Monday Memos // 68

Listening:

"All The Snow Is Gone" by Sniffle Party.

"Flatiron" by Suzanne Kraft.

"Suddenly" by Drugdealer feat. Weyes Blood.

Reading:

Thank you Joy for leading me to The A.V. Club's "11 Questions" series. I started with Karen Kilgariff (MFM fans!), then John Reynolds (Search Party fans!), and ended with Claudia O’Doherty (Love fans!).

For when you're endlessly scrolling: The 100 Best Movies on Netflix.

Worst Roommate Ever - This is one of the most terrifying stories. As someone who just spent the last month or so in a stressful hunt for housing in New York it feels close to home. However, I feel some relief in the fact that the psycho antagonist was in my own position and I promise dear roommates of present and future, I wouldn't even know how to be this kind of monster. 

A scene from “Jaws.” (image via Universal Studios)

Craving:

Last week I had the pleasure and discomfort of participating in a Talenti taste test. I sampled 36 different flavors of sorbetto and gelato. About six flavors in I realized this would not be the joy I anticipated. It was sticky. It was sweet. It gave me a bit of a sugary film on my teeth and a bit of a stomach ache. I wasn't surprised to discovered that all my favorites were on the chocolate and/or peanut butter spectrum. Don't choose vanilla-based flavors (anything with coconut is good though, especially coconut almond chocolate). Don't expect Ben and Jerry's levels of mix-ins. If you are into dairy-free options, the sorbettos are really creamy and generally delicious (roman raspberry and peanut butter fudge were in my top ratings).

Either way, I love my new job and these sorts of projects. I am inundated with snacks and homemade food and gourmet chocolates. 

My Wednesday looked like this. (image via Talenti)

Wearing:

Next week will be another story, but lately: black tee, black boots, black sack dress, black slacks, black leggings. This wardrobe is sometimes just the thing. I snazzed up the monotones with some old favorite gold necklaces, too.

Watching:

I know I've mentioned this multiple times, but High Maintenance is outstanding and I am continually enamored by it in every way. 

John Oliver continues to make current events entertaining, digestible, and informative. At least when I am depressed by the leaders of our world I can count on Oliver to give me some interesting perspectives. 

Treasuring:

New Routines: I'm learning how long it takes to get to work. I'm enjoying the meditative commute on the one train. I'm savoring the quiet moments when I get to work and no one else is there and I make my coffee and gaze out at Jersey City. I love shuffling down my new long hallway in my socks. I love looking out at all the new views – through the fog, the snowflakes, the rainy evenings, and the sunshine. I love wandering in and out of different markets and groceries and having a fridge, cabinet, and oven to use when I return "home."

Keith Haring lover forever. 

Monday Memos // 47

Last week I was in Los Angeles, this week I'm in Irma... there is so much in the world and my mind swirling about, but the significance of this day does not escape me, either. 

(image by Bill Bragg via nytimes)

Listening:

"Up All Night" by The War On Drugs

"The Price Is Right" theme song. Look out for me on December 7th!

Reading:

PLEASE FORGIVE US AT BLUE APRON FOR THIS WEEK’S MEALS. WE’VE BEEN HAVING A TOUGH TIME LATELY by Lucy Huber

A list of really beautiful places in U.S. I'd be down to visit. Crossed one off the list last week when I experienced the Griffith Observatory.

"Franny and Zooey" by J.D. Salinger. I watched a movie yesterday—not good enough to mention—and this book played a large role. I've been meaning to read it book since... forever. I started it in middle school, because of my name and my fondness for "The Catcher in the Rye," but I think it was beyond me at age 12 or 13. I have it sitting on my shelf, just waiting.

The two works were published together as a book in 1961, having originally appeared in The New Yorker in 1955 and 1957 respectively.(image via newsstand)

Craving:

Last week I ate some incredible things. A cruffin from Mr. Holmes Bakehouse—flakey, buttery croissant muffin hybrid; I think ours was filled with chocolate rye cream (house-made rye bread infused cream finished with 64% chocolate). 

I want to eat all the things. (via latimes)

At Spitz, a mediterranean place, I had the Döner Basket, which is a salad and fries topped with tzatziki, feta, pepperoncinis, crispy garbanzos, a falafel ball, olives, fried pita strips, hummus, tomato, onion, green pepper, cucumber and chicken. I could eat it a thousand more times. 

Salvating. (image via Two Peas & Their Pod

I didn't mind waiting in a long line to try some Salt & Straw ice cream. Experienced a cone while walking to Venice beach. One scoop of Chocolate Gooey Brownie (the house-baked brownies have marshmallow fluff folded in to keep them extra gooey) and one scoop of Apples & Sidecar Doughnuts (chunks of Butter & Salt doughnuts soaked in a homemade glaze, then stirred into ice cream spiced with a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg, finishing with a swirl of homemade apple pie filling). Wow! 

There's so much more, but I cannot stop drooling. (image via latimes)

Wearing:

This past week I put an old pair of shoes to use: my black and grey Saucony Originals Bullets. 

Six years ago, in my brief stint living in San Francisco, I needed a pair of black shoes for a restaurant job. I remember going to store after store after store, with some unknown vision in my mind of what I wanted to find. I didn't have much money and I love shopping for shoes, so it was a great game and source of entertainment. Eventually I found these sneaks, they fit the bill, and have served me well for years. 

I got them at Shoe Biz, on one of my favorite streets: Valencia. It was nice to wear them all over the West Coast again.

Watching:

Things I'm looking forward to:

"Jerry Before Seinfeld." "On September 19, Netflix is airing Jerry Before Seinfeld, a comedy special about how the world’s richest comedian got his start."

"The Deuce." "The first collaboration between David Simon and George Pelecanos since Treme, The Deuce is set in 1970s New York City, when Times Square had more peep shows and porn theaters than Olive Gardens and Elmo impersonators. In the eight-episode series, James Franco plays twin brothers Vincent and Frankie Martino, a bartender and a gambler who get swept up in a mob plan to profit from the burgeoning sex industry. Maggie Gyllenhaal is Candy, a sex worker with bigger ambitions."

"I Love You, America" "Sarah Silverman’s new weekly topical show for Hulu is being billed as an honest attempt for the outspoken comedian to engage with “real” Americans whose opinions and beliefs are at odds with her own. The series’s co-executive producers include Will Ferrell and Adam McKay (Anchorman, The Big Short)."

Plus, "Broad City," "This Is Us" and most likely much, much more. Hi, I love television. (Here's a list of so many Fall shows.)

I don't actually spend all day and night watching tv, surprisingly. (images via HBO / ABC / Netflix / CBS / The Atlantic)

Treasuring:

Visiting Los Angeles for the first time. (The Price Is Right! The Comedy Store! My brother and sister-in-law and their beautiful home! The beaches! The foods! The wanders! The cool breezes! The desert! The views! The change! The city! The excitement! The adventure! The weirdness! The architecture! The friendship!)

Having so many thoughtful people surrounding me during this hurricane scare. I've heard from old friends and relatives. I've been offered places to stay nearby, on higher ground and way up north—for myself, my cat, and all my friends. I've been offered help boarding up windows, I've been offered all the snacks... The world isn't full of monsters, which is a relief.

This is how positive humanity makes me feel. (image via popmyeyes)

Monday Memos // 46

Listening:

"I Only Have Eyes for You" by The Flamingos.

"Needy Bees" by Nick Hakim.

"Baby" by Donnie & Joe Emerson.

Reading:

Crushes and lust. "When we thirst, all we are saying is that, like every living thing, we need water."

I really enjoy The Cut's weekly horoscopes. They are short and sweet, but well-written and often inspire a sense of wonder and self-reflection. This week, I couldn't stop rereading a couple of lines from my own: This change on the horizon isn’t about outgrowing your own skin, and it isn’t about becoming somebody new. You’re already holding the magic you need, and all you need to do is learn how to keep holding it.

THINGS I’VE SAID TO MY NEW PUPPY OR TO A REPUBLICAN SENATOR? by Sally Miller “Leave it.” "You are destroying the fabric of everything I hold dear.”

Craving:

The week's greatest hits: Cold bananas dipped in peanut butter. The first slice of carrot cake. Roasted sweet potatoes dipped in kale pesto. Blueberry lemonade seltzer water. Vanilla/Thin Mint cookie soft-serve ice cream swirl. Peaches and cream pie.

Various flavors and toppings at Soft Swerve. (photo by Bobby Doherty via nymag)

Wearing:

Shorts and tees and tees and shorts. White toenail polish. A constant summery "sheen."

I can't stop wanting a coverall-style jumpsuit. I have a short-sleeved chambray jumpsuit but everyone thinks I'm wearing scrubs when I sport it, so this time maybe navy or red?

This article caused the desire: The Best Outfit for Uniform Dressing Is This $40 Jumpsuit. (image via nymag)

Watching:

Currently most excited about: "Insecure" (the soundtrack has been calling to me and the realness has been moving me), "Project Runway" (Tim Gunn is one of my heroes), "I'm Dying Up Here" (I'm entranced by the 60s/70s and comedy), and "Game of Thrones" (I can't believe it's already over again).

Recently saw and loved: "The Little Hours."

"The movie is not camp. It’s deliciously deadpan sex farce played by some of the deftest clowns in the English-speaking world. The more matter-of-fact it is, the more screamingly funny." —Vulture

Alison Brie, Aubrey Plaza, and Kate Micucci. (image via concourse film trade)

Want to see: "Lemon." All I really need to do is list the cast: Michael Cera, Gillian Jacobs, Judy Greer, Megan Mullally, Martin Starr, Rhea Perlman, Marla Gibbs, and Shiri Appleby—among others!

"This offbeat comedy, based somewhat on the experiences of real-life couple Gelman and director Janicza Bravo, is as deadpan, absurd, and surreal as a movie can get." —Jeffrey M. Anderson

"'Lemon' follows cowriter/star Brett Gelman's loser-creep around L.A. in a "comedy" that lives up to its name."  (image via Magnolia Pictures/Rolling Stone

Treasuring:

I really love those moments when a ton of people all come together for something at the same moment; I appreciate the sort of leveling of everyone—it's like a collective being. (Is my hippie showing?) That is, the solar eclipse on the 21st. I love that so many people were all outside at these particular moments wearing silly glasses, sharing silly glasses or staring into cardboard boxes and celebrating the sky.

"Cloud coverage starts to clear as the eclipse approaches totality." (image via Andrea Morales for The New York Times)

Saturday afternoon I saw a man pushing his kid in a stroller. They crossed the street and the dad stopped in front of a crepe myrtle tree to pick a long flowering branch. He handed it to the tiny child and they continued on their way. I felt a sense of reassurance (humanity!) and happiness (heart melt!).

Monday Memos // 45

Listening:

"Angel in the Snow" by Elliott Smith.

Perhaps influenced by the weird feelings my lack of sleep (and the lunar eclipse?) have been giving me, also maybe because it was Smith's birthday on the 6th, I happened upon this song and have listened to it too many times.

"Ashes To Ashes" by Warpaint. (David Bowie Cover)

I love looking for new-to-me cover songs, especially when they combine two different artists I really enjoy.

"Sick of Myself" by Matthew Sweet.

This song gives me a huge pang in my chest. Serious 90s nostalgia. I remember blasting this on my boombox in my bedroom, flipping through the cd insert, memorizing the lyrics, and thinking the cover photo looked like a girl. 

Reading:

An Ode to Bad Family Vacations - This is a nice piece on remembering those hilarious and harrowing moments on trips. My own include: my years of overwhelming carsickness, hangry outbreaks, inappropriate soundtracks... oh the memories of a family of five in a mid-sized car driving from Florida to Maine.

I plan to read this in the coming week to prepare for next Monday's solar event: Annie Dillard's Classic Essay: 'Total Eclipse.'

A total solar eclipse in Svalbard, Longyearbyen, Norway, on March 20, 2015. (image by Jon Olav Nesvold / Stringer / Getty via the atlantic)

Craving:

Mediterranean food (hummus, pita, falafel, pizza, salade niçoise), breakfast food (eggs, toast, granola, doughnuts) and water water water water water water water water water (have I mentioned how hot it is?). 

Yes please. (image via muncheezdc)

Lots of coffee, too. (image via onnit)

Wearing:

Breezy button-ups.

Much of my dressing lately involves the best items for extreme sun and heat. I thought to old men on the beach: breezy tops in light, often tropical colors. Lots of linen and light cotton (I really need some loose linen pants).

Happy to report my summer look is very James Bond in "Thunderball." Shorts, shoes and all. Now I want to watch this. (image via bamfstyle)

Watching:

"Lovesick" on Netflix. (Originally called "Scrotal Recall," which is probably why I never watched it until now.)

I was exhausted and beat from hours in the harshest sun, so I showered, plopped in my bed and needed something easy. I was skeptical, but pressed play on this British sitcom. I should've known I would be instantly binge-watching—historically, I am quite captivated with these Channel 4 picks. (I noticed some characters from "Fleabag" and "Chewing Gum.") I laughed, I cried, I watched nearly 2 seasons in two days...

Roxanne at Paste describes it perfectly: "'Lovesick' thrives on gawkily funny and often sexually charged situations, handled in such a down-to-earth manner it doesn’t feel like your typical, canned-laughter comedy. Instead of being overly in-your-face with punchlines, the series relies on its well-defined protagonists for humor, and by introducing new characters and environments in every episode, 'Lovesick' feels more elaborate than your average sitcom, allowing for the occasional surprise."

Daniel Ings, Antonia Thomas and Johnny Flynn. I hope they make more seasons. (image via netflix)

Treasuring:

(Note: I decided to change up this last category for a bit. I keep finding more things I'm just excited about or appreciating, and thought it'd be nice to recognize those instead.)

At least every Friday, I check out NY Mag's Grub Street site, particularly for their Grub Street Diet column. This week (Scoop Week, how perfect), I was scrolling through and saw my own piece right above one by Mark Bittman! Although mine is simply a compilation of ice cream makers to buy on Amazon (they did find a fitting person to write that, I might add), it sure does feel like something!

I stumbled into helping a friend make a short film the last few days. Even though the hours a day—in the midday sun, the sun I try to avoid most often—makes me feel deliriously fried (physically, mentally, and sometimes emotionally), it's been extremely enjoyable. Tromping through tall grasses and holding up reflectors to get the light just so, sweating through every layer of clothing and fearing the sound of a possible rattlesnake... it's all really interesting to watch happen and be a part of. I can't wait to see the finished project. Go support this superb dude, if you can.

So much Florida flora.