Welcome to THE WEEKENDER, your weekly dispatch full of ~Saturday spirit~! I fill you in briefly on the week, share a few Little Luxuries that make the mundane feel special and save the best for last with some Brain Food to mull over, expand your horizons, or discuss with your friends over a cappuccino. There are usually lots of links and pictures which perhaps will get clipped if you’re reading in your inbox— click here to read in browser!
Readers, I need your help! I have two weeks until my first Renaissance Faire (lol— but also hit me up if you want to come…) and I have no idea what to wear. I love Selkie’s work in this space, as well as Highly Liquid’s very cool upcycled garments, but they’re both a pretty penny, and it’s just one day… out of the box ideas or COOL medieval brands very welcome!! Hit me in the comments!
If we’re being completely honest, I am definitely the kind of person who would get into historical cosplay. Like, I was meant to wear corsetry and gowns and to keep a sharp knife sheathed in my leather boot in case of crime…
I’ll leave it there for today.
Small wins from my week:
Less meetings than usual, hallelujah! What peace, to do uninterrupted work at my own pace…
A (literal) change of scenery mid-week, visiting my family in California! On Thursday evening we took a stroll through the Farmer’s Market and I’d forgotten how superior California produce is. Then I got to catch up with one of my cousins over Mexican food, a rare delight!
Important: it is sweatpant jean season. The reader-beloved ones that I rave reviewed in my try-on of a bunch of different pairs of “work for home” pants are on sale for 25% off! Do not be foolish and wait too long to live in paradise, as I did. To my most loyal readers, I need to know… do I write a part 2 to this? Does anyone care?
Madewell is doing 25% off everything. (!?) Including that tote I showed you last week that looks an awful lot like the pricier Alex Mill one! This cashmere sweater tee has my attention…
Well, well, well. Negative launched athletic wear. I can’t believe they didn’t call me, since I’ve spent so much with them I feel like an investor at this point, but I’ll get over it. First thing’s first— I ordered the leggings and a perfect oxblood windbreaker. As I alluded to this week, I am struggling with getting to the gym 3x a week, hoping this inspires a little more workout time…
In August I tried Vivrelle for the first time and they made me an offer for First Rodeo readers— borrow any of their designer bags for a month free with code AZORAZOE. They kindly extended the offer through the end of September, I’m using my freebie on a ridiculous Chanel bag I’d never be able to buy in real life, which has been really fun. Sometimes you have to choose something really impractical just to shake things up, you know? Try out a different persona…
There is no better feeling than cracking into a new package of my expensive but DELICIOUS smelling laundry detergent. You know you’re old when you get really excited about laundry detergent, eh? I get the French Saffron, which doesn’t smell like Saffron whatsoever but just makes my laundry smell like a very expensive hotel, which I personally love. Hopefully my code still works, it’s FIRSTRODEO15!
Art of the week is Kim Tschang-Yeul’s beautiful painted water droplet work.
ICYMI: this week I wrote something totally wacky and out of the box, equal parts guide to charting your path through the end of the year and a missive on where I’m getting stuck on my own journey. I struggled hitting publish on this one, more vulnerable and exposed than I’ve gotten used to being lately— which is probably a sign I’m doing something right-ish.
I stumbled upon Casey McCallister’s writing about moving to Ireland as an American and loved both his stunning photography and his honest, thoughtful writing about the transition.
It had been a while since I had read a money diary, but I gobbled down this one about a couple in their 30s living on Long Island that the editor dubbed “the working rich”…
This has been a great week for amassing resources and inspiration as a writer attempting a debut novel while working full time (and then some!). First I dove into the podcast Pen Pals, from two authors in-process on debuts (hi Kelton Wright and Krisserin Canary!), and loved it (thank you Becca Freeman and Olivia Muenter by proxy for the rec!). Then I read this great essay on fast drafting for dummies. In other words, it’s easy to feel like the only girl in the world who is trying to make it writing while busy juggling other jobs… but I am soooOooOOoOOoOooooo not.
Thank you for having me join you to talk books, Jen! How fun.
Okay that article from the purse was insane, so interesting to get a peak into people’s finances!
Thank YOU for your book recs for Verse.