The Tyranny of Welcome In
Jurassic Park, jello mags, and a few cranky questions.
Little Fridaayyyyyy. In some unrelated work research this week, I happened across this tidbit from a 2014 article about interior design: “‘We always toast to Thursdays, no matter what day of the week it is,’ Lynne says. ‘Thursdays are our favorite, because they mean Friday’s on the horizon.’” Shout out to Lynne of Sullivan’s Island, you absolutely get it! On my horizon? A double date, a long run, Indian food, and hopefully the bliss of a few blank hours on Sunday—with lots of laundry as bookends. May your weekend include just as much naan with none of the laundry. P.S. I’m hopeful the regular edition of yard violet can return soon.
It sounds like you instructed ChatGPT to write a script for a friendly, matronly host at a roadside diner in Alabama: almost there, but not quite right. It clunks out like a novice writer trying their hand at dialect and failing. And it sounds particularly incongruous because you so often hear it straight from the mouth of a dead-eyed teen who may or may not be happy to be saying it.
Welcome in! Welcome in! Welcome in!
It’s everywhere, like a plague. I’ve been noticing this bizarre new greeting cropping up in various restaurants and retailers more and more lately and wondered if I was crazy. Then I got this unprompted text.
Why are we adding extra prepositions willy nilly? What are you welcoming me in to? What’s wrong with the time-tested “Welcome” or “Hello” or “Good evening”? Who started this and how do we put a stop to it? Look, I don’t want to get stuck in a vibe shift, preserved in amber like a pair of Millennial skinny jeans. I can get on board with good change, and I even think it’s cute when Gen Alpha kids say “search up” when they just mean “search.”
But I’m sorry, “welcome in” is a busted greeting, and I hope we leave it behind.
The weekend rolls right in. Maybe you should….
Watch Jurassic Park. References to this movie keep randomly surfacing in my life lately, so I’m taking it as a sign I’m due for a rewatch, and maybe you are too. If nothing else, the style inspo is abundant.
Eat some chips and drink a beer. As uncomplicated an idea as it sounds. Give yourself over to the straight-up sensory delight of crunching on spicy chips (my strong suggestion is Zapp’s Hotter than Hots, but ymmv) and cooling down your mouth with a crisp beer in between (Here I like to go Edmund’s Oast Something Cold or Creature Comforts Tropicália for a little more bite). That’s it. That’s all. Don’t over think your day off.
Inject some color in your home. Splurge: Artists Liz Rundorff Smith and Teresa Roche have collaborated on the Alchemy Collection, a new series of original works, textiles, and wallpapers. They are bold, earthy, and vibrant, layering encaustic wax, pigmented pastel powders, geometric forms, and organic floral motifs. A powder room wallpapered in one of these patterns would be a stunning statement. Save: Give your fridge a glow-up with these colorful glass refrigerator magnets—they remind me of Jolly Ranchers or jello cubes.
Thanks for reading! Until next time. ✌️