10 Stories to Help Ring in 2019 with A New Attitude

Your healthy dose of feel-good current events in pop culture, fashion, travel, science, and everything in between…

And like a toasty breeze, the latest round of carefree weekly updates has arrived, showcasing 10 topical reports cherry-picked to deliver an opportuuunity to chill out and deeply breathe in that familiar sparkly scent of easy, new, 2019-stamped times that lie so very directly ahead.

Take the chance to unapologetically recline, perhaps in a marshmallow-floofy robe, and lounge with some harmless (yet fascinating) stories selected to give you some clickable, likeable current events that are finally worth sharing with your favorites.

Peruse, ponder, audibly “awww,” lol a little, and enjoy the good news you might have missed:

Whether a frothy, bubblegum pink ballgown heading toward its Paris runway, a breakdancing group catching air off of a Moroccan rooftop, the fully fringed, “talismanic magic” of expressive styling at Brooklyn’s Afropunk festival, or simply Carmen Electra standing under a chandelier in LA, the piece “What We Look Like Now” by The New York Times will demand fifteen minutes of complete photographic immersion. Some dreamy, some haunting, but all beautifully captured as a tribute to what 2018 will really be remembered as, in living color. 

Recalling their favorite fashion memories from the 90s, Vogue’s team gets refreshingly candid. “I thought this pairing was really classic at the time… now it seems, yikes, entirely ’90s,” says creative director Sally Singer of the pink taffeta ballgown skirt and cashmere top chosen for her wedding. Hamish Bowles, the magazine’s international editor at large, remembers grunge honestly: “High on the glitz and razzle dazzle of the ’80s, I decided quite early on in the decade that the ’90s really weren’t for me. Suddenly my fashion shoots smelled of Phytoplage rather than Elnett and the girls looked bedraggled rather than jhoozed.” Fashion news director Mark Holgate pinpoints the difference between his 2018 vs 1994 London fashion week experience. “No matter how many times I look at it, I always think, what’s missing? And then I remember: No one was able to hold up an iPhone back then.” 

A study performed over three quarters of a century on different classes and cultures came to one resolute finding. “The clearest message that we get from this 75-year study is this: Good relationships keep us happier and healthier. Period,” says Robert Waldinger, director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development. The greatest value was found in having someone to rely on to simply ease your mind, help you relax, and dull both emotional and physical pain with their comforting presence. In short, love’s got everything to do with it. And two elements that can’t be ignored, according to Harvard psychiatrist George Vaillant, are equally important: “One is love. The other is finding a way of coping with life that does not push love away.” 

“He is probably my idea of a perfect dog,” said Jason Coronado, a New York UPS driver who adopted Ernie, a pitbull-terrier that scooted happily into his truck while he was making his rounds this fall. “He hopped up and just sat there and did not want to leave,” he told a local news outlet. “I wanted him to have a good home.” The story is one for the books, according to UPS Dogs founder Sean McCarren, who touts the relationship that their team cultivates with such neighborhood stars. “It creates a bond when you see them every day. It’s cool to meet some of the same dogs on the route because they know who you are and they are excited to see you.” 

The Cut states it simply: “In addition to being nice to look at, they feel really, really good to lie on.” This new magic of silk pillowcases designed to maximize beauty sleep is no longer an industry secret, with satiny-smooth floofiness promising to de-crease at least one half of your face. One spin through their collection of pretty pretty princess options will lull you gently into a holiday nap. 

The universal attraction to glitter (aka aluminum metalized polyethylene terephthalate) may be summed up as our obsession with sparkle, which centuries ago would have ultimately led us to fresh water. But this multifaceted, hilariously deep dive into the mysteries of New Jersey’s hyper-exclusive glitter factories will leave you pondering with friends “but WHO is this company that purchases the most fairy dust of all, and for WHAT are they using it?” 

Texas has proven itself a biological hero, yet again. In Houston’s Buffalo Bayou, an ancient turtle population of alligator snappers discovered on a nine-mile stretch may be the largest left in existence. “Nobody in their right mind would think of Buffalo Bayou as a refuge,” announced study collaborator and former zookeeper Jordan Gray. “It’s not this pristine habitat… but that’s what makes it so cool, to find this gem of a population.” Wildlife biologist Eric Munscher lists his accidental discovery of the species as the highlight of his career, and not for the notoriety, with a current status of “the talk of the turtle town,” but instead for the rarity of the experience and respect for his elders. “There is just a natural draw and charm to working with something so ancient.” 

Cuddling flowers, burrowing into dandelion floaters, sidling up to toadstools, sharing berry branches: after following squirrels for six years, this photographer shares 25 of his favorite (and some surely Photoshopped) images of the storybook species. Simply. Delightful.  

How many people have suggested meditation as the key to your new, chilled-out, blissful life this year? A dozen? There’s an undeniable buzz around the old-school practice, but the first question that inevitably surfaces for beginners is “am I even doing this right?” In this piece, experts break down the different types of meditation that make sense for a bad day, an it’s-tired-in-here day, and anything in between. In her interview, wellness and beauty pro Andrea Dinnick notes that just breathing is enough. “Focusing on your inhalation and exhalation is very grounding and occupies your mind just enough to keep you centered in your practice — count ‘one’ as you inhale and ‘two’ as you exhale with the goal of getting to ’20.’ It’s OK if your mind wanders because it’s easy to recalibrate and start again.” 

According to a study that’s recently resurfaced, women are more “fluent in dog” than men, based on their naturally “higher sensitivity to emotional stimuli.” The study notes that “female participants seem to have an advantage in the recognition of the context… it is known that women have a higher emotional sensitivity . . . women are likely more empathetic and sensitive to others’ emotions, [which] can help to differentiate better the context of the emotional content of the growls.” Thanks to this innate ability, dogs are, in turn, more obedient to women — perhaps because they’re able to sense that they’re being understood. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR LOVE ARDEN

 

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I love these links, thank you! I found the read on silk pillowcases particularly interesting – I’ve been considering getting one for a long time.

Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com

5 years ago

Love this post so much!

5 years ago

This post is really awesome and thanks for sharing here.