlovefest)