Monday Memos // 72

Listening:

"Windows" by Angel Olsen. (The change at 2:28 is my favorite part)

"No Face" by Haley Heynderickx.

Reading:

The Last Conversation You’ll Ever Need to Have About Eating Right - A great read and reminder that all we need to do is eat real food and not too much, which is somehow easier said than done.

'Geriatric Starlet' Iris Apfel Isn't Telling Anyone How to Live - Simply: I love Iris. 

"Many protein bars are as nutritious as candy bars." I think that's why I love eating them. (photo by Bobby Doherty via nymag)

Craving:

I have a lot of restaurants starred on my map app. This weekend I got to cross one off the list: Cafe Mogador. I think I remember learning about it when I interned for The New Potato—jewelry designer Pamela Love had it on her list, and as I was starring all the vintage/thrift shops she loves, I added the Moroccan-inspired place too.

It lived up to the hype. I could've eaten seven more dishes and several more orders of the homemade naan. I even went as far as pouring the curry broth that the mussels came in into a little vessel and drinking every last drop. The music was perfect. I want to go back. I want to try their breakfast too.

Founder Rivka behind the counter at the original East Village Location. (image via cafemogador)

Yes please. (photo via BelleSavransky/DIA-NEW-YORK)

Wearing:

I think my spring wardrobe palette will be turquoise, black, and purple-pink. I found some of the best poppy collared shirts at Urban Jungle Vintage and Thrift this weekend. I'm finally feeling ready for warmer weather and skirts and dresses. More sunshine and less bulky outerwear. 

I love Angela Deane's Flora series. "Cactus Garden on Alert"

Watching:

Netflix: I quickly consumed much of Everything Sucks! "The kids in Everything Sucks! brood to music by Tori Amos and Oasis. They play with slap bracelets and use VCRs plugged into non-flat-screen televisions. They dress like No Doubt–era Gwen Stefani and paste magazine pictures of Scott Wolf from Party of Five into collages. When they’re trying to seem really “cool,” they show up to drama club gatherings with a six-pack of Zima. There are times when the show plays like a moving-picture version of one of those BuzzFeed listicles about 25 Things That Only ’90s Kids Understand." It's sincere and sweet and very enjoyable.

Peyton Kennedy and Jahi Di’Allo Winston. (photo via Scott Patrick Green/Netflix)

Movie: I went to see Isle of Dogs when it opened on Friday. I've been waiting to see this for at least a year (I regularly troll Wes Anderson's IMDb page). It was incredible! It made my heart swell! I want to nuzzle every dog I see—more than usual. It was also a nice reminder than evil can be conquered by genuine compassion (it had some strong parallels to our current political climate). 

The phrase "Isle of Dogs" appropriately sounds like "I love dogs." (image via Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Treasuring:

Everything: Blue skies and snowstorms. Sleeping and walking for miles. Laughter and uncontainable tears. Hunger and the fullest satisfaction. Eating on the floor and on the subway and nestled in a lovely restaurant corner. Writing a thousand words and sitting quietly.

Monday Memos // 71

Listening:

"Only With You" by Angel Olsen.

"You and I" by Wilco featuring Feist.

This song was in the latest season of Love on Netflix — bringing me back to my family Wilco days.

"Mystery of Love" by Sufjan Stevens.

I waited forever and a half to see Call Me By Your Name. I think I needed some emotional stability so I wouldn't sob the entire movie. This song paired with the scene, it gave me an enormous swell of feelings. I love Sufjan.

"I Was Born A Unicorn" by The Unicorns.

This song was also in the latest season of Love and instantly transported me to 15 years old. (Roz, remember when we went with them to prom?)

Reading:

I Hid Who I Was for So Long. Until I Became a Cook. By Andy Baraghani. This is a wonderful piece. I feel very inspired by my coworkers.

If you're curious how the Talenti Taste Test I participated in went down, this is Joe's full report. I'm still more of a chocolate and peanut butter varietal fan.  

That's my arm on the left. (image by Caleb Adams)

Craving:

This week is brought to you by almonds. I'm in love with this almond-based dip/spread called Bitchin' Sauce — all the flavors are delicious.

I participated in an almond butter taste test (grocery store brands are top ranking: TJs. Whole Foods 365, Costco, etc.).

I devoured a variety of "cocoa-dusted" almonds that were sitting next to my desk (in espresso, maple, and mayan) — I didn't adore them, but they were there.

I also cannot stop eating dates. 

I got to try these Salted Chocolate–Tahini Bliss Balls and I want to make more for myself. (photo by Alex Lau)

Wearing:

Last Monday I was walking to work and thought, I should revive my fashion game now that I go to a big fancy building for work. A couple hours later, I was pushing a cart full of toasters down an empty hallway, wearing jeans, my It's-It sweatshirt, and my decade-old purple vans, and guess who walks right by me? Anna Wintour! In the flesh, full-on sparkling tweed skirt suit. She definitely didn't look me in the eye. At least I do really love that sweatshirt.

Just Anna and the Queen. (image via hello magazine)

Watching:

Live: I went to this show last Friday: LAS CULTURISTAS LIVE: I DON'T THINK SO, HONEY! Wow! Dozens upon dozens of comedians and performers take one minute each to go off on culture. My face hurt from laughing so much. My hands hurt from clapping so much. Now I am in a deep dive of the Las Culturistas podcast and thoroughly in love with the hosts and concept. 

On Netflix: I consumed season three of Love in a couple of days. I think I enjoyed it more toward the end of the season, and maybe not as much as the first, but still a fan.

Shorts: If you want short segments of brilliance, watch 555 on Vimeo. "A motley cast of characters, played entirely by comedians Kate Berlant and John Early. Director Andrew DeYoung rounds out the trio of creators who put their minds together to birth this hilariously cutting new miniseries (and freshest Vimeo Original). In five short films, they show us the struggle of trying to achieve big tinseltown dreams, in a town built on power." — Vimeo Blog

HBO: Week after week, High Maintenance is my favorite in television. The latest episode was bursting with weirdness and beauty and more than I could put into words.

Poster and logo for 555 produced by Abso Lutely.

Treasuring:

Dogs: I saw an excitable husky in a window the other night and I keep passing the same apartment on a daily basis hoping to see it again. There are always so many great dogs in the city from Dalmatian puppies to scrappy mutts in sweaters to the sweetest looking Corgi in a backpack. I am a fan of them all. It is year of the dog after all. 

Scene from Maira Kalman's Max series — I've got a tattoo of Max, in the brown hat and coat. Her dog depictions are superb.

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 // 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.