I’d argue to the death that there’s no creature more influential or misunderstood than the t(w)eenage girl. They’re exhilaratingly passionate and highly perceptive. They’re early adopters, cultural translators, and moral bellwethers. They’re navigating genuinely complex things (global supply chains; bodily autonomy; digital life) with more sophistication than most adults give them credit for. New Yorker writer Anna Wiener’s most recent piece, an 8,000-plus word profile of Mira, a 12-year-old girl in San Francisco, illustrates this to sharp effect. Mira isn’t ahead of her time; she’s entirely of her time. Read it if you want to understand your place in it, too.
-VvP
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Just a reminder that summer is unofficially Active+ season. They’re the perfect high for beach days, outdoor concerts, late sunsets, and all-day errands. They’re also the best-selling pre-roll on our site.
-VvP
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Vintage lighters have always been something I covet but then never pull the trigger on. As cool and desirable as the lighter may be, I just know that the minute it runs out of fluid, it’s going into a desk drawer, never to be seen again, and a fresh BIC will find its way into my pocket. However, that may be all about to change. For the last year or so, I’ve been watching videos by a random dude in Los Angeles unboxing, repairing, and unveiling an incredible variety of antique and run-of-the-mill lighters. Everything about this guy, only known by the moniker “The Lighter Lord,” feels like a throwback. His only contact info is a gmail address and a PO Box. He has no website or Shopify, at least not yet. You can DM him if you’re interested in a piece, but mostly it seems like he’s doing it for the love of the game. There’s something really infectious about his account, and I think part of my fondness for his content is that he kind of reminds me of a number of friends and their projects in the early to late ‘00s. A time before every passion was a sidehustle. But even if that changes, I’ll still dig his videos. Here’s a good recent one on how to fix a lighter, and here are a few just interesting finds.
-DW
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Get a zesty summer accessory from Wandering Bud starting May 22nd. I’m not sure I’ve ever used the word “zesty” in my writing before. Something for me to think about. Not you though, just go about your day and don’t worry about it.
-DW
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My first interaction with Mélanie Masarin, the founder of Ghia, was during the early days of Covid. She, like many of us, had been finding creative ways to fill her time, which included making fresh pasta from scratch and offering to deliver it to friends (and friends of friends) near her in L.A. I sent a batch to my sister, who was delighted. Six years later, Masarin has released her first cookbook, Riviera, a collection of recipes inspired by her upbringing on the coast of France and taught to her by her beloved grandmother, Mymo. Included in the book are flat-lay photographs of Mymo’s well-worn notebook of handwritten recipes, which Masarin justifiably describes as her most prized possession. I’ve been paging through Riviera all week, looking forward to a summer of breezy and beautiful dishes made with simple ingredients—whether farmer’s market-fresh or from the pantry. She’s also inspired me to start keeping a recipe notebook of my own.
-VvP
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Instead of thinking about my use of “zesty,” focus on this long read from Stephen Robert Morse on the man who bombed the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station. The famous (or infamous, depending who you ask) power station was built under South Africa’s apartheid regime and remains the only one on the continent. In 1982, during its construction, a young former national fencing champion managed to set four mines in the station, causing massive damage that set the project back 18 months and many hundreds of millions of dollars. It’s a rather remarkable story—a bit Monkey Wrench Gang, a bit Mosquito Coast. It’s also a good reminder how much history I really don’t know.
-DW
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