Spring Suggestions

What to buy, see, do while we wait for the weather to turn

Here’s a tip: Until the fresh flowers are flowing at the farmer’s market, buy dome dried ones which will last until the crocuses arrive. (Photo by micheile henderson on Unsplash)

Hi sweethearts,

We are almost through the longest winter on record. Here in New York, the weather has teased us with a few beautiful days before crushing our spirits with more wind and frigidity. There’s a specific kind of restlessness that sets in around this time of year. It’s not quite cabin fever…we’re functioning, we’re doing things , but we’re doing them with the faint, low-grade resentment of someone who knows we deserve warm weather by now.

What can we do while we wait for the days of rooftop rosé and picnics in the park? I’ve got some ideas! I’vve been buying things, upgrading things, and clearing out things in response to hitting the spring days head on.

Let’s get into it.

📺 Watch Love Story

I’ve been into watching the latest installment of Ryan Murphy’s universe, which is surprising because I’ve never liked anything by him before. Usually, I found his work too kitsch and over the top. But I couldn’t resist Sarah Pidgeon as Carolyn Bessette (last seen on Broadway’s Stereophonic) who is magnetic in a way that makes the viewer understand completely why no one could look away from this relationship. I interned at Mirabella Magazine in the 90s at Hachette Filipacchi, alongside George, and a JFK Jr. sighting in the elevator would send entire departments into chaos for the day. Yet I agree with the writer, Glynnis MacNicol, who says in her NY Times essay, “In the history of great romances, life in New York City before smartphones and the World Wide Web must count as one of the most coveted.” The show is worth watching simply for the nostalgia of NYC in the ‘90s, a time when you could conceivably transform a job at a local mall to a career as PR director at a major corporation, you could rent a studio in the West Village on a showroom assistant’s salary, you could smoke cigarettes on the street (and in restaurants) with abandon, and you could meet someone at a party instead of an app. Back then, fashion companies like Calvin Klein and magazines like George had power, cultural relevance, and offered a touch of glamour, while today’s tech dominance has ruined every industry it attempted to reform (taxis, publishing, music industry, movies, television, retail, travel and human connection.)

⬆️ Upgrade Router

Ranting against technology wont get me anywhere, and the internet at my house has needed an upgrade for a while. My Google Nest mesh system was over five years old, and now, because the tech industry is so horrible (see above), it has to be completely updated for it to work. Michou Mahtani, friend of the newsletter, and CEO of Thomas Fuchs Creative, the best place to get your outdoor dinnerware, inspired me to finally pull the trigger when he raved about his upgrade. Spring feels like a satisfying time to make your life easier.

📖 Preorder Good Joy, Bad Joy

Friend of the newsletter, and best-selling author, Mikki Brammer has a new book coming out in May! You most likely have read her debut, The Collective Regrets of Clover, but if you haven’t, that should be step one. Then, pre-order Good Joy, Bad Joy, which is about an 80-year-old devoted wife and mother who’s always played by the rules, but after her BFF discovers she only has months to live, Joy decides to live more boldly for the time she has left. Preorders are very helpful to authors, so if you already know you’re going to read it (and of course you will!) you should pre-order a copy. I haven’t read it yet, but I am almost positive it will be heartwarming and life-affirming, perfectly timed for your hammock reading this spring.

🫧🧴Repair Skin Barrier

This product was recommended to me by Sarah Galender Meyer, friend of the newsletter and Director of Hauser & Wirth Collection Services US and Co-Founder Arrival Art Fair. The Beauty From Bees serum ($30) is an oil you use instead of a lotion, and basically it smells nice and if your dry, chapped skin needs a little TLC before exposing it to the world this spring, this will do the trick. It feels like you’re greasing up chicken when you’re applying it, but it absorbs fast so it doesn’t get all over your clothes. I’m not loving the $10 shipping fee, but maybe it’s worth it since it actually seems to work. Another thing I love and have bought countless times, and have even gifted friends/ family is Naturium’s The Glow Getter Multi-Oil Hydrating Body Wash ($17). Warning: there is no going back to regular soap or body wash after using it.

🛍️ Closet Clean Out

It’s time to get a jump on the spring cleaning, and that means rooting through your closets for anything you can discard. If you live in New York, St. Mary’s Clothing Drive makes it incredibly easy to schedule a pick up online. Then, leave the labeled bag downstairs in the morning and they’ll pick it up by the time you return home. So easy. What are you waiting for?