Down With Tech - Nathan Macintosh
The funniest man I know.
March Magic 2024
March 2024
March 2024
March was a whirlwind, here’s what went down last month!
My nephews, March 2024
The best tweets of March can be found over here.
I recapped my winter list of things to do.
I wrote my spring list of things that I’d love to do this season.
I served on a jury and it was an awful experience. I’m begging you to never do it. It wasn’t even a murder case and it was still horrible to be apart of.
Am I nervous about The Body Shop closing a TON of stores? Yes, yes I am.
I’ll never be above a new Trader Joe’s candle scent.
Spring candles from Trader Joe’s
My sister-in-law made one of the greatest desserts I think I’ve ever tried: lemon sorbet blended with mascarpone. It sounds so simple, but I promise you the flavour was mind-blowingly good. A perfect summer dessert, too.
I think I found the best lip oil that isn’t expensive or sticky: Colourpop’s Lux Lip Oil in Dew Drop Clear.
My sweet dear friend Jenn sent me See’s Candies chocolates for my birthday and good god were they incredible.
See’s Candies
I made a Thai green curry for the first time and it was fine, but I think this is something that I’m only gonna order out from now on. It just didn’t taste the same when I made it at home. (It could’ve been because the coriander seeds I ground up had expired last year? Would that have made a giant difference in taste?)
One of my all-time favourite scenes in a movie:
I said goodbye to my blonde hair!
I’ve decided that March = tres leche cake season, so I had to make one.
I went to Niagara Falls with my family and it was such a great time.
Baby Dog in Niagara Falls
Romeo, Niagara Falls
Camden, Niagara Falls
Family!
I also went to Mount Airy in Maryland with Nathan and it was a perfect way to spend a birthday. He got a chocolate cake from Wegman’s that honestly was even tastier than my favourite chocolate cake.
Our Airbnb in Maryland
Wegman’s cake
I love him
Small town butter >>
Sleepy Baby Dog
I got the Lemax NORTH POLE MAIL ROOM from my brother & sister-in-law and my life might be complete?
The Nordstrom flagship happy hour remains one of the best in the city.
Happy hour at Nordstrom, NYC
Some things I watched:
Baywatch (season 1): Okay, the pilot of Baywatch is one of the best pilots I’ve ever seen. Honestly rivals the Lost premiere. Makes zero sense. Kind of a great show?
Ready or Not (the Canadian show): I love that you can find most of these episodes on YouTube.
Some things I’m looking forward to this month: I have to try the special ramp & cacio e pepe dumplings at Mimi Cheng’s, Nathan’s going to be on The Tonight Show for the third time on April 12th (!), I really want to go see the blooming cherry blossoms in Central Park and I can’t wait to see Rachel McAdams in Mary Jane on Broadway (Nathan’s birthday gift to me!).
If you’ve got any interest in reading last month’s roundup, you can read what went on in February over here.
C’MON
Jumanji SNL
God, I missed her.
Best NYC Earthquake Tweets
There are too many good earthquake tweets from yesterday, so here they are.
The Best Tweets of March 2024
February Feats 2024
NYC, February 2024
NYC, February 2024
Welcome to March! You’re well aware of how much I love this month. Will I overdo it and be left a shell of a person come April 1st? Most likely, but there’s nothing that can be done about that! Here’s what went down last month.
The best tweets of the month can be found over here.
I kept up with my weekly Winter Wednesdays series.
I finally finished the Mel Brooks memoir I’ve been reading for months.
If this coat (below) was under $100, then I would’ve had no choice but to buy it.
Bury me at the Nordstrom flagship
Some things I baked:
God, I love a small batch cookie recipe.
People won’t shut up about this New York Times marry-me chicken recipe but I absolutely would reject that proposal. I made it and it was FINE at best. And more recently, I made a cauliflower soup of theirs and it was bland as hell! I definitely need to take a step back from their recipes. Maybe the food styling is what’s tricking me? Gorgeous looking food doesn’t always taste amazing. There’s a lesson there??
I made this brioche berry bread pudding that was delicious. Something feels very wrong about using strawberries in February, but the Grand Marnier soak really helped the flavour.
Brioche berry bread pudding
I can’t stop wearing these Aerie brown stockings.
Found a new coffee shop that I’m loving - Sonbobs in Astoria.
We bought Baby Dog a ramp to get on and off our bed and it’s been a huge help. Sometimes she’ll just leap off into the pillows alongside it, so it may take some time for her to trust this new inanimate object in her life.
Baby Dog begrudgingly on her new ramp
I tried out a colour corrector from Huda because the internet told me to and it did absolutely nothing different to my face hahah?? Sometimes I seem smart and other times I do stuff like this.
Nathan and I saw the play An Enemy Of The People with Jeremy Strong (from Succession) and Michael Imperioli (from The Sopranos & The White Lotus) and it was great! Absolutely love the Circle in the Square theatre. $40 tickets straight from the box office can’t be beat.
The winter kale salad at Uva Next Door on the Upper East Side was top tier.
The patty melt at Daily Provisions? Wow. Makes zero sense that a coffee shop has that good a sandwich.
I’ve finally learned my lesson and I’ve stopped using third-party websites for booking travel. Took me decades to learn this lesson.
Also, I’m sure no one but me buys Visa gift cards - but just incase, stay very far away from the brand Vanilla. I’ve had so many issues with money that was loaded improperly and their customer service is nonexistent.
Some things I watched:
Sometimes I Think About Dying: so great! Our friend Dave does such a great job in it.
Two Weeks Notice and The Wedding Date (combining them because they don’t deserve individual billing): WOOF. Why do I do this to myself when I have a list full of actually watchable movies?
If Lucy Fell: an old Sarah Jessica Parker movie? Course I’d watch that. It actually wouldn’t have been so terrible if the main guy wasn’t such an awful actor. He wrote, directed and starred in it, which was the wrong decision.
Waiting To Exhale: such a great rewatch.
Once Upon A Crime: perfect rewatch. It’s baffling that this movie did so bad at the box office.
New season of Curb: ugh. I don’t want to be mean, but I really hate this show now. The storylines are so tired and it really didn’t need to come back at all. (Richard Lewis will remain the best thing about the whole show.)
Some things I’m looking forward to this month: taking Baby Dog to Niagara Falls, I really want to try the vodka chicken parm from Compton’s in Astoria, excited to spend some time with my brother + family visiting from Scotland and there are so many birthday cakes I get to make for other people this month.
If you’ve got any interest in reading last month’s roundup, you can read what went on in January over here.
The Best Tweets of February 2024
January Jewels 2024
The first month is over!
I compiled my favourite photos of 2023.
I made a list of the very best of 2023.
The best tweets of the month can be found over here.
I recapped how my 2023 resolutions went.
I made my 2024 resolutions.
I reviewed the new costume exhibit (Women Dressing Women) at The Met.
I started writing a small weekly update entitled Winter Wednesdays.
I made a brioche french toast with homemade Nutella whipped cream that was unreasonably good. It was surprisingly hard to find a bakery that had ready-made brioche, but Whole Foods made this possible (unfortunately).
For new years day, I made this pork tenderloin with a honey garlic sauce that I’m absolutely going to make again this week.
My nephew Rome really got into this book of final last words, so he kept reading them aloud all month and this (below) is one of my favourites.
I visited the new (and finally open) Central Library in Mississauga and it’s so disappointing. The layout is terrible, the kids area is practically nonexistent, the shelving is appropriate for toddlers, the parking garage uses pay parking before 6pm and even the entrance is so badly designed that the front librarians have to wear their winter coats because of the breeze coming in from the main doors.
I’ve mentioned this already, but I can’t stop myself from trying to remember the old days of Square One (the mall in Mississauga). I’ve found a few photos that triggered some things in my brain and for some reason I need to write them out here so that I don’t accidentally forget them again. Do you remember when there was the movie theatre where Goodlife is now, next to The Bay? And the toy store Toys Toys Toys next to the theatre? Or the swinging ship boat ride infront of The Bay? Or all of the water fountains in the two-level food court! A giant Burger King used to be where Earl’s is now and people would wait inside it because that’s where the buses used to stop. The slushies at Woolco (that closed in1994) are cemented in my brain as the best in the world. The pretzel stand outside of Walter’s Music and down the isolated escalator from that parking lot that was next to Sears. And the Biway, Everything For A Dollar and Grand & Toy in that same Walter’s hallway. The giant HMV that used to be next to Donato. The Marks and Spencers that had a huge clothing area and then a separate grocery area. The greeting card store (my first job!) Your Expression that was around the corner from where the TD is now. The PJ’s Pets (the pet store) that used to be where Bulk Barn is now, with their rows and rows of fish tanks. Oh my god the It Store, Le Chateau, Jacob (where Wilfred is now), Diana Sweets, Black’s Cameras, Music World, Green Earth (that store with all the spiritual items and wooden figures), the coat check at Customer Service, Starstruck Entertainment, that Victorian store that used to be outside Walmart where the Tim Hortons is, the La Vie En Rose that was hidden away, the West 49 store, the restaurant that was in the space where Chipotle is now, Glamour Shots, Pegabo, Spencer Gifts. And if you’re truly insane and you want to see video footage of the mall from the 90s, I found one.
I made this chocolate brownie cake for Maya’s 13th birthday and it was incredible. I made it with chocolate cream cheese icing, which only elevated it.
Ate at Torrisi and yes it was fine, but absolutely not worth the money. The ham appetizer and the dessert were the only things that were unique and fantastic. I think I’m vowing to actively not go to trendy places this year, they almost always disappoint.
In love with the thin pizza at Emmett’s on Grove and how they abnormally slice it. Fully recommend.
Once every few years I’ll add a new makeup product to my routine (or update something that I’ve already been using), and I really love the Selena Gomez Rare Beauty contour stick (in Happy Sol). I’ve retired my NARS contour powder for it. I did try the Fenty contour stick but couldn’t find the right colour for my face.
I’m TikTok’s biggest critic, but I love this (below).
Discovered the holy grail of at-home waxing strips.
Started using Palmer’s Cocoa Butter at my parent’s house because of the dry air and I’m not sure that it’s the best lotion but it absolutely smells the best.
I’ll always give a new restaurant a chance, but the lunch special at Thai Villa is truly nothing special.
Went to the new Hamburger America and it was good!
Some things I watched:
Air: fine, but easily could've been a Wikipedia read instead of a movie.
No One Will Save You: hated it so much.
Speed: still amazing. Tianna kept accidentally calling it “Fast” hahahah.
The Morning Show: I stopped at the first episodes of season three. Season two really turned me off, especially when season one was pretty great. The writing overall isn’t very good, so it’s a bit of a mystery why I kept watching. I think I was just desperate for something new to watch. Other season one thoughts: the music choices are terrible and corny. Why is the adolescent daughter Lizzy played by an actress who seems 40? And you might not agree with this, but Mindy Kaling is a bad dramatic actress.
Destination Wedding: I watched fifteen minutes and it’s the worst written movie I think I’ve seen in years. Had to abandon. (And this is hard to admit since I love Keanu.)
Baby Dog, January 2024
Some things I’m looking forward to this month: my annual boycott of the superbowl, I’m going to try and see Back To The Future on Broadway, my friend Dave is in a movie that’s playing at the Angelika so we’ll go see that and I’d really love to finally finish the Mel Brooks book I’m reading.
If you’ve got any interest in reading last month’s roundup, you can read what went on in December over here.
