the may report

a busy month with so much goodness in it!

Hello, friend

Today, I am sharing my REPORT for May! I’m a few days behind but May was a whirlwind and set an amazing tone for the summer ahead. In today’s REPORT, I’ll tell you about what I’m…

• Reading + books I bought during May

• Eating because heirloom tomatoes are finally back, baby

• Prepping and Pinning for summer

• Organizing (hint it has to do with Middlemarch!)

• Ranting about — hot weather and the second season of The Last of Us (ugh)

• Thinking about a fantastically fun week at Pinterest HQ in San Francisco

*After drafting this, I was like “duh, I should’ve donated one of my Rs this month to RILO KILEY, who I saw live on stage on a ridiculously perfect night in Salt Lake City. I am a huge Jenny Lewis fan and have been for twenty years and when I tell you it was so much fun to see her and the band back together, to sing along with the funniest crowd of Gen Xers and Gen Z jamming out together, and to raise a Coors Light to the sky during Arms Outstretched…I’m barely scratching the surface of how fun it was. What a good time!!!! I’ll be in my new rilo kiley possum hoodie every day for the foreseeable future.

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Reading in da clerb

As you probably know, since it’s all I’ve been writing about around here, we’re reading Middlemarch this summer in the closely reading book club and I am absolutely loving this novel. It is so funny and downright weird — and I’m having a lot of fun reading with everyone who decided to join me on the journey. We’re in week 2, so there’s plenty of time to get in on the fun!

And because May was my birthday month…I found more-reasons-than-usual to treat myself to a stack of new books and dang do I love my finds!

I started Body Work the other night and geez, are we lucky to be alive at the same time as Melissa Febos or what? I can’t wait to read her newest book, too. I thought this piece in Interview magazine was absolutely fantastic. (Relatedly: have you read Emily Ratajkowski’s book? I have heard it’s very good.)

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Eating all the fancy spreads

Remember when “girl dinner” was trending a few months (years? what is time?) ago? It was a good trend for those of us who love a miscellaneous platter for dinner. I am absolutely one of those people.

I am especially one of those people in the spring and summer, when it’s easier than ever to throw a bunch of random stuff on a cute plate—like fresh heirloom tomatoes and local radishes and herbs from the garden and an abundance of Grillo’s thick-cut pickle chips, and always some burrata or mozzarella—and drizzle it all with with olive oil and a thick pinch of Maldon salt.

This is all made even better with a cold bubbly drink, like sparkling water and half a lime in a wine glass. Also, grapes are so good with burrata. They have no business being that good! That’s all I want to eat lately!

Okay, I lied. It’s not all I want to eat.

In the name of transparency, I am also eating the Taco Bell $9 value box with frequency.¹ That chicken burrito is fantastic and I’m an unabashed fan of the Doritos Locos taco with two packets of fire sauce on it. Diet Pepsi and a side of those crunchy cinnamon twists. Please and thanks!

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Brainstorm time

My favorite thing to do before I doze off at night is scroll Pinterest. I save lots of ceramics inspiration for my studio time. But I’ve also had fun saving book annotation inspiration, images of beautifully designed home offices and craft rooms, and home studio spaces.

I’ve also had so much fun prepping for Middlemarch — and getting into the experience with all the readers joining me for the next 11-or-so weeks as we read this massive novel together. I’ve been heading out to my favorite local coffee shop on the weekends to spend a few hours brainstorming, reading, gathering notes, and drafting our guides. I love sharing my passion for closely reading with you!

Organizing has also been part of my spring fever over the last month. We cleaned out the room in our basement that had become a glorified storage dump and turned it into a usable space that organizes our winter/outdoor gear, art supplies, and other odds and ends. It’s so fun to have actual space for my easel, so spending an hour painting doesn’t require an hour of making space and cleaning first. I even have room to do a little pottery work at home!

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Meh, what a let down

I thought the first season of HBO’s The Last of Us was fantastically done. Translating a violent and lengthy action video game into a tight season of dramatized storytelling was an ambitious project—and I felt the first season really paid off the source material while also managing to add a few new tensions and characters (like Melanie Lynskey’s wildly satisfying turn as a military leader unhinged by grief).

I was beyond excited for season two, which is based on the first-half of the second game in The Last of Us series, but I was also super nervous. The second game features a giant buzzkill of a death in the first hour of play — and it completely changes the dynamics of the story. And it meant we’d get less Pedro Pascal this season.

I was right to be nervous.

Because wooooooowwwwww did we feel that loss. After episode 2, I was shaking my head no, boo, nope, WHYDIDYOUDOTHAT throughout every single episode. Far from the meaningful builds of the first season, which added depth to unexpected parts of the story and problematized or played out in greater detail and emotional resonance some of the key issues the game glosses…the second season felt like bad fan fiction. Really really bad fan fiction.

I have so much more to say, but I’ll stop myself there. What I feel is a giant annoyed eye roll coming on whenever I think about season 2 and I don’t see myself rewatching it any time soon. Which is a bummer because rewatching great shows is among my top skills.

On another ranting note, and this desire to rant certainly has to do with the reason I’m ranting in the first place: does anyone else love the summer vibes but hate the gosh-damned heat? I love the fresh corn and nectarines and cherries and the smell of the BBQ and any excuse to head to the pool and extra pebble ice in every drink. But I hate being overheated and I was really hoping the spring-into-summer shift would last longer here in Utah. But alas, we’re already headed into the 90s this week and my sensitive skin (and lazy thyroid) are not ready! I am a 70s gal. Once it gets over 85 degrees, I just want to post-up in the shade and sleep.

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Oh, San Francisco

Over a decade ago, I heard the song “San Francisco” by Brett Dennen, an adorable musician who bops around barefoot on stage, for the first time. Did you listen to the song? How can you not smile at that song?

I was remembering why I love that song so much while I was in San Francisco for work for a week. I finally got to visit Pinterest HQ in the city—it was so much fun! And on top of that, it was a gorgeous week filled with handmade pasta, super fun workshops, excellent company, and lovely early mornings.

I was in San Francisco quite a bit during college and grad school, but haven’t been back in years (the last time I was there, I was presenting research on Edith Wharton at an academic conference with my Purdue credentials) — and being back near the bay, I could almost feel those tender strums from Dennen’s guitar as I walked to and from the office and sipped on great iced coffees.

I really really really hope I can get back to the city soon, because I didn’t have time to check out the stationery shops I was hoping to visit. I would love some of the handmade watercolors from this shop! I’ve been reading this guide to fun shops in San Francisco from JournalingDan all spring and it is in my Substack saves for many reasons; let’s hope I can act on it someday.

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Thanks for reading!

Like I said last month…I’m endlessly delighted by the kindness and fun of the community around here, and I really love putting together these little REPORTs each month for you (and for me!)

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‘til next time, happy reading!

1. Yes, that was a Rilo Kiley reference. If you caught it, ten points to Hufflepuff! If you sang it, fifty points!