Month 05
Visions of adulthood, cake secrets, and comfortable clothing
Jordan:
I was very taken by the flashback scene in Season 2 of Severance, episode 7. The light through the French windows, the books, the flowers, and the way the outside just can’t help but pour inside. It brought me back to a very specific dream of adulthood I had in my early 20s–whimsical and bohemian and yes, idealistic.
Mary:
Fung Shui expert Cliff Tan (Dear Modern) appeared on my YouTube feed recently, and I can’t get enough of his short, funny, advice-driven videos. The formula of the videos are typically the same: a clip of someone asking for advice while showing an awkwardly shaped room or an odd furniture arrangement, followed by Cliff giving a recommendation for furniture placement based on Feng Shui principles. It’s extremely satisfying to watch. Exhibit 1, 2.
Jordan:
This Mother’s Day, I requested a morning in. My husband makes the best version of this vegan coffee cake, which I happily ate from the comfort of my sofa. (Nora Cooks never misses.)
Mary:
My food-related share this month is this list of cake baking tips. I’m always curious about why a cake turns out too dense or too dry, so I’m all ears when it comes to simple baking advice, especially with science to back it.
Mary:
Ling Ma’s “Severance” is a novel about a post-apocalyptic future due to a global pandemic, about coming of age in a capitalist society, and about cycling through patterns of unexamined behavior. I tore through it and wished I had a book club to discuss. (Side note, it was published in 2018, but many of the details about life during a pandemic were eerily spot on.)
Jordan:
I’m in my mom-to-a-pre-teen era and have read, based on a recommendation, “Untangled: Guiding Girls Through the Seven Transitions to Adulthood.” How powerful to have language to describe very typical feelings that can seem, when immersed, erratic.
Mary:
All I want to wear is comfortable clothes made of quality materials. This SNL sketch is perfect.
Jordan:
Big news! I found a grown-up loafer that’s not too grown-up! Bueno’s Abigail is understated and cute without making me look like a teen. I found them on a solo shopping trip to Hood River, Oregon, where I stumbled into the Rudy Duck. Someone working there was wearing these shoes paired with a little gray cardigan, wide jeans, and gold jewelry. There was a pair on sale in my size. I wear them now with socks or without, dressed up or down. I’m in love.
Jordan:
Bon Iver’s new album, SABLE fABLE, is my version of easy listening! Deep dive here. Really deep dive here.
Mary:
Kottke.org consistently shares the best of the web, and this incredibly moving Radiohead cover by university studen Erin Morton is no exception.