How was your weekend? Mine was really really nice. Saturday was my busy day… Facetime sessions with each of my sisters and my parents and my aunt and then I went into the city to Fekkai to get a (much needed) keratin treatment. I wrote about the keratin treatment in this blog post but it’s really the best thing. While it’s expensive and a little time consuming (I was there for 4 hours), for the next 6 months or so I will have shiny frizz free hair that I can just air dry. If you have crazy frizz-prone or wavy hair like I do, you know how amazing that can feel. After that, I went over my sister’s house (per my friend Hitha’s rec, I got my niece this amazing twerking llama and a cute book about llamas) and then it was home to just chill and relax.
I finished reading Detransition, Baby and then started watching Flack on Amazon Prime. Yesterday was a working day. Lots of chores and more purging/decluttering/moving prep, and then working on a few blog things to get ahead for this coming week. I did wind down with Minari, which I would absolutely recommend… very heartwarming.
This is actually going to be a pretty busy week. We are shooting my new pieces for Amazon the Drop (get updates on that by signing up for SMS updates here), and I have a few other fun things in the works. I’m excited and feeling energized and motivated, and it feels really good to feel that way. Have a great week ahead, friends!!!
This Week’s Good Things 2.22.21
Crème de la Crème + some beautiful words…
Are you signed up with Aminatou Sow’s newsletter, Crème de la Crème? It’s one of my favs. I can’t recommend signing up for it enough (and if you do, there is a free version but please consider paying for it!). Every week she winds up the best reads of the week, and a slew of other good things: helpful tips and tricks and other cool things. This week, she highlighted some words from Audre Lorde (from a letter to her sister), which I really loved and wanted to share here.
Things you must beware of right now—
A year seems like a lot of time now at this end—it isn’t. It took me three years to reclaim my full flow. Don’t lose your sense of urgency on the one hand, on the other, don’t be too hard on yourself—or expect too much.
Beware the terror of not producing.
Beware the urge to justify your decision.
Watch out for the kitchen sink and the plumbing and that painting that always needed being done. But remember the body needs to create too.
Beware feeling you’re not good enough to deserve it.
Beware feeling you’re too good to need it.
Beware all the hatred you’ve stored up inside you, and the locks on your tender places.
–
Love love love (and love Aminatou’s newsletter, seriously, sign up, you won’t regret it).
Brightland’s New Garlic Olive Oil
Does it make me pretentious to have a favorite olive oil? Don’t answer that, slash, blame lockdown. If you’ve read here a while you probably know how much I love Brightland’s olive oils… they are incredible (and beautifully packaged) and I love them so much that I did an entire review of them here! The lemon is my personal favorite but I have tried and love them all. I love the vinegars too (the champagne in particular, so good in salad dressing).
Their newest launch is an incredibly delicious garlic olive oil: Rosette. It’s SO good and may be my new favorite, though I do love the lemon one so much. A few good ways to use it: over any dip (but especially labneh), over a nice piece of fish, drizzled over french fries… or (duh) with some good sea salt and BREAD. If you’ve never tried Brightland you must – their oils will completely change how you view olive oil!
Britney Fever
Like pretty much everyone, I have been having major Britney fever. I love her and have been completely fascinated by the Free Britney movement. Of course just like everyone else, I watched the New York Times documentary on Hulu. But if you want to go a little deeper, listen to this episode of the Airmail podcast! Ashley and Michael talk to Lili Anolik (writer/pop culture expert?) about what the documentary got wrong. Also recommend reading this article, also written by Lili. (On that note, I am presently consuming any and everything Britney related so if you have recs for podcasts and articles about this/her, pleaaaase leave ’em in the comments!)
Behind Her Eyes on Netflix
A few years ago I read Behind Her Eyes, a psychological thriller. I remember it vividly but remember thinking that it would make a much better movie than book as it went pretty off the rails. Well now we get our wish: the book has been reimagined as a 6 part limited series for Netflix. I will say that I would have enjoyed it more if I didn’t know the ending. So knowing what I knew, it was less enjoyable. But still worth watching – I gobbled it up last week!
Perfect Night’s Sleep Candle
When I did my staycation with Nordstrom a few weeks ago, this candle was in the room and holy moly, it smells amazing. I’m always a bit nervous to light candles in my bedroom (I worry I’ll pass out and end up somehow setting my apartment on fire), but I like to burn this for a little before bed… it smells heavenly. The fragrance is really, really soothing. It also smells good just on its own, sitting next to the bed unburned.
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Top photo by Allie Provost.
Just binge watched Behind Her Eyes over the weekend. The ending left me speechless. Haha. Good acting by the lady who plays Louise.
Agree! I wish I hadn’t read the book!!!!!
Behind Her Eyes sounds like a good show! Thanks for the recommendation! 🙂
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
Enjoy!
Hi Grace,
I thought I’d share my good thing of the week, it’s radio.garden (google that!). You can listen to live radio stations all over the world! It’s kind of like teleporting, and so much fun for these times we can travel to listen to other languages and the music, oh my gosh, it’s just so beautiful. Thought you and your readers might enjoy!
Thank you so much for sharing!!!! I will def check it out.
What an amazing find, thank you Katie!
This is amazing! I am having so much fun “traveling” around the world in search of music!
I felt the same about Behind Her Eyes with the movie vs the book! I actually DNF’d the book so the series was great for me since I didn’t know the end.
It’s def better as TV vs book!
Kate (BeThereInFive) did an excellent Britney deep dive over the summer, cannot recommend enough!
I can’t believe I missed that! Love Kate!
The podcast Even the Rich recently did a four-part series on Britney. It’s very thorough and really well-done.
Ooooh I must listen, thank you!
Re: Britney – I love her and I am glad our culture seems to be having a reckoning of how she was treated. I love the It’s Britney Bitch podcast hosted by T.Kyle and Bradley Stern. Each episode goes through one year of Britney’s 20-year career. As a superfan myself, it was fun to relive all of her big moments through the eyes of 2 other superfans.
Oh thank you for the rec!!!
I just want Britney to be Britney again, you know? I miss her! she was our pop princess! Signing up for Creme de la Creme. I’m in need of reading more articles in my life and not Twitter!
Also, hair looks FABULOUS!
xo Jessica
an indigo day
I could not agree more!!!!
I think there’s a typo in the Crème paragraph, third sentence. Maybe it should read “I can’t recommend it enough?” Sorry, I was looking for an email link to write instead of this public comment. Feel free to delete.
Oh you are right! Thank you!
Hi, Grace. I feel the same anxiety over burning a candle at night in my bedroom. I solved it by using a candle warmer/tea/coffee warmer. You just need to be mindful of melted wax.
Smart!!
It’s a weird good thing, but I started reading Sanctuary by Emily Rapp Black. It’s a follow up to her first memoir The Still Point of the Turning World. In her first book she talks about caring for her son after his Tay-Sachs diagnosis. Then Sanctuary centers around how she continues on with her life after her son Rowan’s death. It’s strange to say I enjoy a book about such profound grief, but I think anyone who has suffered any kind of loss can relate to her musings on how to go on with life when a part of you will always be in the past with your loved one.
Oooh thank you for sharing!!!!!!