Holy Shit, I Love You - 01.14.20
This year, we are celebrating as much shit as we possibly can.
Because I’m married and we’re hoping to have kids. Because it’s an election year and Oh My God, shit is gonna get really intense and really obnoxious really soon and I can’t just be crying and throwing gin down my throat like I did four years ago. Because Alanis Morrisette is going on tour with Liz Phair and Garbage. Because Bill and Ted Face The Music is coming out and that is totally non-heinous. Because it’s a leap year.
Because I am sick of asking, “Wait. Is this anxiety or is this just what being an adult is?”
So, we celebrate the good things - no matter how small.
We’re going into 2020 with Marie Kondo, Simone Biles and JVN energy.
Does it spark joy? Fuck yes - we’re making it happen.
Are we going to work our asses off and succeed beyond anyone’s wildest expectations leaving false humility at the door because this wasn’t luck or fate - it was me working my ass off and I deserve the credit? Fuck yes - we’re making it happen.
Are we sashaying into the new decade with bananas amounts of compassion, kindness, transparency, self-care and no tolerance for bullshit?
You goddamn right we are.
We’re writing love notes, we’re drinking craft cocktails because just no on the no-cal vodka-soda bullshit, we’re cooking and feeding people, we’re punching Nazis in the face, we’re standing up for the rights of women, we’re hydrating and moisturizing, we’re gonna grow things - plants, peppers, confidence, hair, our collection of Amy Winehouse bootlegs - and we’re taking the words of Jack Kerouac to heart.
“Live. Travel. Adventure. Bless.
And don’t be sorry.”
Let’s begin.
To Check Out:
Nish Kumar’s bit on how being the drummer from Coldplay is the exact right amount of famous.
The Libby App. It connects to your public library and allows you to read so much. Right now, I’m reading Ronan Farrow’s Catch and Kill and I’ve got Jenny Slate’s Little Weirds and Ali Wong’s Dear Girls waiting for me.
Argan Oil. I bought it in a pharmacy in Marrakech for like, $6 and have been slathering it on my face before bed. My skin has never looked better and that’s coming from someone whose skin basically erupted when I was 27 due to stress and hormones. Clearasil, Proactiv, Biore - none of that stuff ever worked for me, but birth control + a charcoal-based face wash + argan oil work well.
Timothy Olyphant’s cameo on the latest episode of The Good Place. He’s dressed as Raylan Givens and much like the Judge, I will never stop banging the drum for Justified.
Wet & Wild Liquid Catsuit lip color in Behind The Bleachers - super pigmented (Behind The Bleachers is a super wearable redcurrant shade which works pretty much everywhere), dry, matte and affordable. Love a good drugstore find.
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are hosting the Golden Globes in 2021! Yeah, I know - Ricky Gervais is edgy but you know what Fey+Poehler are? Funny.
To Hear:
Princess by Sonny - perfect for a Sunday morning when you’re waiting for the tea to brew.
Baltimore by Lianne de Havas - great cover of a Nina Simone song written by Randy Newman.
Don’t Play That Song (You Lied) by Aretha Franklin - Playing Miss Aretha in your home is the musical equivalent of burning sage.
Catch and Kill Podcast with Ronan Farrow - if you don’t have time to read the book, definitely check out the podcast. It is a fascinating look at the importance of investigative journalism and why the rich and powerful should be subject to the same laws as everyone else.
To Eat/Cook/Drink:
Caramelized onion, cheddar and gruyere pinwheels. Super easy to make is you use pre-made pizza dough which I did because it’s too damn early in the year to start fucking around with making my own dough.
I caramelized the onions with shitloads of butter, thyme, black pepper and sauvignon blanc and this basically tasted like French Onion Soup.
Appetizer platter - piyaz, grape leaves, saksuka, tabuli, cacik and hummus.
Shrimp saganaki
Amazing Turkish food at Sofra in Lake Worth. Highly recommend the Piyaz because sumac onions make everything taste better.
(I’ve been on a real onion kick lately - it’s the perfect allium. Come at me, garlic bros.
Cocktails at CWS - they have a Pappy Van Winkle tasting at $200 for six 0.5oz pours which is just fucking bananas but if whiskey is your thing, this is kinda great.
And finally:
Madonna has long been my consigliere and since my formative years, I have relied on her music to get me through.
When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Madonna comes to me, speaking words of wisdom:
Don't go for second best, baby
Put your love to the test
You know, you know you've got to
Make him express how he feels and maybe
Then you'll know your love is real
Here’s to real love, to joy and to living life on your terms.
