WHAT ARE YOU DOING THIS WEEKEND? + SOME NOTES

Happy Friday, friends—and happy first weekend of October! This is totally my favorite month of the year: The weather here in Florida finally starts to turn (which means being outside isn't face-meltingly awful) and it's acceptable to eat pumpkin everything. Totally awesome.

What are your plans for the weekend? On Saturday I'm going to a lovely friend's baby shower (so many friends are pregnant right now!), but I have no real plans for the rest of the weekend except for a beach walk and a dip in the Gulf with my bestie Kate. (That's also one of the best things about living here at this time of year: The weather cools off enough to where we Floridians notice a marked difference in temperature, but it's still basically beach weather for the rest of the country. We may not get to go apple-picking, but we can still swim in the ocean.)

Also, a quick housekeeping note: Sometime in the next two weeks, I'm going to be transitioning Pink O'Clock from Blogger to Wordpress. I use Wordpress at work all day, every day, and while I love Blogger—I've been writing here for five years!—Wordpress offers some design and posting options that I want to take advantage of. Until then, though, posting won't change here, and I'll let you know when the new site is live so you can adjust accordingly. Also, if any of you have made the transition from Blogger to Wordpress, I'd love your notes! I work in digital media so I  feel pretty confident making the switch from both a tech and content standpoint, but tips and tricks are always appreciated.

So there you have it! New month, new site. Also, here are three great links for your reading pleasure this weekend:

This video of a girl quitting her job went viral, but in case you haven't seen it, it's worth the watch. Also, it makes me want to dance. (Make sure to watch her former employer's response, too.)

I love Mindy Kaling. Her show is cute and funny, and she is just a pleasure.

Speaking of TV, Homeland is back and this interview with Damian Lewis is just a good read.

Also, in case you missed anything here this week: A pretty photo of the beach, homemade chai tea, talking about my hair (again, some more) and the best banana bread ever.

Have a great weekend and I'll see you back here on Monday! xoxo

HAPPY MONDAY.

Happy Monday, friends! Did you have a good weekend? I had a great one—full of quality time with ACS, a wonderful Saturday-night dinner date with friends old and new and some time at the beach on Sunday (I even got to take a dip in the ocean—that's gorgeous Longboat Key in the photo above—which is totally one of the perks of living in Florida at this time of year).

I've got a bunch more stuff to share with you this week, including some really good stuff to eat and drink, so I'll see you back here tomorrow. In the meantime, I hope your Mondays are wonderful. xoxo

Lemur love.

Every so often, I think that I want to leave Sarasota and go live somewhere completely different (like, hello, San Diego). I've lived in Florida my entire life and sometimes the urge for a change of scenery is so strong that I actually start to research other cities, trying to figure out what it would be like to live in one of them.

But then Sarasota surprises me with something like a stunning sunset, a perfect 75-degree day or an experience that you can't have anywhere else. Case in point: The Lemur Conservation Foundation lemur reserve in Myakka City, just a short drive from where I live. A few months ago, my boss and I were invited to take a tour of the facility and meet the lemurs living there, who are are in serious danger of going extinct thanks to the turmoil in their native Madagascar. It was one of the most unique (and uniquely Sarasota) experiences I've ever had, and really special since the reserve isn't open to the public. And surprise: Turns out, I love lemurs. They're laid-back but curious little creatures, and when we ventured out into the woods where they live, many of them came right up to us and some of them even tried to paw through our purses.

The entire experience was unforgettable, and it led to this story in our September issue, written by one of our regular contributors (who, side note, is also the author of a great book about coming of age in New York called The Frog King). The piece is a must-read, and if the last few paragraphs don't make you cry—or at least well up—well, then, you're dead to me. Also, the photography, by Kim Longstreet, is amazing; the little lemurs and their personalities are captured so vividly. I'm really proud of the quality of work our magazine produces and I think this piece is a fine example of it. If you read it, I hope you really enjoy it.

Photography by Kim Longstreet for Sarasota magazine

A quick, easy summer lunch.

There's this restaurant in Sarasota, Louies Modern, that serves an heirloom tomato and burrata salad on a pink sea salt block, and I am in love with that salad. It's bright and refreshing and sweet and salty—your basic caprese with the ante pumped way, way up. Seriously delicious.

So when I was thinking about what I wanted for lunch the other day, that salad kept coming to mind. Now, I don't have huge pink sea salt blocks laying around my house, but I did have a box heirloom cherry tomatoes, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Maldon salt (the best), basil and—thank you, Trader Joe's—burrata. So I sliced up half the container of tomatoes, plopped half a ball of burrata on top of them, tore up some basil leaves that I picked from my plant (!), drizzled the whole thing with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar, sprinkled some Maldon salt on top—and that was it. Friends, it was delicious. I had to keep telling myself to slow down while I was eating it. Even better: Absolutely no cooking involved. Total win.

What's your favorite summer lunch? I'd love to hear.

Photo: My own.

Anna Maria Donuts.

This might very well be called denial, but I'm going to choose not to talk about all the craziness that is happening in Florida right now and instead talk about doughnuts. Yes, doughnuts. Specifically Anna Maria Donuts, which is located on Anna Maria Island and which is my new favorite place.

I'd been meaning to get to Anna Maria Donuts ever since I heard it had opened, but Anna Maria Island is a 30-ish minute drive up Longboat Key from downtown Sarasota, where I live and work, and yes, that is not all that far in actuality, but it still requires some planning—especially since AMD is only open from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Happily, as you know, my mom was in town this weekend, so I suggested that we take a trip up, and after a great brunch on the beach at The Sandbar, we yielded to the siren song of the doughnuts and headed over to Pine Avenue.

Here's the deal with Anna Maria Donuts: You start with a homemade cake doughnut, and then you choose your frosting (chocolate, vanilla, maple, caramel or classic glaze) and your toppings. You can put anything from rainbow sprinkles to bacon to Fruity Pebbles to peanuts to crushed graham crackers on top of your doughnut, and you can also trust that it will be delicious. Seriously: You get the fried, not-too-sweet flavor of the cake, then the rush of sugar from the frosting and the crunch of whatever topping you've added. I am not kidding when I tell you that I probably could have eaten three of these and not looked back, but you'll be happy to know that I restrained myself.

You know, I've always loved doughnuts, ever since childhood, and I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that my grandfather—my mom's dad—would always stop and get me whatever Dunkin' Donut I wanted after Mass on Sundays (usually a powdered-sugar-coated vanilla cream-filled one). I've obviously had other doughnuts throughout the course of my life, but something about biting into this one brought me right back to those Sunday-morning after-church excursions, and it was a really lovely moment. (I am nothing if not unfailingly nostalgic.)

Anyway, if you're local, make the trip to Anna Maria Donuts, please. Like, now. And if you're planning on visiting, make sure you add this little doughnut shop to your list of must-eat spots. OK? OK.

P.S. I keep wondering: donut or doughnut? I am clinging to the latter spelling, but the former seems to be pretty generally accepted these days—thoughts?

Photo: My own.

What are you doing this weekend?

On Wednesday night, I took a walk on the beach with two friends, and on the way back to our cars we saw a couple getting ready to send off one of those fire-lit paper lanterns. The sun had set at this point and a storm was starting to roll in, but the sky was still pink and purple where we were, and watching the lantern float up, up and away was a nice reminder that taking a moment to breathe (and spend time with your friends) is always worth it.

And happy Friday, friends! This weekend my mom is coming to visit, and I'm so excited to take her to all my favorite spots, new and old: The farmer's market, Perq Coffee Bar, Artisan Cheese Company, etc. Depending on the weather, maybe we'll get to the museum, too. Who knows? My schedule is wide open and I couldn't be happier.

How about you? What are your plans? Oh, and if you're looking to do some reading over the weekend, here are three great links:

Emily Henderson's blog (which I'm currently obsessed with since I'm on a mission to figure out what to do with my house) is so good. All of it.

Ooh, summer reading suggestions.

Yay, an interview with Miranda July (and Jonah Peretti) about We Think Alone.

And in cased you missed anything here this week: The best pasta ever (making it again tonight), an awesome budget makeup find, puppy hugging (!!!), and my dream living room (can't stop staring at those pictures).

Have a wonderful weekend. xoxo

Photo: My own.

A trip to Myakka.

Over the weekend, I took a trip out east to Myakka so I could check out the Old Miakka Farmers Market—a new-ish market that I'd heard great things about and had been meaning to get to for a few months. So in spite of the 90-degree-plus temps, I jumped in my car, grabbed my beloved Kilenso flat white from Perq Coffee Bar, and enjoyed every single second of the 30-ish minute drive and my time in Myakka.

What are you doing this weekend?

This past week, a friend reminded me of my old LiveJournal, the web log I kept all throughout college. Reading it was hilarious—a total walk down memory lane that was riddled with both hysterical laughter and cringes (oh, that early-20s angst; oh, song lyrics galore).

It's funny how I remember almost everything I wrote about, though—from the school papers I was working on to the late-night IM conversations with friends; the sad times (my beloved uncle's passing) and the happy ones (graduation and my first "real" job). I also discovered that I tended to be a bit more creative in my writing style back in the day, something I kind of miss. Working at a magazine, particularly as an editor, will certainly force you to write more clearly and succinctly—a good thing—but there's something to be said for a long, semicolon-laden, Virginia Woolfian sentence, too. Hm. Maybe I should start telling more stories here...

Anyway, what are you up to this weekend? I'm finally feeling almost 100 percent back to normal again, and tomorrow I'm planning to take a trip out east to a new-to-me farmer's market I've been wanting to go to for months. The drive out is gorgeous—all green farmland—so I'm going to try to stop and take some pictures, as well. I'll share them here next week if they turn out.

Have a wonderful few days—and enjoy those extra minutes of golden summer sunlight the solstice is giving us tonight!—and I'll see you back here Monday. xoxo

Photo: My own, of a beautiful butterfly that was fluttering at my parents' house last weekend...and we all know how I feel about them.

Recipe for happiness: Cold brew with coconut milk.

I know you don't need me to tell you how to make cold brew—there are thousands of recipes out there (though this one's my favorite). And, like it is for me, a good iced coffee is probably one of your favorite warm-weather drinks (it places very closely after an icy glass of sauvignon blanc or a really great iced chai on my top five list). So that's why I thought I'd write about Raleigh, N.C.-based Slingshot Coffee Co. today, which makes some of the best cold brew I've had, and is the perfect fix for when you don't want to make your own but need an iced coffee, stat.

Slingshot makes a ready-to-drink cold brew and a coffee concentrate; I picked up a bottle of the ready-to-drink stuff at Artisan Cheese Company last week and immediately went home for lunch to try it. You can definitely drink it straight, with just ice, but I'm not a black-coffee kinda girl, so I added a tablespoon of coconut milk (I'd opened a can that morning to make one of these), and a little sweetener. Yum. I'd planned on using almond milk with this, but now I think creamy coconut milk is definitely the way to go. And yes, the coffee is amazing—super smooth and flavorful, with notes of cherry, caramel and chocolate. Go get some.

P.S. Coconut milk whipped cream and strawberry coconut smoothies.

What are you doing this weekend?

Whew, what a week! It definitely has not been all coffee and peonies here, friends, and I'm pretty glad the week is over. I'm doing something really fun on Sunday that I'll tell you about next week, and tonight I'm excited about hunkering down with the cats and some movies and just relaxing.

Until then, here are four links for your enjoyment:

A great post on body image and self-worth by Erin Loechner. Must-read.

Famous lookalikes! Alec Baldwin/Millard Fillmore is uncanny. Queen Latifah/Zora Neale Hurston, too.

Remember when I linked to that New York magazine piece called "I Tried Gwyneth Paltrow's Diet"? Turns out the author writes about other famous celebrity diets, too, and she is hilarious: Marilyn Monroe, Liz Taylor, Greta Garbo (thanks, Charla!).

And bonus, in honor of the image above: If you haven't watched this video of a baby elephant frolicking in the ocean, you must. It will make your day.

Have a great weekend and stay dry if you're in the Northeast...I am so glad we put that rain behind us here!

Photo by Sharon Montrose

Perq Coffee Bar.

These days, the perks of living in Sarasota include Perq Coffee Bar (see what I did there?), whose buzz (pun! Again!) began last year and which finally—finally!—opened its doors to the public last month. It's safe to say I'm obsessed, and here's why: Gorgeous space, made-from-scratch baked goods, sandwiches from a favorite local shop, and, oh yeah, the best coffee and tea in town. We're talking fair-trade, single-origin beans roasted in-house, local dairy options, the option to order a drink with almond milk (hallelujah!), tea offerings that are brewed just as carefully as their coffee counterparts, and a bright green Slayer espresso machine that is totally awesome.

Perq's lingo is different than the "small/medium/large/tall/grande/venti" you'll find at most coffee shops, and it's a little confusing at first, but you'll pick it up after a few orders. Also, take it from me: You will leave the shop with good vibrations (literally). I ordered a dirty chai—chai tea with a shot of espresso—a few weeks ago and it was insanely, awesomely strong. Totally worth it. If you're local, you must go.

P.S. My friend Megan also wrote a great post about Perq a few days ago; read it and see her pictures right here. She's convinced me to order a matcha latte next time I'm in, for sure.

What are you doing this weekend?

Happy Friday, friends—it's the weekend, yay! How were your weeks? Mine was good. In fact, it ended up being a week of little treats: I made that chai coconut ice cream on Monday, which aside from tasting awesome was a fun project; on Wednesday I bought the brightest pink peonies I could find and splurged on some Maldon sea salt (which is amazing, something I never thought I'd say about salt); and yesterday, I got my first facial in an attempt to take better care of my skin and it was fabulous. (My aesthetician is wonderful, by the way; if you're in Sarasota and need someone great, let me know.)

I'm becoming a big believer in occasionally rewarding yourself with little things like flowers or candles or—sometimes—with bigger splurges like a facial or a new piece of clothing or even a trip somewhere. In the past I usually did this with food—a candy bar here, a scoop of ice cream there—but I'm quickly learning that that's not the best thing to do. So candles, flowers and facials (!) it is. Here's to being gentle with ourselves.

No links today--just a wish that you all have a wonderful weekend! See you back here on Monday. xoxo

Photo: J.Crew

Words to remember.

"The cure for anything is salt water: Sweat, tears or the sea." —Isak Dinesen

What's your favorite quote? (Here's the other one I come back to over and over again.)

Photo: My own.

What are you doing this weekend?

Happy Friday, friends. How were your weeks? What are your plans for the weekend? I had a really good week: I was productive at work and at home, I did a lot of yoga and spin, and this weekend I get to see one of my best friends from college—and we're going to our favorite college-town coffee shop/hangout, too. Hooray, nostalgia! It should be fun.

Oh, and if you're in a reading mood this weekend, here are a couple of links for you:

I was so sad to hear about the death of the remarkable Roger Ebert. This essay, "Roger Loves Chaz," is wonderful. (via Hannah)

I'm heading to San Diego this summer, so "36 Hours in San Diego" is right up my alley. (PS: Any travel tips are much appreciated!)

"Why I Left News": I tweeted this a week or so ago, but it's stuck with me. Even though I don't work at a daily, I can relate to at least some of what Allyson writes. Powerful and thought-provoking and a little scary (especially if you're in media).

And in honor of Mad Men returning this Sunday (yay, yay!), I loved this interview with costume designer Janie Bryant.

And from earlier this week: April flowers for you; the best local honey I've tasted; on being kind to ourselves; and books I've recently read and loved. (Thanks for all your wonderful comments, too!)

See you back here Monday!

Snowy egret photo, snapped on Sarasota's South Lido Beach, by Matt Cattell. I love this feathery little guy.

The best honey in the world.

Ever since I made the switch from coffee to tea, I've been eating more honey than I ever have in my life. I've always loved the stuff—it's especially delicious drizzled on chunks of fresh Parmesan cheese--and I know that it has health benefits, too. But I didn't quite realize the huge differences between real-deal local honey and the kind you buy in the plastic bear at the grocery store. That is, until I got to talk with the awesome people at Negley & Son Honey for work.

Negley & Son is based in Arcadia—just up the road from Sarasota—and produces raw, unheated, unfiltered honey from their more than 1,000 beehives. It's a full-scale commercial operation, but it's incredibly responsible in terms of the production process (if you want to know why thats's important, read this post on my friend Megan's blog), and it truly is a family business: proprietor Mark Negley's father and grandfather were both apiary inspectors, and Negley has been helping tend to beehives since he was a kid (he's 24 now. Twenty-four. HelloIFeelInadequate.com). I got the chance to sit down with him last week for work, and I'll share the piece I worked on when it's published in our May issue.

But the honey. Oh, you guys, the honey. It's delicious. I've gone through two bottles of the orange blossom varietal in about two-and-a-half weeks, thanks to my insane tea consumption, and it's so different than the stuff in the plastic bear—the flavor is deeper and more complex (you can really taste the floral notes), and the texture's different, too—less smooth, but in a good way. If you can get your hands on it, do. There's no website just yet, but I have it on good authority that www.negleyhoney.com will be up and running very soon.

Do you love honey as much as I do? My other sweetener of choice is agave nectar—I've been working really hard to cut back on refined sugar and all the fake stuff.

Photo by Artisan Cheese Company

Farm to table dinners at King Family Farm.

As I mentioned last week, I had the opportunity to attend a farm-to-table dinner at King Family Farm in Bradenton with my coworker Hannah, and it was amazing. The older I get, the more I realize how important it is to eat seasonally and locally and know where your food comes from, so the opportunity to have a farm-fresh dinner (with produce literally picked from the fields in front of me) that also happened to be so charming I had to pinch myself was totally awesome.

The evening featured a three-course meal under the stars (plus plenty of extras), a tour of the farm (with samples of the produce) and lots of laughter and good conversation. If you're local and you haven't already, you've got to attend one of these dinners—I promise you'll come away with a new appreciation for Sarasota and all it has to offer. And if you've already gone, well then, like me, you're probably dreaming up excuses to go back. 

More info about the dinners here, and here's a little write-up I did about our experience for work, in which you can also check out a sample menu. (For the record, I'm still dreaming about that biscuit.)

My ideal day.

So I don't know if it was Mercury in retrograde, hormones, a series of unfortunate events or what, but two weeks ago I was feeling seriously off. I'm kind of thinking it was a combo of Nos. 2 and 3, but whatever was going on was a doozy. Luckily, the weird mental haze lifted a few days later and I felt mostly back to normal, but also like I needed to think about the way I handle stress and let it affect me. So, thanks to a book I was flipping through at the time, I started thinking about my ideal day—what I would do (on the weekends and weekdays) if I stuck what is essentially my dream schedule. And then I started thinking about the ways I can incorporate some of those dream items into my actual life. Turns out, my dream schedule is actually pretty darn attainable, and that is awesome. (Now I just have to get myself to do the things on my lists, but motivation—or lack thereof—is a whoooole other post.)

Before I go farther, a disclaimer: I am aware that the off-weeks are going to happen from time to time (and sometimes more often than that), that they're unavoidable, that they're part of the fabric that makes us who we are. In fact, as much as I joke about living in the marshmallow, I wouldn't want to live in it 24/7 (who would?). And actually, I generally appreciate the down days (at least after the fact). There's always something that can be learned from them.

But.

I am a big believer in trying new things and  making space in our lives for activities and experiences that make us happy and fulfilled and more productive. Hence this list. Below you'll find my ideal weekday and weekend day, and I hope you'll share at least a few things you'd do on your ideal days, too.

Fog.

Yesterday was oddly foggy in Sarasota, and specifically Siesta Key. As we drove over the bridge toward the island, I kept exclaiming at the fact that the fog wasn't burning off (in fact, it was thickening), and when we got to our destination—my best friend Kate's mom's house—we ended up spending a couple of hours sitting on her dock, admiring the still water and the foggy air. It felt surreal, almost other-wordly, and was such a contrast to Sarasota's normal bright blue skies and abundant sunshine. I loved it.

And of course, I couldn't help be reminded of Carl Sandburg's poem, "Fog"—so simple, but one of my favorites:

The fog comes
on little cat feet.

It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.

Above are a few snapshots I took throughout the afternoon; looking at them makes me feel so calm, and I wanted to share them here in case you're searching for a similar feeling on this Monday morning, too.

Photos: My own.

What are you doing this weekend?

Happy weekend, everyone! I'm not going to lie: This week has been kind of crazy, and I'm really glad to see the weekend arrive. ACS and I have basically decided that we're going to order a pizza tonight and spend the evening holed up together, only going outside if we actually have to. It sounds pretty perfect, if you ask me.

At some point this weekend we're also going to go see a movie—my vote is for Silver Linings Playbook, which I keep hearing is so great. Have you seen it? What did you think?

I'll see you back here on Monday, but until then, here are a few links for your reading pleasure:

Modern love/old love. This is so sweet. (Do you read the NYT's "Modern Love" column? It's wonderful.) (The New York Times)

I read this (old-ish) profile of The Pioneer Woman in The New Yorker, and it's pretty interesting. Do you read her blog? I don't, but I sometimes catch her cooking show... (The New Yorker)

And finally: A gilded banana. Just because. (Boing Boing)

Have a great weekend. xoxo

Photo: My own, of an old-school Mini in the Whole Foods parking lot. That parking lot is basically the worst one in Sarasota, but sometimes you see something charming in it, like this. Also, my next car? Totally a Mini. Aren't they sweet?

Charleston.

So as I mentioned on Friday, my mom and I are taking a little trip to Charleston, S.C., soon, and I am so excited I could squeal. So far the only thing on the docket is dinner at Husk the night we arrive, and my mouth is already watering. I've also been poring over Olivia's beautiful blog and her gorgeous photographs of Charleston, like the one above.

It's funny: During my senior year of college, everyone I met asked me where I wanted to live after graduation, and my response was always three words, spoken without hesitation: "New York City." But one day I gave that same response to a good friend, who in turn cocked his head, looked directly at me, and replied, "You know, I don't see you in New York. I see you somewhere in the South, somewhere like Charleston."

My 22-year-old, NYC-loving heart was insulted by that—did he not think I could make it in the city?!—and refused to acknowledge the idea that maybe New York really wasn't the right place for me. I'm pretty sure I tossed my ponytail and responded with a haughty, "No way! Charleston? Never."

Of course, these days—after spending almost seven years in Sarasota, which is not exactly the Deep South (too many snowbirds/transplants) but which is definitely not the Northeast—I've changed my tune, and I often think of that little exchange between my friend and me. While I'm still not sure Florida is my home for the long haul, I know that my desire to live in NYC has passed*, and I've come to really enjoy living in the part of the country that I do. I love Sarasota; I'd also move to Savannah or Charleston or New Orleans in a heartbeat. Turns out I really do like abundant sunshine and Southern accents. Who knew?

*This is, of course, provided that Martha Stewart Omnimedia or Bon Appetit magazine don't come a-knockin'. (Call me if you want to, Martha. We're best friends, remember?)

Photo by Olivia