Hope

This was a rough week.

Or rather, it was, for me, a week of highs and lows. The two high-profile deaths by suicide of Anthony Bourdain and Kate Spade, left many of us reeling 

I put some thoughts together in the wake of Kate Spade's death: Depression Doesn't Care How Much Money You Have. 

and 

Upworthy published my thoughts on depression and compassion for self: I Have Compassion For Everyone Struggling With Depression — Except Me. 

I don't have all the answers, but I have hope.

I know you may feel alone. But I am here, if you need to talk, vent, scream, cry, or laugh. 

***

As we set off into a new week, a roundup of things I love, things that make me smile, things that make me think, and things that make me feel less alone. 

To Read

The Hidden Queer History Behind “A League of Their Own” by Britni de la Cretaz for Narratively 

How I Learned to Stop Judging And Love Insta-Witches by Lilly Dancyger for Catapult 

To Kate Spade’s Daughter...From Someone Who Has Been There by Melissa Blake for Harper's Bazaar

To a deeply depressed mother, suicide isn't selfish by Jen Simon for NY Daily News 

For single working parents like me, summer isn’t all fun and games by Stephanie Land for The Washington Post 

To Listen (I guess I'm feeling the 90s... what's new?)

Official Video. Visite também o blogue CANTO DE ROCK... http://cantoderrock.blogspot.com

Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group Five String Serenade · Mazzy Star So Tonight That I Might See ℗ 1993 Capitol Records, LLC. All rights reserved. Bass: William Cooper Vocals: Hope Sandoval Producer, Guitar: David Roback Percussion, Drums: Keith Mitchell Keyboards: Jason Yates Composer: Arthur Lee Auto-generated by YouTube.

Subscribe to this channel: http://bit.ly/trickysubscribe The new album 'Adrian Thaws' out Sept 8th, 2014. Click here for details http://smarturl.it/TrickyAlbumNews Listen to the first single 'Nicotine Love' here: http://smarturl.it/tricky-nicotinelove Taken from debut album, 'Maxinquaye', 'Hell is Round the Corner ' is for many the quintessential Tricky song.

Video by Graham Wood. Go to www.underworldlive.com for exclusive content and latest news See Underworld live at Alexandra Palace on 17/3/17. Tickets at http://underworld.tmstor.es

My clip version of the best song ever

Video directed by Michel Gondry. Written by Björk/Nellee Hooper. Published by Universal Music Publishing Ltd/ Warner Chappell Music Ltd. ® 1993 One Little Indian Records Ltd.

To Watch (because we all need to laugh right now) 

Ali Wong: Hard Knock Wife

The Honeymoon Standup Special (Natasha Leggero and Moshe Kasher)

Tig Notaro: Happy To Be Here

Hari Kondabolu: Warn Your Relatives

Striking A Balance

Well, the end of May is upon us, and the energy of the world feels like a balance of two extremes. There has been absolutely loveliness — Meghan and Harry and their surprisingly inspiring wedding, the approach of summer, and so much to be grateful for in my personal life. And, there has been horror — another flippin’ school shooting, our dysfunctional and dangerous administration, and more bloodshed in the Middle East. 

So, how do we find a balance between these extremes?

Where is the gratitude when it feels like the world is imploding? 

For me, I find it in the people I love. I find it in art — words, music, visual arts. And I find it by going outside and connecting with nature, of getting myself grounded in the physical body of Earth. (Yes, even in New York City, this is possible.) 

To that end, I put together a list of some stuff that made me think, made me smile, or just made me feel this week.

What I'm Listening To

Melt Away

PRE-ORDER 7 here: https://bit.ly/2D8xmV9 LYRICS: Dark red light years Brought near Cold gone glowing Night sing Star death ringing Brought fear I want to lie in They call Orion The colors missing Upon the dark spring Cold red light years Brought near Dark gone glowing Night sing The worlds colliding

Flohio - Watch Out Produced by HLMNSRA http://vevo.ly/mey9Zh

"This is America" by Childish Gambino http://smarturl.it/TcIgA Director: Hiro Murai Producer: Jason Cole of Doomsday with Ibra Ake and Fam Rothstein of Wolf + Rothstein tour tickets and merchandise available at childishgambino.com

The Pharcyde "Passin' Me By" (BET Version) from Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde. Critically acclaimed as an absolute classic of the alternative Hip-Hop genre, it's been name-checked by Kanye West as his favorite album of all time and aptly described by NME as "...

What I'm Reading

• Terese Marie Mailhot's Surviving Racism Through Storytelling for Pacific Standard  
• Ronit Feinglass Plank's I Can't Shake The Guru Bhagwan for The Rumpus
• Wendy Staley Colbert's The Ethics of Empathy for Brevity 

What I'm Watching 

Welcome back home to familia. Starring Mishel Prada and Melissa Barrera. Don't miss all-new episodes every Sunday on STARZ.

Old Headshots And New Reads

Hey Girl, hey.

Tuesday is May 1st. Wha?? My April was a whirlwind of work, work, work, work, baby, and more work. How was yours? 

One of the things I realized last week was that I have not been making the time to read for pleasure. I mean, I read for work ALL THE TIME. But, I haven't been making that space to just read what I want to read. And reading, for me, is A BIG part of self-care. 

So, I made reading a priority again and started last week off with Terese Marie Mailhot's exquisite  memoir Heart Berries. I urge everyone to read it. You can read it in a day or a weekend and you won't want to put it down and will be sad when it's over, because it's so damn good. 

Oh, did you catch the #oldheadshotday social media wave last week? No? Well, then you missed this gem...

I mean... how could I not? Please note belted Carpenter jeans and long sleeved baby tee. I was 19 or 20. Serving up my 1990s actress vibe. 🤷🏻‍♀️💁🏻‍♀️💯 * * * #oldheadshotday #oldheadshotsday #the90s #ErinKhar #AskErin #RealRavishly #actress #carpenterjeans #babytee

That's right, I look like I just walked off the set of Party of Five, no? Anyhow...

I also read some beautiful and moving stuff on the Internet the past couple of weeks. So, check these out (and you're welcome)...

• Alexander Chee's On Becoming an American Writer for The Paris Review
• Lauren DePino's When You and Your Partner Have Very Different Approaches to Discussing Exes for New York Magazine's The Cut
• Marissa Korbel's Sometimes You Make Your Rapist Breakfast for Harper's Bazaar

ALSO.... Holy Moly they caught the GOLDEN STATE KILLER, you guys. 

AND, AND, AND.... I have been listening to this on repeat....

Erin Loves: What's Getting Me Through Mercury Retrograde

Do you believe in the powers of Mercury Retrograde? 

I don't if things truly go wonky when Mercury goes retrograde....but it sure seems like it. Below is a list, in no particular order, of things I'm digging this week (that may or may not help get us through until Mercury turns direct again on April 15th).

What I'm Reading

Kelly Thompson's: Terese Mailhot: Truth Is My Aesthetic for Guernica. 

A captivating Modern Love essay, First Try the Pastrami, Then the Polyamory, by Debbie Weiss for The New York Times.

What I'm Slathering On My Face And Body 

Patagonia Berry Stem Cell Mask 

Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter 

What I'm Listening To

2017. ::: e radio https://www.radioestacion.net https://www.facebook.com/radioestacion.net https://soundcloud.com/eradio-webzine https://twitter.com/irreidio http://instagram.com/radioestacion/ http://www.lastfm.es/user/e_radio

Official music video for Cryin' by Robert Earl Thomas from his album, Another Age. Director: Chelsea Slayter Cinematographer: Sebastian Slayter Editor: Roy J.

And an oldie but a goodie....

Subscribe To Sub Pop's YouTube Channel http://www.youtube.com/user/subpoprecords "New Slang" from The Shins' 06/19/01 release, Oh, Inverted World Order the album iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/the-shins/id3271784 Amazon http://amzn.com/B000YNA4G8 Sub Pop https://megamart.subpop.com/releases/the_shins/oh_inverted_world The Shins / Sub Pop http://www.subpop.com/artists/the_shins The Shins http://www.theshins.com/home Twitter http://www.facebook.com/TheShins Facebook https://twitter.com/theshins The Shins YouTube Playlist http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL27B8EB22B9E70736&feature=view_all Sub Pop Records http://www.subpop.com Twitter https://twitter.com/subpop Facebook https://www.facebook.com/subpoprecords SoundCloud http://soundcloud.com/subpop

What I Made For Dinner Tonight 

Seriously this is an easy go-to for us from one of my favorite old food blogs, Dinner: A Love Story... Chicken and rice for Beginners. 

What are some of your favorite things? Tell me what you're reading, watching, listening to, eating, slathering on your body, etc...