We’ve all got our little things, haven’t we? For Betsy, it’s the whales of instagram (and their ability to potentially crush her during spawning season); for Meredith, it’s berets, full stop; and for me, it’s the United States Men's National Team (the one
Summer breeds anarchy, especially in hotter climates. Especially here. I’m not just talking about huddling in the shade; I’m talking about sun-brellas, loose-fitting garments that create their own breezeways, bath-towels as sweat-guards, and ice-packs in people’s pockets. When I go to pick up my children, all I
I recently started a new job in Venice. Venice, California, I mean. (Though the commute from Atwater Village to Venice, Italy might be shorter.) After working from home for five years, the full-time job and constant driving has been a shock. Likewise, as a longtime East Sider, having a regular
Summer break is almost here, and I remember that feeling on an almost cellular level: that sense that you’re floating upon a current of unstructured time, where your grasp of what month it is loosens, and days are judged by the number of swims and sweets that you can
Recommendations, plugs endorsements — call ‘em what you want, the tips that travel person-to-person carry a certain je ne sais quoi. Or, actually, I DO sais quoi, and it’s (pardon my French) cache. Secret mall apartments know what I’m talking about, but so do speakeasies, midnight movies, b-side tracks,
I’ve been thinking a lot about magic lately. Maybe it’s a survival mechanism because the times feel so dismal; maybe it’s because everyone I know is listening to The Telepathy Tapes and is equally buoyed and mystified by the idea of unknowable things; or maybe it’s
We take turns writing the monthly introductions for Loose Land. Sometimes that means we can focus on a month/phenomenon that really speaks to us on a personal level; other times, it’s just March. Because March is the month of… what, exactly? Walks, maybe? Penguins, the Ides? (How can
We had planned a romantic theme for our February newsletter, and then the city started burning. It feels like we are between two worlds: things have fundamentally shifted with these fires, but the path forward remains unclear. Some of us are facing incalculable losses, and even those of us with
It’s an annual tradition: new year, older me! But honestly, I love looking back at my year, not in a sentimental haze but as an archeologist sifting through the debris, looking for clues about who I am, or who I might be becoming. I am a mystery to myself
I genuinely appreciate year-end lists as an opportunity to find new things to enjoy. I get gift ideas from NPR’s Book Concierge (now called “Books We Love”); I keep the spirit of the 90s alive via “best music video” compilations (formerly via Pitchfork); and I rediscover my belief in
For the past 17 years I’ve hosted an annual Christmas Movie Marathon party (full list of films here for those interested). It began as an intimate gathering of turtle doves in a narrow Crown Heights apartment, then graduated to something like an actual holiday party, before mutating briefly into
My sister and I both say that we moved around as adults because we moved around as kids (the product of my parents chasing the best life for their family from Brooklyn to upstate New York, to eventually, Detroit). I’m not kidding: there was a time in my adult