Hi there. It’s a weird time to start this newsletter back up again postpartum, with the world being the way it is. During midnight nursing sessions, I find myself spiraling down the social media wormhole of strong beliefs and hateful comments. But every once in a while, when it all becomes too much, I turn to the lighter things that have always kept me engaged and inspired online, some of them illuminating, some of them just pretty to look at. It’s what this email has always been about anyway, so today, more of that.
But before we commence, I should mention that our son, Isidor (Izzy to some, Isi to others) is two-and-a-half months old now! He’s cuddly cute, a piece of me outside of me, if that makes any sense or resonates with anyone. I could stare at him forever, even in (maybe especially in) the twilight hours of the morning. I recently read a quote by Leslie Jamison, in which she reflects on these pockets of time with her daughter. As I’m in the thick of the newborn days (and with a toddler too), it felt apt:
“When I am with her, I am not converting time into something else—a piece of writing, a book I’ve read, an email I’ve returned—I’m simply moving through it with her, like water, noticing things, learning the names of the trees on my block, nursing in front of landscape paintings at the museum, climbing and descending the same set of stairs, over and over again, like a walking meditation practice. My daughter opened up the midnight hours for me, too, like unzipping a seam in the world. Suddenly, there was three in the morning, and we were inside it together.”
Here we go:
Well Read
Chilean author Isabel Allende always starts a new writing project on January 8. A most admirable New Year’s resolution, I think. Allende published her first book at the age of 40. Now 81, she’s 26 books deep. Over the course of the last few weeks, I came across interviews with Allende in a variety of publications, each offering a new nugget of wisdom from a woman who’s lived a remarkable life.
-1- The Cut published a piece on how she gets it done, a series I love (and have contributed to) because of how it breaks down the way fascinating, ambitious people make their work happen in the most mundane of ways. Allende puts on makeup, even if she’s going nowhere and even before a workout. Her first office was her closet. And she owes her career to a cadre of women, including nannies and her translator. I particularly love her response to the best advice she’s been given:
“I was in a very particular state of mind, living in exile in Venezuela. I was very lonely, very frustrated. I had lost my country, my grandfather, my in-laws that I adored, my little house in Chile, my work, my friends, everything that was familiar to me. Writing the House of the Spirits was trying to get back all that. It was an exercise in nostalgia and in memory. I’m glad now that there was no one around to tell me how to do it, because maybe it would’ve screwed up the whole process. My then-agent called me a month after I sent her the manuscript and said, ‘I’m going to have your book published. It’s a good book, but everybody can write a good first book because they pour everything they are, everything they have, in that text. The writer is proven in the second book and the other books that come after, so don’t quit your day job.’”
-2- Julia Louis-Dreyfus interviewed the author for her podcast, Wiser Than Me. Please don’t consider this rec in second place; it is very much a conversation worth listening to. I wish I could pull out a good quote or two, but it’s the stories and the flow of conversation that get me here. I have rewinded and re-listened to parts of it more than once.
-3- At the risk of sharing too much Allende content at once, the Financial Times also featured her in my favorite column of theirs, the Aesthete. If you love her as much as I do by now, dive into this one, filled with the author’s favorite things. On the best gift she’s received:
“A blue and beige Christian Dior tote bag that my husband bought for me in New York. On one side it says the brand name so everyone knows it’s expensive, and on the other side it says my name, so everyone knows it’s mine.”
Okay, Isabel Allende fan club meeting is adjourned. We now move on to…
Well Watched
-1-
Beckham on Netflix, of course! This is a few weeks late now, but still a top recommendation. The four-part documentary is an engaging look at the rise of soccer (or football, depending on where you’re from) superstar David Beckham and the power couple that he and Victoria Beckham, of Spice Girl fame, became. Beckham executive produced the doc, which means there’s nothing particularly scathing or revelatory here, but I was nonetheless gripped from beginning to end. (Also, Hugo from Succession a.k.a. Fisher Stevens directed!) From the horrific public reaction to David’s red card while playing for Manchester United, to the Beckhams’ questionable wedding get-ups, to Posh’s now-viral interview moment, to David grilling a single mushroom in his cottage in the British countryside… You don’t have to like the sport, or any sport, to be a fan.
-2-
I just started watching The Golden Bachelor and, as someone who hasn’t really engaged with the show since Trista married Ryan on The Bachelorette in 2003, I was quickly roped back in! Brief synopsis: Our 72-year-old bachelor Gerry Turner is on a quest for a second chance at love after his wife of 43 years died. The 22 contestants vying for his hand in marriage are fun and vulnerable and in their 60s and 70s, which is refreshing to see. Even more refreshing is the fact that these women aren’t here for anything—not fame, not career, not self-promotion—but a chance at love. You can stream it on Hulu now—but hurry because the finale airs on November 30.
Well Drawn
My iPhone is on its last legs and I’ve begun toying with what it’d be worth if I were to swap it in for a newer version. The whole process is a slog and I hate ponying up for new tech, even if I use it every day. But this cartoon by Jeremy Nguyen made me laugh about it.
Well Browsed
Some people get stressed by too many browser tabs open on their computers and on their phones. What stresses me out is when my computer freezes up and I’m forced to restart, holding my breath to see if all 42 tabs will reappear, like a college paper I forgot to save. The stakes aren’t very high—we’re talking about a cake recipe, an Etsy page of hair bows, an Atlantic think piece, a pair of hand-painted jeans, and so on. But as Ali Jaffe Ramis knows well (and writes about in The New York Times), these reflect our thoughts so palpably. She writes:
“I cherish my tabs because they remind me of a simpler time and give me a sense of control and ownership. They make me feel like there are tiny pieces of the web that are mine. Would you scroll through a friend’s browser tabs without permission? Probably not — it’s as much a violation of privacy as looking through a friend’s journal.”
I am emotionally tethered to these web pages. The tabs open on my iPhone go back to our honeymoon four years ago. Welp, there’s one more reason I can’t get a new phone just yet!
Well Worn
In a recent newsletter, Amy Odell commented on the pervasiveness of “it” shoes. There are no longer “it” bags, not really. But shoes, yes. “Lately, that visceral need to own something simply because it is fabulous seems to exist mostly for shoes — no matter how uncomfortable they are.” Today, those are Alaia studded flats ($1,250) and Prada kitten heels ($1,350), among others. In an effort to resist temptation, I’ve found more affordable—and dare I say more comfortable—alternatives that really do feel like “it” right now, if not for everybody, then at least for me.
Cariuma sneakers, a simple, eco-friendly alternative to Supergas. Reformation’s Bethany flat to scratch that mesh-induced itch (or a mesh slingback? mesh boot?). Denim shoes, in sandal and boot form, courtesy of Zara. Working with on-trend colors this season, I like these butter yellow ballet flats and these in poppy red. Mary janes with the thinnest strap, and in trendy silver. Wildcards: These Cecilie Bahnsen neoprene flats, which I love for their athleticism and whimsy. These Adidas x Wales Bonner leopard-print Sambas are really “it” for me at this very moment—and, sadly, sold out. I am a size 39 for anyone who’s wondering.
Next week, a(n abridged) gift guide!
Welcome back, Nadine and congratulations on the second little. Always enjoy when I see All's Well popup in my inbox!
Welcome back !!!