Are we seeing off May already? My favorite month starting today.

And look, it’s beginning to rain.

Long overdue whimsies:

READ

Books-

This month I finished/am reading:

• The Book Thief, Markus Zusak
• On the Road, Jack Keruoac (first time!)
• Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson
• Peace of Mind: Becoming Fully Present, Thich Nhat Hanh
• Gods Behaving Badly, Marie Phillips
• Foundation and Empire, Isaac Asimov
• Where’d You Go, Bernadette?, Marie Semple
• Put A Egg On It volume 10

Things-

• “Rap Quotes” posted in their real-life locations on twitter.
• NPR on Nostalgia:

For an individual, nostalgia is a function of memory. But for a culture, nostalgia is a kind of travel. It is about somewhere else, somewhere different but vaguely recognizable, another place to look at the sunset. If we were really looking for a time when things felt easier, after all, we wouldn’t love times of war and social upheaval; we’d be making shows about the dot-com boom. But we don’t, because it isn’t different enough yet. It has to be elsewhere; it cannot be here, because we cannot be here, not always, not every day.

What’s eternal about nostalgia is the same thing that’s eternal about travel: It will always happen, not because what’s out there is so special that it will pull us out through the windows, but because what’s in here is, at least some of the time, so difficult that it will push us out through the door.

LISTEN

• Postmodern Junkie, so fun!! Take some dance lessons, they’re on tour.
  • Drunk in Love
  • No Diggity
  • All of Me (the lead singer is really hot in this one)

• I’ve been listening to a lot of chill bluegrass lately.

• But also Emeli Sandé.

• I enjoyed this reddit thread on Bach/Beethoven/Mozart:
  

  “Beethoven tells you what it’s like to be Beethoven. Mozart tells you what it’s like to be human. Bach tells you what it’s like to be the universe.” (Douglas Adams)

  Here is the super super super short version
  Bach = The Rules
  Mozart = The Rules In-practice
  Beethoven = The Rule Breaker

  I heard someone once use the allegory of Bach as the Father, Mozart as the Son, and Beethoven as the Holy Spirit of music. Seems to work well even if you disagree with the Christian correlation. Another phrase I found which sums it up well: “Bach gave us God’s Word. Mozart gave us God’s laughter. Beethoven gave us God’s fire.”

COVET

• Augh. Limited edition Batman Moleskines. I stood at The Strand, paralyzed, wanting to buy all of them and run out the door before buyer’s regret kicked in. I quickly went to the poetry section instead to distract myself.
• Launching into jewelry-browsing is a dangerous activity for me- rose gold stacking rings, stacking rings in general.
• I recently berated a friend for the purchase of a really expensive umbrella and then I saw the illesteva umbrellas while coveting their sunglasses.
• Saw someone carrying a Matt and Nat backpack. I kind of loved it.
• I can’t believe Le Creuset is making limited edition dutch ovens in my favorite color.
• On the same subject, now that I’m cooking more, I flip longingly through Anthropologie’s entire kitchen section. Their aprons!
• Brooklyn Candle Studio is making Montana Forest and Rose Botanica candles.
• Kobo Candles look amazing, too.
• These wearable planters are pretty awesome as a concept.
• Dean Young’s Art of Recklessness. And Bender. Okay, maybe any Dean Young book.

VISIT

• “Nest We Grow” in Hokkaido

Japanese architectural firm Kengo Kuma and a team of students at UC Berkeley’s College of Environmental Design created ‘Nest We Grow’, an elaborate timber community food hub recently constructed on the island of Hokkaido.The structure’s timber frame actually mimics the vertical spatial experience of a Japanese larch forest. The team added plenty of beams for hanging fish and produce and a central tea platform with a sunken fireplace. The building is supposed to bring people in the community together to store, prepare and enjoy local foods.

EAT

• This month Gothamist wrote about the best vegan-friendly meat-serving restaurants in NYC.
• Breakfast might be my favorite meal. Well, I love all meals. Loving Food52’s breakfasts to take you around the world.
• Ayako Kurokawa’s amazing pastry creations, each one a work of art from Burrow Patisserie