brain dump vol. 9
catching up on my latest thoughts & favorites.
I have had ~the chillest~ day today after a really, really busy week. It’s in the 60s (!!!) in Michigan, and I swear you could visibly see people breaking out of their winter cocoons. I went on a long walk with the pup, and besides us dodging mud and puddles, I swear we were both smiling feeling the warm, humid wind against our faces. The next few days we’re supposed to see sunshine and sixties - we’ll all be driving with the windows down, sitting on patios - its basically shorts weather lol. We must enjoy it while its here, we’ll be back to winter momentarily!
After a bit of a substack and social media hiatus (I deleted tiktok and hid my other social media apps, hurrah!), spending a quiet day working on this has felt good. I didn’t think about or use AI or AI tooling, didn’t feel guilty about not learning a new AI program, didn’t read or listen to anything about AI. As a designer and design leader in corporate america, sometimes a day spent writing and designing and finding inspiration separately from what i’m prioritizing Monday through Friday is just needed. I’m still staring at a blue rectangular screen, but its a cleanse of sorts :)
It has been a while - I’d love to know what substacks you’re loving recently! Who’s providing inspiration, bringing you joy, making you think these days? *I thought I could put a poll box here for open answers but nah - I beg of you to comment instead*
Anywho, I’m so happy to be on here with y’all today! Spewing my thoughts and things, catching up on the last few weeks. Thanks so much for joining me!
reading,
heart the lover by lily king: 7/10, a story about love that follows a pair of friends through college - think confused lovers unable to express their truths until it is nearly too late.
the art of inheriting secrets by barbara o’neal: 9/10, I really liked this one. It follows the main character through the grief of her mothers death and the surprise that she’s inherited a centuries-old english estate and a title to go with it. Dealing with a identify crisis, figuring out what to do with a crumbling estate, a bit of romance, it was a story that kept me hooked and cheering the character on.
one of us is lying by karen m. mcmanus: 8/10, a mystery focused on four high-school classmates who are framed for the death of another student, who happens to be the creator of Bayview High’s notorious gossip app. I was hooked!
wild dark shore by charlotte mcconaghy: 8/10, I know this ones been popular for a while but I finally dove in. This follows a family on a remote island near Antarctica who are the last remaining caretakers for the world’s largest seed bank. Time is ticking for them to get off of the island and save the seeds as a mysterious woman washes ashore. Full of lots of twists, this ended up being as good as everyone made it out to be.
it’s different this time by joss richard: 8/10, a good ole’ rom-com book. Thanks to a clause in the former owner’s will, the main character and her old roommate and ex-lover, now own a multimillion-dollar NYC property. They find themselves forced back together to confront their feelings and unfinished business.
I also really enjoyed reading ask a buyer: addressing your spring shopping questions from Jennifer Cook and Well Crafted: March Edition No. 1 from Erin Carpenter today.
on deck,
the view from lake como by adriana trigiani: after a streak of books I just can’t seem to finish, I just started this after a recommendation from a friend (hi Katie!). Hoping it gets me out of my reading rut!
failed finishes, blue dahlia by nora roberts and margo’s got money troubles by rufi thorpe: I’m the kind of person that if i’m not hooked into a book, i’m moving on. Blue dahlia sounded like a nice, easy romance but I found the story boring. And I swear people liked margo’s got money troubles (isn’t it being made into a movie or series?), but i’m finding it a bit sad overall vs. entertaining. Anyone read these, should I push through?
My favorite kindle cases from etsy are 50% off right now - my snake print one has held up so well, I love it.
eating,
vecino: Continues to be a 10/10 experience whether we drop by for a drink (get the tommy verano) or dinner (comment if you want my full run down of recs). Modern mexican in Midtown, inspired by Mexico City - if you haven’t been, this is your sign!
medusa: The newest creation by the owners of Shewolf, Medusa narrows in on Sicilian flavors and dishes. We loved all of the street food starters (sfincione palermitano was basically yummy deep dish pizza, the arancini was so good, the lamb and beef skewers mm) and naturally the pastas were delicious.
marrow in the market: This was my first time trying a Marrow location and I sadly have to say that it wasn’t my favorite. We had a few food snafus and there weren’t any dishes that really stood out. I am excited to stop by their butcher shop on the first floor the next time I walk through Eastern Market though.
mabel gray: This is I think the only restaurant in the city I haven’t been to, and I’m dying to. Writing this to manifest a little review in my next brain dump, c’mon restaurant gods. Consistently booked out 30+ days in advance tells you all that you need to know!
father forgive me: Ideal spot for drinks and snacks on the eastside. Although their property can’t be missed when the weathers nice, its also really nice and cozy in the winter months.
hop lot brewing (Suttons Bay, MI): From our winter trip up to Charlevoix/Traverse City, we spent an afternoon in one of hop lot’s igloos. Worth saying that the food at hop lot is so consistently delicious! If you find yourself up north, prioritize it as a stop.
obsessing and recommending,
I’m a big laneige skincare lover - the cream skin toner and moisturizer is one of my favorites (also who doesn’t love spraying your face with product lol). I tried some of their new water bank collection during these freezing, dry winter months and its safe to say that they’ll be staying in my usual rotation. The water bank gentle gel cleanser leaves my skin feeling so good paired with the water bank aqua facial serum for some extra hydration and glow. I also want the matcha bubble tea lip balm just because.
The glassy smooth blowdry spray from chris mcmillian is also a new necessity in my beauty routine. I swear this is better than wow or others than I’ve tried! Which reminds me, it’s time for a restock.
Since we moved i’ve gotten some very random yet amazing home items, like these below-cabinet kitchen lights that are super thin, rechargeable, and motion activated. Or these ‘valet hooks’ for our closet.
Speaking of moving, I need to quickly preach about what you can find on facebook marketplace or if you’re a Detroiter, the CB2/Crate and Barrel outlet. I’ve snagged some incredible finds deeply discounted. Facebook marketplace requires a bit of patience, but its a gold mine!
Zara home is also consistently hitting lately - do a little browse. The new dog collection is so cute!
This has been a winter full of sauna-ing-to-feel-something. We’ve checked out and loved Bask Detroit and Islandview Sauna Club. One day when i’m feeling particularly ritzy, I want to head to Banya Detox - who’s with me!
As i’m writing this i’m also booking a class at studio 313 pilates, also on my need to try list.
traveling,
We did our annual escape to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. As much as I love traveling to a new place and a bit of adventure, when you just need to unplug, relax and escape a Michigan winter, going somewhere you’ve been before is always nice. We know exactly who to book for transportation, where we’re staying, where to go for breakfast, our morning walk route, etc. I’ve shared Cabo recommendations a handful of times but will hit the highlights and new favorites:
We always love our stay at Corazon - the location can’t be beat. You’re walking distance to the marina area, right on swimmable medano beach, and recent renovations have made the pool areas really nice. Don’t miss the rooftop pool to catch late afternoon sun and arguably the best view in Cabo.
Breakfast and coffee, hit Bar Esquina. We also heard newly opened Mother Flower has a great brunch. We always love Chubby Noodle for dinner, and we sporadically tried Illios after a recommendation at the pool and loved the vibe. And of course we spent an evening enjoying our favorite place (and where we got married), Acre.
My favorite travel tidbits,
My cadence travel pouch + capsules continue to be the best, whether its my TSA-friendly set for the plane or tossing the essentials into my beach bag.
The pictured crochet bag was the best gift (thanks Liz!) and I found myself using it the whole trip. Big enough for all of the essentials; sunscreen, sunglasses, kindle, etc. and I loved the pop of color. You can DM TK_Crochet to order + even do custom colors!
I wore my favorite sunnies from my CPH trip - so cute and the best price. If I were to splurge on a new pair of sunglasses right now, I love this new style from prada.
You’ll never catch me without my go-to kiehls uv serum sunscreen.
listening to,
Podcast-wise, I’ve been mixing it up between a bit of work-focus with podcasts like Lenny Rachitsky’s and going totally mindless with something like Giggly Squad. I’d say thats balance.
Music-wise, its an insane mix these days. I’m dramatically in love with Harry Styles right now just like everyone else.
I also started a sporadic playlist where I’m adding any song I like. My husband has incredible music taste and we always listen to so many different genres, so I decided I needed one place to add them all as the year progresses. If you’re like to follow along with the craziness, be my guest.
on my mind,
I need Substack to let me save notes and articles to collections.
Have been thinking about ditching my beis backpack for a new work bag, as I’ve shlepped her around enough. A random save, but this bag from OLEND looks like the perfect spring choice. I love all of the color options!
How does one decide on a rug for their living room?! It feels like the biggest and most expensive decision of them all - and as someone who wants to inject some color (we aren’t an all-beige household), I can’t make a decision to save my life. The amount of time I’ve spent browsing everything from rugs usa to ruggable to revival to lulu and georgia to etsy - someone save me. If money were no option, I loved this one.
Grace Cook talked about Pane sneakers in her latest post - I kindaaa love the zephyrs and need them to come back in stock. This colorway with denim!
One of my favorite substackers and artists Carly Kuhn of The Cartelier is a Michigander now - hi, welcome!
I’m pondering going to see pixar’s new movie, hoppers, in the theater tonight. I didn’t realize it was out and it looks so cute and entertaining!
one thing I want to get done this week is,
Pick a paint color for our living room! Do you have a favorite creamy white you’ve used and loved? Right now i’m between ‘alabaster’ and ‘cold foam’ from sherwin williams.
Hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekend & if you loved this, subscribe and you’ll get my posts right on your Substack home feed or inbox. Here’s my last brain dump, if you want more.
I can’t express how much joy I got seeing this pop up in my newsfeed. I’m looking forward to trying all your recs! 💗
Thank you for reading & mentioning my newsletter! I loved yours too!