Highs and Low(e)s.

Highs:

1. On Monday I went on a spontaneous trip an hour and a half up North for a little bit. Long story. Anyway, while I was there I went into Café Eutopia – one of the most interesting looking café’s I’ve seen in a while. The place is sort of indoor-outdoor and organic. There’s a ‘warm room’ which is kind of a round dome like room with plants, books and a heater in it. I can attest that the scrambled eggs are good. Anyway, when I got home I got on the internets and did a little research into the place. It’s owned by Peter Harris, a wizard. You can read all about it here. All I can say is I’m pretty sure this he runs the only School of Wisdom and Wizardry in New Zealand (I know, right?!) and if you’re interested you should take a squizz at this.
2. How good is it when you feel like you’ve been productive? It’s an unbeatable feeling, that sense of having achieved lots.
3. Speaking of productive weeks, New Zealand Fashion Week is looming and the designers showing have been announced (but then again, this could be amended at any time). Notables include Twenty-Seven Names, Company of Strangers (for the first time), Juliette Hogan, Ingrid Starnes, Zambesi, Ruby, Liam, Huffer (although I do hear that they’re doing something other than a show…), Stolen Girlfriends Club… For the full list, see here. Now all I want to know is who the international media are!
4. This is kind of awkward and might make sound very stalkerish, but I’ve been thinking about who I follow on Instagram. I am kind of fussy about who I follow because I don’t like to be inundated with images in my feed. One of my favourite Instagram feeds to follow is NZ-born, NY-based stylist, Zara Mirkin. Damn it is so good. You really get an insight to her life and it’s one that I’m sure most people would be envious of. I don’t even mind if she posts tonnes of photos in a row (my pet peeve) because the images are so compelling. Check it out (@zaraeloise) and while I’m at it, I also ‘gram, so if you want to stalk my life (although it’s nowhere near as exciting as Zara’s) you can follow me @thedownlowe.
5. Breaking Bad. How did I not get into this earlier?!
6. I got sick this week, and the whole time I tried to pretend it wasn’t happening. On Monday night I was in bed, alternating between chills and fevers and a general feeling of what can only be described as ‘gross’. I didn’t stick garlic in my socks, but I did have a tonne of water and you know what? It worked. By Tuesday lunchtime I was still kind of iffy, but felt a thousand times better. Who would’ve thought?
7. I went to see Chelsea Jade Metcalf (aka Watercolours) the other day, at her huge, beautiful apartment. (By the way, her room is full of amazing things, including old posters and stacks of black and kraft brown Moleskin diaries, rollerskates, glass jars, old cameras and a vintage pack of baseball cards. So if you ever get the opportunity to see/visit, take it.) Last week I found out we both (and Maddy Budd) are obsessed with Frank Ocean’s ‘Thinking Bout You’ so I asked her to quickly learn it and sing it for me, to share with you. She kindly obliged, and although there are a few hitches and Maddy has a bit of a coughing fit half way through, it still sounds lovely. Thanks Chelsea. Take a peek (above). I also took a couple of pictures, you can see those here.

1. I have emails from June 19th that need responding to and I still haven’t.
2. These two phrases: “Soz about it” and “Up to f*cks”. “Soz about it” I have heard multiple times and I’ve gotten used to it but I still can’t get on board with it. “Up to f*cks” I first heard a week ago so there’s still time to warm to it but right now it’s probably my least favourite slang.
3. People who can’t order food without hearing what you’re going to order first, and basing their order on that.
4. People with cold houses/offices. Why not turn on the heater?!
5. When it gets to the 20th of the month and you check your bank account and nope, nope, nope your invoice didn’t get paid. Nope.