The best tweets of June 2022.
Read MoreSummer List 2022
Welcome to hell.
It’s officially the most disgusting time of year! Other than eating this tomato sandwich on repeat or watching these vacation movies or these TV episodes or these perfect summer movies, what shall we do to pass the time until the best time of the year arrives?
Tan on Governor’s Island. I have to get a tan somewhere, so why not there? I love the idea of renting a bike, taking the ferry, riding around that car-less paradise and then just lounging anywhere in the sun. Shit, is that maybe the answer… to life?
Make a summer buckle. I never have before and the main reason I want to? It has a fun name.
Visit Storm King. See what the big deal is.
Go swimming at least five times. This is really for my sanity, I need to be in water.
Visit the new Kim’s Video because it seems cool as hell.
Again, I encourage you to make a list of your own because this life is not long and you should maybe eat a buckle while you still can.
And if you can’t think of ideas on your own, here are some past summer lists of mine to peruse for inspiration.
Spring List 2022 Revisited
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this is how I feel when spring comes to a close.
Here’s how I did with my spring list of things that I wanted to do.
1. See at least one Broadway play.
Done! American Buffalo. Suck it, list!
2. Make as many recipes as possible that incorporate spring peas (I love peas and I constantly forget about them).
I made it with couscous, with orzo, with pasta. So many things and still not sick of peas.
3. Deep clean my apartment.
Okay, this didn’t happen, maybe next spring?
4. Plan out all of the outfits I want to wear on my big trip in June.
I did! Here’s what that organization looked like.
5. Visit a winery in the Hamptons.
Went! It was wicked!
4/5 …are you, like, really impressed? ‘Cause I am.
Welcome to the worst time of year! Summer list coming tomorrow.
The Best Tweets of June 2022 So Far
May Musings 2022
How is it June? Halloween is practically tomorrow. Here’s what went down last month!
I wrote an essay about my hated for the Kard***ian family.
Nathan’s show Trapped got reviewed in The Globe and Mail!
I visited the insanely disappointing part two of the costume exhibit at The Met.
I also revisited part one of that same exhibit because new pieces were added and they are spectacular. (And quick note: there’s no rooftop exhibit at The Met this summer! I emailed them to see why and they told me that it “has been delayed per the artist’s request“ which is complete bullshit! If the artist couldn’t make it work for this year, why the hell didn’t they commission someone else to fill the space for this year? The fuck?)
I read and reviewed Christopher Reeve’s memoir.
I never use face cream, but the texture of my face was weirdly rough for about a week so I lathered on the belief aqua bomb cream each night and it smoothed me right out back to normal within two days. It also works really well on elbows if ashiness is ever a concern for you.
So intensely in love with these new shorts I got from Banana Republic Factory.
I made this tomato, zucchini, caramelized onion & feta tart with puff pastry that was too, too good.
I made these flourless chocolate brownie cookies and they were truly disgusting.
I’ve tried many foot masks, but this Holler and Glow one from Target is my absolute favourite. It’s even better than that baby foot mask everyone loved a few years back.
Went to Bar Crudo in Brooklyn and it was incredible. The crab cakes were perfect, everything we ordered was phenomenal (except the ricotta toast). Have to go back.
I’ve been making individual iced teas each day and this month solely consisted of the Trader Joe’s pomegranate white tea. It’s so fruity, but not at all too sweet.
Two new discoveries! I have a moderate dairy allergy and a possible pollen allergy! Sweet! This is what your late thirties looks like I guess?
I tried a sample of the silk peony eye cream (eyes are rolling at that name) from Tatcha and it yes it was good. But no it should not be $62. All creams should be max $20 and that’s even pushing it a bit.
Links I’m Loving:
If you’re still spring cleaning, this is such a great guide.
These sandwiches look so wildly good. Can I please just be invited to this woman’s house.
The best SNL sketch of the season. (It’s called Old Enough! Longterm Boyfriends if you need to search for it in Canada.)
I badly want to make these chocolate toffee cookies (below).
Things I Watched:
I’m in the middle of a rewatch of Friday Night Lights (Hulu), it’s not as good as it was the first time around but Riggins can still get it.
Also rewatching Undeclared (YouTube!) and it’s as good as I remembered it.
Our Father (Netflix) was pure chaos. It’s so disturbing and awful, I kind of want to tell you not to even watch it? It’s not worth it. Awful people who get away with doing awful things is such a weird thing to recommend to watch.
Inventing Anna (Netflix) was irritatingly bad. A lot of the acting was terrible, the scripts were awful. Why on earth was this longer than a 90 minute made-for-TV movie? This is one of those times the Wikipedia page is more interesting than the final product.
The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes (Netflix) was, again, hard to watch. I’ve seen dozens of movies about this woman and every new thing I learn about her is more depressing than the last. God, the Kennedys were awful people.
St. Elmo’s Fire (Hulu) was terrible! I’d never seen it before but UGH. There are so many good people in it, I had such high hopes. Not one likable character in a cast of what seemed to be fifty people. Also, I know it was the ‘80s but no friend would ever put another friend’s head in a toilet, it just wouldn’t happen. Terrible script.
Everything Everywhere All At Once (theatres) was good! There were definitely parts that were a smidge too corny, but as a whole it was really good.
Flamingo Kid (streamed online) is such a good summer movie, I can’t believe I haven’t seen it before. It’s light and low maintenance and a young Matt Dillon is very pleasant to look at.
Big Night (streamed online) was so good. I’ve wanted to see it forever because of how food centric it is and it was perfect.
Top Gun: Maverick (theatres) was actually really good. Even I surprise myself sometimes. Love Tom Cruise. LOVE that he insisted on little to no CGI.
It’s amazing that spring garlic is still in season, I’m begging you to find some.
The main thing I’m looking forward to this month: I’m going on my big postponed-from-2020 trip! I’ll definitely be posting about it on my Instagram stories and (and highlights section) if you have any interest in seeing what I get up to. I could tell you some of the things planned, but where’s the fun in that?
If you’ve got any interest in reading last month’s roundup, you can see what went down in April over here.
The Best Tweets of May 2022
In America: A Lexicon of Fashion at The Met (Updated Pieces!)
So I already reviewed this exhibit, but I went back recently and it’s been updated with new pieces! Why would they do this? The only reason I can come up with is because part two of the exhibit (that came out a few weeks ago) was so revoltingly done that they had to save face. Makes sense! Favourites ahead.
Are we kidding here? All those shades of lilac? Heavenly and way too much fun.
Warmth & elegance at once!
I think my favourite part of this one is the neckline. One day necklines will be deemed important again and on that day, I will rejoice.
This yellow frock SHOULD seem matronly, but somehow it isn’t? The simple sweetness of it is contagious.
If there isn’t humour in fashion, we might as well all kill ourselves.
Honestly kind of shocked we haven’t seen Rihanna wear this yet. Oh to be taking an accidental nap on a porch swing in this beauty.
A definite favourite of this whole collection, it’s so full of whimsy. A walking garden, what could be better.
I really did gasp at this one as soon as I saw it. Romantic, modern pieces like this make me believe in magic. It reminded me immediately of the Rodarte piece (that was displayed in this same exhibit late last year). Breath-taking, even with the basic-ness of the top - it’s letting the skirt shine even stronger.
God, this would be fun to wear. It’s kind of insane alone (still beautiful), but with some giant long coat on top? Or, oh god, something with feathers?? You’d be unstoppable.
I spent at least five minutes staring at this one. It’s fucking ART.
God, this whole updated collection was incredible. It’s wild what proper lighting and display areas will do, who would have thought? Both parts of the exhibit are on display until September 5th.
I also wrote more about each piece on my spring ‘22 highlight reel on Instagram (more specifically where I would wear each of these gorgeous pieces), incase you’re interested.
Still Me by Christopher Reeve - A Review
I can’t remember the reasoning behind why I wanted to read Christopher Reeve’s memoir, but I’m really glad I did. A lot of the book is incredibly heavy and heartbreaking since he goes into such detail about his accident and the aftermath of not walking again. He really doesn’t sugarcoat any of his experiences so it makes the book incredibly raw - he was brave as hell to write it. Best parts ahead.
When he’s talking about almost missing his first child’s birth: “I rushed up the stairs and into Gae’s room just as Matthew appeared. As soon as he was breathing, I had the privilege of handing him to Gae, who was crying from both exhaustion and joy. Instead of bawling at the top of his lungs, as I had expected, Matthew snuggled in quietly and drifted off to sleep. But just before he dozed off, he opened one eye and looked right at me. It seemed to me that he was asking, “Who are you?” And then, satisfied that I was meant to be there, he fell asleep. I think that look of complete acceptance from my first child within moments of his birth somehow taught me the most important lesson about being a parent: unconditional love is everything.”
He filmed a movie (Somewhere in Time) at Mackinac Island on Lake Michigan and it sounds like an incredible place (cars are banned on the whole island) so now I have to go at some point in my life.
I’d completely forgotten about the song Red River Valley (and this weep-worthy rendition of it that I love).
I had no idea he was so close with Robin Williams, I love that.
“People often ask me what it’s like to have sustained a spinal cord injury and be confined to a wheelchair. Apart from all the medical complications, I would say the worst part of it is leaving the physical world - having had to make the transition from participant to observer long before I would have expected. I think most of us are prepared to give up cherished physical activities gradually as we age. I certainly wouldn’t be competing in combined training events in my sixties or skiing nearly as fast as I used to. If I went sailing in my later years I wouldn’t go single-handed. Stronger hands and more agile bodies would be needed to raise and trim the sails or steer in a heavy sea. The difference is that I would have had time to prepare for other ways of enjoying the things I love to do most. But to have it all change and have most of it taken away at age forty-two is devastating. As much as I remind myself that being is more important than doing, that the quality of relationships is the key to happiness, I’m actually putting on a brave face. I do believe those things are true, but I miss freedom, spontaneity, action, and adventure more than I can say.”
“When the first Superman movie came out, I gave dozens of interviews to promote it. The most frequently asked question was: “What is a hero?” I remember how easily I’d talk about it, the glib response I repeated so many times. My answer was that a hero is someone who commits a courageous action without considering the consequences. Now my definition is completely different. I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles. The fifteen-year-old boy down the hall at Kessler <his hospital> who had landed on his head while wrestling with his brother, leaving him paralyzed and barely able to swallow or speak. Travis Roy, paralyzed in the first eleven seconds of a hockey game in his freshman year at college. Henry Steifel, paralyzed from the chest down in a car accident at seventeen, completing his education and working on Wall Street at age thirty-two, but having missed so much of what life has to offer. These are the real heroes, and so are the families and friends who have stood by them.”
Just an incredible book.
In America: An Anthology of Fashion Exhibit at The Met
I just saw part two of The Met’s newest costume exhibit and… woof. It might be the worst one they’ve ever had? Which is weird because part one was done so well (as noted over here).
“The second portion of a two-part exhibition exploring fashion in the United States is presented in collaboration with The Met’s American Wing. This section of the exhibition will highlight sartorial narratives that relate to the complex and layered histories of the American Wing period rooms. Men’s and women’s dress dating from the eighteenth century to the present will be featured in vignettes installed in select period rooms spanning from 1805 to 1915.”
And look, if you know anything about me and The Met, you already know how much I LOVE the period rooms (they’re one of the reasons I always return each summer). But it was a spectacularly bad idea to showcase clothing inside of them. Many of the rooms have been staged by American directors (Sofia Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Regina King, Julie Dash, etc.) and while that sounds cool, it’s kind of useless. For starters, the rooms are so dimly lit that you can barely see any of the details on the clothing. Also, the mannequins wearing the pieces are placed SO FAR AWAY from the roped-off viewing areas. See for yourself.
Doesn’t this seem oddly terrible for The Met to produce? I honestly just felt confused at first, but that confusion quickly turned to annoyance (and a little bit of rage). People come to this exhibit each year to SEE THE CLOTHING UP CLOSE. Why is that so difficult to understand? Now if they’d only displayed the entire collection in the manner they did with this George Washington coat (below) I could happily shut my mouth.
Am I being too harsh? There’s more! All of the pieces that weren’t being shown in period piece rooms were presented on a platform in THE darkest room inside the entire museum on mannequins that were contorted for some reason?? Can someone explain this me? Are these dresses or fancy sheets draped over bodies? No one knows.
If this were twenty years ago when The Matrix came out, at least then would I understand the positioning of these mannequins. How could it get any worse, you ask? Well, the names of the designers of each piece aren’t even NEAR each design. They’re all collectively on a plaque that’s near the outer wall of the room. So not only can you not accurately VIEW each piece (what fun!), but you also have no idea who the hell designed what! Sweet! That’s just what I wanted when visiting A COSTUME EXHIBIT. Just an abomination.
These were the two pieces (that I could actually see) that were my only favourites in the whole bunch (below).
Other than those two, the best item in part two was this gorgeous Tiffany lamp. (If you don’t know anything about them, they’re a thing.) So beautiful to see in real life.
After this horrid experience, I needed to decompress so I headed over to part one (that came out last year) and they added new pieces! So I’m going to do another post on that one this week. (Spoiler: they’re breath-taking.)
It’s honesty wild how bad part two was, just jaw droppingly rough. On the bright side, it’s comforting to realize that even an institution as highly respected at The Met can still completely drop the ball and remind you that power doesn’t automatically mean success. God, what a disaster.
The exhibit runs until September 5, 2022 and if you aren’t in New York and would like to see a glimpse, there’s a tour video below of part two; don’t tell me I didn’t warn you. (And you can see my whole walk-through on my Instagram stories over here.)
Trapped in The Globe and Mail!
Nathan’s show in The Globe and Mail today!