vulture – Zoë Lance.

Link Party: 10/24-10/28

October 30, 2016 by zoelance, posted in Link Party

Last week I got to see Kanye West in concert and I am still not over it.

My freelance life has completely consumed the rest of my life lately, which is both a good and bad thing. October was one of the busiest months I’ve ever had, and I’m looking forward to a slower-paced November.

Here’s what I read this week:

1. Hillary Clinton and the populist revolt.

2. Bill Clinton and the legacy of the First Lady.

3. If women wrote men the way men write women.

4. The brilliance of the Saturday Night Live David S. Pumpkins sketch.

5. Why are there so many books with “girl” in the title?

And a bonus: If you don’t have a Himalayan salt lamp or an aroma diffuser, get on that ASAP.

Have a great week.

Link Party: 1/11-1/15

January 16, 2016 by zoelance, posted in Link Party

Here’s what I read this week:

1. On Sunday at 11:30 p.m. I got a New York Times notification that David Bowie had died, which left me feeling empty as I tried to sleep and gutted at the beginning of the week. I remember the very first time and the very first Bowie song I listened to (“Suffragette City” on my iPod nano in ninth grade, from a two-disc best hits CD), and listening to his music has indelibly shaped the person I am today. No one will ever be like Bowie. In reading articles about his legacy, I found that this seems to be the case for a lot of people. I loved this article about bringing your kids up Bowie, his New Yorker obituary and this one about discovering his music when you’re a teenager.

2. This interview with members of the cast of “Hamilton” is very, very important.

3. The reaction shots at the Golden Globes.

4. Why Wikipedia might be the most important invention ever, in celebration of its 15th birthday.

5. The use of “they” as a singular pronoun in the 21st century. I like this idea, or even coming up with a third official English singular pronoun.

And a bonus: Biggie Stardust.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Link Party: 1/4-1/8

January 9, 2016 by zoelance, posted in Link Party

Here’s what I read this week:

1. An abridged history of red lipstick.

2. I did not know that private, off-the-record briefings between Barack Obama and media members were a thing, but now I’m glad I do.

3. The parallels between web design and architecture.

4. The deep space of digital reading.

5. The second-season title cards of “Mozart in the Jungle.” (I wrote about the first season here.)

And a bonus: Kanye West’s American Idol audition is golden.

Have a great weekend.

Link Party: 12/21-12/25

December 26, 2015 by zoelance, posted in Link Party

A detail shot of my family's Christmas tree. — A detail shot of my family’s Christmas tree.

Here’s what I read this week:

1. I first heard excerpts of Gay Talese’s “Frank Sinatra Has A Cold” on This American Life in an episode for Sinatra’s 100th birthday, and the full article is stellar.

2. What the Mast Brothers chocolate scandal tells us about ourselves.

3. I’m not entirely sold on the merits of astrology, but I found this feature about six astrologers fascinating.

4. This story about herding reindeer in Russia was fascinating.

5. Inside the making of Serial, season two.

And two bonuses, as my gift to you: This architect in Bolivia is designing incredible houses that you need to see, and Drake. On. Cake.

Happy holidays.

Link Party: 12/14-12/18

December 18, 2015December 18, 2015 by zoelance, posted in Link Party

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. — It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Here’s what I read this week:

1. Meet the stylist with an insane vintage clothing collection that Kanye West and Rihanna like to borrow.

2. I cosign this Album of the Year nomination for the “Hamilton” soundtrack.

3. I don’t usually read a lot of sports journalism, but this personal essay about childhood abuse from a Canadian hockey player was eye-opening.

4. The lasting appeal of George Costanza.

5. This Oscar Isaac interview is very, very important. I’m so glad to see people are joining the Oscar Isaac fan club now that “Star Wars” is out.

And a bonus: I’m not gonna lie — I am very excited for the “Twin Peaks” revival.

Have a great weekend.

Link Party: 5/18-5/22

May 22, 2015May 25, 2015 by zoelance, posted in Link Party

Downtown L.A., y'all. — Downtown L.A., y’all.

Here’s what I read this week:

1. My favorite Mad Men series finale review.

2. Instagram is turning us all into sociopaths.

3. An inside look at Thought Catalog, which is a lot more terrible than I originally had thought or anticipated.

4. I gotta say, this article about online journalism is #duh.

5. I fully agree that there should be trigger warning on some things, but when you start slapping them all over classic literature you run into Problems.

And a bonus: Why Americans love road trips, courtesy of the wonderful PBS Idea Channel.

Have a great weekend!

Link Party: 5/4-5/8

May 8, 2015 by zoelance, posted in Link Party

I took this photo on the way home from school one day. I love that W.K.Kellogg hid his house in what is basically a jungle, which fulfills all of my childhood fantasies.

I’m very, very sorry that I’ve been MIA this week. I have to tell you, it’s been a rough quarter in terms of scheduling: I don’t get home most weeknights until 6:30 or 7 p.m., and by then my brain is mush. But I have a lot of ideas for posts next week, and things will be back to normal!

Here’s what I read this week:

1. This conversation with Anna Wintour makes me feel really good about my goals.

2. This Kris Jenner interview is really interesting in the context of that the Kardashians are a cultural black hole.

3. Bobby Shmurda’s explanation of his lyrics is actually quite insightful.

4. I’ve never been a fan of Jezebel and its content, but this article on the maxi dress has been circulating and you should read it. (And then tell me what you think.)

5. Do you know who invented the piano?

And a bonus: This .gif of Peggy Olsen walking into the McCann Erickson offices is everything to me.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Link Party: 3/9-3/13

March 13, 2015 by zoelance, posted in Link Party

I think in some other life or alternate timeline I did something with plants because I. love. them.

A brief bit of unsolicited advice before I get to the link party: I just want to tell all of you that there is absolutely nothing that limits you from teaching yourself whatever you’re interested in and seeking out additional educational avenues. I wasn’t getting the writing experience I wanted from my academic classes or my job, so I took the initiative to start this blog and explore the things I wanted to talk about. The secret to getting started? Overcome the urge to be lazy. *drops the microphone and gets out of this bitch*

Here’s what I read this week:

1. The delineation of your IRL personality and your Internet personality, which is something I think about at least once a day.

2. A very interesting discussion about making references to other things, which is something I think about at least once a week.

3. This person wrote to The Awl’s advice column asking about how to move on from not getting a job at Buzzfeed, and all I can say is yikes.

4. Simple tips for success, presented graphically.

5. Not much to read on this one, but this scene from House of Cards is hands down one of the best in television history. Claire Underwood for president of the universe.

And a bonus: My new favorite Instagram account, @ihavethisthingwithfloors.

Have a fantastic weekend!

Link Party: 12/15-12/19

December 19, 2014 by zoelance, posted in Link Party

I had the BEST time at Disneyland on Tuesday. Here's a photo from World of Color at California Adventure. — I had the BEST time at Disneyland on Tuesday. Here’s a photo from World of Color at California Adventure.

Here’s what I read this week:

1. The Académie française says to knock it off with the LOLs.

2. One of my favorite tech writers keeps getting Amazon emails that aren’t for him.

3. The best essay I read about the ramifications of the Sony hack.

4. There’s a real life Newman running around in Manhattan stealing people’s mail.

5. The things people Googled the most in 2014.

And a bonus: There’s this website that arranges Wikipedia articles like a galaxy and it’s really rad.

Have a great weekend!

Link Party: 12/8-12/12

December 12, 2014 by zoelance, posted in Link Party

It's supposed to be December in California, right? (Side note: I'm writing this blog post while it's pouring buckets, so yes, it is definitely December in California. Way to answer my own question.) — It’s supposed to be December in California, right? (Side note: I’m writing this blog post while it’s pouring buckets, so yes, it is definitely December in California. Way to answer my own question.)

Remember last week when I said I’d be back to regularly scheduled programming? I unintentionally lied. Now that finals are over (and most of my academic commitments will be relieved by Sunday), things will be relatively back to normal on Monday. I mostly promise.

Here’s what I read this week:

1. The front page of New York’s first daily newspaper. Someone needs to reinvigorate the name American Minerva because that is a cool name waiting to be reinvigorated.

2. How Elettra Wiedemann and James Marshall met. I only knew who Elettra was when I read this, but the story is incredible and straight out of a movie.

3. Emily Dickinson was more scandalous than I realized. Also, I’m obsessed with her haircut.

4. Cloudy days help us think more clearly. My ideal working conditions include an overcast day, so I’m glad that I’m not crazy.

5. 24 things Matt Zoller Seitz learned about Wes Anderson while Seitz was writing a book about the director. This article is old, but I fell down a Wes Anderson rabbit hole.

And a bonus: DIY printable holiday cards that I’m going to recreate after a long-awaited trip to Dick Blick. The Merry Christmas, Ya Filthy Animal one is fantastic.

Have a great weekend!