Tunnels, Bubbles and Orbits
Savoring Tata-time in LA, plus Golden Globe speeches and more!
Bonjour, bonne année and bienvenue! I seem to have attracted a ton of newcomers through the Substack network over the last few weeks, so if that’s you—and that wasn’t an accident or this hasn’t slipped its way into Spam!—I’m glad you’re here.
Despite the calendar saying so, my year doesn’t feel as if it’s really begun. Not only because I continue to type 2022 whenever I note the date somewhere, but because I’m still firmly planted in LA LA Land and in a bit of a Baby Bubble. Though, actually, my 15-month-old nephew, Calvin, isn’t really a baby anymore so let’s call it a Toddler Tunnel!
Either way, these past few weeks in his Bubble-Tunnel-Orbit here in Los Angeles have been incredibly rewarding. I’ve heard his gibberish morph into something like actual words, watched as he figured out how to open a zipper, helped perfect his fist pump, and nearly melted every time he reached his hand for mine or gave me one of his open-mouth kisses. (Don’t ask. Maybe he’s French. He is a Mercure, after all...)
Needless to say, I haven’t wanted to miss a moment, and probably only went three full days without seeing him when sis and I went on a brief getaway and I came down with Strep. (I know. It’s like I’m 12 years old or something.) By choice, time hasn’t felt like my own—and I’m only a Tata/Auntie!
Parents: I see you. I feel you. I salute you.
While it’s not going to be easy to say goodbye on Monday, I am looking forward to getting back into a routine and beginning plans for some seismic shifts in 2023. (You’re welcome for the cryptic foreshadowing.)
On that note, despite reaching peak “Happy New Year”-wishing here in the U.S., we take the whole month to express such sentiments in France so I’m sticking with les Francais on this one to officially wish you a bonne année. I truly hope it’s a fulfilling one—whether you started it on January 1 or are getting into the swing of things at your own pace in a tunnel, bubble, or orbit of your own making. xx — Sara
Clickable
Leaning into awe and all its wondrous benefits. | Noema
What Emily in Paris did on her year off from Netflix. | The New Yorker
The ins and, er, outs of buccal fat removal. | The Cut
Time to get the boobs out. “Going Out Tops” are back. | WaPo
Could you be a Social Omnivore? I think I could… | Bon Appetit
Watchable
I LOVE being in the States for an Awards Show and still really like watching them from start to finish, despite all the commercials and occasionally awkward moments (or twelve). These were my favorite speeches from this year’s Golden Globes ceremony.
For his win as Best Actor in Everything Everywhere All At Once, Ke Huy Quan—whom many of us may remember as Data in The Goonies and Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom—recalled his hardships being an Asian child actor, expressing how he thought he’d never work again. Gave me tingles inside.
And then there was Jennifer Coolidge who is so damn funny. It’s hard to tell if she’s just being herself or a really good actress—or both!—but I loved everything about her humor and heartfelt thanks for her win in White Lotus.
You gotta give it to Ryan Murphy for truly making a difference in the way stories are told and sold on TV nowadays, and then using his own spotlight to celebrate others.
Finally, there’s the mensch that is Steven Spielberg who won Best Director for his semi-autobiographical movie The Fabelmans, which I’ve yet to see. His acceptance speech, however, definitely sold me on it.
Currently overthinking…
…whether to return a very California fleece I bought…where to eat and when for my remaining days in LA…
Souvenir: Animal Crackers
Surely you can still get these biscuits today, but I doubt they get as much kid love with options like Trader Joe’s BAMBAS out there. My nephew is obsessed with those crunchy peanut puffs, which reminded me of these circus-inspired snacks of my own youth. Anybody else suck on them until they became real soft and then kinda dissolved in the mouth? No? Just me? Oh.
Here for those shifts! 🥰