I recommend Rostam's new-ish album Changephobia. My friend and I were trying to put our finger on what his voice felt like, and we arrived at: "a dessert that's as good as you remember from being a kid," like frosted animal crackers: indulgent, nostalgic, just delightful. The song 'From the Back of a Cab' and its beautiful music video have been keeping me company since May, and 'Bio18' is another favorite with gorgeous delicate instrumentals that feel like an eardrum massage. Blast '4Runner' or 'Kinney' as soon as you begin a jog or a road trip. The Expanded Edition includes a cover of the gorgeous Lucinda Williams song 'Fruits of my Labor,' which sounds like fireflies on a barefoot summer night.
I recommend the movie Coda. I saw it quite randomly on an afternoon when I had time to kill downtown on an overcast weekday afternoon. It was the only movie playing at the Angelika, and I was the only one in the theatre, and it only made me cry ten times? I'm still thinking about it a couple weeks later: It made me think a lot about how and why we value the people in our lives, and the roles that we accidentally slip into over time in intimate relationships. It also made me think about what it means to fully support someone's dreams you don't fully understand, and it got me to research the fishing industry too.
I recommend this risotto for one. I've been a Klancy Miller fan for a long time now, and really appreciate her approach to solo cooking. I loooove cooking, but I've spent many single and solo-living years having to adapt recipes for just one. Klancy wrote a whole cookbook on the joy of cooking for oneself, and this lemony dish has been a standby for several summers. I like to mix in peas or any other green thing I get from the farmers market, and pair it with some really crisp dry mineral-forward white wine and a big glass of chilled San Pellegrino (plop in an extra lemon wedge).
I recommend Spanish-language media, and I'm looking for recommendations! My biggest goal for 2021 was to fill my home and life with Spanish: all day every day. I've never formally studied it (the fact that Spanish isn't a requirement in U.S. schools is outrageous), but I've spent a lot of time in Spanish-speaking countries over the years and still feel really shy about speaking. I decided that needed to change! Moreover, I was extra invested in improving my Spanish for my last relationship, and when we broke up, I felt like I needed to reclaim the pursuit of the language as totally my own thing. So, I've committed to taking private lessons twice a week (so helpful wow!) and consume as much Spanish media in my free time as possible. I've loved:
-the show 'Veneno'
-the movie 'Ya No Estoy Aqui'
-the movie 'Dime Cuándo Tú
-the podcast Radio Ambulante
-the singer Vicente GarcÃa
I recommend summer scents: I love perfume and candles, and I love changing my favorite scents seasonally. Doesn't that seem like such a refined womanly practice?? I love every scent that Keap Candles makes, but the super light and cheerful Grapefruit Yuzu has been a favorite this summer. I got a few perfume samples from Diptyque and love the freshness of Eau de Lierre and Do Son, which both smell jasmine-y, herby, and ocean-y.
I recommend a train picnic: I've only done local travel this summer, all by train. Each trip is about 2-4 hours, which is the perfect amount of time to get some writing done, get some thinking in, space out to a new album, and eat a picnic. Don't sleep on picnics!! Whether I'm flying or train-ing, I always bring the same meal: cheese (manchego is my fave), crispy crackers, a piece of fruit (oranges are primo because they smell so luscious in a scentless environment), green beans or snap peas (easy to eat with minimal crunching for you misophoniacs), a giant bottle of water, and some fun dessert. You could add prosciutto or olives or hummus if that's your thing, and depending on the time of day, I might bring a cheeky can of sparkling rosé. It's less messy than a sandwich and less fuss than a salad and how can you not feel kind of fabulous taking out a picnic? Traveling is really tough on my nervous system but a good antidote to all the fluorescence and discomfort is filling the journey with beauty: a pretty lunch spread, cued-up delicious music, lavender spray, a travel blanket, and chocolate in some form.
I recommend cold cotton sheets: Growing up in Seattle where the temperature basically spans a 20-degree range all year (not this summer, I realize!), I didn't know the concept of changing one's sheets seasonally (do you know this concept??). I thought a sheet was just a sheet! Well, not so. I'm clearly still new to the world of A Sheet Is Not Just A Sheet, but I've been really loving cold-to-the-touch cotton bedding all summer. I bought a set of Laura Ashley floral flat sheets a couple months ago and they've stayed cool through heat waves. The dainty blue flower design is so sweet and feminine and makes me very happy to wake up to.
I recommend getting your news from a newspaper, and conscious content consumption in general. I am a very slow processor, and so I know I need to consume information very slowly. For me, that means ONLY getting my news from a physical newspaper where I can thoughtfully choose what to read and take time to reflect on it. I'm still working on this re: social media, but one thing that I try to do (keyword: try) before getting on Instagram is to go in with a specific purpose (e.g. connect with certain friends or enjoy some art or gather inspiration for my fall look). As for correspondence (texting, emailing, clearing out all the various inboxes associated with various apps and platforms), in a perfect world, I'll set aside a few hours every weekend to catch up. Setting aside a Saturday morning for correspondence feels like another refined womanly practice--perhaps a detail from a 40s movie exploring domestic ennui, or something to that effect.
I recommend Sharpie fine point pens. They're just the best.
I recommend books about Van Gogh. Yes I went to the Van Gogh touring light show thing, yes I was moved to tears, yes I considered that I knew him in a past life, yes I ordered three books about Van Gogh when I got home. I've long felt a strong connection to him (certainly I'm the only one) but reading more about his life in his words has been fascinating. What a soulful, sensitive, insightful teacher he was and continues to be. I enjoyed the graphic novel Vincent, the book of his letters, and the wonderful biography The Yellow House.
I recommend a NARS Velvet Matte Lipstick pencil for the last couple weeks of Hot Girl Summer. I have mine in Dragon Girl, which is noticeably bright. Enjoy the looks of surprise and wonder when you pull down your mask!