Monday Memos // 84

Listening:

"Who's That Guy" by Ricky Banda.  This Zamrock! album is so good. Listen to it all. 

"The River" by Diane Cluck and Jeffrey Lewis.  This song brings me back to a time in my life that I want to smile, laugh, and cry about. Reminds me of jamming on a melodica. 

"Crazy In Love" by Antony and The Johnsons.  This is a wild Beyonce cover, but I've been an Anohni fan for many years. I once had a dance routine set to the original, so I definitely know all the words. 

Reading:

Important thoughts: How to Tell the Bad Men From the Good Men. If anything, read the last paragraph... "despite sex happening all the time, everywhere, we still — still! — haven’t found a way to talk about it that is truthful, open, informative, and not scaring the living daylights out of our young people. We seem not to have told them, at any point, how lovely it all should be. We’ve somehow managed to screw this up. Our tabula is still rasa."

I would hang out with this cast in a heartbeat: Nothing Is Off the Table at Dinner With the Cast of Queer Eye.

Where Your Personalities Go While You’re Having Sex.

I just love Don Featherstone, creator of the pink lawn flamingo. (Image via Seth Resnick/Science Faction, via Corbis)

Craving:

Last week felt like an infinite weekend with the Fourth of July holiday falling on a Wednesday. It was also a major heat wave. For better or worse, I consumed quite a bit of ice cream to combat the constant sweat. I had received several free pints of dairy-free ice cream, so I had minimal stomach aches/heaviness. Whole Foods has some new almond milk-based ice creams that weren't bad — I recommend the chocolate chip peanut butter option. Häagen-Dazs really was the winner though, since their varieties are just like eating cold, creamy truffles. 

The rest of the week could be categorized with beach snacks, tiki drinks, more ice cream, the most bubbly water, and multiple late night pizza pit stops. To say it was a fun week would be a vast understatement. 

This is one of my favorite photos from many moons ago (hi Kyle!). My ice cream tendencies are strong and secure.

Wearing:

Broke out an old red-and-white striped jumpsuit (short-shorts) for the holiday, more so for the trip to the beach and the heat versus the patriotism. Wore stupid baseball hats. Wore silly sunglasses. Felt a great swell in my heart that I have new friends I can be my weirdest with. 

Said sunglasses.

Watching:

Saw: I finally saw the movie Band Aid and loved it more than I imagined. Also, Duck Butter — absolutely go watch it, Alia Shawkat is amazing.

What's cooler than a girl named Sergio? (image via variety)

To Be Seen: I'm ready to go sob in a theater watching Won't You Be My Neighbor?  Also can't wait for Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot. Gus Van Sant, Joaquin Phoenix, Jack Black, done!

Jonah Hill is always great too. (image via variety)

Treasuring:

Bliss: I'm channeling playfulness, contentment, and unobstructed joy. I'm attempting giddiness without doubt or worry. Last night I fell asleep with smiles and laughter for myself, in my newly air-conditioned room, cocooned in blankets and lightness. I think it's working. I recommend it.

Accurate representation of my brain.

Monday Memos // 83

Listening:

"Breathe In, Breathe Out" by Melody's Echo Chamber.

"SUMMER" by The Carters.

"123" by Girlpool. 

Reading:

MODERN LOVE: He’s Going Back to His Former Wife. Sort Of.

Good photos, interesting outfits: What 9 Instagram Employees Wore to Their New Offices

Read this for the sake of "Introduction to Poetry" by Billy Collins: Do You Have a Favorite Poem?

Great tips and excellent tricks, and the best piece of advice "build your trip around croissants."

I love the nanny story too. (photo by Aubrie Pick via bonappetit)

Craving:

Last weekend I was in Seattle and ate so many fabulous things. I even got to experience first class Alaska Air breakfast (scrambled eggs, french toast with rhubarb thyme compote, and ricotta with salty honey, berries, and slivered almonds). 

At The Whale Wins, a white and blue cottage-like space, I ate burrata with asparagus, pesto, wine-soaked cherries, and breadcrumbs, custardy French toast, carrot and beet hummus with braised collards and jammy eggs. At Manolin, probably my favorite spot, I had oysters, perfect plantain chips, rockfish ceviche, giant fresh mussels on toast, grilled beef with creamed yucca and chimichurri, and some refreshing scallops. I had the best sushi ever. I had three halves of the some outstanding doughnuts. There's more, but I'm jealous of my past self already. 

I want to own a home with Manolin-esque decor. I love the PNW. (image via manolin)

Wearing:

I've been wearing lots of patterns and/or dresses lately to deal with the summer and the heat. At the end of every day my clothes were sweat-soaked and I needed a cold shower. My favorite look of recent days: a big vintage silky blouse as a dress, over a slip. It was just the sort of comfort and fun to wear for a full Friday. Lots of Keds and structured sandals. 

Watching:

Saw: I finished Killing Eve — watch it. I've watched a few episodes of Nailed It for some comic, baking lightness. Saw some Godard at one of my favorite New York theaters, Metrograph. 

To Be Seen: Beautiful Boy, which I am sure will make me sob. Three Identical Strangers looks wild and wonderful.

Short Bits: The BA video team is making some highly entertaining stuff.

Treasuring:

The Pacific Northwest: Seattle was beautiful. Chilly and breezy. Mountains and ocean. Waterfalls and ferris wheels. Fresh fish and pastries. One of my best friends and one of my favorite felines. I laughed so much and wandered and lazed. I cannot wait to go back.

This app randomly inserting a rainbow filter and it perfectly coincided with pride weekend. 

Monday Memos // 82

Listening:

This week is brought to you by brevity.

"Gladly" by Tirzah.

"Velvet Ring" by Big Thief.

I discovered NPR's Field Recordings and it's a worthy rabbit hole to fall into. 

"Take A Sunset Cruise With Mac DeMarco"

Reading:

IN PRAISE OF AN AFTERNOON AT THE MOVIES

WHOLE30 CHANGED MY ENTIRE RELATIONSHIP WITH FOOD BECAUSE I’M DEAD NOW

If you ever need a laugh and love snacks, these Trader Joe's write-ups are gold: Trader Joe’s New Not-Flamin’-Hot-Cheetos Are the Devil’s Work

I love a food pattern. Coffee Toffee Shortbread Cookies (photo via bonappetit)

Craving:

More granola. Mixed nut butter. Mushrooms. And all the fruit. 

Also, how about these high carbohydrate lamps. 

Summer always reminds me of this William Carlos Williams poem. 

Wearing:

I'm leaning back into one of my old standards: dressing very Florida retiree. Big button-up short sleeved shirts with some sort of flora. Shorts. Comfortable sandals or old Keds. When I'm not going out in public it's a lot of tank tops and elastic waist pants. Summer comfort. 

ADAMJK provides a worthy reminder. 

Watching:

Tears running down my face by way of new episodes of Queer Eye.

Next weekend The Great British Bake Off is back and I am delighted for more bakes, sweetness, and accents.

Treasuring:

Rest: This past weekend included delightful lounging. Long bus rides. Afternoon naps. Lying on the floor with cats. Stopping to admire flowers. Floating around in a pool. Taking strolls with family and sharing bites of a single caramel. Eating wedges of cookies and handfuls of berries. Lazing in bed to read and write and edit and write. Just the thing to recharge for more adventures.

Plus a mom-made berry galette.

Monday Memos // 81

Listening:

"Blue Castaway" by The Shelltones. 

This song makes me feel like I'm in the scene of a movie, and/or makes me want to make a movie. More than 50 years later it holds up. I'm on a melancholy tiki party kind of music kick.

"Enchantment" by The Melody Mates. See above.

"You're So Vain" by Carly Simon. 

I was at the gym — the Planet Fitness in Harlem is a world of sights and surprises — and this older man on the elliptical next to me was belting out all the songs he was listening to. I heard this line "I'll bet you think this song is about you" and whether or not it really was Carly Simon, it's been stuck in my head ever since. A few days later even, an older woman was busking in the subway with it.

Reading:

I woke up at 6 a.m. on Wednesday because my body was excited for this series of stories to be released on Bon Appétit: America's Favorite Neighborhood Restaurants. 

I first learned about it in February, and was instantly ready to participate and ready to read about all these special places around the country. I wrote draft after draft of my own love story to one of my favorite places on the planet. It was revised and tucked away, then revised again and ready in waiting. And here it is: The Weird, Wonderful Restaurant Where I Always Wanted to Work.

Being lumped among this description makes me feel like my dreams are coming true: We asked 80 of the most interesting people we know—chefs, novelists, activists, comedians, NBA players, and more—to let us in on their most-trusted haunts, from a Tibetan dumpling stand in a grocery store in Columbus to a landlocked fish market in Tulsa. These are the spots we return to again and again, the places that make no claim to be the “newest” or the “trendiest,” and that’s precisely why we love them.

I recommend reading them all. I'm slowly and lovingly making my way through these gems. 

Craving:

Delicious moments experienced in the last week:

- a feast at Lolo's Seafood Shack, which is described as Caribbean Street Eats alongside Classic New England favorites. We had conch fritters, jerk chicken, sweet plantains, crab cakes, and more. 

- Levain cookies for breakfast. A wedge of a chocolate chip walnut and double chocolate chip to start the day is an excellent way to live. 

- A lunch provided by Fuku — a "casual chicken concept by Momofuku." It's hard to pass up free spicy chicken sandwiches with habanero mayo, slaw, and pickles. 

- homemade cherry cobbler. It was sitting just feet from my desk and made by a coworker with strong opinions about the definition of a cobbler. 

- a friend reunion dinner at Jajaja, a "contemporary Mexican spot with a colorful, all-vegan menu." This was incredibly good. Plus, they had plantain chips that were exactly like home! I ate things like crushed Mayan pumpkin seed dip, turmeric queso fundito, mezcal mushroom tacos... and we got free churros with coconut dulce de leche because our wait was so long.

Jajaja was a fun spot: images above via Gothamist and Guest of a Guest.

Wearing:

On Wednesday, because I was so pumped for the day, I wore my gold star corduroy jumpsuit. On Friday, I wandered around a sunny Soho with sparkly red socks and unfashionable sandals. On Saturday, I parted my hair differently (it felt like a whole new head of hair) and wore a very comfortable terrycloth dress (it was like a cozy towel).

I'm having a red, striped moment. (items via & Other Stories)

Watching:

I'm almost done with Killing Eve and loving it. My favorite show right now is I'm Dying Up Here (waiting each week for a new episode is one of those rare acts of media patience.) I saw Ocean's 8 and couldn't wait for it to be over so I could go home and be in bed. I saw the trailer for Bad Times at the El Royale and I am very intrigued. — Seven strangers, each with a secret to bury, meet at Lake Tahoe's El Royale, a rundown hotel with a dark past. Over the course of one fateful night, everyone will have a last shot at redemption - before everything goes to hell.

Also, these Bon App videos "Pastry Chef Attempts To Make _______" are so good. The latest, an attempt at making Skittles, watch it.

Treasuring:

Visitors: I got to show off my workspace to visiting old and new friends. We toured various floors of the World Trade Center. I felt so official when the security desk called me about my guests in the lobby. I outfitted my office into a cozy guest room and finally got to host some family. I loved wandering around the city with my sister-in-law, pointing out landmarks, eating great food, and enjoying the peaceful living room together. It's nice to mix familiarity with the newness of my experience here. 

Last week, I pulled this animal spirit for the week ahead. On Saturday, at Bon Appétit's Healthyish Homecoming festival, a speaker said, "Don't be a chick, you're an eagle." At the risk of sounding cheesy, I really do feel like I'm soaring.