I did Nathanās podcast again, here it is!
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The Best of September
The leaves are fucking changing. DO YOU REALIZE THIS?! The fact that it feels like fall and actually IS fall is incredible. Iāve already unpacked my colder season attire and bed sheets and pumpkin table runners and you canāt fucking stop this train, BABY. Hereās all that went down in September.
I ate the (insanely good) heirloom tomato panzanella salad with anchovies at Cherry Point in Greenpoint in Brooklyn and it was my first panzanella salad and I was right to assume that Iād be in love with such a dish. Definitely will always order this in the future if I see it on any menu ever.
I bought the Sun Of A Beach OmbrĆ© Spray from OUAI a few months ago (itās supposed to add highlights to your hair through exposure to the sun), and even though I only used it onceā¦ this is a hard pass. It does state that you should use it more than once to see results, but I just expected to be more wowed after one time. Any time I use Sun-In, even after one try, you can see a difference. So for $24, Iād expect something upon first use. Definite disappointment.
This is the second time Iāve bought this NARS concealer so I guess Iām now a forever consumer of it. It lasts a lot longer than the one I used to get from MAC and it goes on a lot smoother, too.
I was pretty excited to see that Charlotte Tilbury is now available at Sephora since that means that I was finally able to try out their Bar Of Gold Highlighting Palette, which turned out to be a huge disappointment. Itās such beautiful packaging, donāt be deceived. Itās just as sparkly and low quality as pretty much every other highlighter on the planet with the exception of maaaaybe Benefitās Wattās Up Soft Focus Highlighter, which is the only one I tend to gravitate towards.
I didnāt even know there was an Ulta store in NYC until recently, so I finally went the other day and whoa. Their Colourpop section was bigger than I anticipated - and it also has their brow pencils that I use exclusively, so thatās amazing. I did try their ācovetedā highlighters as well and yeah theyāre not even close to great. But thatās fine since their liquid lipsticks and brow pencils are amazing. You canāt have it all, deal with it.
I know itās been years since The Office ended, but I tend to live in the past so obviously Iāve been watching a lot of bloopers from the show that I hadnāt seen before.
I saw The Corpse Bride for the first time andā¦ meh? Maybe I just missed the time frame when I couldāve enjoyed this one, I think.
Loving this Cat Power version of the Rihanna song Stay.
I finally watched and finished all of Disenchantment andā¦ I wish it were funnier. I donāt even say that with an attitude - I really, really wish it were funnier. Of the whole first season, only the final two episodes were actually interesting, which sucks and I wish it werenāt this way, but thatās just the reality of it.
So earlier this year I accidentally got on the Herbalife program and then realized what was going on, so I got out. Itās such an awful company and I canāt believe it took me this long to even hear about it. Definitely watch the documentary that I just saw Betting on Zero if youād never heard about it or if you know anyone whoās ever tried Herbalife.
Iām not trying to say that I have a problem or anything, but sometimes when I canāt sleep Iāll take NyQuil only because I really need to sleep that night, no interruptions. So when I saw ZzzQuil at the store, obviously I thought I should try that since its main purpose is to put you to sleep. Whatās insane is that it didnāt work AT ALL. Makes zero sense. Donāt be fooled, stick to NyQuil.
Ate at Prince Tea House in Astoria and itās a really sweet little place. The crepe cake actually wasnāt that far off from how good the Lady M crepe cakes taste.
I watched the second season of The Good Place, mostly because there wasnāt much else on, but still. Best parts? Easily a tie between the appearances of Jason Mantzoukas and Maya Rudolph. I love that man more than any other actor on TV these days. Every time heās on screen, heās perfect. Man is amazing and constantly the funniest person in every scene. Other than that, the showās still just okay. Also, Manny Jacinto is such a fox itās maddening. Also also, Ted Danson being so great in this scene.
I attempted to read Judd Apatowās Sick in the Head, but snoooooooooze. I really did try to read as much as I could, but it was a lot. Iāve said it before and Iāll say it again, that man does not know how to condense. Iāve always hated his interview style and find that he takes hours upon hours to get to a main point. I mean, in a book about interviewing comedians, in what world is asking the question āSo were you a class clown in high school?ā in any way groundbreaking? I really donāt know why Iām so hard on this man (especially because of how much I loved Freaks and Geeks as well as Undeclared), but itās just one of those things I canāt budge on. The ONLY thing I took away from the book was the fact that I learned that Martin Short went to university to become a social worker. Neat. THATāS IT.
In other book news, Chrissy Teigenās second cookbook came out! Already picked out two things from it that Iām gonna make for Thanksgiving in a few weeks. ALSO! Lindy West just announced that her next book (The Witches Are Coming) will come out next spring!
Finally went to the Met rooftop to see this yearās installation and look, I donāt really think Iām a hard person to impress. Iām not. But look at this.
ā¦thatās all there was. On an entire rooftop. Why is it so hard to get installation art that makes good use of its space? Iāll never shut up about this, but years ago there were numerous, gorgeous, playful structures created by Jeff Koons on that roof and you felt like you were in another world. I donāt need art to be pretty, but I do need it to make sense in its space. Not asking a lot here.
Candle season is upon us: Nathanās pick? Leaves. My pick? Hot cocoa & cream. Two for $16 at Bath & Body Works at the moment, it youāre in the market. Also, the vanilla pumpkin one from Trader Joeās was a lot cheaper and smells pretty nuts.
My dear friend Paul was visiting and invited me to go to the Color Factory in NYC with him. Itās pretty much just an Instagram museum meaning that people mainly go to take photos of themselves, so we did! Duh. I donāt know that Iād ever go to one again since it felt a littleā¦ hollow? Iām not trying to be negative about the experience, it just seemed very calculated and void of any real meaning with an added air of superficiality. Yeah, that definitely sounds negative. It really just felt like something that would and should be fun for a child, not an adult. I came across a really great piece talking about these types of places that really sums up how I feel about the whole experience.
Canāt even believe Iāve never eaten anything at Grom before, but I now regret every time Iāve walked by and not went in. I mean, look at this beauty.
All right. So I started Riverdale. And listen, shut up, I know it maybe seems like a bad show. You have to get over that thought though because itās so, so good that I can barely deal with it. Who knew that I had such a yearning inside to see a half naked Jughead Jones in a human, real-life scenario about to have sex for the first time? Not me, apparently, because I REWOUND IT THREE TIMES*. The only way that I can describe why this show is so good? I think itās mainly because I loved and collected these comics as a kid and I never got to see these characters develop beyond their prudishly chaste lives. And maybe itās kind of amazing to finally see some shit happen. Major pros: Dylan McKay! Skeet Ulrich (whom, Iām sorry, will forever be the sexiest killer in any movie, of all time). Any and all Bughead scenes (ie. Betty & Jughead scenes). Major cons: pleeease no more musical episodes, theyāre awful and if I wanted any musical interlude in a television show Iād watch fucking Glee. Also the fact that the actor who plays Archie has to dye his hair red for the role. If that isnāt sacrilegious then I donāt know what is. Itās insanity. So many hot men with red hair couldāve played that part and I promise you Iām not biased in that opinion, shut your mouth. Also, this is the greatest description of the show Iāve ever heard.
Nathan and I watched Hellraiser on Netflix because Iād never seen it and we wanted to choose āsomething lightā since itās not October yet. āLightā my bag! WAY too gory and not FUN-gory, just gory-gory. Only thing I liked about it was hearing that when trying to decide on a title, the writers opened it up for discussion to the production team to offer up their own suggestions, prompting a 60-year-old female crew member to offer up "What a Woman Will do for a Good Fuck."
I tried to give Van Leeuwan another shot and man, it just blows. How can you fuck up ICE CREAM? Even the fucking sprinkles hurt my teeth. Never, never again. Grom for life.
I havenāt watched the new SNL that premiered last night, but I did watch the cold open and man, itās really really good
Excited to see whatās in store for October!
*It was nine times. I rewound it nine times.
(If you have any interest in past monthly roundups, they can be found here: August 2018, July 2018, June 2018 & May 2018.)
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Autumn List
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Photo Credit: Getty Images
In all honestly, I canāt believe itās here. The best part of the year. The beginning of the three equally best seasons. So letās get down to it, hereās what Iād love to do this fall.
Make an apple or pumpkin pie from scratch since I've never done that with anything other than a key lime pie, which (letās be honest) is a crazy easy pie to make.
Go to Downeyās for our annual visit.
Take my niece Layla to her first Halloween Haunt at Canadaās Wonderland.
Eat the thanksgiving croissant thatās available only in November at Momofuku Milk Bar.
Make some sort of savory souffle.
Display and add to the miniature Halloween village that I set up on the windowsill each year.
Finally start This Is Us.
Make at least two recipes from Chrissy Teigenās new cookbook.
Do a couples costume with Baby Dog this year since Nathan will be out of town on Halloween.
Do some kind of Halloween craft with the kids.
There are actually a lot more things not written down that are on my list, but I need to keep them secret since certain people will be surprised with them. Iāll be sure to post about them as they happen, though.
AUTUMN, BITCH!
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Summer List Revisited
I canāt express the joy Iām feeling right now as I write this post. Summer is no more. We did it. Hereās what I managed to do off of my summer list that I made in June.
Go to the beach at least five times.
Done! And yes I love the beach and all, but five times is definitely the right amount of times to go there. Anything more would just be over-indulgent.
See the new rooftop exhibition at The Met.
Done! And I didnāt think much of it. Iāll speak more about this in my end of September post coming in a few days.
Spend the day doing stuff in Harlem.
Nope, still havenāt done this. It really seems like this would be more fun to do with someone whoās visiting from out of town, so Iāll try to make that happen in the near future when someone comes to visit me.
Make at least three new recipes from Chrissy Teigen's first cookbook, Cravings.
Not even close. No idea why I didnāt attempt this. Itās especially not gonna happen now since I just bought her second cookbook.
Try the frozen Irish coffee at Passage in Astoria.
Done! Delicious.
Visit Chateau Le Woof with Baby Dog in Astoria.
Yep! And itās wasnāt that spectacular. I definitely like Boris & Horton in the city better.
See the Scarborough Bluffs since I never have before.
Oh yeah I did! Special thanks to my friend Marla for making this one happen. Such a lovely spot.
See Tew Falls in Hamilton.
My time was pretty limited in Canada this summer, so I had to skip this one. But one day Iāll get there.
Go away, anywhere, for a few days with Nathan for our anniversary.
We did! Vermont! And it was so, so nice. We might even go away again before the year is up, which is absolutely wild.
Try SLT finally.
Not a chance. Again, this would be great to do with someone visiting me whoād be into it.
6/10! A passing grade! Honestly itās a miracle that I did any of these considering how much I loathe summer.
Autumn list coming tomorrow! See you in hell, summer!
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Manchester, Vermont
Nathan and I went to Vermont last week for our anniversary and for Baby Dog's birthday (they're a day apart) and it was the best. We haven't taken a real vacation together (I equate a real vacation to mean a trip that's taken purely for the purposes of doing nothing) since Jamaica in 2011, so this was long overdue and worth the wait.
Shockingly, it didn't take us that long to get there - only four hours by car. And the route itself was gorgeous pretty much the whole way there.
We stayed at the Kimpton Taconic for a few reasons:
I'd stayed at a Kimpton before in Palm Beach (although they appear to have cut ties with that hotel in Florida at the moment) and it was a great experience
It's located in the middle of a very small town
They have a wrap-around front porch with rocking chairs
They have free bikes you can sign out from the lobby
They're extremely dog-friendly (ie. no extra charge & they got Baby Dog a GIFT for christsake)
They have a (small, but still great) pool
We were able to secure one of the more private cottages that sit right next to the hotel itself
And honestly, it was a really great hotel. They had a free wine & small snacks reception every night from 5-6pm, which was lovely. Their restaurant The Copper Grouse had really good food (especially the chicken). It rained one night while we were sitting on the front porch and maybe that doesn't sound romantic, but oh man... listening to rainfall on a wrap-around Victorian porch in late summer should be on every person's checklist at some point in life.
On the first night, we had dinner at Ye Olde Tavern, which was dimly lit and really nice. They had a policy of no cell phones and oh man, why doesn't every restaurant have this already.
We also took the bikes one day into town to the Northshire Bookstore, which was great. We then, foolishly, rode the bikes three more miles to get burgers at Zoey's Double Hex Restaurant because we thought it was much closer than it was in reality. I mean, I'm glad we did it because it turned out to just be funny, and the burgers were actually incredible, but good god was that a hot day.
We drove up to see Mount Equinox on the Skyline Drive, which was more beautiful than I can express.
The drive up the mountain only takes about twenty minutes, so it's such a nice thing to do in the afternoon on a clear day. It was so crazy quiet up there too, if you're anywhere near this town this is something you should definitely do.
Such a beautiful town, such a lovely trip.
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The Best of August
This is me right now.
SUMMER'S OVER, GEEKS! And look, I know the official end of it is in a few weeks, but I don't give a damn and neither should you. Here's what I did this month.
I finally tried oat milk and yuuuuuck. Both my dad and Nathan made such a stink about how stupid a product it is that I had to buy it for myself to see if it was any good and WOOF. It was just weird and terrible and stay away.
I tried the watermelon soft serve at Dominique Ansel Kitchen and although it was really pretty and refreshing, that thing was huge and waaaay too sweet. Happy I tried it though.
I saw Sorry To Bother You in theatres and wow, it was unique and good and made me scream to myself even louder about how it's so stupid how remakes keep being made when money should really be being put into new, original screenplays.
Also saw The Meg in theatres with Nathan, which was probably a perfect summer movie because of how ridiculous it was. We literally only went because of that one scene with the tiny dog in the preview. WORTH IT.
I finally saw Dead Poets Society (yes, I'm aware it came out almost 30 years ago) and what a good movie. I miss Robin Williams. On another note, it made me really mad that the speech he says in that one scene was used in that iPad commercial and I never realized that that's where it came from, fuck Apple!
I've been limiting my horror movies since it was technically still the summertime, but the mood was right so Nathan and I watched The Strangers (I'd not seen it before) and it. was. good.
I also watched Steel Magnolias on Netflix and even though it was pretty sad, it's such a fun movie.
Also, finally watched The Little Prince and oh good god, was it perfect. Such a sweet movie, with maybe one of the sweetest endings on earth.
I started watching Disenchantment because I sort of have to, don't I? I'm only on episode three, but a few things have made me laugh so far. I'm hoping for the best? Full review coming next month.
No idea why I watched so many movies this month --oh wait, yes I do because ONLY MURDERERS LIKE TO GO OUT AND BASK IN THE DEATHLY HEAT ALL DAY. Sooo that meant some rewatching of some good movies like The Fugitive (holy shit, this is still such a good movie, so suspenseful and Harrison Ford is a fucking dreamboat) and Under The Tuscan Sun with the delightful Diane Lane (I love this movie in a way that's hard to explain. It's a perfect movie. It always boosts my spirits. Plus the idea of someone just fucking off to Italy is my dream).
I mean, it wasn't all great movies, though. The terrible ones I saw? Barbershop - wow. And Made In America - just insanely bad.
I read Penny Marshall's biography and it was really, really good.
I went to the Russian Tea Room for the first time and MEH, it really wasn't as good as it's touted to be. I mean, what the hell is up with stroganoff? It's like a soupy version of pasta, where's the thick sauce!? What are we even doing here?!
I went to the Commodore in Brooklyn to try their fried chicken sandwich and while it was good, it definitely wasn't as good as the one at The Penrose. Also, I hate Brooklyn. Why on earth would a restaurant/bar NOT have a name out front saying who they are? Oh, I know why, because you're in Brooklyn and you think you can get away with that shit. Losers.
I tried Van Leeuwen's non dairy coffee ice cream and it really wasn't that good, which surprised me. I still want to try some other brands of non dairy until I find a really good one, so the search continues.
I made this homemade hummus and it was really, really good. Never gonna buy hummus again.
I made these black bean muffins from an Ambitious Kitchen recipe and holy hell, they were fantastic. I made them for the road trip that Nathan and I took to go to Vermont for our anniversary and they were so unexpectedly delicious.
Speaking of which, I'll definitely do a post on that Vermont trip in a few days and put a link to it here. Such a great trip.
I know that you know how loyal I am to Seche Vite's Top Coat, but I ran out of it recently and had to use a backup - Essie's No-Chip Top Coat that actually was kind of amazing for keeping a lasting manicure for at least a week. Now if I can just combine the two into some kind of super top coat, I'll be queen of life.
SEE YOU IN HELL, SUMMER!
(If you have any interest in past monthly roundups, they can be found here: July 2018, June 2018 & May 2018.)
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The Best of June
It's insane that June is over. It's even more insane that I'm keeping my promise and doing another one of my monthly wrap-up posts. So many things to talk about. Let's begin.
Do you remember how I said the HBO show Barry was good but not that good? Well, I finished the first season and the season finale made me realize that it's a good show. So there.
On the first of the month, I went to the Noguchi Museum in Queens for the first time. Tip: the admission is free if you go on the first of the month. And I actually liked it! Something really calming about the whole place.
Nathan, Baby Dog and I went to Atlantic City for a few days since Nathan was doing shows at the Borgata. Great hotel. Even better pool. We saw a free screening of Ocean's Eight (MEH), walked along the boardwalk, and took BD to the beach for the first time. I know that maybe that doesn't sound like a big deal, but it was because she loved it. Also, my best friend Harmeet made this great collage.
My Dad turned 95 so we threw a big party that was great. I made a few desserts (Fresh Strawberry Cake, Chocolate Banana Cream Pie, and Peanut Butter Nutella Cheesecake Bars), but I think the clear winner were the cheesecake bars (although the longer the pie stayed in the fridge, the better it got).
I read an article awhile ago about how Chrissy Teigen uses Aquaphor on her elbows to keep them soft, so I tried it out and she's 1000% right. I used to use the Life brand Vitamin E cream found in most Shoppers Drug Marts, but Aquaphor is eons better (although it does get on everything when you use it and doesn't really absorb as good as other creams may). But still. I've only been using it for a few weeks and I'll never go back. Elbs are crazy soft right now.
I can't believe I haven't already told you how much I've been in love with Larabars lately. Actually, only one flavour 'cause the rest suuuuuuhuck. The Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip one is the only one worth a damn, and I only know this because I've tasted 90% of their flavours.
This insane basil vinaigrette is something that I've been putting on everything lately (spinach, chicken, carrots), I can't believe I'm only now learning of its existence.
Many people have hounded me to watch The Good Place, so I did, and okay - I get it. It's a good show. I watched the first season, but I didn't think it was anything crazy special at all. I mean, I'm happy for the people who love it, but maybe leave me alone, I think I'm good!
I finally tried hot pilates and it was... no different from regular pilates. Why do people try to make it sound so much more intimidating? Do people even do that or was I just building it up in my head? Either way, it's so doable for anyone so if you're in any way intrigued, then try it out.
While I was at my parent's house, my brother Gary introduced me to jackbox.tv - which is essentially a digital board game that you can play with people in the same room as long as you have a TV and everyone has their own phone. And the games are actually fun (like Drawful and Fibbage). They're also sort of perfect if you're looking for something to do with friends/family when you're having people over.
Tim Hortons now has poutine. HOW DID IT TAKE THIS LONG FOR THIS TO HAPPEN is the real question here. My verdict? They should call it a wedge poutine. I know, I'm being a pain, but I'm not wrong. Calling something a regular poutine is saying that regular French fries are being used in said poutine. So when wedge potatoes are used instead? You need to declare that shit. I'm being nit-picky here clearly because this is important. That being said, this wedge poutine was fantastic. Which shocks me. Tim Hortons has been putting out some shady products over the past few years, so for them to use real curds and a crazy decent gravy? Whoa.
Won't You Be My Neighbor? came out and I saw it and cried right alongside every other person in that theatre. And here's the thing: I really think everyone should see this movie alone. I'm a big champion on people going to the movies alone, always have been. I just feel like you can really enjoy a movie without the element of having to deal with another person. Does that sound dumb? I feel like it's important to experience things like that alone since it allows your thoughts and reactions to be completely uninterrupted by someone else. Anyway, the movie was great, so many parts were perfect and I recommended absolutely everyone to see it.
I saw Hereditary twice, not because I'm some kind of maniac, but because I went the first time with some friends and then saw it again because Nathan hadn't seen it and that was our date night for the month. I thought it was a pretty good movie! I don't get why so many people hated it.
I went to Wonderland and it was great, as always.
I re-watched the summer classic Now & Then that's inspired an upcoming post about summer television episodes that always make me happy to re-watch, so watch out for that.
Baby Dog has had a pretty decent month in that she's gone to two dog cafes, Boris & Horton in the east village and Chateau Le Woof in Astoria. I think I preferred the one in the east village mostly because there are small laptop-friendly tables in the dog area, and the general setup was a little more welcoming to dogs and owners.
This white bean rosemary soup is the best soup I've had in ages. I ground up some dried rosemary instead of using fresh and it was still insanely good. Have to remember to keep this one in the recipe rotation.
Ate at Campagnolo in Toronto with some friends and everything was reeeeally good.
I finished reading The Duplass Brothers book and had some thoughts over here.
Whether you're a Lindy West fan or not (you should be), this is probably one of the best short pieces I've read in such a long time.
I feel like I've been in a fried chicken mood these past few months and I just ate a great fried chicken sandwich at The Penrose on the upper east side. Remember how I was complaining about how bad The Spotted Pig one was? Yeah, I was right. THIS is how it's supposed to taste.
I also stopped by Two Little Red Hens, which is a short stroll from The Penrose, since I've been hearing about that place for years. I sampled a few small things, but the standout winner? The cupcakes. And hear me right. I'm not a cupcake person. I make fun of cupcake people. I don't believe in buying cupcakes because they're so incredibly easy to make and they taste the exact same as ones you can buy at any overpriced "cupcake shop." But these were different. These were somehow both airy and luxurious. No idea how they did it. I only had the mini Boston cream pie cupcake, so maybe it's only that specific flavour that tasted like God himself came down and whipped that batter. I'll have to go back, try others, and then really let you know.
I finally ate at Bocca since I really wanted to see that parmesan wheel and it was good. Nothing crazy to write home about, but good!
I made my yearly visit to The Met, and let me tell you. Some changes have been made. First of all, they have "updated" their admission policy. It's only New York State residents now who are allowed to pay their "suggested admission" - everyone else, ie. tourists, must pay $25/per person. And while I could rant about this for days and how stupid it is, I will not. The Met can definitely fuck right off, though, for the record. The only good new thing that they've implemented is this.
I initially went to see this year's rooftop exhibit, but the rain forced me to change my plans and settle for the Heavenly Bodies exhibit indoors. Here are some highlights.
In larger news, I've cancelled my Ipsy membership. There was one main reason and itās best described by my friend Juliaās Instagram story that you can view over here.
Whoa! Look at all that stuff! Excited to see what July will bring...
(If you have any interest in last monthās roundup, it can be found here: May 2018.)
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Summer List
There are a million reasons that summer is the worst season (the heat, the stink of people, the unwelcome desire to constantly fill your time with fun things), but let's not focus on the negative. I like to think of summer as pre-fall. You know how the time leading up to Christmas is always more exciting than Christmas Day itself? That's how I like to treat summer. So while I wait for autumn, here are the things that will fill my time until September.
Go to the beach at least five times.
See the new rooftop exhibition at The Met.
Spend the day doing stuff in Harlem.
Make at least three new recipes from Chrissy Teigen's first cookbook, Cravings.
Try the frozen Irish coffee at Passage.
Visit Chateau Le Woof with Baby Dog in Astoria.
See the Scarborough Bluffs since I never have before.
See Tew Falls in Hamilton.
Go away, anywhere, for a few days with Nathan for our anniversary.
Try SLT finally.
As always, I encourage you to make a list of your own since, well, you're not that busy.
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Spring List Revisited
This is how I feel when spring is over.
How is it already over?! It always feels like the shortest season. Did I make the most of it? LET'S SEE. Here's what I actually did off of my spring list.
1. Jog outdoors - Okay, look. I really wanted to do this one but it didn't get done. One day.
2. Go to a baseball game - Nope! Hopefully this'll still happen. I'm thinking September, probably.
3. Plan a spring break vacation - Did it! I went to Las Vegas with Jenn and then did a tiny trip to Atlantic City with Nathan. Come to think of it, I didn't even do a Vegas post, I'll try to get on that.
4. Bake a decadent spring cake - Oh yes. I attempted this Fresh Strawberry Cake and it actually came out pretty well for my Dad's birthday party.
5. See A Quiet Place - Saw it! I liked it for the most part even though some scenes were frustrating (why didn't they just give birth to that baby by the waterfall?!), but it was a fun time. And thankfully we went to see it for free because of the magic that is Gofobo (that I mentioned in a post last month).
6. Spring clean each room in the house - I really intended on doing this one, but we didn't get around to it. Maybe I'd care more about this one if we weren't just renting? In any case, that's the lie I'll tell myself. I mean, I do mop maybe once a year, that's something.
7. Take Baby Dog to Boris & Horton - Oh yeah! Totally went. Great place! The coffee was good and new dogs came in every so often and BD actually kind of seemed to like it, if nervously so.
8. Help plant something - Damnit, I really wanted to do this one and forgot.
9. Buy a new swimsuit - I tried on so many and found nothing I liked. But this one is kind of a personal win because I'm trying to only purchase clothing that I love these days, so I'm taking a half point for really trying.
10. Take a bike ride - Again, totally forgot. Whoops.
So the final total is 4.5/10, which I'm very comfortable with. Maybe only because I feel like I did so many new things in May that I'm okay with this terrible score.
Onto the most dreaded season!
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The Best of May
So this is the first post in what I hope to be a new series of posts that Iām 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 Iād like to do here is talk about the new things Iāve done this month. In the old days, Iād devote whole posts to individual things that Iāve loved or hated, but honestly, some times a few sentences could suffice. So here are some of the things that Iāve 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 donāt 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 00ās where weād 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 youāre 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.
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 kidās meal was a decently priced & sized pre-meal.
I attempted to read Jenny Lawsonās Let's Pretend This Never Happened and I really didn't care for it. I lasted about ten pages then gave up. Iām probably being too harsh here, but I found her toneā¦ irritating. Also, not to boast or anything, but Iām a tiny bit proud of being able to put a book down and inwardly say, āNo, thanks.ā
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 ājellyā (meaning that it jiggles) highlighter because Iām simple and that sounded fun. I think it looks especially amazing on collarbones.
Nathan and I ate at Rosemaryās 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. Itās not its fault, it doesnāt 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, Iād have more glowing things to say. My fault.
I went for dinner at LāArtusi 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.
I got the banana-chocolate pudding at Magnolia Bakery. Remember how much I already love the original banana pudding at Magnolia Bakery? Yeah, this one is better. It just is. Of course it is. Adding chocolate to something that was already perfect just makes sense. Give the people what they want.
Tried some of the burger and the chicken sandwich at The Spotted Pig and MEH. I mean, yeah, they were good, but theyāre ungodly expensive for whatās 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 didnāt 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. Iāve been here only once before, years ago, and I really just was in a noodle mood so I came again. It wasnāt 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 shouldāve gotten it because it looked amazing, so Iāll get it next time and then tell you if itās 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 canāt 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 donāt know, they stayed with me. Like how during this one segment where heās doing pizza deliveries alongside a real Dominoes delivery person, theyāre going to a bunch of houses and then at the end David goes, āAre we done? Yeah, Iām not doing another fucking delivery.ā 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 donāt really know why. You know what the problem is? I think he just thinks heās really cool and funny and doesnāt have a real sense of self and if he were a little more humble or warm as a person, it couldāve 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!
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