An Unexpected Pause

On Ruts + Recs

So, it’s been a minute – a month, to be exact. I’m not sure exactly what happened, only that I simply didn’t feel the zest I usually do for publishing. Maybe it has something to do with the state of the world (an understatement). Or the fact that I’m in a fierce reading rut – maybe my worst ever? – and haven’t felt the kick of a good book, which has thrown off my rhythm and sense of balance. Or the reality that we had no actual winter in LA, and therefore no time for Yin; instead, we were served a tepid season sprinkled with multiple heatwaves (I’m currently writing this from a 97-degree day and have been roasting squash for a catering gig for 4 hours, which I wouldn’t recommend to my worst enemy). I gaze at my sweaters longingly and refuse to move them to ‘the winter closet’ in case a sudden cold snap drops. Let me live.

In lieu of a long piece with a recipe and book rec this week, I’m instead going to recommend what I’ve been using / loving / focused on this past month. Thanks for sticking with me through feast and famine!

1. Gara Hydrosol
   On a recent trip to Ojai with my sisters, I picked up two bottles of this delight of a facial spray, courtesy of Rainbow Bridge (the best natural grocer) and a tip-off from Leigh (the best brain I know). I got the jasmine and the orange blossom, both of which reek of spring with a comforting hint of overripeness. Keep them in the fridge and visit 5x a day as ennui hits.

2. Opera as metaphor
   I went to see Ahknaten last month – I will write about this in full another time – and I left with a renewed sense of wonder and enchantment, a connection to nudity and possibility. This show is a massage for the heart, opening its channels to provocation and awe in a moment when humans making art feels particularly fragile. I urge any of you to go see a live show, any show, and dare you to tell me you don’t feel fuller and more hopeful afterwards.

3. The Mill Food Recycler
   I’m aware that this is comparable to when influencers casually recommend buying a $7000 home sauna for 10% off with their discount code. My excuse is that I didn’t pay for my Mill, am not an influencer, have no social media presence and no code to speak of. I have no idea why the nice people at this company sent me this beautiful $900 food composter FOR FREE. I will not ask questions, though, because it is, hands down, the best thing that’s ever happened to my fiber habit. This bad boy has composted 40 POUNDS A MONTH of my food scraps since the beginning of the year. You literally throw in your kale stems, avo pits, eggshells, even your coffee filters and the next morning…you have soil. There is no smell. And it holds pounds and pounds of soil until it dings your phone and tells you it’s time to empty it. The best part: You choose a name for your machine (I chose Millton, in honor of the street of my childhood home). Obviously I’ve given him a full persona and like to interact with him. Every night at 9 he turns on and I clap with glee. (He hasn’t responded in kind.) I’m anti-AI but pro-kitchen-robot all the way.

4. Salty Lemon Spritz
   Crack open a bottle of Topo Chico. (In a game of Fuck Marry Kill, I fuck Mineragua, marry Topo Chico, and severely torture and then kill Perrier while smiling.) Squeeze in the juice of an entire lemon, then grab a nice pinch of Maldon (only Maldon!) and sprinkle it over the top. You’re welcome.

5. Air Mail
   Guys…I have a pen pal. Her name is Harriet, she lives in the UK, she is a delight, and I met her through a favorite Substack of mine, The Rose Period. Rose started something she calls Art Pals: She connects like-minded readers (who’ve filled out intake forms about personal interests) and leaves them to their own devices to discuss art and culture of all kinds. Harriet and I email each other about art shows, movies, music, plays, our family history, and so much more. Once a month, we send each other actual letters. Given the USPS will run out of money by 2027 if someone doesn’t save it, the speed of delivery leaves much to be desired. But the jolt of happiness I get each time I open the mailbox to a letter from Harriet cannot be matched! This is a rec to send more hand-written letters. Or find someone who wants to regularly correspond via USPS and commit to it monthly. Again, humans>AI.

6. Sock Replacement Theory
   Replace a full drawer of worn socks with fresh ones, achieve maximum foot comfort plus a sense of Nirvana every time you open your sock drawer and feast your eyes on your spoils. This works 100% of the time. (I’m partial to Le Bon Shoppe and Comme Si with a smattering of Mate the Label.)

7. ‘A Hint of the Orient,’ aka Paper D’Armenie Incense-Burning Papers
   I discovered these at Maison Empereur in Marseille and bought…far too many. I light one each morning upon waking and opening the window to listen to the birds and write my morning pages. According to the website, the incense was created by the “famous perfumer Francis Kurkdjian. His aim? To re-create Armenian scents by reworking the legendary fragrance, imbuing it with a mystical presence and a hint of the Orient.” Sure! I love all of the scents – they’re woody, musty and rose-y, reminiscent of a powdery old grandma (a compliment).

8. Unabashedly Picking Fruit from Others’ Trees
   This one’s for the California heads. Call me an asshole, but I regularly and openly plunder a favored kumquat bush en route back from my Silverlake hills walk. Broad daylight, zero attempt to conceal myself. The bush runneth over; the owner doesn’t seem to understand they’re sitting on a goldmine (I’ve been plucking from this baby for YEARS). In exchange, I allow my asshole neighbors to steal lemons and avocados from my trees. I believe that’s called the Golden Rule (or something).