There've been a few major things on my life bucket list over the years:

Be on the Price Is Right and give Bob Barker a cheek kiss. Start my own Babysitter's Club (Claudia Kishi 4 lyfe). Watch figure skating live at the Winter Olympics.

While the first two never came to childhood fruition, the third is finally happening.

In less than a week and a half, I leave for South Korea! My friend's brother-in-law is the reigning silver medalist in skeleton (which I'm fairly certain makes me an Olympic medalist by association), so we're going to cheer Matt on, eat our weight in kimchi and stalk Johnny Weir. I'm not sure which one I'm most excited about.

That means I've been laying low and working like a fiend all month in preparation for the big trip. No social media, no booze, lots of yoga, lots of designing. I've also made more time for reading — both books and web — which has lead to this lovely and completely random list of links.

See y'all in South Korea for soju, noraebang 노래방 (karaoke) and a whole lot of Gangnam dancing.

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Tomorrow's breakfast.

I'd like to stuff my face with this Yotom Ottolenghi three-course feast.

This is more important.

I need to visit this Wes Anderson-inspired café immediately.

I've become weirdly obsessed with learning about cryptocurrency. This is the best, unbiased article I've found.

Why you should quit social media.

My Year of No Shopping.

Six fairy tales for the modern woman. (via Cup of Jo)

Finished A Little Life. It's the most impactful book I've read in a long time (warning: also very sad).

It's Oscar season! I, Tonya was so good, and if you haven't seen Call Me By Your Name yet, go now. The monologue at the end of the movie is so touching.

My all-time fave Oscar looks: Lauren Hutton ('75) & Michelle Williams ('06).

Frances McDormand, for the win. (Also, her thoughts on aging.)

And just like that, it's December.

I've been trying to slow things down this month in an attempt to truly appreciate the season. Holiday markets, Christmas movies (mainly of the Hallmark variety, guilty as charged) and concerts, arts & crafts with lady friends, cookie baking and happy hours at holiday cocktail pop-up bars. This year, I am nothing if not festive as hell.

I've been sleeping in more, reading more, relaxing more, taking more breaks. It's been just the thing for this magical if not stressful/chaotic/demanding time of year.

That means I've also had extra time to compile a seriously jam-packed list of links for you. If you're able to carve out time in your busy schedule, then have at them & enjoy. There's something about the month of December — teetering on the precipice of a brand new year — that's seems fitting for rest, relaxation and reflection.

With that, I'll most likely disappear from here until the new year when I'll be one year older and hoping, a whole lot wiser. (I'm beginning to think adulthood is one ceaseless cycle of thinking you know what you're doing only to realize you've not a damn clue).

May your days be merry, bright and festive as hell, just like mine.

Also 2018, please redeem us all from 2017 & 2016. K thanks bye.

“The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.” Buddy the Elf

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A delicious holiday cheese board.

60+ minimalist holiday traditions. (Love #1 & #6 of things to do by yourself.)

This movie was all sorts of lovely.

Apparently, I'm on a women-only documentary kick: Amy, The Center Will Not Hold and What Happened Miss Simone? All are more than worthy of a watch.

Best productivity advice (via Cup of Jo).

This podcast is next on my to-listen list.

I love this letterpress print.

An argument for skipping adult presents at the holidays. I'm totally in (via Becoming Minimalist).

Speaking of, our relentless consumption is trashing the planet.

100 notable books of 2017.

Wise words.

Is there something odd about being single? "To call the unmarried “lonely” is to pretend marriage confers companionship, not merely a set of privileges historically reserved for long-term companions. But the longer I have been single, the more I have devoted myself to companionship in the form of close friendships that enrich my life. Thriving as a single person doesn’t challenge conventions of gender or sexuality, but it does contest the notion that romantic partnerships must take precedence over other relationships."

LOLOLOL.

I stopped reading the news last year, and it's changed my life for the better.

I'm not here to debate the pros & cons of this decision (this article sums it up nicely). What I will say is that consuming news as an empath — especially these crazy days — is essentially asking for a panic attack followed by a mental breakdown on a near daily basis. Carrying the weight of the world is a completely insane task to bestow upon yourself, and it took thousands of dollars of therapy for me to finally figure that out.

That means I need to be extra intentional about what I read and consume. It's perhaps why I started the Links I Love series here to begin with. A personal attempt to curate a somewhat fun/somewhat serious round-up of the necessary things that brought me joy or introspection or much-needed comfort that week.

I follow a few people who do the same — Cup of Jo and Becoming Minimalist are faves — and you know what? I still know what's going on in the world. I just don't need to read every single article to prove that to myself or anyone else.

Attention is a resource. Use your allotment wisely.

Also, please know I fuck up all the time. Some mornings, I check my phone as soon as I wake up (mistake #1), go immediately to the NY Times (mistake #2), and read about our president or the latest natural disaster or EVERYTHING (mistake #3). And I'm an anxiety-prone, frizzy-haired mess the rest of the day.

It's all a practice.

Enjoy these links from the past few weeks, and happy (almost) weekend, friends.

“Nothing ever goes away until it teaches us what we need to know.” Pema Chödrön

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Dreamy sweater.

Block heel love (all under $150!).

Fall outfit inspo from When Harry Met Sally (via Cup of Jo).

I watched this documentary last night — equal parts joyous & heartbreaking.

This is legit the cutest.

The art of the dinner party.

Pumpkin Kale & Bacon Mac. (shameless plug: I took this photo)

Substituting the word money for freedom. YES YES YES.

I was in Portland a few weeks ago for the WeMake PDX conference and fell more in love with Nick Misani and Kelli Anderson's work.

I loved this Oprah SuperSoul conversation with Eckhart Tolle. "You don't have to be disagreeable when you disagree. What that saying implies is you don't have to be totally identified with your perspective and your viewpoint, and yet you can put it forward in strong terms without deriving your sense of identity from it."

Let yourself grow.