Faithful readers have been patient with the absence of my TGIFantastic posts. I plan to start them up again, but this time, I’ll do just one per month, hopefully on the first Friday, which should be much more sustainable.
Today’s my birthday eve! So I’ve created an extra special list of good things that I hope you’ll enjoy as much as I have.
My friend served these lovelies at a brunch recently. I was suspicious. “Buzz” to me equals either caffeine or alcohol, neither of which I want.
But, no. Betty Buzz is just a scrumptious soda with all-natural ingredients packaged in cute bottles. There’s grapefruit, lemon-lime, ginger beer, and tonic water—all lightly sweetened with agave syrup—and a Meyer lemon club soda that’s not sweetened at all. The glamorous Blake Lively invented them, which somehow makes them even more refreshing.
Tokyomilk French Kiss Handcreme
My friend Lorie carries this in her gorgeous store, so you should definitely buy it there if you’re local. I love it. All the Tokyomilk scents are divine; I also like Dead Sexy. But French Kiss—with notes of mandarin, gardenia, tuberose, and vetiver—seems like it was made just for me. The lotion is silky, sinks right into the skin, and never feels greasy. Such a delicious little treat!
Patrick and I saw this film (French title: Ouistreham) in the theater recently, and we loved it. Loosely based on the Florence Aubenas’s bestselling memoir The Night Cleaner (Le quai de Ouistreham in French), it’s poignant, funny, and heartwarming—but its Frenchness never lets it veer into saccharine territory.
Is there a better actress than Juliette Binoche? (No, there is not.) She’s fantastic here as a journalist who goes undercover so she can write about low-income workers and the way they’re exploited. The supporting cast is also terrific.
Instead of recommending a book, as I usually do, today I want to tell you about a Substack newsletter that I’ve found invaluable, especially lately. Tomás Pueyo gained fame in March 2020 when two of his Medium articles (“Coronavirus: Why You Must Act Now” and “Coronavirus: the Hammer and the Dance”) went viral, garnering over 40 million views each. I’ve been following him ever since.
Pueyo manages the winning combination of a) intense curiosity; b) meticulous research; and c) the ability to make difficult topics accessible through both clear prose and excellent visual aids.
He writes on a wide variety of topics on his weekly newsletter Uncharted Territories. A few weeks ago, he started a series on Israel that’s thorough, dispassionate, and gives tons of historical context on an issue about which we all need better education. No journalist is ever bias-free, but he has called for both Israeli and Palestinian readers to review his drafts for him in this series.
He cuts through the misinformation and heightened emotions to lay out verified facts. If you want to get your mind around what’s happening in the Middle East, start with his October 12 article and work your way forward. He’s made these articles free, but I find his work well worth the price of subscription.
Jacob Collier: “Little Blue” (@Mahogany Sessions)
All that necessary information can weigh us down. And it should! Terrorism and war, not to mention climate change and political strife—these are serious matters, and they need urgent, sustained attention and work.
But we can’t give from empty buckets. Time with loved ones, time spent in spiritual pursuits, time outdoors, time with books—these are all investments that fill me up so I can give and care and weep and serve and call for change yet again.
But music sometimes restores me the most efficiently, I find, especially dreamy new pieces like this soul-filled new song from British prodigy Jacob Collier. “Little Blue” was originally released last month as a duet with Brandi Carlisle. It’s terrific, but the version above, recorded with a choir of fans in London, won my heart on the very first listen. I have it on repeat.
That’s it for this edition of TGIF! I’ll see you very soon.
Luisa