Wednesday Playlist

There's so much going on right now, and all the energy can be overwhelming sometimes. That's why we need music.  Listening to it, playing it, writing it, reading it . . . these are all forms of meditation, right? Much love and light for everyone today.  I'm hoping to share more must-reads soon.  I gather articles in between time spent procrastinating and doing homework, and most of the stuff I've gotten to see this week has to do with the environment (#envirosciwritergirls), having a healthy outlook on life, and cruelty-free beauty.  Let's make change and keep it positive!

Billie Eilish: "Six Feet Under"

Emiliana Torrini: "Birds"

Nick Drake: "Pink Moon"

<3 Frances

Friday Playlist

I haven't gotten to share a playlist in a long time, and it's making me realize how I haven't been listening to as much music as I used to lately.  Maybe that's why it's been so difficult to write!  Music has such an incredible way of clearing the mind and distracting it from stressful thought forms (even-and sometimes even more so--if the song is sad), and it inspires creativity that seems to have been evading me recently. Hopefully some of these songs will reach your creative energy, too, and help make today a bit easier.

Daughter: "How"

The Lumineers: "Sleep On The Floor"

Kate Bush: "This Woman's Work"

<3 Frances 

Link Loves and Must-Reads 1/18

I'd told myself I'd write this on Monday (aka two days ago), but it just didn't happen.  Happy post- post- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!  I spent most of the holiday running up and down a rainy street trying to locate an apartment building, doing work for school, and feeding pets.  One positive development from this weekend is that my hermit crab has stopped climbing upside-down on the roof of her little house. She's finally seemed to realize (hopefully) how dangerous that is. . . .

Hermit crab antics aside, though, here are some shares for the day:

• The Truth About Change by Heather Waxman
• I love Heather's kind, holistic approach to living and connecting with our inner "soul sisters" (or brothers, etc.).  Her post on change is full of so much truth, and it always makes me feel a bit better to consider how change isn't something to be fought but rather a force we can work with.
• This Superbug Is Resistant to All Antibiotics -- and Has Killed Its First American Victim by Tom Philpott
• Okay, this one is very sad and upsetting and scary, but I think it's important to read anyway because it gets into the conversation about antibiotic-resistant bacteria and their relationship to factory farming. Factory farms are a a major user of antibiotics, and they're also responsible for massive animal cruelty.  My prayers are with the family of the woman who died, and also with animals in factory farms all over the world.
• 5 Things I've Learned Living with 500 Plants by Summer Rayne Oakes 
•  We may not all be able to afford nice Brooklyn apartments filled with plants, but this is a quirky reminder of how beneficial time in nature is.  And it's an inspiration to start an indoor garden. We have lots of little plants around our tiny apartment, and some of them have been around since I was a baby, so I often think of them as siblings. Looking at the pictures of Summer Rayne Oake's plant-filled abode is fun because all the green is so refreshing.  It's amazing how much I want to go hug a plant right now.

Best Wednesday wishes!
<3 Frances 

Jill's Library: "Beatrix Potter: A Life in Nature"

Growing up, Beatrix Potter was such an integral part of my everyday life that I nearly made my senior yearbook quote the first line of Peter Rabbit.  When I'm teaching, Beatrix is an author I'm always drawn to, and I used to watch the lovely animated adaptations of her "little books" as a source of comfort whenever I traveled away from home.  Because of my fascination with and love for her, learning about her life beyond the world of Benjamin Bunny and Tom Kitten was an entirely necessary pursuit, and I'm excited (and admittedly a bit sad) to have just finished Beatrix Potter: A Life in Nature by Linda Lear. When I began making my way through the account of Beatrix's life, I was a bit intimidated by the heavy language and technical information (so many dates!), but Lear managed to intersperse them with such sincerity and depth that the romantic elements of Beatrix's imagination, her tragic first love, and her country home weren't lost amongst the complicated details of financial issues and fell farming.

Following Beatrix as she transitions from a young woman confined to the expectations of Victorian society into a strong and capable farmer really altered my idea of her as an individual.  I've always been inspired by her, but her strength in the face of hardships--like the death of her beloved fiance Norman, her strained relationship with her mother, and her frequent bouts of illness--add a level of depth to her character that I hadn't entirely seen before. Beatrix also had a level of pragmatism that people may not be aware of given the fantastical elements of her little children's stories.  She was truly a naturalist at heart more than anything else.  She loved nature and being in nature, and her art was as scientific as it was fantastical.  All her characters and settings were drawn from observation and captured the realities of proportions and visuals, and she translated country life into her stories with her rich illustrations and prose. Her perspective on life is also refreshing.  She truly embraced the wisdom and experience that come with age, and Lear included a quote of hers in A Life in Nature that I find particularly inspiring:

"Do you not feel it is rather pleasing to be so much wiser than quantities of young idiots?"

I also found the end of A Life in Nature to be incredibly meaningful in the way it ties Beatrix's naturalist ideas to her stories and her continued impact on the world.  Lear eloquently connects Beatrix's incorporation of the natural world into her stories to the progress of the environmentalist movement and shows how books like Peter Rabbit can inspire people to see the beauty in a world that has largely disappeared due to industry and modernization.  I highly recommend that anyone who was ever influenced by Jemima Puddleduck or Mrs. Tittlemouse to give Lear's biography of Beatrix Potter a looking at.  It's a very thick book, yes, but the story it shares is a compelling one, and the 100-odd pages of references in the back are fun for us literary-types, too.

<3 Frances

Good News for Animals

Getting up at 5:55 AM instead of 5:15 AM makes such a difference.  It's not something I'll be able to do again in the near future during the work week, but I'm grateful for the extra sleep today because of so. many. tests.  Something else I'm grateful for?  Fake skin!  Okay, that sounds odd, but what I'm talking about is the fake skin being produced as a substitute for animals in product testing. 

MatTek grows its own human skin, and then sells it to companies that want it—companies that make laundry detergent, makeup, toilet bowl cleaner, anti-aging creams, tanning lotion.  Without lab-grown skin, these companies would be testing products on animals, usually rabbits, shaved to expose patches of naked skin. This practice is straight-up illegal for cosmetics in Europe now, and increasingly ethically dubious everywhere else.  (Sarah Zang)

Isn't it awesome that science is being used to save animals now instead of to hurt them?  While my favorite products are the ones that are natural and don't need intensive testing, I'm excited about the possibility of all companies being able to abandon animal testing practices and use synthetic skin instead.  Science for the win this time!

That's our happy news for the day.

<3 Frances

Link Loves and Must-Reads (Again)

I know some of these articles aren't exactly new, but they're still meaningful reads, and if you get the chance, you should definitely check them out.

• Emma Stone is Not Buying Your Perfect Instagram Life by Shannon Carlin
• Emma Stone, who just one a Golden Globe last night, is famously not a very big part of the social media scene.  While social media platforms can be awesome ways to share with and connect to others, it's important that we don't let them get in the way of life, and we always need to remember that what's shared online is often not an honest portrayal of reality.  So when you're looking at online pictures or seeing someone's posts, pull away for a second and check yourself before making any judgments about your life or the lives of those around you.
• Obama Bans Oil Drilling in Arctic, Atlantic by Paul Rauber
• This is a WIN for Mother Nature.
• Sustainable Promises You Should Make to the Planet This Year by Emma Loewe
• Make 2017 the year you show Earth you love her.
• Everything you need to know about acne in 3000 words by Stefani Ruper
• I'm doing a "Skintervention" for breakouts, and reading about acne and all its causes has been helping me do that.  Hormones.  Stress.  Etc.
• How Marianne Williamson advocates for mindful activism by Valli Herman
• Marianne talks about moving past the meaninglessness and making a conscious effort to be aware and active with "love, tolerance and pluralism."

<3 Frances

Golden Globes Fashion Haul

Hi, friends!  It is so cold outside today, and there is ice everywhere.  I'm hoping everyone stays safe this morning.  There are cute little bird footprints in the snow (awww), but I feel sorry for the birdies to have to be in such a chilly climate right now.  It was pretty warm up until last week.  I think all our Christmas weather just decided to come at once.  But the benefit of having work delayed today is that we got to watch some of the Golden Globes last night.  There's so much struggle in the world right now, and in life, and it's nice to be able to escape into a little film and fashion sometimes.  Not that some real-world difficulties weren't discussed last night, of course.  Meryl Streep gave a very meaningful speech, and there was a sweet dedication to Princess Leia and Debbie Reynolds.

Note: Red Carpet pics borrowed from the Popsugar website. 



Emma Stone as a celestial goddess



 

Hailee Steinfeld in a soft purple princess look with angel sleeves
 

Natalie Portman looks Jackie Kennedy-chic in Prada

Lily Collins as a ballerina fairy (I love this look so so so much)
 

Gina Rodriguez sparkles in Naeem Khan

Brie Larson channels vintage glam in Rodarte

Laura Dern is sweet in flowers

 

Drew Barrymore looks breezy and magical

Naomie Harris stuns in metallics

Viola Davis is bold and bright in Michael Kors

Claire Foy makes sparkles adorable and glamorous

Zoe Saldana is beautiful in blush

Reese Witherspoon is elegant in buttercream yellow

Michelle Williams plays with texture and the perfect simplicity of black and white

Ruth Negga goes futuristic-glam

Mandy Moore embraces goddess vibes

Octavia Spencer is chic in a pantsuit

 

There were a lot of other beautiful looks last night, so if you get the chance, definitely check some of them out.  Which were your favorites?  Stay safe this Monday!

 

 

<3 Frances