Watch: I love a good documentary and recently rented a few good ones on very different subject matters. Amy, about the prolific and very trouble Amy Winehouse, is incredibly heartbreaking. I was also wondering the entire time how the director was able to piece together a film that draws on so many home movies, concert footage, and interviews from a fairly social media-light time. The second documentary, Meru, is about three world-renown mountain climbers who attempt to climb one of the highest peaks in the Himalayans that has never been summited before. It is riveting with a few unexpected plot twists I did not anticipate.
Listen (Music): Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats still have my favorite album of the year. Here they are doing an NPR Tiny Desk concert.
Listen (Podcast): I’m really enjoying Lena Dunham’s podcast, Women of the Hour. There are longer episodes and some shorter, bite-sized ones. She and her staff interview some of the most interesting women, from Zadie Smith and Aidy Bryant to Amy Sedaris and Lena’s work partner, Jenni Konner. The podcast is both fun and substantive.
Read: An interesting read in Fast Company about the buy-one-give-one model. Does it actually do any good? The author asks the valid question: How many lives could have actually been transformed if the resources we use to buy things for ourselves were instead utilized to foster sustainable livelihoods?
Follow: I just love and so admire the work of Jennifer Erlys (@jenerlys). She makes and photographs these beautiful compositions out of flowers, leaves, and bits from nature.
Shop: I just finished a bit of Christmas shopping on Best Made Company’s site. I love their motto: “Gifts to Inspire: The warmth of a well-considered gift is universally appreciated.”
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