The first thing I noticed when we walked into our room at Alisal Guest Ranch was the books: there were huge bookshelves filled with them everywhere - plus a library next door with floor-to-ceiling shelves and enormous leather couches. It reminded me of the hotels my parents and I stayed at when I was a kid, and how you could always borrow a few paperbacks from the front desk. It was only the next morning, when our kids came in to wake us up, that I realized what had felt so odd about our hotel room: there was no TV; not anywhere.

We're staying at the ranch for a couple of nights on a press trip before we head to Disneyland, and I spent the drive down to Santa Barbara figuring I'd regret having told the kids what the next stop on our trip was (imagining hearing "BUT WHEN ARE WE GOING TO DISNEYLAAAAAND?" on repeat for the duration), but we got here, dropped our stuff in our room, then ran out onto the lawn to play leapfrog. And then today we rode horses and petted zebus and gathered chicken eggs from the coops and got to sit in enormous piles of bunnies and guinea pigs (!!!!! I died) and made mosaic butterflies in the arts & crafts house, and I swear to you: I have not heard the word "Disneyland" one single time.

You know what other word I haven't heard? "TV." They haven't even noticed it's not there.

Usually, when I do a double-take at something, it is a pair of shoes. Or, I don’t know, a couch (I do love me some couches). It’s not particularly common for me to do one while wandering through the home appliances section of a department store, because it’s hard to get all romantic about a fridge or a washer and dryer, you know?

But a few weeks ago Samsung contacted me, asking if I wanted to work with them on a review of their new FlexWash + FlexDry washer and dryer. And then a few days after that I was in Sears shooting a video, and may wanderings took me through the home appliances section…and that’s when it happened:

I did a double-take for the ages. At a home appliance.

Who knew Kendrick was such a mystery man? 

The other day, in LA, I was driving around with Francesca and her cousin Valentina, and Francesca said "Google 'flexible old lady,' will you?" So I did - no questions asked - and this wonderful, wonderful image came up. The point of the Google was that Francesca had seen the image somewhere before and wanted me to see it because she said it was her vision of me as an old lady. But out of context, that's a hell of a random search.

But the thing is, the very identity of Google searches is based on the fact that they're decontextualized. So they're kind of always funny. Or at least bizarre.

All day every day.

Remember the shoot I did with Francesca for sirena + the sea? I loved her kimono wrap so much I ordered one for myself in navy, and wore it all weekend long - over a bathing suit by the pool; over a lightweight nightgown around the house; over a striped maxi dress wherever and everywhere.

Here is a furry sloth pillow. You're welcome.

Let me introduce you to our newest contributor, Claire Zulkey - I've been a fan of hers for years, and am so excited to have her writing appear on RG. That said, I think it's safe to conclude that when it comes to the topic of crying, she and I are different types of humans. - Jordan

When You're The Mom That Doesn't Cry

“Mommy, I decided you shouldn’t cry today.” That’s what my son told me on his birthday last week: the months prior, we had an ongoing joke where I threatened to cry on his fifth birthday and we talked about whether or not I should do it. This was inspired by me telling him about how vividly I remember my own mom crying on my fifth birthday; he decided that if he had the choice, he would rather not have a similar memory.