Sunday Best v. 273

It's been a week of soul-searching for me. Really thinking about our country, and my role in it and what I can do to live in a place that reflects the core things I believe in, like acceptance and diversity and inclusivity and respect. So, today is a very special Sunday Best, just with links I've found helpful in giving me direction and maybe they'll help you, too:

• Why women should consider getting an IUD now, and other potential (scary!) outcomes for women's health care.
• Don't mourn, fight like hell.
• Lindy West, putting my feelings about voting for a woman and seeing her lose into words.
• How to become an abortion clinic escort.
• 10 charities that will need support.
• How to actively mitigate climate change.
• How to effectively communicate with Congress.
• How to prevent employers from using religious freedom as an excuse to discriminate.
• Speak out against hate, and protect who you can.
• And if nothing else, celebrate the life of Leonard Cohen, who gave us the most beautiful song.

Sunday Best v.272

Still twinning this weekend! Last night we went to our favorite annual Halloween house party, and tonight, I'm considering carving pumpkins. I've only done it once in adulthood and I have ambitious ideas, but no idea how to execute. Maybe YouTube could teach me?

Here are the best links I saw this week:

• A best-of to remember Vine as it once was.
• Peanuts x Stranger Things is too good.
• That time The Atlantic perfectly summarized my feelings about milk chocolate. #sorrynotsorry
• You may call me the Goddess of Autumn, if you please.
• Heartwarming story of a bachelor party-turned-puppy rescue.
• An ode to Jeffrey Garten, the luckiest of men.
• Early 20th century propaganda for and against suffrage is eerily familiar today.
• The most common kinds of work friends.
• Photographer captured 40 years of decline (but it's not all sad!).
• Michael Jackson rehearses Thriller and the history of social dance.
• Roxane Gay nails it with her 13 rules for female friendships.
• Why mellowcreme candies are the best Halloween candies (according to this author).
• Cult condiments you can buy on Amazon.

Sunday Best v.272

Claude Monet, with his waterlilies

It's my favorite time of year, packed with art festivals and wine fests and costume parties. I have a few things I still need to knock off my fall to-do list, including drink cider and have something pumpkin spice flavored. My main fall activity so far was planting some ranunculus bulbs (pray for me that they actually come up!) and mulching. Woot for adulthood. 

Anyway, take a stroll through the best of the internet this week:

• Blade Runner rendered in Microsoft Paint? Why not.
• 11 well-designed resumes with personal branding.
• Michelle Obama: GOAT at fashion and appreciations from literary folks
• Princess Grace's son bought her childhood home. AWWWWW.
• Wild behind-the-scenes footage of Jack Nicholson prepping for his "Here's Johnny" scene in The Shining.
• If you've ever written post-breakup poetry, you know happiness is a creativity killer. Science proved it!
• They were born before the 19th amendment, and now they're going to vote for a woman president!
• LOL'd at these Obama and Biden tweets.
• Paying for childcare in America requires a side hustle and how Patagonia retains 100% of working moms.
• Pretty fantastic Stranger Things x Childish Gambino mix.
• This video about body self-image made me cry.
• A long read, but pretty incredible story about a woman who aspired to be a muse to artists. (fair warning: lots of artistic nudity so may not be safe for work)
• Google tricks that make you a travel agent.
• All the types of people who will ask artists to work for free.
• Brilliant idea! A family asked friends and relatives to write their baby letters upon her birth, and they gave her all of them when she turned 17.

Sunday Best v.271

Freewheelin' Bob Dylan with Suze Rotolo, West Village, 1963

After an unintended hiatus (brought to you by that most dastardly deed: yardwork), I'm BACK with the hot links! While away your Sunday with these picks:

• Fantastic pictures of "history" including sunbathing on the pyramids.
• You can now tour every MOMA exhibition since 1929 online. 
• James Hamblin argues for doing away with greetings and sign-offs in emails.
• Advice for living, from the Notorious RBG, also the star of a new children's book.
• Terri Gross's fantastic interview with Bruce Springsteen just reaffirms my love for both.
• For my friends who are parents:
• Teaching your child emotional agility
• Children inherit their intelligence from their mothers
• Why ancient statues have tiny penises.
• Nearing 80, painter David Hockney is still busy as ever.
• The "Frasier" conversation in this episode of "Sooo Many White Guys" is laugh-out-loud hilarious.
• Behind the nomination of Bob Dylan for the Nobel Prize for Literature.
• I was always obsessed with Jackie Kennedy and always loved Natalie Portman, so this new biopic is a must-see for me.

Sunday Best v.270

Incredible series by Shimon Attie

We've officially reached the time of year where all our focus shifts outdoors. We're 75% done restaining our deck (more on that later) and mulching the front beds. But the to-do list is loooong: Take care of some poison ivy that's cropped up; removing a dead leyland cypress tree; mulching beds in the back; finishing potting plants; paint soffit in the back; paint front porch railing; and paint peeling shutters.

Looks like we have a long summer ahead! But since right now it's drizzly, let's distract ourselves with some links:

• McSweeney's takes on wedding hashtags.
• A new streaming service for art-house movie snobs like me.
• Dogs hate hugs.
• Beyonce is owning her haters.
• The man who came up with St. Germain died. RIP!
• It's here!! The AbFab trailer is here!
• A touching piece about grieving from TV critic Matt Zoller Seitz.
• A refreshing read: a CV of failures.
• I LOL'd at this criticism of the new USA Olympic uniforms.
• A new app that tells you when you've wandered into a historic place in art or literature.
• Why exercise alone won't help you lose weight.

Sunday Best v.269

Nora Ephron, serious icon status

Whew! I'm bone-tired from a day spent stripping and cleaning our deck (and honestly? It doesn't even look that much better...womp womp), but the weekend wasn't a total loss. We finally made it over to Jessy's Taco Bistro, where the tacos taste fresh from the taco truck. I particularly loved the choripollo taco. I also carved out an hour to watch Everything is Copy, a balanced and loving look at Nora Ephron, one of my ultimate icons in all things. If you have HBO access, give it a go.

Here are some favorite links to keep you busy:

• What shocked immigrants about America
• At least one college professor is trying to teach men emotional honesty
• The secret to dealing with psychopaths: only talk to them online
• Hilariously Photoshopped kids books
• The cheapest exotic destinations
• Whoa! Spain might get rid of the siesta
• Beautiful obsessive compulsive food organization
• The real reason we shave our legs
• Raising boys who are comfortable with helping out
• Your favorite poems, as you've never read them before
• What it's like to be a Hamilton descendant these days
• What really kills relationships? Passivity

Sunday Best v.268

Oh look at me now! I got new bedding! One of life's simple pleasures, for sure. Forgive me that rumpled bedskirt; keeping bedskirts straight is one of many banes of my existence. When we were in IKEA last weekend, I felt inspired to gift my husband with a slightly more masculine bedroom for the spring/summer season. 

We picked up this Emmie Ruta duvet cover and sham set and more importantly, a new duvet insert. I cannot tell you how ratchet our old down duvet was, but let's just say all the feathers were at the bottom and winter was misery.

Lest it get TOO masculine in there, though, I popped into West Elm in search of some slightly more feminine shams to balance it out. I ended up with these watercolor-print Roar & Rabbit shams that I love, and perfectly pull the room together, Big Lebowski-style.

But enough about bedding. How about some lazy Sunday reading distraction? Here are my favorite links lately:

• A little girl scores big with a Whole Foods contract for her lemonade. I can't wait to try it!
• Grab a hanky! THIS little girl is cool as a cucumber when she calls 911 to save her daddy. 
• How to travel like a grown-ass woman and not break the bank.
• Incredible and thought-provoking interview with RuPaul.
• A mural shows Kanye kissing Kanye and it's perfect.
• Best coworker ever: Nick Offerman.
• Brilliant couple trying to reinvent breastmilk pumping. Bravo!
• Good hustle vs. bad hustle
• Mimosa sangria
• Mondrian + Pong = MondriPong
• TV reporters school the public on mean commenters.
• Appalachian cuisine is having its moment. 
• A great feature on a former panhandler running into a former benefactor
• Guns 'N' Roses war stories
• Common dishwasher-loading mistakes.
• A tax calculator that shows how each presidential candidate's proposals would affect you.
• An artist's tribute to creatives who died of AIDS.

Sunday Best v.267

Milton Avery, "Conversations in the Studio."

It's a bit late to be posting a Sunday best, but I hope we're good enough friends you'll understand that I really had to spend my whole day watching the BBC's adaptation of "North & South" or life just wasn't going to be worth living. I'm HEAVY into a 19th-century Brit Lit film adaptation phase at the moment, so if it's not in Derbyshire or Sussex, I just can't give a damn. But here are a few links that did catch my attention:

• Let me translate my emails for you.
• You aren't imagining it: some babies are just easier.
• What it's like to blur body parts for "Naked and Afraid."
• A TED talk that makes men feminists.
• Garden and Gun perfectly captures the delight of driving on NC 12 in the Outer Banks.
• Men don't trust women not to overreact. TRUTH.
• What alcohol says to us.
• The NYT 25 essays about music today is totally worth reading.
• I'm biased (because I was not athletic at all), but this is an interesting take: The case against high school sports.
• There is a 90s boy band zombie movie coming.
• Katie Holmes' amazing death stare.
• I am LIVING for American Idol right now, and this is why.

Sunday Best v. 266

How to Work Better by Fischli & Weiss, 1991.

Oh, y'all, I haven't shared a Sunday Best in so very long, I don't blame you if you've unfriended me. I'm determined to make it up to you, so here are a TON of favorite links from the past couple weeks.

• Texts to send friends with depression.
• These new NASA posters would look so great in a nursery, office or classroom.
• Want an Ivy League education with no debt? Peep their reading lists.
• Some real talk about women artists.
• All the reasons doing theater as a kid is the best prep for adulthood. Seriously, I can vouch!
• The best: a phone call between Albert Maysles and Little Edie in the year 2000.
• Incredibly moving Under Armour ad for women gymnasts.
• The amount of potential wasted on commutes.
• The rumors were true: Bob Dylan's secret archive.
• Chocolate totally makes your brain work better.
• Don't cross Bea Arthur.
• Artists who DIDN'T quit their day jobs.
• How to teach doctors empathy.
• Behind the scenes of my favorite moment in Broad City.
• There's going to be a Hamilton mix-tape!

Sunday Best v. 265

Life lately pretty much revolves around scraping wallpaper off in this guest room. I can't wait to have a real reveal, although I fear we're about 3-4 DIY projects away from that. So for now, let's bask in how much this room is not covered in lighthouse wallpaper. 

I'll be working more on that today because we had a little bit of snow, which means it's the perfect time to stay in PJs and do indoor projects. If you're having a Netflix and chill kind of day, here's some links for your entertainment:

• The Post explains why we should remember no food is "healthy".
• I'm hoping this helpful video on how to cook salmon will finally help me make it well at home.
• An ode to skipping the small talk.
• The last meals of death row inmates will surprise you!
• How I truly feel about hugs from new acquaintances. 
• A peek inside the home of artist Louise Bourgeois, soon to open for tours.
• Raise little girls to be includers -- YES!
• 20 influences that led to Hamilton (the musical, if you're living under a rock).
• An inspiring book drive idea.
• Short story vending machines.

Sunday Best v.264

Diamonds are Forever by Kurt Pio

This weekend seemed to fly by! We hosted friends for a Star Wars night, I tackled wallpaper removal in the guest room, and Ashleigh and I went to see a play. As is my tradition, I'll be tweeting the Golden Globes @amberfi tonight. 

• Russian Tea was always a tradition where I'm from. We didn't make it in my house, but I remember all my friends having some at their homes.
• A burger bucket list.
• The history of red lipstick.
• Proof David Bowie is cooler than you.
• Kevin Hart, Ice Cube and Conan go on a drive.
• If you've watched it, you know Making a Murderer is all about hairstyles.
• Excited for this miniseries about Queen Elizabeth II!
• Incredibly well-written, but haunting, story about a little girl's drowning and how it could have been prevented.
• 52 places to visit in 2016.
• A new fun co-worker game: The Hungry Games.

Sunday Best v.263

In all the hubbub, I forgot to share this picture of our visit with Santa at Christmas Town! My parents weren't super into Santa, so I didn't have a tradition of trekking to the mall to see him each year. Needless to say, I can't imagine a better Santa pic!

• Inspiring pictures of artists' drawings after practice.
• I found Obama's appearances on Comedians in Cars super delightful.
• The best time to buy plane tickets in 2016.
• Images of space from a lost GoPro weather balloon.
• Letters to Santa, found a century later.
• In case you didn't know, a man invented vibrators because he was tired of giving medical orgasms.
• The best beauty products according to Buzzfeed readers. BRB, I gotta update my Amazon wish list!
• Looking for new books to read? Try this list or this list or this list.
• Always good: weather bloopers.
• This girl thinks Space Voldemort is the good guy in Star Wars.
• How to slim belly fat, according to the NYT: exercise, but not sit-ups.
• This self-taught teenager sews historical gowns! Amazing.
• Seriously had no idea it was this easy to make DIY candles.
• The best of 2015 pop culture.

Sunday Best v.262

More adorable behind-the-scenes pics here.

Have you seen the new Star Wars yet? I LOVED IT. We've been so busy this holiday season...busier than I can ever remember with parties and get-togethers and concerts and beyond. I definitely need to do a big post about our holiday decor, so stay tuned for that. In the meantime, here's some good links to check out from the past week or so:

• The girl who made up "on fleek" hasn't made any money for it.
• Open Table's top 100 restaurants for 2015.
• Stormtroopers tackle holiday decorating.
• Christmas in the 70's vs. Christmas today. (I was an 80's baby, and Christmas was just like the 70s version).
• A hilarious and dead-on version of Star Wars if told by Ken Burns.
• I will miss The Soup, even if I never had time to watch anymore.
• Prince's awesome cover of Creep.
• ICYMI: Instagram Husband.
• I'm a girl and this funny explanation of the hymen blew my mind.
• Tickle your ears with the 10 Best Podcasts of 2015.
• Could this be the real face of Jesus?
• An oral history of The League.
• The history of Tina and Amy as best friends.
• AND Tina and Amy appear on Broad City as nuns.
• The winners of the comedy wildlife photography competition.
• This hilarious piece perfectly sums up shopping for men.
• A smart mom declares why she doesn't care where her kids go to college.

Sunday Best v. 261

David Bowie's getting ready routine, from this new book.

I don't know about you, but I am LOVING having a long weekend. I was very spoiled to have all Mondays off at my old job and I've been feeling so productive this weekend. I tackled most of my holiday shopping, figured out what we're going to do to decorate this year (the actual decorating yet to come) and used my brand new leafblower to blow and vacuum the front yard. Oh, and of course we had Thanksgiving in there somewhere, too. 

If you have some lounging time left in your weekend, here are some of my favorite links from the past couple weeks:

• ICYMI: Alanis Morissette's 21st-century version of Ironic.
• Preach, Elizabeth Gilbert! Why not everybody should chase one passion.
• An incredible collection of unopened 17th-century letters, now being read for the first time!
• If you've ever had an Uber nightmare, this sketch is for you. This aired while we were in Philly, watching our Uber pass us three times.
• How to be a better friend over 30.
• So inspiring! Toronto's unfolding story pod.
• For one year, a couple lived in Air B&B rentals to try out different neighborhoods. Brilliant or crazy?
• For one month, a husband wrote down everything that made his wife cry.
• Notable fiction of 2015. Time to update my Goodreads list!

Sunday Best v.260

Ouch! My muscles are aching and as many a southern dad says, my dogs are barking. Everything is sore, but it's all for a good reason: we re-landscaped the front beds this weekend! It was a pretty huge undertaking, and we couldn't have done it without my mother-in-law's help. I'll share much more about that this week, but in the meantime, I have some seriously great procrastination links to get you through this week.

• In praise of the magic hour.
• 23 products to master adulting.
• Did you major in psychology and never use it? Go back to school, because we need you!
• Get a hanky ready. Proof Mr. Rogers was an angel on earth.
• Hilarious tweeted awkward moments.
• Rare '80s art scene party pics with Madonna, Basquiat and Warhol.
• Super excited for Joseph Gordon-Levitt's next lip sync battle. Also, Lin-Manuel Miranda CRUSHED this freestyle rap battle.
• The most elegant pole dancing you'll ever see.
• Trailer's out for The Hateful Eight.
• Amazing marriage advice that's true: marry the person who will help you use the bathroom.
• A most excellent StoryCorps story about a gay son in the 50s. 
• Parents: don't feel guilty about your kids' digital time. Just make the best of it.
• Justin Timberlake: thank god he's a country boy.
• An architectural project that's been going for 132 years and counting.
• Lonely Planet's 2016 travel recs.
• Do we still need dorms as adults?
• A taco bucket list.

Sunday Best v.259

Halloweeeeeeeeeeeeen!! Coming down from the first year I ever had two costumes; I'll share some more pics tomorrow! If you're being super lazy today like me, here's some great link distraction:

• Inspiration! Brides in color.
• Even Bey is obsessed with Hamilton.
• Finally, we can woo cats with music for cats.
• Billy On the Street does Bros on the Street, to hilarious results.
• Just in time for Halloween, subversive ceramic art.
• For next year: graphic design Halloween costumes.
• In love with Broad City's Halloween costumes.
• Speaking of which, I want this book on the Notorious RBG.
• Playable Pumpkin Tetris.
• We now have Game of Thrones coloring books.
• The true story of how Joey ended up with Pacey.
• A history of artists telling politicians DON'T USE MY SONG.
• Excited about this new project by Christo that will let you walk on water.
• What happens when your Jeopardy response goes viral.
• Finally, an honest trailer for Inside Out

Sunday Best v.258

Long exposure with Picasso. Photo by Gjon Mili for LIFE magazine, 1949.

Happy Birthday to Picasso, that sonuvabitch. This week is a big week...first at my new job, while still finishing up at my old job, plus it's Halloween!! Ready to skip ahead a bit to when life is more settled, but I know better than to wish time away. Here are some favorite links I stumbled upon this week:

• My obsession this week: #drakealwaysonbeat
• The story behind a legendary album cover's art: Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.
• Cook with this iron fish and you could avoid iron deficiency.
• Gorgeous white henna that looks like lace!
• Feminist costumes for little girls. I doubt many little girls WANT to dress up as Gloria Steinem, but why not?
• In the Ukraine, a Lenin statue is recast as Darth Vader...with WiFi!
• Your favorite foods, way way upsized.
• Too true: husband fails.
• An old link, but still fun: art gifs.
• Bill Murray did another AMA and of course, it delivers. I would love to see him on The Amazing Race.
• LOL'ing at Do the White Thing.
• An ode to Terry Gross, best interviewer in the biz.

Sunday Best v.257

Mural by Bradley Theodore

Oh, lordy I am so behind on things I want to write about! I will try to carve out some time to actually update, but life has been CA-RAZY. Last weekend we spent our entire Sunday at a car dealership buying a replacement for my car, which was limping down the road. I also have accepted a new job and changing jobs is so, so stressful. October is also a super busy social time in Hampton Roads because the weather is moderate enough to enjoy! And to top it all off, I've had a cold this week and I've been trying to carve out enough time each night for a NyQuil coma. 

BUT. I can at least share some links, can't I? Here's a few to peruse on your lazy Sunday:

• ICYMI last week: the Weezer/Kanye mashup you didn't know you were waiting for.
• The adorable bromance of Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg. And while we're at it, the touching tribute Bryce Dallas Howard gave to her dad, Ron Howard.
• The best podcasts to start with in any subject.
• I love tiny furniture, so I want to visit this French museum devoted to tiny film sets.
• Handy dandy ios9 iphone tricks.
• Kids should do chores and here's why.
• Maps of prejudice. Guilty of thinking a lot of these things are true!
• This video illustrates how few women are in leadership roles. It's crazy!
• Particularly great Gloria Steinem interviews from The New Yorker and Lenny.
• Artist Statements of the old masters. Hilarious art history jokes abound!
• I'm carving out some time to read this story about a man making a life after prison.

Sunday Best v.256

Bananda by Brent Schoepf

Whew lordy, it's been weeks since I shared my favorite links! And not for lack of reading material...lack of free Sundays! But never fear, if you're bored at work on Monday and looking for some distraction material, I got ya:

• Peek at a famous Virginia estate.
• A better way to introduce friends than mentioning their jobs.
• The 115 status symbols right now.
• How to make your produce/fresh food last.
• Incredible statues only visible at low tide.
• I want this in my belly: tomato grilled cheese with beer and bacon marmalade.
• The Kardashian Playbook: how they got our attention and kept it.
• ICYMI: the most excellent Uptown Funk movie dancing mash-up.
• This Buzzfeed listicle about being in college in the early aughts is so dead-on, it almost hurt to read it from all the nostalgia/memories.
• 10 must-read books by MacArthur Genius Grant winners.
• How to build an art collection, from someone who has done it twice.

Sunday Best v.255

Grace Kelly in Monaco...one last summer shot before we give in to fall!

Since I was out of town last weekend, I didn't get around to sharing my favorite links, so this week's edition has some slightly oldie-but-goodies! We've had a rainy weekend so far and I couldn't be gladder for it...we've needed rain really bad and I was actively avoiding my yardwork. Here's some more distraction for you:

• Kelly Clarkson's greatest 96 covers (I'm partial to "Bitch Better Have My Money").
• Honest titles for board games.
• 100 dramas everyone should watch.
• Insanely accurate app figures out your personality based on your Facebook likes!
• Updated children's books for millenials.
• A surprisingly great place for girl advice: a period-tracking app.
• I did a total deep dive on Rare Historical Photos. 
• ICYMI: The hilariously dead-on Hipster Barbie Instagram.
• For moms: What wine pairs best with bad toddler behavior.
• This video just finally taught me how to ice a cake.
• Want to meet other people while you drop a deuce? Meet Pooductive.
• 46 books to read this fall.