T Magazine in The New York Times:
“My friend is a late-in-life medical student with a graduate degree in art history. His hobbies include feeling sad on rainy nights, wearing expensive pajamas and reading the same John Cheever stories over and over again. He knows every smoking-allowed dive bar in Philadelphia. He sculls before class, plays tennis on the city courts and has an encyclopedic knowledge of Bill Evans recordings. His favorite things are small, impractical and impossible to find: a paperback edition of Lydia Davis’s “The Cows,” a pair of hand-painted Qajar dynasty equestrian tiles and a trompe l’oeil pen holder in the shape of a daikon radish.” — Michael, Philadelphia; budget: $75 to $100
If I hadn’t been hypnotized to quit smoking in 2019, I’d have sworn you were describing me. I, too, love being a sad little cozy snob. Just last night, as Smog played quietly in the background and my dog, whose name is Ennui, slept on my lap, I was reading Elif Batuman’s “The Idiot” in a waffle robe and Hästens slipper boots. At the risk of oversharing, I will admit that I was running the hair dryer, which I often use to warm my bare legs and feet. For lighting cigarettes or candles, I’d give your friend one of two lighter holders: a brightly colored plastic sheath from Resin at the Disco or a more opulent option by the New York-based jewelry brand Fry Powers, which comes in 14-karat gold, sterling silver or unlacquered brass and was inspired by the work of the Italian architect and designer Gio Ponti. (Your friend sounds a bit like a Bret Easton Ellis character — a compliment — so the second option might be your better bet.) When I’m indulging in the emptiness of adulthood, I like to rewatch the movies that formed me: earlier this year, the Criterion Collection released Gregg Araki’s “Teen Apocalypse” Trilogy — “Totally F***ed Up” (1993), “Doom Generation” (1995) and “Nowhere” (1997) — as a box set. It’s the perfect eye roll to everyone and everything. (If he doesn’t have a DVD or Blu-ray player, how about a one-year subscription to the Criterion Channel?) For an alternative to a novel, I suggest “Cat Full of Spiders,” a guidebook and tarot deck by the actress Christina Ricci. Each of the 78 cards is illustrated with one of her many mordant characters. Finally, since your friend likes trompe l’oeil, I think he might enjoy this 3-D-printed plastic wallet, which the artist Stefan Gougherty has hand-detailed to look like a cuneiform tablet. If that won’t impress him, try a hair dryer. (For my money, there’s none better than the Dyson Supersonic in Prussian blue.) — Nick Haramis
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