Intro

I've been wanting to write a newsletter for a while and when I saw a post about Leaflet, I thought it would be a good fit! Mostly I want to write about books and art and living in San Francisco.

Books I'm Reading

The Fraud by Zadie Smith

Zadie Smith is one of my favorite authors, but this book was a bit hard to get into at first (despite my love of historical novels). However, I've been enjoying the the perspective of the protaganist Eliza Touchet, also nicknamed "the Targe" by her family (a nod to her Scottish background and her strong stances generally defending the disenfranchised). A quote that I liked and thought was a succinct insight into her mind: "And in the absence of an audience, she realized, nothing really offended her, except for cruelty." 

The Secret Language of Flowers by Liz Dobbs

I bought this book from SFMoMA when I was at the museum with my parents for the Matisse exhibit (highly recommend, it's still on view until September 27). I've always loved flowers and learning about what they symbolize across different cultures and folklore, which is exactly what this book is about.

The Vegetarian by Han Kang

I'm just a few pages into this book but I'm liking it so far. I've only read one other work by Han Kang— Greek Lessons, which I thought was very moving and highly recommend.

Vocab Words

I've started carrying around a little notebook with me to write down words that are unfamiliar to me and use the Merriam-Webster app on my phone to look up the definition. Here's a sampling from books I've recently finished:

  • lapidary: having the elegance and precision associated with inscriptions on monumental stone 

    • Antigone, Oedipus the King, Electra by Sophocles translated by H.D.F Kitto and notes by Edith Hall

  • medusae: free-swimming, bell-shaped form of a cnidarian in which nematocyst-studded tentacles arise and hang down from the margin of the nearly transparent, gelatinous bell (such as jellyfish)

    • The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

  • lugubrious: mournful or dismal

    • Yokai Ghosts by Philippe Charlier

Stuff I'm Doing

Going to the movies 

I saw Coyote vs. Acme at the Kabuki last weekend and LOVED it. It immediately became a favorite movie and it was so fun to see with an audience. 

And though it's technically not a movie, I went to Twin Peaks Fest at the Balboa Theater a couple of days ago. (It was my first time at the Balboa, too!) I only watched episodes 2 and 3 (from the first season) but I feel like those were the best ones to watch with a theater full of people; so many iconic moments are packed into those episodes. I loved hearing the gasps and laughter from people who'd never seen the show before.

Journaling

For the first time in a long time, I started journaling again. I aim for 3 pages a day, in handwritten cursive. My penmanship has really gone to shit, I've realized. And my hand cramps up way too quickly.

Thinking About San Francisco

I'm literally never not thinking about San Francisco. Mostly, in a good way. I love living here so much. 

I have a couple of internet friends who are coming here for the first time to go to the RM exhibit at SFMoMA, and I've been brainstorming recommendations that go beyond the typical tourist destinations. I have nothing against those sort of places, I think they're worth it if you've never been before— Alcatraz and Golden Gate Park are genuinely amazing —it just pains me when I see tourists only shopping in Union Square (besides the Nintendo store, you could literally find those stores anywhere and the restaurant options are super limited in that neighborhood) or driving those stupid yellow cars from Pier 39 (good luck driving that up steep-ass hills and not getting runover by Waymos). 

Some of my favorite San Francisco moments of the past week:

  • Meeting a stranger on MUNI and bonding over our love of Charli XCX's set at Outside Lands

  • Eating conveyor-belt sushi with an old friend in Japantown

  • Buying yellow peaches (while they're still in season) and getting complimented on my outfit from the person I buy my chicken from at the Fort Mason farmers market 

 

'Til next time! 

xoxo,

zoe