Honey No. 31
Feat. the-beautiful-items-I-can't-stop-pinning du jour, and the "grub street diet" of a highly monotonous eater
Back in the day, I used to be absolutely obsessed with magazines. One of my favorite teenage rituals was bringing every September issue (the best issues of the year!!) on my annual trek to Montana, studying the trend predictions, writing a long list of intentions for my aesthetic & vibe for the coming school year, then solemnly calling my friends to inform them that velvet was, in fact, in for fall.
In the days before Pinterest, or even the internet as we know it, I would cut out images and information from the pages of these magazines, and haphazardly organize them in clear binder sleeves. Fashion advice, simple recipes, where to find covetable items- I always wanted to know where these important documents were in the event of an emergency, ie a friend having a general query about where to get something/how to do something/figuring out the scoop at large.
These days, I am an avid devourer of design newsletters, blogs, and other curated sources of taste; I love discovering makers, stores, and hubs where beautiful things are gathered. Since I obviously can’t buy all of these things (and that isn’t even the point!), and keeping the number of tabs necessary to honor each of these sources open is an easy way to tip myself into overwhelm, I have been trying to shepherd the treasures that I find into pinterest boards so I can access them on a day I might need them. Looking to refresh my home? To buy someone a gorgeous gift? To have in case of emergency ie a friend needing to know where they can find a lovely ceramic something? It’s all on the boards, baby.
Here’s a small smattering of pages I’ve torn out recently:
I originally pinned this beautiful 2024 Eat Local calendar from Maria Schoettler (on extra sale now if you wanna ride out the year in style! I also love to cut out the illustrations from beautiful calendars and use them for cards/postcards/etc- so much nicer than tossing lovely art!), but there are tons of beautiful things on her site including these nasturtium thank you cards, these seasonal offering cards, or bundles that include a printed tea towel, cards, and loose-leaf tea
I am of the opinion that you can never have too many vases and vessels, but as I am rapidly running out of counter space I think they are lovely to give as gifts! I absolutely love the color of this cobalt blue bud vase. Wouldn’t it make you so happy to see that color every day?
Beautiful blocks of soap are you kidding yes please. Jesse prefers liquid soap but the opportunities for a bar of soap to make me happy are truly limitless (shapes! scents! I’m a simple but incredibly sensory creature!), so we always have both!
Love love love these sculptural wall hooks. You could get several of the same kind or switch it up and have all different shapes! How could you even choose!!
I have no idea when or where I found this wall lamp, but THIS is why it’s so nice to pin something for later because now that I’m not completely submerged in home projects I am wondering if it’s the perfect thing for our dining room? Or would be so pretty framing a bed!
Another treasure from Homesong Market- I love these patchwork pillows! They’re not the colors of my house but maybe they’re yours?
More wall hooks, but these colorful ones would be so fun in the right entryway/kids room/play room! Anybody??
I think I originally saw this Salbert Designs hair clip on
, and I simply can’t stop thinking about it. It’s gorgeous to me??What do I need these little fish clips for? I’m not sure. But since you asked, I’m pretty sure you could use them for just about anything?? You could use them as chip clips in the kitchen, to hang postcards or pictures, to dry out your reusable coffee filter, the list is endless and they’re a sweet sweet stocking stuffer I’ll say it now!!!
I am pinning quilts left and right these days- such a beautiful way to add color to your bedding! I’m a diehard duvet gal (so cozy??), but I love the look of a top sheet, blanket, and quilt on top. This one is beautiful.
Again, I don’t think a person can ever have too many little vessels. Where will you put your olives for instance? Your little nosh when guests are over, your ice cream when you are by yourself but still want to feel like a fancy guy? This ceramic bowl scratches every itch for me.
Sometimes when I describe my love for baskets/boxes/beautiful containers in general, people ask me what I would put in them. But I think that containers are offering a solution rather than creating a problem! We all have a million little things that would be nicer not to have on display- shoes, cords, practical tchotchkes, etc. Wouldn’t it be lovely to toss them in a lovely woven basket that makes you happier to look at than, say, a pile of chargers?
And many, many more! What are you hunting for these days? Anything you’d like to see a board for? Let me know :):):)
Dan McGraw is one of my favorite brains. He is a fantastic comedy writer- we first met when he was working at The Onion in Chicago- but in my opinion his best work is when he describes something that he used to think was true and how he discovered otherwise. Just ask him about what he thought a “clove” of garlic was. Just ask him.
Recently my friend Jen introduced me to NY Mag’s “Grub Street Diet.” If you’re not familiar, basically each week a different guest records what they ate the past seven days, sprinkled with little anecdotes about their life. After reading two of these accounts–both filled with a variety of exciting meals and experiences–I realized NY Mag editors would likely be appalled by my version’s depiction of a man living as narrow and rigid a life as is possible in a global city.
People have described me as a “meat and potatoes” guy, but that already has too many ingredients.
So when Olivia asked if I would like to submit to the Honeypot, I knew what I should write. The following is an entirely accurate account of what I ate from Saturday, July 27th to Friday August 2nd.
Also, if at any point this begins to bum you out, let me reassure you that I’m totally content living like this.
SATURDAY
Beach Day—zero hour. This is the date that worked best for everyone who responded to my Google Form querying their availability—the same origin story as all of my relaxing days at Zuma. We’ll be there from noon until the dinner reservation at 6:45pm, so I calibrate my breakfast accordingly with a 10am meal of Greek yogurt, chia seeds and raspberries.
I’m fueled and ready to pick up the carpool when my friend Noah asks if we all want to get breakfast burritos from a place near the beach. It’s a big wrinkle in the meal plan but I’m trying to be more spontaneous and they do sound really good so I play it cool and ask for a medium sized egg, bacon, cheese burrito from Lily’s Malibu. For the time being the deliciousness offsets the unsettling feeling I won’t be hungry enough for dinner.
I have a good time at the beach, and then it’s time to pack up to make our 6:45pm dinner reservation at Malibu Farm. I enjoy my three steak tacos. When the waiter asks if anyone wants dessert I try to discreetly gauge the body language of the table, hoping for a hero to step forward and say “I am Spartacus and I want grilled chocolate cake.” No one does, and because I am a coward I go home desertless.
SUNDAY
I forget what I ate and because Olivia’s only constraint was to keep this under two pages, we’ll leave it at that.
MONDAY
The unstructured chaos of the weekend behind me, I enter the warm, safe embrace of my weekly routine. Breakfast is my usual Greek yogurt topped with chia seeds and raspberries. It’s paired with a cup of egg whites that I basically just heat in a pan until it’s a congealed mass. Add salt and pepper. I drink my first of several cups of homemade cold brew.
Lunch is the same meal I’ve had almost every weekday for at least four straight years: a vaguely-burrito bowl consisting of half a cup of brown rice, pinto or black beans, lettuce and salsa.
I make my meals on autopilot. The kitchen is my Vegas residency where I play my (two) greatest hits every single day. I no longer even flinch during the show’s first pyrotechnic explosion.
My girlfriend Louisa makes us a really great dinner of chilled bowtie pasta in a lemon sauce with capers. I continue to try new things.
Later we watch the Olympics and I make my nightly smoothie consisting of Trader Joe’s frozen smoothie mix, peanut butter powder and chocolate protein powder. I sip it while watching the surfing competition and contemplating the feasibility of starting all over in Tahiti with just a foamboard. It’s a large enough smoothie that I fantasize all the way to the part where I, now 60, am teaching another 33-year-old fresh from America.
TUESDAY
If you liked Monday you’re gonna love Tuesday because it is, bite-for-bite, the exact same meals.
WEDNESDAY
You know the breakfast drill: greek yogurt with raspberries and chia seeds. A cup of egg whites. Now, each of my Trader Joe’s egg white cartons is 2 cups, which means that if I carefully measure out one cup on Tuesday, on Wednesday I can just dump the carton’s remaining cup into the frying pan without needing to measure. Internally I refer to them as Half Carton Days, and I derive enormous relief from saving 10 seconds of measuring egg whites. I love saving time. Should I die of unnatural causes, it will be because I was trying to avoid making two trips.
Dinner is a “Green Goddess” crispy tofu wrap that Louisa made. It’s sort of like a chicken-caesar salad wrap, and I really enjoy it. I do the cleanup. This is our pact.
On the way to our 8:15 showing of Despicable Me 4 at the Americana I grab some candy from Von’s (Peanut M&M’s for Louisa, two Take 5’s for me). I eat one before the Moana trailer even finishes. Walking to the car after the movie I’m proud I exhibited enough self-control to save the second candy bar for later, only to discover it had fallen out of my pocket back in the theater. I make a mental note not to wear those shorts the next time I go to the movies.
I finish the day with my smoothie.
THURSDAY
Breakfast: same.
Lunch: same.
Louisa’s going to a show tonight, so I have to hunt for myself. I boil a pound of whole grain pasta and dump a bunch of Trader Joe’s Creamy Basil Tomato sauce on top. I quickly house it before getting in the car and heading to my softball game.
Maybe because I’m carrying around an extra pound of pasta I am uncharacteristically patient at the plate, waiting for the right pitch. This turns out to be a better strategy than swinging at the first pitch to avoid inconveniencing the opposing pitcher, and I have a couple great hits.
Louisa’s still out, so I enjoy my smoothie and audiobook. I Google “age limit special forces” before going to bed.
FRIDAY
After my usual breakfast I have my weekly therapy session. Among other issues we discuss inconveniencing softball pitchers.
Lunch is the same.
This weekend we’re attending a wedding. I love weddings–there’s a schedule. They tell you what to wear. There’s an exact list of what gifts they would actually want. The menu only has three choices! These people have made dozens upon dozens of decisions so that I can make one. I wish I could be a wedding guest every day.
Have a wonderful week! I’m dashing to get ready for the aforementioned wedding now, so I need to find that one tiktok where a woman described how to use heat tools on bobs once and for all…
xx Olivia
Have fun at the wedding! Thanks for today’s read.