Monday Memos // 101

Pardon the unintentionally long break. I took a much needed vacation and felt true rest and relaxation. Then I got back to work where Mondays are no longer my constant day off. Adjustments, new year, new brain reorganization coming soon.

Listening:

“Diamond Day” by Vashti Bunyan.

“Poly Blue” by Jessica Pratt.

“Edge of Town” by Middle Kids.

Reading:

MATERIALS I’D RATHER BE THAN “WIFE MATERIAL”

Neither of my parents was exactly who I thought they were

What Is This Exercise Tool and How Do I Get One?

Craving:

I was in LA for Christmas and ate sooooo many delicious things. At Wax Paper, an amazing sandwich shop, I had the Ira Glass with turkey: avocado, cheddar, sprouts, pickled and raw red onions, cucumber, and garlic aioli on seeded wheat. Sitting in the sunshine with my brother, sipping a pamplemousse La Croix and eating amazing chili-lime tortilla chips (Rusty’s Chips—some of the best I’ve ever had) was wonderful.

Trois Familia was another gem. French-Mexican-California cuisine. I didn’t know what that meant but when we feasted it was all incredible. Beet tartare tostada—yum. A double decker potato taco with lime, crème fraiche, carrot pico, and cheese—this was wildly good. Parisian gnocchi with mushrooms—wow. Chicken milanesa, with raw and pickled cucumbers, and maggi ranch—wowowow.

Plus I finally fulfilled my lifelong dream and waited in line to eat at Sqirl. So excited that it was WORTH IT. My sister-in-law and I got the ricotta toast. It was like a dream. Brioche heaven, fluffy ricotta, and a rainbow spread of fresh jams—quince, blueberry and blackberry, and pluot. I got the sorrel pesto rice bowl too.

Bonus: My sis-in-law also made me the most perfect birthday cake and I, no joke, ate it every single day for an entire week. My pants are too tight but my heart is very full.

Wearing:

I was fulfilling dreams left and right in California (they do say something about dreamin’ there…). I bought myself the jumpsuit I’ve been pining over for a year, maybe two at this point. Big Bud Press: they really know fit, detail, and COLOR. It was hard to choose just one. The winner was mustang red. I also bought their pants in royal blue. Both have gotten lots of wear and lots of compliments. I will love them forever. I can’t wait for some wild color block outfit combinations.

Watching:

TV: Too quickly I watched the entirety of Friends From College and rewatched the last 3 seasons of Sex and the City. I’m ready to get back into the deeper stuff like new True Detective and High Maintenance.

Movies: On Christmas Eve I watched Love Actually (on an airplane) and Die Hard (when at my final destination while eating Chinese food and birthday cake). I’ve also recently seen Little Odessa (love Tim Roth) and In the Realm of the Senses (disturbing and… more disturbing).

“In the fact-based 1930s drama, streetwalker-turned-maid Eiko Matsuda hooks up with innkeeper Tatsuya Fuji; he leaves his wife and family for her, yet this only further inflames her obsession with him. The intense depictions of copulation and the couple’s fate will disturb even those familiar with the story.” (image via quad cinema)

Treasuring:

Connections: The last few weeks have been full of ups and downs. New, fabulous humans. Old, supportive folks. Friends and family, companions and strangers. Death and birth. Sadness and joy. Exhaustion and exhilaration. Stress and hope. But in the end, I’ve been squeezing my friends tighter and glad for everything around me. Definitely always say yes to friends and squeeze them as tight as you can.

I can’t remember where I found this, but I love it.

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 // 92

Listening:

"Beautiful Dress" by Marlon Williams. I’ve probably listened to this song hundreds of times since Thursday.

"Cosoco" by Juana Molina.

"Imagining My Man" by Aldous Harding.

Reading:

Hinge Is the Dating App for Food Lovers - Hilarious and too relatable. UGH.

6 Rising Design Studios From Central and South America to Know - Feeling very proud of my SU Offsite friends!

I really want this new book: Passing for Human: A Graphic Memoir by Liana Finck.

Passing for Human #8: Other Worlds by Liana Finck. (via catapult)

Craving:

Last week I consumed a lot of carrots and apples, rice cakes and nut butter, chicken and rice bowls. I also ate some delicious vegan chocolate cake. Unenthused food diary, but here’s an exciting one if you’re mad about it.

Wearing:

It got hot again and then it cooled off again. Sort of. Either way, I was compelled to wear pants I bought back in August. I call them my chic JNCO jeans. I love them.

These coats are unrelated but I love them too. They are by Mansur Gavriel and I will likely never buy them.

Watching:

I watched the entirety of The Sinner (part 1) last week. In the Broadchurch or The Night Of realm. “While at the beach with her husband and son, Cora Tannetti, for reasons unknown, stabs a beachgoer to death, sparking a police investigation.” Jessica Biel, Bill Pullman, lots of disturbance.

I also started Maniac. “Two strangers are drawn to a mysterious pharmaceutical trial that will, they're assured, with no complications or side-effects whatsoever, solve all of their problems, permanently. Things do not go as planned.” I’m trying to take it slow and steady.

It made me think of films like Her and 12 Monkeys. (image via netflix)

Treasuring:

Trying: Also known as getting out of your comfort zone. Going to events when you want to stay on your couch. Meeting new people when it gives you a day of anxiety. Forcing yourself into crowds and intimate settings. Using your words.

Getting into a photobooth with a stranger because you need a better note to end the day.

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