April Activities 2021
The major news of the month? I canāt believe I get to be fully vaccinated. Itās hard to describe how incredible it feels but Iām so ready to really start this next phase and I canāt wait for everyone I love to feel this feeling soon. Hereās what went down last month.
Here are my favourite tweets from last month. Also, Iāve decided to compile the best tweets list every two weeks rather than only once a month mostly because I love re-reading them and want that sort of joy in my life twice a month, not just once.
I did Nathanās podcast and we talked about Rogers, sex robots & god only knows what else.
Two new nail polishes that I bought and love: English Lavender by butter and Cold Brew Crew by essie. Beautiful colours.
Iāve made this lamb ragu from Alison Roman twice so far, itās so luxurious but somehow easy to make. Iāve put it on tagliatelle as well as zucchini noodles and both have been wonderful. Small tip: it does get better after it sits in the fridge for a bit, for some reason. (Also, the recipe doesnāt call for it, but I added basil at the end. I tend to add basil anytime something calls for parsley because itās just so much more flavourful and fun.)
I want to buy new underwear and Iām looking for any suggestions that arenāt Victoriaās Secret, Aerie or The Gap. I might just bite the bullet and try the ones from Blush (love love love the models they use).
I tried the strawberry short cake soft serve from Milk Bar and it was heavenly. The soft serve is even better than the strawberry cake (although the cookie crumbles within the cake always make my knees weak). In fact, Iāve yet to try a Milk Bar soft serve that I didnāt love (their vegan apple pie soft serve was out of this world), should I have been buying their pints this whole time? Yes.
I gave a chance to Ouaiās Air Dry Foam and it didnāt impress me or anyone else for that matter, so I guess Iāll just stick with the Wave Spray instead.
The rain boots that I bought a few years ago from Winners have disintegrated and Iām in search of new ones, but please donāt recommend Hunter ones. I hate Hunter. Open to any other suggestions!
Influenced by a TikTok video, I bought Falscara and holy shit. I know I promise this a lot, but Iām going to do a video on it so you can see how good a product it is. So many videos are coming, I vow.
There milk chocolate coconut almonds from CVS are UNHOLY.
I tried a sample of Glamglowās Glowstarter moisturizer and was pleasantly surprised at how it really does give you a pleasant glow. Whatās that about.
Itās uncivil how expensive body suit/swimwear hangers are. Who is this benefiting? I just want to hang my delicate bodysuits and carry on with my day.
Trader Joeās has started selling their own vodka and Iām hoping theyāll start to sell it in New York soon. Seems weird that they donāt already.
I tried a small sample of Charlotte Tilburyās Magic Elixir and discovered that the true magic behind the elixir is how she got anyone to believe that it does anything at all. Makeup products truly enrage me at times.
Nathan and I went to a movie theatre and it was everything I wanted it to be and more. We saw Godzilla vs. Kong and I found myself beaming through every inane scene. Perfect movie to see after a year of no theatres. Would I ever watch it again? Good lord no.
I bought a lotion bar from Gift Box on Broadway in Astoria and I love it. I think Iād use it more if it were slightly smaller and more manageable, but I love it nonetheless.
I tried Raoās spaghetti and it was incredible, so now Iām forced to seek out their other types of pasta. Such a quality pasta.
I ate at The Pineapple Club and the basil fried rice and frozen pina coladas were both outrageously good.
I bought this bag from Zara and Iām honestly nervous to even wear it out for some weird reason. Like, am I the person who would have a bag like this? Do I want to be that person? Am I feeling this way because of having nowhere to go for so long? Have I always been this fearful? Some of these questions I shouldnāt answer, I realize.
Just bought these shoes in tan and I think I have my life all figured out now. Now if I can just leave the house wearing said shoes and holding said bag.
Speaking of shoes, I truly canāt decide if I love or loathe these slippers.
Last shoe thing: head over HEELS (not sorry) in love with these feet hugging sandals. Shouldāve bought four more pairs.
I made these chocolate banana muffins and they were great but the real standout is the recipe at the bottom for the salted honey butter. Christ, you should make that butter.
I perused Molly Bazās new cookbook and itās a big one. Some standout recipes: The Big Italian salad, a dilly horseradish cream sauce for shrimp, and of course her caesar salad recipe.
I never thought Iād be the type of person to buy fake plants, but this one is so lifelike and pretty that I had to get it. Plus itās perfect for the top of a bookshelf.
Itās ramp season and I couldnāt be happier about it, youāll hear more about my ramp creations next month.
I watched This is a Robbery on Netflix and donāt waste your time. Yes, itās an interesting story, but save yourself a few hours and go read this instead.
Iām watching The Nanny and loving it. Iāve only ever watched a few episodes growing up, and I thought I would hate it because of how much everyone makes fun of Franās voice but her voice is fine! Itās wild that anyone ever said it was annoying. Also, the theme song is catchy as hell.
I rewatched Speed and itās, of course, still great. What canāt Keanu do.
I watched the 90s movie The Crush and itās really weird that movies like that would never have a chance being made today.
Iām all caught up on Riverdale now andā¦ itās hard to remember when it was really good. Maybe it was all Skeet Ulrich? Was that the main draw in my mind? I can see that making sense. In any case, itās taken a turn.
Thereās something so inviting about having good washroom rugs, I just got these soft-as-hell Threshold ones and Iāll never buy another brand again.
I visited the midtown Ideal Cheese Shop (been meaning to forever) and itās such a great spot for NYC delicacies as well as, obviously, cheese. They had pre-packed bacon from Peter Luger and salmon from Daniel Boulud.
Things are already changing fast with new restrictions loosing in NYC, but did you know you can rent out a bar for an hour?
I tried the breakfast Beyond Meat sausage patties and surprise, surprise, theyāre great. Thereās nothing this company can do wrong. Iām becoming suspicious.
I got drinks and some small bites at Bar Dalia in Astoria and what a sweet little place! Would go again.
I finally got my hands on the kitchen-scented mini candles from Trader Joeās (the scents are lemongrass, tomato leaf, fresh mint). They fill me with joy, unfortunately. I also got their grapefruit scented body butter, which goes on very smoothly but Iāve noticed it has a scent thatās slightly off-putting over time. I will not dwell on that fact further.
Had no idea that Banza made a pizza crust but I tried it and itās wonderful.
I love seeing what promotional giveaways are planned for the upcoming baseball season but since weāre technically still in a pandemic, the Mets are only releasing what the promotions are each month (makes sense). So Iāve bookmarked the page to go look at on the first of each month.
I donāt eat a ton of fast food, but Iām sorry, some of these are genius ideas.
Iāll regret it if I donāt buy a box of these, right?
I know that itās common to read an article about something and feel āthatās me!ā but this one really resonates with me: āThereās a Name for the Blah Youāre Feeling: Itās Called Languishing.ā
The best brand at Target: A New Day.
Love and fully agree with all of this womanās questions about things that donāt make sense.
I was walking past a Home Depot in Queens and the smell of the sandwiches at Roccoās was heavenly. I had just eaten, otherwise I would have leaped into line. Must remember to get a Philly cheese steak here next time. The Yelp reviews are calling me.
I bought this earring organizer from The Container Store and itās perfect. Fully recommend. I also finally got a purse organizer and some shoe boxes that make me feel like I might be a successful woman in her prime.
I had no idea Zara had a home section. I wish I didnāt have this knowledge, but now that I do, you must too. Literally ALL of these glasses are gorgeous. Tempted to go smash each glass in my kitchen cupboard right this instant.
This Artist Faked Being a Billionaire to Photograph New York City's Best Views - such a great idea, such great photos. How was it not me who came up with this?
Some more spring recipes Iām dying to make:
Some things that Iām looking forward to this month: the new/final season of Shrill comes out this week (!), I might be going to a Mets game (!!), dying to eat at Under The Volcano, really want to visit the new Dippin' Dots store, Iāve been craving a good club sandwich for months so I might try to get brunch at Markās Off Madison, I know it might be early but I canāt wait to go tan on Governors Island soon, and at some point Iād really love to take one of these pasta cooking classes.
If youāve got any interest in reading last monthās roundup, you can see what went down in March over here.
Best Tweets of April 2021
Latest Podcast with Nathan
March Magic 2021
Am I alone in thinking that was the longest March of all time? It truly felt like it would never end. Usually I love my birthday month, but with everything still the way itās been for the past year, there really didnāt feel like much of a reason to celebrate. Also, Nathan got COVID. It was awful and scary and I was worried about how heād be, but all is well and he just got his vaccine this past weekend, which is incredible. So a real roller coaster type of month, but thank god itās over.
Hereās everything that went down last month.
I recapped how my winter list of things to do went.
Forever an optimist, I made a list of spring things that Iād like to do. One of my favourite things to do is get a pedicure on the first day of a season. I donāt get them very often at all, so itās a nice way to usher in some new weather.
I finished watching Superstore, which is such a great show. I wouldāve never watched it on my own, so this is why you have to listen to your best friendās recommendations sometimes. They know more than you. Also, it was weird as hell to hear the Smashing Pumpkins song Today in one episode. Just seemed like a strange pairing, them and this show. Or any show, really. But I mean they did lend a song to that Apple ad, so I guess the old days of Billy Corgan complaining about everything are over.
I made my way back to Lilia with Irene to devour their seasonal leek focaccia & green salted butter, which is always heaven on a plate. (Me and focaccia have had a pretty strong love affair going on for some time now. I plan on making it at home soon, but I canāt decide on the flavouring Iāll want to add to it. There are too many possibilities.) We also shared two pastas: the corzetti with pine nuts, marjoram & parmigiano reggiano as well as the sheepās milk cheese agnolotti with saffron, dried tomato & honey. Always a good meal here. Might benefit from some new pastas, though.
I got my first Moderna shot! I usually have tons of anxiety around needles, but somehow it wasnāt a problem this time (maybe because I had the kindest nurse on the planet). It sounds so simple, but she told me to look away, to take a deep breath and while I was taking that breath she put the needle in and THAT WAS IT. So grateful for that advice. Must remember that for life now. I have my next shot on April 8th! (I did get COVID arm, but it went away in 24 hours so it really wasnāt a big deal.) Also, Iāll definitely ask a medical professional, but if itās allowed then Iām definitely getting my card laminated for free.
Thereās this great, cute new store called Gift Box on Broadway in Astoria. Itās very similar to Lockwood, only better. Lots of cards, gifts, beauty products, candles, that kind of thing.
Itās green garlic season and we must all celebrate! Iāve also decided that I might devote my life to compound butters. Making them, eating them, giving them away as gifts potentially. Maybe this is whatās been missing.
Google image search the vagar faroe islands and letās go.
I canāt stop putting this Esti vegan feta on everything, it tastes exactly like regular feta only slightly less salty.
Everything from the brand Umbra is gorgeous.
These are officially (and my niece Layla can attest to it) the greatest socks on the planet. Not too tight, not too short or high, and soft as a cloud.
Best kale caesar dressing Iāve had in months. And I love the idea of using breadcrumbs instead of croutons to liven things up a bit.
I made this roasted winter citrus and wow was it hot fruit. It should be a crime to make something look this good, but taste average as hell.
I started using the app Google Keep to organize all of my lists and tasks and I love it. Itās so much better than using Notes.
HOW have I never even HEARD of Shake Shackās Innovation Kitchen?! AND HOW HAVE I NEVER BEEN. Itās moved to the top of my current Must Visit list.
I may or may not have fallen down a rabbit hole of incredible Melissa Clark recipes. Love this woman.
If you live in Englewood, New Jersey, how do you not just LIVE at this bakery? My god. Every item. In my mouth. Now.
And listen, Iām no scientist, but this seems like huge newsā¦?
If you find yourself anxious or unsettled, this video of lasagna being made from scratch is the most soothing thing Iāve come across in months.
Target sells candles?! Iām the last person on earth who learned this. $4 for an actually great mini candle is wild.
Tried a slice of the red velvet cake from Milk Bar and it was unexpectedly good. I donāt usually care about red velvet (because itās a scam?), but honestly their cakes always find a way to taste amazing.
I made this cajun linguine and it was so lackluster, I hate when a pasta recipe doesnāt work out. Itās so upsetting. Also, cajun seasoning can blow me.
Theyāre opening a Sonic in Manhattan, which Iāve never been to before, is it worth going?
I know Eataly is for tourists, but once in awhile I like to stop in to peruse. I tried one of their prepackaged foods (the eggplant parmesan) and it was a hard pass. Just no flavouring at all. The only thing that saved the day were their individual little Italian chocolates. Always amazing. I do want to eventually try their dried pasta Afeltra since Iāve heard such good things about it.
I donāt know about you, but Iām definitely not ready to watch documentaries about the pandemic yet. I donāt know if Iāll ever want to. I meanā¦ weāre still IN IT, for christās sake. HBO needs to just sit down.
Tell me that you know the song Sea of Love.
You had me at ācheese-oozing focaccia.ā
Great piece on diet culture by Julia Turshen.
When I was in Seattle in April a few years ago, I wandered onto the University of Washingtonās campus and was blown away by their gorgeous cherry blossoms. They have a livestream of them right now, if youād like to take a look.
With plastic bags officially banned now, I desperately need a basket bag to take when I go to the farmerās market. So f-ing lovely. Everyone will think Iām Belle or some shit.
I donāt think Iāve ever had a fresh Jamaican patty in my life, so Iām definitely going here the next time Iām in Mississauga.
I love this chickpea salad, especially after adding basil.
Some of these are actually really great tips.
How on earth have I never heard of the restaurants Dellāanima or Anfora?! Theyāre both under the Joe Campanale umbrella (of LāArtusi fame)! Iām so excited to go. Just look at those menus.
Speaking of, I canāt go for too long without eating the wagyu steak tartare at LāArtusi. Itās a problem. (It also makes me want to buy a really great finishing olive oil, so Iām looking into that. Iām thinking either Monini or Frantoia.)
One thing Iāve started to do that you should too: buy good butter. I stopped buying margarine many years ago and thought I was a better person for buying regular grocery store butter. But sweetie, you can do more. The butter (specifically European butter) in specialty shops or some bakeries or markets is EONS better than the run-of-the-mill basic grocery butter. And it enhances literally everything that you use it in. Right now, the butter in my fridge is beurre de baratte butter and itās ridiculously good. Obviously Iām not going to use this butter when Iām baking because Iām not a millionaire, but when Iām making something savory for dinner? Or a compound butter? Or on top of asparagus? On some bread as a snack? Itās unreal.
Speaking of food advice: donāt buy your parmesan at the grocery store either. Iāve never had amazing parmesan from there. Itās always the same, even the expensive stuff. Get your ass to a cheese shop. Enough already, youāre an adult.
I tried a CBD chocolate and just as I thought: itās a scam. Just like red velvet. It did nothing for nobody.
I bought this tea tree toner on a whim from The Body Shop and I might keep buying it for the rest of time. I use it on my face right when I get out of a hot shower and itās kept my face feeling incredible lately.
A new coffee shop opened up in my neighbourhood called Coffee Avenue and I canāt recommend it enough. The macadamia milk hot chocolate blew my face off.
I finally ate at Bar Primi in the city and it was spectacular. We had the ricotta crostino with hazelnuts & truffle honey (which is almost like a dessert, itās so good), the linguine with 4 cloves of garlic & breadcrumbs as well as the penne ragu alla bolognese with ricotta which was the very best. Canāt wait to go again. Loved the atmosphere of the place, too.
The seasonal candle is out at Trader Joeās and itās grapefruit, which smells perfect. Iāve finally stopped hoarding their candles and have started burning them. Only took me a year of lockdown to realize I should try to enjoy my life.
Lemon Kit-Kats exist and all is right with the world. Delicious.
I donāt go very often, but Iāll always love The Dutch. Perfect cornbread. Perfect tartare. You canāt go wrong.
*Note: if it seems like I eat a lot of steak tartare - I do. Good observation. Itās incredible.
Controversial opinion but the Dove chocolate peanut butter eggs are one millions times better than Reeseās peanut butter cups. I couldnāt believe it either.
This leads me to another declaration: Easter candy might be better than Halloween candy. Hear me out. Halloween candy is almost chaotic when you think of the candy options, itās overwhelming and more often than not, disappointing. Easter candy, however, is usually always new and fresh each season. Theyāve got to work harder to get you to notice Easter candy, so infact youāre getting a more well thought out product, which usually tastes better. Anyway, can you tell Iām depressedā¦?
I went to the new Ulta location in NYC in Herald Square and itās great, it seems bigger than the UWS one and itās way more convenient to visit. Must remember. Oh! But speaking of Ulta, remember how last year they had such great birthday gifts? They really dropped the ball this year. Theyāre trying to give a $5 Mario Badescu facial spray as the March gift?! Are you fucking serious?! Thatās the worst. Literally the worst gift of all the months. Fighting every urge in my body to write them a strongly-worded letter about this. Just insanity. I didnāt even go claim it. Keep your damn gift, no spray can calm me down from this.
New love: macadamia milk in my iced coffee in the morning. Just heavenly.
I rewatched Wall-E and what a great movie. For all ages. Too perfect.
Love the song Team by Lorde.
I watched the Woody Allen & Mia Farrow documentary on HBO and itās obviously a must watch. So many things I didnāt know about that story were shown, this man needs to be stopped.
If you ever get a new phone and you want to transfer over all of your WhatsApp messages to your new phone (and youāve never backed them up), you can pay $40 and use this site to do it.
The new Super Mario World in Japan looks incredible.
Do not judge me, but I ordered (and returned) a SKIMS bralette. I was swayed by a few photos of women wearing it and wanted to see for myself what it felt like. Verdict: crap. Sure, the material is soft but only because itās so poorly made and unsupportive. An immediate return. The beautiful colours of the bras are what sells the product, in my opinion. Itās so hard to find well made, beautiful browns and neutrals in undergarments.
Speaking of whatās her name, I also ordered this KKW mini lip liner set that Iām unfortunately in love with. I use it as a lip liner and filler, and each fucking one is gorgeous. Iām going to do a post to show you. Youāll see what I mean.
I came across this wonderful stationary store in Chelsea, City Papery. I could spend hours roaming the aisles in there. Made a mental note to go back to get some really beautiful envelopes (why on earth am I still buying the basic-ass white envelopes at CVS??), such a great store.
Iām proofreading a book right now about the idea of living with intention and Iāll post a link to it as soon as itās released later this year. Itās honestly one of the best self help things Iāve read in a long time.
Iāve had a Pinterest account forever and I recently organized a lot of the recipes into seasonal categories, which has inspired me to make so many new meals this season. Check it. Also, I havenāt tried these yet, but these spring recipes (below) sound delicious.
Iāve mentioned my filmmaker friend Dusty before (his film Violation was at Sundance this year), well his movie is a Criticās Pick in the The New York Times this month, which is amazing and so well deserved. Truly could not happen to a better person.
I have eaten approximately five pounds of asparagus since spring began and I canāt see myself stopping anytime soon. Itās so fucking good. One grievance: that huge, fat asparagus. Whyās it so big like that?? Unnatural as hell. Give me that thin, beautiful asparagus thatās increasingly so hard to find any day. And to anyone whoās like, āDonāt you hate how it makes your pee smell?ā - why you gotta go smell your pee? Be normal, weirdo.
I did Nathanās podcast and we talked about how itās been so beneficial to get some intentional offline time each Sunday.
Here were the best tweets of the month.
Some things that Iām looking forward to this month: Iām trying so hard to find a way to stream the last three episodes of Stanley Tucciās Searching For Italy which has been impossible to find, will definitely go check out Little Island, excited to maybe go to the Kusama exhibit, Iād really like to make the Carbone garlic bread, I want to locate and try milk bread, my brother Robbie told me to mix balsamic vinegar & mayo and put it on a burger so Iāll try that soon, I bought some dried Raoās pasta so I canāt wait to make it, Iām so excited that movie theatres are opening on the 2nd here (Iāll be fully vaccinated very soon so this is great), and Iām adding a resolution: Iād like to do one new thing on the first of every month (examples: buy stock in something, eat ramen, etc.).
If youāve got any interest in reading last monthās roundup, you can see what went down in February over here.
Best Tweets of March 2021
Each month, Iāll share my favourite tweets from the past month within my end-of-the-month post that I always do, but since those lists are getting so long Iāve decided that they officially need their own post. So here we are, these were the funniest, best tweets of March 2021.
You can find my favourite tweets of last month over here, if youāre so inclined.
Internet Closed on Sundays
This month Iāve started limited my social media/internet time on Sundays (Iāve only done it twice so far, but Iām loving it) and I canāt recommend it enough. Iāve been doing either 10am-3pm or 10am-5pm, depending on certain factors and if youāve ever felt like you get caught in endless scrolling, then this is the activity for you. I wake up early, make a list of non-online things I want to do that day (some fun, some necessary) and then focus on that solely for the day. I like to turn my internet completely off and go on airplane mode, but if you want to keep it online for texts then by all means, youāre in charge.
Enter Talking by Joan Rivers - A Review
Iāve always sort of hated Joan Rivers, mainly because my only knowledge of her was associated with the dreadful show Fashion Police. It was only when I saw the documentary on her A Piece of Work that I actually started to like her very much. And since I love reading the biographies of comedians (Martin Short, Penny Marshall, Jen Kirkman, Sarah Silverman, Chelsea Handler, Bob Newhart, Lucille Ball, Roseanne, Amy Poehler, the list goes on), it was only a matter of time before I found hers. And Iām so glad that I did. Enter Talking is incredibly raw, honest and nothing like what I was expecting. Best parts ahead.
When sheās talking about working at a temp job while still auditioning around New York on her lunch breaks: āPlease, God, if youāre going to make me a failure, fine. But donāt make me a failure at something I donāt want to do.ā
āThere was an afternoon when Milt, his umbrella dribbling a puddle on the floor, sat by my desk - Milt Kamen, the subject of articles in Time and Newsweek, lines waiting to see him at The Blue Angel, a regular on the Jack Paar show - white white hot. Talking about comedy as we always did, he said, āOne day theyāre going to realize Iām not funny.ā Well, that scared the hell out of me. You think everybody else is secure - that Mommy and Daddy are not scared. Then the day comes when the mother says, āYou look in the closet, not me,ā and you realize you were correct to be frightened. Milt Kamen was on quicksand, too, and it would never be any different for me. Thatās the comedianās psyche. Thatās where I am right now.ā
āThe way my mother sees things, she has two daughters that arenāt, as the expression goes, moving. She is so desperate to get me married, that if a murderer called, sheād say, āSo, he has a temper.āā
āSomehow, some way, every person in the arts has to find an accommodation with disappointment and embarrassment. They are pollen in the air we breathe. If you must go into the arts, go into them for yourself alone. On some basic level you must enjoy the act of doing it - be willing to paint a picture and just hang it on your wall. If you want to be an actor, then learn to enjoy it in your bathroom. Otherwise, you are going to end up frustrated and unhappy. Recognition in the arts is luck and gravy.ā
āI know now that everybody in the arts is forever a beginning. Experience counts for a great deal and very little. Every night on stage I feel I am starting from scratch, still not quite sure what I am doing and where I am going, thrown by the simplest thing that goes wrong. And there is a marvelous remark Jack Benny once made to me about performing in nightclubs. He said, āNo matter how big you are, you have to get to the stage through the kitchen.āā
It honestly reads like less of a biography and more of a detailed run-through about the hurdles of breaking into show business and how you endlessly have to believe in yourself no matter what happens. Such an insanely driven, inspiring woman.
Green Garlic Toast
Photo By Andrew Scrivani
Photo By Andrew Scrivani
Itās officially late March, which is the second greatest time of the year produce-wise (first being corn season, third being tomato season). My absolute favourite vegetable to get ahold of right now is green garlic (also known as young garlic or spring garlic). Itās a bit sweeter than regular garlic and in a whole other world of flavour. I just came across this recipe from Melissa Clark (I love her, remember sheās the one who made this incredible tomato sandwich) that incorporates it into a compound butter for toast. Since I just got my first handful of green garlic at Union Square Greenmarket yesterday, this baby is getting made TODAY. If I can also get my hands on some good ricotta, this might be the best day of my life.
Spring List 2021
There is so much to look forward to right now. The songbirds are back, the snow has melted, I have a second dose vaccination date approaching and I swear I saw a bud on a tree the other day, which means that spring has sprung. I intend on really turning my life around this spring, so get the hell ready. Here are some small, fun things that Iād also like to do.
Go to Coney Island before the crowds of summer arrive.
Completely organize the closets in my house.
Visit Central Park at least three times.
Feed ducks at a pond.
Get fully vaccinated.
I always encourage you to make your own seasonal lists of fun little things that youād like to do, and Iāll continue to encourage it. This has been such an awful, lonely, tiring year that these lists really tend to give my off-time some slight direction. So again I urge you, give it a try.