Favorite coffee spot, lately

Ever since I found Rikka Fika it's been a love affair with everything they bake and prepare, but also the space. Per Google, "the name combines Japanese and Swedish, meaning "first day of Summer" (Rikka) and "coffee break" (Fika). It is designed as a peaceful, sunlit space focusing on specialized coffee, matcha and Japanese milk bread (shokupan) toast to encourage taking a break from daily routines." Hmm, I've never seen the toast on the menu. Must investigate next time.

Recent reads

Recent reads I have enjoyed. Clearly slanted to the Japanese cozy fiction sub-genre:

Feb 2025 – The Restaurant of Lost Recipes, by Hisashi Kashiwai - so fun and makes you want to go ask them to cook for you. They are food detectives who help you get lost experiences back in the most delicious ways.

Dec 2024 – Before Your Memory Fades, by Toshikazu Kawaguchi - part of the series.

Oct 2024 - I'm Glad My Mom Died, by Jennette McCurdy - not as harsh as the title might suggest. A very honest account of a child actress and how she was "mothered."

Oct 2024 – Inside Out, by Demi Moore - there's more to her than what we all know. Intense, difficult childhood. 

Oct 2024 - Convenience Store Woman, by Sayaka Murata - she's an outlier who finds peace in her work.

Oct 2024 - Strange Weather in Tokyo, by Hiromi Kawakami - a sweet love story.

Sept 2024 - What You Are Looking For is in the Library, by Michiko Aoyama - more magic; the main character, Sayuri, is a large, calm, and perceptive woman who creates felted trinkets.

July 2024 - A Quitter's Paradise: A Novel, by Elysha Chang - a professional woman who didn't want what everyone expected her to want.

Nov 2024 - Crying in H Mart, by Michelle Zauner - I hung on every word. So good, and you can almost smell the bubbling soups she describes.

Nov 2024 – Kitchen, by Banana Yoshimoto - more delicious food descriptions, and a great story.

Nov 2023 – Before the Coffee Gets Cold, by Toshikazu Kawaguchi - magical, about time travel. It's part of the series. I read them all.

Pacific sun

La Jolla, Calumet Park. A golden sunset captured recently. 

We are lucky to live around such beauty. I call these moments mini sanctuaries. And I am trying to accept more of them in my life. Even with sadness all around, you have to receive joy. It's one of the gifts of being alive, and it's good for you!

Lockdown Life

Photo is from https://www.adorama.com/alc/what-is-minimalist-photography 

My feedburner set up went away due to some phasing out of the feature, so I may email an update to the mailing list so folks know I have a new post up. Please just email back to be removed from future updates if this bugs you.

Lockdown life has been interesting. It started out kinda great, then tensions rose for a bit, and now I'm more relaxed about it again. What choice is there? You stop fighting it and just relax into it. What I've learned is that while I consider myself a home body, the pull to get out and about is very strong. 

My summary of activities:

I've been walking more. As I say in my IG feed - nature is my higher power. It truly is - nature is like a god. To see my IG feed, visit @robinwrites

Watched the Netflix series Tales from the Loop, and really liked it. The actors are great, and the premise and magical vibe of it all was a perfect escape for the times.

Cooking is definitely a thing. Lots of soups, fried rice, easy stuff. But we're still trying to support restaurants with some takeout. Favorites are The Red Door's curbside pickup and most recently Madison. Madison is actually one of my favorite places to eat. My number one fave though is Il Dandy - beautiful interior and incredible food. 

There has been the occasional weeknight glass of Cote du Rhone, because in moderation why not.

Glennon Doyle's Monday Morning meeting time has been a balm. Love her. Also on Instagram. 

In a future post, I am going to publish a piece written by my friend Matt Jones, my work friend. He writes "paintings" of people with words. Stay tuned for that. We just have to talk about when he wants to send me one. I'm also going to ask him to write his description of how he'd like to "show" these paintings. When he told me, I thought it was a really interesting approach - you may agree. 

My friend Moni just did some bird art that I will also feature, but will first ask her permission. Stay tuned for that, too.

I've been supporting some retail establishments with recent orders on Uniqlo, Gap, Old Navy, and TheRealReal. Basics are on their way. By the way, Marimekko fans, Uniqlo did a collab with Marimekko for 2020, so maybe go check it out. In non-retail spending, I've donated to a refugee group that provides kits to new mothers and pregnant women who are being held at the border.

A last snippet is that James had COVID in January. He did the antibody test last week and it was positive. I had a mild case of whatever he had, so I had it, too! Are we immune now? I doubt it. Are we carriers? I don't think so because it's not an active infection. Yikes, another reason for us all to stay distanced. This is so very sad, and I can only imagine how it is for those who've lost loved ones. 

I can't wait to laugh again in person with actual people.

To all the Helpers - THANK YOU.

💗,

Robin

Slowing down

Nearly 10 days of sniffling, sneezing, aching, and whining. Cap that off with my phone being stolen this Sunday. I joked when my husband came home for lunch the first day I was "existing" without my phone:

Him, walking through door: Hi, how's it going? Me: Oh my god, someone found me! I feel like a Chilean miner hearing the first taps from rescuers.

Today is day two of the phoneless situation, and I have a new practice brewing. While I have the options of checking my social sites via desktop, I'm finding myself not doing that. In my new phoneless world, no one can call me. I'm not getting texts. I can't send any texts. I feel lighter. If you want me, it's email or you could write me a letter.

Slowing down brings the little things into focus. Give you time to read about the Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Hecktor Garcia and Francesc Miralles.