March Endorsements
Out of the ice and into the Nice!
It’s been a while since we talked about something other than figure skating around here. Time for an Endorsements post!
Here are some things from March (or close to March) that I heartily recommend.
On a recent girls’ trip to Palm Springs, my friends were like, “I want to go to Joshua Tree! I want to go this nice spa!” And I was like, “I want to go this very specific stationary store, and I want you to be cool with it when I need to stay there a while.” And, reader, it was WORTH IT. I easily spent at least half an hour in this store, which is roughly the size of a NY studio apartment. There’s a great selection of small press cards, notebooks that will definitely change everything for you, journal supplies imported from Japan and Korea, washi tapes you’ve never seen before, cheeky stickers for all occasions, and art supplies that make your brain flash like a Lite-Brite. I’m obsessed. If visiting Palm Springs isn’t exactly on your way to the grocery store, they have a robust online presence as well. Wouldn’t it be great to support a small business right about now? (Sidenote: Are there other journal supplies/stationary lovers here? Would you be interested in occasional content related to this?)
A friend who makes excellent playlists
On the subject of Palm Springs, one of my friends made a truly great playlist that captured the vibes of the trip. Kind of Roséwave-meets-early-spring, a combo of pop earworms and then moodier bluegrass tinged songs. I don’t know how she does it— how she learns about all these artists and then figures out how to pull together all their songs into a playlist that hits the mark (Note: The above screenshot doesn’t show some of the deeper cuts; just trust me). I won’t link the playlist here because she doesn’t like attention, but I encourage you to figure out which of your friends is good at music and stalk their shared playlists on whatever music service you use.
I know, I know— another sensory toy. A glorified stress ball. But I’m obsessed. On a whim, I picked this up while at my local toy store during holiday shopping. Now it sits on my work desk, and I can’t keep my hands off it during meetings. It’s firmer than a regular stress ball, and you can manipulate it into different shapes and watch it slowly ooze back into cube form. It’s so satisfying, and it keeps me from picking up my phone when I’m supposed to be paying attention. It also keeps me from saying things I should save for the side chat.
The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street by Helene Hanff
First of all, if you haven’t discovered the impossibly charming Helen Hanff through her delightful letters with a London bookseller in 84 Charing Cross Road, start there. The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street follows her on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to London after the success of 84 Charing Cross Road. Her publisher sets her up at a hotel so that she can participate in a publicity blitz (imagine!), and from there she meets up with her many friends and admirers for dinners, lunches, tourist jaunts, and more. Hanff is one of those women writers of a certain era— effortlessly witty and bright, and some how able to support herself in NY in the most glam era of publishing. It’s very short; I gulped it down in under two hours over the course of two nights. This is a literary bon bon: short, sweet, delicious, and the little treat you need right now.
The Soren Long-Sleeve Shirt Dress by Maeve
Nobody comes here for fashion advice. Nor should you. Since I work from home, I mostly wear joggers and bookish t-shirts. Occasionally I spice it up with loose linen pants that are basically pajamas. But I do leave my home SOMETIMES. I’m no longer interested in binding party clothes (to reference the poet, Cher Horowitz), so a loose fitting dress is a spring/summer staple. I know everyone is obsessed with the Somerset at Anthro, but I like a preppy collar. The Soren is my new favorite. You can wear it loose like a business caftan, or you can belt it for a more polished look. Works great with a denim jacket, and I think you could fancy it up with a blazer if you’re that type of person. I got the green and white striped one, and it makes me feel like a modern Patty O’Green.
Trader Joe’s Blood Orange Mochi
What’s an endorsement round-up without a Trader Joe’s product? If you don’t like the doughy texture of mochi, skip it. But if you don’t mind it, give this one a try. I like the bright, citrus flavor, and the portion size feels about right for a post-dinner treat. And it’s so pretty with that creamsicle-colored shell and the bubblegum-pink center. Note: there’s no creamsicle or bubblegum flavor, just appearance.
Three Figure-Skating Things:
The post-Worlds banquet evidently included a dance party, and I’ve been playing photo assumption with the pictures coming out. See what you make of this one, this one, this one, this one, this one. And no fun interactions here, but Donovan is actually a diva.
World Team Trophy entries are out! A couple of Georgian skaters are coming out of retirement to be on Team Georgia because they don’t have enough current singles skaters to fill out a team. One of them, Morisi, is known for painting himself blue to do an Aladdin show program, so you know figure skating twitter is all over this.
The Rhythm Dance theme for the Olympic season is 90s music. The Internet has strong negative feelings about this, but as an elder millennial who graduated high school at the end of the 90s, this feels tailored exactly to my interests. I’m thrilled. Olivia Smart is doing a No Doubt mash-up, right? And someone from a small European country will definitely do Alanis, I think. And what about early 90s Whitney! Janet! Madonna! U2! Probably an REM “End of the World” skate? Piper and Paul will pick something really obscure and arthouse. Or maybe they’ll actually do No Doubt because I can see Piper getting into the makeup for that. Could someone even go rogue with 90s country? I would pay money to see “Callin’ Baton Rouge” on ice. Leave your program wishes in the comments.
And a bonus thing because it made me laugh. Please enjoy this quote from Nina Pinzaronne, in which she masterfully engages in polightning. Not only does she shade Loena for not thanking her for earning a potential second spot, she also implies the one confirmed Olympic spot is definitely hers. I love the Belgian girls so much.
What’s next: World Team Trophy is up next. Next week we’ll talk about what it is, why it doesn’t matter and then why it actually does matter.
RDs are going to be 40% Vogue/Take A Bow/Justify My Love; 30% Believe/Strong Enough/If I Could Turn Back Time; and 30% Black or White/Remember The Time/Earth Song. Piper and Paul can continue their Annie Lennox love with a Why/Walking On Broken Glass program or do something really goofy to a band like the Offspring, Weezer, or Cake. Evgeniia and Geoffrey can do French rapper IAM, an artist whose name coincidentally reminds the judging panel who they're dealing with. I see Chock and Bates doing Jewel. And if someone doesn't reenact Stranz and Fairchild's Good Vibrations program from Blades of Glory, then this whole 90s theme opportunity will be a waste of time.
Ha! Thank you for the Helene Hanff recommendation. I did not know she'd written anything apart from Charing Cross. Also thank you for the dance party links. OMG I love Donovan! And Nina's message made me chuckle. How to throw shade without looking like you're throwing shade.