PIZZARIAS, GOSSIP, AND BIG OLE EARTHQUAKES

LIFE OF A BOOKMAN

Bookman: 1. a person who has a love of books and especially of reading. 2. a person who is involved in the writing, publishing, or selling of books. Oh, hi that's me!!

Two is better than one: I've been reading two books this week, which probably explains why I finished neither. Before the holiday I picked up Tilt, a book I'd never heard about. It was paperback (and I love paperback) and it was at my local store (and I love my local book store). It's set over a single day, and follows one woman's journey across town after a major earthquake destroys Portland. From the first page I was obsessed with Emma Pattee's writing voice. If you like voicy fiction this is VOICY fiction, with a plot that is moving pretty quickly.

The second book I've been reading, and by reading I mean taking pictures of every page and translating them, and THEN reading, is Isabel of Life, Isabel of Volley – a book that was just published in Brazil about iconic volleyball player, the late Isabel Salgado. Her best friend was Jackie Silva, and Jackie gifted this book to me last week for my birthday, and it was a true miracle gift because the relationship between Jackie and Isabel is core to the adaptation I'm writing for screen – and Isabel's life is something I've been wanting and needing to do more research around.

What I've been writing: I've been having fun writing my short stories for Dickstrep. They are actually not THAT short, because each one is about ~3500 words. I had one of my besties read the first one because I wasn't sure if the POV I was writing with was remotely working. And she LOVED it...which she is neither an objective reader nor an unbiased one. But you can't fake a tickled reader, whether they love you or not. So that was a fun boost to keep going. And this week I did, with a little story about a huge man who peed my bed.

WOMEN’S STUDIES

What gets passed down becomes our history.

Paint Your Friend Challenge. There's a lot of social trends I won't jump on, but luckily I couldn't say 'no' to this one. Give this bad girl a watch for a VERY fun paint night idea. It's quite simple – a canvas, some paints, a BFF, a grand reveal...and effort. The results in my case were...questionable? But wow what an honor to see myself through my bestie's eyes ;)

Why more women are going to rage rooms. Would you pay to go to a room where you rage, scream, and smash anything in sight? Sign, me, up. I have frequent rage dreams, as in – whilst sleeping. Which you can psychoanalyze all you want, but what's true for women is that we're culturally conditioned to repress anger and rage. I was in my early 20s the first time I recognized and could indentify the feeling of anger in my body. And based on the anecdotal reporting of women going to these rage rooms, sounds like QUITE the release!

The thirteen quotes I read in 2025 that changed my heart irrevocably. I've always been a quotes girl. And somehow I stumbled on this post (ok, “somehow” being my “for you” page on instagram) and I was so totally moved by so many of these lovely pieces of writing!!! It made me want to be better at my own quotebook, titled “commonplace” in my notes because a commonplace book is a personal notebook used for anything you find interesting or useful: quotes, ideas, recipes, titles, etc. I suppose, actually, that the notes on my phone are in essence one big commonplace book but...i digress.

Marcello Hernandez's American Boy. For a Netflix comedy special called “American Boy” this whole thing was essentially about strong women. And holy shit it's one of the funniest things I've watched in a VERY long time. If you need a laugh right now, and boy oh boy do we need some laughs right now, give this comedy special a watch. And bring your mustache ;) iykyk

Other stray links: I'll admit that I've been deep in the Beckham drama, which led me to the drama of another billionaire heiress, Ivy Getty's divorce. And I will link to neither because it's all pure gossip but wow money really cannot buy you happiness. Lipstick is so back (and for me it never left), specifically statement lips. A striking number of Gen Zers are becoming teachers and wow love to hear it.

PASS IT ON

Stories are heirlooms. Red-mesh is optional.

That's my final decision after 121 minutes of shaking it and 18 flights of stairs (and 2 mojitos). Who cares that the chocolate brown body suit underneath now serves as a sweat band. Not me. And most definitely not the me who hired a brass band to surprise my 20 dinner guests at my birthday dinner in Rio de Janeiro last week, a city that has welcomed me into her sometimes turquoise water, onto her burning hot sand, and under her crayon-colored umbrella. A city called home by women I call home. That math makes Rio a port of entry into ease.

That math may also explain why turning 38 - in this town on this night with these gals - feels fresh and new and like the beginning of something that isn't the start. Like a long car ride through fields and fields and more lovely fields and then, holy shit the steady incline and 'look over there!!!!…the mountains!! in all their snow capped shimmer. Keep it going and the view will too.

I don't know that much more than I did before the clock struck 9:22 PM, the time I was born (which if you ever needed proof that I regularly text with my astrologer, here you have it.) But, I do know this:

Pizza is good. Pizzerias with a view are untouchable, especially a view of twinkling Rio city lights, the curves of sugar loaf mountains against the ocean in the distance.

Sweet moments are to and from, holding hands with your BFFs youngest on the trek (metro mandatory).

Invite 20 of your closest friends in Brazil and then rejoice in the fact you have made 20 friends there and also all of them came.

Arrange a surprise 10-piece brass band to delight these dinner guests.

Get up to dance while everyone is still seated, soon the whole place will be dancing.

Remember, any open space can turn into a dance floor. This will be important later.

Wear nipple covers in the wrong skin tone because you will dance so hard they will slip out.

Make saideira (a Portuguese word, think “one more” or “encore”) a lifestyle.

When your best friend whips out the paquita hat, just say yes. But go ahead and say no to sitting down.

Don't worry about the heat or the sweat-stache because you can always take it off or shake it off.

Because, as with most things in life, the red mesh is optional. But celebrating this one, beautiful life and all the love within it...is not.

Woman on xx