Happy Saturday! I’m a little turned around by time at the moment — I’m currently on vacation in Sarasota, Florida (my hometown!) and between the time difference and jet lag, I keep having to check my Apple Watch (more on that later) to figure out what day it actually is.
I have a lot to run by you this week, including my tips for living a happier and more beautiful life — aka, the first official instalment of my “designing your dream life” series, my picks from The New York Times 2023 Holiday Gift Guide, and as always — my top art picks under $50 (in Dollars this time, in honor of being in the States.)
Cheers to the freakin’ weekend!
An observation
One thing I’m grateful to have learned early on in life is that there is nothing worse in this world than to deem yourself apolitical. If you find yourself leaning towards that self-categorization, I’d like to (judgment-free!) offer a few resources to help.
When discussing Israel in relation to Palestine, you may frequently hear words to the effect of “it’s a very complicated conflict.” This is meant to serve as a distraction. The “conflict” so many speak of is actually quite simple.
These are some of my favorite pieces of media I’ve consumed in the past month, that very succinctly and effectively outline the truth.
“A Textbook Case of Genocide” by Raz Segal, and Israeli associate professor of Holocaust and genocide studies at Stockton University, published in Jewish Currents.
American writer Ta-Nehisi Coates’ decisive words describing Israel’s apartheid against Palestinians after visiting the West Bank.
American political scientist, Princeton University PhD, and child of Holocaust survivors, Norman Finkelstein’s powerful words in response to oft-heard “crocodile tears.”
The late British MP and Father of the House, Sir Gerald Kaufman’s evergreen 2009 speech before Parliament. Raised Zionist, he devoted the majority of his career to criticizing Israel’s actions.
And for those of you who may be wondering why Germany’s foreign policy takes, what appears to many, a flawed and hypocritical stance (having grown up with this culture, I’ve been asking myself this question for the better part of my 31 years now,) this explains it incredibly well — an excellent piece about German Holocaust memory culture by Lara Fricke, a German PhD candidate at the University of Exeter, researching the denial of Palestinian narratives in Post-Holocaust Germany.
It is always important to question the intentions and validity of those who support war and aggression from behind their phones and keyboards, with roofs over their heads, unfettered access to warm food and clean water, and a steady stream of electricity. Those who will never worry about the threat of disease from bodies piling up in the streets, who will never suffer from even a tiny fraction of the physical and psychological trauma inflicted by the incessant dropping of bombs, who will never watch all their hopes and dreams vanish in front of their eyes. Who will never lose their entire family at once.
There is certainly nothing respectable about this rabid support for genocide — especially from those cowering behind screens, countless miles away, in the safety of their own homes.
One last piece of advice, please question your government’s actions. Whichever government that may be.
Gifts galore
The New York Times released its holiday gift guide a couple days ago. There are 365 gifts included, and I’ve gone through and pulled out my top picks so you don’t have to:
A pair of beautiful glass salad servers from the MoMA Design Store
This grow-your-own avocado tree vase
These lovely colorful candles from British Colour Standard, which remind me of some HAY candles I purchased recently that I can’t seem to find on their site, but I like a bit more (see photo) so they might be worth tracking down if you’re a savvy shopper
This cozy wool sweater from a Spanish brand called babaà
My personal favorite on this list:
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