friday link love
Happy friday, folks! One week to go – I’m in the home stretch. Yesterday was a marathon fifteen-hour work day. Today should be no different, and this weekend too. But, at least, I am making progress and it feels good to somehow take disparate recipes and chapters, and behold – a book starts to take shape.
That photo above is our new fig tree. Or rather, technically, it’s a sapling that we need to keep in water for a month before transferring it to a giant pot. I’m told to expect fruit next year. Next year! This might the the most exciting March event! Also – spring! Happy spring, everyone! It’s been a long, difficult winter, and I’m glad we’re onto longer and warmer days.
Last weekend, I took a few hours off from writing, and Andrew and I went to get a rug for our living room. For some reason, I only want to surround myself with century-old rugs. The modern stuff doesn’t feel right in this home and I like blending together the old and the new. Our modern couch against the threadbare rug feels right to me. That I want to buy more rugs from Sharktooth Club is an understatement – that small store carries so many beautiful things and Kellen Tucker is just the nicest. We also fell in love with this 1940s wool blanket and it had to come home with us.
I wish you all a wonderful weekend – I’m hunkering down, but I might go for a quick run tomorrow – it’s supposed to be beautiful out. Until next week, and then I have so much more to tell you: kitchen things, food things, other kinds of things!
Speak soon! xo, olga
The science of older and wiser.
Nate Silver’s new FiveThirtyEight is up and running, and the reviews are not good across the board.
For boarding schools, an evolving financial philosophy. It’s looking more and more that average folks will have a hard time applying to these schools for financial aid. I was a product of a boarding school and there is zero chance I could’ve gone, were it not for a generous financial aid package that the school provided me.
My dinner with Vladimir. Adi Ignatius on spending a few hours with Russia’s leader.
My friend Molly wrote an article about local farmers growing grain. It’s pretty fantastic – go check it out.
Anna Quindlen on work, love, and how to live rather than exist.
How different generations of Americans budget their time.
What happens when you put dogs in a photobooth.
Behold, the Christopher Walken dance scene supercut.
Robert
Love the Walken! If you haven’t seen this yet, search “Titus Welliver Christopher Walken Impersonation” – absolutely the best.
Looking forward to hearing about all the “stuff”!
Cheers!
Kate
I work for a private school, and though I’m not in the admissions office, I do see a fair amount of what goes on, and who decides who gets in. It’s a much tougher decision, at least for us, than that article makes it out to be. We’re a small school in a small town, so it’s difficult to look a kid in the face and say they didn’t make it in this year…but we also give out twice as much financial aid as comparable schools. The woman who speaks near the end of the article has a point, though — there are a lot of people looking for “financial aid” who expect it as their due, but don’t really need it (second homes, etc.). Super-interesting article, so thanks for sharing!
As a side note, I can’t wait to get some starts going, too :) Jealous of your fig tree! My lilac bush is attempting to bud…
olga
Kate – that’s interesting to hear, thanks for sharing. Of course, the picture is far more complicated than an article can paint. But the trend is strange – second homes and all + financial aid? I am enormously fortunate and grateful for the opportunities I was given!
sonya
Good luck finishing the home stretch, Olga! It seems kinda wonderful to have Spring as a reward.
olga
sonya – totally. best reward ever! and thank you!!
Brian
I read many of today’s links. The dogs are absolutely great! The article on Putin sounds like what people said about Hitler.
However, the link on Local Farmers Growing Grain is really great. I take my wife to a local artisanal grist mill in Pasadena, CA, called Grist and Toll, where they mill Whole Grain Flours. The bread my wife bakes with the whole grain flours is very different than that of other white flours and whole wheat flours. If you haven’t tried whole grain flours for baking give them a try!
Zsuzsanna
Olga – I’ve been reading your “Friday Link Love” for a while now, and just wanted to leave a thank you note. I love the links, they are always so interesting and thought provoking and diverse. Good luck with your fig tree – my sister has one in her back yard in Budapest, and it’s been producing wonderful fruit for years.
olga
Zsuzsanna – thank you so much, so kind of you to say! I’m so glad you like the Friday links!
Brian – I’ve been playing around with whole grain baking and it is fantastic!