Finding Beauty in a Dumpster
Plus: Great sneakers, jeans — and a supplement to ease headaches
When Connecticut car mechanic John Whipple answer his phone in September 2017, he received an odd offer: his friend, a local contractor, was clearing out a house and barn and had stumbled upon hundreds of pieces of old art. Among the oversized canvases were several pieces depicting car parts — surely Whipple, if anyone, would enjoy them.
The Connecticut Insider reports that Whipple did indeed enjoy the paintings, which had been stored in both the barn and a literal dumpster, but were still in great shape. He spent the next several years researching the works, and eventually discovered they were all the product of Francis Hines, a New York artist who once famously wrapped New York’s Washington Square Arch (similarly to how Christo and Jeanne-Claude wrapped large pieces of architecture).
Long story short, the art is worth an estimated “millions” of dollars. Because Whipple amassed so much of it all at once, he’s selling it. His logic is that the sale will shed more light on Hines, who died in 2016 had been somewhat forgotten in the art world, and create a market for his work.
I love this story for obvious reasons. I, too, collect vintage art, and have sold quite a bit of it over the years — which is the most fun part about stumbling upon something long-forgotten: getting to share it with the rest of the world.
Now on to the stuff I’m into this week:
The noodles that you’ll turn to again and again: I’ve made these Szechuan-style noodles from Half Baked Harvest a few times and every time I do, I’m like “Why am I not making these once a week?” I sub rice noodles for the egg noodles (my boyfriend has Celiac, so we are a g-free household), but otherwise follow it exactly. The homemade chili oil is key. (And if you want to serve it with a big plate of dumplings, no one will be mad at you.)
The best show you’ll see this year: I watch a lot of TV. I’m not even going to pretend I don’t. Especially during the pandemic, we became fully obsessed with our “shows.” My latest is Pachinko, based on the book of the same name. It is beautifully done, incredibly cast and so so riveting. The intro is the best of any show I’ve ever seen and I love the care they take with showcasing Korean dishes. I can’t even imagine what went into filming this show (some of the roles even required learning Japanese, as many of the characters are multilingual). Also: read the book! It is WONDERFUL.
The jeans everyone will ask you about: I have been very into B SIDES jeans for a while. Disclaimer: They are pricey but I tend to spend more on things like jeans than on other items of clothing (price-per-wear wise, it just makes more sense to spend money on jeans than, like an evening bag or something). I am very much in love with the Lasso style which is kind of everything I want in a pant: wide-legged, lived-in and very well-tailored.
The supplement to ease your tired brain: I have a family history of migraines and, over the past year, have started to occasionally suffer from them, as well (like once a month, if you catch my drift). For me, they can sometimes last a full 48 hours and be so debilitating I can’t focus on much else. So, I recently started taking a daily dose of magnesium. These packets are great but kind of gross in that they do not dissolve — so the gel just kind of sinks into your cup of water and you have to hold your breath while you glug it down (also, my boyfriend says they look like “placenta,” so that’s a fun thing to think about). But once I got past the weird texture, it really did help. I take one a day and up my dose to two if I feel headachey. Important to note: Obviously, you should never get health or medical advice from someone on social media so talk to your doctor first if you are experiencing headaches — And just go to the doctor in general to get checked up! So many of us forget to prioritize our own health. I had my yearly checkup with my PCP last week and felt really good about doing it.
The sneakers that marry high performance with high design: I’ve been searching for a new pair of sneaks for my workouts (which are primarily HIIT-based, though I do intervals on the treadmill or outside, as well). These, by Adidas by Stella McCartney, have it all: they are very chic; utilize the brand’s Boost technology (which I assume makes you run as fast as Usain Bolt); and they promise to be supportive and comfortable, which is key. (I am also very into these Nike Fontankas, but more for fashion purposes).
Recommended reading:
• Pachinko author Min Lee talked to The Cut about what she wears to work.
• Vogue alum (and just all-around-chic human) Lucinda Chambers shared her style secrets with the Chairish blog … and now I want to paint every room in my condo red.
• The Associated Press documented 20 days of the siege in Mariupol, Ukraine, delving moment-by-moment into how Russia cut off electricity, water and — importantly — the flow of information as it began its invasion. This is a heartbreaking look at one of the hardest-hit parts of that country (and a reminder of how important journalism is during times of crisis).
• This story might (will) terrify you, but I found it suuuuuper fascinating. People in four states, with no seeming connection to one another, came down with the same very rare, very dangerous illness. It turns out, they all got sick (some, fatally so) from a lavender-scented room spray purchased at Wal-Mart. This has all the makings of a Law & Order episode but I would definitely watch a multi-episode docuseries.
• The only funny thing about April Fools’ Day? No one really knows how it even started to begin with.
And I’ll leave you with this…