Colleen Taylor's blog, from May 5, 2012

On habits, and being human

May 5, 2012

"But there was a pervasive melancholy, the vague sense that something bright and happy and true was missing from my life—a wonderful friend and not just a reliable route to comfort and satisfaction.

I suppose that these are signs of addiction, much as the way you repeatedly reach for the matches in your pocket when you’re trying to give up smoking. But please remind me: What’s so bad about addiction? I can’t remember. Isn’t it something about giving up your freedom? Isn’t freedom an illusion?"

--from an article written by Jeffrey Steingarten in the May 2012 issue of Vogue

Lots of people know Jeffrey Steingarten from his television appearances on the Food Network as well as from his role as food critic for Vogue Magazine (I know, to many that sounds like an oxymoron, just like Ethiopian cuisine -- which of course exists and is delicious.)

I've never gotten into any of his articles as much as I got into "Mr. Clean," which he wrote during and after his experience on The Master Cleanse, a trendy and super strict fast that consists of ingesting lemonade and little else for at least 10 days. The whole piece was super sharp: At times very funny, at times very reflective, at all times very good.

That thump of ambition

April 26, 2012

A young Anna Quindlen

I've been listening to a fair amount of NPR lately. When driving (which I've been doing to shuttle to interviews for work and whatnot) it's just generally my best option for entertainment. I feel guilty about all the car use when San Francisco has decent public transit, but that's for another post.

Anyway! Earlier this week while driving along, I found myself absorbed in a Terry Gross interview. She was talking with an interesting-sounding woman with some very smart opinions. Only at the very end of it I found out that she was talking with *the* Anna Quindlen, who is apparently promoting a new book.

Below I've pasted the transcript of one part of the interview that really enchanted me. I'm still into my ambitious 20's stage, but I think the state of mind Ms. Quindlen describes will come later on in life is something to really, really look forward to:

GROSS: You write in your book: I wouldn't be 25 again or even 40. Why not?

QUINDLEN: Oh, I think I was still so unsure of myself, particularly at 25. I mean, you know, I talked a good game but there was still that sense of looking over my shoulder all the time in terms of what people expected of me, what I expected of myself, that thump, thump of ambition that's kind of free floating when you're young.

I just feel like with every passing year I've sort of become more myself. I've sort of circled back to that little five year old girl, you know, who was kind of full of herself and didn't take a whole lot of guff and did what she wanted to do and was comfortable in her own skin.

Keeping things spicy

March 22, 2012

Just sent an email entitled "Let's try this in the bedroom" and the entire body of the message was a link to a cool new way to hang curtains. Didn't even think twice about it until just now

"You've got to grab it."

March 18, 2012

"It was about taking a risk and realizing in my twenties that: Who cares? Who cares if I end up a failure? One should accept failure.

I was unfortunate, and very fortunate, that there were some terrible things I lived through. Obviously we had 9/11, but in a year I had three very close friends that passed away, I had my mom who was battling cancer again.

...At a certain point I realized that no one is going to be here. No one is going to spoon-feed you anymore. No one is going to teach you anything. You've got to grab it."

--David Chang, the now 34-year-old founder of the immensely successful Momofuku restaurant group on why he initially decided to open his first restaurant in Manhattan. From a very interesting video interview (found via the bryce.vc blog.)

Image of David Chang via Esquire Magazine