Four Fun Things
Left: Carrick glasses. Right: Gus glasses.
The other day, I realized that I’ve been wearing Warby Parker glasses for 15 years. (!) They always have cool shapes and fun colors, and you can try them on online. These Carrick ones have been my go-to for ages, and I just got these Gus frames, which are thin and silver. What glasses do you wear?
Also, how cool are Mr. Boddington’s new paperweights? You can customize them by choosing the hand-drawn icons that fit your person. I pretended to make one each for Freddie and me, above, and they’re like mini artworks for your desk. They’d make a great gift, too.
When we were upstate, my friend Alison made a salad, and her trick is to chop everything into really small pieces, even the greens. Once we mixed this one up — with apples, carrots and goat cheese — and added dressing, it was so delicious that I can’t stop thinking about it.
Finally, we just drove up to see my cousins in Maine, where we swam in cool water, browsed bookstores, and watched So I Married an Axe-Murderer, the cult classic and our family’s all-time comfort movie.
What have you been up to recently? Please share below, if you’d like. xoxo
P.S. More fun things, and what’s made you laugh lately?
(This post was sponsored by Warby Parker. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Cup of Jo.)
Tags: fun things
Comments
150 commentsI love the new glasses Joanna – they have the same super cool shape as your other ones, which I love, but I like the delicate wire frame even more! I have never tried Warby Parker or other online sellers due to my severe myopia/strong prescription, but I am going to look for something similar at my next eye appointment (for which I am extremely overdue). Maybe the thought of new frames will motivate me to finally get in there. I can’t wear contacts anymore, so my glasses frames are an important part of my look!
This whole post is comforting. I made a pretend paper weight for my friend, too. Thank you, Jo
The way I smiled at Alison’s salad! Maybe it’s my unusually small mouth – dentists always comment when they see it for the first time – but the prevalence of rough-chopped pieces in dishes drives me crazy. So, so many people want to take a red pepper, cut a line through it twice, and throw it in their dish. I’m guessing they consider it an esthetic choice, but that salad looks gorgeous *and* easy to eat. You’re not there for half an hour cutting in smaller! Pieces aren’t hanging out of your mouth! Ok, I’m calm, ha. And I feel seen!
Oh, I so agree! I literally get triggered eating salads full of long strips of pepper or cabbage, etc. It always ends up hanging out of your mouth while you try frantically to chew it. Aargh! But, a small chop guarantees salad pleasure.
Does Allison have a chopping tool or hack? I also love a chopped salad but my hands are starting to hurt!
Look for a veggie chopper on whatever shopping website you use or in a cookware store. A good sturdy one with different chopping, grating and slicing options will make your life easier.
Yes, the salad comment! Large pieces of lettuce overwhelm… a chopped salad is such a better mixture of taste per bite. Or leave out the lettuce altogether — it’s still a refreshing salad and sometimes much better!
I have started an adult ballet class this year, and it is easily one of my highlights every week. I did a 10-week intro course and then moved into level 1 a few weeks ago. It is hard, but good, brain-bending hard. I never danced as a child but was a gymnast, and there’s just enough crossover to wake up some old muscle memory. I am delightfully terrible, enjoy having a laugh at myself but enjoy the hour of movement and time uncontactable (I have a toddler and a baby and someone is always touching me!) even more.
After breaking my J.F. Rey petite size frames, I recently bought the Linden frame, also petite, from Colors in Optics in purple, green, and gold “tortoise” – best I could find. I looked everywhere since I have a small head!
Great to hear other glasses recc’s – as someone who only recently has had to start wearing them it’s been an adjustment! I have a couple pairs of glasses (1 set of reads and 1 with progressives) from Pair which are fab! The main bonus for me is the magnets for adding sunglasses on top – I just can’t stand having to carry my sunglasses separately and then trying to do the swap while walking/carrying stuff/etc. But popping on a sunglasses frame on my regular glasses is perfectly easy!
This is the most delicious chopped salad recipe, easy to make substitutions. I’ve been making on repeat. Enjoy! kalejunkie.com/crunchy-broccoli-salad-with-honey-dijon-vinaigrette
This sounds so good.
COJ has had a lot of fun wardrobe posts. How about a post in which readers share and show us their specs?
ooh, yes please! I need new glasses
We have a lot going on with my family right now and I’ve found great joy with focusing on “micro progress.” How can I squeeze in movement? Doing these cute pogo jumps and hopscotch-like jumps. When I say micro movements, I mean like 4 jumps in each leg and I feel a sense of accomplishment! I, like everyone in this capitalist society, have it drilled in my psyche that I need to do more more more!!! BUT. Asking myself,”what is something micro I can do right now that would be helpful?” I’ve been practicing this with the way I eat, dress, work, move and I love it. And I watch a reel with a sex expert who talks about maintenance sex with our partners. We know alllll about the big wow sex experiences, but what about maintenance sex that keeps the wheels greased when life gets super busy? We have been finding time in “micro” maintenance connections and we even made out in the morning while the kids were sleeping. We hadn’t made out like that IN YEARS!!!! Micro progress!!! If it feels daunting, make it even smaller. As small as you can go, and start there! And if you’re ambitious, I recommend going EVEN SMALLER! Anywho, here are the little jumps I like doing throughout the day and what my pelvic floor allow: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=b-v_tgITv0M
Could you share a link to the sex expert reel please? Thank you!
Hi SK! Absolutely! Here’s the link: https://m.youtube.com/shorts/ZjhX6iodJ4M.
Thank you!!
Had THE BEST salad last night. – chopped cabbage – marinated/cooked portobello mushrooms (balsamic, olive oil, bragg’s, liquid smoke, herbes de province, cayenne) – sliced cucumber – mung bean sprouts – sauerkraut – home-made aioli on top (garlic, salt, avocado mayo from Costco)
I just landed in NY to celebrate my 30th birthday — I gave myself a sabbatical from work as a gift this year, so it’s NY to Nova Scotia before back home. We have a tradition in my friend group of asking Birthday Questions and one that I was asked was the best advice I received this decade and the first thing that came to mind was “just add water”! Reflecting on the last decade as I grew into an adult, I’m very thankful for the CoJ community for your comments of wisdom and advice. I didn’t have much guidance as I moved out on my own and tried to craft the type of life I hoped for, but CoJ was there when I looked for wisdom, both big and small. Gratitude!
I want to know more about this birthday question traditional with your friends (and other traditions friend groups have!). Happy 30th!
our family comfort movie seems to be “the addams family” (with angelica houston and raul julia, be still my heart) — i would not have called that years ago, but it’s what emerged, and we love it so. as to glasses: after decades of wearing ill-fitting glasses (at all price points) or uncomfortable contacts, i learned i have a high nose bridge! that combined with high cheek bones and big round apple cheeks means that glasses sit really weird on me — who even knew! (maybe you did? i was slow to catch on.) now, i spend a small fortune at my local optical shop and feel so much better. so, just putting that out there as a random obvious PSA: knowing your bone structure can really help get the right fit!
ME TOO. Oh my gosh. I never did figure it out myself, a clever glasses fitter at Costco finally cracked it. I was complaining about how NONE of the glasses I’ve tried fit right and she took a hard look at my face and said (literally) A Ha! A very high bridge! So I need a certain kind of frame or they slip off (those stick on nose pads you can add also help pop the frames up high enough). I finally have frames that don’t bother me! A miracle lol.
I loved Warby parker for a long time (and still sometimes wear my Warbys!) but for my last birthday I had a pair of vintage Loewe frames fitted with prescription lenses and I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. If you have the budget and are looking for something really special I totally recommend this method. It was pricy, around $400 total so definitely investment glasses but I plan to keep these forever (or until I can no longer see out of them, lol.)
Do you have recommendations for finding a place that will fit frames they don’t sell? I’m unhappy that Warby Parker won’t replace the lenses in my old frames and I have to buy a whole new pair. I’d much rather get a vintage pair and be able to replace the lenses but haven’t found any shop willing (or able?) to do it.
Jill, I don’t know where you live, but I’ve not had any trouble replacing lenses in eyeglasses bought elsewhere. Vision Source will do it. Also check with local, independent opticians.
Funnest fun thing!! My wife’s new EP from her band is out and if you want to hear a 48 year old KILLING IT on the drums, check them out!! Grunge metal that is perfect for this moment in history, a perfect venue for getting the rage out! https://open.spotify.com/album/6d1A0j7lH3HgYLjhKcXhhH?si=qP1xv4blTKul8OvtfD1Dsw&nd=1&dlsi=e323809ef9114940
Just listened! I’ve been in need of some angsty, women-led rock! I’ve got a preteen, so the closest I’ve gotten is Olivia Rodrigo. Thank you for sharing, and congrats to your wife!
Where in Maine to. you recommend? I loved some of the areas in the White Mountains but am still digging into fun coastal spots!
Not Jo, obviously, but I recently visited and really enjoyed Belfast.
I live in Maine! I live in the Portland area, but really love Mid-Coast for a visit! Oguinquit is also beautiful.
Hi! I lived in Maine (near the White Mountains), but lived on the coast for 20 years before moving here. I agree with the other commenter about Belfast, and would say that it depends on what you like. If you like towns with things going on, Boothbay Harbor (I know, it’s kinda touristy, but not as bad as Bar Harbor), they have an amazing music venue (the Opera House). You can’t go wrong with any of the performances there. There are harbor cruises, a small aquarium, decent restaurants (try nearby Robinsons Marina) or head to nearby, Boothbay, for one of Maine’s most gorgeous ocean-front drives at Ocean Point. I rarely go to the Southern Maine points these days (Portland, Kennebunk, York), even though I am closer to them now. We go to Rockland (hop on a ferry to check out North Haven island if you can! Take a bike for extra credit!), Belfast, Blue Hill (a sleepy town that’s not touristy), Bath (cute downtown), and Brunswick (quintessential. Main Street!)-has great music performances at the college and any restaurant type you might want (including the best gelato at Gelato Fiasco). I was just there on Friday to see a movie at the old-timey movie theater, Eveningstar Theater. Wherever you go, you will find a plethora of independent bookstores too. Please support them if you can. One of my faves is in Belfast (Left Bank Bookstore). You cannot go wrong driving the coast here. Just get yourself off Route 1 occasionally and head down the peninsulas to find the quiet, beautiful, off-the-beaten-path towns (like Damariscotta). Okay, I could go on-and-on. Maine is so special and I spring to me. I have lived in many other states and countries and couldn’t wait to get back here to settle down. Every day is a new adventure to discover. We are known for our summer theater talent here (and I have seen a ton of performances this summer and have been blown away!).
I *live* in Maine
Camden, Peaks Island, ogunquit, Acadia NP and Bar Harbor, Kittery, and boothbay harbor
My little shot of happiness this week is painting. I’m new to water color painting and not very good at it (really, trust me). Earlier this year I bought a book with all these lessons and I decided I’d try to improve enough by the end of the year to feel comfortable showing my paintings to people. And you know what? I started procrastinating and not wanting to paint (at the end of a workday of constantly pushing myself). So last week I said to hell with all that. I’m just going to paint and play and have fun and not care if I become “good.” And you know what? Not only am I painting A LOT more, but I’m also learning more about technique as I play around. Pure, no-pressure fun! It’s so lovely.
Ooh can you share the book please? This sounds exactly what I need.
Yay for you! If you’re into video tutorials, Andrea Nelson has some super great low pressure watercolor tutorials on YouTube.
Was it these? I have one but haven’t started it yet! https://shop.emilylex.com/collections/watercolor-workbooks
Thanks I needed this inspiration. I have all the materials but I too am a procrastinator.
Hi Rebecca – The book is Learn to Watercolor by Lacey Walker. From the little bit I read, it seems terrific. I just need something else from painting right now. And Emily – I love Andrea Nelson! I follow her on Instagram and have gotten some wonderful ideas from her. At the moment, I’m trying to come up with my own concepts, which is really fun. But Andrea is a go-to for me when I need inspiration.
Watercolor Everyday is a great, beginner-friendly instructional book. And the Emily Lex books are also cute and easy to follow.
OMG SO I MARRIED AN AXE MURDERER! I think of lines from that movie all the time. “I think most Scottish food was based on a dare” “I’m juicing everything now” “oooh you’re a wee sexy bastard, aren’t you” “everyone here calls me Vicki”
My husband and I quote this movie all the time! “Wo-man! Whoa-MAN” “Heid, MOOOVE!” LOL Now I wanna watch it again!
Hi Joanna, would you mind sharing the exact ingredients and dressing for this salad? looks so tasty! Thank you!
Yes! Looks amazing.
My family’s comfort movies are The Princess Bride and Crazy Rich Asians. I agree that finely chopping a salad so that each bite has all the textures and flavors is a game changer! I love the photo of you with the Gus glasses and blue shirt! And it’s fun to see the images you chose for your and Freddie’s paperweights. Four sweet things indeed!
LOVE So I Married an Ax Murderer! Best San Francisco movies of all time.
We’ve been on a road trip for 2 weeks, 3 more to go. I’ve loved going to independent bookstores in each city, and asking the Booksellers to hand me a stack of books they’d think I enjoy. All the bookstores I’ve been to have had displays about Palestine, Gaza, immigrants and the right to live with dignity. God bless our bookstores, Amazon could never. We’ve had delicious coffee from independent coffee shops, again Starbucks could never, and explored playgrounds. The best thing besides the books and coffee are the people I’ve met in these community establishments. Everyone who is struck up a conversation with has been lovely, clearly love where they live and take pride in it. I told my husband that you get a real sense of place when you go to their local bookstore, Playground, coffee shop and baseball stadium (if applicable, We’ve hit 4 so far). Yes, museums and gardens and such are worth visiting (we just visited Cincinnati’s National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, and wow) but the soul of a city is at these locally owned places. Yesterday, we made smores and roasted marshmallows over the fire, today we watched 101 Dalmatians. Four fun Things- books, coffee, parks, making beautiful memories with my family. Free Palestine, Feed Gaza. Now.
❤️
🥰love this! Our I decode dent bookstores (and libraries!), are the hearts of our towns here in Maine. We are lucky to have so many here and I only buy my books from them (or order through them/Bookshop.org) now that I am weening off Amazon. I treat myself to a new book pretty regularly (okay, pretty much every Friday), and love my ritual of going to a bookstore to decompress after work. Of course I dream of changing careers and owning my own bookstore, but for now I consider myself very lucky to have so many indies around me to help support (I typically donate my books to the library for their book sales).
That salad looks delish! Could you share the dressing you used? I feel like the dressing can make or break the salad!
Gotta give a shout out to Gwenyth Paltrow’s salad dressing recipe I’ve been using all summer. It very simple but delish. Basically EVOO, vinegar, dijon mustard and maple syrup. I could practically drink it! Ok I actually do drink what’s left over in bottom of the bowl.
Has anyone gotten progressives with a high prescription at Zenni or Warby Parker? What was your experience with quality, cost and ability to offer a high prescription in a thin lens? Thx
I’ve gotten progressives from Zenni at least 4 times. Though I don’t think I have a “high” prescription. At any rate, I’ve been very pleased with them. I only buy plastic frames so sometimes I have to adjust them (heat up the temples with my hair dryer, then gently bend) but otherwise they’ve been great! And way cheaper than my local doctor, even w/o insurance.
Hello Lori! My husband tried progressives through Warby Parker and didn’t have a good experience. He now relies on a local optometrist to get the measurements correct.
yeah! I have a very high prescription and the ultra thin lenses were an extra $160. Adding progressives would be an additional cost but I don’t know the exact number, so the glasses become more costly but still, in my experience, much less than getting the same at a traditional optometrists/opticians office. I have been pleased with my thinner lenses from Warby!
I have a really high Rx and always get the thin lenses from Warby Parker and they’ve been great. They definitely make them much more expensive though! I’m in the early-ish days of needing progressives so most recently I just got the “boosted” lenses which I think add +75 to the bottom and they’ve been a good transition. I suspect the quality of the progressive lenses for both is pretty good. That being said the success of progressives is often dependent on the measurements taken by an optician. I’m sure that there’s some AI thing that online glasses retailers use but if you have a chance to go to Warby Parker in person it’s not a bad idea.
I get all my progressives from Zenni now, and I have a fairly high script. My recent new pair came in at under $100 and I could not be happier. At my latest opthomologists appointment I asked her opinion on the quality of the lenses, and she gave them her full approval. Never paying the full optometrist price again. Highly recommend Zenni.
Zenni is great, especially for those of us who often lose our progressives and have a frequent need to desperately re-order cheap and fast replacements.
I’ve been laughing out loud listening to Amy Poehler’s new podcast A Good Hang, and making this delicious NYT corn pasta recipe on repeat. https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018212-creamy-corn-pasta-with-basil
I have a request! What’s everyone’s favourite skin care or makeup products that really just brings skin back to life, and makes you look put together, that’s simple to use and doesn’t require meticulous application? Sometimes my skin looks bleh and I want it to sing. Or: what should I splurge on for an upcoming birthday, ha
I heard about Marie Veronique skincare here, and it transformed my skin. The most instant glow up product is, imo, the Vitamin C serum. put on with fingertips in the morning after rinsing face, before moisturizer and sunscreen. Done!
I really like L’Oreal Lumi Glotion: https://www.lorealparisusa.com/makeup/face/highlighters/true-match-lumi-glotion-natural-glow-enhancer I’m such a low-key makeup girl, and this is what I swipe on when I want to feel a little *extra.* Goes on just like lotion or sunscreen (but doesn’t feel heavy!) and makes skin glow. I love using it on my face and then applying a little on my collarbone!
When I went for a facial last winter and asked how to brighten my dull/dry skin , they recommended vitamin C serum. I add a simple layer to my face before adding moisturizer/sunscreen in the morning and my face instantly looks bright and luminous! You can find it in any brand you like (I’m currently using Acure).
A vitamin C serum in the AM: Timeless or Eight Saints or Face Theory are all really good brands and reasonable. The glowy sunscreen by Iris and Romeo is really nice. Also Miracle Balm by Jones Road brings a face to life, I like Tawny. Lastly, bronzing drops mixed in your moisturizer or just bronzer helps alot!
Even with all my fancy serums and creams, my go-to fave is a bronzing drop in my Biossance gel moisturizer. It’s light, luminous, and isn’t too much anything.
Thank you all! Great ideas.
Your new frames are so chic!
My prescription sunglasses are Warby Parker and they are 4 years old – while I need new lenses, I am surprised about the quality of the frames, as I am a bit rough with them. A tiny screwdriver goes a long way to fix the temples.
Did you or someone else read Tilt (pictured in the last photo)? I’d love to know what you thought! I had mixed feelings after seeing it hyped so much.
I live in Portland and LOVE apocalyptic books and couldn’t finish the audiobook. My FIL read the book and was super frustrated with the ending. Sorry for the bad news, but I’d recommend skipping this one!
I also had mixed feelings. Pushed through to finish it, but wasn’t wowed.
Loved the first half, felt it kinda petered out in the second. but still a good, fast/engrossing read. Thanks to the commenter a few months back who recommended this as well as Migrations, which I absolutely loved!
I always wear Warby Parker b/c the price is relatively good and I lose my glasses a lot. I’ve been wearing their Nancy sunglasses which I noticed while trying to link to them (very un-techy), that they’re on sale a lot of places like Poshmark. Mine are prescription so I buy right from the source – very good customer service
I see a copy of The Bee Sting -how did you/Freddie like it? It was the most phenomenal thing I read last year!
Thanks for all your posts this week Cup of Jo fam. I read this one standing in my kitchen having my coffee and it was the highlight of my week.
I was always funny about salads and then I dated a man who taught me to cut everything up really really really small before you dig in and it completely changes all salads for me. Thank you for spreading the good word
Joanna, what are you doing with your hair lately? Because it has been looking amazing.
I’d make a paperweight that said “FFS”…. It’s one of my most frequently used expressions! And I’d find it hilarious every time I slapped it down on another bill….
Has anyone tried Cubitts for glasses? After trying a few at Warby Parker and finding them pretty meh I’m looking for something different. It’s hard to gauge the quality online though!
Yes! I’m in Scotland and was able to visit their Edinburgh shop to order frames in the autumn. I’m really pleased with them; I think they’re higher quality than Warby Parker. I liked the wide range of choices of frames, widths, and colour ways, and found the customer service staff to be really lovely. I was also impressed by how quickly the finished frames arrived (I ordered in store on a Tuesday and they arrived to my house by Friday). Highly recommended.
Love Cubitts! Worth every penny, and I get so many compliments on my frames.
Yes! I’m in Scotland and was able to visit Cubitts’ Edinburgh store to try on and order frames. I was impressed by the range of styles, as well as choices of widths and colourways. The frames and lenses feel higher quality than Warby Parker (I’ve had a pair of WP for 10 years, so maybe the quality has changed?). I also found Cubitts had lovely customer service. I felt they were knowledgeable, wanted me to be happy with my frames, and weren’t rushed. I didn’t get the sense they were just looking to make a sale (which is what I’ve encountered at many other optical stores). Incredibly, the frames I ordered in-store arrived at home 3 days later. I’m really pleased! Anyways, I’m really pleased with my Cubitts and would recommend them!
I have a pair that I love from them! So far so good!
If you like Axe Murderer, check out “the attack of the killer tomatoes” For YEARS, I lusted after Silhouette glasses; no frame just ear and nose piece. Looks like I’m not even wearing glasses. Spent a small fortune but it was/is worth it. HOWEVER, I’ve had them so long that they no longer make the model I wear, and parts are non-existant. Nose piece broke last week and I lucked out the my optometrist had one in stock, not exactly the same color, but close enough to fake it. Praying nothing else breaks, because I am certain I would buy them again. LOL
Exactly! I got my first Silhouettes 24 years ago and I can’t have anything else now. Funny thing is that they look so delicate, but they are my sturdiest glasses ever because they are so soft and flexible. The pair I had when my children were babies survived so many headbutts :-)
That salad looks easy and delicious! I think I found this farro salad on CoJ…I’ve made it twice and it’s my new favorite food. It works as a meal or a side dish. It’s easy amp s so good! https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015843-charlie-birds-farro-salad
I used to make this and then forgot about it. Thanks for the reminder! Adding it back into the rotation.
Try this salad with some roasted, seedless grapes (little olive oil, salt and pepper). No seriously… So, so good!
Hi everybody, a really nice thing happened and I wanted us all to (re-) enjoy it :) https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMyHRWDsHBa/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
This is so fun. I hadn’t heard. But I LOVE and admire Pamela, so much, and I wish every happiness for her.
Thank you, Charlotte. This blessed me. Also I can’t recommend her memoir highly enough. She’s a spectacular writer.
My college buddy is coming to town tomorrow, and we picked out a Swimply to enjoy with a small group. It’s like Airbnb, but for pools! I’m excited to try it!!
ohhhh excited for you! I am a Swimply evangelist ever since learning about it a few summers ago — it’s the best! I rented two pools this summer and had a blast
Love your frames! Also Jo, where did you get the shirt you’re wearing in the top right corner? It’s such a gorgeous shade of blue!
Hi! She got it from Alex Mill :) https://go.shopmy.us/p-21608097
Thank you! I’ve always wondered how those button downs look IRL :)
why can’t i find the book image on the boddington website? it is quite addictive to curate paper weights for people you love. would be great holiday gifts if not so pricey. but still a lot of FUN.
I wondered that too. There is a drop box with more categories and more images, including the books.
I found it under School + Work :)
The book image is in the School+Work menu.
We recently watched So I Married an Axe Murderer for the first time with my 12 year old. The joy in my heart when he scream-laughed at all the right parts! He’s also been reciting lines from that movie at just the right moments. I have to resist commenting on this like, ‘Good job with that movie reference, honey!” I’ve raised a human with my favorite kind of sense of humor and I feel more proud of this than if he were to bring home A’s on his report card.
I couldn’t agree with you more! Of all of my kiddo’s milestones that I’ve witnessed, the blossoming of her dry, and sharp, sense of humor has been my favorite.
Just chiming in to say I’m proud of my adult daughters for so many reasons (their work ethics and kindness etc), but thank goodness they are wicked SMART ASSES.
Yes on the movie quoting! My 8yo has been enjoying Home Alone 2 and on a recent trip whenever something went wrong he’s say, “What kind of idiots do you have working here?” and then he and his big bro would answer in unison – “the finest in New York!!”
I bought Joan Didion’s new book Notes to John just yesterday. Started reading it yesterday afternoon and finished it in one sitting. Breathtaking. I love all her writing but this book blew me away. I put in 53 (!) post-its to mark memorable, insightful sentences. Run, don’t walk to your bookstore, buy a copy and read! It felt like therapy, in a good way. This book truly is a gift. Highly recommend!
I love Didion, but, man, her journal entries (!) about her visits with her psychiatrist (!!) published after death. It seems like such an invasion of privacy.
I just bought this today! I am a huge fan – I’ve read everything and Democracy is my favorite book. As someone who was adopted I am particularly curious about this one.
Jen May I agree so deeply and feel it’s so invasive.
Re: Bonnie and Jen May, I know people have feelings about this, but all of Joan Didion’s (and John Gregory Dunne’s) personal archives were donated to the NYPL and anyone with a library card can access them – including their personal day books, letters and her notes that make up this book. As someone as sharply intelligent and astute as she was, I think she would have destroyed anything that she did not want people to see.
I totally agree that a key to making many dishes taste better is smaller chopping! Admittedly, I have a small mouth, so this is a bigger deal to me than others. But smaller pieces = a bite that can consist of every component!
If anyone is looking for affordable prescription glasses in Canada, try Eye Buy Direct! I’ve ordered three pairs already and the quality is great – and they are very inexpensive!! Sharing referral link in case anyone wants $10 off :) https://www.eyebuydirect.ca/referral/12530497
Yessss I’m in the states but have been using EBD for years, have influenced several friends to get their glasses from there, and we all love it. I co-sign this recommendation!
I was trying to read the books and game title on the table. Looked up Tilt and it sounds very interesting. I couldn’t figure out what the next book is. I’m reading Elly Griffiths Ruth Galloway series and really enjoying the books. Fresh summer produce is a huge highlight of our lives right now: tomatoes (any way we can think of serving them), corn on the cob, shishito peppers grilled in a grill pan with salt and olive oil. The salad sounds great. I love a chopped salad. Your glasses look really good on you. I especially like the silver ones.
Love the Ruth Galloway series! The series with Harbinder is good, too!
I think of my glasses as jewelry (I don’t wear other jewelry) and this helps me justify my Anne & Valentin frames to my generally frugal self. I love love love them (and my local frames shop). https://anneetvalentin.com/en/optical
Amen! I absolutely love my bright red Anne & Valentin frames and get compliments every time I leave the house in them. I recently bought new frames by LaFont and they’re not boring, but they haven’t got a compliment yet. I’m hard-to-fit in both clothes and shoes, so wild frames are important to me.
I also love Anne Valentin frames…I only have one pair at a time and can wear them for several years until I need a new prescription. Get so many compliments on them which makes me feel good.
I’m a Lower East Sider through and through, and I wear Moscot Zaydes: https://moscot.com/products/zayde?pb=0&variant=8187797209192 My lifelong ambition is to have the *exact* specs Marcello Mastroianni wore in 8½, but the ENTIRE GLASSES-NERD INTERNET has been unable to ID them for 60 years now. https://bamfstyle.com/2024/09/28/otto-e-mezzo-mastroianni/ Another fun thing: I just read Maria Reva’s ENDLING, which is a novel set in Ukraine about a scientist in a mobile lab trying to save snail species from going extinct while pretending to be a mail-order bride who teams up with the daughters of a Pussy-Riot-style activist who has disappeared; they all kidnap 13 foreign bachelors who came to the country to find love by tricking them into thinking the mobile lab is an escape room, they set off out of Kyiv, and then…Russia invades Ukraine. It’s SPECTACULAR and I highly recommend it. Do not read more about it before you go in! https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/609448/endling-by-maria-reva/
I’ve heard good things about Endling. It’s on the Booker longlist.
I think Samantha it by also recommended that book, it sounds wild!
I was going to mention Moscot.
Slap a TW on the Mastroianni photo please Lauren … what a stone cold fox
I took my son for glasses this week! He wanted them so much as a 5 year old when his older sister got them. Now that he needs them at 15, not so much. He picked out clear frames for wearing at home :)
I don’t feel like myself without glasses! I recently went in for my annual eye exam and then tried on probably 20 frames, all to end up ordering the same model as last time, just a different color (Etnia Barcelona Anvers, if you’re looking for a pair that looks good on a small face!) My dad still has this 80s movie makeover idea about glasses (“I got contacts, and then I met your mom!”) but I absolutely find boys (and myself!) even cuter in specs!
Oh, me too with the small face! I also have Etnia Barcelona. Mine are the Polly which is an octagon shape. I get compliments often!
I have so much trouble finding glasses for my small face. Thank you for this!
after a lifetime of wearing glasses i had Lasik surgery a few years ago. many advantages, but my face still feels so empty
I’ve been loving the podcast Were You Raised By Wolves? It’s an etiquette podcast but it’s very funny and light, and I love that the “problems” described are suuuuuuper low stakes. It’s gossipy but not in a way that makes me feel icky. It’s like the podcast version of a beach read, I love it!
According to my therapist, live stand-up qualifies as self-care, so I’m going to see my first show this weekend (Taylor Tomlinson, squeee!)
Oh I so loved her on AFTER MIDNIGHT, Maddie! Very related, I’m going to see MY first show this fall (Chris Fleming).
I saw her last summer and it was the best. Enjoy!!
I have loved Warby Parker and See for glasses but Zenni (zennioptical.com) is my go-to for glasses these days. Amazing prices (my latest pair of progressives were under $100!!!), cute frames at every price point, excellent quality lenses (my ophthalmologist approved of them when I showed them to her at my last visit) and wonderful customer service. All this and clip on sunglasses available for every frame. I highly recommend.
Great rec! I need clip on sunglasses so I will check them out!
And if Warby Parker still makes/sells your old frames, it is really affordable to get new lenses put in! I did that last year and was very happy!
My coworker says I should get a commmission from Zeno bc I recommend them to everyone. I get SO MANY compliments on my $20 Zeno frames!!
Ugh, ZENNI, not Zeno!
I went to Maine this Summer (my first time) and fell in love with it. I love those Mr. Boddington’s paperweights. Jo, have you seen ‘Sorry, Baby’? I think you (and all of us) would like it. I loved it.
oh my goodness ‘Sorry, Baby” moved me in all the ways… and the New Yorker interview is a must reading AFTER viewing
Sorry Baby, SO GOOD! And Jessica thank you for pointing me towards the New Yorker article!
I buy glasses off Zenni Optical because I can get decently inexpensive pairs which is good for 1) style & options and 2) my adhd self who loses stuff I just got metal rainbow cat eye ones and they bring me so much joy! I’m in my big chunky glasses era these days
That glasses shape, both the thin and the thicker versions, suit you SO WELL.
A bunch of us mom friends and our daughters saw Cyndi Lauper’s farewell tour concert! She was absolutely adorable and sparkly. Other amazing mom friends took me out for my birthday at a neighborhood wine bar to experience a very intimate and hilarious drag show. Going to check out our local pizza and icecream shops tonight in the summer rain!
I got to see her for the 30th anniversary of the release of She’s So Unusual and she was wonderful! Glad you got this opportunity!
You look so beautiful and chic in those glasses! I love a chopped salad. Is that all that’s in that one? What dressing did you use? Thinking a balsamic would pair well with those ingredients. On a side note, has anyone else watched Stick? It’s such a lovely, heartwarming show. I keep recommending it to everyone I know. Luckily it was just renewed for a second season.
I loved Stick! Funny, sweet, all the good things. I thought it was a pretty perfect ending, but I am excited to see what they do with another season.
I make my own dressing! I add a squirt of dijon, (about) a tbsp of maple syrup, a squeeze of lemon juice, whatever vinegar I have on hand, and a LOT of olive oil, then salt and pepper to taste. It always tastes a little different because I never measure out the ingredients, but always good!
What kind of greens do you use, Alison?
Re: lettuce. This was a butter lettuce variety if I remember correctly?? It’s Freddie’s fave and was light and crunchy! I’m normally an arugula girlie tho.
Thanks for the salad tips, Alison! We’ve loved getting to know you and your family through this blog.