Monday Memos // 79

Listening:

"Miki Dora" by Amen Dunes.

"Heart Shaped Face" by Angel Olsen.

"West Coast" by Coconut Records. (I told Jason Schwartman that I love this song and it tears my heart apart in the best possible way. He agreed. *More below.)

Reading:

I found a stack of books on the designated free table at my apartment and there were some gems.

• I Am a Cat: Three Volumes in One by Soseki Natsume: Written from 1904 through 1906, Soseki Natsume's comic masterpiece, I Am a Cat, satirizes the foolishness of upper-middle-class Japanese society during the Meiji era. With acerbic wit and sardonic perspective, it follows the whimsical adventures of a world-weary stray kitten who comments on the follies and foibles of the people around him.
• A signed copy of Turtles All the Way Down by John Green: “This novel is by far [Green’s] most difficult to read. It’s also his most astonishing. . . . So surprising and moving and true that I became completely unstrung. . . . One needn’t be suffering like Aza to identify with it. One need only be human.”—The New York Times

I also cannot wait to read David Sedaris' new book Calypso. This is beach reading for people who detest beaches, required reading for those who loathe small talk and love a good tumour joke. Calypso is simultaneously Sedaris's darkest and warmest book yet - and it just might be his very best.

Craving:

Sometimes I daydream about freshly ground peanut butter. Sometimes when I'm eating it by the spoonful, straight from the plastic tub—a process that entails scraping around the edge and then smoothing the surface to an even level—I think, "I could survive on a deserted island with fresh peanut butter." Deep cuts.

I ate at a new, beautiful Vietnamese restaurant on Saturday—Di An Di (it means “Let’s go eat"). I ate a simple but amazing scallion lemongrass mushroom phở and this crispy rice noodle dish with lotus root, okra, water spinach, and bean sprouts. I can't wait to try more of the things and eat those crispy noodles again. 

"The plant-strewn bar and dining room were designed by the Red Hook–based Ladies & Gentlemen Studios." (Photo by Melissa Horn via grubstreet)

Wearing:

NY Design Week made me pull out all the stops and experiment in my dressing. A wore three blue jumpsuits on consecutive days (a cotton tube top version, a thin chambray short sleeved version, and the beloved corduroy long sleeved version). I wore a full pink outfit (hot pink pencil skirt, pale pink tee, bubblegum pink nylon shoes, and pale pink socks). I wore head to toe black and white (polka dot-ish pants and a starry shirt). I dusted off old shoes from a decade or more ago (pointy-toed lace-ups and beat-up old sneaks). Feels like a fashion revival. 

Watching:

In a matter of days, I watched the entirety of the new Netflix series Safe. I was swamped with work and plans, yet I still managed to watch it in the briefest, most entranced moments. Michael C. Hall captured my heart years ago as David on Six Feet Under, so that was the initial draw. It is very Broadchurch. I want more.

I also watched Ibiza. A good cheesy romp movie with a slew of actors I like (Gillian Jacobs, Michaela Watkins, Phoebe Robinson, Vanessa Bayer, Richard Madden—aka Robb Stark!). It was the kind of movie I needed to escape from sore feet and loneliness for an hour and a half. Minimal substance, easy entertainment. 

Treasuring:

Design Week: Working Sight Unseen Offsite... what a whirlwind. It was constant and chaotic. It was amazing and exhausting. It was stressful and euphoric. I met and reunited with so many lovely and wonderful designers and artists and makers and photographers. I feel overwhelmed with inspiration. I felt the best kind of jealousy. I felt new dreams and aspirations welling up inside. I went to so many events and spaces. I extroverted my heart out. I could write a novel with all my thoughts and feelings on the matter.

*I even got to meet one of my all-time favorite actors, Jason Schwartzman, who was one of those rare treats who didn't disappoint in the flesh. He was kind and thoughtful and he played his dreamy pianette with a baby (Alfie) on his lap. From Max Fischer to the O.C. theme song to Coconut Records to Fantastic Mr. Fox, I'm here for it all. His wife was a dream and seriously pulls off bright orange lipstick.

From the OFFSITE party. Brady Cunningham (wife), Jason, and Katy Burgess (Brady's Wall For Apricots business partner), and the pianette. (image by Don Stahl via sightunseen)

Monday Memos // 64

Listening:

"Goodbye Bread" by Ty Segall.

"My Shadow" by Jay Reatard.

"What I Thought of You" by Holly Throsby.

This progression of songs doesn't make any sense / absolutely makes sense. 

Reading:

Want to read: "Her Body and Other Parties: Stories" by Carmen Maria Machado. Earthy and otherworldly, antic and sexy, queer and caustic, comic and deadly serious, "Her Body and Other Parties" swings from horrific violence to the most exquisite sentiment. In their explosive originality, these stories enlarge the possibilities of contemporary fiction.

Still enjoying: I'm slowly making my way through "Theft By Finding," the latest Sedaris book. His life is crazy and bleak and hilarious. I bet he never would've thought as a nearly homeless construction worker artist he'd be a millionaire one day.

(image via npr)

Craving:

Gigantic oranges. Hawaiian pizza. Pesto. "Everything But The Bagel Sesame Seasoning." More chocolate.

Wearing:

Easy wear: jeans, tee, sweatshirt, wool socks, puffy jacket, black boots.

Watching:

Binge: I can't stop watching "Offspring." It is an Australian television comedy-drama centered on "30-something obstetrician Nina Proudman and her family and friends, as they navigate the chaos of modern life." It reminds me a 'Scrubs.'" I laugh, I cry, I zen out in Aussie oblivion.

Adore: "High Maintenance" is back—season 2. The first episode blew me away and the last scene made my eyes well up. I could rewatch it more than once. I'm glad I have to wait each week for a new episode, it's a nice something to look forward to.

Treasuring:

Walking. Thank you legs for bringing me all around town. Thanks for all the wandering around lakes, through crusty snow piles, up and down long hallways. I'm about to do a bunch of good city walking; even if I start crying in the middle of the sidewalk or if I feel overwhelming joy in all the sights and sounds, I'm looking forward to all the walking. 

Nancy and all her boots.

Monday Memos // 62

Listening:

"Funnel Of Love" by Wanda Jackson.

Take note of the songs that make you run faster.

"Let's Get Lost" by Chet Baker.

Perpetual "I need something to ease my mind" song.

"New Year" by Kyle Sammond.

Find a friend who will make a song and give you a supportive shout-out on it. 

New Year by Kyle Sammond, released 08 January 2018 I'm stepping out into the new year I'm not beheld to my old fear Like a light upon the lawn Like a cemetery dawn I'm rearranging all my space It's helps to forget about your face I'm stepping out into the new year I'm thinking like I never knew ya Time has a way to just confuse ya It fails when the arrow goes right through ya I've been thinking all night long Like an early morning fawn On some plain we haven't seen Was it real or just a dream?

Reading:

My latest library haul includes:

"Forest Dark" by Nicole Krauss. "One of America’s most important novelists" (New York Times), the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of The History of Love, conjures an achingly beautiful and breathtakingly original novel about personal transformation that interweaves the stories of two disparate individuals—an older lawyer and a young novelist—whose transcendental search leads them to the same Israeli desert. I really loved "The History of Love," so fingers crossed.

Will Write for Food by Dianne Jacob. "Whenever someone emails me about how to pursue a career in food writing, I politely tell them they're in the wrong place, that I have no idea what I'm doing, and to buy this book instead." - Deb Perelman, author of The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook and smittenkitchen.com

My latest internet dive recommendations:

Katja Blichfeld Gets What She Wants. As a fan of the series "High Maintenance" I was interested, but it goes way beyond that. One of the other tattoos she got this year is of the words “Best Crab,” an inside joke with Gregory. According to him, it’s about how she wants “to nurture and grow people,” sometimes at her own expense — like the character in Joy Luck Club who takes the worst crab for herself, rather than reaching for the best one. 

"I Made the Pizza Cinnamon Rolls from Mario Batali’s Sexual Misconduct Apology Letter." The recipe calls for too much icing, and the result is that the rolls are drenched in it. We’ve reached the “ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME” portion of the recipe.

"Blichfeld treats everyone she interacts with pretty much exactly the same, which is to say, she treats everyone with patience, curiosity, openness, and honesty, and then at the end of the interaction she gets exactly what she wants." (Photograph By Lia Clay via nymag)

Craving:

I did a fair amount of driving, wandering and exploring last week. I went to D.C.—journal store, book store, post office, cafe, hot foamy drinks and a sense of contentment. I went to Princeton, New Jersey—Thai food, introductions, wonderment, brisk air, architecture, ginger turmeric tea, bustling shops and the best gooey chocolate chip blondie. I went to Baltimore—terrible drivers, brick streets, velvet clothes, fizzy pineapple water and the best air vents by way of H&S Bakery (it's like I could taste warm cinnamon raisin bread from the gusts of wind). 

The sunshine pairs well with everything.

Wearing:

In the spirit of "dress for the job you want," I got myself some glittery socks and a blue velvet top. I'm not sure exactly what this says, but I like it.

I love Isabella Rossellini. (image via David Lynch's "Blue Velvet")

Watching:

"The End of the F***ing World." One day last week I went to Netflix and this show was the first image on the page. I hovered over the title as the trailer played and found myself intrigued. Fit my British kick of late and seemed like a love story I could handle without crying. Then it proceeded to exceed my expectations. The music is superb. The characters and actors are heartbreaking and hilarious. I wish there were 20 more episodes to watch. For your own curiosity and the slightest of descriptions, it's "deceptively endearing for a story about a 17-year-old self-diagnosed psychopath and the teen girl that he’s determined to murder in cold blood."

Alyssa (Jessica Barden) and James (Alex Lawther). I did still cry, but it was worth it. (image via Netflix)

Treasuring:

The sky. The other day I noticed my photo feed was filled with pictures of the sky. I've been getting so excited about how beautiful it looks. To be so enamored with the sky, what a great feeling! Saturday I was driving on a highway ramp, getting on I-95 South, when I gasped, I hollered, THE SKY! It was one of the most incredible views I've ever seen—even in all the grime of the city and cement. The brightness, the vastness, the glow, the colors, the clouds, the shadows and shimmers in a billowing smokestack... I wanted to take a picture so badly, but—I'm responsible—and I just wanted to savor the moment with my eyes and my mind.

Throwback from the eclipse.

P.s. Happy Birthday to my sweet baby angel, Joshua. 

Monday Memos // 58

Listening:

"Drivin' On 9" by The Breeders.

You could be a shadow / Beneath the street light / Behind my home / Drivin' on 9 / I sure miss you

"Just Another Diamond Day" by Vashti Bunyan.

"Sister" by Angel Olsen.

"For You" by Sharon Van Etten.

Sharon just reissued her 2009 debut album, "because i was in love," with a two new tracks (this is an old one) entitled "(it was) because i was in love."

I was hoping that you knew I'd wait for you / I do, I do

“Blissing Me” by Björk.

The second song released from her tenth album, "Utopia." "Much like “Headphones” (released twenty-one years earlier), the track is a subdued electronic ballad about 'two music nerds' falling in love via swapping music."

Reading:

I can't concentrate on any books lately. Is my mind too full or are they just not the best books for me? I started "Telegraph Avenue" by Michael Chabon, though, and I like thinking about all the East Bay scenery and characters. 

"A big-hearted and exhilarating novel that explores the profoundly intertwined lives of two Oakland, California families, one black and one white. In "Telegraph Avenue," Chabon lovingly creates a world grounded in pop culture—Kung Fu, ’70s Blaxploitation films, vinyl LPs, jazz and soul music—and delivers a bravura epic of friendship, race, and secret histories."

One of the rejected covers of the novel. (via huffingtonpost)

Craving:

I continued my leisurely, lifelong adventure of trying all the Ethiopian platters/combinations that I can. This week took me to a random strip mall in Ellicott City, Maryland. There were minimal tables, one family eating, and seemingly one employee—also a local realtor. The smell was divine. My younger brother and I shared two combinations—kindly put together as one giant plate. For the first time in all my dining experiences, we were offered hot sauce. It was red, the thickness and color of Sriracha, the slightest bit tangy, and really good. The chicken was a bit tough, but everything else made up for it. 

Also consistently eating: dark chocolate, almonds, cashews, dried sour cherries, extra toasty toast, and spinach.

Kind of hard to show a bunch of piles of brown food in a flattering light. So here is a beautiful food image by Leah Goren. (via pinterest)

Wearing:

I had an epiphany last week: "I need to be embraced in the hug of my It's It sweatshirt!" When it's cold outside and you feel a little under the weather and a little sad, encase yourself in the image of a fabulous ice cream sandwich. Luckily I knew where to find it in the storage unit of all my belongings. We are reunited and it is so cozy. 

I know I have mentioned the sweatshirt and delicacy here before. (image via zielcreative)

Watching:

I watched almost the entirety of "Easy" season two in one sitting. From awkward to hilarious to mind-boggling to heartbreaking, the characters, stories, and music are wonderful. 

For those who appreciate The Great British Baking Show/Bakeoff," Netflix has another sweet and mouthwatering option, "The Big Family Cooking Showdown." 

I've heard nothing but praises and heartache around "Call Me By Your Name." This romantic drama is more fully and convincingly realized than most cinematic love stories in recent memory.

On the other hand, "The Disaster Artist" looks entertaining and goofy. Because I know Kelly Oxford is involved, I am extra thrilled.

Treasuring:

Emotions. Sometimes you have those periods of time where you cry a lot. I try to embrace those times and let it all wash over me—pour out of me. Sometimes you have to cry on the sidewalk and at a restaurant and in a car and on the couch—wherever it strikes. I think 2017 needs to squeeze a little more out of us. It is going to no matter what.

Untitled by Pablo Picasso (via missmoss)

Vintage Marimekko editorial in a LIFE magazine edition from 1966. (via missmoss)