Plum jam
lina's life, vol. 13 | nature + art + movement + thoughts
I firmly resist waxing poetic in these newsletters, as I deem it unnecessary for the communication of my thoughts. I also feel like my writing leans lazy without such language. This prompts my overanalysis of sentence structures and semantics, and by the end of my thought swirls, I’m left with the realization that this is all for my own amusement anyway.
What I’m loving lately
Nature
It took me 28 years but I now regularly read books in parks. Despite this being mostly to combat restlessness in my apartment, it all feels very Anita of One Hundred And One Dalmatians (1961). I even started going back to checking out massive stacks of books from the library — a practice I frame as a quest for knowledge.
This spring and summer presented me with the greatest gift, which was more time with my sister Maria than I have had in many, many moons. She is the human embodiment of the sweetest things in life and I think of her every time I see a well-tended garden. My third summer visiting the Pacific Northwest, the mountains are starting to feel like relatives.
Art
Environment + Microclimates at the Boyer-Campbell Building in Detroit was the most moving and expansive environmental- and fiber-based art exhibition I have ever experienced. If you’re local and you missed it, there will likely be documentation circulating in the next month.
I have watched excellent films so far this year, most notably Good One (2024) and Sing Sing (2023).
Movement
I have yet to climb outside this year (AH!) but I have been keeping up with my usual climbing gym and walkabout routines. I have been biking more, and I do believe that moving through Detroit on two wheels is the best way to experience the city. Also, I went to my first pilates class ever, which was no joke. It was a week ago and I am still sore.
Thoughts (and by thoughts, I mean a list of tasty things I’m still thinking about)
Chocolate matcha pistachio cake with a hint of mint from Venla’s Cake Counter Sundays in Hamtramck. Hanna is a baking genius and everything she makes rocks.
In August I drove an hour solo, straight from a date, to a chocolate tasting at Harvest Chocolate in Tecumseh (aka, a very Angelina thing to do) and it was time well spent. Chocolate is one of my favorite foods and they do it well.
Black Pearl Plum jam from Ayako & Family, purchased at a farmers market in Seattle. Did I initially feel unhinged and unwell spending $16 on a little jam? Absolutely. Was it one of the best things I have ever tasted in my life? Yes.
Soy cured jammy eggs from Made in House, a Korean spot in Seattle. As they put it, “Soft boiled and marinated in house soy sauce, with a topping of gochugaru vinaigrette, scallion, and toasted sesame. High protein, flavorful, and addicting.”
Grateful for a sweet summer and a sweet September. Here’s to October and the autumnal delights ahead.
-Lina