Weekend Reads for the End of March

Weekend Reads was written during the first part of the week because, as you read this, I will be on a trip with my daughter's Girl Scout troop. It's a long weekend for the students but business as usual for me, so I spent the first half of this week working to be work-free for a few days with these teens.

Weekends like this are why I chose this job back in 2017. Em is 16, and there won't be many more of these occasions before she's off to college and life outside the nest. Staying in a house with 10 teens for three nights… I may come home utterly drained but I also wouldn't miss it for the world.

Weekend Reads

Why did Musk go after bunkers full of seeds? (New York Times – gift link)

NYC will eventually have to abandon part of its water supply if it keeps getting saltier. (AP)

Why reading is a form of therapy. (CNN)

The estranged 20-year-old daughter of Musk talks about the administration and being a young trans woman today. (Teen Vogue)

At 66, Andie MacDowell would love to play a “sexual creature.” (Allure)

I am loving all the colorful sneakers this season, but these green and floral ones may be some of my favorite.

Forever 21 expected to close all U.S. stores, blames Shein and Temu for demise. (CNBC)

Meet MABA, the “nature” group that’s anything but green. (Emily In Your Phone)

I don't know why I am so into the shape of this bag. It looks both retro and modern; seriously digging the green.

Kim Cattrall is unapologetically herself. (Elle)

This came to my attention when my friend Lyn Slater‘s book was used without permission: The unbelievable scale of AI’s pirated-books problem. (The Atlantic – gift link)

An elderly powerlifter trains for competition, in Cecilia Brown and Winslow Crane-Murdoch’s short documentary. (The New Yorker)

San Francisco Pride March loses $300K in sponsorships. (HyperAllergic)

23andMe files for bankruptcy, as CEO Anne Wojcicki resigns. (Wall Street Journal – gift link)

These clogs are so cute; the problem is deciding which print to get!

If you're coming to my April 10th event at the Georgetown M.M.LaFleur boutique, please consider RSVPing so they can get a general number for staff and sweet treats!

In case you don't have a subscription to The Atlantic or weren't able to access a gift link to these articles, here are gift links:

• The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans
• Here Are the Attack Plans That Trump’s Advisers Shared on Signal

And for local yokels, if you don't have plans this weekend, I highly recommend checking out the 33rd annual Junior League of Washington Tossed & Found rummage sale taking place in Arlington, VA. Tossed & Found is one of DC’s favorite community traditions, bringing together sustainable shopping, unique finds (think vintage furniture, stylish apparel, and charming home décor), and support for local causes. All proceeds from the event directly support JLW’s work empowering women and improving the DC community through volunteer initiatives and meaningful partnerships with local nonprofits.

Sale Alert & Style Inspo

LOFT has 50% off sitewide through March 30th. LOFT, for me, is hit or miss, but lately, I have had far more hits than misses. The quality IMO has improved (this suit from the winter collection is sooo good) I appreciate that LOFT offers petites over a size 10 (Petite 00P-16P; Regular 00-18) Some items that caught my eye:

stripe dress | two-strap straw bag | gold sandals | straw bag | ivory sandals | green dress

jeans | hat | sandals | blue jacket | striped jacket | dress

purse | headband | bracelets | scarf | sweater (reminds me of the one from my summer vacation capsule wardrobe) | tank (last summer got in plain white and still love) | black dress | polka-dot dress | scrunchie | espadrilles

shoulder bag | tote bag | floral dress | umbrella | earrings | belt | stripe dress | gold sneakers

See/Hear/Read

I was curious to watch The Studio (Apple TV+), directed by and starring Seth Rogen. Rogen plays Matt Remick, a newly appointed head of a major movie studio in Hollywood. In a single-camera format, we follow him as he tries to achieve both his dreams and the studio's expectations. With a cast of big-name stars like Catherine O'Hara, Bryan Cranston, and Kathryn Hahn and cameos from major stars like Quinta Brunson, Martin Scorsese, and Charlize Theron, The Studio sounded really fun.

I didn't finish the first episode; the whole thing exhausted me. My husband also hated it. I'm tempted to keep trying, but then I remember the last Rogen/Apple show, Platonic, also exhausted me, and I didn't regret that I gave up on it.

Rogen's character is a doofus. Everyone is a doofus. They over-talk, they say offensive things, they use a lot of industry lingo, lots of fake laughing, and the shaky single-camera filming leaves you hyperventilating instead of laughing.

Sure, every single character is entertaining, and the stars are fabulous, but… I just don't care. I don't care that Rogen's character lies and then makes another lie to cover the first lie, and then screws someone over, and lies again, and then someone comes in a room screaming or crying, and everyone is talking at once, and the camera is bouncing from character to character like a tennis ball at Wimbledon.

I love Christopher Guest movies. I enjoy series like The Office and Abbott Elementary, where it feels like they're filming or interviewing the characters. It would be enjoyable to watch a film about Hollywood, and how it would be super meta with all these actors and directors starring in it. But The Studio feels too frenetic and too much of an inside joke for this Eastern Seaboard suburban mom in midlife. And life is too frantic already to try to be entertained by more frenetic lying people.

For Your Entertainment

Beach Bunny is a Chicago-based rock band started by guitarist and vocalist Lili Trifilio. Releasing their first music in two years after lead guitarist Matt Henkels left the band in 2022, Beach Bunny's latest album, Tunnel Vision, is coming out in late April. “Big Pink Bubble” is the latest single released and it has a serious 90s vibe while still sounding fresh. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!