9.25.24
An Ode to Fall
Hello!
Ahhhh the age old shopping ban. We have seen some success with these, haven't we? The shopping ban allows us to take a break from spending, force ourselves to get a bit more creative with styling what we do have, and even encourages us to more carefully consider a serious purchase rather than impulse buying it. They can be effective! But you're right, one of us inevitably caves on something and then all hell breaks loose.
We recently did have a few in-person shopping experiences that were so, so lovely. You are my favorite person to shop with - always have been, always will be. We had ourselves a timeTM at Bergdorf's in NYC a few weekends ago which was such a TREAT, it can barely be described. Complete with a ladies lunch, and a very leisurely time scrolling the shoe and handbag department. We spreed! Wow, did I love it. We also went to the new La Ligne store on Newbury, which you talked about in your recent substack which was 10/10 experience.
I wanted to shift now to a couple of other topics that are top of mind for today - one is my rebuttal to your note on summer. I think it's time for me to present my argument on Autumn.
September 1st came along and so ensued what seemed like an absolute parade of perfect, stunning, gorgeous weather days. Every morning I woke up and audibly declared "oh my GOD it is ANOTHER perfect day".
Wow, wow, wow. I am talking about blue skies. Yellow sun. Barely a cloud in sight. Crisp air (no humidity). Slight breeze. WARM, but not hot, absolutely not hot! I just cannot stress enough how stellar the weather was for the first three weeks of September. One, after another, after another! It was like I was hallucinating. It was a bit of a fever dream of joy if I am being honest!
To me, autumn is like a ripe piece of fruit. It's when everything seems to get juicier. After a three month stretch of hot, hazy beach weather, where everything is a bit fuzzy from the humidity and heat and sand and sunscreen, it's like it all comes into focus for me.
We roll into September, and the air changes and everything just seems RIPE. The blue is bluer to me. The grass looks greener to me. The air is clearer. The ocean looks and FEELS silkier on my feet. The sand is softer. The marsh grasses are turning a bit golden.
Not to mention - the dressing opportunities! You know where I thrive, and that's in denim and a loafer. It's a cotton button down over a tee shirt. It's a belt. It's an easy throw on dress and a ballet flat. Gone are the days of fussing with the wrinkled linen and trying to figure out my undergarments under a dress and the endless rotation of one-piece swimsuits in the all encompassing quest for the perfect fit (GOD DAMMIT).
Anyway. We have landed. We are here. I am in my glory, I am happy. I took the kids apple picking this past weekend for god sake!
Moving on - something we have never really dug into and it has been on my mind to ask you this question, and it pertains to personal organization… ie - to do lists - specifically pertaining to work-related tasks. It's funny that for nearly eight years we have sat facing each other with our desks touching, and somehow I have not gazed over the threshold to inquire about how you keep yourself organized over there.
I don't have a great system, which is why I am asking. Lately, I have been taking to emailing myself tasks. This is not great, but it's also not awful. What happens with me is something that I need (or want) to do - or even just an idea, can strike at any time. The easiest way I have discovered to get that thought to my desk is by emailing it to myself in the moment, and then when I am at the office, I transfer that task/thought/whatever into a list that lives in a google doc.
Here are the past several subject lines I have emailed myself:
Order Margot T
Hamilton dental
**host gift for Alisa**
Mail jackie bag
Photographers
Leset founder
Form
Book wythe call Alyne
Streamers
Take med
Call UPS
Glitter stars
Skims soft loungewear
Website connection
Pay amex
Barrettes
Here's the problem: sometimes I don't exactly know what I was referring to when I wrote myself the note. But also - unless I execute the task in the moment when I see the email when I finally sit down at my desk … I end up just adding it to a list that is either hand written next to my keyboard, or a google doc up on my screen. This can be effective sometimes but usually the task just sits on the list. I am rambling now.
What's your system? I am sure you have one. You must have one!!!!