July 2

Hello, and happy summer! A few things to share…

We have a Vitamix blender that we use daily, but I recently bought this Zwilling personal blender that is perfect for smaller tasks like grinding flaxseeds, making dips, salad dressings etc…

Until I can get to la pharmacie française this fall and stock up on all the sunscreens recommended by Charlotte Palermino, I have been using the fantastic Korean Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Daily Sun Gel (which I also learned about via Charlotte). It blends like a dream, doesn’t smell or feel like sunscreen, and is all around pretty amazing.

The Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Airy Sun Stick is equally great and especially useful when you have to apply it to the faces of small children…

I don’t really wear much makeup, but I have strong brows and never leave the house without grooming them. I’ve tried so many brow gels, soap brows, you name it, and nothing holds a candle to Half Magic Grippie Brow Scultping Gel…

For some reason I greatly dislike trimming and filing my fingernails, but I like to keep my nails short which means I have to do the task quite often. These thin Deborah Lippmann eco nail files make the job less tedious…

I’ve been enjoying the occasional iced latte at home with Blue Bottle Craft Instant Espresso. One teaspoon, 1oz hot water, lots of ice, and your milk of choice…

I just added this Bug Bite Thing to our first-aid kit…

I’m a constant note-taker and always have at least one notebook with me. These Japanese Maruman Mnemosyne notebooks are my favorite:

These Jennifer Fisher Puffy Heart earrings have captured my attention…

I’ve had this excellent bit of wisdom from James Clear on my fridge since February. It has become my mantra and keeps me moving forward in the direction I want to go…

Worth Sharing

Parisiens in Paris

• Parisiens in Paris

• Arnica gel is the most often used tool in our first aid kit. It is incredibly effective for bumps and bruises, twisted ankles, and sore arms from vaccine pokes.

• I want to make this NYT French Onion Soup Galette.

• On Being has a youtube channel.

• These vegan chocolate hazelnut cookies from Pamela Salzman are delicious.

• If you live in Seattle the library system has a slick curbside pickup service. Two recent favorites: Wishtree and The Catalyst: How to Change Anyone’s Mind.

Worth Sharing

Photo via PBS

• Yo-Yo Ma continues to be one of my favorite human beings on the planet.

• Heath Ceramics now has ready to ship tile!

• “We organize our lives to maintain the pressures and boundaries we’re used to. We’d like to pretend we’re just going to bear with it until we get through this urgency, but we’re usually lying to ourselves.” - Seth Godin

• NPR’s Book Concierge is an excellent resource.

“It is not enough to hope that the next generation solves this. Things will not get better until we teach them how. It is on us to grow men who do not exploit the labor of women. Straight kids who understand and work toward protections for gay people. And White kids who understand that it is not about having a Black friend. It is about divesting completely from racist systems.”

- Cornelius Minor via swissmiss

Worth Sharing

Screenshot from video captured by Colin Hogg and James Crombie

• Watch this incredible murmuration! via Aminatou Sow’s excellent newsletter Crème de la Crème

• Subscribe to Crème de la Crème here.

• On the pandemic anniversary: “As we process this anniversary together, taking stock of our deep losses and perhaps surprising gains, it’s worth looking back at the rituals and routines which have helped us day after day, month after month—and the ones that will continue to create continuity, structure, and joy as we move ahead.” - Esther Perel

• Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution - holy smokes what a great film. A short description: “A groundbreaking summer camp galvanizes a group of teens with disabilities to help build a movement, forging a new path toward greater equality.” It has 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and won the Sundance Film Festival’s Audience Award last year. Watch the trailer here.

• “Because all we can see is whether we agree or not, whether we like them or not.”

“Movies are the most powerful empathy machine in all the arts. When I go to a great movie I can live somebody else's life for a while. I can walk in somebody else's shoes. I can see what it feels like to be a member of a different gender, a different race, a different economic class, to live in a different time, to have a different belief. The great movies enlarge us, they civilize us, they make us more decent people.”

- Roger Ebert (via On Being)

Worth Sharing

From Austin Kleon’s ‘Show Your Work!’

• My brother sent this to me: I Miss My Bar.

• “I am calling you for a poetic consultation,” said a warm voice on the telephone. “It all starts with a very simple question: How are you?”

• “When we adopt the posture of commitment, something extraordinary happens: The lessons get more profound and useful. The questions asked get more specific and urgent. The connections that are made get deeper.”

• Brad Montague’s delightful video The Dumpster Fire and the Garden.

• Stanley Tucci in Italy.
  

“For all the most important things, the timing always sucks. The stars will never align and the traffic lights of life will never all be green at the same time. The universe doesn’t conspire against you, but it doesn’t go out of its way to line up all the pins either. Conditions are never perfect. ‘Someday’ is a disease that will take your dreams to the grave with you…If it’s important to you and you want to do it ‘eventually’ just do it and correct course along the way.”

- Tim Ferriss (via Ali Abdaal)

Worth Sharing

via Studio Leitz

• My husband has started a new daily practice posting an ‘Homage to Albers’ color study a day.

• “Totally Fixed Were We Are” - watch this if you need to smile (and especially if you have kids).

• “Do as little as needed, not as much as possible.” - Henk Kraaijenhof (via Tim Ferriss)

• Watch the footage from Perseverance Rover’s descent and touchdown on Mars.

• “What is it that I know how to do, where is the need, and how can I help?” - Priya Parker with Brené Brown

• Max Richter’s tiny desk concert is still my favorite. He also has a more recent one playing from home.

• “Never let anyone be humiliated in your presence”

Quote by Dr. Maya Angelou shared by Cleo Wade via Swiss Miss