Currently No. 10

The summer is already waning. The last concert of the Twilight Concert Series is tonight and I've been listening non-stop to San Fermin. I also bought a last-minute ticket to the Sylvan Esso concert tomorrow night. Do you have any end of summer plans?

Here are a few things that have caught my eye lately...

(1) Giorgio Armani Eye Liner 'Quarzo' (2) Caudalie Beauty Elixir

(3) Smith Optics Marvine Sunglasses (4) Aesop Resurrection Rinse-Free Hand Wash

(5) Cuyana Silk Sleeveless Blouse

Recommended Articles

I'm really excited that the US Open started yesterday, since I pretty much only watch tennis and HBO and almost every HBO show is on hiatus, including John Oliver and Bill Maher. I've also been mulling over a few options for a long weekend trip this fall, these 5-day workweeks can be brutal. Has anything caught your interest lately?

1. Mah, Ann. "Searching for ‘Anne of Green Gables’ on Prince Edward Island." The New York Times 12 Aug. 2014

I turned off one highway, down a clay road edged by towering spruce trees, stopping at the edge of a field “starred with hundreds of dandelions,” as the author wrote in her journals. For as far as my eye could see, there was only farmland, interlocking patches of red plowed fields and green meadows dotted with solitary farmhouses, a view that could have been lifted straight from the books. Indeed, as I explored the area west of Cavendish — small communities like French River, Park Corner and North Granville — I realized I needed only a bit of imagination to picture Anne beside me. Any of these dirt roads could be “Lovers’ Lane,” the secluded cow path where Anne liked to “think out loud”; any of the farmhouses her Green Gables; any of the sun-splashed ponds her “Lake of Shining Waters.”

2. Ross, Terrance. "How John Oliver Beats Apathy." The Atlantic 14 Aug. 2014

Yet for all of his strong opinionating, the show’s nowhere near as polarizing as you might expect. Though he does lean left socially, Oliver, who’s English, still approaches his topics from the viewpoint of an outsider sneakily peering over the hill (in this case across the pond) with his binoculars. It’s refreshing in this partisan age to hear from a commentator with a point of view, but not a political agenda.
For example, Oliver’s rant about wealth inequality was equal parts praising and criticizing. His ultimate point revolved around American optimism, “one of the things that I love the most about this country.” That's in contrast to his home nation, where, he says, “We’re raised in a rigid class system where we have all hope beaten out of us." Yet he turns the idea around, showing the dark side of the American dream: “Your optimism is overwhelming positive except when it leads you to act against your own best interest.”

3. Gay, Jason "The Revival of Roger Federer." The Wall Street Journal 24 Aug. 2014

Remember those dark clouds of last summer? The Inevitable Decline of Roger Federer was an open, awkward discussion. Now a familiar confidence has returned to the game's most recognizable player. There's a new coach, Stefan Edberg; a new, larger racket; and most important, improved health. Federer has been wearing a Nike T-shirt that says BETTERER, which seems to wink at his resurgence, and among his international legion of fans—the rapt Federer-verse—there's a happy rush on optimism. Suddenly, a sixth U.S. Open title for Federer doesn't sound so crazy.

4. Sopher, Philip "Where the Five-Day Workweek Came From." The Atlantic 21 Aug. 2014

Nearly a century later, mills have been overtaken by more advanced technologies, yet the five-day workweek remains the fundamental organizing concept behind when work is done. Its obsolescence has been foretold for quite a while now: A 1965 Senate subcommittee predicted Americans would work 14-hour weeks by the year 2000, and before that, back in 1928, John Maynard Keynes wrote that technological advancement would bring the workweek down to 15 hours within 100 years. 

Recommended Reading

It's funny how what you read influences what you read next, I just requested four books from my library referenced in books or magazines I've read. I love how reading goes in phases and some months are enthralling while other months it is hard to find a book to sink your teeth into. Hope your late summer reading is going well!

Here is an excerpt from each:

1. What's Not to Love?: The Adventures of a Mildly Perverted Young Writer (Jonathon Ames)

"This Other Side of Paradise"
We met at a dance the second night of Freshman Week. She was beautiful, but also very sad, and I wanted to take care of her right away. She was longing desperately for the ocean, had never been apart from it her whole life, so we skipped orientation the next day and I bought us bus tickets for Atlantic City. It was the only beach in New Jersey that you could get to from Princeton using public transportation. So we sat on that bus early in the morning and she leaned her head against me like that, like I was someone who could be counted on. We hadn't kissed the night before because she had mentioned a boyfriend back in California. So I had a noble thought that I would just have to be a friend to this beautiful girl, and as she slept, it felt like the most important thing in the world not to move, not to disturb her. And I remember it was a beautiful discomfort because I was a martyr and already in love. (P. 60)

2. This Cake Is for the Party (Sarah Selecky)

"Throwing Cotton"
Flip is stretched out on the chair, even though the chair itself doesn't recline. His body is slouched down so his seat reaches the edge of the cushion and his head is pressed into the back of the chair. His long legs are crossed at the ankles. It doesn't look comfortable. He takes up most of the living room. (P. 4)

3. Shopgirl: A Novella (Steve Martin)

For Mirabelle, there are four levels of being held. The first, and highest, is the complete surround: he will wrap his arms around her and they will spoon as he whispers how beautiful she is and how he had been transported to another plane. The odds of this particular scenario unfolding from the youthful Jeremy are slim, in face, so slim that they could slip out the door without opening it. There are, however, other levels of holding that for tonight would suit Mirabelle just fine. He could lie on his back and she would rest her head on his chest, while one of his arms holds her tight. Third best would involve Mirabelle lying on her back with Jeremy alongside her, resting one hand on her stomach while the other one plays with her hair. This position requires the utterances of sweet nothings for her to be fully satisfied. She is aware he has barely spoken a sentence that didn't end in "you know" and then trail off in a mumble since they have been together, which makes the appearance of these sweet nothings unlikely. But this could be a plus, as she can interpret his mumbles any way she wants--they could be impeccably metered love sonnets for all she knows. In fourth position, they are lying on their backs, with one of Jeremy's legs resting languidly over one of hers. This is the minimally acceptable outcome, and involves a commitment of extra time on his part to compensate for his lack of effort. (P. 14)

4. Reading Like a Writer (Francine Prose)

With so much reading ahead of you, the temptation might be to speed up. But in fact it's essential to slow down and read every word. Because one important thing that can be learned by reading slowly is the seemingly obvious but oddly under-appreciated fact that language is the medium we use in much the same way a composer uses notes, the way a painter uses paint. I realize it my seem obvious, but it's surprising how easily we lose sight of the fact that words are the raw material out of which literature is crafted. (P. 15)

Currently No. 9

I love the start of a new month with a fresh budget to divvy up. I've been scouting linen sheets and might just have to add these pillowcases to my collection. I also went down the rabbit hole of beauty treatments and splurged on Caudalie Divine Oil and Davines All-In-One Milk. Lastly, Heath ceramic coffee mugs are perfection and I'm intrigued by the butler's friend wine opener. How long is your current wishlist?

(1) Kerry Cassill Luxury Indian Printed Pillowcases (2) Caudalie Divine Oil
(3) Davines OI / All-In-One Milk (4) Heath Ceramics Large Modern Cup
(5) L'Atelier du Vin Twin Blade Corkscrew