Monday Memos // 12

Listening:

"You and Me." Penny & the Quarters. 

This song was playing at the end of the most recent episode of "Casual." I have listened to it at least one hundred times since. 

According to Wikipedia, "Penny & The Quarters are a "lost" soul band which came to prominence in 2010 after an unreleased demo of their song "You And Me" was used in the film "Blue Valentine." 

The songs were recorded some time between 1970 and 1975 at either Harmonic Sounds Studio or at the home of studio co-owner Clem Price in Columbus. Relegated to storage, the songs were discovered after Price's death in 2006... One of the songs they recorded, "You And Me" was released by the Numero Group and was later heard by actor Ryan Gosling, who recommended it to the director Derek Cianfrance as the song meant to bring the two lead characters together in "Blue Valentine."

Reading:

I just got really excited to learn that Maria Semple, author of "Where'd You Go, Bernadette," is coming out with a new book in October. She's an incredible writer of books you can tear right through.

The new book, "Today Will Be Different," is about "a day in the life of Eleanor Flood, forced to abandon her small ambitions and awake to a strange, new future."

Also, Semple's website it worth looking at. 

I always like her covers, too. (image via Little, Brown and Company)

Craving:

I'm craving ice cream. Duh. What else is new? But even more so, I would love to go to the Museum of Ice Cream to fully submerge in my craving.

The Museum of Ice Cream will pop up in the heart of the Meatpacking District in New York City "with a lick-able, likeable, shareable ice cream-centric experience throughout August." Perfect for me, it is "curated by a collective of ice cream obsessed designers, artists, and friends."

Included:

• a swimmable rainbow ‘sprinkle’ pool
• edible balloons
• an immersive chocolate room
• a collaborative massive ice cream sundae
• an ice cream sandwich swing
• an ice cream scooper seesaw
• a match/favorite flavor finder on a custom app in Tinder Land
• ice cream tastings

I would have loved to study ice cream art history in art school. (image via Museum Of Ice Cream/Instagram)

Wearing:

Sunglasses. It's so bright in Florida and I've got to protect my light-colored eyes! So, I seem to have a pair of shades in each bag I own and a pair waiting in my car and my beau's. Half of them are cheap ($2 or free). The other half are prized pairs, where I always have a case. 

Current favorites are a pink pair I got at a shop that sells discounted wares. 

ett:twa Pink Archetype Sunglasses (image via lyst.com)

Watching:

I was counting down the months, weeks and days until July 12. AKA the return of "Difficult People" season two. That show is brilliant and hilarious. 

My friend and I have made a whole production of these Tuesday evenings. We get an extravagant dessert (or two) and watch while we eat. We laugh loudly and eat too many bites. Last week it was hummingbird cake and peach blueberry cheesecake. 

Tomorrow couldn't come sooner. I wonder what the dessert will be?

I really want to hang out with Billy and Julie. (image via wegotthiscovered.com)

Wanting:

Fabulous pants. On my daily blog scrolling, I constantly come across these women with incredible pants. They look so effortless and chic. It's less about skinny and constricting, but there are still great flattering lines. 

Jesse Kamm Sailor Pant in Salt White from Two Son. Inspo: bleubird. (image via twoson.co)

Doen Riviera High Waisted Tie Pant. Inspo: bleubird. (via shopdoen.com)

Vintage jeans. Inspo: calivintage. (image via calivintage.com)

Elizabeth Suzann Florence Pant. Inspo: calivintage. (image via elizabethsuzann.com)

Monday Memos // 11

Listening:

I cannot stop listening to "Our Love" by Sharon Van Etten. 

The lyrics are simple and repetitive, so I tend to put it on repeat, AT HIGH VOLUME, and belt it out. 

It's all love
It's all love
It's all love
It's all love
It's all love
It's all love
It's all love
It's all love

Reading:

I just started "Modern Lovers" by Emma Straub. It feels (and looks) like the perfect, chill summer novel. 

From a Vogue article, "It tells the story of one summer in the lives of two families living in the leafy outer Brooklyn neighborhood of Ditmas Park."

"Straub’s books are by all accounts literary, but they aren’t tortured by an overly self-conscious, nebulous sense of literary-ness. 'You want to take my book to the beach?' she jokes. 'Take my book to the beach! Please. Tell all your friends to take my book to the beach.'"

I love this Leah Goren illustration on the jacket cover. (image via Penguin Random House) 

Craving:

I have a love of sandwiches this week. Shared a loaded chicken and veggie one with my dad on Friday. Had a second serving of a roasted pork sample sandwich at my work on the same day. I just bought a loaf of Dave's Killer Bread, because it looked like a great vehicle for my craving. 

As someone who is usually all in on the salads, sometimes you just need more sandwiches in your life. I'm salivating at the thought of a toasted pb and j. 

This breakfast sandwich from Jessica Merchant's blog makes me want to cry. (image via howsweeteats.com)

Wearing:

I bought a fun shirt from Zara to mix up the blackness of my wardrobe. Fruit prints tend to be a common thread, still. 

Hard to beat for $10. (via zara.com)

Watching:

I started the show "Stranger Things," like much of the world, this week. It was easy to watch more than two in a row.

And even though I tend to avoid creepy television, this is worth the spook. The music, the scenery, the vibes and Winona, it's all supreme. 

Go Netflix, go! (image via Netflix)

Wanting:

More trips. Can I get an endless stream of free airfare? Perhaps paid vacation, too? I want to go to Seattle, Los Angeles, Portland (both Oregon and Maine) and New York City. And that is just the first few places on my mind, then there is the rest of the world. 

I have wanderlust. 

I guess I want amazing new luggage, too. (fabulous DIY via thehousethatlarsbuilt.com)

Monday Memos // 10

Listening:

I've got three different songs I cannot stop listening to. In order of old, older, oldest. 

"Impregnable Question." Dirty Projectors. As a runner, the video gives me feels. The scenery and sweetness is perfect. 

"Walk in the Park." Beach House. As a former Baltimore dweller, this also gives my heart pangs.

A bit of "Wild Heart." Stevie Nicks. As someone who once was told, "You've got Stevie Nicks vibes," this is just really good.

Reading:

The moment you have all been waiting for: I finished "The Goldfinch" today. It broke my heart a hundred times and I loved it immensely. It's hard to process much of anything at the moment. Praise Donna Tartt. 

I don't know how you did it, Tartt. (image via thetimes.co.uk)

Craving:

I've been craving pie lately. I kept hoping one would crop up during the Fourth of July festivities (blueberry, peach, strawberry rhubarb...any or all). Then we had some French Silk pie at my work. I just had a couple of forkfuls and it was divine. I cannot stop staring at when I pass our dessert case (every five minutes). I could go for a hand pie, too. 

I'll take a pie with all the different edges, please. (Photo by Linda Xiao via food52)

Wearing:

The heat index has been roughly 105 degrees, so I am wearing as little as possible while maintaining my dignity. Surprisingly, this still entails mostly black. A black tank top and jean shorts. A small, billowing black dress. Lightweight black tees. 

My mom gifted me with some bright red flats, which have been adding some lovely visual interest. 

My Nana always said it is crucial to have a pair of red shoes. (image via thesartorialist)

Watching:

My friend kept telling me to watch "Casual" on Hulu. Finally, in the post-Game of Thrones lull, I watched an episode and it turned into watching two, then three and I lost track of time. And I love it! I've missed seeing Frances Conroy (Ruth Fisher!) and it's really just subtle and funny. 

I'll be onto and done with the second season in no time, I'm sure. 

The daughter reminds me of Christina Ricci. (image via tubefilter.com)

Wanting:

I love all things ban.do. The latest #girlspopup shop is brimming with amazing stuff. I am especially gaga over some fancy scarves. The designer, Karen Mabon, is a genius. 

I'd want a set to wear and a set to adorn my walls. 

Fancy dress cats. (via bando)

Hair salon girls. (via bando)

Garden gnomes. (via bando)

Monday Memos // 9

[Apologies for the two-week hiatus---but vacation was just too good to open a computer.] 

Listening:

I caught the end of a piece on NPR's "weekend edition" recently. They closed out the episode with Chet Baker's "My Funny Valentine" melody sung under Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven." 

Long story short, it got me on a Chet Baker kick. I have loved "My Funny Valentine" since I heard it as a child. 

A quick skim through his biography, the man led a whacky life. (image via youtube.com)

Reading:

After minimal internet exploring on my trip, the last few days have me reunited with all my favorite blogs. I have been reading so many different things. 

A smattering of favorites: 

Missed Connections For A-holes (via cupofjo)

lder and wiser: documenting advanced style all over the world (via cupcakesandcashmere)

What It Was Like to Be Photographed by Bill Cunningham (Love you Bill! via joythebaker)

Bill Cunningham at the Carolina Herrera Fall 2013 fashion show in New York. CreditCindy Ord/Getty Images for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week

Craving:

Pizza. Vacation involved a lot of pizza and once you eat a lot of pizza, your body identifies best with it's deep love of pizza.

The trip began with shrimp pizza with my parents at Birroteca in Baltimore. We had zero leftovers. Red Shrimp, Herb Pesto, Asparagus, Melted Cherry Tomatoes, Asiago, Fontina, Roasted Red Peppers.

In the middle of the trip, Ellen and I feasted on a frozen Amy's pizza in our Oak Bluffs rental house. We had our slices with a view of a setting sun and the sparkling waters of a pond and a sound. Roasted Vegetable Pizza topped with marinated organic shiitake mushrooms, roasted red peppers, sweet onions and marinated artichoke hearts.

On the last day of the trip, back with my parents, we devoured a special pie at Joe Squared in Baltimore. I lost track of the squares I ate. The Whitlock Community Farm Pizza: Crushed tomato, arugula, bacon, ham, mozzarella, smoked gouda and rosemary.

I love you pizza, especially with friends and loved ones. 

Pizza bean bag. (image via sweetyhigh)

Wearing:

Simply put, I have been wearing a lot of black. Black layered on black. Black jeans with black tees. Black dresses on top of black dresses. Black sandals and black clogs.

I know it is summer, but it feels best. 

What would Leandra do? (image via manrepeller.com)

Watching:

I missed watching the last two episodes of "Game of Thrones" in real time, so last night I caught up. It was exciting to watch two momentous episodes back to back! Mini binge!

Also, I can't believe we have to wait another year (roughly) to see it again. Sigh. 

Theon and Sansa: would you call them BFFs of sort? (image via HBO)

Wanting:

I've been seeing these strappy, often suede sandals in every color and iteration. Each one makes my heart flutter. So simple! The colors! 

Lower cost option: ASOS FORTRESS Flared Heel Sandals (via asos.com)

Higher cost option: Marais Usa JARDIN HEEL, CHERRY (via maraisusa.com)

Highest cost option: MARYAM NASSIR ZADEH PALMA SANDAL in AMETHYST METALLIC (via Mille)