Have a Wonderful Weekend.

Not trying to be overly sensitive or anything-but why do people find it so hysterical to sit and watch/listen to another couple fight in public? I would find it kind of sad. This isn’t the first time I have heard people react this way. The other one-watching “bad dates” play out. That’s nice-a couple sitting in a corner laughing at a date (one that someone got ready for, was excited/hopeful about). Seems so insensitive and mean.

Introduced my friends to the Tom Hanks cocktail at gno last Sunday. Was a hit with 6 out of 6 women. Used cheap, dry champagne. It’s really hard to describe- very different and fun! I highly recommend!!

Can we petition the writer of the lip filler article to elaborate on the boyfriend? I want stories.

oh my goodness, Noelle’s comment: hahahahahahaha

In February, I sent a dear friend – who introduced me to Swiss Miss – a message that said, ‘sometimes I think the quote has been chosen just for me’. That day it read, “This is one more piece of advice I have for you: don’t get impatient. Even if things are so tangled up you can’t do anything, don’t get desperate or blow a fuse and start yanking one particular thread before it is ready to come undone. You have to realize it’s going to be a slow process and that you’ll work on things slowly, one at a time.” Haruki Murakami.

Well, on that day I had found myself standing in a real-life tangle, the 4 kilometers of jute rope unspooled in the graduation of the master’s degree in art that brought me to Tokyo, in a mid-30s career swerve, at my feet. Determined to make art as sustainably as possible, I had designed reuse & recycle into the project – but when it came down to it, it was a challenge not to fling it in armfuls into the huge dumpsters the university ordered at the end of each exhibition. With this quote in mind, I set about detangling the whole thing over the next month and ended up with only a handful of waste. I set out for work to be a joyful—(replacing exhausting) and peaceful process.

Fast forward to Friday 13th when—in the year I turn 40—my first ever art show opened: I repurposed the now satisfyingly coiled rope into big sculptures of mountains, rocks, and trees and our visitors dance with them in their most exuberant ‘tree poses’: Joyful, indeed! At the gallery, we’ve been calling them Tree People, so when Tina posted the above quote, I thought, ‘she’s done it again!’

Thank you for a lovely list, as usual Cup of Jo.

I grew up with a parent who had alcohol abuse disorder, and they once threw a drink in my face (among hitting me, beating me and yelling at me.)

Regulating emotions is about creating safety for yourself and others, and if you can’t do that for whatever reason, there is help available. I wish my parent got help.

I would have a panic attack if I saw someone do this at a restaurant – it would ruin my night and I would be very worried for the person who had the drink thrown in their face. It’s easy to attach to chaos when that’s all you’ve known, and something that seems benign to someone who grew up in loving, well-attached, healthy family might find this amusing or exciting (which is your experience, and legitimate, for sure, especially as the movies tell us this is exciting to see right?) but it’s not been my experience. Ice really hurts when it’s thrown in your face at close range.

Joanna, how did you find Decision to Leave? I thought it was amazing and watched some scenes again and again

Please be aware: your post on the Wise Quote “When you go out into the woods and you look at trees, you see all these different trees. And some of them are bent, and some of them are straight, and some of them are evergreens… You just allow it. You appreciate the tree. The minute you get near humans, you lose all that. That judging mind comes in. And so I practice turning people into trees.”

is followed by a post on lip fillers. Exactly the opposite of the fine message above. No woman or man for that matter needs to plump their lips. You. Look. Fine. And always remember this.

From a 70 year old woman who has learned a lot over those years.

“When you go out into the woods and you look at trees, you see all these different trees. And some of them are bent, and some of them are straight, and some of them are evergreens… You just allow it. You appreciate the tree. The minute you get near humans, you lose all that. That judging mind comes in. And so I practice turning people into trees.” — actually, each tree has life the same as humans!

In regards to the drinks story: a few years ago I was bartending at Jack’s Wife Freda in SoHo. A couple came in for dinner during a snow storm and started arguing. They decided to take it outside and kept arguing in the freezing cold for almost an hour. The manager decided he had to do something, so he brought them a bottle of champagne out into the snow. They eventually came back in and finished their dinner. It has always stuck out as such a life lesson in hospitality, and encouraging a more human connection with kindness and a sense of humor.

I love Mohonk Mountain House! Amazing hiking and activities. The spa is wonderful. Enjoy!

Will not be trying The Tom Hanks. Though it does remind me of a childhood cocktail I concocted by adding a little of every liquid in our refrigerator.

I’ll be reading The Last Tycoon this weekend! It’s been a journey to this book. I saw the tv show on Amazon, but unfortunately it only got one season due to high production costs, allegedly. (Fitting, because the story itself revolves around a struggling Hollywood film production company.) I found the story so interesting though that I really wanted to find out how it ends. I saw that it was an F. Scott Fitzgerald book, so I looked it up to try to find it at the library…. only to find out that the book is also unfinished because Fitzgerald died while writing it!

I think because it’s unfinished, my library does not have any e-book copies, which is what I usually prefer. However, I went to my college library yesterday and found a hardcopy. From the forward I have determined that, luckily for those of us who don’t deal well with irresolution, Fitzgerald made an outline of the entire novel before giving it life. Cross your fingers, but I think I’ll get an ending to this story.

My foolproof lip plumper is getting winter time cold sores right in the center of my lip (near where my lip turns into the mouth, rather than on the margin of my skin / lipline).

Timing; unpredictable but guaranteed when you’re run down
Cost; nothing but medication to get rid of the blighter!

Oh my gosh, the fact that Taye Diggs is hosting that show is just brilliant. I tip my hat to those producers.

And that is a big loud NO to the Tom Hanks cocktail. What an absolute abomination!!!!! Like putting orange juice in champagne. I know it’s got a cute name but what a terrible thing to do.

I stayed at Mohonk with my parents for a weekend in 1999 or 2000 when they were visiting me at college. It’s a gorgeous place! One of the mornings at breakfast, we came into the busy dining room and a few tables away was the one and only John Turturro. The Big Lebowski had just come out, and I was so starstruck, I turned to my mom and said (loudly) “mom, nobody fucks with the Jesus!” (I was 19). Not sure my comment was as enthusiastically received, but I hope Mr. Turturro appreciated the nod.

Idea for an article — ideas for what to dress kids in for a wedding! We recently got invited to a family-only courthouse wedding (in NYC! 🤩). I’m figuring out what to have my kiddos wear (5 months through 5 years). It doesn’t have to be the fanciest since it’s a courthouse, but I’d love to have them in something that looks fresh and cute and is also comfortable and able to be worn at other times. I’d love to hear your team & readers’ throughs! Bonus if it could be in the next couple weeks, in time for me to put together before the March wedding! 😂

The story about the woman throwing her drink reminded me of the time my partner and I were at a pho place, and the woman behind us knocked her hot bowl of noodles off the table. It made a loud bang. Steaming soup was everywhere. Her companion kept eating without flinching while the waitress and manager came running to the table. He said, “She says that’s the wrong order.” While she glared at him. Then without a word he put down some cash and they got up and left. Not sure what happened there.

I’m inspired by Noelle’s comment and have to share my public breakup experience- my husband and I were on the train going home to suburban NJ after a day in NYC. There was a couple in the row ahead of us who had been whisper fighting since we left Penn Station.

At one point, they had stopped whisper-fighting and were just sitting in tense silence. We came to the next stop and the guy got out of his seat and WALKED OFF THE TRAIN. The woman was sitting in her seat, frozen in shock, as the train pulled away from the station.

I had so many questions, and still do, almost ten years later.

I love the Mohank Mountain House. It has the coolest skating rink and their greenhouse is amazing.

For a game with your boys you should try Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza we got it randomly and played it all throughout the holidays with various guests haven’t played a game yet with put lots of laughs its so simple but so fun

That house is Germany is my dream. Just beautiful and serene.

Is Kara a writer? Her comment made me happy sigh!

I feel strangely excited to try the Tom Hanks cocktail 😂

Love Kara‘s comment on homes as chapters. Such a beautiful perspective.