Tag: Humor

Friends, History, Humor

Emails With Friends: Revolution and the Humblebrag

When you’re both cultural heritage employees and history types.

“Patrick Henry’s birthday is may 29…I am so bummed that I missed out on sharing a bday with the loudest, most out-of-control founding father by a mere TWO DAYS.”

“Have I ever casually mentioned that my family’s 40 acres contains the pathway that PH walked daily to get to his first law job…incidently located in the town where my parents now live? Which he was eventually elected to represent in the Virginia House of Burgesses at the start of his political career? Never? Not even casually? If so, a lapse on my part.”
– Katarina and C.

We need to talk about the spectacles atop his head in this etching. It’s either absent minded or avant garde for the times. I lean toward the latter.

 

 

Freelance, Humor, Linkstorm, London, Weekend, Work, Writing

Friday Weeks (Making it after all, edition)

“It is never too late to be what you might have been.”
― George Eliot

Big week! Huge existing projects, potential new projects, and scheduled meetups and meetings with people for even more potential new projects. Freelancing is an interesting business, there are some weeks that are very standard and uneventful but you get good work done, and others that just set you up for leaps and bounds of growth if you make smart decisions. Hopefully this has been the latter.

This weekend I’m meeting up with a bunch of academic friends (usually scattered from London to Cambridge, but convening in the capital for food and talk), editing and updating my recently expanded portfolio, and hopefully hitting up some new museum exhibitions with Jeff. We walk on the wild side, kittens. Here are your links, share anything else worth knowing in the comments, and let me know what your weekend plans are!

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From my latest urban agriculture profile over on The Thrifty Homesteader.

The tumblr find of the week is a source of unending hilarity and delight to me. One feed, one singular purpose. (Also, he was all kinds of dishy back in the day, was he not? Insert a sort of humming, growl-y noise here.)

People. Fundamentally decent.

Even now I have Teddy, a well worn and well loved, formerly pink bear I got the day I was born. She was my best friend and partner in crime in childhood, and still beloved to this day. (When we were dating, Jeff once commented on the less than pristine state of her fur and had to spend a lot of time apologizing to make up for it. He may be my greatest, but she was my first love.)

An excellent piece on the importance of boredom, very thought provoking.

As of tomorrow it is officially summer. Would that I were not two feet too short to wear this dress in celebration.

This is my favorite headline to come out of the World Cup thus far.

One of my cousins recently got engaged in a spectacular fashion and a photographer was on hand to capture the moment. Unsurprisingly, since my cousin happens to be a model, the shots turned out gorgeous so you’ll forgive me if I shamelessly share them.

I already posted a PSA, but for those who missed it, online buddy Kim Curran’s fabulous new novel GLAZE is now available on Kindle for $.99! It’s only for two more days, though, so get cracking.

I am still supremely annoyed that we had to forgo Ascot this year, but the Fug Girls are providing the necessary hat commentary until next summer. When we WILL be going.

I sincerely love human beings seemingly innate desire to make functional things beautiful – though I doubt the wisdom of silver finger protectors to avoid harm coming from picking strawberries (possibly the world’s least dangerous summertime delicacy) out of a bowl.

Essie nail polishes are easily my favorite, but the story of the woman behind the company is just as good in my opinion.

Pretty pieces of custom embroidery.

Last week I shared a piece from the New York Times about Mormon activists facing church discipline. This week an exceptionally good post on one of the most famous stories of dissent from within the Mormon faith community, Nazis are involved.

Books, Freelance, Friends, Humor, London, Writing

PSA: GLAZE

“The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.”
― Jane Austen

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I made it to a book launch? Well, this is the book! Kim Curran is another freelancer and writer I met through Twitter (that and blogs, how else do 21st century friendships began?) and finally got to meet in person at her launch, along with a whole host of other London writers. Let me be blunt, she’s fabulous. So is her book and right now it’s available for a limited time on the US Amazon.com site for $.99. Run, don’t walk.

GLAZE takes place in a near future and tells the story of the powerful social media technology of the same name, a girl who finds herself cut off from it and therefore everything that matters, and the desperate lengths she’s willing to go to belong. As you might expect, that’s when things start to get complicated.

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One of the posters from the launch.

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More importantly, one of the hilarious pun posters some of her friends and supporters made up.

Britain, Expat, Food, Humor, London, Travel

Maltby Street Market

“It is the job of the market to turn the base material of our emotions into gold.”
― Andrei Codrescu, Zombification: Stories from National Public Radio 

We discovered Maltby after Jeff went on a google hunt for nearby brownies after our previous favorite at Borough Market changed their recipe and we couldn’t cope with the development. Pathetic, yes, but also poetic for this is the sort of emotional cleaving that lead one to discovery, well beloved kittens. I was working away on a project when Jeff cryptically declared he’d be back in a while and returned with treasure: a box filled with Bad Brownies.

Whoa, golly.

The next weekend we both trucked to Maltby Street, the home of a small but truly impressive little cache of stalls and shops operating mostly from the archways beneath our nearby train tracks. Shops like this have always existed in Britain, anywhere you got an opening in a wall was usable space in previous centuries and utilized, so I love seeing something that could easily be forgotten or even turn shady become a thriving spot for food and trade. There are butchers, delis, patisseries, cheesemongers, fishmongers (all the mongers, really), tapas eateries, and specialty brewers all crammed in together in the loveliest way.

I only caught a few snaps because the weather was being…British…on our last trip, but I’m entirely positive you’ll be hearing more about Maltby over the summer. In the meantime, here’s something to whet your appetite!

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Bad Brownie does amazing “normal” brownies, but take a pro-tip and go for their less usual flavours. You will thank me profusely.

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I mean, just look at those…

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London’s beverage is gin. It plagued the poor in the 18th century, well cataloged by Hogarth, and was tippled by the rich only slightly less sordidly. It’s socially acceptable version today is the G&T with cucumber and there are a lot of tasting bars, of which it must be said Little Bird looks the most charming to photograph to a girl who knows precisely nothing about such things. You can really get a sense of how the arches are decorated and turned into beautiful and unique shop spaces here. Maltby really goes for shabby, British chic and it works.

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Farmhouse cheeses on English sourdough. It is impossible to properly demonstrate the portion sizes here except that one of these glories could conceivably give a fit person heart failure. Perfect!

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I will have one of each by the end of summer, I vow it.

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Finally, helping us class up the joint, that other British summer staple, smoked salmon.

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Delicious!

Freelance, Friday, Humor, Linkstorm, London, Weekend, Work

Friday (the 13th!) Links

“Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed: everything else is public relations.”
– George Orwell

Happy Friday the 13th, kittens! Hope you’re celebrating and/or trembling in fear according to what brings you the most satisfaction.

It’s been a nicely un-frantic week in freelancing and I’ve been able to get caught up on a number of projects around the house, including a major reorganization of the flat which has given us a lot more space. Steady work with steady clients and just enough free time to start a new schedule after the Franklin House. Working from home is a constant juggling act but there are good reasons to do it…but I get ahead of the links!

13th or not, it’s still Friday so find your weekly dosage below. Add anything you think the minion coterie needs to know and let me know what you’re up to in the comments!
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Celebrate this most superstitious of days with some new superstitions.

For the things you never knew you needed.

The World Cup is on, but there’s a pretty horrible underbelly to one of the world’s biggest sporting events. A Brazilian non-profit journalism group investigated the alleged rise in sex trafficking prior to the games, and turned their investigation into a powerful story along with Buzzfeed. Prologue, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5.

Janssen over at Everyday Reading has released her summer reading list. Go forth and stock your Goodreads, minions!

Interesting read on the internet, brain chemistry, and motivation.

Seriously everyone, STOP with the “love locks!”

Friend and Friend of the Blog, the redoubtable Caitlin Kelly over at Broadside, has put together a fantastically good post on the pros and cons of freelancing. If you’re considering freelance work (and these days that’s up to 1/3 of American and British workers), you need to read this.

First issues of famous magazines.

Printed cartoons are near and dear to my heart, and I remember tearing through the massive Sunday papers to get at the “funny pages” as a kid. Well, if you’re still reading them, Stephan Pastis (who draws the strip Pearls Before Swine) has had a new looking going on lately…and the story behind it is amazing. I’ve written before of my love for Calvin and Hobbes, without exaggeration I consider it a major hallmark of my personal childhood and one of the best depictions of childhood ever created.

Stand back, kids, this might be the dish I try and conquer for #6 on my list!

This looks like the most delightful, summery dress.

Tavi Gevinson has grown up from the Style Rookie to be, well, a lot of other things. She’s the kind of young woman that makes you wonder what you’ve accomplished in comparison, but I admire a lot of what she’s done so far and think she has a long and interesting career ahead of her.

These Aled Lewis pillows are giving me life: horse speaking wisdom, woodland Agatha Christie realness, and…caption this one in the comments for me.

Having just got through a period of unusual exhaustion, I can openly confess to doing at least half of these and I can see that they’ve definitely contributed.

A development that, in my opinion signals the end of the so-called Mormon Moment: two Mormon activists are facing religious discipline for their involvement in communities and causes. Not everyone will be interested, but if you are at all intrigued or follow intersections of religion and feminism/gender issues particular, this is a story worth reading up on. (Here’s another primer on this history of excommunication in Mormon feminism, for the curious.)

Britain, Expat, Friends, Humor, London, Travel, Weekend

An after the fact adventure in Little Venice
“There’s nothing––absolutely nothing––half so much worth doing as messing about in boats.”
― Kenneth Grahame, The Wind In The Willows

Katie and Adam have left the typically-less-sunny-climes of London for the infinitely sunnier climes of California as Adam finishes up the last leg of his business program. We’re missing our buddies, but lucky we got to hang out with them one last time in Little Venice for a weekend market and festival.

Little Venice is a portion of Victorian canals in Paddington, that is about as charming an area of London as you could possibly find. It’s packed full of Edwardian houses, beautiful houseboats, and lovely (if somewhat pricey) restaurants.

Some of the houseboats have been transformed into businesses, even though most are still residences, it’s kind of impressive to see what people can create in a limited space. (In other words, I have no excuses not to have our flat in order.)
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This one was turned into a second-hand bookstore, but I saw artist galleries, full cafes, shops, and I’m pretty sure at least one yoga studio. Resident house/boat cats abound, there were full gardens on the roofs of boats, and many captains hats to be seen. I approve all of this.

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There’s an entire culture related to houseboat dwelling in London, and I wish I knew more about it! Just wandering around Regent’s Canal, there was a common style of dress, a shared aesthetic taste (a colorful, out-of-time sense of color and composition that clearly calls back to the days when the canals were first built and used). Houseboat doors were open to reveal furniture that intentionally rustic rather than modern, crockery on display like old farm kitchens. It’s an interesting take on minimalist or small home living.
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Frankly there are few better ways to spend a weekend than wandering through the city, eating from food stalls and ending up in Hyde Park for a long talk over cheese and olives.

Freelance, Friends, Humor, Writing

Emails With Friends: Education and Futility

When the less fun practicalities of writing for food rear their heads.

“Surprisingly freelance life management wasn’t ever covered in my Art History of the Northern Renaissance class.”

“See, if we’re talking about the usefulness of our university coursework, I can tell you I definitely utilize my saxophone-performance-with-secondary-study-in-ballet-performance EVERY day. You should have been more practical when choosing your major, like I was.”
– C. and Katarina

Yes. Everything is this effortless.
Humor, London

London Snapshot

“The earth laughs in flowers.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

Terribly busy at the moment, but massive Friday Links post headed your way tomorrow and in the meantime, the time honored tradition of flowers as an apology. These from one of the parks near my house. Do poppies earn me forgiveness for neglect?
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Food, Humor, Husband, London

Solidly Late 20s

“With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come.”
― William Shakespeare

As of yesterday I am (so one of my younger brothers informs me) “officially old.”
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My Big Brother also weighed in…I find this a bit creepy, but weirdly sweet at the same time?

I had a delightfully low key birthday and got just what I wanted: flowers, savory food, sweet food, and hangout time with Jeff. May was a rough month for both of us, work wise, and it was nice to go out to dinner just the two of us to relax from it. For about an hour and a half, after which it was straight back home to the email piles. Adulthood, kittens!

On Sunday we trekked to Old Spitalfields Market in search of my specially requested cake alternative (cupcakes from Flavourtown Bakery), only to learn that they had not set up shop in their usual spot this week. It turns out, they are being featured in the Selfridge’s food hall – well done! So, undeterred, after grabbing a quick bite at one of my favorite food trucks, we shot off to Bond Street.
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The cheekily named Mother Clucker specializes in Southern style, twice fried chicken. Spices and buttermilk are of course included, but what makes this joint the real deal is the (also Southern style) sweet tea marinade that juices up their meat. Seriously, you can’t get that level of soul food without heading south of the Potomac. They also make really good fries/chips, something both Jeff and I tend to be picky about.
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On Monday we both went to work as per usual before slapping on red lipstick (in my case) and reconvening after 5pm in Notting Hill at our favorite pizza joint, Otto. I first learned about Otto thanks to Lauren’s Pizza Night back in January, and it’s been a regular date location ever since. We plumped for snooty artisan lemonade and ginger beer, a treat since we almost always stick to the wallet friendly option of water when we eat out, and wolfed down three slices each of the gorgeous cornmeal crusted wonders.
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After this we went home, followed up quickly on a handful of work projects, and then cracked open the cupcakes and pulled up an episode of House of Cards, our latest entertainment addiction. It was exactly what I needed. Here’s to 28, I’m ready for it!
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