Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness…
— John Keats, “Ode to Autumn”
Reading: I just finished The Bling Ring, borrowed from a friend. I still need to see Sofia Coppola’s film adaptation of this true-crime story.
Video: The mini-series The Paradise on PBS.
Art: “Edgar Allan Poe: Terror of the Soul,” at The Morgan Library.
Better late than never! What have I been doing and thinking lately?
Reading: Alice McDermott’s Someone, her newest novel (and her best).
Art: “Hopper Drawing,” an exhibition of Edward Hopper’s drawings (most of which I’d never seen before!) at the Whitney.
Video: The final episodes of “Breaking Bad.”
Eats & Treats: Apples (and cider doughnuts!) that we picked on a recent outing to an orchard in Westchester.
August already?! Yes. Late August. Here are some of my recent and current fascinations…
Reading: Hilary Mantel’s Bring Up the Bodies.
Art: The exhibition “Swing Time: Reginald Marsh and Thirties New York,” at the New-York Historical Society.
Eats and Treats: A summer salad of tomatoes and peaches from the farmers market, with basil from our yard.
Drinks: Cocktails at Little Branch with my old friend Joe when he was in NYC last week. My favorite was a Water Lily (gin, crème de violette, lemon, and Cointreau). Perfection.
Beauty Products: Lipsticks in brighter rose shades, from higher-end (Lancôme’s Roses in Love) to drugstore (Maybelline’s Rose of Attraction).
Garb: Classic espadrilles in black.
Video: Breaking Bad. We can talk of nothing else these days.
Milestone: My first pair of eyeglasses, for reading. I’m getting old!
Image: August (Août) by Eugène Grasset (1896), via Wikipaintings.
What can I say? It’s been a hot month. How have you been coping, if you’re dealing with this heat wave, too? This is what I’ve been doing…
Reading: I’m nearly finished with Edward St. Aubyn’s Patrick Melrose novels, the first four titles published in one volume. I’ve had to take short breaks between the individual novels; as much as I’ve enjoyed them, their darker plot elements make them a bit draining for me.
Eats and Treats: Fruit from our local farmer’s market, especially peaches.
Reading: I’ve just re-read The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford. I enjoyed it even more the second time around. Also, a perfume reference: the novel’s heroine wears Guerlain’s Après L’Ondée!
Audio: Ever since I heard that The Replacements are reuniting for a few tour dates, I’ve been spending time with Tim and Pleased to Meet Me (and all the memories connected to these albums). Too bad the ‘Mats don’t seem to be planning a visit to the East Coast.
Beauty Products: I’m still enthusiastic about Bite Beauty, after my recent visit to the pop-up boutique. And I’m rediscovering Aveda’s haircare, which is better than I remembered. I need more samples!
Garb: My black-on-black L. L. Bean “Bean Boots,” day after day. It’s been a very damp spring and summer here.
Art: A lovely installation of Mary Cassatt prints at the New York Public Library. I really enjoy the NYPL’s exhibitions.
Eats and Treats: A dessert called chuk-chuk, from a local bakery. It’s like a Russian version of the Italian treat struffoli. It’s addictive.
Happiness: Having plenty of interesting work to do.
Anxiety: Not having enough time to do it all.
What have you been up to lately? Feel free to share!
Image: Juin (June) by Eugène Grasset (1896), via WikiPaintings.
TINSEL CREATION 