A Roll of the Dice!
It’s come to my attention that I missed a week. Did you miss me? I missed you. I mean, that’s not really exactly how I’d put it. I was in Las Vegas and I simply could not be bothered to stop having fun. Not that this isn’t fun. It just requires slightly more attention than I had available at the time. You understand, right?
It’s funny, because I had been to Vegas exactly one time before last week for a decadent whirlwind of my friends’ ultra-fabulous wedding, after which I felt firmly that I should never go back. Once you’ve done it that well, any return would surely be a disappointment, right? Wrong. Turns out there’s a few ways to skin a cat, and boy do I hate that expression. This time was a smaller affair, Jason’s birthday, a birthday that didn’t end in a 0 or 5 but was worth celebrating nonetheless. And so we turned up, we saw some college basketball, we ate exceptionally well, and we saw ”shows,” as everyone demands you do when in Vegas. Some of them are exceptional, some are just fine, some are icons on an easy cash grab. We saw Usher, and honestly? It was one of the best concerts I’ve ever seen. If you can, GO. It’s truly so much fun. Twenty plus years of hits from this ageless superstar giving it his all and enjoying it so much. It really felt special. There are several set pieces involving exotic dancers and more than one number for which Usher performs on roller skates. It works! Just go.
Other Vegas recommendations: winning at slots (or anything) and leaving immediately. Tijuana’s best tacos at Tacos El Gordo. The divine Golden Steer, which feels like the perfect amount of golden age hollywood steakhouse glamour and is right off the strip. Amalfi, for really good Mediterranean and a spritz selection(!) at Cesar’s. Evel Pie, an Evel Knievel-themed pizza joint, which deserves a visit for the signage and decor alone. Getting off the strip at least one night and cruising around Fremont street for a dose of Time Square-level madness. The Neon museum. The decadent spa at the Encore. Slow walking down the strip with the showgirls taking pictures with tourists for cash and watching casinos modeled after “Venice” change into “Paris” and '“Rome” and then “New York.” I didn’t shop but really could have— I always forget that the retail scene in Vegas is basically Rodeo Drive on steroids. Or America’s Dubai.
Other things! The Oscars have just happened, of course, along with the red-but-actually-champagne carpet, and there’s been a lot of talk out there about STYLE, Personal and where it all went. I regret to inform you I wrote about this 6 years ago and it wasn’t new then. Mostly I think still mean what I wrote in 2017, though at the time my complaints were with all the it girls pushing the same blandiosity to the brink courtesy of their then one shared stylist. Not that that’s changed tremendously, though at least there’s been a little diversification amongst who’s getting hired. And I’m not against anyone getting paid! To be clear, I think stylists are wonderful and helpful but not everyone needs one all the time. I’d love to see someone wear their own clothes again. If you have bad taste I want to see it! Chances are I’d love you for it. There's a reason we all fixated on street style and paparazzi shots for decades and instantly forget most red carpet looks now. Give me a star in what they think looks good over a “co-branding opportunity” any day. I look at some people all dolled up and it’s so boring I get sad. Speaking of the Oscars, the rampant Ozempic abuse is a lot for those of us who grew up in the eating disorder hotbed that was the 90s/aughts. (For the ED sensitive, I would avoid that first link on the word “rampant.”) Sigh. It’s a famine of real figures and un-filled faces out there!
Speaking of faces, I wonder what Gloria Swanson would say about the red carpet these days. Hey, now that you mention it, I have a pretty good idea after reading this dishy piece in Vanity Fair about ghostwriting her famous autobiography, Swanson on Swanson. Hard not to love a little editorial revenge after the fact.
More! I saw the wonderful Rossano Ferretti while he was in town, for a trim and a teaching moment (apparently I wash my hair too often and I didn’t have enough layers in it). His product line is really good. Highly recommended if you, like me, have been feeling really follicularly uninspired lately. I also saw the superb Adeela Crown for a facial. I needed her to slap the Vegas out of my face (she’s famously quite hands-on in her work. It’s sort of like shiatsu, and feels divine, never punishing). She was in town for awards week with La Prairie and has a fab new column, “Ask Adeela,” for FT’s How To Spend It. One thing I learned from picking her brain while she purified my face: you can (and should!) use a peel/exfoliating mask on your lips. Once you wash it off, seal it up with a facial serum and a good thick balm on top. (My new favorite is Biologique Recherche’s BioKiss which is some obscene price, but undeniably excellent if you’re feeling splurge-y.) Oh, and layer your serums. It’s the season of juicy skin—no dry lips in the house! Deal? Deal.
I read The English Understand Wool by Helen Dewitt. Slim, clever, so funny, terrific. You could read it in a day. You should, in fact!
Longer, thank god: Big Swiss by Jen Beagin. I read this novel in galley version a while ago and it became my favorite thing I had read in years. In the offbeat insular enclave of Hudson, New York (the specificities of which are captured brilliantly), a transcriptionist for a local sex therapist becomes obsessed with one of the patients whose sessions she’s been transcribing. It’s so incredibly funny. Cynical, sexy, strange, perfect. I’m sure it’ll be a movie (or a limited series, god forbid) imminently. Run, don’t walk!
I tried watching the first 3 episodes of Daisy Jones and the Six on Amazon prime. (And now every TikTok I open is one of the stars cajoling me to watch more, help!) First of all, why is everything on streaming always so VISUALLY DARK? Must I always be covering every light source like Miss Havisham to see what the hell is going on on the screen? Did the gaffers strike before the writers? Re: the series, to be honest I think it needs Fleetwood-level music to carry it off, which one can imagine on the page but is harder to fake when you have to listen to it. Otherwise, Riley Keough is a pretty terrific actress but single-handedly producing enough energy or chemistry to keep this whole thing afloat would require a nuclear power pant of an effort. And don’t get me wrong, this thing is definitely not a Chernobyl-level disaster. It’s just kind of… meh. Which for something this expensive and built-up is pretty dismal. And I’m a sucker for this era. And it’s in L.A., no less! In my own Laurel Canyon! You know I wanted to love it. Someone on Twitter said one reason it looks wrong is because all the actors’ teeth are so white and perfect and their hair is so glossy and unfrizzed (aka very not 1970s). I don’t know. The first few episodes were kind of a slog. Mostly it just made me want to watch Almost Famous again. But who knows! Maybe I’ll keep at it. Or not? Change my mind!
What else? I spent a lot of time explaining the Vanderpump Rules drama to people who plainly did not care. (Should you find yourself in similar straits, this Tiktok did the best job I’ve seen so far.) I haven’t even watched the show in years. I may now! (I will admit that I went to TomTom once with friends for a drink when it opened just to see it and my friend ordered a glass of wine which arrived in a goblet that was both hot and sticky.) If you are also catching up from…some time away, I have been really enjoying Sexy Unique Podcast for recaps.
I read this terrifying story about phosphorous and the incredibly fraught agricultural system in this country in the New Yorker and became even more determined to support regenerative farming. You should too! It’s the only really optimistic option when it comes to healing the planet, and it actually requires doing very little. Versus, you know, going to Mars, or whatever. Think less building rockets and more building a backyard garden, or better yet, supporting your local farmers! Find out where you can shop for regenerative produce! This usually involves talking to people at the grocery store or farmers market. In my experience, talking to people also really helps lift the spirits. It’s a win/win!
That’s all for this week. If you’re wondering, I did not win “big” in Vegas but I did not lose much, either. And I lived to play another day. Isn’t that really all we can ask for? As usual, thanks for being here. I love you.