The Art of Calendar Stacking
September: Month of the Horse
29 August 2023, San Diego, California, USA
Despite summer vacation no longer existing for most of us adults, the idea of summer vacation still does beckon, very siren-like, to us weekend warriors promising freedom and escape taking up most of your mental capacity between the months of June - August and hours of 8.30am - 6.00pm. As basically vacay-less adults we lean into the siren that is Summer, in the only way available, by calendar stacking.
You are certainly familiar with it. Calendar stacking is an adult exercise compelled by that dicey part of your brain not quite operating off of FOMO yet acutely aware of your need to be present at as many social events and European landmarks as possible in order to help you feel you. Totally completely, colorfully (or monochromatically) you amidst the hell or splendor of everyday life (we never know do we?) while also being the light at the end of your weekday tunnel. Oftentimes the part of your cranium responsible for calendar stacking posits: I-can-take-the-red-eye, how-could-I-miss-her-wedding, we-will-rent-a-car-and-drive-for-4-hours-bc-the-flight-to-Jackson-is-$1k, I-deserve-another-pair-of-Manolos, its-20%-off-tennis-bracelets-for-today-only, the-10am-big-client-meeting-is-perfect-to-schedule-for-next-Monday etc.
Said part of your brain is not reasonable and if it were a young woman in her 20’s it would almost never wear comfortable footwear, rather this part of your brain exists for joy, wonder and adventure.
In the world of Lo. Lynch, I have two speeds: 1) Aggressively stacking my calendar socially and professionally to get that high and ensure my youthful intrepidness is retained, or 2) Lazy and binging Julian Fellowes content at home with my cat, Jasper.
My whole life, there has never been an in-between of these speeds, a 1.5 if you will, some in my life chalk this up to my being a Gemini, lol, while I understand these two modes of mine are chiefly the result of years vacillating between intense focus and burnout, driving me, out of necessity, to retreat and recuperation.
You may have deduced, by the lack of ‘21st & 18th’ in your inbox, that I have been a calendar stacking fiend this summer, traveling, planning, partying, wedding-ing, polo-ing - effectively these activities executed in weekend succession, again and again, have cooked me. However after a week of voyage in Mexico City, a day of lazing about with Jasper and Julian, and a life changing night of sleep, I am back. And now on the other side of my summer ‘23 calendar stacking frenzy, I am pleased to announce that
is back in session. Culture and snappy vintage finds quips are on deck, our art engines are humming, we are poised to tourist you through the crevices of time.With back to school and September 2 days away (reminder to enjoy today as it is basically Christmas), let us get serious about our next time travel date.
For
, our mission is to travel time with you. To unlock, as @pilbug92 has said since we were young-ins wearing knee socks, deep thought, where your mind is so creatively and emotionally engaged you cannot help but drift into the ether. 21st & 18th aspires to time travel with you into this zone of deep thought, whether that is because you are considering your human-ness in this wide world and bowled over by such, pondering how gloves were made and worn in ancient Egypt, or you have finally decided to lean into the Renaissance princess that you are and require hair styling inspiration - regardless of the date or subject we are here to journey with you.
This September will mark the Month of the Horse, and our first stop on this tour is to be Persia in 600 BC when the sport of polo, as we know it today, was founded and first played. After our stop in Persia, we will follow the evolution of polo from Asia to Europe and across North and South America.
Per usual we will follow our Weekly 21st & 18th format:
WIOW (What I’m Obsessed With)
Vintage Finds
Antiquated Traditions We Must Resuscitate
Meet the Expert
Post-polo, we will stamp our passports for entrée into the world, and history, of horse racing, its glory days (they are still glory-filled btw) as well as its bowels.
After Racing, we will round things out with a menu of content to inspire your continued exploration of the horse and all the tropes surrounding them. We’ll encounter characters of the uppity nature, twang spitting (and contemporary) cowboys, Native Americans, royal horse-girls, and a truly iconic Australian young adult sitcom1 that changed the life of me and my sister, @beetle. If you are keen on the Equidae, a neophyte, or believe you might be uninterested at first glance, I would encourage you to join us on the journey that will be September’s Month of the Horse, as we’re laying the foundation for turns down historical highway offshoots (like the transition from horse drawn carriages to motor vehicles) to odd cultural cul-de-sac (ie. unicorns or the Pony Express which lasted less months than a Kim K. marriage).
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, follow us on Instagram, @21st18th, and send me a note.Happy Tuesday & speak soon.
Cheers,
Lo. Lynch
p.s. it’s good to be back
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