-On New Orleans, bad makeup, and the literal universe

Hello friends and welcome to our Sunday!

I hope there’s room for this picture of friendship joy as we all headed into the French Quarter last Fat Tuesday. Mardi Gras is our greatest expression of joy and the sun was shining and it felt exactly like the community celebration we craved.  The rest of the week has been spent trying to gather my mind, cleaning my closet (my goodness), and nursing a bit of a cold. We went for it this Mardi Gras, now it’s time to settle and steady our feet forward.

If you’re like me, this week has been punctuated with worry for the people of Ukraine. I can feel myself holding my breath as I listen to the morning news. Just this morning the news that people are booking Airbnbs in Ukraine as a way of sending direct aid struck me as rather creative.

This week in reads we explore grief, reality television, love poems, cocktails, and watercolor painting.  We’re all over the place because life continues to be everything all at once.  As always, take only what you need;

•  Hey Los Angeles friends! Next Saturday March 12th I’ll be at the new Williams Sonoma store located in The Original Farmer’s Market across from The Grove!  I’ll be making muffins at 11am for a little meet and greet and I’d love to see you! The new store is sure to be a show stopper and it will carry all the products you know and love alongside a unique assortment of food products from local makers. 15% of sales from the weekend go to the Los Angeles Mission so please come on out!

•   The New Orleans Funeral reminds us that grief is a burden that can be shared. (Vox)

•  It’s important to bear witness to each other’s loves and lives: In Love by Amy Bloom. (Parnassus Books)

•  I’m currently watching The Dropout on Hulu and these thoughts are similar to my own while watching the first episode. Also – it looks like the show’s makeup artists used their non-dominant hands to apply Amanda Seyfried’s makeup and truly it’s 10/10. (Hulu, Vogue, Vanity Fair)

•  Have you let yourself indulge in this epic display of reality television dating: Why America Loves Love is Blind. Do I need to take to Instagram to talk about Shane and Shake while making cookies? Is this the mash-up we need? (The Atlantic)

•  Recently listened to my high school friend talk about the literal universe, blackness, and particle matter on WNYC. She used to help me with my homework… so listen, I knew who to ask for help. Physicist Chanda Prescod-Weinstein Expands How We Look at the Cosmos on The Takeaway. (WNYCStudios)

•  Why Write Love Poetry in a Burning World by Katie Farris. (Instagram)

•  I kept a big pot of this Creamy White Chicken Chili in the fridge last week for our Mardi Gras comings and goings and honestly I think it saved our lives (or at least saved us from eating too much late night Taco Bell). (Half Baked Harvest)

•  It’s FISH FRY season, friends! If you aren’t hitting up your local Catholic church every Friday between now and Easter, you can make your own fish at home thanks to Jon: Easy Weeknight Fish Fry. (The Candid Appetite)

•  In rabbit holes you did not ask to go down: I’m researching spring cocktails for my home bar (and to share with you in a few weeks, duh) and deep in researching aquafaba (chickpea water) for gin sours.  (YouTube)

•  In good company:  Our Favorite Women In Food To Follow (The Spruce Eats)

•  I can feel myself about to go on a watercolor galaxy painting journey with Zaneena Nabeel. (Instagram)

My love to you, friends!

Have a wonderful Sunday.

xo Joy