Weekly R.E.P.O.R.T 7/15
After a week hiatus, weekly REPORT is back. I’ve been feeling a little physically and mentally icky so this week, I’m trying to prioritize self-care. Most of Houston has power now, following Hurricane Beryl, so I’m excited to get back into the gym to provide a little more structure to my week. I’ve had the realization that I haven’t had a really good thrift trip in so long. My usual hometown gems have been missing the mark so far this summer, so I think it’s time to venture out to surrounding neighborhoods and do a little exploring.
READING
In an achievement-centered, capitalist society, we need more play: This was just a nice read and a reminder that it’s important for your mind and wellbeing to continue to play, especially in the midst of growing chaos and uncertainty. Some quotes that resonated-
This means that capitalism, which subjects workers to severe productivity demands and induces crises of overproduction, is antithetical to a playful society.
In his work ‘On the Meaning of Life’ (1927), Schlick writes: ‘[T]he deification of work as such, the great gospel of our industrial age, has been exposed as idolatry.’ He argues that true meaning in life can be found only in those things that ‘exist for their own sake and carry their satisfaction in themselves,’ only in ‘free, purposeless action … which in fact carries its purpose within itself’.
Nyjah Huston’s guide to West Hollywood: I’ll definitely be keeping an out for this beautiful man in the Olympics. Speaking of which, I need to figure out where I can watch it and make myself a mini schedule of the events I care about. There’s a lot to cover, but I want to watch as much as I can.
Food stylist on culture & creativity: When I get to the point in my creative direction career where I have name recognition, I’d love to dabble in food styling. I’ve also always thought packaging design is cool, like determining why a face wash bottle should be round and not square with rounded edges. There’s also a lot of interesting typography decisions that go into those choices, all of it backed by market research. Anyways, that’s tangential, but Thu Buser connects her culture to her job really nicely in this interview and it got me thinking about other creative areas I might want to delve into in the future.
EATING
Whiskey sours: I’ve re-entered my whiskey sour era. They're so good and always made so strong. I think my summer drinks are whiskey sours and Hugo Spritz, the latter of which isn’t available everywhere, so whiskey sours are a reliable order.
Cucumber salads: I’ve been appreciating the versatility of the simple cucumber as of late. The salad pictured has orange slices, dill, red onion, flaky sea salt, olive oil, and of course, cucumber. I also recently made a cucumber salad with green onion, cilantro, soy sauce, mirin and agave. Excited to play around more with cucumber recipes.
PLAYING
Billie vs. Finneas on Hot Ones: I have few words other than I love Hot Ones and I love Billie and Finneas.
Billie’s Chicken Shop Date: Seeing Amelia flustered in this was hysterical. Billie’s reaction to the question “Would you rather be licked or bitten if you were an ice cream” had me giggling. Why was I getting shy watching this interview?
Upstairs Neighbors Podcast Episode 3: I said it last time I mentioned this podcast, but this genuinely feels like the dynamic between my friends and I. Hearing about LA influencer events was so funny and I’m glad to know that they shared similar, adoring sentiments about Saltburn.
OBSESSING
Ireland: Sydney went to Ireland to see her fluffy cows and Taryn went back and posted the most fantastic 20 course dinner or whatever it was. There’s also randomly been a few of the influencers I follow make trips to Ireland in the past few weeks. Alden and I have determined we need to go to Ireland during seal pup season. I don’t know- Irish people seem nice enough and the views look gorgeous.
Glastonbury: Somehow, I didn’t realize you had to camp at Glastonbury? There are so many random tents, such as wellness tents, live music and DJ sets, outside of the festival stages. This year, I saw an increasing amount of content from Glastonbury, and I’ve added the festival to my bucket list. Outfit planning would be so, so fun for it. I would need to deal with my occasional snoring issue, so I don’t terrorize the people in my tent, but that’s all part of the necessary festival preparation. The video linked is the outfits/vlog video of a British fashion girlie I follow who was just at Glastonbury and seemed to have the loveliest, grimiest time.
GQ China June “Heat Stroke” Shoot: Wow. No words. Just wow.
RECOMMENDING
Antique handheld fan: An absolute lifesaver in D.C. and I highly recommend for anyone who is dealing with warm public transportation or constantly walking around outside. They make you look chic and a little bitchy and I love it. Unfortunately, I lost mine in D.C. in between packing up for the airport and landing in Texas, but I’m determined to find a replacement at the antique stores.
Flo Mili Tiny Desk: She’s so talented and looks like a gorgeous, fairy goddess in this. I’m still kind of upset I missed seeing her at WILD last year because I was abroad, but alas.
TREATING
Stadium food at the Astros game: The only time I eat hotdogs is at a baseball game (with the exception of the church-turned-bar in San Diego). Yes, that’s mayo and relish on my hotdog, do not judge me. Stadium pretzels can sometimes error on the side of cardboard, but this one was fluffy and nicely salty. I didn’t ball out for a drink but the mango margarita Jenna had was delish.
