Spring List 2024
It’s spring! Here’s what I’d love to do this season.
See at least one Broadway play.
Go to Smorgasburg for the first time.
Declutter the house (donate old books, organize movies, etc.).
Make a spring bolognese.
Start reading a new book.
As always, I encourage you to make a list of your own. If you’re looking for some ideas, here are some past spring lists I’ve made:
Spring 2023, Spring 2022, Spring 2021, Spring 2020, Spring 2019, Spring 2018 and Spring 2016.
Winter List 2023 Recap
Union Square Park, NYC
Union Square Park, NYC
It’s common to complain about how long winter is, but it’s the perfect amount of time. My only complaint about this season was how little snowfall there was, but that’s my issue every year with any amount of snow - it’s never enough. That being said, did I make the most of the season? According to my winter list, no. Haha. But according to real life? It was wonderful.
1. Go skiing.
I did not, but this one is truly not my fault because snow conditions were so poor this year.
2. Eat ramen for the first time.
Okay, no it didn’t happen. Was there a reason it didn’t? Nope. I just never found myself in the mood.
3. Make some Christmas-y appetizers (cranberry grilled cheese, charcuterie wreath, etc.)
Yes! Finally! And they were great.
4. Get the lobster bisque from The Soupman (the Seinfeld soup nazi) near Central Park (I haven’t eaten it in years and it’s incredible).
Fully forgot.
5. Find a snowmobile and ride it.
No snow = no snow mobiles, I don’t make the rules.
Okay, this list didn’t go very well with 1/5. But that’s okay. I suffer from a condition where you can delude yourself into thinking that your past failures don’t define you. Spring list coming tomorrow!
February Feats 2024
NYC, February 2024
NYC, February 2024
Welcome to March! You’re well aware of how much I love this month. Will I overdo it and be left a shell of a person come April 1st? Most likely, but there’s nothing that can be done about that! Here’s what went down last month.
The best tweets of the month can be found over here.
I kept up with my weekly Winter Wednesdays series.
I finally finished the Mel Brooks memoir I’ve been reading for months.
If this coat (below) was under $100, then I would’ve had no choice but to buy it.
Bury me at the Nordstrom flagship
Some things I baked:
God, I love a small batch cookie recipe.
People won’t shut up about this New York Times marry-me chicken recipe but I absolutely would reject that proposal. I made it and it was FINE at best. And more recently, I made a cauliflower soup of theirs and it was bland as hell! I definitely need to take a step back from their recipes. Maybe the food styling is what’s tricking me? Gorgeous looking food doesn’t always taste amazing. There’s a lesson there??
I made this brioche berry bread pudding that was delicious. Something feels very wrong about using strawberries in February, but the Grand Marnier soak really helped the flavour.
Brioche berry bread pudding
I can’t stop wearing these Aerie brown stockings.
Found a new coffee shop that I’m loving - Sonbobs in Astoria.
We bought Baby Dog a ramp to get on and off our bed and it’s been a huge help. Sometimes she’ll just leap off into the pillows alongside it, so it may take some time for her to trust this new inanimate object in her life.
Baby Dog begrudgingly on her new ramp
I tried out a colour corrector from Huda because the internet told me to and it did absolutely nothing different to my face hahah?? Sometimes I seem smart and other times I do stuff like this.
Nathan and I saw the play An Enemy Of The People with Jeremy Strong (from Succession) and Michael Imperioli (from The Sopranos & The White Lotus) and it was great! Absolutely love the Circle in the Square theatre. $40 tickets straight from the box office can’t be beat.
The winter kale salad at Uva Next Door on the Upper East Side was top tier.
The patty melt at Daily Provisions? Wow. Makes zero sense that a coffee shop has that good a sandwich.
I’ve finally learned my lesson and I’ve stopped using third-party websites for booking travel. Took me decades to learn this lesson.
Also, I’m sure no one but me buys Visa gift cards - but just incase, stay very far away from the brand Vanilla. I’ve had so many issues with money that was loaded improperly and their customer service is nonexistent.
Some things I watched:
Sometimes I Think About Dying: so great! Our friend Dave does such a great job in it.
Two Weeks Notice and The Wedding Date (combining them because they don’t deserve individual billing): WOOF. Why do I do this to myself when I have a list full of actually watchable movies?
If Lucy Fell: an old Sarah Jessica Parker movie? Course I’d watch that. It actually wouldn’t have been so terrible if the main guy wasn’t such an awful actor. He wrote, directed and starred in it, which was the wrong decision.
Waiting To Exhale: such a great rewatch.
Once Upon A Crime: perfect rewatch. It’s baffling that this movie did so bad at the box office.
New season of Curb: ugh. I don’t want to be mean, but I really hate this show now. The storylines are so tired and it really didn’t need to come back at all. (Richard Lewis will remain the best thing about the whole show.)
Some things I’m looking forward to this month: taking Baby Dog to Niagara Falls, I really want to try the vodka chicken parm from Compton’s in Astoria, excited to spend some time with my brother + family visiting from Scotland and there are so many birthday cakes I get to make for other people this month.
If you’ve got any interest in reading last month’s roundup, you can read what went on in January over here.
The Best Tweets of February 2024
Winter Wednesdays Vol. 8
BAKING/COOKING
I made this brioche berry bread pudding and it was actually pretty great. I don’t love boring desserts, but this one was a hit.
CRAVING
This baked goat cheese salad. When I first moved to New York in 2005, I ate a similar salad with a dijon vinaigrette but the goat cheese was encrusted in puff pastry at this great (obviously now-closed) French place downtown and I still think of that salad to this day. It should be illegal to be this nostalgic.
EATING
So much parmesan-topped asparagus. Oh! I also made a wildly lackluster cauliflower soup from the NYT. Not many things more disappointing than a giant batch of homemade soup that sucks.
EXPERIENCING
I started mixing body oil with body lotion and… why am I not in charge of more things? Truly life-changing. I always wondered what the purpose of pure body oil was and now everything makes sense.
LOVING
Since I don’t have Spotify Premium anymore, I started making more playlists on my free account so the variety alone will make up for the lack of control. New playlists include a best of the 90s and best of the 00s.
SHOPPING
I didn’t buy one this week. But I am thinking of overhauling my whole closet, there’s just so much I hate about my winter wardrobe.
WATCHING
I just learned that Pluto has a million Twilight Zone episodes available, so that’ll take up the rest of my year.
WEARING
I heard a styling tip that wearing brown stockings instead of black makes an outfit look more put-together (I swear there was some kind of real logic to this that I can’t remember now), so I tried it this week with these Aerie brown stockings and I loved how it looked.
You can read last week’s Winter Wednesdays Vol. 7 over here.
All about Me!: My Remarkable Life in Show Business by Mel Brooks - A Review
I think it’s clear that I love to read comedian’s biographies, I don’t really know when that started but I don’t see an end in sight. I wouldn’t call myself a huge Mel Brooks fan, but as a kid I did watch Dracula: Dead and Loving It, Robin Hood: Men in Tights and Spaceballs a decent amount. Here are the highlights from the book:
Love how he describes Madeline Kahn: “The only thing that held Madeline back was a psychological defect called modesty.”
When he talked about studio executive’s notes: “I never changed a thing. Like I’ve said before, as far as movie executives are concerned, always agree with them, but never do a thing they say. When the good reviews, and more important for the front office, the money started rolling in, I never heard a bad word from the head of the studio again.”
I’ve never heard the phrase folie à deux before, so I looked it up and it means, “delusion or mental illness shared by two people in close association” which I love, for some reason. How have I never heard this expression before?
I had no idea that he became friends with Alfred Hitchcock, so neat.
Also didn’t know that his production company helped The Elephant Man and The Fly remake get made.
He mentioned that he slices a bagel into three slices and then toasts each slice, which is absolutely genius and I can’t wait to try it out myself.
He mentions a book written by Dick Cavett that sounded so good, I’ve already ordered it.
It’s a bit weird that he doesn’t mention his first marriage at all, maybe because of all the cheating rumours? I guess it’s his book, so why would you want to paint yourself in such a bad light… but still. He definitely doesn’t seem like the type of man who owns up to any of his mistakes. He also didn’t mention any of the drama around the Broadway version of Young Frankenstein and how he completely cut Gene Wilder out of the profits even though they co-wrote the movie together.
In any case, the man’s had an insane career. I don’t think I’d recommend the book, unless you’re a giant Mel Brooks fan and you want to hear every single detail of every movie he’s ever done. If you’re just a general comedy fan, I’d probably skip this one. There’s definitely a reason this book took me about six months to finish.
Winter Wednesdays Vol. 7
BAKING/COOKING
I made these small batch oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with a Dairy Milk chocolate bar instead of chocolate chips and they’re insanely good.
CRAVING
I’ve been in this routine of waking up really early, going on a long walk, eating breakfast and then starting the day at around 10am and it’s been incredible. My plan is to keep doing this Monday to Friday, and then really make Saturday and Sunday more intentionally luxurious, like maybe introducing morning baths on weekends. No one tells you how boring your life gets as you age, they also don’t tell you how wonderful it becomes to embrace the boring.
EATING
On one of my morning walks I found this small coffee shop Sonbobs in Astoria and it’s so lovely. The owner is often curt (in a refreshing way) that I wish more women were, and the baked goods are unholy.
EXPERIENCING
My love for New York City snow is infinite.
Union Square Park, February 2024
LOVING
The ramp we got for Baby Dog for the side of our bed is perfect. Sometimes she’ll look at it and intentionally just jump from the floor to the bed in a defiant “I don’t need this shit” type fashion, but it’s great to use at night when she can’t see as well.
SHOPPING
I bought some medium-sized gold hoop earrings because I’m trying to try new things.
WATCHING
The terrible rom coms on Tubi. Don’t ask me why. I won’t do it again. Did anyone on earth actually like Two Weeks Notice??
WEARING
More Nordstrom finds.
You can read last week’s Winter Wednesdays Vol. 6 over here.
Winter Wednesdays Vol. 6
BAKING/COOKING
I made this honey garlic pork tenderloin again and it’s such an easy, fulfilling meal.
CRAVING
A vanilla ice cream sundae with hot fudge. No idea why. Maybe because it’s impossible to find on adult restaurant dessert menus?
EATING
The red meat at Bistro Eloise is unparalleled.
EXPERIENCING
Snow in New York! It’s insane that schools were closed for that amount of snow, but I shouldn’t be so negative. Just grateful to have any.
LOVING
My friend Dave is in the movie Sometimes I Think About Dying that’s playing at the Angelika and it was great! He did such a great job.
SHOPPING
So I caved and finally bought Baby Dog a ramp for the bed. She’s been having a hard time seeing things at night, so hopefully this’ll help things.
WATCHING
I rewatched Waiting To Exhale and it still really holds up well. It’s also a perfect breakup or men-ain’t-shit movie.
WEARING
Night eye cream from Amore Pacific. I’ve had it for years and never used it. So I’m trying to care about these things, even if the interest lasts a month.
You can read last week’s Winter Wednesdays Vol. 5 over here.
January Jewels 2024
The first month is over!
I compiled my favourite photos of 2023.
I made a list of the very best of 2023.
The best tweets of the month can be found over here.
I recapped how my 2023 resolutions went.
I made my 2024 resolutions.
I reviewed the new costume exhibit (Women Dressing Women) at The Met.
I started writing a small weekly update entitled Winter Wednesdays.
I made a brioche french toast with homemade Nutella whipped cream that was unreasonably good. It was surprisingly hard to find a bakery that had ready-made brioche, but Whole Foods made this possible (unfortunately).
For new years day, I made this pork tenderloin with a honey garlic sauce that I’m absolutely going to make again this week.
My nephew Rome really got into this book of final last words, so he kept reading them aloud all month and this (below) is one of my favourites.
I visited the new (and finally open) Central Library in Mississauga and it’s so disappointing. The layout is terrible, the kids area is practically nonexistent, the shelving is appropriate for toddlers, the parking garage uses pay parking before 6pm and even the entrance is so badly designed that the front librarians have to wear their winter coats because of the breeze coming in from the main doors.
I’ve mentioned this already, but I can’t stop myself from trying to remember the old days of Square One (the mall in Mississauga). I’ve found a few photos that triggered some things in my brain and for some reason I need to write them out here so that I don’t accidentally forget them again. Do you remember when there was the movie theatre where Goodlife is now, next to The Bay? And the toy store Toys Toys Toys next to the theatre? Or the swinging ship boat ride infront of The Bay? Or all of the water fountains in the two-level food court! A giant Burger King used to be where Earl’s is now and people would wait inside it because that’s where the buses used to stop. The slushies at Woolco (that closed in1994) are cemented in my brain as the best in the world. The pretzel stand outside of Walter’s Music and down the isolated escalator from that parking lot that was next to Sears. And the Biway, Everything For A Dollar and Grand & Toy in that same Walter’s hallway. The giant HMV that used to be next to Donato. The Marks and Spencers that had a huge clothing area and then a separate grocery area. The greeting card store (my first job!) Your Expression that was around the corner from where the TD is now. The PJ’s Pets (the pet store) that used to be where Bulk Barn is now, with their rows and rows of fish tanks. Oh my god the It Store, Le Chateau, Jacob (where Wilfred is now), Diana Sweets, Black’s Cameras, Music World, Green Earth (that store with all the spiritual items and wooden figures), the coat check at Customer Service, Starstruck Entertainment, that Victorian store that used to be outside Walmart where the Tim Hortons is, the La Vie En Rose that was hidden away, the West 49 store, the restaurant that was in the space where Chipotle is now, Glamour Shots, Pegabo, Spencer Gifts. And if you’re truly insane and you want to see video footage of the mall from the 90s, I found one.
I made this chocolate brownie cake for Maya’s 13th birthday and it was incredible. I made it with chocolate cream cheese icing, which only elevated it.
Ate at Torrisi and yes it was fine, but absolutely not worth the money. The ham appetizer and the dessert were the only things that were unique and fantastic. I think I’m vowing to actively not go to trendy places this year, they almost always disappoint.
In love with the thin pizza at Emmett’s on Grove and how they abnormally slice it. Fully recommend.
Once every few years I’ll add a new makeup product to my routine (or update something that I’ve already been using), and I really love the Selena Gomez Rare Beauty contour stick (in Happy Sol). I’ve retired my NARS contour powder for it. I did try the Fenty contour stick but couldn’t find the right colour for my face.
I’m TikTok’s biggest critic, but I love this (below).
Discovered the holy grail of at-home waxing strips.
Started using Palmer’s Cocoa Butter at my parent’s house because of the dry air and I’m not sure that it’s the best lotion but it absolutely smells the best.
I’ll always give a new restaurant a chance, but the lunch special at Thai Villa is truly nothing special.
Went to the new Hamburger America and it was good!
Some things I watched:
Air: fine, but easily could've been a Wikipedia read instead of a movie.
No One Will Save You: hated it so much.
Speed: still amazing. Tianna kept accidentally calling it “Fast” hahahah.
The Morning Show: I stopped at the first episodes of season three. Season two really turned me off, especially when season one was pretty great. The writing overall isn’t very good, so it’s a bit of a mystery why I kept watching. I think I was just desperate for something new to watch. Other season one thoughts: the music choices are terrible and corny. Why is the adolescent daughter Lizzy played by an actress who seems 40? And you might not agree with this, but Mindy Kaling is a bad dramatic actress.
Destination Wedding: I watched fifteen minutes and it’s the worst written movie I think I’ve seen in years. Had to abandon. (And this is hard to admit since I love Keanu.)
Baby Dog, January 2024
Some things I’m looking forward to this month: my annual boycott of the superbowl, I’m going to try and see Back To The Future on Broadway, my friend Dave is in a movie that’s playing at the Angelika so we’ll go see that and I’d really love to finally finish the Mel Brooks book I’m reading.
If you’ve got any interest in reading last month’s roundup, you can read what went on in December over here.