Of Note — Winter 2020 & 2021

And just like that, Winter has come and gone. Mostly. Hell, who am I kidding, that was the longest winter of my life. And there’s still 21 days of it left, but there’s a little bit of hope in the narrow sunbeams that come through my one apartment window. It’ll soon be a year since my husband and I have been working from home, over a year since I’ve been home to see my family, and almost a year since we’ve all started living through a pandemic. Good riddance, winter.

Good Reads

Nine Nonobvious Ways to Have Deeper Conversations by David Brooks on The New York Times

9 Tips to Keep You Sane When Working with Multiple Clients by Owen Jones on dribbble.

Email Design 101: How to boost engagement & draw readers in by Cameron Chapman on dribbble.

The Brand Identity Interviews Emily Jing Sum Chan on The Brand Identity.

The End of the Girlboss is Here by Leigh Stein on Medium.

There Really Is No Ethical Restaurant Under Capitalism by Jaya Saxena on Eater.

“Jootsing”: The Key to Creativity on the Farnam Street Blog.

5 ways to develop your eye for (good) design by Cameron Chapman on dribbble.

The 3 follow-up emails you should send after job interviews + templates by Tony Ho Tran on Invision.

5 healthy habits you need to manage creative burnout in 2021 by Cameron Chapman on dribbble.

The key to a successful creative career - A chat with graphic designer Scott Fuller on dribbble.

Worth Watching

Coquito and Which Rum is Best? on How to Drink
Anyone who knows me knows that my family is Cuban. Now, while coquito is technically a Puerto Rican drink, my family prefers it over the legitimate Cuban holiday cocktail, Crema de Vie. I make coquito every single year for the holidays and seeing one of my favorite YouTubers dedicate an entire episode to it brought warmth to my tiny Caribbean heart.

Adobe Illustrator for Beginners by Daniel Walter Scott
Disclaimer: this online course is VERY entry-level oriented. Still, it was a nice refresher on the basics of Illustrator and I even learned a few things I didn’t know before. Bonus, Daniel’s voice is very comforting.

Sommelier from Home by the Unemployed Wine Guy
New favorite youtube channel. Short, low production quality, funny videos of a dude trying the most outrageous products from the beverage space.

How Many People Did Nuclear Energy Kill? The Nuclear Death Toll by Kurzgesagt - In a Nutshell
The title is a little misleading in this one. It’s a video that is trying to put to rest the fears that society at large has about nuclear power, and puts the nuclear disasters the world has experienced into a more comprehensible perspective.

Grog, Shanties, and The Wellerman on How to Drink
Two How to Drink videos in one blog post, I know. But, if you are “young and hip and with it” you’ll have noticed sea shanties were a thing for a few weeks. Greg spends some time informing his viewers about sea shanties, their uses, and the history of grog.

How Do Vertical Farms Grow 100x More (per Square Foot) Than Traditional Farms? — Dan Does on Eater.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the way we eat and how to eat in a way that is better for the environment. I’ve been reading a lot about vertical farming lately and low-and-behold, Eater puts out a whole video about vertical farming NYC-based start-up, Bowery Farms.

Worthwhile Bites & Sips

Velvet Taco in Buckhead, Atlanta, GA
I mercilessly made fun of this place every time I drove by it because of its salacious, unappetizing name. I ended up here because my friend wanted tacos and we were near by, and to be honest, I was surprised with how tasty the tacos were. The interiors were… odd and the menu system was a bit tricky to order from, but the food was good.