So this is the first post in what I hope to be a new series of posts that I’m going to try to do. (Have I said that before? About other things? Oh god, maybe I have. I have a tendency to start something enthusiastically and then immediately forget about it and sometimes even forget it ever even existed?) I will really try to not let that happen here.
ANYWAY, what I’d like to do here is talk about the new things I’ve done this month. In the old days, I’d devote whole posts to individual things that I’ve loved or hated, but honestly, some times a few sentences could suffice. So here are some of the things that I’ve encountered in the month of May.
I dry cleaned my winter coat and packed it away for the season. Do you do this when winter's over? You should.
I really don’t go to the movies a lot anymore and I miss not going. I used to go constantly when I was younger, but the real fun of that was because I was going with my brother Robbie. There were a solid fews years in the early 00’s where we’d see everything that was playing in any given theatre. Just for the sake of seeing a movie. I mean, we had a lot of free time then so it just made sense. I go so rarely now that I really need to want to see a movie to get me into a theatre now. Thus, seeing RBG was an active decision, and a great one at that. I knew nothing of the woman before seeing it, and the trailer made it look great, so of course it was. If you’re a fan of women at all, you should see it.
I ate the banana bread with espresso mascarpone at Two Hands in Soho. And whoa. Here it is.
Banana Bread with Espresso Mascarpone from Two Hands
I ate the fried chicken at Blue Ribbon Chicken. I know so little about good fried chicken, but this was pretty incredible. Maybe a smidge more expensive than I thought it should be, but a kid’s meal was a decently priced & sized pre-meal.
I attempted to read Jenny Lawson’s Let's Pretend This Never Happened and I really didn't care for it. I lasted about ten pages then gave up. I’m probably being too harsh here, but I found her tone… irritating. Also, not to boast or anything, but I’m a tiny bit proud of being able to put a book down and inwardly say, “No, thanks.”
I tried Farsali's Jelly Beam Highlighter. I'd never heard of the brand, but they have a tiny section at Sephora that has, like, three items. No idea why. Especially because the highlighter itself is pretty incredible. I bought it solely because of the fact that it was a “jelly” (meaning that it jiggles) highlighter because I’m simple and that sounded fun. I think it looks especially amazing on collarbones.
Nathan and I ate at Rosemary’s in the west village on my monthly Nathan-must-date-me night. He got the roast chicken and I got a kale and celery caesar salad. His chicken was insanely good and my salad just reminded me why celery should never be a main ingredient. It’s not its fault, it doesn’t know any better, but humans should know enough to understand that chomping on celery in any form sucks. Restaurant was beautiful and if I ordered better, I’d have more glowing things to say. My fault.
I went for dinner at L’Artusi with a friend and had probably one of the top five best meals I've ever had in this city. We did wait awhile for a table, but we didn't have a reservation and it was a Saturday night so duh. We ordered one of the specials as an appetizer (the steak tartare) which was incredible then followed it with the insane garganelli with mushroom ragu that I will remember for the rest of my life. They also sent out a kale ravioli that was mind-blowing. And I'm not typically inclined to call kale-ANYthing "mind-blowing," so understand me clearly here. These pastas will change you. I can't wait to take more people here. The service was incredible. I really can't say enough good things about this place. Go nowhere else for pasta.
I finally went to the Birch Coffee near my house and I'll keep this brief. A small iced coffee shouldn't cost $4 in 2018. A coffee shop should have a bathroom. A coffee shop that is "wifi free" shouldn't boast about that fact. Any business that is "cashless" is obnoxious and nobody likes you. The coffee tasted all right. That is all.
Tried some of the burger and the chicken sandwich at The Spotted Pig and MEH. I mean, yeah, they were good, but they’re ungodly expensive for what’s being put on your plate. And those skinny little fries that are piled up like a mountaintop? Deceiving. They tasted like air! They look like they're gonna be amazing, but you're left with a feeling of emptiness inside. Emptiness and hunger. A fry should taste like a fry. Basic physics here, guys. The main reason we went was because it was after midnight and for some reason their kitchen stays open late (possibly only to swindle you with $26 burgers when nothing else in the area is an option?)
Got an advance screening pass to the movie Gotti. I went. I lasted 25 minutes and then left. Good god, DID IT BLOW. But of course it did. Why didn’t I know that going in? Well, I kinda did but it was free. Wow, was it terrible, though. Comes out next month on the 15th. Don't go.
Last month I heard about Gofobo, which is a site that arranges free movie screenings near you and emails you to see if you want to go, it's amazing. I heard about it right before Nathan and I saw A Quiet Place last month (for free), so I just stayed on their mailing list. Unfortunately they also sent me my Gotti tickets, but I won't hold that against them since I'm the idiot who said, "Gotti? Sure, that seems fun!"
Tried the Ginger Scallion Noodles (with pickled shiitakes, cucumber, nori) at Momofuku Noodle Bar. I’ve been here only once before, years ago, and I really just was in a noodle mood so I came again. It wasn’t terrible, but again, I think I ordered bad. I really wanted the Chilled Spicy Noodles (with sichuan sausage, Thai basil, cashews) but I was dissuaded by my waiter because he said it was overly spicy and then made a face. But then I got a look at it when someone else ordered it and knew I should’ve gotten it because it looked amazing, so I’ll get it next time and then tell you if it’s too spicy. Also, the Soju Slushie that is Spicy Lychee flavored was crazy good. Although that makes sense to me because when I went here years ago, their Singapore Sling slushie was also pretty memorable.
I went in looking for the s'mores pie slice that I've wanted to try for ages, but instead found the salted caramel brownie from Dean & DeLuca. And wow. Just wow.
I finished watching Ugly Delicious on Netflix. I really can’t remember why I put this off for so long, considering how much I like well-shot food shows. For the most part, I thought it was all right, I wrote down a few food recommendations from it (like Lucali in Brooklyn). There were a few parts that made me not really like David Chang, though. They were such small parts, but I don’t know, they stayed with me. Like how during this one segment where he’s doing pizza deliveries alongside a real Dominoes delivery person, they’re going to a bunch of houses and then at the end David goes, “Are we done? Yeah, I’m not doing another fucking delivery.” I don't know, I'm probably reading too much into it, but I just hated the way he said that right infront of the grown man delivery guy. It was rude and belittling and I really didn't like it. As I said, I'm probably reading too much into it, but it bothered me. Other than that souring part, it was an all right series to watch. There were lame parts sprinkled here and there. I feel like I progressively liked it less as each episode went on and I don’t really know why. You know what the problem is? I think he just thinks he’s really cool and funny and doesn’t have a real sense of self and if he were a little more humble or warm as a person, it could’ve helped the overall tone of the series.
I also started watching Bill Hader's Barry on HBO because my brother Gary told me to. I'm only three episodes in and it's pretty good I guess? I mean, it is. I just haven't decided if I'll watch on or not.
Nathan and I have started watching The Twilight Zone (on Netflix) and it's one of the best shows I've seen in such a long time. Obviously not every episode is a great one, but the ones that are? Watch out. We've seen about 40 episodes or so already and there have been at least 20 really great ones, and we're only a quarter of the way through the series. Love watching these at night before bed. This was the final quote from a recent episode we watched that I just loved, "The tools of conquest do not necessarily come with bombs and explosions and fallout. There are weapons that are simply thoughts, attitudes, prejudices - to be found only in the minds of men. For the record, prejudices can kill and suspicion can destroy, and a thoughtless, frightened search for a scapegoat has a fallout all its own - for the children and the children yet unborn. And the pity of it is that these things cannot be confined to The Twilight Zone." I mean, that's pretty good, yeah?! Love Rod Serling's voice so much, too. Such a great show. I wish I'd seen it when I was a kid.
Writing all of this down makes it seem like I have a great life, when in reality... oh my god I do. Excited for June!
My favourite time of year has arrived. What's that? I say that constantly? Why the hell isn't it acceptable to have winter, spring and autumn all be tied for your favourite season? I can't choose! And I shouldn't have to. Why do I love it so much? Just a few reasons?
The buds of flowers because sometimes the buds are better than the bloom. So much more to anticipate when it's just the buds
The birds in the morning
So much more sun, but with none the unsightly sweatiness
Baseball's back
Here's what I'd love to do over the next few months.
I'm always shocked when winter ends. Everyone complains about it so much that I think it'll never end because we all can't shut up about it, but here we are! Here's how my many things I actually did off of my winter list from December.
1. Drink a white Russian.
Didn't do it. Damnit! Every time I'd try to get myself psyched up to do it, I'd remember, "Ugh. All that cream, who needs it." Maybe some day!
2. Play board games with the family at Christmas.
Did it! And it was great.
3. Finally eat at Raclette in NYC.
Didn't do it. Excuse? You really need someone who's equally passionate about cheese to go to this place with.
4. Visit the new Oscar Wilde inspired bar.
Yikes, didn't do this one either. What's wrong with me? I need to make more attainable goals. And if you're sitting there thinking, "Jesus Liz, if one of your "goals" is to go to a fucking bar and you can't even do that, YIKES. Ya suck!" then, well, kindly please leave.
5. Build a snowman.
Okay, so I didn't do this but I did witness it being done. I'm taking a half point.
6. Finally try whipped cream vodka in a hot chocolate.
Did it! It was just okay.
7. Successfully make a souffle for the first time.
Totally did it! With Marla! And it was magical as hell! Maybe the most impressive dessert I've ever made. It tasted as though a cake had a baby with a mousse and out came a souffle - and I'm not sure if that's what it was supposed to taste like, but it was pretty good to me. I also made a creme caramel for the first time, so maybe I should have more food based goals.
8. Take at least five bubble baths.
Yes! I think I may have even taken six, so suck on that! (Why is this attitude happening? Not sure.)
9. Literally just sit and watch the snow fall.
Yes, of course. These are the types of activities that need to make appearances on all my lists, the easy ones that require little to no effort and give me an abnormal amount of pleasure.
10. Mail out holiday cards.
You bet your ass.
6.5 out of 10, whoa! That's better than I thought I'd do. Look at that! Spring list coming tomorrow!
I've really put some thought into these this year. Some of them are repeats of other years (since they're so good) and some are brand new. Please, please, please make some for yourself, you think it doesn't help, but to have these in the back of your mind really makes you push yourself throughout the year.
Read at least one book per season.
Go to the gym or do some kind of physically strenuous activity at least ten times a month.
Juice at least five times a month.
At least once a month, go to a nice restaurant that you've never been to before.
Take Baby Dog on at least two dog adventures per month (this could include going to Central Park, Astoria Park, dog dates, etc.)
Properly go on a date with Nathan at least once a month.
Learn how to meditate.
Once a month, write a letter to someone that I haven’t seen for awhile.
Once a season, do a week-long juice cleanse or follow a completely raw food diet.
By the end of the year, stop waitressing and start editing full time again.
Read at least one book per season. - I did it! Winter (a re-read, but still), Spring, Summer & Autumn.
Go to the gym or do pilates at least ten times a month.
January - 6 times
February - 1 time
March - 5 times
April - 6 times
May - 9 times
June - 9 times
July - 8 times
August - 0 times
September - 6 times
October - 7 times
November - 4 times
December - 1 time
Yeeeeikes, well that didn't go well. But that means that I went to the gym 17% of the days this year, and while that's better than last year (in 2016 it was 14.5%) it's still not as good as in 2015 when I went 23.5% and in 2014 I went 37%. Welp, this year can always be better.
Juice at least five times a month.
January - 9 times
February - 2 times
March - 6 times
April - 3 times
May - 0 times
June - 0 times
July - 3 times
August - 3 times
September - 3 times
October - 1 time
November - 0 times
December - 7 times
Okay so 3/12 months I actually made my goal. Gotta try way harder this year.
Get at least three haircuts this year.
Hahah, only one haircut in January. SHIT.
At least once a month, go to a fancy restaurant that you've never been to before.
January: Gotham Bar & Grill (two of the best things I've ever eaten were consumed here. The mushroom risotto with trumpet royals, shiitake, baby arugula, pancetta, aged sherry and gruyere cheese as well as the Gotham Burger with plymouth tomme cheddar, vermont bacon, herb aioli and kennebec french fries) & Giorgio’s of Gramercy (the Alex Friar Soup and Chilean Sea Bass were equally heavenly)
March: Gusto 101 (not entirely memorable, but a good meal), Augustine at The Beekman (ridiculously good) & CUT (extremely underwhelming, this was probably the let down restaurant of the year)
April: Il Corvo (crazy good pasta) and Canlis (one of the best salads of life)
May: None!
June: Blue Ribbon (the onion soup at their location on Downing Street was way better than this reincarnation)
July: None!
August: Fusco (the happy hour pasta that changes weekly is the main draw here), Il Buco (Finally! As good as I hoped), Employees Only (HARD PASS) & Keens (crazy good, must go back for dinner)
September: Michael's Back Door (honestly, not as good as everyone tells you)
There were only three months when I didn't do this! I will forever love this resolution and continue to do it each year.
Make one Chrissy Teigen recipe (from Cravings) each month.
COMPLETELY didn't do this. It's as if my eyes were blind to this being on the list.
Take Baby Dog on at least one dog date each month.
She had about seven dog dates this year, but I'm gonna tweak this resolution to better suit her for the upcoming year.
Try at least one new hairstyle every month. (God, these are low/sad expectations, BUT THEY MINE.)
Hahahah, not even kinda close to doing this one. God, 31 year old me was sad sometimes.
Properly go on a date Nathan at least once a month.
The only months we didn't do anything were April, May & June, which is kind of amazing that we did it for the remaining months! Definitely keeping this one on the list.
Finally go to Staten Island for pizza. See what the big deal is.
Still didn't go. Still don't know what the big deal is.
I love this season. That video above is one my mom took of our backyard last week and words can't express how happy I am that it's already started to snow in Canada. There's nothing lamer than a green Christmas. In any case, there are bunch of things I want to do this season.
Finally try whipped cream vodka in a hot chocolate.
Successfully make a souffle for the first time.
Take at least five bubble baths.
Literally just sit and watch the snow fall.
Mail out holiday cards.
There's nothing too wild or unique on that list, I realize, but I wanted some simple and easy things that I can fully enjoy since I'm fully in Christmas mode at the moment. Happy first day of winter!
Holy hell, it's the last day of autumn. And while it was a really great season for me this year, I really didn't get to a lot of this list. Excuses ahead!
1. "Go on our annual pumpkin patch trip to Downey's." Of course, I went! If I find myself one year not having enough time to go and do this, please know that I've silently given up on life.
2. "Wear black lipstick in public for an entire day." Did it!
3. "Make turkey poutine with Thanksgiving leftovers." Completely didn't do this only because I was really over turkey right after Thanksgiving, I just couldn't look at it anymore. 4. "Make cinnamon sugar toasted pumpkin seeds and actually eat them." Nope. And I think I have come to the conclusion that I really don't care to do this. Fuck those seeds! 5. "Read outdoors." Did it, killed it. 6. "Jog before sunrise." Damnit, this is one I really wanted to do. I will do this eventually. 7. "Eat spaghetti squash for the first time and try not to be grossed out." Was too grossed out to try. Shame on me. 8. "Scare someone. If it goes well, scare others." I did it once and I wasn't good at it. Turns out I'm better at being scared. Sweet. 9. "See at least five Halloween movies I haven't seen before." Did it! I watched An American Werewolf in London (pretty good), Young Frankenstein (sucked!), The Thing (not my kind of movie), House on Haunted Hill (actually not that bad), Halloweentown (great!), Get Out (so great!) 10. "Create a fall door wreath." Hahahah, who the hell do I think I am.
All in all, I did 5/10. I passed! Winter list coming tomorrow!
I've said this for years and people continue to fight me on it. And look, I get it. It probably seems like a more romantic notion (and honestly, just easier) to have your partner be your best friend, but if you just let me explain myself here, you'll see why I'm onto something. (From here on, I'll refer to your partner as your S.O. (significant other) and B.F (best friend). It's easier that way and less redundant.)
If your S.O is your B.F. then who the hell are you supposed to go to when you want to complain about each one? YOU NEED EACH TO MAINTAIN SANITY. And I don't think that everyone needs to complain about every person in their life at some point (yes, actually I do think that but I'm trying not to be so negative) but it does help to vent once in awhile to someone that's always on your side. Without venting, people become murderers or republicans or worse, I'd imagine.
The activities. The stuff that I do with each of these people are vastly different from one another and thank God for that. I can be a well-rounded, functionally happy adult when I can do things with one that the other would never want to do.
The celebrations. As you're aware, I fully believe that friend anniversaries are just as important as S.O ones. And why shouldn't they be? Imagine you got an invitation to someone's ten year friend anniversary and it was treated like a wedding celebration? If I had any kind of money, I swear to you that's what I'd do. I'll never understand why romantic relationships are the ones most prioritized in our society, but I think it's bullshit. Yes, they're important, but they're not the most important (if you really want me not to shut up, it's the relationship you have with yourself that's most important, followed by the one you share with your pet, followed by your friendships/romantic relationships which are tied). Anyway, my original point was that by not having the same S.O & B.F in one person, you get more celebrations (birthdays, anniversaries, babies, etc.). And celebrations are some of the best parts of living on this planet.
The more important, loving people you have in your life, the happier you'll be. Fact. There are certain qualities that each person in my life has, and I love knowing who to go to when I need a certain something that I'm yearning for. Does that make sense?
One day this person will die. And if they're both your B.F and S.O, who the hell is going to help get you through this time? Your dog? Well, maybe, your dog is great. But if you put so much onto one person, you're fucked on that day.
Have I sold you on this? I mean, it's an air-tight case. And if you disagree with me, I'm not trying to say that you're wrong. I just wish you'd open up to the idea that you don't need to depend on one sole person to get everything that you're after in this life. It's a lot of pressure.
