Monday Memos // 54

Listening:

"Fool" by Perfume Genius.

"Big Yellow Taxi" by Joni Mitchell.

"Superstar" by The Carpenters.

Reading:

A rabbit hole of research led me to revisit a favorite magazine article about my maternal grandparents. It's adorable: Mary and Lloyd—the second couple. I could reread it a thousand times.

I like reading about perspectives I know nothing about. This is a great example: Dating as a Single Mom.

I also love when a link in a story leads me to another wonderful story and so on and so forth and then I am just filled with new ideas and information: "Artist David Hockney Says The Drive To Create Pictures 'Is Deep Within Us.'"

"In a recent series of photographic drawings, David Hockney, shown above in his studio, plays with the relationship between painting and photography." (image via Richard Schmidt/David Hockney/Abrams Books)

Craving:

Cold weather carbs (hot pizza, hot pesto pasta, toasted bread with butter and jam), carrot cake and chocolate cake balls (my Whole Foods in the vicinity weakness), and coffee coffee and more coffee. 

Not my preferred slice, but it's beautiful nonetheless.

Wearing:

My (paternal) grandmother gave me a jacket that had been a gift to my great grandmother from a friend's trip to China. It's a thick silk with floral embroidery. Reversible! One side is black and one side is bright red. The red side makes me feel like Michael Jackson. I put it on for a try and kept it on for hours. I think I might just wear it all the time.

I put on my (maternal) grandma's wedding ring last week, as I often do when I need some extra strength. I haven't taken it off since and I think it's helping.

Watching:

Cannot wait to see: "Ladybird" (absolutely everything about this makes my heart sing; Greta Gerwig is my newest hero) and "I Love You, Daddy" (Louis C.K. and John Malkovich and total weirdness, yesss!).

Recently viewed: "Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story" (so strange and fascinating and sad) and "Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold" (incredibly inspiring and quite heartbreaking).

Treasuring:

Family hangouts—it's really nice when you think your family is the best (because they are) and get to be with them and laugh with them and take goofy photos of yourself with them.

Flexibility—as stressful as the limbo phase of life is, it's kind of cool to be able to move around and explore and work from a computer and try on different environments.

What Would Peggy Do? (Unknown photographer, Peggy Guggenheim in her bedroom, Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, Venice)

Monday Memos // 52

This week is brought to you by overwhelming loneliness, too much sugar, really nice weather, and general life confusion.

Listening:

"Diamonds" by Kevin Krauter.

"Dancing In the Dark" by Bruce Springsteen. Prepare yourself for Bruce's outfit and dance moves, wow!

"Stoner Hill" by Brian Blade + The Fellowship Band. Make sure to listen to Brian speak at the end, his happiness—"there's not thoughts of other things in these times..."

"Dirty John" a podcast from the LA Times. I've been blowing through podcasts as I walk for hours through Brooklyn. I just started this one—A true story about seduction, deception, forgiveness, denial, and ultimately, survival. Reported and hosted by Christopher Goffard.—I'm about halfway done and it is disturbing and fascinating. If you like S-Town or Serial, this is similar.

Reading:

"Jitterbug Perfume" by Tom Robbins.

I went in search for "Still Life with Woodpecker," but this was the Tom Robbins selection in two different book stores, so I took it as a sign and bought a nice worn copy. Widely considered a cult classic and one of the "Best books of the 20th century," I'm excited to dig in. Robbins knows his way around wild ideas and words. 

Trivia: His dog's name is Blini Tomato Titanium and his sons have the names Rip, Kirk, and Fleetwood. I'm calling him when I get another pet or have a baby.

Some good 1984 graphic design.

Craving:

I can't stop going to Cinnamon Girl. I've tried the monster cookie, breakfast cookie, apple bran muffin, double chocolate chunk cookie, and Brooklyn blackout cake. I should start avoiding that side of the street when I walk home.

I've also become a big fan of Silver Rice, a simple and delicious Japanese eatery. I've had their special rice cup a couple of times (flaxseed rice, pumpkin, kale, salmon, cucumbers, avocado, spicy mayo) and tried a couple different soups (a kabocha squash and a miso broccoli rabe and quinoa).

All the rice and soup and hearty desserts have been soothing on my stomach through a short bout of food poisoning and a constant bombardment of anxiety. 

Wearing:

Pants! It's been so long since I've reached for pants on a daily basis. I keep going back to the same pair of blue jeans and black slacks with a tiny quotation mark print. Back and forth and a rotation of black tee-shirts.

I've also been wearing socks on a daily basis (Florida summer made me really neglect my sock drawer). Stripes, black, and artichoke print have been the rotation.

Watching:

"Maggie's Plan."

This movie was just what I needed last Friday night. Maggie (played by Greta Gerwig) reminded me of myself, for better or worse. Some New York shenanigans and life confusion and hilarity. The cast too—Ethan Hawke, Bill Hader, Maya Rudolph, Julianne Moore... a wonderful story of comedy, chaos, and love. 

Maggie Harden, a director of business for the art and design students at a university, decides she wants to have a child and enlists a former college acquaintance, Guy Childers, a former maths student to donate his sperm. Guy is a "pickle entrepreneur."

Travis Fimmel and Greta Gerwig and the pickles. (photo by Jon Pack)

Treasuring:

The telephone and faraway friends. 

This week I watched "This Is Us" while on the phone with a friend. We synced up the episode and pressed play at the exact same moment. It was wonderful to keep up a weekly tradition—to awww and laugh and cry together, even hundreds of miles apart.

Talking to my mom on a particularly rough day and then on a much better day was great. I loved hearing my dad's uproarious laughter in the background. Plus, I heard my boy Oliver meowing and I was tempted to FaceTime with him.

There have been moments this last week when my feet ache from the miles of walking, but the air felt so good, and I'm teetering between being okay or not—ring ring!—a voice of familiarity and comfort! Thank you! I get to step out of my head and talk about life and feel connected to great things. 

Now if only I could find a place like Carrie's and have her writing gig and pick the carpenter. (image via HBO)

Monday Memos // 50

This week is brought to you by the sentiments of packing up and moving from the place I have lived for roughly 25 years. It's beautiful and uncomfortable and so much more.

Listening:

"Drive" by R.E.M. The video makes me want to crowd surf. Best listened to cranked as loud as possible. Plus, the interlude in the middle—"Ollie, ollie / Ollie, ollie, ollie / Ollie, ollie, in come free, baby"—is really good for serenading my cat.

"Distance" by Emily King. "Even when I’m lonely / Happy knowing that your love is never far / When we are apart / Distance makes the heart"

"Blood On Me" by Sampha. I discovered this guy on Insecure and the album—Process—is great.

I also fell into an NPR Tiny Desk concert spiral (via looking up a Sampha video), and these were particularly entrancing: Angel Olsen, Dan Deacon, Big Thief, and Hozier.

Reading:

Confirm or Deny: Idris Elba. “The Wire” is the best TV show of all time. Confirm."

The Secret to Marriage Is Never Getting Married. "A year before I met Hans, a relative of his opened a credit card in his name and charged the better portion of another relative’s wedding. And then she forgot to pay the bill. For years. Forever, actually."

IT’S DECORATIVE GOURD SEASON, MOTHERFUCKERS. If you've never read this, it's a classic!

Always loving a love story. (image by Brian Rea via nytimes)

Craving:

I've eaten far too many cold, fudgy chocolate chip topped brownies in the last week or two. I call it stress/packing fuel/reward. I want another.

Also, I've had so many delightful breaded, crusted and carb-centric things lately: a Dutch baby with Florida oranges and thyme maple syrup (I've wanted to try a Dutch baby for ages—french toast meets pancake); pretzel-crusted tilapia (great in a taco); chicken tenders (sweet taste of childhood!); crusty, buttered, sourdough toast (they used to call me "Zoë Bread and Butter"); a warm cinnamony, flaxseed-topped muffin (because dessert, always). Hello, I am not afraid of gluten.

Proud of my friends for their new restaurant, Afternoon, which features these tasty things above.

Wearing:

Striped shirts. Black loafers. Purple vans. Unfortunately, still shorts (it's a hot October thus far).

Plus, for my aching knees and hip (always a sign that I'm due for new running shoes), I just got these Adidas—such a good color combo.

Flashy.

Watching:

As I move between excitement and terror, packing and crying, I am rewatching "Sex and the City." I can find something new to appreciate as I revisit the scenarios and characters. The cameos, too! Everyone was on that show. (Trivia: I once waited on "Stanford Blatch.")

I've been keeping up with season 2 of "Better Things." It's like "Louie" without Louis.

Carrie's Bowie shirt: yes!

Treasuring:

My emotions, as I pack up my life, are on a wild roller coaster ride. My eyes well up when I start to articulate certain things or hear certain songs or think of particular moments or drive down a country road. 

Adam JK is giving me life with these words from his new book, "Things Are What You Make of Them."

I'm soaking in the sun and sweat. I'm recognizing the trees and leaves. I'm savoring my best friends. As much as Florida can be a pile of trash, it can also be exquisite. My home.

More adamjk. He's brilliant.

Monday Memos // 35

Listening:

When I was a senior in high school, the last month of school was essentially an olympic event of testing and exams. We didn't even have to go to classes, we just had to study. During my final math exam I remember anxiously checking the clock. I needed to hurry. My family was waiting in the car outside the testing center. As soon as I finished, I ran to the car, buckled up, and we drove off to Atlanta. We had to get to Radiohead. It was the best. "In Rainbows" has been swirling around my head this week, too.

I saw "Guardians of the Galaxy 2" recently. Not worth paying for, but baby Groot was great and so was the music. I can appreciate a space battle more when I'm being serenaded by Parliament and Fleetwood Mac. It made me want to listen to Cat Stevens (which in turn made me want to watch "Harold and Maude" again).

And I've been on an R&B/soul kick for all the times in between, so:

Reading:

This week in "things I read and enjoyed," the theme seems to be love:

After 54 Years, We Fell in Love. After Five Months, I Got Leukemia. By Delia Ephron

A Love Story. By Samantha Hunt

"A coyote ate a three-year-old not far from here.” Illustration by Patrick Leger for "A Love Story." (image via thenewyorker)

Craving:

Morning carbs. 

I went to the farmer's market on Wednesday with these dreamy muffins on the mind—but the muffin booth wasn't there! So I took inspiration from the bunch of overripe bananas at home and made my own (but the oven wouldn't get hot, so I turned the batter into waffles).

I spent the next three days snacking on delicious waffles. Now I want some pancakes. 

How about some chocolate waffles as a vehicle for a sundae? (via joythebaker)

Wearing:

Gorjana 3 Disc Necklace. 

I got this necklace in my swag bag from the Create & Cultivate conference back in early May. I didn't put it on until a week and a half ago and I'm really digging it. I think it's fitting too, because I've been noticing all things three.

The rose gold version is really nice. (via gorjana)

Watching:

"Don't Think Twice."

Netflix suggested this movie to me and it seemed just right for needing something on the lighter side. "When a member of a popular New York City improv troupe gets a huge break, the rest of the group - all best friends - start to realize that not everyone is going to make it after all."

It's full of wonderful, funny people: written and directed by Mike Birbiglia and starring Birbiglia, Keegan-Michael Key, Gillian Jacobs, Kate Micucci, Tami Sagher and Chris Gethard.

Comedy/Drama is right, I laughed a lot and then cried at the end. It's not earth-shattering, but it's a nice story with some hilarity and heart. 

Made me want to see an improv show/comedy set. (image via rollingstone)

Wanting:

Off the top of my head:

I want my car to have working A.C. 

I want to go to the beach.

I want a haircut. 

Sounds like summer. (image via Leah Goren)