I am typing this with a greenish-grey mud mask drying on my face. It smells like old peppermint and feels like it might be slowly etching the skin off of my skull. But my teenaged daughter, who is my make up and skin care consigliere, swears that it is going to give my face a youthful glow. It’s easy for her to say that shit to me, since she’s not actually the one who pays for these miracles.

Elsewhere on the agenda for the weekend:

Watching: I mentioned last week that I was re-reading Atonement, now I’m dying to see the movie again. Have you seen it? I do remember the stunning scene at Dunkirk, a 5 minute uncut take.
Eating: It’s been ages since I’ve thrown a dinner party, and I’m dying to have a bunch of friends over and drink wine and make something fabulous. I’m thinking of starting off with this appetizer and then deep earthenware bowls of thick pasta with this sauce. (Which obviously means I not only have to cook the food, but I have to go out and buy deep earthenware bowls. And fisherman sweaters to wear while we are eating.)
I do this every year – we have one semi-cool day in Southern California, and I break out the roasting pan. But inevitably the weather turns back to that awful crackling dry fall heat, and we have to jack up the air conditioning to eat the pot roast that’s been in the oven all afternoon. Meanwhile we can hear our neighbors swimming in their backyard pool. I have this idea that I live in Connecticut, and every single year I forget that Southern California autumns begin in December and last for 3 days.
Listening: I love a good podcast, and listen to a ton of them. No contest, my all-time favorite is the Popcast podcast, hosted by Jamie Golden and Knox McCoy. They are two super smart, extremely funny people talking about things that, as they describe it, entertain but don’t matter. You guys, I promise you, this podcast is laugh-out-loud funny. You can start listening anywhere, but if you are in the mood for a binge, check out their Best Of section.
Reading: Just got “this year’s Gone Girl” at my library, and am eager to jump in. I do love the new Gone Girl, every single year. I promise I will report back.

above photo via Unsplash