Weekly Thrill is a feature in which I share my current truths:
- T is for taste testing
- H is for hearing
- R is for reading
- I is for interested in
- L is for learning
- L is for loving.
- Read other weekly thrills here.
JULY 7 – JULY 13 (2014)
Taste testing: I’ve been actively using Pinterest lately. I was definitely late to the pinning party and went crazy overboard (pun intended) when I first got my account. Eventually I dropped off, but I’m back to discovering and sharing neat things through the platform. In fact, I stumbled upon Fine Life Company after following the shop’s owner Emily Benziger. I currently have 15 boards but primarily pin interior design and fashion/style inspiration. Follow me here.
Hearing: There’s something so beautiful and reassuring about “Coming Through,” a Willis Earl Beal song featuring Cat Power. I have to echo the sentiments of the YouTuber bellagemanails who commented, “His voice stirs my spirit and saturates my soul. […] His and her voice raise the musical vibration of my universe. I love music that speaks. I hear you loud and clear!”
I’ve listened to this song countless times this week and you should too:
Reading: Tavi Gevinson of Rookie posted her editor’s letter earlier this month. It’s a good read and has a lot to do with this month’s Rookie theme of “the great unknown.” So, if you’re looking for a thoughtful piece on doubt, growing up or identity, this is for you.
A few favorites from the read:
- “I’ve been talking less and drifting more and actively testing a theory that reincarnation can happen to live bodies by trying to turn myself into a blank slate. It leaves me both terrified that I could become an actual monster, as well as thrilled that I could become the exact person I ought to be, WE CAN BE HEROES Bowie-style.”
- “And some Joan Didion: ‘I lost the conviction that lights would always turn green for me, the pleasant certainty that those rather passive virtues which had won me approval as a child automatically guaranteed me not only Phi Beta Kappa keys but happiness, honor, and the love of a good man; lost a certain touching faith in the totem power of good manners, clean hair, and a proven competence on the Stanford-Binet scale. To such doubtful amulets had my self-respect been pinned, and I faced myself that day with the non-plused apprehension of someone who has come across a vampire and has no crucifix at hand.'”
- “And as our pal Lesley Arfin recently said to me re: heartbreak, actual growing up only ever really happens during these tough periods of your life, and the happy stuff is just meant to keep you going until the hard stuff comes along and actually makes you stronger, more yourself, more complete. “
Read the full July editor’s letter here.
Interested in: Global warming has been a hot topic in recent years (no pun intended). There are two projects I came across this week that seek to show climate change in a visual, artistic way:
- Expedition: Mt. Baker — This collaboration between Project Pressure and photographer Peter Funch will involve photographic documentation of glacial movement, particularly in the area surrounding Washington’s Mt. Baker. Read more about the project and Funch in this interview on The World’s Best Ever.
- A Glacier Adrift hand-crafted soaps — William Lee designed a set of soaps for the Young Stellar Object. Created in the likeness of glaciers and icebergs of the Arctic, the soaps are meant to bring awareness to global warming’s impact on our Earth. They slowly melt away, just like the world’s glaciers and icebergs. Read more about the project on Design Milk.
Learning: The last few weeks have been trying and a test of my resilience (as I mentioned earlier this week). The Mickey Drexler quote “most obstacles are inspiration” summarizes what I’ve learned in my 20s so far. It seems like such a rudimentary concept, but it’s taken me decades to really acknowledge it.
Loving: Very pleased with my thrift store finds this weekend. I purchased a giraffe mask, “Scorpio” mug and wooden letters “N,” “A,” and “H” for less than $10 from two Goodwill stores. The letters are in a pale pink that I don’t like, so I plan to paint them soon. I might use liquid gilding in gold or bronze — what do you think?
What thrilled you this week?