Kill Your "Hustle"
Get comfy, eat all the cheese, check out some art, and break out the spring masks, people.
Spring is springing, vaccines are going into arms, and we’re all dreading the “return to normal” we thought we’d been craving all of this time. Such is the duality of man. But all is not lost - I think some of our pandemic adaptations will stick around because they are simply improvements. To wit:
Curbside pickup. Turns out it is entirely unnecessary to stand in line for the good bagels.
Delivery of all the things because leaving the house is overrated.
Underwires and hard pants are over. Bring on the caftans.
Jobs that adapted to remote work will remain thus adapted. Especially if they want to keep people. Remember all of those companies and managers who insisted people come to the office all of the time?
More people will dial-in on balance, meaning, and enjoyment. “Hustle” deserves to go out of fashion.
Welcome new subscribers and link-clicking visitors! Here you’ll find a selection of things I think are great - whether shopping, meme-ing, or do-goodering. Get nerdy with me.
Smithsonian Craft Optimism Market
During in-person years, the Smithsonian Craft Fair is a wonderland of gorgeous things and people looking down on you for not taking them sufficiently seriously (though this may be a me problem). This year, like everything else except for most dentistry, they’ve taken it online. The Craft Optimism “Climate-conscious makers market” will be open from April 24-May 1. Browsing is free, and won’t burn you in your soul like reading the comments section on news articles.
In a regular year, this craft fair is a great opportunity to get up close to really gorgeous work and meet the people who make it. From sculptural handbags, jewelry, and fanciful hats to outdoor furniture made out of old propane tanks, and floating-style bookshelves made out of books. There, I’ve bought a ring made out of antique lace dipped in gold, and really cool wooden salad tongs that I still treasure, and have ogled much more that was well outside of my discretionary budget. It’s inspiring to see what people can make, and thrilling to think about how someone really gets a bug for one process or material and dives deeply into it. I sent them a couple of interview questions for this blurb, but they must remember me from previous fairs and are playing dead.
Safety in Seersucker: Royal Jelly Harlem Masks
We may be masking up for a while, people. I saw some lovely pictures of these in the wild and immediately ordered some for myself. They tickle me in two ways:
They look practically tailored without looking like neoprene. I don’t want to take the risk of suggesting that I am in any way sporty.
This is the first time in my life that I’ve thought “Seersucker! Perfect!” They really make this weird fussy-but-casual fabric work.
And then I scoped out the company and wished I’d bought more. Royal Jelly Harlem is a mother-daughter team that works to “call attention to the diversity of the African continent and its culture, traditions and art.” They are dedicated to African prosperity, buying many of the materials they use there, and they do all of their actual manufacturing in New York. I just love their style and their commitment to supporting communities both abroad and at home.
Current Skin Obsession: The Ordinary “Buffet”
I’ve been on the prowl for literally decades to find The Product That Makes Everything Better. From the aisles of CVS, to the more rarified air of Blue Mercury, with side trips to the lands of Boots (in the UK and now at Target) and Lush. As a nascent old who has been inside my house without benefit of makeup or haircut for an entire year, I got sick of looking at me and went on an anti-aging product research rampage. I determined that I require retinol and a couple of other key ingredients, which led me to try “Buffet” serum from The Ordinary. It might be the one. A little goes a long way, it soaks in beautifully, doesn’t irritate my irritatingly sensitive skin, and I am visibly less grizzled. Is it worth a try? I would say definitely and not only because it is the cheapest thing in my arsenal at less than $15, it is also simply effective, and I have tried potions from all points on the pricing spectrum.
I liked it so much, I tried to shop for additional products on their site and was felled by the copy which reads like the three-foot-long pharmaceutical inserts that tell you that the side effects may include euphoria, shin splints, or death. It seems that I need more squalane and lipophilic esters in my regimen? Perhaps also copper peptides and/or purified lutein? I’d write to them for an interview, but I’m kind of afraid to. It’s pretty cool, though, that their imagery doesn’t feature poreless aliens with flawless eyebrows, but rather are pretty straightforward pics of the products.
So then I was like “well, let me see what this company is all about just in case they’re nazis.” And hoo boy. Brandon Truaxe, one of the founders of Deciem (company that created the Ordinary brand), was apparently as volatile as he was brilliant. I say was because he died in 2019 after a mysterious fall from a high-rise window in Toronto. How do I know this? Because after visiting Deciem’s “about us” page, the co-founder (who Truaxe had pushed out of the company briefly before a judge pushed her back in) ended her bio with a short tribute to him. I quickly Googled up a tale of the breakthrough success of a self-styled “abnormal beauty company,” followed by the tragic unraveling of Truaxe. What I did not find were any explicit references to nazi fandom, but I also did not find any major environmental or social justice commitments. Anyway, I love Buffet. The company is weird. The product is good. Your mileage may vary.
Cheesy Armadillo Garlic Bread
In the interest of further challenging the outer limits of my Pandemic Pants, I present to you this phenomenally indulgent recipe for salty, gooey, buttery, crunchy garlic bread. This is a great way to gorge your way through any psychic pain you may be experiencing. While I am generally opposed to hot mayo, I am also categorically a fan of Chrissy Teigen, and this stuff is both wonderful and terrible in all of the best ways.
Do you know something wonderful that I should know about? Favorites include smaller businesses where this bit of attention could make a difference. Bonus points if they are especially humane or progressive.
Disclaimer: Except when noted, we receive no benefit from any of the places or people mentioned here, aside from the warm feeling of satisfaction one gets from sharing things we like. The links are not affiliate links, and no one is paying us to do this. We are not an influencer. Our love is pure.