This Week: Five Things That Caught My Eye

this month was a thousand days long - and it's not over yet

this doesn’t even begin to capture the sheer awe of ‘dear lord’

1. Last week, I was lucky enough to catch the last matinee of “Dear Lord, Make Me Beautiful” by Kyle Abraham, legendary choreographer and MacArthur Foundation genius. It was absolutely mesmerizing. Every detail felt meticulous: The costumes of mesh and silk, the floral backdrop, the live orchestra. It was spirit-splittingly vulnerable, a meditation on beauty and aging, cycles of life and rebirth. Kyle also danced in the performance, his first time in nine years (!). Often times, I noticed, he was out of synch with the other dancers, alone in a sea of vibrant, undulating bodies. It didn’t feel of this realm — perhaps even existing outside of his own mind. At times, it felt like we were watching a fever dream or haunting memory on loop; other times, it felt like a fantasy, a hopeful glimpse of utopia. In a statement included in the program, he wrote “I dance in remembrance of the innocence of my younger self. And I dance in the present day, with sadness and fear of an unknown future, and a fading hope and prayer for imaginable change.” For now, “Dear Lord” is over, but his dance troupe performs often around the world.

2. I’ve been slowly making my way through “The Anthropologists” by Aysegül Savas, about a deeply enmeshed couple that starts looking for a new home. Their search brings up questions of belonging, social responsibility, family, and the prose allows their existential meanderings to still feel liminal, like an inner monologue. It’s been on every end of year list, and with good reason. Take this line, for instance: “This was our name for who we were, and it was with great tenderness that we noticed the quality of being a T in others, and bestowed on them our own title.”

3. Calling all my NYC pastry freaks: I’ve been on a bit of a bakery kick this year, so I asked my friend Collier to meet me at Hani’s in the East Village a few days after they opened. It was packed at 930AM on a Wednesday. We devoured their malted cinnamon roll and black truffle potato bun and I got one of their brownies to go — one of the best I’ve ever had in the city. Dark chocolate and dense, confetti sprinkles on top. The spot is a new collaboration from longtime Gramercy Tavern pastry chef Miro and his wife Shilpa, a senior food editor at Bon Appétit.

4. This is something of mine that’s been catching the eye of others. My Mejuri signet gold and onyx ring (inherited from a friend) which I wear out on fancy dress nights. It comes in many sizes, but I sport it on my pinky like a character from The Sopranos (which I am currently rewatching) or the goons from the goofball heist detour in the middle of “Anora,” which was the most enjoyable and entertaining part of the movie (to me). It’s sexy and people love it; I love it.

5. There’s no doubt that these organic fruit leathers are meant for children, but I cannot stop buying them for my post-writing afternoon snack. I won’t give you the company’s heath spiel, because, whatever, but what IS important is how satisfying it is to peel these little circle treasures from their wax paper casing. The one remaining candy addict in my life (Caity Weaver) told me that I’m “insane” for thinking these are a replacement for Fruit Rollups. She’s probably right, but they’re totally working for me for now.

That’s all for now! Thanks for reading.

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