I love Valentine’s Day because I’m a sucker for love. Sure it’s a little corny but it doesn’t have to be! One of my favorite Valentine’s began as a dinner party (half Galentine’s, half help-me-pack-up-my-bachelorette-pad) that turned into crashing a Grammy’s party with my girlfriends before we ended our night at a strip club at 3 am. It’s tempting to write it off as another celebration co-opted by the greeting card industrial complex - but wouldn’t it be more fun to embrace it as a day full of silly delight? Valentine’s, to me, is about little pleasures, like the Sees candy Peter gets me every year; there is something deliciously camp about lounging with a heart-shaped box of chocolates that makes me feel like an 80s soap opera star. I say embrace today as a day to indulge in decadence and romancing yourself, +1 optional! You don’t have to be in love to be a lover.
Some love-spo:
Nick Cave’s love letter to PJ Harvey
Love letters, a dying art. This one is particularly swoon-worthy
You can’t beat handwritten but if you must, this is perfect:
I married the presence of love in my poems - consider me gagged!
Samantha Jones
It’s hard not to feel a big Samantha-sized hole (insert Samantha Jones pun here) when watching And Just Like That. Ms Jones may not have been a girls’ girl in the traditional sense, but she loved her girls bad. She gave the best advice, never judged, put Big in his place and was the perfect phone call post-(good or bad) date.
The girls trip
If you’re under 30 and beginning to feel the strains in your friendships, I am here to tell you - it only gets worse. Keeping up relationships is hard! Schedules are filled, people move, work gets crazy and the road to maintaining these bonds are paved with good intentions and “I miss you” texts. All of which is to say - take that trip! Gather your girls, pick a place that fits your budget and pull the trigger. I’m personally counting down the seconds till my Ojai jaunt at end of the month (Jessie will be in shotgun as we head up to see our friend Allie in her new digs). Platonic love is also important!
This cake I iced (and won’t shut up about)
If you live in LA, Ashlee Alexandra Cakes offers a really cute, very wholesome cake decorating class and the dopamine hit you’ll get from the frosting (both as a verb and noun) is bar none.
Love at first sight
I’m a Pisces, I fall in love all the time. My newest crush is this dumpling shaped LV bag charm. 22 days until my birthday, do with that info what you will 😇
Music Sounds Better With You
I was a pre-teen in a Topshop (which meant it was already an A+ day) when I first heard this song and it altered my brain chemistry. My music taste skews vintage (a side effect of having parents who have you “later in life”) and this was the first song that sounded like the future to me. Needless to say, I was smitten, and to this day it never fails to put me in a good mood. If you really think about it, is there a more romantic sentiment than music sounds better with you?
And speaking of music, Nico and I made you another sexy little listen:
CUPID CALLING
A Valentine’s mixtape for your pleasure (presented by Hot Pants X Nieri)
LINK TO SOUNDCLOUD (with tracklist)
You guyyyyyssss we’re coming up on ONE YEAR of Chili Padi! One! Year! If you’re a subscriber who (generously) pledged, consider this official notice that I’ll be activating those March 1st. If your financial situation has changed, please feel free to change your preferences (and if your financial situation has improved and you’d like to pledge and help my creativity support my lifestyle, I support that too!) Otherwise, Chili Padi remains free and I hope to keep seeing you here :)