How To Look Good in a Hat
I look awful in hats, kind of like a pinhead, and was often called as much during my childhood. This could be why I moved to Southern California, so as not to be in a position to have to wear them. I was reminded of this last weekend, in a chilly San Francisco, when I borrowed a friend’s puffer jacket, and stuffed inside was a wool Giants cap. I put it on as a buffer against the wind, and my pal got a big laugh at my expense. On quite the other end, there’s sheer elegance, by the legendary fashion illustrator René Gruau.
Exit Stage Left
I’ll be honest. There have been times being single that I’ve wanted to disappear. Most repeatedly and vividly, after seeing the disappointment in my mother’s face, with no son-in-law in sight. Also, at a wedding, when all the guests, with the exception of several old ladies in the corner, paired off for a dance. Or as the 23rd wheel at a holiday dinner, with my only compadres being the preteens at the kid’s table. Happily, this is not one of those days.
Image: Exit by Flying Mouse
Shoe Etiquette
I tooled around San Francisco over the weekend, staying downtown with friends, and we walked everywhere: to Tomasso’s in North Beach for wood oven-baked lasagna; to a chilly farmer’s market by the Bay Bridge; later on to the urban gardener, Flora Grubb in Dogpatch, the new it neighborhood. My feet ached. I wanted to wear sneakers, which would go unnoticed in Los Angeles, but my chic friend dissuaded me (at least half of the time.)
Wrapping Up the Week
It’s a balmy night in Southern California, hovering above 70 degrees. I just came back from strolling on Sunset Blvd, where I did some errands, making a loop from the ATM to the swanky local market, for some dinner. I love my new neighborhood, with its opportunity for urban-ness, flanked by the Hollywood Hills. It has been a week of highs and lows, and not much mediums. I’m looking forward to my Friday night ritual of 24 hour unplugging, and of trying to recharge my spirit. Happy weekend y’all.
Don’t Give Up
While fighting for my dreams, I seem to be reaching, daily, for the “how to keep sane” toolbox. It’s not a new bag of tricks, but one of these strategies eventually works for me. What works for you?
Photo from newyorkshitty
Not Going to Go There
Living in Los Angeles, it’s so hard not to feel inadequate. There’s always someone richer, younger, more attractive, with more influence. Just today, I spotted a woman from my ballet class opening the door to her huge, black Mercedes. (It’s not the car I coveted but the financial freedom, or so I imagined in my fantasy of her situation.) But of course, the opposite is true, too. And what does that have to do with a meaningful life, anyway? Or so I tell myself, when envy rises.
Image by Adrienne Benitez
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FIRST PERSON SINGULAR is a guide to surviving, thriving and sometimes just getting through a single day. Created by Wendy Braitman (more…)
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