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Lifestyle

Five Things You Can Do About Climate Change Right Now (Yes, Today)

February 26, 2020

I am as sensitive to hearing "you should really be living THIS way!" lectures as the next person. Perhaps more so, because I live in California, where I have daily (daily!) "conversations" (lectures) with an astonishing number of people who feel the need to tell me how I am eating/drinking/exercising/sleeping/parenting wrong. Which is why I'm loathe to toe that line on this site; I am not in the business of telling anyone else how to live their life.

But I'm going to make an exception today, because when it comes to the environment it's way past time to sound those alarm bells. The reason I feel comfortable making the below recommendations is that I am a creature of enormous habit, and have historically been in the "What difference can little old me make?" camp - but from where I stand now, that attitude isn't just lazy, it's unacceptable. I'm also not someone who's very good at overhauling decades-old habits, but what I've discovered is that you don't have to do everything right: What matters is that you start doing something. Little things. Anything.

That's the way to start.

Lifestyle

All About New Orleans: An Itinerary For You

February 25, 2020

Three years ago, I worked with the New Orleans Tourism Board on one of my absolute favorite projects to date: It involved spending three days exploring the city with my family, and having various dreams come true (ZOMG SASSY THE PENGUIN).

So in celebration of Mardi Gras, here's a throwback to the trip - including plenty of recommendations should you decide to take a jaunt down to this very loveliest and warmest and most magical of cities.

DAY ONE

Fashion Tips & Reader Questions

In Which I Answer My Own Question About Leggings

February 24, 2020

Me, 2 years ago, in The Leggings That Died

I'm doing a much better job of getting dressed these days. Meaning: I actually do it! Regularly! First thing in the morning! It's not because I *want* to, exactly; it's because the kids' new school is...well, have you seen Big Little Lies? It's like that.

As an example: On our third day, I had a woman come up to me and ask me whether I owned a pair of oversize round Tom Ford sunglasses.

Video

A Stroll Down Memory Lane: 2004 Strong Medicine Episode

February 20, 2020

OK, so you mayyyy have noticed that I mayyyy have found myself with a little unscheduled time over the weekend, and I mayyyy have spent that time in the company of a very, very old box of DVDs and a DVD ripper. I haven't had an actual DVD-playing computer in years, so this was the first time I'd seen all of this stuff in forever - and my kids, having never before seen their mom acting quite so bizarre, were RAPT.

You can see clips from the OG "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" pilot (the one that was shot before I was replaced; I don't think it was ever aired anywhere, understandably) over on my Instagram, and this episode of Strong Medicine was just too good not to leave right here.

I mean...what is even happening? I have, like, no words.

Decor

A Very Malibu Makeover

February 18, 2020

sunset with my loves

CLEARLY the point of living in Malibu is to enjoy all that beach-adjacentness as much and as often as possible, which means creating a lovely outdoor space was fairly high on my priority list from the second I moved in. I got rid of all of my outdoor furniture when I moved - it was so old that moving it would have been more expensive than it was worth - which left me in the market for some new stuff. But my wraparound deck situation perplexed me a little. It's very long, and quite narrow, and the only area big enough for a table is next to the front door.

Here is where having a friend like Audrey is a blessing from the home decorating gods: I asked Audrey what she thought I should do with the deck, and do you know what she sent me?

ENTREES

Instant Pot Chinese Takeout-Style Beef With Broccoli

February 14, 2020

Fun fact: There is no Chinese takeout in Malibu. There's barely even any takeout, period. Postmates? Nope. Grubhub? Doordash? Freakin' Instacart?!

...Nothing.

On the plus side, the absence of Postmates is saving me a boatload of money (my habit of ordering Sugarfish delivery whenever Kendrick had the kids was giving my financial planner palpitations). On the negative side, it means I cannot get Chinese takeout, and this is not an acceptable way to live.

Home

The Adultiest Things I Do

February 13, 2020

Officially an adult...still take bathroom selfies tho

My mother once said to me, "You always kind of feel like you're 22 years old." And she was right, in some ways. For example, I don't know that you ever truly adjust to the fact that you are now capable of injuring yourself by bending over too fast. Or putting on a jacket. Or sleeping. (I have hurt myself doing all of these things.)

But she's not completely right; in some ways I feel precisely the age that I am. My 22-year-old self specialized in the fields of watching Elimidate marathons and entitlement, and while I still dabble in both of those (rather enjoyable) endeavors, the knowledge that I have acquired in the 16 years since falls into the realm of "enormous." I wasn't totally irresponsible as a twentysomething - I'd had a job since I was 12, so I was decently familiar with the idea of money management and taxes and such - but I couldn't have told you what a HELOC was on pain of death.

Beauty Tutorials

I Tried Microblading, And The Results Were Completely Unexpected

February 11, 2020

Fun fact: I have no eyebrows. I mean, technically they're there, but...mehhhh. It was only when I was about 35 that I finally realized what every makeup artist I'd ever worked with had been telling me for years, which is that eyebrows are everything, and started putting a little effort in - but I've never loved the look of powdered brows, and have always very much wanted some more shape than my limited skills are capable of achieving.

My mom gets microblading done, though, as do a few of my friends, and so - despite the fact that a tattoo ON MY FACE sounded like a distinctly terrible idea - I booked an appointment.

Lifestyle

Links & Love & Stuff

February 10, 2020

I finally read enough glowing reviews of The Amazon Coat (actually an Orolay coat that for various - and entirely legitimate - reasons is apparently one of most-sold-ever things on Amazon), and bought one to keep me moving on chilly Malibu mornings...and yes. It is 100% worth the hype. SUPER cozy, great-looking, well-made, and confusingly affordable. I like the yellow and red, but there are lots of far more normal colors, too.

"What we think we know about happiness is just plain wrong." Well I'm SO GLAD SOMEONE TOLD ME; I FEEL MUCH BETTER NOW. (Feel Happier With The Latest Advice, via Shape.)

Alice & Olivia is having an INSANE sale on their absolutely perfect hi-rise bellbottom jeans.

Lifestyle

2020: The Year When I Become Accountable

February 8, 2020

Tarot contributor Jessica tells me what the cards hold in the year ahead - and gets it right.

Last month, I wrote about the universal card of the year for 2020, The Emperor. In that column I also described a couple of very simple processes for finding a personal card of the year. For February, I thought it would be cool to explore some other ways connect with the Major Arcana’s archetypes and see how the cards we choose—and the cards that choose us—interact at the micro and macro levels. And Jordan, my hostess and patron, has offered to be my subject for this process.

Calculating Your Birth Card

Your birth card is, not surprisingly, connected to your birth date. Jordan's birth date is May 26, 1981, so to calculate her birth card, we add 5 + 26 + 1981. This equals 2012, so we keep adding. 2 + 0 + 1 + 2 = 5. Jordan’s birth card is The Hierophant. Exploring how this card interacts with The Emperor will give Jordan some food for thought as she considers the year ahead.

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