Welcome to clipboard, a weekly dispatch about good shit in Tāmaki Makaurau, by me, Reilly Hodson. This week: the importance of small luxuries and comforts during the worst time of the year. If you enjoy clipboard, hit forward and share it with your mates!
getting through
Late July is up there with the worst times of the year in New Zealand. The weather sucks, summer feels a long way off in either direction, and your whole IG feed is people tanning in Europe. Add to that high inflation, a rampant pandemic, climate change, you name it, there’s a special cocktail of struggle going on at the moment, and everyone feels it.
The term “self care,” before it was coopted by skincare brands, was popularised by the Black Panther movement, and the spirit of it is not necessarily fancy creams and candles, but instead the importance of taking care of oneself as part of any activity to create positive change.
I like to believe that everyone wants to help make the world a little bit of a better place, in their own way. It’s impossible to do the important things in life, though, without taking the time to take care of yourself as well. The alternative is the hamster wheel I often find myself on, of overwork and high stress followed by crashes into exhaustion, sickness and crankiness.
It’s easy to feel guilty for little luxuries, especially when there’s suffering and woe in the news everywhere. But we all need to get through in order to do the things that we can to help. In many ways, clipboard is a newsletter about those little luxuries - not ignoring the big issues, but acknowledging that life needs a bit of fun, too. Here are the little things that are helping me cope in the depths of winter.
high school hits
My playlist this month is filled with throwbacks and what I would consider comfort-food music: think Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, Leona Lewis, the tunes I spent my iTunes vouchers on when I was in school, or recorded off The Edge and ZM. Listening to those songs for me is pure, uncomplicated joy. It’s an easy way to escape back to a time where things were a bit more simple for a few minutes (although I would never willingly return to high school).
planning a holiday
I last went overseas in 2019, and I’ve been itching to escape Tāmaki, as much as I love it here. My next holiday will be my first as a full-time member of the workplace, which means we’ll have more budget to play with, and I’ll continue to get paid even though I won’t be at work (what a concept!). That means there’s lots of possibility when planning: nice meals, shopping trips, a hotel walking distance to town, all that sort of stuff. Having something to look forward to helps me get through difficult times, and I think everyone would benefit from a holiday at the moment.
going out for drinks
There’s no little luxury quite as nice as going out for a nice evening drink. We’re lucky to have Bar Martin as our local bar, but I also love going to Annabel’s or East Street Hall, and I want to try No. 7 at night, too. A glass of wine and few slices of fancy sourdough with good folks go a long way to unplugging from the stresses of the real world, and resetting.
It’s a tricky time for everyone at the moment, and there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to the malaise, seasonal affective disorder and work stress that seems to permeate every interaction at the moment. I’d love to know how you’re getting yourself through, so get in touch if you have some wisdom to share!
clips
🤠 A rare non-local clip: my favourite podcast, Throwing Fits, has launched an insane capsule collection in collaboration with 13 brands on Mr Porter. I picked up this awesome Western shirt, but if money was no object I would probably buy almost all of it. There’s more to come, too.
🏐 Checks Downtown double whammy: Checks’ excellent collaboration with Claudia Kogachi is now live, featuring this awesome mohair jumper that ranks up there with the coolest clothing pieces I’ve seen all year. On top of that, Checks is turning 5, and throwing a big party on 24 July at East St. Hall to celebrate. I’ll be there, hope you will too.
😷 I can’t believe it has to be said, but wear your mask when you can! Covid sucks and I have the controversial view that less people should be catching it.
🍔 Baby G Burger now has what appears to be a permanent residency at Orphans Kitchen in the evenings on Thursday, Friday and Saturdays. If you haven’t had one of their burgers yet, you should, and dining in means you can have a wine, too.
🧗♀️ Base Weight’s first drop of curated vintage gorp (or scroggin) gear is live - every order includes a donation to a conservation cause, which I like!
🛫 As mentioned above, my partner and I are planning a trip to Melbourne in the next couple of months - send me your recs for cafes, shopping, wine bars and art galleries!
That’s all for clipboard this week, thanks for reading! If you like clipboard, hit forward and share it with your coolest mates. You can find me throughout the week on Instagram and email, and