2014

Hey, 2014. Hey, blog. I ducked under the radar for a bit there, looking to gather my strengths, meaning to post little snippets of where I was and what I was up to, ultimately deciding to leave it be until I found myself ready to get back in there. Here I am. HI WORLD! So ready for ya! I hope the year has been full of treats and sweets and all good things for you so far. It's going to be a goodie, don't you think?

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Some required reading to get us back in the thick of things:

⌇Lili Cuzor's amazing, beautiful, spell-binding photos from her and her husband's trip to Iceland. Let's go!

⌇A very long and fascinating piece in The New Yorker about plant 'intelligence' and, more broadly, mankind's shrinking domination here on Planet Earth.

⌇By Heart, a literary influence series from The Atlantic, in which writers share their favorite written passages. I love the concept, but want more.

⌇Learning about the Sensory Ethnography Lab over at Harvard, a department which explores the crossover of ethnographic research and aesthetically driven media. When learning about places and people and things, isn't it best to do so with fully engaged senses?

⌇Spike Jonze's Her is my favorite moviegoing experience of the last year or two, or maybe even three. Shockingly tender, wonderfully intimate, and truly poignant as far as exploring how we understand, rationalize, and define our own humanity and relationships with love. See it. I've been twice already.

boots and pine (& weekend links)

I love websites that visit with creative people in their homes and work spaces. Some of my favorite daily visits are of this ilk - the gorgeous and ever-inspiring Freunde von Freunden, the amazing Closet Visit (which I still cross my fingers will return before too long), The Selby back in the day, Austin-based Rad Lady, and now a new one to add to the list, Boots & Pine. Arden Wray's (um, best name ever?) project began in Toronto, but has recently taken her to New York state, from Manhattan to Brooklyn to the Catskills Mountains. I love the people she has featured so far - so many creative people whose work I admire! - and I can't wait to keep up and see who's next.

Required weekend reading:

⌇A lovely piece in the Paris Review reflecting on one woman's findings from within the pages of the books lining her shelves.

⌇An extensive discussion exploring art as therapy, and the psychological functions of art.

⌇A successful-by-all-Western-standards father muses on his desire to retire as his 20-something musician son.

⌇Japanese artist Tokujin Yoshioka exposed a block of crystal to 6 months worth of Tchaikovsky’s ballet, Swan Lake. The tonal vibrations of the piece helped form the structure of the crystals. Beautiful and fascinating.

upstate (& weekend links)

Okay, never knew I needed perfectly high waisted shibori-dyed shorts this badly. These pieces by Upstate are the perfect amount of colorful and understated elegance. Dream pieces, for sure. See more of the s/s 2013 collection over at Miss Moss! Upstate also makes some seriously dreamy shawls that I would not mind cloaking myself in.

Have a wonderful weekend! I'm heading to FYF Fest in Los Angeles on Saturday on Sunday. Some seriously awesome bands will be playing! 

ps// required weekend reading + listening:

⌇My crazy talented friend Allegra just helped open a new restaurant in New York City's West Village, called Nourish Kitchen and Table, and it looks delicious. Plus, it's getting tons of great press! They specialize in delicious, healthy foods, and also have a gorgeous assortment of kitchen objects. Do visit if you're local!

⌇This is a mighty beautiful bag. The Clarity Expandable tote by Chiyome for Of a Kind is just stunning, and kind of genius in its design too.

⌇I saw an amazing documentary about New York artists Ushio and Noriko Shinohara this week. It is a beautiful and poignant view of love, achievement, and a life of devotion. Watch the trailer here.

⌇Returning to this insanely well-balanced Essential Mix by Nicolas Jaar. A special treat awaits fans of Twin Peaks.

Landon Metz (& weekend links)

I came across Landon Metz's work mostly by accident. I was in the midst of re-discovering one of the first bloggers I ever read along with, the dreamy Hannah Metz, and then hello... In addition to some truly evocative, ethereal, snipped-from-a-celuloid-strip magic (Hannah feels like something of a Godard heroine to me!), there was her husband's so-beautiful artwork. I love the softness and the use of color. That trio of half moons is really divine.

ps// required weekend reading + listening:

⌇My main babe Erica Hellerstein penned this hilarious, touching tale of life with frizzy hair for Hello Giggles. Feeling love, finding self-love, realizing unruly ringlets are freaking awesome... It's worth a read.

⌇New Washed Out tunes. So perfect for weekend lounging. Listen to Paracosm and get to relaxing now.

⌇This is a very, very awesome music video from L.A.-based band Incan Abraham. Witchy desert  wasteland wonderful.

⌇What causes people to respond to some tragedies, and not to others? Is it always a good thing, to feel in our hearts for others? A lengthy and fascinating read on human empathy.

where I was from (& weekend links)

SUMMER! Somehow it's already August. Go out and enjoy the weekend! I'm moving into a new apartment on Saturday (awesome, but also not so awesome), and then having a daytime party at the beach on Sunday. In other news, I am loving these quirky, seasonally-minded product shots from vintage webstore Where I Was From.

ps// required weekend reading:

⌇George Saunders' stunning commencement speech centered mostly on the idea of kindness for the Syracuse Class of 2013 really made my morning. "And someday, in 80 years, when you’re 100, and I’m 134, and we’re both so kind and loving we’re nearly unbearable, drop me a line, let me know how your life has been. I hope you will say: It has been so wonderful." Read the whole thing here.

⌇Two best friends with divergent - but similarly concerning - dating issues decide to date each other for 40 days straight. 26 days in, the results so far are fascinating and illuminating (bonus points for really enjoyable graphic design elements - the daters in question are in the 'biz).

⌇Rookie Mag features the so-sweet photos of a roadtrip taken through the Sierra Mountains by two best friends. It has me itching to hit the road and see all of the things.

⌇Just this weekend, without having heard any buzz whatsoever, I was talking about how I so wished Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros would come out with new music soon. I am pretty sure I manifested their new album into existence. Cool. Listen here!

⌇Two currently-out documentaries are on my must-see list. The trailers for Blackfish and The Act of Killing are intriguing to say the least.