All the Elsie Green girls have been inspired by Austin Kleon's list of "100 Things That Made My Year (2022)" and we've started creating our own lists. It's a simple, but effective exercise in finding the joy in the every day.
Thank you Austin for the inspiration. And thank you to all the people who made this a damn good year.
- Starting the new year at The Madrona, talking about good lists and bad lists with Carolyn.
- Visiting the Korean Spa with Katie and an impromptu shopping spree at Daiso after.
- A walk in Chinatown with the Postcard Photo Club.
- An evening with Pallavi at Leo’s, learning all about Mandhir, her new beau. See #37 for an update on that romance.
- Walking to the Paramount Theatre for solo dates to the Oakland Symphony.
- Exploring Berlin and the Bauhaus trail with Joey.
- Pasta night with Jackie, Kelsey, Katie, Andie & Griffin. Working in the kitchen while the kids of all ages chatted and played with Legos felt like a glimpse into my future life.
- Visiting all the pools at Dr. Wilkinson with Lisa.
- Staying up all night in Paris.
- Free Play on the El Fenn rooftop in Marrakech.
- Long weekend in Laguna with Victoria. The Spirit Airlines flight was not a highlight, but the weekend itself was a good one.
- Weekly meetings at Elsie Green to recap Succession.
- Fancy Hot Pockets and a show with Terri.
- Visiting the Oscar Museum with my mom, the world’s most dedicated fan of the movies and the oscars.
- Reading and re-reading All the Broken Places.
- Seeing the Leonard Cohen documentary at the 92nd Street Y.
- Carmelo three times in two weeks.
- A long walk with Jack in his new neighborhood.
- Beach Yoga
- July 4th with Katie, sitting by the pool, cooking sliders, making cupcakes and watching fireworks.
- 24 amazing hours at Palazzo Daniele.
- Lighting a candle for my father-in-law’s passing in a small church in Ile de Ré.
- Dinner with Clay, David, and Christopher. And the hype they gave me for my outfit.
- A mystery event with Kendra that turned out to be a silent disco.
- A magical weekend in LA that included two nights at Chateau Marmont, matching PJs, floor seats to the last night of the Eras tour and a dip in the pool with Armie Hammer and Eric Dane. Ok - I was in the pool and they were in the pool. But still.
- A Sound Bath in Tulum that felt like a six hour nap.
- Dinner with Zoe at my favorite haunts - BarShiru and Yonsei.
- Third-wheeling San Francisco Symphony dates with David and Dennis.
- AYU Body Oil in Carnal
- An eight week wheel throwing class.
- French conversation classes with Andie on Wednesday nights.
- A visit to Phillip Johnson’s Glass House
- A quiet night in a dark bar in Hudson.
- Finding a vintage Valentino blazer in a thrift shop in Hudson for a steal.
- Shopping for vintage cigarette cases with Lisa at Porte de Vanves in Paris.
- An amazing sandwich in the Château Voltaire bar in Paris.
- An incredible long weekend celebrating the wedding of Pallavi and Mandhir. And a lovely morning spent chatting with just a few of the smart, interesting women in Pallavi’s life.
- Same long weekend hosted by Chris, Sandy and HoneyBear. I love getting to know old friends in new ways.
- Flower Piano at Golden Gate Park, and playing tourist for a day in San Francisco.
- Soul Train and Marlow with Andie and Sarah.
- A quiet weekend in Neuchatel with Sabina.
- Wine chats with Victoria.
- Talking fashion with Christopher. How oversized is too oversized?
- A quiet concert at Little Saint.
- Sending menus to the kids when I have dinner plans and polling them on what I should order.
- Eating potato chips and caviar with Carolyn and Jordan at Valley.
- Collecting heart shaped rocks from European beaches.
- Harlem Globetrotters with Griffin. I think I enjoyed it more than he did. Check that - I'm sure I did.
- An impromptu city date with Sepi: dinner at Souvla, Fran Lebowitz, and a drink at Absinthe. I was all set to enjoy the evening alone after a friend had to cancel until Sepi called and said “where should I meet you?”
- Dog fashion in the lobby of my building.
- Sending mail to my favorite people.
- A new sweater with a big red heart on it and 90s supermodel jeans.
- A concert held in a workshop that restores vintage pianos on our first night in Berlin. We were fighting jet lag and losing, then walked into this magical venue.
- Shopping in European stationary shops.
- Drinks at Union Station with the girls.
- One extra day of Spring Break with Katie. We were having lunch at the Lake Chalet and she said “what if I stay one more day?”
- Exploring OCMA with visitors, and buying puzzles in their gift shop.
- Making marmalade with mom.
- My dad discovering CuriosityStream.
- Fotografiska, the Lobster Boat & Bunkbeds at the Freehand Hotel.
- Shopping for Elsie Green treasures in Pierre Malbec’s collection.
- A rainy walk in Montmartre.
- Lisa arriving at Nomad in Marrakech in a pink tuktuk after a multi-day detour from New York when she learned she couldn’t fly to Europe or Morocco with her current passport.
- Tarte Flambe in Colmar.
- Shopping Lyon’s best Farmer’s Market on a quiet Saturday morning.
- Cornettos, Pizza and Gelato in Puglia.
- Trulli in Arbellobelo.
- Lighthouse hunting with Katie on Ile de Ré.
- Harry Styles at Stade de France. And every text from Lisa about Harry Styles since.
- Chess lessons from Jack.
- Glitter Chucks with red soles & friendship bracelets.
- Mrs. Frankweiler at the Museum of the City of New York.
- Shopping for perfume at Coqui Coqui
- Baby Olivia!
- Visiting the pumpkin patch with Lisa, Jenn, Allie and all the kids.
- Flat Jim
- Drunk Shakespeare, Halal, Pop Up Bagels & the mezzanine at Freehand.
- Working on my love journal.
- The Bear Season 2
- A Little Life, The Stationery Shop, Stone Cold Fox, Yellowface & Signal Fires.
- Hozier Radio on Spotify.
- Training for the new Travis Scott album.
- Live texting with Jack while we watched Coach Prime’s Buffalos win and lose.
- Austin Kleon’s newsletter.
- Entertainment Mode on the Peloton.
- Movie nights in my big bed with my new smart projector.
- Exploring Monet’s garden in Giverny. And gaining a whole new level of trust in the universe when we knocked on the back door of a restaurant in a French village and handed them our luggage while we went to the garden with only a phone number to reclaim it.
- Realizing that I’ve built a life for myself that allows me to jump on a plane and come to someone’s aid if they need me.
- Hozier, Maggie Rogers & Shawn Colvin
- Flowers every Sunday.
- Oysters & wine by the seaside.
- A box of cookies from my mom.
- Reconnecting with old friends.
- Exploring Oakland’s food scene with my dad.
- One night in Lyon with Carolyn, Lisa & Erin talking about the influences in our lives that shaped us into who we are.
- French toothpaste.
- The Tonga Room and Crime Junkie with Jenn and Allie.
- Morning Meeting and The Daily Podcasts.
- My rented live Christmas tree and sending Amaryllis bulbs to some special people.
- Pizza, Abba & Legos with Diego.