What I'm Reading: OMG Edition

So, I've been waiting on news in other areas of my life before I put this out here, but here goes.  My sweetie and I will be going to Southeast Asia (as well as Japan, to visit his family) this summer!  I couldn't be more excited.  It's something we've talked about doing for years (really, years) and now we're actually planning our adventure!  So this is what I'm reading right now:

OMG, yes.

At the moment, we're still developing our itinerary, including the length of time we'll be there, so stay tuned.  We have a number of factors and priorities, but it's just a matter of what makes the most sense for both of us, and our budgets.

Marimekko Umbrella.

I bought this adorable umbrella from one of my favorite travel stores, Flight 001, in San Francisco, before going to Japan.  I was warned that there can be some fierce summer showers, and I wanted something a bit more sturdy than my old Walgreens umbrella.

In Kyoto, at night, on one of the drizzly summer days we experienced.
It’s light, easily packable, and stands out in a crowd, certainly.  The winters in San Francisco can be long and very rainy, so it’s nice to have such a cheerful way to keep the damp away.

I’ve had it for ages now, and it’s such a well-designed piece that it’s become one of my favorite accessories.

Louise Bourgeois.

I’m not sure if I have anything more to add to what the Guardian had to say, but great celebration and gratitude is in order for the extraordinary Louise Bourgeois.  She lived such an amazing life and created some of my favorite sculpture of all time.  Her work engaged with some of the great themes of women’s lives and reveals an emotional vulnerability of which I am in awe.

I am deeply fortunate to have some of her pieces in my city-- on the roof garden of SFMoMA.  If you're in San Francisco, I strongly recommend going to see her piece, right in front of the Blue Bottle Coffee kiosk.

I was also lucky to see her work in Tokyo at Ropponggi Hills.

Farewell, beautiful woman.  And so many thanks for the incredible body of work you leave behind; I treasure so dearly the experience of witnessing your work.