Monday Memos // 86

Listening:

"Nobody" by Mitski. I've listened to this about 600 times already. Very relatable. 

"Don't Call Me" by IAN SWEET. 

"Lockjaw" by Mothers. 

Reading:

The headline makes this seem like clickbait, but it's hilarious and worth a read if you love Gilmore Girls: 13 Things to Say to Get Her Totally Soaked

Maybe the Secret to Embracing Your Flaws Is Renaming Them

A Small Needful Fact by Ross Gay

Craving:

Last week was Family Time! in NYC so I went on many great food expeditions. Plus, I've been really spreading my social wings, which has included various restaurant outings. 

Memorable things I ate (as someone who doesn't eat out too much this is going to appear slightly EXTENSIVE):

• a lot of Giuseppina's pizza (mushroom and shallot pie, arugula and prosciutto pie, artichoke and ricotta pie)
• a superb Caribbean feast at The Islands (curry goat, jerk chicken, coconut shrimp, plantains, cabbage, rice and beans)
• delightful bar nuts at Tørst (red skin peanuts seasoned with togarashi, Szechuan and kaffir lime) 
• a veggie feast from Sea Wolf (grilled cauliflower steak, great veggie burger)
• another veg-forward meal at Peacefood Cafe (mushroom, kale, horseradish cauliflower puree, roasted chickpeas, fried lotus root, chickpea fries)
• a lovely dinner at Community Food and Juice (Crispy Wild Organic Salmon pan-seared with spring ragout of shiitakes, sugar snap peas, leeks & asparagus, with horseradish miso glaze)
• another outstanding dinner at Cafe Mogador (hummus, yogurt-marinated chicken, tabouli, naan)
• a fun lunch at Dimes Deli (kale polenta, chickpeas, roasted tomatoes, fried egg)
• many pastries from Ovenly (Brooklyn Blackout cake, chocolate chip sea salt cookie, lemon poppy seed loaf with raspberry glaze)

Dimes (in all iterations) is the cutest. (image via dimesnyc)

Wearing:

I like wearing this Outdoor Voices sports bra as a sort of neckline enhancer. It makes me feel comfortable in strapless things and various dresses. 

I pulled out various old things I haven't worn in awhile like a Dolce and Gabbana lemon print tee I thrifted years ago and a polo shirt with the name "Astre" stitched on.

I went to the Cloisters where half of the Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination exhibit is up. I was blown away by how beautiful all the garments were. One of each please. 

Watching:

I finally saw Eighth Grade. It was very well done, but also gave me SO MUCH ANXIETY. Middle school, and honestly most of high school, was the worst time of life. 

I've been watching Sharp Objects. Wow, another anxiety inducing form of entertainment. It's disturbing on many levels. I think Chris Messina is helping me get through each episode.  

It makes me want to go roller-skating too. (image via HBO)

Treasuring:

Mom and Brother Hangs: To adventure around the city with my mom and my older brother was fantastic. Photobooths, museums, laughing a lot, eating all the things, seeing friends from years ago, sharing happiness... 

Monday Memos // 85

Listening:

"Don't Go Back at Ten" by Girl Ray.  This video is brilliant.

"All My Friends" by Land of Talk.

"All Our Base Are Belong To Them" by The Books. Minute 1:28–1:56 is my favorite.

Reading:

Rejoice! A new advice column to read! Dear Pepper — I am becoming a great fan of Liana Finck.

The Extinction of the Middle Child. They’re becoming an American rarity, just when America could use them the most.

I still enjoy this even though I really did win the roommate jackpot and love mine dearly (also makes me want to draw little doodles): Perfect Roommates You’ll Never Find

For interior/color palette drooling: Inside Villa Stenersen, Oslo’s Under-the-Radar Gem of Modernist Architecture

"The gallery room, which would have at one time been lined with drawings and paintings by Munch, lies on the other side of the glass bricks. The family's residences — including the nursery and master bedroom — were located on the topmost floor." Aka DREAM ROOM (via sightunseen)

Craving:

Fresh cherries. Iced coffee. Trader Joe's quinoa pesto. Persian cucumber salad. Thai cucumber salad. Sparkling water. All signs point to: it's summer.

I want to make this Smashed Cucumber Salad with Hot Vinegar. (via bonappetit)

Wearing:

Chic black sacks. Think art teacher caftans and slightly detailed pillowcase dresses. 

Thank-You-Mom business skirts. My mom gave me a bunch of nice Banana Republic sort-of pencils skirts and I've been pairing them with tees and funky button-ups.

Cushioned shoes. The heat and all the wandering make comfortable footwear a must. 

Questionable meets fun!

Watching:

Friday afternoon I needed a break from work, from texts, from thoughts, from self. So I went to the Angelika Film Center (one of my favorite movie spots) to see Sorry To Bother You. I hadn't read much. I hadn't done research. I just knew Lakeith Stanfield would entertain me. Turns out it is INCREDIBLE. 

Boots Riley's Sorry to Bother You ambitiously pushes the envelope of the sci-fi and comedy genres for a wholly unique, refreshing and hilarious film. —Molly Freeman

If you’re not bothered — also tickled, irked, mystified and provoked — by Sorry to Bother You, then you’ve fallen asleep on the job. —A.O. Scott

GO SEE IT NOW. If nothing else, it is worth it for the outfits and Tessa Thompson's constantly changing statement earrings.

I am now even more enamored with Lakeith Stanfield and Tessa Thompson. 

Treasuring:

Oceans and elation: On Saturday, I woke up too early and saw a bunch of hilarious street art in Harlem. I got a free juice from a literal oasis—Oasis Jimma Juice Bar. I took a long train ride to Brooklyn. I took two busses to the beach. I had an outrageously wonderful time in the ocean breeze, swimming in the water, eating snacks, telling stories, feeling so happy to have amazing new friends.

I laughed a lot. I was sandy. I took more bus rides. I wandered. I took more train rides. I ended up in Queens, at a party with a great deejay, lots of machinery covered in tulle, and great outfits to observe. The city got windy and the trash swirled in the air. I basked in the smell of my favorite tree (calliandra/powder puff). The rain poured. A stranger stuck his foot in the door of the 2 train so I didn't have to wait for another. I got into bed with my tangled matte of beach hair and thought about how many stupendous days I've had this year. 

Calliandra surinamensis and Calliadra haematocephala (Pink Powder Puff Tree). (image via youtube)

Monday Memos // 76

Listening:

"Drover" by Bill Callahan.

"Cloudy Shoes" by Damien Jurado.

"Soft Spoken" by Naia Izumi.

Reading:

A visual read and sooo goood — Scenes Unseen: The Summer of ’78 — Admission to the exhibit, like the parks and starlight, is free.

I wonder where they are now? (via The New York Times)

Craving:

Last weekend, one of my favorite humans came for a visit and we made sure to eat a slew of delicious foods. All of my pants feel too tight but it was worth it. 

Favorite spots/items:

• Bubby's and their James Beard pancakes with caramelized banana and toasted walnuts. Everything at Bubby's was great, but those pancakes really excited me. We love pancakes. 
• Fish Cheeks and all their seafood-focused Thai things (fried snapper with crispy herbs, short rib massaman curry with roasted sweet potatoes, and yum goong, which is a dish with poached shrimp, cilantro, culantro, cucumber, coconut milk, red sorrel, betel leaf, and fried shallot), plus the adorable couple sitting next to us that gabbed all about NYMag and walkup apartments with me.
• At Dos Caminos—kind of a whacky place with giant mortars on the tables and dance scenes in the basement—we had the a salmon entree with braised kale and poblano chili verde, epazote crema, radish, cilantro, and lime. The braised kale was amazing.

Bubby's

Fish Cheeks

At work I also aided in testing waffle makers, which resulted in sampling fresh, steaming hot waffle upon waffle. One of the recipe developer/chefs from the test kitchen made us a giant bowl of this crispy waffle recipe from Epicurious, and I would definitely recommend it. This work project did not help me fit back into my pants either. 

I took a lot of waffle glamour shots. 

Wearing:

The weather is still confused and confusing, so I think my clothing reflects that. I've been wearing flowery dresses and getting too cold. I've been wearing my winter boots with bare legs and jackets. I've been wearing short tees and attempting full days without socks. 

Inspired by the previously mentioned weekend, I now own this shirt. (via zara)

Watching:

Saw: Westworld--after anxiously awaiting this for what felt like years, I wasn't as into the first episode of the new season as I thought I would be, but I feel like it might just be a slow build back to the chaos. 

I Feel Pretty--I wanted this movie to be better or at least more entertaining, but I really didn't love it. The best part was the fact that I was sitting in the same row as The Sartorialist/Scott Schuman at the theater. I will say the heartfelt monologue was nice to hear, but didn't really linger.

Wild Wild Country--now this proved to be better than I could've hoped. So many crazy stories and characters, so much beautiful editing and footage, and a fabulous soundtrack. I want more. I also feel inspired to dress in sunset-hued color palettes. 

Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh a.k.a. Osho. (image via netflix)

Infinity Baby--a random pick from Amazon. The cast is amazing, the story is weird and intriguing, but there's something unfulfilling about it. I wanted it to be more like Her in it's futuristic strangeness. Still worth watching on a lazy afternoon.

Treasuring:

Swimming and sweating: During the feasting weekend extravaganza, we also went to a infrared sauna, a steam room, and a big indoor pool. It felt so good to have all that sweating and warmth. I have missed swimming so much. I want to put all these activities on repeat. Maybe I am starting to miss my Florida perspiration. 

We jammed to music in the 150 degree heat. (via higherdose)

Monday Memos // 69

Listening:

"Ojos Del Sol" by Y La Bamba.

This song got me. I heard it on High Maintenance (a thousand times over, it is SO AMAZING) and it reminded me of something else. It took me to another place. I want to listen to it on repeat. On Sunday I had this leap of happiness and I just wanted to walk around in the cold windy night with this song as the soundtrack. So I put on my warm layers and walked by the water and literally skipped through a tunnel and played this song again and again and again. 

Reading:

Your First Kiss: What Was It Like? - I think I spent at least half an hour reading every single comment. 

Bon Appetit's sandwich guide in the March issue is top notch. A particularly fun read: 7 Sandwich Secrets We’re Stealing from Chefs (Thanks, Chefs).

A Day In the Life of a Line Cook at One of NYC's Fanciest Restaurants. Great and eye-opening.

I love this picture and would frame it. "Wylie Dufresne’s Scrambled Egg Sandwich." (image by Alex Lau via Bon Appetit)

Craving:

To say there are a lot of delicious things in New York to eat is like saying there is a lot of water in the ocean. I am overwhelmed and delighted by it all. 

On Friday night I went to see The Shape of Water — I loved it — and in a fabulous twist, the random theater I chose just happened to be a few blocks away from Levain Bakery. HOW DID I FORGET TO GO HERE??? I had the cookies shipped to me for a birthday a couple of years ago because I heard so many rave reviews about them (thank you David!). I popped into the bakery around 6pm as the wind and snow were destroying umbrellas outside. The warmth and scent of cookies enveloped me. I could've fainted from the smell. I got a chocolate chip walnut and a double chocolate peanut butter cookie. They were both gone by the next morning. 

(Note: I wrote everything before I read about the Oscar winners. Turns out my pull to The Shape of Water this last weekend was a good feeling. Sitting there alone, in the middle of the theater, I felt very comforted by the colors and story and people sitting near me. I do wish there were always multiple winners. So many wonderful choices.)

Wearing:

Purple vans. All the jackets. Black loafers. My It's-It sweatshirt. Chapstick. I really should be stepping it up now that I work in the same building as Vogue, Teen Vogue, Glamour, etc. Lipstick? Wide leg culottes? Chic jumpsuits? Silk? 

Watching:

I watched the first episode of Here and Now. I'm intrigued, I have questions, and I'll give a few more episodes a try. I'm caught up with This Is Us finally and all cried out. I still miss my pretend Australian tv friends.

Yesterday I was reminded of the movie Delicatessen and it made me want to revisit all my Jean-Pierre Jeunet favorites (The City of Lost Children, A Very Long Engagement, Amélie).

The colors in The Shape of Water reminded me of Delicatessen. (image via Delicatessen)

Treasuring:

Wind: The wind last week was strong and made everything feel extra cold, but I loved it. The wildly dancing snowflakes. The whistling in the leaves. The rippling of the water. The hilarity when attempting to walk with an umbrella. 

A nor'easter y'all! (image via NYPL)

P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY KYLE! I hope you win all the things.