Hyggelig Places: Trader Joe's

I have to admit, I haven't been faithful to Trader Joe's. I used to live a couple of blocks away from one, and I'd go there a couple of times a week during my lunchbreak to buy a few measly groceries and eye the cute checkout guy. I just saw this video and I think it pretty much sums up my relationship with TJ's. I miss it all of a sudden. Maybe I should go get some couscous or something.

Showing Up

I just watched Elizabeth Gilbert's TED talk about creative spirits and genius, and I thought it was really touching and funny. She talked about how in ancient Greece and Rome, people believed that spirits outside of humans were collaborators in the creative process. Daemons, also known as geniuses, would hang around and help you out. As she noted, it humbled the human because his work was not entirely his own. Also, if he screwed up and the work wasn't so great, it wasn't really his fault. Nice!

I won't spoil the rest of it in case you want to hear it in her own words. I like the way she talked about creative people having a potential "out," a way to circumvent the pressure our closest allies often lay on us, even if accidentally. Just show up - just do your part and screw it if it's not so great. Keep going. Next project. Don't worry if your best work is behind you, because there's no way to tell that something even more amazing won't happen.

Omnivore Books and Peter Pauper Press

Yesterday Mom and I headed down to Omnivore, the amazing cookbook store down on Cesar Chavez. We spent a while there, just basking in the treasures we found and admiring the cozy space, and finally we whittled down our stacks to the essentials. I got a small book from Peter Pauper Press - the recipes are so simple, and the illustrations are so beautiful.

Here are some examples of their 1950s graphic covers:

via radlibrary

via tinstars