this week i ave mostly been...

eating…
--mangoes. Thank you thank you thank you for summer fruit + the advent of mango season. I could eat ten of them in a row. (Or perhaps not, but I want to eat ten in a row… if only to see what happens.) I can never resist sucking the seeds, in an attempt to get at every last drop of goodness, and then I end up with stringy mango teeth. It is a price I am willing to pay.
--chocolate hazelnut nougat. Smokey bought an enormous bar of it at Legs11 on Friday night + it was divine. Mmmm… nougat. Thanks Smokey!
--hot lemon + honey. Too many colds going round for my liking. Stay away.

smiling at…
--Emma Magenta. I bought The Peril of Magnificent Love, an incredibly gorgeous book, + had a little cry when I read it last night. No wonder… our heroine discovers love’s path is fraught with illusion and strewn with disappointment. Nevertheless, [she] overcomes her disillusions and finds new possibilities and strength in the lessons she has learned. (Stolen from official blurb.)

This could be another case of Clairey succumbing to twee sentimentality, but it so isn’t. Magenta’s drawings are stunning – simple but rich + multi-layered. The kind of drawing style that I covet in intense + unspeakable ways. She speaks so honestly about the risks we take, + the rewards we find, when we are willing to love ourselves magnificently.

--my family + that bloody stubborn streak that runs through every one of us. I want to relinquish it but I’m fighting against the gods of familial conditioning. The alternative – as always – is to laugh.

--Ben. I’ve had a shitty morning at work. Showdown with the office dragon + lots of shifting of furniture. Stiff neck, headache, general grumps. I run into Ben + he gives me one of his hugs, his big embrace that makes my soul soar. I feel lifted. I feel like I could melt. And no, I do not want to get into his pants.

--Lady Adi. You go girl! I can’t express how good it is to be sharing this journey of re-discovery with you. I know it sounds cheesey but it’s the truth. I feel braver having you out in the big bad world with me, exploring the same ground + breaking those invisible rules. How free are we? How good does it feel? Long live the dirty thirties I say!

listening to…
--the pod on shuffle between la Gong + the Can. Lazy but so good.
--a fabulous country-ish mixed tape from Shady – no idea who any of the artists are but I will be grilling her when we meet next.
--Jose… when in doubt, still pulling Jose Gonzales out. Lord I love that man.

watching…
--Season One of Grey’s Anatomy with Weeze. Embrace the guilty pleasure.
--Laurel Canyon on DVD with me ma. When will I learn to pick raunch-free options for this kind of shared viewing? It was great though. Frances McDormand rocks + I could watch Christian Bale all day. As always, much empathy for tales of dysfunctional families.