a cute whale 🐋
and other feel-good favorites
Hi friends,
Good morning, good evening, and good everything-else-in-between. Earlier today, we came across this piece by David Shrigley. It pretty much describes how we feel about the lovely readers of Kopi Club we have yet to meet in real life, but are still immensely grateful for.
N:
This week: cranes, dreams and physics
The Crane Wife – about wanting more than what is being received, hope, and love-as-sustenance after a wife leaves her husband. Vulnerable and beautiful.
Re-reading Einstein’s Dreams – a fictional poetic collage of ‘dreams’ that Einstein might have had when coming up with his theory of relativity in 1905. A whimsical collection, more poetic than physics related I would say.
J:
A Book About Ecology That’s Also Really Just About Life: Underland by Robert Macfarlane. Like the title suggests, the book is Macfarlane’s exploration into the alien-esque world just beneath us, from wastelands to catacombs. I hope I haven’t bored you already; as science-y as it seems, it also reads much like a beautiful poem.
An Article About a Book About Books: confusing, I know. The Invention of the Beach Read discusses Donna Harrington-Lueker’s new book, “Books for Idle Hours” (next on my reading list) and the cultural connotations behind “summer reading”. The last line gets me:
“We measure a novel’s value by its staying power, its permanence. But there is a value, too, in language that dissolves like an afternoon in July, the last rays guttering in the branches as you close your book and go inside.”
N:
My life is a constant loop of fangirling over elegant and wise female role models, one of which is Maria Popova, creator of Brainpickings: an exploration into the interconnections of science, english, philosophy and everything interesting. I’ve mentioned her before on this newsletter, but I can’t get over how intelligent and eloquent she is – I just listened to her 2015, re-released in 2019 (how evergreen?!) podcast with Krista Tippett. One line I loved was “Critical thinking without hope is cynicism. Hope without critical thinking is naïveté.”
J:
Technically, you can also listen to a show right? I’ve been burning through episodes of ABSTRACT: The Art of Design on (you guessed it) Netflix.
Instagram ads are getting niche. I was recommended a playlist described as “houseplant music”, promising listeners “four botanical beats”. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. Check out the botanical beats here.
N:
Skincare time babies! Inspired by the Korean ‘glossy skin’ look, some affordable (we love to see it!) products I’ve purchased recently (USD)
Innisfree Yellow Clay Mask ($9): to brighten dull skin, best used before bedtime (2x weekly). I love this.
Hyaluronic Acid ($7): must be applied with a moisturizer after to lock in the moisture, helps keep skin supple.
Niacina Zinc 2% ($9): helps reduce blemishes and pore-appearance.
Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA ($8): helps target and lighten hyperpigmentation.
J:
The catharsis of getting rid of old things.
Been really into making longan, date and goji berry tea. Uncle Iroh, I’m coming for your brand; here’s a recipe for anyone else who wants to try!
This quote (and actually, this entire post) over on Improvised Life about the role of nature during these lockdowns: “At a time when an important part of humankind has shut itself up in enclosed spaces and been obliged to relinquish movement, nature has crept forward to occupy the spaces we have ceded.”
N:
“People’s hearts are like deep wells. Nobody knows what’s at the bottom. All you can do is imagine, by what comes floating to the surface every once in a while.” — Haruki Murakami, Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman
J:
“We all carry trace fossils within us… handwriting on an envelope; the wear on a wooden step left by footfall; the memory of a familiar gesture by someone gone, repeated so often it has worn its groove in both air and mind: these are trace fossils too. Sometimes, in fact, all that is left behind by loss is trace - and sometimes empty volume can be easier to hold in the heart than presence itself”— Robert Macfarlane, Underland
N:
I’ve been building a fun passion project that centers around essays and enriching our lives with new knowledge from different disciplines. Here’s a sneak peek!
J:
I recently learned what a ‘tchotchke’ was, c/o this Man Repeller piece. They are, as author Harling describes them, “people’s ‘something specials’” - the strange decorational knick-knacks that give our spaces personality. A tchotchke I have my eye on - this candle.
And one last thing: my uncle shared this tweet, featuring the ideal mask for people with glasses. I audibly chuckled.
Signing off now - here’s a cheers from us, manifesting the energy that Summer 2020 could have had in an alternate universe.
Hugs,
J & N