The best tweets from August 2022.
Read MoreThe Best Tweets of August 2022 So Far
July Jiffs 2022
The beginning of August is basically the best time of year because it ushers in the anticipation for autumn and the holidays. Am I reaching? The anticipation of something is almost as sweet as the actual arrival of whatever it is you’re waiting for.
In any case, here’s what went down last month!
You can find my favourite tweets of the month over here and here.
I wrote about the first leg of my summer trip to London, England.
I went to the American Dream mall in New Jersey with my friend Diana, so thankfully I never have to go again! It’s really just a spectacle, and not in a good way. Why would you ever need a mall to have indoor skiing available? Isn’t the best part of skiing the scenery that surrounds the hills? Am I crazy? Regardless, the mall is terrible. It’s way too big, there are countless empty storefronts (because of the ludicrous rent, I’m assuming) and the furniture is gaudy as hell. Absolutely no reason to go again.
I went to Brighton Beach for the first time with my great friend Paul (who just moved back to NY) and what a fine beach it was. Not as filthy as Coney Island, but almost as nice as Rockaway. I can’t really put into words how incredible it is that he moved back here, so just know that this fact is the highlight of my summer.
Speaking of Paul, his perfect husband Richard made us a meal one night using ground beef from Stoudemire Farms (which I’ve always wanted to try) and it was spectacular. Must remember to buy it the next time I’m at the Union Square market on a Friday.
I also went to Bar Marseille with Diana and the food was great! It’s right near Rockaway, so I wasn’t expecting a lot from a beachside place but I’d definitely go back. The steak sandwich was perfect.
It only took 18 months, but the dog volunteering that Baby Dog and I used to do is finally back! It was cancelled in February 2020 for obvious reasons and just started up again this month. It’s organized through New York Cares and it happens once a month on the Upper West Side. Essentially, you bring your dog to the auditorium of an elderly care center and any residents who love dogs come down to play with them for an hour. We do it each month and the more dogs that come the better, so I should really post about it more on Instagram. Yeah, I’ll get on that. (The next one is scheduled for August 10th, email me for more information if you’re interested.)
Since it’s Restaurant Week, Irene and I went to The Grid restaurant at the Great Jones Distillery mainly because I was intensely craving good halibut. And yes, the food was good but it’s extremely overrated. I’m sorry but no restaurant ever should charge for basic bread and butter. It’s offensive. The service was good, but you can just tell people weren’t trained very well. And for a place so new and beautiful, you’d expect a lot more.
I saw Mr. Saturday Night on Broadway and all that I can say is wow. A perfect show and a beautiful theatre. Can every single comedian in this town go see it immediately before it closes next month? It’s wildly good. I’ve never felt more seen than I did in this song sung by a comedian’s wife.
The only time I like to drink rose is in the summer (I’m pretty original, I know) and I think I found the best tasting one of life.
I’ve started making garlic butter almost once a week now and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to stop? It’s so superior to every other thing inside my fridge. Sure you could buy garlic butter, but it tastes infinitely better if you make it yourself, I promise.
I made this lamb bolognese from Antoni Porowski and I think it’s even better than the Alison Roman one that I love so much (it might be because I bought the coriander seeds whole and then ground them up in my spice grinder? The flavour of that individual spice is so crazy good, I had no idea). Obviously one is a fast lamb recipe and one is a leisurely one, so I’ll continue to keep both in my rotation. But you absolutely have to make the three hour one at least once to see what I’m talking about. Especially since Costco sells ground lamb now.
I went to the Alamo Drafthouse in Brooklyn for the first time and what a perfect theatre. Love that they have a beautiful bar attached (House of Wax).
Some Things I Watched:
I really had low expectations, but I went to see Marcel The Shell With Shoes On and it was beyond sweet.
Indecent Proposal is on HBO right now so I watched it for the first time and loved it.
I saw The Thomas Crown Affair and it’s such a party. I love this kind of 90s movie. Perfect in every way.
I watched the first episode of Loot and it really just wasn’t for me.
Of course I saw the whole first season of The Bear and it’s as good as everyone says it is. With the exception of the sister, I don’t know if she’s just written badly as a character or the actress is just wretched. Either way, it’s the worst part of a great show. Episode seven is clearly the best one. (Also, I badly want to make this recipe now.)
I also saw the whole first season of The Summer I Turned Pretty and this really scratched my summer/teen itch. Perfect summer show.
I saw the Victoria’s Secret documentary and oh my god, I might have to stop shopping at Bath & Body Works now.
I started the new season of Only Murders In The Building and other than the inclusion of Amy Schumer, it’s been good so far.
I also watched Porky’s and Screwballs for some reason?? Obviously I hated both? I think I was just so desperate for an old teen movie that I haven’t seen.
After those two disasters I have no other choice but to cleanse my palette and rewatch Clueless.
I’ve been there a few times, but I think it’s time to declare how much I officially hate Astoria Park. The RFK bridge above makes it way too loud, the jet skis in the water blast the worst music, the grass has more brown patches than any other park in the city, the train is at least a 15 minute walk away, there are zero food or water vendors anywhere. WHY DO PEOPLE LIKE THIS PARK? God, it’s awful.
I made these cheesy poblano corn enchiladas and they were really good. In hindsight I should’ve added some shredded chicken or something to them to make them slightly heartier.
I finally went to see the Amityville house and even though they changed the eerie window frames, it’s definitely still creepy. One thing I wasn’t expecting? How nice that town is! It’s like some big secret, I think. Would totally live there.
I made my favourite strawberry crumble coffee cake and it’s always a winner. Pro tip: use cake flour for the cake part and use regular flour for the crumble topping to really make it perfect.
I ate the July-only-special Emmy cheeseburger dumplings from Mimi Cheng’s and they were good but not as good as the first time I had the last year. Am I evolving past cheeseburger dumplings…? God I hope not.
Incase you care, August is the only month you can apply for SNL tickets so get on that, if you so desire.
Also, if you’re going to the CNE in Toronto next month, you can get free tickets for kids under 13 if you fill out this form.
Some things I’m looking forward to this month: I’ll continue to mark things off of my summer list, I can’t wait to see my friend Dusty’s movie that’s being screened at the MoMA next week, and I can’t wait to take a few more little summer trips (stay tuned).
If you’ve got any interest in reading last month’s roundup, you can see what went down in June over here.
The Best Tweets of July 2022
48 Hours in London, England
The Best Tweets of July 2022 So Far
June Jaunts 2022
Whoa boy, is this late! I’ve been traveling a ton, but I won’t let this lateness happen again. Here’s what went down in June.
The best tweets of the month can be found over here and here.
I recapped how my spring list of things to do went.
Some things I’ve watched & rewatched:
Friday Night Lights - it’s still a great show, just maybe not as incredible as I remembered it from the first viewing. Best two lines of all time though? “You might be the luckiest man and not even know it.” As well as, “Success is not a goal, it’s a byproduct.”
The Way, Way Back - UGH! It was not good. Other than Sam Rockwell being his usual great self, the whole movie just falls flat. As if someone watched Adventureland and loved it so much that they wanted to make their own terrible version.
PEN15 - An insanely good show. The best episode might be the bottle one about Maya’s mother. Can’t say enough good things about this perfect show.
Stealing Beauty - forever a favourite. A young girl goes to the Italy countryside to find herself? Nothing more poetic.
How do I feel about the trailer for Hocus Pocus 2? I just wish it had more of the classic cast in it. I’m hoping there will be surprise appearances by more of the original characters, so I’ll try to get onboard. I just hate new main characters being introduced in a beloved movie.
Forever in awe of how good the limited edition Kit Kat flavours always are.
I don’t even know the song but I love the line, “You don’t need Givenchy you need Jesus” and that’s just a very cool line. I should be embarrassed to say that aloud, but here we are.
I tried the chocolate cream cold brew at Starbucks and whoa. Fully understand the big deal now.
Trader Joe’s has this blood orange tea that is my summer iced tea obsession.
My dear friends Katie & Greg got me a gift certificate for Paintbucket in Brooklyn, so I went for a pedicure and loved it. Choosing a colour from a swatch on the wall is such a great idea. There’s definitely something The Wing-inspired about the design motif of the place itself, but I’m still into it. They offer wine and the service was great - of course it’s overpriced for what it is, but it’s nice to have a decadent little experience every once in awhile.
I’m dying to make these summer recipes:
Some things I’m looking forward to doing this month: I’m going to write full posts on each city I visited on my trip from last month, I’d like to see something on Broadway, I want to eat all of the summer corn and tomatoes I can get my hands on, and I really want to watch the new season of Only Murders In The Building.
If you’ve got any interest in reading last month’s roundup, you can see what went down in May over here.
The Best Tweets of June 2022
Summer 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.