Lately I'm Loving

Things making me smile/on my mind/causing distraction lately:

- I've been doing a lot of thinking about books lately. Namely, the fact that my reading list has burgeoned to nearly 150 titles, all added in the last couple of months, and that I've done a shamefully lax job checking them off. While I attribute that in large part to the fact that my days are, in general, much fuller here, I've also been a total social media fiend lately (stories forthcoming). This piece, about a guy who read 400 books in the last two years, was thought-provoking in its direct call-out of people like me who waste a ton of time on apps. While I still polish off around 10-12 books a month, it's crazy to think about how much more I could be doing. 

(Related: this Atlantic piece about how smartphones are destroying today's teens was a lengthy but compelling read.)

- As far as reading goes, I started extremely young - I read the entirety of the "Little House on the Prairie" series in kindergarten, and graduated (rapidly and prematurely) to "Pride and Prejudice" and "Watership Down" in second grade and "War and Peace" in third. (For the record, do not recommend that course of action.) What I do recommend? Reading early and often with kids. Some of my happiest and earliest childhood memories are of reading in bed with my parents almost every night. With that in mind, I've decided my new go-to baby gift is membership in The Picture Book Club, which is, as far as I can tell, basically the Jelly of the Month club but for books. Sign me (and my hypothetical future progeny) up for the "Women Who Changed The World" subscription, please. 

- I think the reason I read so much from a very early age is that I was a very well-socialized but equally introverted child. It's a topic that I've seen addressed a lot lately, most recently in this way-too-relatable post a friend shared on Facebook about characteristics of the type. I can't even begin to express how strongly I identified with most, if not all, of the outlined traits...to the point that, even as I write this, I'm re-reading the list and aggressively nodding along in my cube. 

- In addition to reading literature that was targeted well above my age range, I also spent much of my childhood attending theatrical events and being exposed to classical music. I attribute my adult love of the arts entirely to my parents' focus on ensuring we were well-versed in that world from an early age - and that we knew how to behave there. This New York Times thought piece about children and their participation in the adult world of the arts could basically be a manifesto for how I intend to (someday, maybe) parent...just a few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of sitting behind a family of five at the opera and listening to the youngest, who couldn't have been more than seven, discuss the very mature themes of Thaïs with her mom during intermission. SIGN ME UP. 

ADELE OMG.

Once upon a time, an egregiously long time ago, Jodester and I had a date night with this lovely lady: 

Excuse me while I actually freak out (even four months later). Long story short: the weekend of 4th of July, my parents went to a concert at the Minnesota Zoo and met a ticket broker with a fabulous hookup for Adele tickets. Then I shattered half the teeth out of my mouth, and my dad, in the ultimate power move, bought my mom and me two SECOND ROW SEATS. 

My mom texted me while I was at work, and I utterly freaked out. Best surprise ever. 

We started off the evening crammed in the bar at the St. Paul Grill, because it is one of our top five favorite places in the world. Everyone else there was also headed to Adele, and the buzz and excitement felt tangible. 

After a Cosmo for her, and a Manhattan for me, we headed across Rice Park to the Xcel. It honestly felt like a pilgrimage of sorts - little girls and their mothers, couples young and old, hordes of teenage girls (hordes of middle-aged girls, too!)...everyone was grinning ear to ear, everyone was excited and hyped up. What a cool atmosphere! 

Fun fact: When the show starts, the giant Adele eyes on the stage open as she rises out of the ground on a second, ancillary stage in the middle of general seating. I totally called that the eyes would open while talking with the people around us - and when they did, everyone freaked out with me. We genuinely all turned and jumped up and down and shrieked "HER EYES! THEY OPENED!" Video via Youtube below (not mine! I was too busy shrieking and freaking!): 

You guys. I've been to a lot of concerts in my day. And a lot of musicals, and a lot of opera, and a lot of orchestra. I am not unfamiliar with the experience of being in an audience. Being in THIS audience, though, was genuinely the coolest and most virtuosic concert experience I'd ever had. She is utterly unbelievable live. She sings, and if you close your eyes and block out the thousands of screaming fans, you could be listening to a recording. 

The best part of the entire evening, honestly, was seeing the contrast between her insane vocal gift and her warm, sharp-witted, totally irreverent personality. She chatted between songs. "Chatted" is the only word for it. She cracked jokes at everyone's expense, including her own. She poked fun at her sad songs, joking "Yeah, if you came for an uplifting night, this in'nt it..." in her thick Cockney accent. 

Then she opened her mouth and sang, and it was like oh. Holy shit. This woman is a chameleon and a goddess and everything in between. 

Favorites: "Hometown Glory," which featured panoramic views of her London neighborhood and then cut to Saint Paul. The audience, upon realizing that was OUR skyline, lost its collective shit. 

"Send My Love To Your New Lover," which was huge on the radio in July and was even huger in person. I cried. Being totally honest, I cried at least six times. She's just naturally cathartic...and I have weak tear duct control, okay?! 

She asked the arena to light it up for her cover of "To Make You Feel My Love," paying homage to hometown hero Bob Dylan. Again, I wept. Then she followed that one up by heading out to the ancillary stage, twenty feet from us...

...and going NUTS on an acoustic set. Her largely a'cappella "Someone Like You" gave me shivers (and tears, duh).

She paused out in the small stage for awhile, and worked her way around it taking selfies with the crowd. During which she dropped it low and legit started joke-twerking. See below: 

ADELE PLEASE BE MY BESTIE I AM OBSESSED WITH YOU. 

She ALSO waved, directly to my mother, as she worked her way around the four corners. This was confirmed by everyone around us freaking out with us (again). Jodester, naturally being the cutest person ever, caught her eye and they had, I kid you not, a moment. (The theme of the night was clearly "We freak out, and have the best time ever.")

Her official set concluded with "Set Fire to the Rain," but she came back out and slayed on "When We Were Young," which featured black and white photos of her as a child, concluding on a silhouette of her pregnant with her son. 

Naturally, the show closed with "Rolling in the Deep," and I, naturally, cried tears of just sheer overstimulation and joy. (More Youtube above, not mine!)

Having been truly buried in confetti featuring handwritten song lyrics, we headed out into the night on a wave of congeniality and euphoria. I didn't see one cranky face at having to wait to get out, or hear one less-than-rave review eavesdropping on our way out the door. 

Truly a top five night! 

the LS Love List: November 2016

Hi friends. 

I'm kind of hungover and more than kind of exhausted after a night of too much wine and too much politics. As usual, "Hamilton" has the words I need to say: 

"There is no more status quo...but the sun comes up, and the world still spins..." ("What'd I Miss?")

It's quite a day, and everyone is grumping HARD at least around this office, so without further ado, a little much-needed (at least by me) frivolity. Lately, I've been...

Watching: 

-"The Crown" on Netflix, in just over three days. Unbelievably gorgeous costuming and sets, a topic I love (QEII and her early reign) and yummy Matt Smith as Prince Philip, yes please. (Desperately trying to find Claire Foy's lipstick...it's the perfect rose-red.)

-"The Boss," also on Netflix. A recommendation from Michael, this one had me totally gripped from the start. As he described it, it's a "House of Cards"-esque show but set in Chicago and starring a fictional mayor as his life unravels with a neurological disorder. Utterly riveting. 

-"Ben and Lauren: Happily Ever After?," but skeptically and usually while doing other things. I'm a shameless "Bachelor" franchise-lover, but this one might take it too far into scripted and lame. Also, Ben and Lauren are, frankly, incredibly dull. Eh. I'll watch so I'm up to date for their eventual televised wedding. 

-I am also ridiculously, absurdly, stupidly excited for the premieres of "Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life" on Nov 25 and season 3 of "Mozart in the Jungle" on December 9. Like...don't text me, don't call me, don't so much as Snapchat me on those days because I will be in my flannel grandpa jammies watching both with absolutely no room for outside distraction. 

Wearing: 

-this Old Navy shift dress on repeat, which was a $10 score on a clearance day. Might have to get it in other colors. (I wore it to vote and to a Friendsgiving/election party last night...plenty of room to stuff myself with stuffing, and pretty and cheerful enough to survive even long voting lines and stressful election results.)

-this J.Crew Factory puffer vest, on a daily basis. I bought navy, and I think I'm going back for black. 

-edgy and obnoxious stacks of bracelets, ambitiously, every morning. And then they come off the second I get to work and start typing because I realize how annoyed I get by the sound of them clinking around on my wrist. 

Following: 

-all the Erling Kindem stories Boyd Huppert is doing for KARE11. Truly the sweetest story ever - if you haven't already been following along, catch up here. 

-lots of new Instagram accounts including Fifi and Mo, Lindsey Pinegar, Fleur Fresh, Meghan Markle (that Prince Harry-stealing wench), and Overheard New York. 

-Sonoma and Napa wine blogs before our holiday trip out west: Wine Country, Discover Sonoma County Wine, and Bob on Sonoma. 

-election discussion and news, obviously, but that's a topic for never. 

Have the happiest day you can possibly have. Smile at people, taste your words before you spit them out, and be nice. 

Quick Fact Sunday, Volume 5

I am ridiculously, absurdly, obscenely into "The Bachelor" franchise. 

It was kind of hard to avoid getting really, really into it when I lived in an all-girls dorm for four years in college. Much less when I quickly found out that a ton of my girlfriends were also super into it. I've been watching it with a healthy dose of cynicism and snarky side commentary since DeAnna Pappas's season in, oh my god, 2008...how are we this old? 

From there on out, it was an addiction I barely tried to hide. I laughed at Jason Mesnick's switcheroo on "After the Final Rose," fell in love with Jillian Harris (and judged her hard for turning down Kiptyn, boo!), and died over the drama of Jake and Vienna, Ben and Courtney, and the dumpster fire that was Juan Pablo. I even follow Ben and Lauren, the most recent couple, on Instagram...my shame knows no bounds. To this day, I watch it with Hannah or Kelsie, and text a few friends running commentary on the episodes throughout. It's sheer vapid escapist fun at its best. 

While "The Bachelor" will always have my heart because of how just plain crazy 25 women competing for a man can get, "The Bachelorette" is off to a stellar start this year. For starters, Jojo, the Bachelorette, is gorgeous...

...and for seconders, she has a cast of absolutely crazy guys, including Aaron Rodgers's little brother and Chad, a roided-out Gaston wannabe who eats lunch meat like I eat TicTacs. The season is already gearing up to be the! most dramatic! season! in Bachelor! HISTORY!, and I'm so excited to watch along...even though I'm missing this week's double-header of Monday and Tuesday episodes due to our trip. 

Any other superfans out there? If so, let's rendezvous next Monday. I'll provide the wine and fancy cheese!