August Actions 2019

Words cannot express… the emotions going on inside me right now.

AUTUMN IS A FEW SHORT WEEKS AWAY. This is absolutely the start of the best time of the year because it’s basically autumn eve. That’s how I treat all of early September. Last year I went a little nuts in celebrating every single day of autumn and… I want to go even harder this year. I sort of winged it last year, but this year I’ve already started planning ways to celebrate the best time of the year. I have a problem. I know. But I’ve come to terms with that, so you should too. So let me tell you what went down last month so that we can fully move into the GREATEST, PUREST TIME OF YEAR.

• I watched Why Do Fools Fall In Love on Netflix and jesus christ, the dog-being-thrown-out-the-window part? WHY DID NO ONE WARN ME. Will not watch again.

• I love a good summer shark/alligator/dumb movie, so we obviously saw Crawl and it was very fun. The dog was the best part. (Are you seeing a pattern here? I’M NOT HARD TO PLEASE, HOLLYWOOD.)

• I forced Maya to come to a sunflower farm with me and it was lovely. Why would a person with a bee allergy want to go to such a place? I’m not well.

View fullsize

View fullsize

• I rewatched my favourite John Ritter movie Stay Tuned because it’s just something everyone should do once in awhile. Such a weird, perfect movie.

• I attempted to read Samantha Irby’s book We Are Never Meeting In Real Life and I just couldn’t get into it, so I stopped. It’s weird ‘cause I really enjoyed Meaty, so I don’t know what happened here. Maybe ‘cause it’s summer and I think I hate reading in the summer? Haven’t picked up a book in months that I wanted to read.

• I do not need to be the one who tells you how good hazelnut Kit Kats are, but I guess that’s what I’m doing at the moment - SO GOOD.

• I watched part of the new 90210 reboot and ughhhh. It’s awful. In every way. Also, Luke Perry JUST died. They couldn’t have postponed or cancelled this trash?

• I watched the first season of Tuca & Bertie and it’s so, so crazy good. Absolutely love it. Thank you to Harmeet for making me watch! I was so skeptical at first, but it’s incredible. So many similarities to Broad City in its goodness.

• I went to the CNE with my Mom for the first time is yeeeears and it was so nice.

View fullsize

She did my braids, I can’t do nice braids on myself

• Since Restaurant Week is always a big part of my life, I went to Park Avenue Summer for lunch earlier in the month and got the corn bread, corn gnocchi and corn creme brulee. YES, YOU’RE READING THAT RIGHT. Love a fucking cob. It was all very tasty, if not a little too corny (but that’s my fault, let’s be real). I also got the chicken and it was incredible. I’d love to be able to crisp a chicken skin as perfectly as they did.

• Absolutely love this short piece about food and getting together with loved ones.

• I got a Fanta Apple from the new section at Square One and holy shit, it was delicious.

• I saw Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark with Layla and it was so good! I’ll have nightmares from this image.

View fullsize

And now you will too!

• I made this hot honey salmon and if salmon weren’t such a disgusting fish, this would be a killer recipe. (And if you actually enjoy salmon, this really is great.)

• I finally watched the rest of the new Black Mirror episodes and I stand by my thoughts that the Striking Vipers one was the best one of the season. Smithereens was okay and all, I’ll always love a Topher Grace. The main actor (Andrew Scott) did a great job, too. And the Miley Cyrus one was just okay? I don’t understand why that’s the common favourite of the season. It’s average, at best.

• Favourite thing I’ve bought this summer: this jumpsuit with lace from Zara.

• I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned it before, but I love reading the (monthly?) Grub Street Diet columns from New York Magazine. They profile different (semi-known, sometimes-famous) people and what they eat in the span of a few days. I mostly love it for recommendations of good things to eat around New York, but also I love hearing about what people do for snacks and routine meals.

• Someone buy me this Danny Meyer Chocolate Cream Pie. Please.

• I watched all of On My Block on Netflix and it’s so, so good (thank you, Marla!). I’m an idiot for not watching it sooner. My favourite character is definitely Jamal, I love the florist with the gnomes, and the musical choices are phenomenal. Such a great show. If you haven’t seen it, I’d describe it as a modern day coming of age story set in South Central LA inspired by The Goonies. SO GOOD.

• Did you know that eating tomatoes helps prevent colon cancer? Did not know. I’m forcing Nathan to eat them now, enough of this “I don’t like tomatoes” shit. Not standing for it anymore!

• I went to two weddings this month, which were both beautiful. LOVE a wedding.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

• I tried the seasonal tomato gelato at Il Laboratorio Del Gelato and it was rough. I did taste the corn gelato and that one was actually pretty good, I should’ve gotten that one. This was my first time here and my main thought: it has a horrifying interior. Like if Patrick Bateman ran an ice cream shop.

• Lately I’ve started shopping more at small businesses and less at chains. Partially because these places will disappear if I keep doing what I’m doing and I hate that idea. So no more writing/drinking at Starbucks. No more books from Amazon. No more crazy cheap dish soap at Dollar General. No more plants from Home Depot. Enough of this shit!

• Nathan and I celebrated our ten year anniversary and went to Vermont (again, haha) and I did a full post on it, so take a look if you like. While we were away, we did rewatch the first It (still great), Sleeping With The Enemy (always a favourite of mine) and The Hand That Rocks The Cradle (which is even better than we remembered, SUCH a good movie). Also, if you enjoy Instagram stories of vacations as much as I do, I posted our whole Vermont one on my Instagram.

• This sounds like a broken record, but I did Nathan’s podcast again! We talked about our relationship and why we think it works, etc. etc. Very self-indulgent stuff here, guys.

• So you know how I tried and loved that chocolate dessert hummus a few months ago? TRADER JOE’S IS RIPPING IT OFF & has made their own version. For two dollars. Now look, I know companies get ripped off all the time by bigger corporations who steal the idea and make their own… but fuck. This fucking sucks. I first heard and tried dessert hummus because of seeing it on Shark Tank (the company is Delighted By Hummus) and I want to say that they invented the idea, but I can’t say for sure. I hate this.

Some things that I’m looking forward to this month: I’m SO excited to see It: Chapter Two, possibly planning out details for a trip to Salem, finishing up the last of the summer things to do list, I’ve gotta find something new and good to read, there are so many photos that I love from visiting my family/friends this summer so I might do a photo post solely of my favourite ones, finalizing my AUTUMN THINGS TO DO list, and I’d really love to pack away all of my summer clothes at some point this month to make room for the gazillion sweaters I’m waiting to wear.

If you’ve got any interest in reading last month’s roundup, go on over here!

New Podcast!

Nathan and I went to Vermont for our anniversary and recorded this while we were there. I don’t need to tell you that there’s a lot of yelling involved.

Why Your Partner Shouldn't Be Your Best Friend

I've said this for years and people continue to fight me on it. And look, I get it. It probably seems like a more romantic notion (and honestly, just easier) to have your partner be your best friend, but if you just let me explain myself here, you'll see why I'm onto something. (From here on, I'll refer to your partner as your S.O. (significant other) and B.F (best friend). It's easier that way and less redundant.)

1. If your S.O is your B.F. then who the hell are you supposed to go to when you want to complain about each one? YOU NEED EACH TO MAINTAIN SANITY. And I don't think that everyone needs to complain about every person in their life at some point (yes, actually I do think that but I'm trying not to be so negative) but it does help to vent once in awhile to someone that's always on your side. Without venting, people become murderers or republicans or worse, I'd imagine.

2. The activities. The stuff that I do with each of these people are vastly different from one another and thank God for that. I can be a well-rounded, functionally happy adult when I can do things with one that the other would never want to do.

3. The celebrations. As you're aware, I fully believe that friend anniversaries are just as important as S.O ones. And why shouldn't they be? Imagine you got an invitation to someone's ten year friend anniversary and it was treated like a wedding celebration? If I had any kind of money, I swear to you that's what I'd do. I'll never understand why romantic relationships are the ones most prioritized in our society, but I think it's bullshit. Yes, they're important, but they're not the most important (if you really want me not to shut up, it's the relationship you have with yourself that's most important, followed by the one you share with your pet, followed by your friendships/romantic relationships which are tied). Anyway, my original point was that by not having the same S.O & B.F in one person, you get more celebrations (birthdays, anniversaries, babies, etc.). And celebrations are some of the best parts of living on this planet.

4. The more important, loving people you have in your life, the happier you'll be. Fact. There are certain qualities that each person in my life has, and I love knowing who to go to when I need a certain something that I'm yearning for. Does that make sense? 

5. One day this person will die. And if they're both your B.F and S.O, who the hell is going to help get you through this time? Your dog? Well, maybe, your dog is great. But if you put so much onto one person, you're fucked on that day.

Have I sold you on this? I mean, it's an air-tight case. And if you disagree with me, I'm not trying to say that you're wrong. I just wish you'd open up to the idea that you don't need to depend on one sole person to get everything that you're after in this life. It's a lot of pressure.

Rant over.

“I see when men love women, they give them but a little of their lives. But women when they love give everything.”

— Oscar Wilde

“Sometimes I wonder if men and women really suit each other. Perhaps they should live next door and just visit now and then.”

— Katherine Hepburn

“Anyone who literally takes you away from washing dishes to have sex with you? One of the hottest things to happen in a domestic relationship. Even hotter if you, in this day and age, still own/use dishwashing gloves.”

— #lizadvice

Valentine's Day

Dear People Who Think They’re Better Than Valentine’s Day,

Y’AINT.

Yes, this day encourages people to be nice to other people. Yes, people shouldn’t need these specific days to FORCE someone they care for to do something nice for them, because yes they should do those things on any old day of the week/month/whatever. But you see, the thing is – NOBODY DOES NICE THINGS ON ANY OLD DAY. That isn’t how it works. Or rather, it’s rare. We’re all so busy, it appears. People typically don’t have the energy to be kind all the time, and that’s just the way it goes for the most part, which I understand. Each of our daily lives get clouded with junk that consumes most of our hourly thoughts and in turn, time goes on, and so does stress and worry and that doesn’t ever stop, I’m assuming. So yes, I think it’s great that we have these kinds of days to force others into remembering how great certain people are. I’m past my early twenties now and I no longer can respect anyone for saying, “Oh nah, so-and-so doesn’t BELIEVE in Valentine’s Day and neither do I and BLAH BLAH BLAH we’re better than that.” ‘Cause NO ONE is better than that. No matter what you say or who you are. You may honestly think these are stupid days to celebrate, I understand that, but to put yourself above it – is so far past unattractive to me now and should be to you as well. The only way I can understand someone adhering to that policy is if that someone is telling their loved ones at least once a month how utterly fucking amazing they are, then I’ll understand. And I am in no way saying that a person needs a gift from their partner as a sign of affection. I am saying that when that person can give a shit enough so that they can spend two minutes out of their day trying to think of something/some act that may possibly make their mate’s day a little brighter, well, that I’m on board with. It has nothing to do with money, it has nothing to do with whatever is given. It has to do with the fact that we are all busy. And everyday life DOES get in the way of thoughts unexpressed. (And as a tiny sidenote, I think it’s so strange when a man gives a woman a gift on an anniversary or Valentine’s day but the woman does not give him anything? That’s fucking weird to me.)

And more importantly, when did this day become just about your partner? What the hell is with that? Yeah, my boyfriend’s lovely as fuck, but there are tons of other people in my life whom I care for as well and should fucking be celebrated today. 

I think it’s very clear that our society needs these days to make individuals feel great for a moment since we’re all so goddam consumed with the meaningless minutia of being on certain paths that blind us to the great people in our lives. 

(Just re-read this post, didn’t realize I sound angry as a madman in it. Sorry about that. It’s a beautiful day, and you’re sweet for reading.)

xx,

liz

“Jealousy in romance is like salt in food. A little can enhance the savor, but too much can spoil the pleasure and, under certain circumstances, can be life-threatening.”

— Maya Angelou