I joined Open Diary in 2002. Over the last 12 years, I filled it with 1,765 entries and became part of one of the most supportive communities I’ve ever known to exist. I remember not long after I moved to London, a magical gift of the price of a plane ticket home for Christmas appeared in my paypal account after I wrote about how much I wish I could be there for it and how I could never afford a ticket. I’ve met some life-long friends who have now been in-person friends for many years. I’ve followed the lives of these people over the last 12 years, watched them graduate, find their first real jobs, get married, get divorced, have children, lose children and just about everything else that could happen to a person in 12 years. Last night, that site closed down. It’s the end of an era. On a cheerier note, last weekend was wonderful with my mom here from New York. I bought my wedding dress (and shoes). We ate tons of tasty food at The Elk in the Woods, Liberty Cafe, Meghan’s, Bumpkin Chelsea and Maggie Jones. Plus, Jorge cooked arepas one night, which were also delicious. His parents were also in town from Spain to meet my mom for the first time and I got to practice my translation skills. Jorge says I could work for the UN. Maybe I have a new calling. Hm.
Photo: Chinatown, London
Here are some fun links for the next few days:
- Have you seen the hilarious instagram account @miserable_men dedicated to miserable men out shopping with their wives and girlfriends? They’re looking bored, holding handbags and even passed out in the shops.
- The Dutch are always way ahead of the game when it comes to cyclists. This suspended roundabout for bikes is pretty brilliant.
- Love this new Levalet “Fly Away” mural in Paris. This Gaia mural in Baltimore is pretty cool too.
- 5 places I’d love to stay: Ett Hem in Stockholm, Sweden; the Presidential Suite at the Casa de Sierra Nevada in Mexico; Singita Boulders Lounge at Sabi Sand, South Africa; Le Bellechasse Saint Germain in Paris, France; and La Suite by Dussol Hotel in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
- Fascinating “how it’s made” GIFs. I’m never eating a hotdog again.
- Have you ever bought a second hand book and found something interesting stuck inside? I found £20 once, tucked inside a copy of The Scent of Dried Roses by Tim Lott. Here’s 10 other things people have found inside of books.
- Do you have a favourite decade? These people do. It’s a sub-culture stuck in the 1950s.
- 5 recipes to try: Chicken Soup with Poached Eggs; Pesto Grilled Cheese with Roasted Tomato Soup; Warm Spinach Artichoke Dip; Steamed Lemon Puddings; and a decadent Orange Chocolate Tart.
- There’s some pretty hair inspiration on College Vintage.
- Interesting article and some beautiful photography of everyday life on The Silk Road on Afar’s website, plus a video called Lost on the Roof of the World by Frédéric Lagrange. Here’s a short clip:
Have a fabulous weekend!
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