The Stationery Shop by
Marjan Kamali was one of my favorite books of 2019 so when Kristin told me she was having an event at
The Strand, I knew I had to go! And luckily, both Kristin and Alexa were willing to come with me even though they haven't read it yet. The event was moderated by Mary Beth Keane, the author of
Ask Again, Yes, and it was clear these two authors are friends who admire each other's work. I really enjoyed listening to the conversation between them but there was one moment in particular that stood out to me. Marjan shared that she didn't believe time was linear. How at this very point in time she's her present self, her 10 year old self, and the 90 year old she's going to be all at the same time. I've always thought something along those lines too but more so how there's this part of me that will never change no matter how old I am. I think I may prefer her way of describing it though! She was just an extremely eloquent speaker and super nice. When I went up to get my copy signed, I told her how much I loved her book and how I read it in one sitting, which shocked her. I definitely want to read her first novel now and I hope she writes something new soon!
For about three years, going to LA to visit my cousin was an annual thing but then life got busy, she came to the East Coast once and then we had our San Francisco cousins' trip last year. It came up that I should start visiting again and after I asked her a dozen times if she was sure it wouldn't be an imposition (she's got two little ones), I booked my trip. The four (technically three) days flew by so fast and it was exactly what I needed. What I love about visiting her is that we literally have no plans except to eat, talk, hang out, and probably eat some more. All I wanted was to be with her, the kids and my aunt and that's exactly what I got. We hit up my favorite bakery (
Porto's cheese rolls are everything), visited different playgrounds including Griffith Park, walked around
The Americana, celebrated my aunt's birthday at
Joy on York, ate ice cream at
Wanderlust Creamery (I need to go back), and relaxed at home playing with the kids and watching Netflix. I always get emotional when we say goodbye but I felt it even more so as the kids called me moments before the plane jetted off to ask when I'd be coming back (the plan is their summer break).
Yuna is one of my favorite singers but I've never seen her live. DJ and I had been waiting for her to do a show in NYC again and it was absolutely worth the wait. It was an hour-long acoustic set at the
Blue Note Jazz Club. It's a small-ish venue but it was perfect for creating this intimate space for Yuna and the two-person band backing her. (Be warned the food is a bit pricey so we actually went to S
ammy's Noodle Shop for dinner and then bought dessert at Blue Note since you have to spend a min of $5.) We had a table right next to the stage so the view was great. And she was just incredible live. Her voice is so smooth and her whole vibe was down-to-earth and funny. Before each song she'd share a little anecdote and I was so inspired by how she was able to translate her experience into lyrics and music. I've pretty much had all her albums on repeat since last Thursday night. I would definitely see another show if she came to NYC again!
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What have you been up to lately?
I still haven't read The Stationery Shop, but I definitely still want to! I think about the event we went to very fondly because it really was so great to hear her speak so eloquently about this book and her writing in general.
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