racked – Zoë Lance.

Link Party: 3/27-3/31

April 2, 2017 by zoelance, posted in Link Party

Somewhere in the sort-of-not-really desert, California, USA.

March was a marathon month, and I suspect the next 30 days are going to feel like a sprint. I kickstarted April with a day trip in and around the desert: a wildflower walk, a mirrored house art installation and the best milkshakes. April, here I come — no bad days.

Here’s what I’ve read lately:

1. The world of Japanese luxury fruit.

2. A personal essay on envisioning California.

3. Donald Trump’s vision of New York, stuck in the 1980s.

4. A Navajo chef on the complexities of Native American cuisine.

5. Why Joan Didion writes “so much” about clothes.

And a bonus: I am really, really feeling this mood board for summer 2017.

Have a great week.

Link Party: 3/20-3/24

March 25, 2017 by zoelance, posted in Link Party

This week I got promoted (!) and spent much of my work time planning a few projects that are not only going to make a positive difference in many students’ experiences, but make me feel more creatively fulfilled than ever before. I know that I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.

Here’s what I’ve ready lately:

1. A new Q&A with Bob Dylan.

2. A timeline of millennial pink. (I painted my room the perfect shade of blush [evidence above] and I have zero regrets.)

3. The gig economy celebrates working yourself to death.

4. William Finnegan on the sounds of surfing. (Barbarian Days was one of my favorite reads in 2016.)

5. Women, politics and Vogue.

And two bonuses: The office supply version of “Bad and Boujee,” and this absolutely delightful video of a French bulldog that just wants to go for a swim.

Talk to you later.

Link Party: 2/27-3/3

March 5, 2017March 5, 2017 by zoelance, posted in Link Party

I had a pretty good weekend, and I’m looking out at a week of hard work, hangouts and hopefully a superbloom. Not too bad, Zo. Not too bad.

Here’s what I’ve read lately:

1. Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s workout routine is hardcore.

2. This story about the Bahia emerald and its curse is a wild ride from start to finish.

3. The myth of California style.

4. The way Donald Trump eats and orders his steak is actually really important.

5. Google needs to rethink its whole featured answer snippet idea.

And a bonus: Missing Richard Simmons is an A+ podcast.

See you later.

Link Party: 1/16-1/20

January 21, 2017January 21, 2017 by zoelance, posted in Link Party

Participating in the Los Angeles Women’s March on Washington with 750,000 people and millions more around the world was an incredible experience that I will never forget. I am proud that I exercised my civic duty in support of protecting basic human rights for all. Today is the first day of the next four years, and it’s time to get to work.

Here’s what I read this week:

1. Buying feminist merchandise is not political action.

2. President Obama‘s memorable parting words.

3. Malia and Sasha Obama‘s post-White House lives.

4. We need to protect the street vendors of Los Angeles.

5. Inside the weird, industry-shaking world of Donald Glover.

And a bonus: The poem “Interview,” by Dorothy Parker:

The ladies men admire, I’ve heard,

Would shudder at a wicked word.

Their candle gives a single light;

They’d rather stay at home at night.

They do not keep awake till three,

Nor read erotic poetry.

They never sanction the impure,

Nor recognize an overture.

They shrink from powders and from paints …

So far, I’ve had no complaints.

Have a great week.

Link Party: 1/2-1/6

January 8, 2017 by zoelance, posted in Link Party

Here’s what I’ve read lately:

1. The fiction of Google Maps.

2. The size and weirdness of the Kardashian empire.

3. The restaurant industry bubble that’s about to burst.

4. Ada Harris, mother of the hair straightener.

5. Looking for answers in India after a seeker disappears and his guide commits suicide.

And a bonus: Bon Iver, live in concert.

Have a wonderful week.

Link Party: 12/5-12/9

December 11, 2016 by zoelance, posted in Link Party

It's Christmastime. — It’s Christmastime.

Here’s what I’ve read lately:

1. These stories about Prince are incredible.

2. Rei Kawakubo and the impossible task of her Met retrospective.

3. Dinner with the guy who revolutionized the science of cooking.

4. If you live in California, you should know the names of these political leaders.

5. 2016 is the year of playing ourselves.

And two bonuses: Patti Smith singing “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” at the Nobel Prize ceremony, and I backed the Internet Review of 2016 on Kickstarter and you should too.

Have a fantastic week. I’m rooting for you.

Link Party: 10/17-10/21

October 23, 2016 by zoelance, posted in Link Party

Here’s what I read this week:

1. Bob Dylan’s first interview with Rolling Stone.

2. How Hillary became Hillary.

3. The ever-shifting symbolism of lace.

4. The weird economics of Ikea.

5. Bill Cunningham‘s memorial.

And a bonus: I’m not planning on dressing up for Halloween this year, but if I was this would be my costume.

Have a great week.

Link Party: 8/29-9/9

September 10, 2016September 10, 2016 by zoelance, posted in Link Party

Ice cream always makes everything better.

Hi! Long time no see. It’s really only been about two weeks, but it feels like a really long time to me. In those two weeks, my work/freelance/personal lives consumed me and I got a cold that kicked my ass. I’ve kind of been on the Internet, but not in a particularly mindful way.

But those two weeks off were actually a really good thing, because I realized just how much I miss doing this as a regular thing. Back when I first started, I would write 2-3 posts a week. Now I’m lucky if I can get a Link Party out on time. I want to get back to a regular writing schedule, so that I have time to do what I actually, really love I can have consistent brain workouts. This means reshuffling of priorities, setting harder deadlines with myself and probably less sleep. I have a feeling that this will all be worth it in the long run.

You, dear reader, have been consistently awesome from the beginning. I am always shocked to hear from people, in comment form or IRL, when they say how much they like it. Thank you for being the best.

Here’s what I’ve been reading lately:

1. This 24-year-old woman tried a Coke for the first time. I really loved this essay — I thought it was extremely well-written and weaved in all the right social elements.

2. Ayahuasca is having a moment.

3. The wonderful house dress.

4. If you haven’t read the LA Times “Framed” series, you should: it is a wild, wild ride.

5. Watching Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory as a film about technology.

6. Elizabeth Holmes and the story of Theranos.

7. The last time Luc Sante saw Jean-Michel Basquiat. This type of personal essay is one of the many reasons why I love the Internet as a writing space: a quick but powerful thought.

8. If you don’t know much about Gene Wilder or Gilda Radner, you need to read this post ASAP.

9. Why aren’t we desperate for the new iPhone?

10. The Internet is obsessed with live streams of nothing.

And two bonuses: Whoever runs Merriam-Webster’s Twitter is a savage we can all take some lessons from, and a great video from PBS Idea Channel asking if the Internet is a public space.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Link Party: 8/22-8/26

August 27, 2016 by zoelance, posted in Link Party

Last weekend I went to a little place called Lotusland. Stay tuned.

Quick question: where did August go? This summer has felt like a rubber band — one minute it feels like it’s been the longest summer of my life, while the next seems like yesterday was just the first of March.

Here’s what I read this week:

1. If you’re interested, this article from a former Gawker editor-in-chief explains the outlet’s demise very well.

2. Inside Urban Outfitters.

3. Conversations with Chance the Rapper.

4. The story of Pandora’s famous charm bracelet.

5. Instagram’s geotags as powerful travel guides.

And a bonus: If you’re in need of a new body lotion, this one is a game changer. I smell like the prettiest beach on earth.

Enjoy your weekend.