Welcome to Perfectly Imperfect #79 👋

If you’re new here after our May guests— welcome! Perfectly Imperfect is a 2x/week newsletter featuring good ol’ fashioned curated recommendations from real people. And once a month the Perfectly Imperfect boys like to drop some hot recs of our own. Check out the archive for more recs and as always, join the Perfectly Imperfect Discord to keep the conversation going.

Without further ado

Tyler Bainbridge (instagram, letterboxd, last.fm)

🍹 Forthave Spritz

You really can't go wrong with an Aperol Spritz on a hot summer day, but sometimes I want something a little less sweet. So while having a bite at Popina NYC I decided to try their Forthave Spritz which, you guessed it, is just a regular ol’ spritz but made with Forthave's Red Aperitivo (which is lovely). It's hard to use this word without sounding like an asshole, but here's goes nothing... this tastes a bit more... complex than the other popular red colored spritz. So fill a wine glass with ice (to the very top), add 2oz of Aperativo, and top off with Prosecco— enjoy.

🎵 LSDXOXO - Dedicated 2 Disrespect

I liked this EP a lot upon my first listen (at 9am while catching up on emails…not how it’s meant to be heard) but fuck, this thing really clicked after hearing “Sick Bitch” on the dance floor over some huge speakers with a bunch of strangers.

👕 HARMONY Blue Striped Christophe Short Sleeve Shirt

This was a bit of an impulse buy during the most recent SSENSE sale, but it’s actually turned into a favorite of mine. I’ve been rocking it tucked into some vintage 505s or unbuttoned with a Hanes tank top to dress it down a bit. The lyocell fabric is also super light which makes it perfect for a muggy day.

🎥 Mikey and Nicky (1976)

I just rewatched Mikey and Nicky with my bud (named Mikey), and it was even better this time around. "Things that happened when we were kids that no one else knows about but us in our heads. That's how we know they really happened" Elaine May masterfully explores the love and darkness of this long term friendship in my pick for best "dudes being guys" film.

🗣️ 🎥 Commentary Tracks

Since it was Bob Dylan's 80th birthday I figured I’d check out the commentary version of Don't Look Back (1967), a film I rec'd on PI a long long time ago (which you should absolutely watch). It was fascinating to hear director D. A. Pennebaker and artist Bob Neuwirth tell stories and add some context to iconic scenes! So now I'm going to binge all the commentary versions of my favorite films (rec me some good ones in the comments please)

💺 Francesco Favagrossa Spaghetti Beach Chair

Now that I have a deck & it's getting hotter outside I have a strong urge to lay out in the sun. Probably oiled up with some Banana Boat, cold drink in my hand, etc…you get the picture. Unfortunately my existing patio chairs are 1. uncomfortable 2. don't recline, so I had to hit the world wide web in search of a comfy beach chair that actually looks nice. Lo and behold, I find this kinda retro Italian beach chair in yellow, red, and blue (now sold out) on the MoMA store, and it rocks.

🎵 Steely Dan

Speaking of the deck... Steely Dan has been the soundtrack of my warm summer nights. Their music is perfectly smooth, moody, jazzy, dark at times & euphoric at others— it really strikes all the right chords (literally 🤪). Whether it's Aja, Gaucho, or the pop-rock brilliance of Can't Buy a Thrill, Steely Dan does it all.

Alex Cushing (instagram, twitter, last.fm, goodreads)

🔈💭 Voice Dream App

I can’t be the only person who wants to read a million articles and posts, but can’t find the time to fit it all in the day. Why can’t audiobooks exist for non-books! Voice Dream is an app that allows you to import files (PDFs, txt files and way more) and it’ll read them to you like an audiobook! Sure, it’s that robot voice, but is highly customizable, with options to buy more voices (the paid voice “Peter” is possibly the most natural E-VOICE I’ve ever heard), and ways to customize the speed it reads and even add customized pronunciations of words to a dictionary. I find myself using this app nearly every day and have moved it to the forefront of my phone’s Home Screen.

🖥️ 🪑 Rearranging the office

There aren’t too many comparable escapes that scratch that itch cleaning and rearranging does. Throw on some nice tunes, take a step back and picture what you want your room (or in my case office) to look like. Throw out all the accumulated junk, move around some stuff you’re just not happy with, and boom, you got yourself a beautiful new room. Don’t buy that new office trinket you don’t need, rearrange and it’ll feel fresh and new — free of charge.

🗝️ 🇫🇷 Vintage French ____

Over the past few months, I’ve been really digging into vintage furniture, decor, books, and the likes. Through these painstaking hours of scrolling the endless results on eBay and Etsy I think I found a hack to the ultimate cool vintage gear: search for that French good good! Who knew there were such beautiful stools, strainers, and iron garden pots.  

🎵 Boy Anonymous - Paris Texas

I think I saw this album on someone’s IG story and decided to give them a listen because their name was cool. As it turns out, it hits the mark for “energetic spacey hip hop” that I find I keep going back to in albums like Nudy’s Sli’merre. It’s a short but sweet EP, worth checking out.

📝 Handwritten notes & diagrams

Recently I bought a little pack of palm-sized notebooks in an effort to be more “analog” with my notes and thoughts (pretentious, I know). With a world of increasing options, I’ve found I am all over the place with my notes. I have some in Apple Notes, some in Notion, a few in other random apps I’ve accumulated over the years, and I’m sure others in places I forget. For the past month I’ve used these handwritten notebooks and it’s like something finally clicked for me. Just a quick jot away, I’ve got a pad filled and another started, with drawings/diagrams of ideas for projects and little notes I want to be able to look back on. Just make sure if you do this you pair those notebooks with some muji pens or your preferred writing tool for the ultimate experience.

☕ Toddy cold brew 

If there’s one thing Blue Bottle has done right, it’s their New Orleans Cold Brew. Ever since leaving the world of in person work, I’ve been struggling with the loss of my daily blue bottle cold brew, a home brewed alternative is good but nothing hit the spot like the New Orleans. Thankfully, I found that Blue Bottle has the NO brew pack on their site, and a toddy brewing system for the best one-to-one results. Ive just finished my first jug of home brewed NO, and it’s shockingly similar to the BB one. If you, like me, have been singing the woes of home brewed cold brew options, it’s time to improve your options!

Serey Morm (instagram, twitter, vsco)

💆‍♀️ Headspace on Netflix

In a previous post, I've rec'd the book The Miracle of Mindfulness that kicked off my meditation journey. Recently, the meditation app Headspace put out two video series on Netflix, Guide to Sleep and Guide to Meditation. I’ve given both series a shot and they've been effective and are really well made. Other than the really sick graphics, I really liked how real studies were incorporated to debunk sleep and meditation myths that I hadn't known about. If you're looking to keep your mind at peace by dealing with troubling stress or sleep, highly recommended!

🕯 Candle Care Kit

A majority of the times when my friends see my small collection of candles, I'm always asked why I have a set of tools next to them. This was when I realized that not everyone knows, the best way to put out your candles is to dip the wick inside the hot wax. Covering or blowing out candles after you're done with them will replace your beautifully scented candle with the smell of smoke, so why bother even getting a scented candle?! Another thing that most people don't know is that you should keep your wicks trimmed so that the flame doesn't get too big. This will lead to black flames which will stain the side of the glass. My candle purchases are mostly because of the scent, but the other reason for me is the jar that it comes in. So taking care of my candle means that I'll have a cleaner, re-usable jar once I'm done with it :)

☕️ Self Care Coffee

After a long year of mindlessly drinking pre-ground french press or instant (shame me) coffee, it felt like a tiring morning task to get me through the day. Recently my friend convinced me to put more love into making my morning cup of coffee. That means hand grinding and measuring my beans to make sure that I can make a consistently tasty cup every single time. It all started with this JavaPresse hand grinder for the beans, and an Aeropress coffee maker brewed using the inverted method for consistency. The difference in smell and taste is remarkable, and I don't think I'll ever settle for less. Sure it takes more time and effort, but it has become a healthy and refreshing self care routine to kick the day.

🥾 AllTrails

My roommates and I hiked at least ten trails last year, and I can't for the life of me list out even 3 of them when I’m asked for trail recs. I've been using both the AllTrails site and app to find trails, reviews, and to keep track all of my hikes. The map in the app includes trail lines to follow using your phone's GPS or you can even make your own trail. If you hike often, I highly recommend upgrading to AllTrails PRO to support the homies for $2.50 a month for offline maps for when you lose signal.

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