I couldn’t pull the trigger on this nearly-$300 sweater, but I find myself wondering if that were a mistake every time I look at it—now that it’s sold out. I feel like it’s got all of the right elements of the pullover of the moment: cable-knit, bubble sleeves, a slightly higher collar with a slightly shorter waist, and that muted shade of (what they call) macaroon.
Ultimately, it’s the of-the-moment-ness of it that has me searching for more solid-color pullovers like it. Here are some favorites I found, all of which I’d be quite happy to get cozy with.
Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” has been on the Hot 100 since it was released on January 6th of last year and topped Billboard’s year-end singles chart—but I confess I’d had no idea who was behind it until yesterday when I was watching this New York Times feature about making the song. The short video is a fascinating look at how some, clearly, very talented musicians produced one of the most distinct (and yes, derivative) songs of the year. “The song has drawn more than 2.8 billion views on YouTube and is also the most-played track ever on Spotify, with more than 1.5 billion streams,” notes the article.
I was struck by comment, “The best songs that I’ve ever written, I don’t really remember writing,” Mr. Sheeran said. “They take like 20 minutes and then they’re just done. And then you move on to the next thing.”
When I used to teach freshman writing classes and would meet with students to discuss their essay drafts, I’d often find that the best line of the essay was the third one down. They’d lead with strained introductory sentences in which so much time had been put, and then they’d hit their stride a few lines in. Oftentimes, they’d hardly noticed writing their strongest thesis.
I made me think: when something seems hard to do, you just have to start. Eventually you’ll forget you’re trying and perhaps something wonderful will come out of it. Maybe not a hit song, but…
In any case, it’s a really great behind-the-scenes video if you haven’t seen it. Songwriter Johnny McDaid also explains that the phrase “the shape of you,” is common in Northern Ireland, where he’s from: “‘whatever you are, whatever it is. I’m in love with you.’ You know, it’s the shape of who you are figuratively.”
There’s something so promising about the purchase of a new planner—and yet something so daunting about choosing the right system. At least that’s how it feels to me. Every year or so, I find myself looking for a more efficient way to keep all of my notes and plans in one place. There are digital systems that people rave about—Evernote seems incredible—but I just can’t stop myself from jotting things down on scraps of paper. I was always the copious note-taker in class. Writing things down is a way for me to commit things to memory.
So I fell quickly down the Bullet Journal (BuJo, colloquially) rabbit hole when I was given an introduction last fall. It’s been a bumpy start…
