Bookworm: April/May 2018

Wow, I'm getting in a bad habit of forgetting to post these - it's not for lack of reading, that's for sure! 

Loved: 

The Love Gap: A Radical Plan to Win in Life and Love, Jenna Birch: I know this is ever-so-basic of me, and could read as pathetic, but I read my first self-help book and, guys, I loved it. This was a funny, tongue-in-cheek peek at why women of my generation who are ambitious and career-focused are more single than ever before, and it was incredibly eye-opening for me. I've been single for a LONG time, crew, and while I'm okay with that about 92% of the time, that 8% is super annoying. This was a fun reminder that this, like all phases of life, is a season, and that I've got it pretty damn good after all. Highly recommend. 

The Gilded Years, Karin Tanabe: So I read this because I found out Reese Witherspoon and Zendaya are co-producing a movie based on the book, and I loved it. Telling the tale of the first black woman to graduate from Vassar College - by passing as white, I could not put this down. Excellent light, interesting and different historical fiction!

Enjoyed: 

Coming Home, Rosamunde Pilcher: This was recommended on a blog I'm obsessed with, and I liked it for what it was while still thinking it was a bit...blah. It chronicles the lives of two wealthy British families pre-, during and post-World War II, and it was a crumpet-light version of "Atonement" or "Downton Abbey" basically. Fine, but maybe not the most memorable choice. 

Forever is the Worst Long Time, Camille Pagan: A poet, James, meets his soulmate - but she's engaged to his best friend. The novel tracks this love triangle over the ensuing decade or so, with enough twists and turns to derail a bullet train along the way. I found the plot refreshing, but the writing style didn't suck me in or keep me particularly interested. It would be a great beach read, but maybe don't expect your world to change? Idk - I'm realizing my standards are probably much too high for "quality" literature these days. 

Meghan: A Hollywood Princess, Andrew Morton: DUH you didn't think I was going to go into the Royal Wedding without reading the first authoritative Meghan Markle biography to hit the market, did you? I've got some bones to pick with this one - namely that Morton's assessment of Meghan seemed to swing wildly between adulatory and condemning - and I think a lot of the sources used have their own, very biased agendas. That said, I learned a bit about my new Duchess of Sussex, so it was worth it! 

The Hamilton Affair, Elizabeth Cobbs: Also DUH, my "Hamilton" obsession has not abated one bit. This focused the narrative on Eliza and Alexander Hamilton's love story and relationship, and it cast a lot of things that get glossed over in the musical and buried in the biography in a new light. It was fun! Read it! 

Tolerated: 

Nemesis: The True Story of Aristotle Onassis, Jackie O, and the Love Triangle That Brought Down the Kennedys, Peter Evans: Confession: For as much of a Kennedys/Jackie O enthusiast as I am, this left me cold. I was supremely uninterested in the arcane political machinations of the Onassis-Kennedy rivalry, and a LOT of the book felt like it was based on conjecture, supposition, and unreliable sources. Eh. 

The Wedding Date, Jasmine Guillory: My mistake: I assumed any novel with a Roxane Gay cover blurb was bound to be in her vein of writing - elevated, provocative, incisive and utterly gripping. Instead, this was a completely run-of-the-mill, insipid romance novel. The only thing that sets it apart from your standard modern-day bodice ripper was the attempt to shoehorn in racial controversy (the female love interest is black). AND, adding insult to injury, if I'm going to read a cheap romance novel, I expect sexy sex scenes. This book, on the other hand, mostly implied a lot of oral sex and hinted at prolonged sexy time with a whole bunch of "they were late to dinner." "He missed his flight." WHATEVER, CAMPERS. 

Re-reads: 

None these past months! I was too busy marathoning "Suits," watching six different telecasts of the Royal Wedding, and working my butt off! Whee! 

See you next month! Any recs? 

101 in 1001 #86: See a ballet.

One of the aspects of my Minneapolis life that I have missed the most since moving Bay-side is total immersion in the arts world. I've saved a lot of money by NOT going to an opera, symphony, or play on a legit weekly basis (well, actually, I've spent soooome of those savings on wine, but I digress)...but I so miss the feeling of watching the lights go down and the curtain rise. 

Minneapolis doesn't have a robust ballet scene, and as such I never really got into the medium, choosing instead to focus on the Guthrie and Minnesota Orchestra/Opera. San Francisco, on the other hand, has an absolutely outstanding ballet that is breaking boundaries and innovating on a grand scale. The latest example? Their spring "Unbound" series, which was inspired by a question posed by their director: "What is the future of ballet?"

Choreographers responded with their interpretations - half-hour mini-ballets, that were later grouped by broad theme and performed in sets of three as part of the Unbound Festival over the last month. Dave's cousin Francesca invited me to join her for one, and as it was really my first non-Nutcracker ballet experience, I jumped to say yes. 

After fighting brutal traffic, I was rewarded with Karl the Fog-free skies over the Civic Center, and the most amazing arancini and sangiovese at Dobb's Ferry pre-show. 

This was also my first experience with the War Memorial Opera House, where Michael and I will take in the entire Ring Cycle in just under a month! The building was jaw-droppingly stunning - exactly the kind of old-world opulence that makes me happy. 

As for the ballets? I was incredibly grateful to have Francesca with me to decode some of the more subtle nuances, but honestly, the entire evening was a viscerally intense joyride. The San Francisco Ballet is known for having ridiculously athletic dancers, much moreso than other ballets in the US; as such, their choreography and style truly pushes the limits of what ballet has traditionally been considered to represent or encompass. The three pieces we saw seemed disparate at first glance, but came together in the end to support a theme of contrast/duality/opposition and harmony.

The first piece was much more abstract - almost a Jets-and-Sharks style antipathy, stylistically very sparse and driven by the use of different-colored costumes that almost completely obscured the gender of each dancer. The second, a riff on Edith Wharton's "Ethan Frome," was easily my favorite - lyrical and emotive, with a lush score and stunning choreography. As the piece required only three principal dancers, the ensemble danced as both falling snow and "the emotions of the leads;" in reading the program I scoffed a bit but it was incredibly effective in person. 

The third, which I wasn't really sure about initially, used really interesting black-and-white costumes to separate males and females. The choreography of the third piece emphasized synchronous movements rather than the more pas-de-deux focused style of "Ethan Frome," and ended with the entire ensemble moving together downstage, finishing on one perfectly-timed group leap airborne as the curtain dropped. I was genuinely on the edge of my seat watching, and left the theater on a total high. 

Needless to say, I'll definitely be revisiting the SF Ballet in the future - because of COURSE I need another expensive and time-consuming new arts passion, ha! 

Check out more 101 in 1001 here...lots coming down the docket soon!

Love letters to life.

Coming back from a glorious long weekend is never fun, campers. I know I usually save these mini-gratitude posts for Fridays, but who doesn't need a few bright spots to kick off a (short!) week?

- this former candle (she's a real hothead)...

- turned tiny precious succulent planter.

- the most stunning bougainvillea I've ever seen. Still taken aback on a legit daily basis that I get to live and work here. 

- campus's beautiful arcades and pathways that are so deserted they feel secret. 

- sneaking in a very early solo lunch at Anthropologie's Terrain...their kale Caesar goes perfectly with an hour of whatever's on my Kindle app (at the moment, "The Wedding Date" by Jasmine Guillory). 

- Couldn't stop laughing at this hilarious sign while volunteering in an elementary school last week...imagine how these poor California kids would handle Minnesota's black ice, ha!

- Newly obsessed with Maybelline's Super Stay Matte Ink liquid lipsticks, which have lasted me a solid twelve hours without reapplying, including through meals and drinks and various other wear and tear. 

- and finally, my new favorite morning coffee mug. Nothing like a little Minnesota nice to cut through my newfound California cool. 

Happy four-day week, my loves! 

Royal Wedding, OMG.

I will confess it, and only be slightly embarrassed: I'm having Royal Wedding withdrawal. I'm very sad about the fact that the next major British event for which I will have to get up crazy-early and watch TV is probably going to be Prince Philip or the Queen's funeral...perish the thought! 

To start this behemoth of a post off, a few snippets from yours truly's less-than-regal social media in the 24 hours leading up to the event: 

We pregamed the night before with a re-viewing of both Charles and Di and William and Kate's weddings on BBC America, as well as "Harry and Meghan: A Royal Romance" and "Harry and Meghan: Royal Rebels" courtesy of Lifetime, "Meghan Markle: An American Princess" courtesy of somewhere, and maybe like...several episodes of "Say Yes to the Dress" on TLC. (I use "we" loosely - or in the royal we context - all of this was solo, as my poor roommates are NOT royals fans.)

2am rolled around and found me a bit punchy I queued up BBC on the TV, the Today show on my laptop, and settled in for a long night - morning? I don't even know. Being a royals fan on the West Coast requires a truly punishing level of commitment and dedication to one's craft, darlings. 

Fortunately I wasn't alone in my already-punch-drunk craziness...Mama Bear had gotten up at 4am Central to keep me company, and we texted through the entire shebang...in addition to the 21 phone calls we clocked. Oops. I missed her so much during my solo viewing! 

After two cups of coffee, I switched to bubbly right in time for the main event. (I did NOT play the drinking game as previously planned because there was too much utter adoration happening on Harry's end, and I didn't want to black out before the end of the ceremony!) Although let's talk fascinators...and the people sporting them...my faves? 

Lady Kitty Spencer hands-down won the day for me - I loved her dress's bright color, gorgeous floral detail and her orange accessories. Second place to Amal Clooney (and her husband, that actor) - she is just so effortlessly amazingly gorgeous and that bright marigold yellow was so pretty! 

Additional credit to the cast of "Suits," who all brought it big-time. Also, Gabriel Macht (who plays Harvey) blew my mind in his cute thick-rimmed glasses. I have a raging crush now. What can I say? Guys in good glasses are one of my weaknesses. 

Favorite wedding photos/moments: 

Not gonna lie, I was way "meh" on her dress after lots and lots of waffling back and forth on it...I loved the idea of the bateau neck and 3/4 sleeves (two of my absolute favorite things!!!), but the fit was rumply and seemed too large. That veil, though? With the 53 hand-embroidered Commonwealth flowers, and that perfect silk tulle volume, and the stunning Queen Mary Filigree Bandeau Tiara holding it all in place?!? YES PLEASE. 

I would like it on record, fyi, that I ID'd the tiara before either "Today" OR the BBC, and therefore I win and should be awarded a tiara of my own. Or something. Anyway, I am HERE for the veil, and love the length and volume and drama - I just wish the dress either had a flawless fit or maybe just a leeetle something extra to it. 

That said, it brought the drama in this stunning shot, which legitimately made me gasp when I saw it later on Saturday: 

I also died laughing at the fact that Prince Henry (Harry) married Meghan at St. George's, where Henry VIII is buried, on the 482nd anniversary of Henry VIII's beheading of his wife, Anne Boleyn. AND Henry VIII and Harry are both gingers. Laughed uproariously, campers. 

Favorite moment of the wedding right here - immediately after Harry flipped Meghan's veil over and they were both looking at each other with just an absolutely insane amount of love and happiness in their eyes. UGH my heart - I'm such a hopeless romantic! (My mother and I, among hundreds of thousands of others, were inordinately annoyed with that piece of hair falling out though. Girl! Bobby pins!)

The overhead shot of the carriage ride, too - this looks like it should be on the cover of a romance novel or something. Also loved the detail that Harry hand-picked a few of the flowers in Meghan's bouquet - it's the utterly sweetest gesture and really makes me think these two are going to make it. 

Also, let us not ignore that kiss. I'm just a walking heart-eyes emoji over here. 

Other brief thoughts: 

- Kate took a lot of flak in the media for a: wearing a white-adjacent coat and b: side-eyeing and laughing (along with the other royals) during Bishop Michael Curry's speech. I loved about the first 2/3 of Curry's homily, and was way over the final 6-ish minutes (after he made the joke about wrapping it up, which is when Kate laughed - appropriately). That said, I get his message, and think it was powerful and important. Just maybe not necessary for it to be THAT long. (For the record, Kate's dress was apparently pale yellow, and HELLO cut her some slack, she just had a baby three weeks ago and that is no picnic, even if she is a duchess.)

- I think Doria Ragland (Meghan's mother) is the epitome of class, taste and grace. Watching her all alone in what had to be an immensely overwhelming setting was touching. It's great that Meghan had her there to support her so perfectly. 

- I felt bad for Chelsy Davy, Harry's long-term ex - the coverage kept cutting to her and she looked so uncomfortable. Also felt sorry for Zara Tindall, Harry's cousin, who is like five million weeks pregnant and was squirming every time the TVs cut to her - those Quire seats at St. George's looked horribly uncomfortable. 

- This shot of the Queen arriving at Windsor before the wedding with Meghan's dog Guy made my LIFE. Of course the Queen has become besties with Meghan's dog. 

- I adored Meghan's reception dress. The glamour of her, Harry, and that Jaguar is beyond decadent. 

- The official portraits are also to die for, and I'm so glad they were released so fast! I cannot get over Prince George's cheeseball grin or how tightly Kate is holding onto Charlotte in the family shot - those two! And the couple shot - I don't think Harry has EVER looked so happy. I'm so obsessed with that little ginger hottie. 

- Speaking of Princess Charlotte...hi, I die, she's my favorite, end scene. 

And I don't care if this makes me a grinchy negative Nellie, but sorry crew - in the Cambridge v Sussex debate, I'm 100% #TeamCambridge. Kate for LIFE. 

Congrats, you crazy kids!! Have babies soon so I have something else about which to get way too excited!! 

remember these things

A few random moments of pure happiness in the last few days: 

- a hallway conversation with our VP of finance, with a heartfelt thank you for illustrating a concept in a way she found revolutionary enough to share with several non-profits she works with...that feeling of total satisfaction in knowing that something I did is still resonating. 

- the half-hour heart-to-heart with Mom en route to work this morning - princess documentaries, Anthropologie, love, fear, and being bold enough to take risks and seek happiness. Continually thankful to have been raised by this woman. 

- leaving Alpha Acid last night with Dave and the bartender, Alex, asking us "see you tomorrow?!" The ultimate moment of feeling like the insiders we're striving to be at our favorite brewery - so frivolously satisfying. 

- nerding out with a new friend about the Met Gala, couture wedding dresses, celebrity idols, and the impending royal wedding. So nice to be developing genuine relationships here. 

- realizing that a year ago yesterday was they day I got my initial Stanford job offer, and taking a moment to truly appreciate the multitude of blessings (there's no other word) I've been granted in the last year of my life. 

How nice is it to be happy, and to be consciously, gratefully, intentionally aware that you're happy?