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A proper snow in New York last night! Hope you all have had a restful long weekend if you got one.
20 days into January and, in truth, I’m barely keeping my head above water. Work is burying me (a continuation of Nov/Dec that I should have braced myself for but naively didn’t) and if you dare to turn on the news.. well. I’ve been sticking to my, now timeworn, healthy habits (running, strength training, eating healthy, 7-8 hours of sleep a night) which is definitely helping to bolster me, but otherwise, I’m not making much progress on the rest of that pretty 2025 moodboard. C’est la vie en Janvier, non? As we stare down the rest of the month – here’s what’s on my mind, on my bookshelf and on my credit card*.
*I used to call this section ‘in my cart’ – but the synchronicity of all 3 categories starting with the word “on” was too much for me to resist. Fear not for my credit card statement, I promise I’m not always buying everything I’m digitally browsing.
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ON MY MIND:
- I fly out early Wednesday morning to visit our San Francisco retail store for work. I’ll be there until Friday and then Adam will join me for a quick weekend trip to Carmel/Monterey. This quickly snuck in weekend away scratches quite a few itches. Firstly, one of my goals was to plan more spontaneous weekends away together.. it’s incredible how much 2 nights away can really rejuvenate you amidst a busy schedule. Secondly, despite living in LA for a little over a year in our early 20s and visiting many areas of California, we’d never explored this area of the state and I’ve always wanted to. And lastly, over the past year or so we have been gaining an amateur’s interest in wine (we’re late to the game.. we know). So we thought we’d go straight to the source and try to visit a few winery tasting rooms while we were in the area. It’s only for 48 hours but I’m so looking forward to it!
- Speaking of California – there is still so much support needed in the wake of the LA fires. Outside of giving to specific families through GoFundMe, World Central Kitchen is helping to provide meals for those in need and the LA Fire Department is desperate for resources to go towards equipment and personnel.
- Ahead of the official Oscar nominee announcements, I’m hoping to see a few more of the contenders. Adam and I saw ‘A Complete Unknown’ (the Bob Dylan biopic starting Timothée Chalamet) in theaters and enjoyed it. Then this weekend we watched ‘A Real Pain’ (starring Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin as two cousins on a pilgrimage to Poland to reconnect and learn more about their Jewish heritage) and – although heavier in subject – thought it was really well done. I still want to watch Wicked too!
- One of the things I really want to do this year is find a way to take French lessons. While I had 4-5 years of the language throughout high school and college, I can really only get by with the bare minimum when we travel. If you’ve re-learned a language in adulthood, was there an app or method that you found particularly successful?
- Another point on my 2025 agenda is to continue to visit new (to me) restuarants/bars/cafes here in the city. Topping my current list are Hani’s Bakery (for inventive treats near Astor Place), Pearl Box (a luxe 70s inspired bar in Soho) and Cecci’s (for a classic New York dinner vibe in Greenwich Village).
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ON MY BOOKSHELF:
- One of my real joys amidst the doldrums of January are that I read.. A LOT. With less of a desire to venture out into the cold, I mainly just hide away with books when I’m not working. I’ve finished 5 so far this month and we still have two weeks to go!
- There have been two 5 star reads so far this year. The first of which was The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (and which you’ve surely seen everywhere by now) and really did live up to the hype for me. 95% of the time thrillers are not for me, but this was literary fiction first, with a thrilling/propulsive plot second. More than anything the writing was evocative and the characters had great depth. I think I finished in just a couple of days.
- The second 5 star read so far, and one that instantly catapulted to my personal list of favorite books of all time, seems to have flown a bit more below the radar. I had heard about In Memoriam by Alice Winn from my favorite book podcaster (Annie Jones of From the Front Porch) rave about this last year and had bought a copy but then hadn’t really felt compelled to crack the spine. It looked lengthy and is set during WWI. Not usually my thing. But it called to me last week and.. my god. An achingly beautiful love story between two young British schoolmates turned soldiers. A debut novel (!!!), Winn approaches both the brutality of war and the life-altering course of love with the same hauntingly descriptive prose. In short, it crushed me in the best way. Main characters Ellwood and Gaunt will live in my mind for years to come.
- While it wasn’t quite 5 stars, I also flew through From Here to the Great Unknown by Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough. Presley had recorded audio drafts of her memoir prior to her death, and her daughter compiled and filled in missing parts of the story from her perspective. From growing up in Graceland through the darker days towards the end of her life, Presley had the sort of life that frankly no one else would really be able to imagine let alone relate to. It’s of course only two sides to a very complicated family story but if you want a peek inside, this book offers one.
- I’m packing Intermezzo by Sally Rooney and Versailles by Kathryn Davis for our trip. Saving room in my suitcase to visit a new bookstore or two while we’re away!
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ON MY CREDIT CARD:
- Shown below – a happy little striped workout set that’s giving my very chilly morning walks to the gym a boost. Both pieces on major sale.
- Also below – an exercise in packing for California. I like to try on all of the outfits I’m considering packing to make sure I don’t forget anything and also to try and mix and match pieces wherever possible. Especially when I know I need to be in a carry-on. Will be sure to share all of these outfits as I actually wear them this week! Favorites include my trusty cargo pants, this new patent leather jacket (swoon) and a practical puffy vest in chic chocolate brown.
- How chic is this dark denim vest and flared denim pants combo? I’d wear them both lots of ways now through spring for sure.
- Also in the dark denim family, this flared midi skirt. I’d wear with tall leather boots and a slim fit cardigan now and kitten heels and a cropped t-shirt in spring.
- I tend towards a lot of black tights/black boots combos this time of year – but love when a single hero piece can add interest to the whole outfit. This tiger print jacquard mini skirt is a prime example.
- I braved the weather this weekend to restock some of my beauty favorites – including this dry shampoo, this toner that always helps clear up my skin, this cream blush is a new punchy pink color and my go-to everyday mascara.
- I’m eyeing this cherry red, small boxy bag – perhaps an early Valentine’s Day gift to myself?
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