The lobby at The Fashion Institute of Technology, January 2023
The lobby at The Fashion Institute of Technology, January 2023
The Fashion Institute of Technology is showcasing some student pieces right now in their lobby and they are breathtaking. Iām not sure if this is a normal occurrence, but Iāll make sure to stop by to check every time Iām in that neighborhood from now on.
Look at these beauties.
Absolutely stunning.
You can see more posts like this on my latest newsletter.
Itās 2023. How.
Before I let you know what my 2023 resolutions are, here are some other things of note that you might be interested in doing right now.
Every January I make sure to:
Mark down all important anniversaries/birthdays/holidays/weddings (also Daylight Saving Times, Fatherās Day, Motherās Day, Thanksgiving) on my calendar.
Check expiration dates for passport/license/health card/insurance/vet vaccinations and write down any important renewal dates.
Schedule all your doctor, dentist and hair cut appointments for the entire year.
Go through your entire fridge and throw away anything expired (this should really get done every month, but Iāll tell you right now that I never remember to do that).
RESOLUTIONS
Read at least one book per season.
Take Baby Dog on an adventure at least twice a season.
Try at least one new restaurant each month.
Properly go on a date with Nathan at least once a month.
Every month, cook something Iāve never cooked before.
Go on a solo, alone trip.
Have at least one advertiser on this site.
On the first of each month, try something new.
Buy a keyboard and start playing piano again.
Have my book in at least one bookstore by the end of the year. Even if I have to self-publish and then physically put it on a shelf myself.
God, I love a resolution. Everyone should make at least one resolution for themselves, even if itās something small or something purely aimed at oneās frivolity. Weāre all headed the same place, shouldnāt we enjoy some of this time right here and now? Happy new year!
You can see how I did with my 2022 resolutions over here, if youāre interested.
And if youāre looking for more resolution ideas, here are some past ones of mine: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014.
(UPDATE: To see how these resolutions went, come on over here.)
And you can see more posts like this on my latest newsletter.
Time to revisit the resolutions that I made in 2022! This is probably my favourite post of the year because I love accountability. The best part about making resolutions is going back and seeing how the hell they went in reality. Also why do people think resolutions canāt be a mixture of regular goals and FUN goals? Weāre all barreling towards death, why on earth wouldnāt we prioritize the things that make us genuinely happy as well? Resolution doesnāt have to be a dirty word. In any case, hereās how my year went.
Throughout the year, I kept making my seasonal lists (spring, summer, autumn, winter). I walked through a deserted Central Park in the middle of a snowstorm, I wrote about the best snow day sitcom episodes to watch, I went to the beautiful New York Transit Museum, I did Nathanās podcast twice (āWho Hurt You?ā and āHappy Wife, Happy Lifeā), I saw a ton of shows on Broadway (Phantom of the Opera for the millionth time, MJ: The Musical, Come From Away, Harry Potter, Birthday Candles, American Buffalo, Mr. Saturday Night and A Christmas Carol). I went to as many fashion exhibits as I could (The Metās In America: A Lexicon of Fashion as well as when they updated that same exhibit a few months later, the truly disappointing In America: An Anthology of Fashion and the Thierry Mugler exhibit), I compiled my favourites of 2022, and I found my favourite summer photos as well as my favourite photos of the year. And hereās how my 2022 resolutions went.
1. Read at least one book per season.
Winter: Taste: My Life Through Food By Stanley Tucci & Yours Cruelly, Elvira: Memoirs of the Mistress of the Dark By Cassandra Peterson
Spring: Still Me By Christopher Reeve
Summer: Fuck Your Diet: And Other Things My Thighs Tell Me By Chloe Hilliard (I didnāt do a review because there wasnāt that much to say about it)
Autumn: The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music By Dave Grohl
2. Take Baby Dog on an adventure at least twice a season.
Winter: I took her to Canada with me for Christmas and we also went to Central Park once in February on an unseasonably nice day.
Spring: I took her to Cooper Beach in the Hamptons and to Central Park as soon as the cherry trees started to bloom.
Baby Dog at Cooper Beach, The Hamptons
Summer: I took her to Astoria Park, to the American Dream mall in New Jersey, to see the Amityville House on Long Island and we also took her to Las Vegas.
Autumn: I took her to Canada for Thanksgiving, to Los Angeles for a wedding and to Central Park again for Halloween.
3. Try at least one new restaurant each month.
January: Alidoro (super sucked), Mamo (good but nothing special) and The Regency Bar & Grill (service and food were both lovely)
February: Sarabethās (pear salad & mussels were fantastic), La Petite Joie (love any place that does oysters Rockefeller every night of the week), The Independent (again, great mussels, Iām easy to please mussel-wise), Suprema Provisions (good, but I never need to go again), Vam Dam Diner (loved it) and Sotto Di Luna (hated it, who cooks PIZZA badly??)
March: The Palm Court at The Plaza (just for drinks, love a fancy drink at the beginning of an evening), The Dowlings at The Carlyle (FINALLY somewhere that has steak Diane!), Robert (nice view, but the food was nothing spectacular and the decor was confusing), Vallata (the lunch special is the main reason to go), Rezdora (incredible pastas), Raoulās (their burger au poivre might be the sexiest burger in NYC), Glass House Tavern (I still dream about the roasted corn and couscous risotto)
April: Peak (great view, food was good, but Manhatta is the better option here)
May: Bar Crudo (wonderful, must go again)
June: Ristorante Pizzeria Eden in Barcelona (literally the best veal lasagna Iāve ever had on planet earth, the pizza was crazy too), Encercle in Barcelona (the best calamari OF LIFE), Padella in London (great pasta), Cottiers in Glasgow (had an incredible Sunday roast)
Calamari from Encercle, Barcelona
July: Bar Marseille (great food, near the beach) & The Grid at the Great Jones Distillery (really not worth it)
August: Riverpark (food was great) & The Wild Tart (for tea service, so good!)
September: Fiaschetteria Pistoia (the duck ragu was great, but the space isnāt inviting), The Bedford by Martha Stewart (good but overpriced and overrated), Bazaar Meat By Jose Andres (stellar) and Sala (too, too good - both brunch and dinner)
October: Ozzyās Burgers (crazy good), The Arch (beautiful place, but the food was nothing to return for), Tocoya (tacos were phenomenal), The Hearth By Lynn Crawford (surprisingly great for an airport restaurant)
November: Don Angie (the lasagna is everything you hoped it would be & more, but skip the desserts)
December: Soothr (great new (to me) Thai place)
4. Properly go on a date with Nathan at least once a month.
Okay, itās none of your business exactly what we did but actual dates only happened six out of twelve months of the year. They were good dates (trips, plays, bars) but still. I really want to do better this year, we spend so much of our boring/everyday time with our significant others that itās easy to stop trying to have fun and I refuse to settle for that.
5. Make a receipt box to track monthly expenses.
I did this one! Now I just have to take a few hours and see how much money was spent on whatā¦ oh no.
6. Go on a solo, alone trip.
I didnāt do this and itās my biggest regret.
7. Wear FUN clothes.
I think I did! I mean, one can always do more but this was a great start.
8. On the first of each month, try something new.
January: Ate pork because of how lucky it is to eat on New Yearās Day (and you know what? It turned out to be a great year. Why doesnāt everyone listen to me?)
February: Forgot.
March: I made scallops at home for the first time. Never again, Iām not a skilled enough cook to make them well.
April: I went to an antique shop in Chelsea that underwhelmed.
May: Forgot.
June: Forgot.
July: I swam first thing in the morning, even before breakfast. Loved it.
August: Forgot.
September: Forgot.
October: I went to a random wardrobe sale downtown Toronto (it sucked).
November: I watched a new horror movie AFTER Halloween for the first time (Halloween Ends) and it. was. terrible. LESSON LEARNED.
December: Went to a new museum. Loved it.
9. Vow not to do eyelash extensions ever again.
I absolutely did not do any extensionsā¦ until June came around. Then I went nuts. What can I say, I had that huge trip coming up and I was weak. But no excuses! Vowing again to never do them again, starting NOW!
10. Have my book published by the end of 2022.
Eep. Okay, Iām days away from having a manuscript in my hands, so Iām counting this as progress. I still failed at the resolution, but the progress of being further along than last year is making me hopeful.
One thing that Iām so happy that I kept doing throughout the year? My monthly roundup posts. Theyāre basically little monthly journal entries that make me realize how good I have it sometimes, and Iām so grateful that anyone wants to read them. Here are the links to the last twelve months of them: December 2022, November 2022, October 2022, September 2022, August 2022, July 2022, June 2022, May 2022, April 2022, March 2022, February 2022 & January 2022.
And here are all the best tweets posts from 2022 as well:
January (part one) tweets & January (part two) tweets
February (part one) tweets, February (part two) tweets & best Valentineās Day tweets
March (part one) tweets & March (part two) tweets
April (part one) tweets & April (part two) tweets
May (part one) tweets & May (part two) tweets
June (part one) tweets & June (part two) tweets
July (part one) tweets & July (part two) tweets
August (part one) tweets & August (part two) tweets
September (part one) tweets & September (part two) tweets
October (part one) tweets & October (part two) tweets
November (part one) tweets & November (part two) tweets
December (part one) tweets, December (part two) tweets & best Christmas tweets
Sidenote: I think Iām gonna go back to just posting those best-of tweets once a month.
So if weāre keeping score (we are), I did 6/10 on my resolutions (oh god). But I only intend on doing even better this year, so letās start this, baby.
2023 resolutions coming tomorrow! And you can see more posts like this on my latest newsletter.
The Museum of Broadway finally opened, so my friend Casey and I went to take a look. And full disclosure, itās absolutely perfect. Some highlights below!
Located in the gift shop, such a great idea
The whole museum follows a specific pathway to follow and see everything on numerous floors. There are countless photo opportunities and texturally beautiful backgrounds.
The Ziegfeld Follies room
Two chorus girl costumes worn in Ziegfeld Follies
There are themed rooms based on the musical/play theyāre representing, which is such a genius way to show these gorgeous pieces of Broadway history.
The Oklahoma room
Costumes from Cabaret
Costume from The Wiz Live!
The dress from Annie
Anyone who knows anything about me can understand why I spent most of my time in the Phantom of the Opera wing.
Drawing of Andrew Lloyd Webber
A monkey music box from The Phantom of the Opera
Costumes from The Phantom of the Opera
Me being me infront of the Company display
Costume from The Lion King
Seeing The Lion King pieces up close really made me remember how stunning it was to see for the first time all those years ago, when no production had ever done what they accomplished.
Costume from Taboo
And once youāre finished see all of the floors dedicated to the individual shows, the final rooms all showcase the backstage magic and what goes on behind the scenes.
Different types of stage blood
Productions by year
The whole museum is done so thoughtfully and itās completely worth the price of admission (TIP: on the first Tuesday of each month, itās only $25 per person). If youāre ever cared about Broadway history & memorabilia, you have to go immediately.
You can see more posts like this on my latest newsletter.
Christmas Eve view, December 2022
Christmas Eve view, December 2022
You can find my favourite tweets of the month over here and here. (I also made a list of my very favourite Christmas tweets.)
I recapped my autumn list of things to do and made a new seasonal list of things Iād like to do this winter.
I finally wrote about my trip to Las Vegas from back in September.
I went to the newly opened (and fantastic) Museum of Broadway.
I got a seasonal latte at Elevenses Cafe in Astoria and it was very cute, Iād go again.
I have fallen in love with The Body Shopās new scent Wild Pine. Iām fearful that it may be a seasonal scent, so Iāve already stocked up.
I ate at Soothr and it was so, so good. Love a new thai place.
Paul at Soothr, NYC
Some things I watched this month:
The Santa Clauses (the new Tim Allen show): Ugh, it was terrible. Maybe Iām not the audience itās supposed to be for, but still - just a stinkfest.
Jack Frost: I love Michael Keaton, but I just couldnāt get past the first half hour. Itās way too sad.
The Crown (seasons 3-5): Loved the season three Wales episode. The moon landing one was also perfect. Itās a great show, but extremely depressing if youāre binging it over a short period of time.
Pepsi, Whereās My Jet?: God, I hated it. Netflix has this annoying habit of making documentary series out of things that could easily be 40 minutes long and it is obnoxious as hell. You do not need to watch this. Read the Wikipedia page about it instead, youāll save yourself so much wasted time.
I was looking up trivia for the movie Scrooged and learned that the childhood house in the movie is a real place in Queens! So obviously I walked over to see it in person. Insanity that it hasnāt changed after all of this time.
Frank Crossā childhood home from Scrooged (1988) in Queens, New York
I won a lottery ticket to see A Christmas Carol on Broadway andā¦ YIKES. I canāt describe how bad it was. First of all, IT WAS A ONE MAN SHOW. And I didnāt know that beforehand, so yes thatās my fault. But oh my god, it was agony.
A Christmas Carol on Broadway in New York, December 2022
Are we all aware of how garbage the brand Silani is? I tried it for the first time and lord was it bad. Never again. Spend the extra dollar and eat something edible.
I watched the final World Cup game with my parents and Iām glad France lost, give others a chance to win too, ya know?
World Cup final with my parents, December 2022
I will never be above latte art.
Latte art from San Remoās in Etobicoke, Ontario
I went to Bell, Book & Candle for some Christmas themed drinks and it was great. Love a divey, but good bar.
With Irene at Bell, Book & Candle, NYC
Is it even Christmas if I donāt make Nutella stuffed chocolate chip cookies? I also made a few batches of Alison Romanās amazing chocolate chunk shortbread cookies that were a big hit.
The Nutella stuffed chocolate chip cookies from Ambitious Kitchen
Obviously I went to my parentās house for Christmas and it was exactly what I wanted & needed.
My nephews watching Jingle All The Way, December 2022
My momās Christmas window canāt be beat
Christmas Day, December 2022
Our Christmas tree
Snowfall before Christmas is everything to me
Went ice skating for the first time in twenty years and it was great. Think Iām gonna buy some skates and make this a yearly thing.
Ice skating at Celebration Square in Mississauga, Ontario
Jackbox and Nintendo Switch games remain the perfect family activity around the holidays.
The game Use Your Words on Nintendo Switch
The game Use Your Words on Nintendo Switch
My mom and I saw a wild fox in her backyard and it. was. incredible. It was just playing in the snow and I canāt believe we got to see him/her.
Winter skies might be the best skies.
December 2022
If only I could bottle this kind of blue and keep it in my pocket
I made the Christmas tree spinach and artichoke dip and it was a hit. It did not look pretty, but the flavours were great.
I also made a leftover turkey sandwich with STUFFING WAFFLES and it was so, so good. Again it photographed rough, but tasted incredible. I used this recipe to make the waffles. Definitely have to do this again.
The main reason to go to the Union Square Holiday Market? Duck confit poutine at Duck Season. Itās honestly a better poutine than some Canadian places.
Duck confit poutine at Duck Season in NYC
I fell absolutely in love with the newest Bobās Burgers Christmas episode, The Plight Before Christmas.
Crate & Barrel continues to have the cutest fabric Christmas ornaments.
Harry Potter-looking cat ornament at Crate & Barrel
Fabric snowman ornament at Crate & Barrel
Trader Joeās had Christmas wreaths this year, so I got one and it was perfect. It makes me feel so together to have a wreath on my door. I still have it up. I donāt want to say goodbye.
Christmas wreath from Trader Joeās
I went to see Noah Baumbach talk about his new movie White Noise at a NYPL event and it was very all right. I wish heād talked more about older movies of his that Iāve loved, but I guess it makes sense that he didnāt since he was promoting this one.
Noah Baumbach speaking at an NYPL event promoting White Noise, December 2022
The candy cane cold brew from Blank Street? Unparalleled.
One of my favourite things to do in December in New York is to walk around the city looking at the holiday lights and listen to that Darlene Love song on repeat.
The Rockefeller Christmas Tree, December 2022
Saks holiday lights, December 2022
Macyās holiday decorations, December 2022
Holiday taxi display on Fifth Avenue, December 2022
I went to Essex Market to see their Gingerbread Village display, which was cute but I wish it was bigger. And since I was there, I took a look at the sandwich menu at Shopsinās and holy christ I need to go back.
Gingerbread Village at Essex Market in NYC, December 2022
Nothing better than a Boxing Day puzzle.
Boxing Day, December 2022
Some things that Iām looking forward to this month: Iām going to get real dressed up and go see Moulin Rouge on Broadway with my friend Diana, Iām excited about seeing the Restaurant Week menus for this season, Iām going to start using this first-of-the-month checklist again, Classpass is doing a free monthly promotion right now so Iāll keep doing that until it starts charging again, and I really canāt wait to make this lasagna soup.
The Heathers 2022
If you have any interest in the other monthly roundups of 2022, they can be found here: November 2022, October 2022, September 2022, August 2022, July 2022, June 2022, May 2022, April 2022, March 2022, February 2022 & January 2022.
You can see more posts like this on my latest newsletter.
Baby Dog, December 2022
(You can see my favourite photos from 2021 over here.) And you can see more posts like this on my latest newsletter.
You can find the rest of the best tweets of December 2022 over here and you can see more posts like this on my latest newsletter.
