Hello!
I made my first YouTube video this week. With a hacked tripod rig and my very basic editing skills I have put together this sketchbook tour for your enjoyment.
I have also been:
Loving you
Thank you (thank you, thank you!) to those who have subscribed to my newsletter. It’s a joy to send out this stuff. I am incredibly appreciative of those who have signed up for the OG Subscriber three-month free trial to sample my bonus newsletters (out usually on Wednesdays). The fact that it may bring in a little money will mean that I have more time to dedicate to it.
You have until the end of January if you too wish to leap on this offer and sample the goods!
Cooking
I received Jamie Oliver’s new book ONE for Christmas from my very smart, youngest child, who knows exactly what I like, especially when we walk into a bookstore and I point at the shiny new title on the New Releases stand and say, “That’s what I want for Christmas. Grab it, and I’ll pay for it.” The recipes seem to be a little more gourmet than I was expecting (Clementine Roast Duck, Smoky Mussel Laksa, Eggplant Parmigiana Burger… err okay…) but I am still very keen on the whole One Pot meal idea. This week I decided to cook the more simple chickpea & squash casserole (Looby tip: Check the chapter title and realize that it says “Batch Cooking” before getting half way through the recipe and wondering why it’s so dang huge). Looking elsewhere, I think this NYT Sticky Coconut Chicken and Rice looks amazing, and the River Cottage’s Spicy Sausage and Bean Stew has been in heavy rotation around here for years. We’ve even cooked it on our wood stove during a power outage.
Listening
This is a really lovely Tiny Desk Concert with Regina Spektor. I still listen to her 2006 album, Begin to Hope frequently. I recall listening to it a lot when it first came out as I drove my then small child to preschool. We would sing along to “Hotel Song”, replacing the lyrics “little bag of cocaine,” with “little bag of cookies,” and the kid was none-the-wiser.
Plotting
Is 2023 the year you are going to write a book? I might try. Scratch that. I SHALL try that. I just printed out this free, downloadable writing guide: The Ultimate Writing Planner. “Let 2023 be the year you finish your book. Break your writing down into mini steps forward to make HUGE progress.” I quite love what writing and book coach Caroline Donahue has put together. I think I will use the questions and exercises as journal prompts.
Tossing stuff
A few years ago, I signed up for the Apartment Therapy January Cure - a free guided program to get you cleaning and decluttering. I fell off the wagon almost immediately, but as an alternative, I like this list of 101 Things You Should Get Rid of on Jan. 1. Obviously, Jan. 1 has come and gone, and I’m pretty sure no one really wanted to spend the first day of the year throwing away 101 things, but this will remind you of the drawer full of rubber bands that could be addressed, or the odd socks under the bed that have to go. Or keep them and make them into hacky-sacks.
Keeping Stuff
This week I have been working with Phil on getting my ancient (prehistoric!) blog out of mothballs and back into some kind of working order. It’s all looking a bit patchy over there, and I’m definitely not sold on the design yet, but the nice thing is dragging 20 years worth of archives out and revisiting. Wondering “what happened around now, 20 years ago?” reveals that on January 10th, 2003, I had the Melbourne Romance Writers committee over for tea to discuss their new logo. I had completely forgotten.
End Papering
I like to start every sketchbook with repeat pattern end papers in the front and back. Here are my last three. It’s a nice way to break in a new book:
Watching
I spent the first twenty minutes of Noah Baumbach’s White Noise asking myself “Do I like this?” and wasn’t exactly sure. Which means probably not. I started to enjoy it by the second act, but by the third I wasn’t too sure again. I could never quite fall into it, and I really, really wanted to. It has so many elements I loved, the production design and the bits that felt like they were made by Steven Spielberg on mushrooms, or the bits that felt like a slightly sedated Wes Anderson had chimed in. I liked the bits with Greta Gerwig, (her pain was very painful, her hair was sublime) and all of the kids. But the plot and the pacing felt awkward, and never quite sure of itself, unlike the art direction and set design which filled my heart with joy in its fully realized glory. I highly recommend the last dance scene and the accompanying soundtrack by LCD Soundsystem, which Netflix released on YouTube in its entirety this week:
Re-releasing
The 8 Truly Tan books, written by Jen Storer and illustrated by me, are being re-released by HarperCollins Publishers this month in a brand new sparkly format. They will be available in stores in Australia and online very soon. (I think even maybe as soon as tomorrow). Here are 7 of the 8 (I am still yet to get my advance copies of Truly Tan, Shocked!).
RIP Anita Pointer.
By the way, the dresses in this video are so cool. I’d have one of each.
That’s all for today. See you next time.
xo,
Claire