October 27, 2020

How was everyone’s weekend? I saw the new Sofia Coppola film on its opening day—from my sofa—got a flu shot and a Covid test the next morning, and had dinner outdoors with two friends, all of us bundled up to withstand the dropping temperature. Very different from how life looked a year ago, eh? But that morning I also had my standing FaceTime call with my sister in Amsterdam, and during dinner I laughed so hard and so much—those involuntary tip-your-head-back kinds of convulsions. In a year of profound loss, it’s been a tremendous emotional ballast to recognize the things that haven’t changed through all this, except perhaps for how much more I appreciate them.

There will be no FGM on Election Day next week, so some of this week’s picks are twofers.

1.

The fashion designer Rosie Assoulin has been busy this year. Aside from running her namesake label, the NYC-based designer also found time to launch a new, natural wine label (thumbs up for the orange wine!), and most recently, this charming assortment of watercolor stationary. I love the thoughtful, homespun feel of all the different designs. Alternately, if you feel like sending something that’s a little more special-feeling than an email, yet still gratifyingly instant, there’s Electragram: old-fashioned telegrams for modern folks.

2.

File under: “Where has this been all my life?” When we talk about “burnout,” it tends to be around our professional lives, but even so, it still boils down to stress and emotional exhaustion. And there’s a three-part cycle that needs to complete its run, even after the “stressor” has been removed, in order for our nervous systems to get back to normal. After hearing this recent Brene Brown podcast episode, the book by sisters Emily and Amelia Nagoski, Burnout: The Secret To Unlocking The Stress Cycle is now on my library queue.

Alec Baldwin: Saturday Night Live MVP, and delightfully real estate-curious. On a recent episode of Here’s The Thing, Baldwin talks to a journalist and a land-use expert about New York City’s specific real-estate laws and zoning codes, particularly around the issues of gentrification and retail blight. I think any New Yorker listening to this will be surprised by the findings, especially vis-a-vis the common belief that gentrification is typically a menace to urban neighborhoods.

3.

Too good not to mention: For New Yorkers who want: a) reduced-price offerings from some of their favorite bakeries, cafes, and food vendors (hi, Murray’s Cheese!), and b) to help reduce the amount of food waste in the world, this is the app for you. FYI: It’s been doing gangbusters in Europe for several years now.

4.

Playgirl magazine is back on select newsstands again, only this newly-revamped iteration reaches back to its original, feminist-driven founding roots, rather than the 80s-era softcore porn most of us may associate with it. Expect to see Playgirl 2.0 as an “homage to its 1970s sexual revolution roots” and a “forward-thinking voice, celebrating all aspects of the modern feminine experience,” according to its new publisher. I still have to see it to believe it, but so far the cover—a pregnant and nude Chloe Sevigny—has my interest piqued.

On the subject of nudes, Jessica Granger’s personal essay about overcoming the grief of her father’s death by bravely diving into nude modeling was a terrific personal account of loss and self-discovery. My biggest takeaway, however: there was a popular model in the early 1900s named Audrey Munson, whose form graces hundred of sculptures throughout the city, including one atop Manhattan’s Municipal Building, outside the Plaza Hotel, the Brooklyn Museum, the New York Public Library’s main branch, in Columbus Circle, Central Park, and elsewhere. For someone so unknown, her image is all around us.

5.

It was probably that scene in Heartburn, when Jack Nicholson makes pasta for Meryl Streep in the late hours of the night, but anything with the words “midnight” and “pasta” (coupled with the notion that someone else is preparing it), has me reaching for a plate. Even better if I can get back into bed with it and nice glass of red.

A little bit of tongue-in-cheek wanderlust for anyone who’s feeling stir-crazy and vacation-deprived these days: a recent story I wrote for Air Mail on private island rentals.

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