postcards from deep space
things i can't stop talking about
this week’s style icon:
I went to see the Alvin Ailey exhibit at the Whitney on one of their free Friday nights. It was a little overwhelming trying to navigate the exhibit with so many other people who had the exact same idea (though it was a very well-dressed crowd with excellent people watching). My favorite part was a quieter section near the end that had photos, playbills, and letters. He was a prolific postcard writer, sending missives from all over the world to people like Duke Ellington and Langston Hughes.
what I’m clicking:
Making the case for being uninteresting | What is alt lit? | Who’s really writing celebrity memoirs? | Why do celebrities all go to the same restaurants? | How my trip to quit sugar became a journey into hell | How Australians took over Brooklyn | What was the horny profile? | Everyone is horny again | A weekend at the ventriloquist convention | People with parents with money | Want to change your personality? Have a baby (though I feel like a lobotomy would be cheaper?) | The hidden history of trans healthcare | Nobody understood costumes like David Lynch | An introduction to Femcels | The next drug epidemic is blue raspberry flavored | The losers burning down the world | The best job behind bars | Rebranding boomer trends | Passport bros and the manosphere | She’s in love with ChatGPT | How social media reacts to disasters | The story behind Girls Gone Wild | You’re invited to the Predator’s Ball (as food) | How politics destroyed contemporary art | The administration’s new forms of distraction | Literally what can we do? | A CIA field manual for simple sabotage | How to deal with despair | The benefit of doing things you’re bad at
what i’m wanderlusting:
It’s been a frigid winter in New York, so I’m dreaming of cloudless skies and clear water in Baja.
what i’m watching:
Anora is one of the most entertaining movies I’ve seen since Triangle of Sadness and I loved it so much that I’ve since gone down a Sean Baker rabbit hole with Red Rocket (a TRAVESTY that Dirt Nasty was not more recognized for this role) and The Florida Project, which has been on my watch list for ages. It made me ugly cry, I loved it.
what i’m eating & drinking:
Frigid weather in New York means cozy meals, so my recent favorites have been hot pot at The Dolar Shop (where my friend Jasmine and I ordered enough food for a dozen people) and an anniversary dinner with Haley at the recently rebooted Le Veau D’Or, which is newly and still one of my favorite restaurants in New York. We were joking with the bartender about how they have aspic(!) on the menu (it’s full of old-school French delicacies as a nod to the mostly octogenarian clientele of their previous iteration) and then he brought us one as a little gag gift and so we had to try it and it turned out to be surprisingly delicate, savory, and melt-in-your mouth. We cleaned the plate.
what i’m listening to:
I have the theme song from Dragons Daddies Deep Space stuck in my head. My cousin William and his BFF Jacob have launched this podcast where they gab about sci-fi books. No, I didn’t read the Brandon Sanderson book they just discussed and no, I never plan to, but I still devoured the episodes because there’s something so deliciously sweet about having a parasocial relationship with people you already know and love.
what i’m recommending:
I finally bought a pair of these stupid expensive Ripley Rader pants and I loved them so much I bought two more pairs. The return policy sucks and the sizing is indecipherable so your mileage may vary. I’m sorry/you’re welcome.
what i’m coveting:
If I had a dollar for every time I ogled this sheepskin coat online, I would have enough money to buy this sheepskin coat.
what i’m writing:
A guide to natural wine in New York City for Vogue.
what i’m bookclubbing:
We’ll be discussing Havoc in March! Let me know if you’d like to be added to the list.
what i’m reading:
Ann Patchett
I can’t resist an Ann Patchett but this is not one of my favorites.
Plum Sykes
I can’t believe how bad this book is, but I enjoyed it anyways.
Sloane Crosley
I wanted to like this book but the sci-fi of it all was a bridge too far.
Rachel Kushner
Definitely more fun than a regular Kushner book.
Jonathan Lethem
A very weird mystery set in the California desert.
Caleb Femi
I read this in an afternoon and loved the multimedia aspect, but I still wish it were just a regular novel.