A Friday off, it’s just like last semester! Except this time it’s because I’m essentially done with my classes (except for an optional Music History session on Monday (at which I will be) and a mini English conference on Wednesday). It’s really just reading period and exams from here on out.
This is the first time I’m finishing up a year of classes with no guarantee of further classes ahead of me. School has always been a kind of constant expectation, and it’s very weird to, for the first time, not necessarily expect it to continue.
In short, I can feel the encroaching existential dread.
But, with every new milestone (last ballroom show, last day of classes, etc.) I’ve been buying myself a little present, usually about $10 or under. So now I have a new rosewater facial toner which is quite lovely, and a few mL of Tubereuse by Mona di Orio awaiting me at home.
And yes, I know that my rampant consumerism is just a distraction, a search for a false sense of security to stave off my anxiety about my future. But hey, at least, when the breakdown comes, I will smell good and have glowing skin. 😛
It’s a Friday, so that means it is a links day!
I was horrified when I heard that they were remaking The Beguiled (I had to turn the original off after a few minutes when wounded soldier Clint Eastwood smooched a preteen girl), but this trailer actually looks kind of… good?
Also, Sofia Coppola, a great cast… I’m hoping for a suspense-thriller.
Atelier Dore introduced me to Simon and his NSFW illustrations, Petites Luxures. Highly recommend checking them out. They’re beautifully done and very playful.
Speaking of sex… Sex positive things that you can say to your children (without talking about sex at all). I really like the idea of raising kids who know the value of consent, acceptance, and bodily autonomy.
Nordstrom’s next innovation (after the plastic knee window jeans)? $425 jeans with fake mud on them. Would personally recommend gardening or mucking out a stall. Then you can have mud and poop.
Sophia Loren is the face for Dolce&Gabbana’s new fragrance. It’s going to be terrible but the ad is lovely. Also I’m not sure which of her sons/contractors I want to marry. Get yourself a man who will do home improvement projects with you.
How Camus’ The Plague suggests the modern political mood. A favorite book of the (liberal) Beck-Treadway household.
A message from the founder of Starbucks: “I hope you all enjoy the Unicorn Frappuccino that causes nothing but pain for every single person who touches it. It has broken me, as a businessman and as a lover of coffee.”
This amazing music video for DNCE’s less amazing new song, Kissing Strangers. Featuring puppy speed dating.
A discussion on natural hair, why being yourself is not a “cool trend”.
“Women like having sex. They don’t like being socially punished for it.” So how can women pursue sex?
Reductress making my life as usual:
“I’m now appreciated not just for how I look, but also for my energetic temperament and ability to excel as both a working dog and a companion animal.”
“He seemed worried, perhaps because my body was just raw bloody muscle, but all I wanted was to swim and dance and laugh—totally carefree, knowing I wouldn’t have to worry about harming my skin.”
And it’s the time of the year for bridal collections, so here are a bunch of my favorites, courtesy of Tom & Lorenzo: Temperley London, Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera, Viktor & Rolf, and Lela Rose.
Photo courtesy of Petites Luxures
List Mimsy 
I think of The Plague as being about resistance to a more general horror than fascism. But it’s often read, as in this article, as an allegory for life in occupied France. Given Camus’ active role in the resistance, that’s not a stretch. I love it as a model for even hopeless struggle.
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