coffee (table) talk

When I fantasize about hitting the jackpot in Vegas or scoring a lottery windfall, it's the possibility of little luxuries that excite me most: Chipotle for lunch every day (oh, I know guacamole is extra), weekly blowouts, and best of all, the ability to buy all of the books that my little heart desires.

I mean, I'm sure I'd buy a fancy house and expensive shoes and all of that stuff, but...I really love books (#sorrynotsorry Marie Kondo).

Right now I'm dreaming about coffee table books, because there are so many good ones coming out soon! Unfortunately my coffee table is always bigger than my book budget, but here's what's on my wish list...

Isaac Mizrahi

This gorgeous book is being released in conjunction with the Isaac Mizrahi: An Unruly Life exhibit opening at The Jewish Museum next week. I can't say how exactly, but my job has involved working on this exhibit in a small way and it looks AMAZING. I've always loved Isaac's style and have a soft spot for him as he really blazed the trail for the modern high/low designer collaboration (RIP, Isaac Mizrahi for Target).

Things Neatly Organized

A fun read for those type-A obsessives who love keeping things tidy and organizing by color. The cover is sort of mesmerizing, isn't it?

Beaches

The colorful, wanderlust-inspiring photographs of Gray Malin collected in one lovely place. I'd never thought about changing my coffee table books seasonally, but this would be a great one for the top of the pile once May rolls around (or for my beach house, definitely #4 on my list of things to spend my lottery winnings on).

Hamilton: The Revolution

I have known about Hamilton: The Musical for years, and I knew it would be great but never could have predicted this level of hysteria (why, why, why didn't I buy tickets months ago??). Until I finally get to see the show, this behind-the-scenes look will have to hold me over.

Botticelli Reimagined

I'm not necessarily a huge Botticelli fan, but l love the idea of looking at the way one great artist has influenced some of my favorite contemporary artists, musicians, and designers.

Painting Central Park

I spotted this sweet looking book in the gift shop last time I was at The Met. Central Park has always been a bit of a mystery to me (I always, always, always get lost), but I'd like to know it better. Maybe there's a pretty little map in here somewhere...

Love Style Life

This has been out for a few months, but I'm dying to read it and dying to display it. Blush, black, and gold - is there a more perfect color palette?

in my head: running

At any given time there are about a dozen things that I'm obsessing about. Right now it's running, specifically the half marathon I am signed up for on Sunday. In the wee hours of the morning, me and 17,000 tulle and glitter encrusted ladies (and a few dudes) will gather to torture ourselves by running thirteen-ish miles around a theme park. I'm excited because Disney races are always quite a lot of fun, and I love being part of the incredibly warm and inspiring running community. And I'll be accompanied by a friend who is running her very first half, always fun. But I'm also freaking out, just a little, because I didn't really have time to train. At all. Oops.

But I know that 50% of racing is mental, so I'm trying to at least get my head together and hope my legs will follow suit.

eating

Spaghetti pie for dinner tomorrow night -- you a little jelly?

via Smitten Kitten

Spaghetti, cheese, eggs, black pepper. Simple, perfect. I stumbled upon this recipe this week and realized it would be a lovely pre-race meal. (If you think running is hell on earth, this also seems like a good sort of recipe to whip up for dinner on a chilly Sunday night.)

reading

I get weirdly emotional right before a race, and I like to lay in bed and cry and read about running and racing, succeeding and failing. Here are some of my favorites:

Born to Run was a bit of a phenomenon and really made people think differently about distance running // John Bingham is a hero for the back of the pack runners who are only racing with themselves -- The Courage to Start could inspire a love for running among even the couchiest of potatoes // somehow I was unaware of its existence until this week, but I just ordered Haruki Murakami's memoir about marathon training -- a treat for myself next week when I'm recovering

wearing

Never enough cute athleisure wear:

this Kate Spade bow-adorned running jacket is fabulous, though too precious to sweat in // Raw Threads makes all of the performance wear your inner princess could need // floral leggings when you want to look just a little fancy -- maybe yoga or your local neighborhood 5K // this cozy sweatshirt looks dreamy for throwing on after a tough workout // a gym bag you won't be embarrassed to carry

stocking

I love running because it's a relatively low-maintenance sport, but there are a few items I've come to rely on for races:

Swedish fish for a quick burst of energy mid-run // a sturdy (and cheery) pair of earbuds // melatonin to fight pre-race jitters // banana chips stashed in my gear bag (because the post-race banana are never ripe enough) // Sparkly Soul headbands look great (and mostly stay in place) // a truly amazing gel for taking care of post-run ouches // your favorite pair of aviators look cool and keep the sun out of your eyes // a flat water bottle to sip from until the first water stop on very hot days (they're so cheap, I just toss in the trash when I get tired of carrying it).