The theme this week?ย Sunny days.
Hi friends. Welcome to this fine Sunday.
I found myself watching my favorite Boston bank robbery movie (wait, too specific a category?) The Town staring Ben Affleck and Jeremy Renner this week.ย Come for the Boston accents, stay for the bank robbers dressed as old nuns and impossible car chases.ย Actually, stay for Blake Lively’s performance. Actually stay for Ben Affleck putting in work on the pullup bar.ย ANYWAY, a “sunny day” is a code phrase in that movie that changes everything and expresses Claire’s real and true love for Doug, the bank robber with a heart of gold. No one loves this movie more than me. Can you tell?
I had a phone date with a friend it Pittsburg and it sounds like the winter is already taking its toll.ย It sounded very much like she needed a sunny day (an actually sunny day) and I’m working on a care package to send her some sunshine.ย This idea is inspired by this forever endearing care package Emily Schulman shared this week.
Tron agrees. He’s sprawled out in the afternoon sunspot on the hardwood floor as I type.
Really though, we could all use some figurative (if not literal) sunshine these days.ย Here’s my offering in that category. As always, take only what you need (and go watch The Town).
โขย I think it was early 2020 when a friend suggested I listen to a podcast called Reality Riffing with Guru Jagat.ย I gave it a strong effort for several episodes knowing full well I prefer a podcast about murder or real housewives hosted my ordinary people who don’t call themselves gurus but –ย I persisted.ย I lost the plot early, but really just wondered if there was actually a plot at all.ย The skeptic in me heard lots of words, but their connection to one another seemed dicey, at best.ย ANYWAY – too early one morning, rather sleepless, I fell down a Guru Jagat rabbit hole and I’d like to invite you to do the same, starting here:ย The Second Coming of Guru Jagat.ย (Vanity Fair)
โขย This is my favorite read of the week: The Perpetual Rage of Motherhood (The Cut)
โขย How even? : How Alexandr Sorokin Ran 100-Miles at a 6:31 Pace (Outside)
โขย Listened to this episode of You’re Wrong About on Tammy Faye Baker.ย It’s an episode re-released with a new intro that I found very thoughtful.ย There’s so much value in digging deep enough to really understanding someone’s story, their motivations, their circumstances. It’s empathy and it’s also love.ย I felt the same about this The Daily episode about the Life and Legacy of Sidney Poitier. (Apple Podcasts)
โขย Controversial opinion but excellent points: Stop Fetishizing Old Houses (The Atlantic)
โขย You know I’m going to be talking about Mardi Gras for the next two months so I’ll just leave all of the King Cakes I’ve made so far right here for you. Prepare yourselves.ย And eyes on these elevated Mardi Gras sprinkles (minus the green but hey we can add a few green tones if we wanna). (Joy the Baker and Fancy Sprinkles)
โข ย I wonder if the cats have freed the blender. (Instagram)
โขย The editors at Bravo KNOW to how make a trailer and deserve some sort of humanitarian award.ย I am present and available for Season 12 of The Real Housewives of New Jersey. Oh the plastic surgery. Oh the insults. Oh the drinks thrown. It’s so bad it’s next level good. (YouTube)
โขย A Running List of Everywhere Carrie and Friends Eat or Drink in “And Just Like That…” and can we all agree that Episode 7 was nearing great and far less painful that episodes 1-6? Actual question. (Eater)
โขย I have a very very cute jewelry collaboration (and special discount!) with my friends atย Delicacies Jewelry comin’ atcha next week! I think you’re going to love it so be sure you keep your eyes peeled here next Sunday.
โขย Lastly, let these stream: Dr Martin Luther King Jr’s 1968 sermon The Drum Major Instinct –ย musically adapted by Theatre of War Productions.ย (YouTube)
Enjoy your Sunday, friends! I’m sorry I talked about The Town so much.
My love to you.
xo Joy
17 Responses
Really late, but thanks for these reads!
Don’t forget Jon Hamm in The Town, one great movie!
On the topic of Ben Affleck, and I apologize if I missed it somewhere along the line, but have you see The Tender Bar? I loved it and though Affleck was wonderful.
OMG that Motherhood article is so spot on. The unexplainable rage, and the immediate guilt that follows it was so surprising and depressing as a new mom. And it’s still there almost 10 years later.
Just came here to say The Town is my favorite movie of all town and why I will always be an Affleck stan (despite poor choices in interview remarks).
I feel you, my friend. Hahahha
Thought train this morning,
– Oh Tron, you’re so handsome!
– that rug is beautiful! wonder where it’s from?
– I LOVE The Town too! such a good movie!
– the housing market is ridiculous in N.E. Wisconsin. Old homes are still selling like hotcakes, way overpriced in most cases, but new construction is crazy too. There’s probably 15 new subdivisions within a 10mile radius of where I live.
-my cat Greta has an Amazon box that is just a smidge too small for her body, but she lays in it everyday for the past 3 years, at least.
Todays post is why Iโm such a fan – you offer grace empathy compassion laughter & king cake! Honestly your voice helps get me through these pandemic days. Thank you. Be safe ?
Love seeing Tron. How is your shared pup doing? Have not seen you post about him/her in awhile!
Be careful of falling too far down the Guru Jagat rabbit hole. She had a questionable history of abusive practices with her followers and of shady business dealings. She was spreading a lot of Covid misinformation prior to her passing as well. The podcast Conspiriruality has a couple of detail, in-depth episode with lots of sources in their show notes (including accounts from people who claim to be survivors of her abuse).
Oh I know – it’s an absolute mess.
I watch Town at least once a month. A great love story and how it deals with redemption. Love this blog.
I also read the “Stop Fetishizing Old Houses” article this week. However, just previously in the week I had read this article from the Sierra Club, https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/2021-6-winter/feature/build-or-not-build, which revealed the “Stop Fetishizing Old Houses” article’s sizable omissions when it comes to the stated sustainability of new construction. The Sierra Club article gives a lot of information on how retrofitting and reusing existing structures saves carbon emissions because new material don’t need to be extracted, processed, shipped, and constructed. It takes 10-80 years for a new “green” building’s energy efficiency to make up for the carbon emitted in creating the new structure. In most cases, it would be more sustainable to repurpose or retrofit existing buildings to be more energy efficient instead of constructing an entirely new building. I thought the Atlantic article had other interesting points, but it seemed that his points on the relative sustainability of new construction were misleading. It was really interesting to read both articles almost side by side!
Oh my gosh, I can’t begin to describe the relief reading the article about the rage of Motherhood! As a new mom I was so unprepared to feel that level of rage that went from 0 to 60 then feeling awful and alone and like a monster after the fact. It was bewildering to navigate because it always seemed to fly in from left field and was utterly unpredictable when it would hit. I look back at past bad moments and cringe so hard, desperately hoping my kids don’t remember those moments as vividly as I do. So glad to see more people talk about this and bring it more into the open. That is an important step!
Started the Town last night on your rec and would never have recognized Blake Lively! So good.
Joy,
You can never talk about The Town, enough!
Thank you for acknowledging how truly great the Town is. Benโs monologue in the garden gets me every time. Itโs a perfect movie and itโs about time people knew it!