Share this starter pack

“Soft Shuttlecock” (1995)

Originally commissioned by the Guggenheim for display in the lobby, Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen’s “Soft Shuttlecock” has been dusted off and put back on display for the first time in 25 years and you bet I made a pilgrimage to lovingly gaze upon it during a recent NYC trip!! While the current installation lacks the thrilling ambition of the original (those maniacs designed it to be suspended within the spiral lobby, with the orange head wedged in between floors!!), it’s still a sight to behold.

The Oyster Bag

I got my Oyster Bag from Paradise Galleria, a shop in my neighborhood, last summer and it’s become a true workhorse. I use it to haul stuff to and from the print shop, the pool and beach, and wherever else I’m going. More recently it’s become my go-to bag for hauling stuff while traveling & has seen me through multiple miles on foot in DC & NYC. It’s just the right amount of ugly and, even better, acts as a little homing beacon for new friends… if a stranger compliments me on this bag, I know we’ll get along.

A magic felt cat cave

For years I have resisted the “viral” felted cat cave relentlessly advertised to me on Instagram but they finally broke me and I ordered two on a BOGO deal. (What can I say… it was a very bad week at work.) Our three cats (Louise, Ralph, and Wolfman) are happily obsessed and losing their little minds chasing each other over, around, and through them and it’s a delight to watch them having so much fun.

Returns and Exchanges

I’ve been yearning for a next novel from Kayla Rae Whittaker for nearly a decade!! Her debut novel, The Animators, blew my mind and broke my heart back in 2017. Returns and Exhanges - a family business saga chronicling the rise and fall (and rise and fall) of the Baker-Taylor chain of general stores - did not disappoint & is the leading contender for my favorite book of 2026.

“Soft Shuttlecock” (1995)

Originally commissioned by the Guggenheim for display in the lobby, Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen’s “Soft Shuttlecock” has been dusted off and put back on display for the first time in 25 years and you bet I made a pilgrimage to lovingly gaze upon it during a recent NYC trip!! While the current installation lacks the thrilling ambition of the original (those maniacs designed it to be suspended within the spiral lobby, with the orange head wedged in between floors!!), it’s still a sight to behold.

The Oyster Bag

I got my Oyster Bag from Paradise Galleria, a shop in my neighborhood, last summer and it’s become a true workhorse. I use it to haul stuff to and from the print shop, the pool and beach, and wherever else I’m going. More recently it’s become my go-to bag for hauling stuff while traveling & has seen me through multiple miles on foot in DC & NYC. It’s just the right amount of ugly and, even better, acts as a little homing beacon for new friends… if a stranger compliments me on this bag, I know we’ll get along.

A magic felt cat cave

For years I have resisted the “viral” felted cat cave relentlessly advertised to me on Instagram but they finally broke me and I ordered two on a BOGO deal. (What can I say… it was a very bad week at work.) Our three cats (Louise, Ralph, and Wolfman) are happily obsessed and losing their little minds chasing each other over, around, and through them and it’s a delight to watch them having so much fun.

Returns and Exchanges

I’ve been yearning for a next novel from Kayla Rae Whittaker for nearly a decade!! Her debut novel, The Animators, blew my mind and broke my heart back in 2017. Returns and Exhanges - a family business saga chronicling the rise and fall (and rise and fall) of the Baker-Taylor chain of general stores - did not disappoint & is the leading contender for my favorite book of 2026.