the best song ever?

good things

• ice cream sandwiches
• not going to any events and finally watching ex machina and eating a whole avocado, half a cucumber, and tomato toast for dinner (plus two ice cream courses) (ahem)
• ordering popcorn from here ~on a whim~ “for fun”
• ordering new jeans!
• cleaning up the house a little bit
• this detail about composer jerome kern from wikipedia/the guide to musical theatre:
  “he [kern’s father] insisted the 16-year-old [jerome] join him in his retail business. There an obedient Jerome might have remained, had he not spectacularly flunked one of his first tasks – the purchase of two pianos from a factory for the store. Over a long and drunken lunch with the factory owner, he somehow managed to sign an order for 200! In later years, Kern often dined out on this story: ‘You’ve no idea what that many pianos coming off a truck look like!’ he quipped.” 200 pianos! instead of 2!
• 200 pianos!!!!

damn it’s real

been working at the library four years now and giving my 1000% and just realizing the mayor does not give one damn STILL, after all that. (all what? all the hours and stress and projects and creativity and etc etc?) have been protected by our city manager, which i sorta knew, but not to what extent. BIG EXTENT! he just does not care about the library, would be fine seeing it gone. another reason to scram (or is it another reason to stay?) — but just — it’s demoralizing (or is it a secret victory, keeping it going, despite opposition!). still feel like an outsider after 14 years. which i think is just such baloney! (but is it?) the concept of home, being from here, being an outsider, i GET it but also is it bullshit. (so says the interloper.)

dudders

oh man i decided to make this recipe tonight (INEXPLICABLE) but i guess my mind was too distracted because i first put in ALL of the melted butter (rather than reserving 1/4 cup), which i didn’t realize until way too late, and then i added the flour instead of the sour cream (LOL) so had to try and grab it out? (fail) and then i forgot the nutmeg and long story long it was a disaster. also the sad truth is that i’m really not that good of a baker anymore! which is fine. it just seems like my brain is too fried, body is too tired, etc etc you get the picture

just jammin

BEST FRIEND JAMMIN

my sentiments exactly

from chloe sevigny’s p. great interview in the cut (might need to start using the word “intolerable” more):

feeling this

it really does

oh my gosh, loving designer somsack sikhounmuong’s newsletter and his whole vibe (ugh sorry to use the vibe word). from his Grub Street Diet (bolding my own):

It’s his sixth year at the fashion brand — he previously spent 16 years rising through the ranks at Madewell and J.Crew — but he balances the workload with hobbies (like a ceramics practice he picked up during the pandemic and his aptly named Somstack newsletter), dinners with friends, and long, relaxed lunches at the office that are always, always followed by dessert like Greenmarket pies, cake spreads, and Fudgie the Whale deliveries from Carvel. “There’s a big dessert culture at Alex Mill, thanks to me,” Sikhounmuong says. “Dessert brings people together.”

zoinks

a 10-year-patron asked if a photo of Tom and Lucy on my wall was a photo of my grandkids. LOL. i was like, ahh no they’re my niece and nephew, but I guess I could have grandkids had I…done things differently. I didn’t hate the question but i DEFINITELY did not love it.

birthday

whoa big birthday. kind of cool? kind of dumb? does it matter? the number, that is. the birthday will always be awesome. the highlights:

• i took THREE DAYS off, which was a total luxury, and stayed at a totally luxurious hotel (too luxurious? possibly)
• my cousin making the world’s most delicious pavlova and me basically guarding it with my life
• watched half of my annual-birthday-movie on tuesday night (this year was the conversation) (past years: chungking express, paris, texas, and mad max) and then woke up at 5am on wednesday from birthday anticipation and finished watching the movie, with my two lil dogs at either end of the sofa, then fell asleep and slept till 8:30am. true heaven.
• ross ordering the most beautiful champagne
• all my friends and fam doing cool things
• on wednesday, at the end of our meal, our waitress presented me with this nice card (see above) — think she mistook where i was from with my name? — signed by all of the restaurant staff. 🤣
• took two baths!!!!
• sleepily watched the dark knight rises and dune 2 (but full disclosure, I kind of don’t care about dune!!!! “more dust”)
• got the most delicious room service breakfast ever, coffee and a cappuccino and eggs and these pancakes…we ate every bite. only regret is that i didn’t order the strawberry danish (new late-in-life thing: liking danishes) (i guess we CAN grow as we get older)
• on a whim went to an estate sale in a beautiful home and got a great rug!
• went to multiple thrift stores
• ordered some low-top vans (inspo here)
• chilequiles at the blanco cafe
• ETC

ps. speaking of estate sales, i keep thinking about yvonne’s estate sale and all her beautiful things and that they tore down her house and just how life just keeps going and changing and evolving. we will always look back in amazement, i think? like — there is no change that wouldn’t shock us after we are gone. anyway, i wear her ring every day and i hope she knows that i treasure all of her things and think about her regularly.