We made it to October, hope this piping hot email finds you turtlenecked with a mug full of freshly sharpened pencils. Although none of the below recommendations are explicitly autumnal, I have selected a pumpkin spice color scheme in hopes of setting a mood. Let’s put on our halloween costumes and get into it!
recommended
The Pink Book
I’ve got the biggest brain-crush on my former studio-mate Kaye Blegvad and watched her work on the beginnings of the truly impressive collection of drawings and essays that became The Pink Book. Lucky ducks, the whole thing is available TODAY, and it’s ideal for the curious and color-loving among us. Spanning weighty topics (who decided light pink is the “flesh” tone?) and light ones (flavor profiles of both bubblegum and Pepto Bismal), The Pink Book reads like an especially educational conversation with Kaye herself and the quantity/quality of paintings will knock your socks right off. Each essay and case study is a jumping off point for further research, I myself am considering a pilgrimage to our world’s pinkest lakes.
Related: if you’re in the NYC area, a show of Kaye’s drawings will be up at Cooler Gallery through November 1, with an opening party October 1 (tonight!). Here are some details, wear pink.
recommended
Organizing your suitcase
October is fixing to be my very busiest travel month! I’m skipping town for a road trip around New England with my little sister (call us foliage chasers) and then a casual jaunt to southern France with a few friends**. One month in a carry-on will require diligent planning and a few loads of laundry, but I find all trips get a lot easier with packing cubes. I ordered a set on Amazon a few years ago before a similar trek to sort and smoosh all my stuff, and now I use them even for shorter trips. The handy handles transfer to a dresser upon arrival, and varied sizes make locating your pajamas a breeze. I’ve given packing cubes as presents (we live for a practical gift) and believe in them enough to upgrade to these, neatly sized to configure an Away suitcase (another endorsement entirely). Soft, top-loading tetris pieces that simplify your travel life? The best.
**I would like to take this moment to solicit YOUR recommendations for can’t-misses in New England and also Paris or Provence (baby’s first visit!). Please reply directly to this email to tell me about your lobster boats and croissants. Pinching myself, truly, and also meeting a new side of myself in the spreadsheets.
recommended
The Farewell
Plenty of folks recommended “The Farewell” before I made it to the theater, and pre-release press reminded me I’d listened to Lulu Wang's story when she produced it for This American Life in 2016. You can listen to that episode here, which will technically spoil the movie’s ending but not lessen the experience. Perhaps the trailer will hook you? The plot itself is sticky: a family keeps their matriarch in the dark about her cancer diagnosis, instead throwing a fake wedding banquet to allow far-flung members a chance to say goodbye. I found so many smaller moments absorbing: intimate but ordinary interactions between adult children and their parents, balancing duty with humor, and the nuanced dynamics of extended family. The beauty of those details point out gaps in the stories that typically make it to big screens—I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen a portrayal of elders this complex and considerate, and it’s only the second major film in recent years to feature an Asian cast. Anyone who’s ever lived far from beloved family members might find their eyes misty, and those who’ve said goodbye to a grandparent should expect full tears. “The Farewell” is all the way out of theaters at this point, but definitely worth the trip to your local Blockbuster Video.
recommended
Scandal Insurance?
As the #MeToo movement continues to unfold with actual consequences for individuals and their employers, I can’t stop thinking/talking about this recent story from New York Magazine about a company offering “disgrace” insurance in Hollywood. A Boston start-up called SpottedRisk catalogs data about celebrities’ behavior and then leverages an offer to protect productions from potentially scandalous hires. Crossed fingers they won’t need it, but what company wants to pay millions of dollars to recast & reshoot when Kevin Spacey's felony comes knocking?
We live with access to more information than ever, and while film studios formerly protected the image of actors with strict contracts and PR machines, our current definition of “celebrity” includes intimate access and ripe messes. What happens when someone screws up? Who should be held accountable, and where does responsibility actually land? Are our responses proportional to the transgression? The dystopian underwriting of moral failure raises points from many recent conversations about power, celebrity culture, data, society in general, and there’s plenty more to think about. Chewing on this one still.
recommended
homemade bread
End on something light and literally nourishing! Making bread at home can be a time-intensive gamble with yeast, one I’m usually happy to leave to the experts. But I was reminded recently how good this bread recipe is, and also why I shouldn't make it very often—it is very easy and very delicious and you might as well eat the whole thing warm from the oven. I appreciate the extent to which the Alexandra Stafford has gone to make her mother’s recipe extra accessible and soothe all your bread-making fears (the comments are seriously thorough). All her effort means the tricks included could boost your confidence in future kitchen endeavors. Yeast becomes a smaller crapshoot when a method for perfect lukewarm water is revealed: add a half cup boiling water to 1.5 cold cups! Pretend you’re in the great British baking tent by quickly turning your oven into a proofing drawer! Small encouragement goes a long way, and white bread is extra hard to beat warm from the oven. I typically halve the recipe and use a loaf pan, but you can do it anyway you wanna!
lastly, some tasteful self promotion:
Paint on things
After my friend invited me to paint a chainsaw he was refurbishing for a gallery show (it chops), I’ve been looking for more ways to paint nice things on functional objects. Lately that’s been several pairs of leather shoes for willing friends, and it’s a very enjoyable undertaking. If you’re serious about a pair of your own, give me a shout. I’m figuring out a process for these and would love to make more!
Holler if you want to chat about the above topics or anything else you love right now! I’m on twitter (for jokes) and instagram (for pictures) and the world wide web (for business).
xoxo,
Meg Ryan c/o Nora Ephron