Present Joys: Musicals, Japanese sweet potatoes, changed priorities and fancy miso soup
Week of November 19, 2024 · Present Joys is a project by Present Studio. We specialize in bespoke branding and web development for specialty e-commerce businesses looking to grow with intention.
Singin' in the Rain
I spent a lazy Saturday afternoon rewatching Singin’ in the Rain and it was simply delightful. Gene Kelly is a charm, Debbie Reynolds absolutely adorable, and the comedic excellence that is Donald O’Conner, incredible. Petition to bring musicals back in vogue, please.
A Me Morning
I had a “most me” type of morning last Saturday and it felt so nice to sink into parts of myself which have felt, strangely, estranged. I’ve officially started training for an upcoming marathon and kicked off my weekend with an 8 mile run through Griffith Park. I hadn’t been running much up until a week ago, so I was relieved that this run felt so good. Capped off my runner’s high with a cup of coffee from Cafe Nido, sipped slowly while reading my book. I loved this excerpt from All Fours and read it twice to let it really sink in:
But maybe the road split between:
a life spent longing
vs.
a life that was continually surprising
like the night had been. While I didn’t have the narcotic high Davey gave me, there was another kind of elation and it was, among other things, weirder. I felt untethered from my age and femininity and thus swimming in great new swaths of freedom and time. One might shift again and again like this, through intimacies, and not outpace oldness exactly, but match its weirdness, its flagrant specificity, with one’s own.
Cozy Knits
It’s Lauren Manoogian season! Or at least that’s what I wish my closet subsisted of this time of year. Dreaming of knit on knit on knit outfits to wear this winter (and debating the practicality of owning a balaclava in LA…)
Japanese Sweet Potatoes
If the adage is true and you are what you eat, I am squarely (oblongly?) a spud. At any given moment these days, you’re sure to find Japanese sweet potatoes roasting in my oven. I like to toss the potato halves with olive oil and S+P and roast them in a 400 degree oven until the exterior is crisp (almost candied!) and the interior is soft and fluffy. Can’t get enough!
Changed priorities ahead
I was in the UK a few weeks ago when I walked past this sign on my way to meet my cousin. As I contemplated the sign, I thought about what priorities in life I was hoping might change. Nothing came to mind straightaway that morning, but the idea of changed priorities was enough to make me smile, wonder, and embrace the possibility.
Fancy miso soup
We had the incredible opportunity this year to work with Noma Projects (we built their new site!). Their Copenhagen-based team sent us a few products to try at home and I’ve been enjoying making simple meals, like miso soup, feel extra special ever since. Their dedication to good ingredients and crafting products with care allowed me to plain water into a tasty dashi in a minute flat. Btw, I didn’t use it for the soup, but since it’s in the pic, that little cast iron skillet on the stove is my new favorite pan.
Sharing a barber with Lee
I know there are people out there who enjoy haircuts, but I’m not one of them… or at least I wasn’t until last week. In the past, I would get anxious before going to a salon, “did I select the right celeb inspo photo to share (lol)”, “is the haircut I want too trendy or too dated”, “will this cut look good with my face shape”, or “will I like it at all”. So when Lee said he was going to get a haircut from the barber down the road (who also cuts women’s hair), I jumped at the chance to try it out. I was hoping it would be relaxed, efficient, with just the right amount of questions asked—and that’s exactly how it went. I look a bit like A.J. Soprano half the week, but I’ll take a chuckle in the mirror over googling haircuts any day. Plus, I get to go to the barber with Lee!
The other Tom Brown
I came across an article the other day about a man named Tom Brown who has dedicated his retired life to documenting and conserving heritage apple varieties that are at risk of becoming lost to time and industrialized agriculture. The author of the article had requested an interview, which Tom refused with the note: “there is insufficient remaining time for all the apple preservation work that I urgently need to do.” How lovely to have a hobby that becomes a calling.
Vegan in the desert
We spent last weekend in Palm Desert with my in-laws. Somewhere in midst of our hike, pool and Rummikub sessions we had lunch at Chef Tanya’s Kitchen and it was my favorite meal of the whole trip. Added bonus: they make an oat milk date shake!
Save the Date: Present Walks
Join us for our next Present Walks this Sunday, 11/24 at 8:30AM. We’ll meet at Trails Cafe and take a short stroll through Griffith Park’s Fern Dell. Details here!