Little Life Improvers.
Tiny things that make life better, bundling up, quiet luxury, goals for the year, + more!
Happy Friday! This week… Jaime got the big snip. He is the saddest. I cooked Molly Baz’s short ribs (from her fantastic new-ish cookbook More is More). It was delicious. I had a productive video shoot day. I went to Bartaco (so stoked we have one here in CHS!) with girlfriends. It was a good week - next week I head to New York!
We all have those little things that we do that make life easier, so today I thought I’d share mine. I would love to hear yours in the comments if you have a good one!
At the end of every work day, I write out my to-do list for the following day. This is probably an obvious one but this little practice helps me close out the day and “turn off,” which can be hard when you are self employed. And then when I wake up and start my day, I know exactly what needs to be done.
I make standing reservations at my favorite restaurants (or when new ones open up), even if I don’t have plans. Sometimes, making the reservation before you have the plans can lead to fun plans.
When I’m on the plane (this is mostly in regard to flying home from LA), I will order groceries for the week ahead. That flight typically gets me home late at night. Having groceries arrive the next morning like like clockwork makes me feel really cared for when I’m inevitably jet lagged the next day (and it ensures I’ll make a healthy breakfast choice).
I always use an email scheduler (I just use the one in gmail) if sending emails at night or on the weekends. If I have a lot of travel (or a lot of work) I often work at weirder hours. There is no need to bother anyone just because I’m working strange hours!
If I have an early morning flight (remember, I don’t drive!) I will schedule my Uber or Lyft. How was I not already doing this!? Recently, I had a 6am flight (4am pickup!) and was thrilled with how seamlessly scheduling my Lyft went!
Notes for names! I keep a note on my phone with the names of all the servers at my favorite restaurants, etc. My mind is a sieve and I absolutely hate forgetting!
Fridays are for Amazon orders. I only allow myself to make one order per week on Amazon (unless there is some sort of emergency thing). This REALLY helps me curb impulsive spending. It also makes me aware of things like how many books I order (vs. how many I can actually read!). I add things throughout the week and then when I go to make my order I tend to cut out a bunch. It’s very easy to move things to your wish list!
On The Stripe (my blog!) this week.
We started the week with a very bundled up shopping round-up. Loads and loads of comfy warm things. Then on Tuesday I shared my goals for the year ahead. On Wednesday I shared a round-up of quiet luxury favorites, and on Thursday we talked about Lizard Girl Winter (aka how dry my skin has been and what I am doing about it!)
This Week in Reading:
I finished The Helsinki Affair, by Anna Pitoniak. This for me was a “like,” but not a “love.” I LOVED Pitoniak’s last one, Our American Friend. This is another spy thriller, centering around a young operative who must solve a dangerous case that might involve her father (also a spy).
Craving something more literary, I then picked up What Napoleon Could Not Do by DK Nnuro. I am almost finished. It is sort of an anti-American dream. Two siblings in Ghana believe that if they make it to the US, everything will be better. The brother doesn’t ever get there, the sister excels - and marries rich. Neither story seems that great. We also meet her husband (who grew up wealthy and Black). His story doesn’t seem so great either. This is harder to read but also excellent.
On the audio book front, I just finished Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara. I absolutely LOVED it. It felt like a natural transition after Setting the Table, but to be totally honest, I liked it even better! Truly a great book to read in (literally!) any profession but you just root for the author and his team (at Eleven Madison Park) as they win all of the awards and become known as the best restaurant in the world. Loved this one SO much. It’s equal parts business book and restaurant-world memoir!
A Reader Question!
(if you have a question for a future newsletter, please email grace@thestripe.com - it helps if you are specific and include budget, your personal style, etc.)
I am so behind - apologies! We will get back to questions next week!
If more people used an email scheduler to send during business hours, the world would be a better place!!
I realized that every time I see you have a new Substack to share, I smile. Thank you for making this available for all of us to read. Happy Friday.