Photograph: Niko Triantafillou
Photograph: Niko Triantafillou
If you're unaware of what a babka is, let me break it down for you. It's essentially chocolate, hazelnut and bread BAKED INTO PERFECTION.
They are sold by the loaf at bakeries around the city, but the best I've had so far is the one they have at Breads Bakery. And they're aware they have the best one.
They bake about a million a day since they're so popular - you HAVE to try one. And I don't care what anyone says, the chocolate is eons better than the cinnamon.
“When you get a gift, don’t shake the box. Children shake boxes, not adults.”
Let me be clear, it is not funny when someone in real life falls down. That being said, this part in the movie Scrooged (at 20 seconds) when Bill Murray first stumbles and then slips from his foot sliding sideways? I lose my shit every single time I see it. That foot slip looks like it was a complete accident (and that'll be the first thing I ask the man if I ever meet him), which is maybe why I find it so especially fantastic. Love this man. Love this fall.
“A woman is like a tea bag; you never know how strong it is until it’s in hot water.”
Available on Amazon
Available on Amazon
I've been waiting for this book for awhile now and it definitely delivered. The only thing I would change about it would be this: I wish she talked less about how inexperienced she is as a book writer. I'm a big fan of self-deprecation - but I thought that it was too excessive at times. But other than that one thing, this book was fantastic. My favourite parts are ahead.
"Nice manners are the secret keys to the universe."
"Did you know that when your water breaks the best thing to do is stand up? Your baby acts as a plug. Isn't that insane?"
The fact that she allots two blank pages for the reader to write down their own personal "Day I Was Born" story = so kind and too great.
"It takes years as a woman to unlearn what you have been taught to be sorry for. It takes years to find your voice and seize your real estate."
"Anger and embarrassment are often neighbors. Sometimes we get defensive about what we feel guilty about."
She mentions the book The Gift of Fear and made me really want to read it, so that'll have to go on my book list. (Nora Ephron's book Heartburn was also put on that list because of this book - I can't remember where she mentioned it, but it was enough of a mention to make me want to read it.)
"A word about apologizing: It's hard to do it without digging yourself in deeper. It's also scary and that's why we avoid the pain. We want so badly to plead our case and tell our story. The bad news is that everybody has a story."
In her ninety-year-old self advice paragraph she says to: "Make "No" a complete sentence." (Ugh, I can't tell you how much I love this one.)
If there's one chapter you definitely need to read, it's the one describing her two sons (on page 299). Not only does she sound like an amazing mother, but the things that she does with her kids makes me so envious that these little boys get to live the lives that they do.
"The only way we will survive is by being kind. The only way we can get by in this world is through the help we receive from others. No one can do it alone, no matter how great the machines are."
(On that second page scanned up there (with numbers seven through ten) you can see a strand of my hair. Sorry about that, that was an accident. There are strands of my hair all over my apartment and there's nothing I can do about it. My long, luxurious hair wants to seep into every aspect of my life. Apparently it really wanted to be in a blog post, so who am I to stop it? Hope you're not grossed out. And yes, I could have just re-scanned that page, but ugh - re-scanning? Who has the time.)
Anyway, it's a great book. You should definitely read it.
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I feel like this could really be something (as long as it's nothing like Tree of Life), but I'm not sure. There's just something about seeing Christian Bale's face that makes me think things are going to turn out all right.
Is it dumb that I really miss this version of the chipmunks? I hate the new ones almost as much as I hate the really old ones. But this Christmas special they had on VHS? I still get tingles from it. There's just something about cartoon snow that really floats my boat.
Available at Hammacher Schlemmer
Available at Hammacher Schlemmer
Not only does this device not need to be plugged in (or use batteries), but I'm pretty sure it KEEPS THE BUG ALIVE so you can dispose of him/her outside.
Apparently it has some kind of suction power that holds the bug inside somewhere. In any case, I'm getting one because wow.
“Bake a batch (or two) of Christmas cookies, wrap them up in a few different tins and keep them (wrapped) and in your refrigerator. So when someone surprisingly shows up with a gift for you, you have one in return for them. ”
