Have a Beautiful Weekend. | A Cup of Jo

What are you up to this weekend? We’re going to watch the new movie The Father, which looks incredible. I’m also reading Edie Richter Is Not Alone, an amazing novel about a woman whose father suffered from Alzheimer’s. Hope you have a good one — chag sameach to those who are celebrating Passover! — and here are a few links from around the web…

The perfect shampoo. (Check out the before and after.)

Wow! This voice lag ventriloquism is so cool.

Why did Princess Diana’s hair look like that?

I cannot WAIT to see the Alice Neel exhibit at the Met.

35 things you can do for yourself today. (I loved #21.)

Matzo icebox cake.

The new movie Shiva Baby looks great.

“I survived 18 years in solitary confinement.” (New York Times)

Oooh, what a gorgeous garden. And this one, too.

“When I first started my massage training.” (The Atlantic)

Love these black pants.

A caesar salad chandelier, of all things.

Plus, three reader comments:

Says AK on the mind-clearing magic of cold water swimming: “I’m part of a group of women who meet every morning to swim. Granted, we wait until spring begins, but there is nothing more magical than seeing a group of women walk through the forest to gather on the edge of a lake at sunrise, peel off their clothes, and wade into the water. It’s a secret I savor carrying throughout my day. The store is out of the cereal I wanted? That’s cool, I started my day with a naked swim!”

Says VVeronika on the mind-clearing magic of cold water swimming: “I’m going through IVF — we lost our last one at 10 weeks a few months ago — so it has been hard. My husband has taken cold showers for years, but I always resisted since I HATE cold water. One day I was very low and thought, ok, I’m doing it now. I was kind of screaming and singing at first, it was so cold. But coming out, I felt what euphoric. It’s been three months now and I love it; I feel so much better every time! It’s also good practice to teach yourself not to be afraid and to simply act on your decision: ‘I’m going in’ and you go in.”

Say Christian AE on an unlikely conversation starter: “As an Asian child born and raised in Canada, I found myself wondering why my parents never used words of affection like families did on TV. What I didn’t realize was that the gesture of cleaning, peeling and cutting up fruit for us to enjoy together was one filled with the kind of love, attention and care I thought I was missing. My lolo and lola would ALWAYS peel grapes (!) for my sister and me. A green apple was cut into uniform pieces and sprinkled with salt to cut through the tartness. God forbid their peeled oranges, grapefruits and pomelos had any leftover pith on them before splitting the sections among our family members. Now that I’m older, I make an effort to eat fruit as part of my diet. Sometimes I’ll spend the time to reeeeally peel that orange in a way that would make my family proud. My lolos and and my lolas are long gone, but I miss them deeply every time I have fruit for dessert.”

(Photo for House and Garden UK by Éva Németh.)