Earth, wind, and fire
Earth, wind, and fire
Do you remember, never a cloudy day...
September is my favorite month, and not just because it’s my birth month (ahem, casually dropping that in). The weather in LA is perfect in September, everyone comes back into town, and it feels like a mini-new-year in that it’s a reset without the hefty weight of the holidays and resolutions.
HOWEVER, and I don’t know if you’ve noticed this too, the world seems to be on constant literal and proverbial fire right now. So I’m a) excited for the return of the school year routine, b) planning a little birthday celebration, and c) feeling fairly apocalypse now about everything. A smattering of the worrying headlines I’m talking about would include: “First-ever tropical storm watch issues for Southern California” (which was then accompanied by an earthquake), “July set to be world’s warmest month on record”, “Scientists concerned 'rare' glacial flooding event in Alaska could happen again” was a headline ONE DAY before awful fires ravaged Maui. “Typhoon Lan makes landfall in Japan”, “Entire town of Hay River in Canada ordered to leave as wildfires encroach”, and “Firefighters in Greece Are Struggling to Battle The E.U.'s Biggest Wildfire Ever Recorded”. And all of those are headlines from no more than 5 weeks ago. Sorry to be such a downer.
That’s not even to get into the headlines like “She Wasn't Able to Get an Abortion. Now She's a Mom. Soon She'll Start 7th Grade.”
How do we go back to school shopping or plan birthdays when the world kind of maybe seems like it’s ending?
It makes me think of this scene from The Newsroom. Watch it at your own risk:
I mean, we have to go on. We have to buy uniforms and book fun dinners to celebrate fun things. We have to live our lives. AND… what else are we supposed to be doing? How much does my buying compostable sandwich bags do? How much of an impact does it make when we bring my own tote bags to the grocery store, when we switch to electric cars, when we bring reusable water bottles with us everywhere. (Gen Z calls them emotional support water bottles, which is a whole separate newsletter.) How much change does Meatless Monday make? These questions and feelings reach beyond the climate issues, of course, but those are top of mind.
Also it doesn’t feel like we, the individuals, should be the only ones on the front lines these sweeping, meaningful changes. I want to see far more corporations, with their distribution centers and massive and global operating systems, out there moving the needle. To that end, “voting with our wallets” is vital, but how often does one have time to research the eco-friendly nexus of every product? And it does start to feel like everything’s owned by a handful of nefarious mega-corporations, anyway.
What an inspiring newsletter! I’m a great time.
Okay, okay… how about some good news? The LA Dodgers continue to resign outfielder Andrew Toles even though he hasn’t played since 2018, in order for him to maintain his access to their health insurance and mental health treatments. LEGO has made their “Braille Bricks, a learning toy for children with visual impairments (or who just want to learn the script) available for purchase by anyone who wants them.” And “The Clean Energy Future Is Arriving Faster Than You Think”. And how about “An iconic post-presidency mugshot”.
Also, from Jessica Yellin’s excellent newsletter: “Taylor Swift already made headlines during the Eras Tour by giving hefty bonuses to her crew including tour truck drivers, but that isn’t the only way she’s been generous. Swift has also been donating money to local food banks near her tour stops and raising awareness about food insecurity.”
So maybe the lesson is, be more like Taylor Swift? Maybe the best way to really enjoy and carry on these days is to help out along the way, as much as is humanly possible. For example, we could all contribute to a GoFundMe for that little girl in Mississippi that was forced to become a mother at 13.
Nothing matters! Here’s links!
One of my very best friends said she’s looking for black boots, so I also went looking for black boots: I dig these Chelsea boots from COS and these Mango cowboy-style ankle boots are so good. For a knee-high, I love this minimalist pair from Emerson Fry. I’m not always a big Anthro fan, but these knee high boots with a kitten heel are very cute. Dear Frances is a new-to-me brand, but their knee-high-with-kitten heel pair is very cool. After the rains of Winter 2022-2023 in LA, I am eyeing these cute rain ankle boots from Everlane.
Let’s talk about the September 2023 cover of Vogue. Because ugh.
I was reminded of this great interview with Emma Thompson, when she was promoting her great movie Good Luck to You, Leo Grande. In short: “I started hating my body when I was 14” and “don’t waste your time or your life’s purpose worrying about your body.” Also, she keeps her Oscars in a bathroom.
We went to England! Some hot tips and highlights from our trip to visit friends: In London, if you’re there with kids, do the Afternoon Science Tea at the Ampersand Hotel in South Kensington, huge hit. Aubaine is still delicious as is Chisou for sushi.
Then we spent a few days in Somerset, which is beautiful. The English countryside is just… perfect. I highly recommend the Hauser & Wirth in Bruton with its gorgeous outdoor sculptures and galleries, as well as its delish restaurant. Also, in the mystical town of Glastonbury Queen of Cups is a very unassuming restaurant turning out crazy-good food. Speaking of unassuming, in the town of Wells there’s a kitschy cafe called Loaf also serving shockingly good breakfast and brunch dishes. We stopped by the absolutely charming Middlewick for a perfect breakfast one day and At the Chapel for a fantastic dinner. And then we spent an afternoon at The Newt, which is a rambling, luxe country estate owned by the same people as heaven-on-Earth Babylonstoren.
Don’t forget to have me plan your trip for you ;)
And lastly…
Signing off to scream into a pillow and then text someone back “omg haha!”
xoxo,
Nicole