Monday Memos // 13

Listening:

"El Manisero (The Peanut Vendor)" - Don Azpiazú & His Havana Casino Orchestra. 

I saw Woody Allen's latest movie this weekend, "Café Society," and this song was in it. A big hit in the 1930s, I was digging it. 

Reading:

Tidbits of good reading from recent days:

Summer So-Whats (Manrepeller)

Words With (I Wish We Were More Than) Friends (New York Times)

Stranger Things’ Eleven on the Show's Behind-the-Scenes Food Secrets (Bon Appetit)

The Sad Ballad of Salad (The Atlantic)

It's all so right. (Illustrations by Emily Zirimis via manrepeller.com)

Craving:

Seafood.

I've had raw oysters, shrimp fajitas, wood-oven grilled salmon, seared snapper and crab cakes in the last few days. I could eat delicious fish at any meal.  I should probably get some sushi soon to round out the array of culinary delights. 

Or maybe I want a sushi doughnut? (via sobeautifullyraw/Instagram)

Wearing:

I brought some old clothes to a local consignment store and walked out with an armful of new beauties. The theme was dark dresses with pops of fun. 

Corduroy in summer may seem crazy, but I loved it. (via topshop.com)

More Topshop. This top has great little details. (Image via Pinterest)

Watching:

"The Night Of" on HBO. 

I loved the first episode, was underwhelmed with the second, reinvigorated with the third and pumped with the fourth. So, primarily it is on an upward slope. 

As with much of my tv viewing pleasure, it was great to see actors from some old favorite shows reappear. For example, Omar (Michael Kenneth Williams) from "The Wire" is becoming a large fixture on "The Night Of." Plus, there has been some "Sopranos" crossover: Aida Turturro (Janice Soprano) and James Gandolfini (posthumously). 

I heard someone mention that this show has some familiar echoes with the whole "Serial" controversy/mystery. I wonder...

Poor Naz. (Image via hbo.com)

Wanting:

With my own "summer break" winding down (three weeks until school!), I'd love to squeeze in a springs trip or two. So, what would be better than an old yellow rental tube to float in that cold, fresh water? A super snazzy floatie! 

Are these not perfect? (via bando.com)

This pool toy is making me thirsty! (via aliexpress.com)

I would probably sit on these in my house if my cats would not immediately pop them. (via uniquehunters.com)

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)