I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t a crazy week (and it’s only Wednesday!). After kicking it off right (just kidding, I got my first tooth filling), it followed a similar trajectory on Monday and Tuesday—my house was infested with spiders, I dealt with a difficult family issue, my car repair cost double what I thought it would—but waking up this morning, I felt a noticeable shift. Instead of jumping onto my computer (my normal MO), I took twenty minutes to enjoy my coffee and just read. I didn’t read anything thrilling or important—an article on packing beauty supplies, a gorgeous home tour—but it completely changed my frame of mind from stressed tailspin to ready and excited to face the day! Here’s what I’m up to for the rest of this (better, easier) week:
At first glance, the new rooftop movie theater Melrose Rooftop Cinema is a direct rip-off of Rooftop Cinema Club (which I’m pretty sure it is, unless it’s owned by the same people), but the marked difference they have going for them is that for an extra $34, they offer a prix fixe dinner at EP & LP. Their full list of movies is here—I just bought tickets to Almost Famous!
P.S., After this week, all I want to do is have a laid-back weekend with some girlfriends, which is why this BYOB candle-making class completely appeals to me.
Every summer, I promise myself I’ll go to the farmers’ market every weekend to take full advantage of the produce, and every year, I kick myself for not keeping my promise. Since summer produce is nearing the end of it’s run (cut to me crying over the dwindling stone fruit display), I’m trying to fit in as many stone fruits, heirloom tomatoes, and red-all-the-way-through strawberries before the season comes to an end. This strawberry salad from Heidi Swanson’s cookbook, Near and Far, is basically a parfait—hold the yogurt, double the berries. Almonds, lemon zest, and olive oil are folding into the berries, which you can either eat over Greek yogurt, on top of a waffle—or, my personal favorite, with a spoon.
It’s so true when Lucy Sykes (sister of Plum Sykes) writes of fitness-obessed women in New York, “When people ask, ‘What do you do?’ these days, they mean, ‘What class do you take?,’ not ‘Where do you work?'” At my previous job in New York, work and meetings would come to a one-minute standstill at 12 PM, when Classpass released its batch of classes seven days ahead. We’d all hop on, refreshing the page and hoping for a reservation at Flywheel, Bari or Exhale. Her latest book, Fitness Junkie, addresses this mania surrounding fitness classes, cleanses, and luon leggings from the perspective of the CEO of a wedding dress company in the city. I haven’t started it yet—but only because I’ve been saving it for my upcoming plane ride!
I’m probably not the textbook example of someone obsessed with Neil Degrasse Tyson (I opted out of taking astronomy in college because the 9 PM labs were too late for me), but I find it impossible not to hang on his every word. He’s so brilliant, and as the host of the documentary series, Cosmos, he condenses and simplifies nearly impossible-to-grasp concepts like the earth’s “address” (from solar system to observable universe) to the timeline of life (from big bang to now) into digestible lessons. If you’re at all interested in the universe, I highly recommend it.
P.S., The huge scifi nerd that I am, I am thrilled that the Ready Player One trailer is out. Who’s with me??
Remember how iTunes used to tally your Most Listened-To songs? (Mine was always the Something’s Gotta Give soundtrack because I just want to live in a Nancy Meyers movie and walk on the beach for white seashells.) Spotify Me does the same thing, but at a much deeper level. The website shows you your most listened-to artists and genres throughout your Spotify listening history. At the end you can create a playlist—here’s mine if you’re curious!
I’ve written before about how fitting furniture into my tiny apartment is a little bit like a game of tetris—it’s the perfect size, but one side table can be enough to make it feel cramped and claustrophobic. Because the side table we have now is filled with books-to-read and a lamp, I’ve been struggling to find something that functions as a second table, where I can put a candle and cup of tea, but doesn’t throw off the balance of the room. This week, I came across this easy DIY for a C-table that hooks over the arm of the couch and takes up about 2-inches of space. I haven’t built it yet (because pulling out a saw and building furniture is probably the last thing I need to do before heading on a week-long trip), but I’m looking forward to diving in as soon as I’m home!
