The July edit
The best of everything I consumed this month.
It’s hitting high summer, the time of year when the air is dusty and everything glows golden all day long. I love the way it looks, but it makes me cough.
I have regretfully come to the conclusion that the bedrock of my personal hierarchy of needs is to engage in witty banter, preferably over text message. I think the rest of my hierarchy of needs looks something like this:
Earlier this month, while trying to pull up HBO’s “Girls” and shouting into a lagging Apple TV Remote, I accidentally pulled up the 1962 comedy “Girls! Girls! Girls!” starring Elvis Presley. If there were any dead musician I’d like to see perform, it would be Elvis. I’m not sure why. I did grow up getting burgers and Butterfinger shakes and barbecue fry sauce at Jake’s Over the Top, a diner in my hometown decorated like a 50s time capsule. The eatery had checkerboard floors and copies of Elvis’s platinum records hanging in frames on the walls, and they delivered your french fries in a tiny cardboard Thunderbird convertible. It closed down last summer.
We inherited a few Elvis records from my husband’s grandpa. Six of them, to be exact, and a lot of other golden oldies, too. A couple of weeks ago, when it was too hot to do anything else, I decided to catalog our entire vinyl collection. It took me hours, and the dust on the record sleeves made me cough even more. All 474 records are now organized in a spreadsheet. I highlighted my favorite ones: The Rolling Stones; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; Santana; Elvis; Eagles; Stevie Wonder; Styx; Simon & Garfunkel; a 1967 compilation of cowboy songs that was available to smokers via mail order titled “The Music From Marlboro Country.” We inherited three identical copies of a John Fitzgerald Kennedy memorial album with recordings of his most famous speeches. I reckon every American household got a copy of the LP after he was assassinated. I put it on while finishing my cataloging task. I was spinning it the exact moment I opened my newsfeed and saw that Donald Trump got shot.
In other news, the apples and peaches on the trees in my side yard are small from the heat but growing. My first clementine tomato, safari zucchini and piquanté pepper of the season are ripening in my front garden box. There is still so much summer left to go.
I return often to the flickering flame of memories of summers past as if I’m keeping vigil. I used to feel anxious about the inevitability of endings — relationships ending, vacations ending, seasons ending. I’d hold tight to everything and everyone in an attempt to keep them from changing. I’ve since realized it is impossible for anything to stay, but what’s already happened is mine and mine alone, preserved in the airtight chamber of my memories. Accessible to me in its original and final condition for eternity. I’ve realized it’s beautiful when something ends because it’s the only way it can truly stay the same.
What I bought
This archival Vera Bradley bag I got from Ebay for $19.99. I heard about the return of Vera Bradley from Emily Sundberg, who heard about it from Harry Hill. I decided I’d better snag my own ancient VB before all of the cute ones sold out. I did think this bag was olive-colored from the listing and was surprised when it arrived a strange and perhaps off-putting green-brown, but I love her anyway. Besides, it matches — almost too well — the high desert hillside where I recently enjoyed a sunset picnic dinner.
I also pre-ordered Alex Dimitrov’s new book of poems, even though it won’t ship until April 7, 2025! I don’t even know who I’ll be by then, but I bet I’ll still love Alex Dimitrov.
What I cooked
A galette for aforementioned hillside picnic dinner, made with heirloom tomatoes and aforementioned safari zucchini from the garden. I make some variation of this galette recipe several times each summer and fall. I particularly like the rustic cornmeal crust, which has a wonderful flavor and seems to soak up bubbling juices much better than typical pie crust, which can get soggy if you aren’t careful. The key combination: fresh summer vegetables, sharp cheese, and a drizzle of honey.
What I’m reading
I’ve finally started reading “Walking through Clear Water in a Pool Painted Black,” a collection of essays by Cookie Mueller that have been sitting on my bedside table for far too long. I love pieces of writing with long, enigmatic titles, if you couldn’t already tell. Mueller’s storytelling makes me feel like I’m a teen pursuing the myopic and dangerous lifestyle I always romanticized but never experienced myself (and for that lack of firsthand experience, I am thankful — I think). So far, my favorite sections I’ve underlined are actually in the introduction by Olivia Laing, who is one of my favorite writers of all time. “Experience is a badge of pride. It matters to stay afloat, live on your nerves, keep smiling,” she writes, and later, “Buy this book and give it to every young person you know. Tell them it’s important to remember that we didn’t always live as we do now, and that alternative modes remain a possibility.”
What I’m listening to
Top artists: They Are Gutting a Body of Water, Jeffrey Silverstein, Spresso, BICEP. Also the track “Show Time” by Minimal Man, which I saved from the closing credits of “The Sweet East.” I found this movie to be similar to “Beau Is Afraid” in its aimless and rambling storyline, but much less horrifying to watch.
I thought it would be fun to aggregate all the music I’ve collected throughout the month into a Spotify playlist (a fresh Spotify playlist is, after all, one of my basic needs). Save it if you like! I’ll update it monthly.
requesting we do a coffee + co-working hangout soon and discuss The Sweet East!!!!!!! I need people to talk to about it
I think every person on Substack should make a playlist with every post. I’m not joking.