Things I love online right now...

A few utterly, shamefully frivolous joys in the last 24 hours...

1. This video of a polar bear cub in the UK exploring its home for the first time, which I have watched a couple times and will likely revisit again before the day is over. 

2. Lin-Manuel Miranda and Ben Platt's outrageously gorgeous and moving collab on "Found Tonight," a mashup of songs from "Hamilton" and "Dear Evan Hansen" benefiting the March for Our Lives initiative. Listen to it on Spotify or download it on iTunes, it's just stunning...I may or may not have listened to it all day yesterday (I did). 

3. The @garyjanetti account on Instagram is hilarious, primarily because of his snarky Prince George memes which crack me up every time I see a new one. 

4. RELATED: Prince Harry's wedding is in less than two months and that means it's time for ALL THE STUFF. I just downloaded Katie Nicholl's new book "Harry: Life, Loss, and Love" (That title is so dramatic and I am so here for it), and was ecstatic to see that the hotly-anticipated Lifetime movie biopic "Harry and Meghan: A Royal Romance" has a teaser trailer out. I can't wait to drink wine, eat snacks and relentlessly mock this. It reminded me of this delicious recap of the William and Kate Lifetime movie, which I can still not read without truly laughing out loud. 

5. In the "TV I am actually very excited to watch rather than just to mock" lane, we have "Sweetbitter," a STARZ series coming out in May, which is based on a book I couldn't put down last summer and am currently re-reading. Set in a high-end restaurant in NYC, the series looks promising based on the trailer. (Also loving the new "Queer Eye" on Netflix, wanting to re-watch "Mozart in the Jungle [yes, again], and started "Love" on Netflix with Dave a couple weeks ago/never finished...)

6. Finally, someone please block Mark and Graham on all my devices or I will truly fall victim to the "if it's not moving, monogram it" life philosophy. (I do not need a monogrammed striped shirt, I do not need a monogrammed striped shirt......)

Love letters to life.

Remember when I was going to write these posts celebrating the little fun things in the week, and did it ONCE, and then decided I was going to be incredibly lazy and basically stop writing altogether? Right. Time to get back at the gratitude attitude and appreciate all the quotidian occurrences that make my life so incredibly lovely, taken as a whole. 

- achieving peak basic by making (way too many) chocolate-covered strawberries for the "Bachelor" finale 

- getting to snuggle and play with and laugh at our friends' ridiculously, absurdly, over-the-toply adorable Frenchie, Leia (I have never wanted a dog as badly as I want her, I'm not joking.)

- the prettiest and most fragrant "sunset" tulips, from Costco of all places, that have been going strong for almost a week now

- so much great beer with Dave lately, notably Alpha Acid's Barrel Constrictor stouts and some outstanding IPAs

- the kind of view that makes even perennially-frazzled-in-the-mornings me slow down for a minute

Other bright spots: a raucous and riotous game of "Cards Against Humanity" with the roommates, the release of the 2018 Minnesota High School All-Hockey Hair Team, a lengthy and long overdue phone date with Hannah, planning trips home and to Oregon in May, and - best of all - looking forward to the next two weeks bringing me BOTH Kaitlin AND Kelsie in the Bay Area! 

This year's Oscars faves and fails...

WOW campers, I am in a HUGE sulk after last night's "Bachelor" finale. Like, "sitting at my desk still grumping and bitching with my coworkers" huge. I am fully aware this is dumb of me, but maybe thoughts to follow. At any rate, let's look at pretty dresses to feel better, shall we?

This is the first year in a very long time that I not only haven't seen a single nominated film, but also didn't actually watch any of the Oscars - we were in the car headed home from an absurdly wonderful weekend skiing Heavenly! I caught up on the red carpet as soon as I got home from work last night (while dipping chocolate-covered strawberries for the aforementioned "Bachelor" finale, BOOOO). Awards season is always so much fun, and I was excited to see what happened on the Oscars red carpet, especially in the wake of the all-black Globes and so many really daring fashion choices since then. A few wins and losses below: 

Faves

I found myself SO drawn to the bright, bold colors on the red carpet...possibly in reaction to the prevalence of black at shows this season...and I am HERE for Allison Janney killing it in this dress (with gorgeous jewels to boot!).

Also LOVE Leslie Mann's floaty red dream of a ballgown...it's just so deliciously excessive, but that ethereal pattern keeps it looking light instead of bloodbath-adjacent.

I also really went hard for metallics, specifically Gal Godot, whose dress seems like a dance-y, twirly dream (also, hi, that necklace). 

I also think this is maybe the best that Jennifer Lawrence has looked in years. Her hair below is making me wish I could pull off blonde (duh I can't, I know that)...but I would love to master that kind of wave. The deconstructed hair and the sexy simplicity of the dress's silhouette make me incredibly happy. 

And of course Lupita. HI, goddess. I've been obsessed with her red carpet fashion for years and this didn't let me down...it has a vaguely gladiatorial, warrior-esque vibe to it that seems perfect given her turn in "Black Panther," not to mention the wars being fought in the whole #MeToo #TimesUp arena. I'll never not want her luminous complexion, either. 

And finally, Jennifer Garner, who I have loved for years and who is giving some serious "Ben who?" vibes here. HOTTIE.

Fails

Maya Rudolph: The costume shop of "The Handmaid's Tale" called, they want their red sexual-repression shroud back. 

Andra Day: Marie Antoinette called, she wants her aggressively poufy-and-floral bedspread back. 

Salma Hayek: I'm so confused by this. The material looks like something that five-year-old me would've loved in a dress-up costume, and then there's all this cleavage with these HUGE dramatic jewel-y drapes over it? Pick a lane, people. 

My other gripe with a lot of the dresses this year is how fussy things seemed, especially on people who usually veer much more toward the streamlined end of the spectrum. I adore Emily Blunt and was not a fan of this high-necked, Swiss-dotted, chiffon-and-lace, Victorian-bodice-ripper-nightgown nightmare. Plus that color washes her out like whoa. 

AND FINALLY: LINDSEY VONN DID YOU SECRETLY CONCUSS YOURSELF IN PYEONGCHANG AND NOBODY KNEW? WHAT IS THIS MESS? NO GOLD MEDALS FOR YOU! 

Bookworm: February 2018

"A river of words flowed between us." - Ernest Cline

Loved: 

Ready Player One, Ernest Cline: Oh my gosh I could not put this down, and ended up with a horrific sunburn from sitting poolside for about five hours reading it. My interest was piqued after seeing the movie trailer, but it was a rousing endorsement from Wade that ultimately got me to make the purchase. Set in a dystopian, virtual reality future, this was "Hunger Games" meets "Divergent" meets "The Matrix" in all the best ways. 

Enjoyed: 

Victoria, Daisy Goodwin: Eh - I feel like I just keep trying and trying to like Queen Victoria and I just kind of...don't. This novel riffs on the Masterpiece series, and was a fast enough read that I didn't have time to get bored with its myriad historical falsities and inaccuracies or the trumped-up love story at the heart of the plot. 

What Matters in Jane Austen? Twenty Crucial Puzzles Solved, John Mullen: As a lifelong lover of Austen, I actually really enjoyed this dissection of significant aspects of her novels. Examining everything from the weather, to use of first names, to the presence (or absence) of servants, it provided a lot of context to read deeper into my favorite texts. Maybe a full Austen re-read is necessary soon...

Breaking The Rock: The Great Escape from Alcatraz, Jolene Babyak: A caveat - this was not particularly well-written or edited. That said, I'm on a major Alcatraz/prison kick after our trip out to the island on my birthday, and this account of the circumstances surrounding the island's most dramatic escape attempt was well-researched and super interesting to me, given my current fascination. A weird little niche read, kind of a fun change!

Tolerated: 

This Is Your Life, Harriet Chance!, Jonathan Evison:  I had heard really good things about Evison's work, and I think this was a letdown for me because the whole thing felt incredibly disjointed and somewhat flat. I saw both of the major twists coming about four or five chapters before they actually were revealed, and I couldn't get invested in any of the characters or their issues. It was...solidly meh. Oh well!

Re-reads: 

None this month - a short, busy month calls for a short, busy reading list! 

101 in 1001 #7: Go to New York to see an opera at the Met!

I have wanted to see an opera at New York's Metropolitan Opera pretty much since I got into opera (my freshman year of college), and Michael and I finally made it happen for our birthdays a couple of weeks ago! 

I hadn't seen Michael since shortly before I moved, at, of course, an opera...he's my go-to classical music/opera friend, and I had missed him (and the opera world!) terribly since heading west. We planned the trip way back in October when we found out the Met was staging Wagner's "Parsifal." Wagner is Michael's favorite composer, and I've rapidly been seduced by his lush orchestration and larger-than-life operas. "Parsifal," a 6-hour telling of a Holy Grail legend sung in German, is definitely not for the faint of heart, but I couldn't have been more excited to go balls-to-the-wall on my first Met experience. 

A rookie mistake on our parts: after staying up way too late on Friday drinking champagne and eating doner kebab post-"Hamilton," we were moving a bit slow on Saturday morning. Add to that a snafu with the subway ("you have to go downtown to get uptown today!") and you have the two of us arriving with only twenty minutes to curtain and no breakfast in us. YIKES. 

Nothing could dull my joy at finally being at Lincoln Center, however - especially with bright sunshine and beautiful views! (Please also note that I am incredibly on-trend and wore a jumpsuit to the Met - dressing for a daytime opera is no mean feat!)

Of course, a selfie with the famed Met chandeliers was necessary. 

The moment that the chandeliers in the theater rose as the overture began was, to me, the perfect culmination of months (years) of looking forward to this experience. The atmosphere at the Met is one of indescribable luxury and opulence - velvet walls, the sparkling crystal, the gilded boxes. I could not wipe the grin off my face!

As for "Parsifal:" the production we saw was DARK. The sparse staging, elaborate background projections, and monochromatic color scheme kept my focus on the stunning vocals and orchestra (we were incredibly lucky to be the first audience to see Yannick Nézet-Séguin conduct after his appointment to serve as the Met's music director next year!). Seeing famed bass (and Michael fave) René Pape sing Gurnemanz was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and demon-woman Kundry and Parsifal were also masterfully sung. 

The second act took place on a stage flooded with "blood" as Parsifal wrestles with temptation surrounded by a horde of demonic women, splashing eerily through the river and thoroughly saturating themselves in the process. It is DARK, and evocative, and incredibly riveting. The entire production held me spellbound, but the second act seemed to fly by just because I was so gripped by the visual spectacle coalescing with the opera itself. 

After all that blood, the second intermission called for a little bubbly...

As the opera ended, leaving me thoroughly euphoric, we exited the theater to see a picture-perfect snowfall framed by the Met's dramatic floor-to-ceiling windows. I just about up and died - this was the first snowfall I had seen all year, and it just seemed too fairy-tale serendipitous to be real, on top of the whole day of dreams coming true. 

Naturally, we importuned a fellow opera-goer to snap a photo for us, and I think it speaks for itself - it's kind of hard to miss the utter delight in my squinted-up-with-laughter eyes. 

Thoroughly ravenous, we hopped across the street to Epicerie Boulud, where we killed time with a bottle of champagne before getting seats at the Bar Boulud "family table." An utter delight of a meal followed: chatting en Francais with the couple on one side of us, discussing opera with the couple on the other side and their grandkids, and exchanging information for this summer's San Francisco Ring Cycle, which they are also attending! Not to mention Michael enjoying "the best duck a l'orange he's ever had" while I died over the perfect orecchiette. 

After dinner (and another bottle of wine, oops) we had the bright and brilliant idea to enjoy the snow and walk from the Upper West Side to the Upper East Side through Central Park for a post-dinner cocktail at Bemelman's Bar (thanks for the tip, Shannon!). Only issue? Yours truly, who is already known for her grace and poise, was wearing heels - three-inch suede stilettos with no platform, to be specific. Needless to say, we had an adventure slipping and sliding and taking our sweet time on the walk. By the time we reached Bemelman's, we were soaked through and I couldn't stop laughing at how utterly ridiculous the situation was. Those (brand-new) shoes? Pretty much ruined, and they dyed my feet a shocking shade of hot pink in the bargain...it may not have been "Parsifal" blood, but it looked ridiculous for the next four days before I finally got the stains out with nail polish remover. SO WORTH IT, THOUGH. 

At Bemelman's, we enjoyed a little live jazz before heading downtown to catch one of my faves, the Gerald Clayton Quintet, at the Jazz Standard! Once they wound down, we traded champagne cocktails for tequila at a little cocktail bar around the corner, and headed home, still in the snow, around 2am. All in all, an absolutely ridiculous, amazing, fairy-tale first Met experience...thinking it may need to be an annual thing going forward! 

See more 101 in 1001 here...and for more opera love, check back in June as we attend my first Ring Cycle with the San Francisco Opera!!