Weekend Reads for Saturday, March 22

Weekend Reads

Everything you say to your Echo will soon be sent to Amazon, and you can’t opt out. (Wired)

Astronauts may have ‘baby feet,' get shorter, face strange health problems upon return. (Today)

What do you think of these ballet flat/sneaker hybrid? I see them being a very trendy shoe in 2025.

Microplastics can cut a plant’s ability to photosynthesize by up to 12 percent, new research shows. (Scientific American)

When the country singer landed a role in the splashy “Cabaret” revival, one question loomed large: Would Orville Peck make his Broadway debut in a mask? (New York Times – gift link)

How cute are these beauty bags? It would be a fun graduation gift packing them inside one another and having a gift card in the center.

Why I left The Washington Post. (Ruth Marcus for The New Yorker)

The Cure’s Robert Smith selected his 30 favourite songs from the 1980s. (Far Out)

Do I need a leopard-print trench? It even comes in petite!

Ben & Jerry's says Unilever ousting ice cream maker's CEO over social activism. (Reuters)

The never-ending scrutiny of being in an aging body. (The Walrus)

Heartthrob, hero, closet intellectual: The many faces of Bruce Willis. (Vanity Fair)

Having good taste will not make you happy. (Bazaar)

How prescription drugs get their names. (Popular Science)

And for you local yokels, here's information about my April 10th event at the Georgetown M.M.LaFleur shop!

Sale Alert & Style Inspo

SOMA has $25 bralettes at this link, now through 3/24. SOMA also has 30% off swim (and a pretty extensive collection this year) and 30% off dresses (I'm a fan of this one in both colors and this one in berry).

Monica Vinader, a woman jewelry designer that makes ethical and stylish jewelry that is also reasonably priced for the materials, has 20% off through 3/28. Spend $250+ and your discount will increase to 25%.

• I own this exact ring in green and love it alone or stacked with others. Three cheers for brands offering a good range of sizes (available up to size 11)
• I'd love to also get this one to stack with it or wear on the next finger.
• And how gorgeous is this necklace?

Banana Republic is having its Friends and Family event with 40% off sitewide through March 30, 2025. Plus, with orders of $175+, you get free 2-3 day shipping. Promo code is BRSHIP. If you have a Gap Inc. card, code BRCARDPERK will get you 50% off everything including cashmere. I made a few collages to show how I'd see items from Banana's current collection together:

sleeveless top | pants | hat | bag | sandals | earrings | ring | printed top | wallet | belt | shorts

oversized scarf | earrings | bracelet | shirt | purse | belt | jeans | skirt | shoes

orange cable sweater | blue hobo bag | orange-red shirtdress | orange sunglasses | pink sleeveless dress | blue scarf | green sweater | orange-red bag | orange shift dress

See/Hear/Read

Like much of this country, I am watching the latest season of The White Lotus (HBO/Max). And it started off hella slow but we're to the point in the season where you're starting to see the puzzle put together and the underlying theme between all the characters. And the characters are really coming into their own and you can't help but love them, hate them, root for them, and cringe over their actions.

While there are plenty of amazing characters and actors who play them, the two that have my heart are Amy Lou Wood and Walton Goggins. Whether together as a couple, or separately on their own adventures, they are both so wonderful.

Wood had already charmed me after her role in Sex Education (Netflix), and Walton Goggins just gets better and better with each role. His scene this week with Sam Rockwell was fantastic.

If you are a Walton Goggins fan, even if you're not a Danny McBride fan, I recommend you also watch The Righteous Gemstones, which is also on HBO/Max. The show is utterly ridiculous but also utterly charming. Some parts are way too much, but the show always reels itself in before it goes too far. I almost wrote that it reels in before it “jumps the shark” but honestly, the most recent episode with jetpacks felt very shark-like.

What makes this show, IMO, is not Danny McBride or Adam DeVine. It is Walton Goggins, who plays Uncle Baby Billy, who must be one of the most fun characters to play. Baby Billy is utterly ridiculous and I literally laugh out loud every time he's on screen.

Do know, there is full frontal nudity in The Righteous Gemstones, and that means plenty of penis (especially Season 1 and Episode 2 of the current season). And each time, it is done in such a stupid silly ridiculous way I am crying laughing. Especially these days, it's nice to have a show totally have you forget about the world around you and make your stomach hurt from laughing.

For Your Entertainment

September 2020, our kid was starting middle school virtually, and our house, during lockdown, was feeling far too small. We booked a rental house in Dewey Beach, Delaware, for a few days. The house was weird; I think it used to be smaller and kept getting added on, but it had a huge addition, with one big window facing the east and one facing the west. In here was a desk with plenty of plugs underneath, where our daughter had her first couple of days of school.

It rained every single day for at least an hour and the times it wasn't raining it was gray and humid. We spent almost the entire time indoors. We made cookies, we watched TV, we cooked elaborate meals, and we listened to Swimmer, the 2020 album by Tennis. And now, Tennis is one of “our” bands as a family.

Tennis' next album, Face Down In The Garden, is coming out next month and the duo is already dropping singles. The latest is “Weight of Desire” and it has the dreamy sound that has our family love Tennis and all think back to chocolate chip cookies and spectacular sunsets from the nicest room in the weirdest beach house.