We went to Park City a couple weeks ago and had our entire bill paid by a TikTok star, so if you’re wondering if we still got it… well honey, you’re asking the wrong question!
Issue #7 goes well with a free round of drinks from some guy named Gavin, buying expensive and perhaps unnecessary cheese, and playing your music louder than your Slack notifications. They can wait. Trust us.
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From Meg
See the light
May I make a suggestion as you enter the final quarter of quarantine life? (Can I say that? I’m saying it. We all need some brightness right now.) Two words, y’all. Mood lighting. While I’ve seen LED bluetooth bulbs across the social feeds for a minute, I hadn’t considered it until my coworker started showing up on Zoom calls shroud in a different color depending on their mood.
For a while, I found a simple delight in their personal color choices until recently when I finally replaced two of my own bulbs. Let me tell you. GAME CHANGER.
Now, whenever I want, I just completely engulf my bedroom-office hybrid in Nickelodeon slime green or a take on a pink-lit nightclub rave (you gotta light for your right to party!). I also think kids would like this, given my childlike fascination with my variety of options. Oh, and yes... It does work as just a regular ol’ lightbulb. But who wants that?
Feeling square
Raincheck on the technicolored light? Fair. Maybe the checkered design trend is more your speed? Because you know what they say… It’s (now) hip to be square. Just last week, I found myself on the checkout page of a beautiful checkered rug. And then? I found myself checking out another one just last night. I had to check myself before I wrecked my--bank account. So right now I’m settling for this phone case. Or maybe these pyjamas? Ok, you’re right. One more mask, it is.
Hear me out
If there is one thing we could do a little more of this year, it’s listen. And while I highly recommend you pick up the phone and ask a friend how they are, no really, HOW ARE YOU? For those with crippling phone call anxiety, a curiosity for podcasts, and a never ending love of Harry Potter (very specific, but stay with me), I have two suggestions:
This Google Chrome extension, which may be the best rec I’ve ever shared. Audiblogs lets you listen to any web article in an ‘Audible-like’ voice. IDK about you but my tab game gets pretty heavy with articles I ‘want’ to read and then never do. Now you can just add this extension and have your computer read to you while you do chores, cook, whatever you want!
This Youtube channel, which is called, and I quote: Gryffindor Common Room - Peaceful Fireside Relaxation & Rain Storms. Yes, this is ASMR for Harry Potter fans and also the nerdiest thing I have ever recommended. Honestly though, even if you’re not a HP fan, it’s a pretty relaxing experience for the ears. Just TRY NEW THINGS and give it a listen. Tell me you’re not more relaxed. Wingardium less anxiety! Ok, I’m done.
I did forget a few senses… what were they? Aw yes.
TO EAT: Did you know that Levain Bakery now sells break and bakes at Whole Foods? Apparently they are much smaller cookies than OG LB but I would not judge you if you decide to make one massive cookie and eat as an entire meal for a particularly harrowing workday in your future. Live your journey, cookie monsters.
TO SMELL: Not cheap but if you know, YOU KNOW.
TO SEE DEAD PEOPLE: 👻 (<—-click me!)
From Devon
A fashionable pick-me-up
I’ve been in somewhat of on-and-off again funk lately, maybe because it’s winter, or, as NYT Cooking’s Sam Sifton put it perfectly in his newsletter yesterday: “Good morning. I don’t like this season of “Pandemic.” The writing’s weak, and the plotlines keep shifting. Everything’s so dark!”
When my go-to ‘fix its’ (such as having a dance party with me, myself, and Beyoncé) don’t seem to work, I’ve recently found a jolt of joy while watching male model/content wiz Wisdom Kaye show off his stellar, mostly 1970s-style menswear looks in his perfect ‘1977 School Picture Day’ and ‘Front Row Fashion Show’ Instagram Reel videos (please promise me you’ll watch both).
**Side note: Wisdom (and definitely not his Gen Z contemporaries’ ‘skinny jeans are dead’ BS) may or may not have prompted me to also indulge in some tried-and-true (but not financial planner-approved) retail therapy, in the form of these vintage-inspired mini-flare jeans.
A low waste lifestyle assist
While reading this Bon Appetite story about F&B-loving women starting their own businesses, I came across goldune, an online store with stylish sustainable products that are brighter than the beige-ish environmentally-friendly item norm. Plastic-free pop-up sponges? Ordered. A water saving colander and mixing bowl set? So smart. A well-priced cooler bag that can fit a bottle of wine + snacks? Hello, summer picnics.
Keep scrolling, Mezcal haters
I’ve been doing some research on mezcal and as a result, discovered the cool girl/female founded-and-run Yola Mezcal and their mezcal sour recipe. After having a similar drink last weekend and realizing I had a bottle of key cocktail ingredient Amaro Nonino at home, I’ll be making the drink for myself soon, and I suggest you do the same (we need this).
For our friends
Meg and I were apparently on the same ‘call your friends’ page (see also: in praise of the friendly ‘cold call'), as I have a few reads that will make you appreciate your pals:
The Atlantic’s ‘Friendship Files’ real-life friend interviews are lovely
The hard-to-name side effect of not seeing our people as much
…we don’t dramatize these [friend] relationships the way we do romantic ones, and we don’t attach much language to them. There is no Valentine’s Day for friendship or community.
Pro tip: this would be a good time to try out Meg’s above Google Chrome reader tip, just saying.
A post about bowls? Groundbreaking.
Yes, bowls are very old news, but over the past year, I’ve come to realize that I eat the majority of my meals out of the vessel (and I know I’m not alone). Alas, this member of Team Bowl is also a klutz and I’ve broken a bunch as of late - so, re-upping my collection was necessary. I recently bought a set of these classics (also love these well-priced pink ones), as well as a few latte bowls, all of which I highly recommend for salads, soups, oatmeal, or ‘cleaning-out-the-fridge’ fried rice.
I’m sticking to my budget this bowling round, but at the *top of my wish list* are Pomelo Casa’s gorgeous coastal-Spain-meets-California ceramics, in mini, medium, and large.
Digital digital get (your inbox email count) down
I know, I’m sorry, I really tried to make this 2000s boy band jam into a punny title (which, admittedly, hits different after attempting Zoom dating in 2020 lol). ANYWAYS, in all seriousness, a PSA for those of you who may not already know / are digitally decluttering / find yourself swimming in a Gmail inbox of too-many-emails-deep: this trick is incredibly helpful in guiding you to Inbox Zero.
And, before you go, a quick snapshot of what I’m currently:
Listening to: a slew of covers including Rogue Wave x ‘Let My Love Open the Door’ / Bombay Bicycle Club x ‘Lose You To Love Me’ / Yo La Tengo x ‘Friday I’m In Love’ (the ‘love’ theme here was unintentional but, whatever, we’ll take it)
Trying to make a habit of: this ten minute daily stretching routine
Baking: mushroom, leek, and gruyere strata and Ina’s PB&J
(Unsurprisingly) wanting: a confetti canyon, to have on hand to celebrate the wins just as much as to banish the ‘blahs’