Nonpareils - 4
Read:
World Travel - Anthony Bourdain and Laurie Woolever
I’ve never really been affected by celebrity deaths. Yes, they’re sad, I feel bad for their loved ones and it’s a shame they won’t be around to create anymore but I didn’t know these people so it’s never been quite a gut punch.
And then, Tony Bourdain died and it’s like all of the air was sucked out of the room. Years later, it still aches.
Reading this book, I heard Bourdain’s voice, I missed him anew and was reignited with a fervent desire to see more of this wild, wide world.
The Sweet Life in Paris - David Lebowitz
I’ve never been to Paris but reading this book made me want to visit and share baguettes and fromage with Lebowitz. It’s a quick read that makes French idiosyncrasies seem utterly charming.
The Flavors of My Grief: A Food Writer’s Journey Through Recurrent Miscarriage by Yasmin Khan (Vogue)
Being pregnant during a pandemic was really hard in ways that I haven’t really processed yet. Just last night, I told my husband that after being admitted to the hospital for subchorionic bleeding last February, I spent every single day waking up and praying, “Please don’t let me bleed. Please don’t let me bleed.”
That is a lot of anxiety over a long time.
I read this story while waiting to pick up food. That was a mistake - the ragged honesty and lush prose reduced me to silent, gulping sobs almost immediately. This story will make you feel like your heart has been dredged in salt and it is worth reading every word.
Two Assholes Lost In The Woods: An Oral History of Pine Barrens by Alan Siegel (The Ringer)
The titular assholes in this episode of The Sopranos are Christopher and Paulie (because of course) and they are brilliant. Equal turns funny and terrifying. Watch the episode, read the article and don’t fuck with Russians in the woods of South Jersey.
Listen:
Be There In Five by Kate Kennedy (Podcast)
I discovered this podcast after the whole Rachel Hollis mess. I knew a lot of people who were into Girl, Wash Your Face but I could never relate because….well, she seemed kinda like an entitled mean girl straight from the jump and honestly, what kind of advice is she gonna give me? Life is easier if you marry a dude who’s C-Suite and pulls down seven figures. Yeah. Don’t need a life coach to figure that shit out.
Kate Kennedy’s three part series is super relatable, well-researched and utterly without affectation. I’m an instant fan.
Watch:
I discovered her IG account through a recipe for Assassin’s Spaghetti which not only has the best name ever but is also right up my alley in terms of what I’d like to eat. She’s fun, campy in the best way and makes cooking Italian food seem accessible.
The Sons of Sam (Netflix)
Like a huge cross-section of women of my age, I enjoy true crime stories and this four-part docuseries asks the question - “What if the Son of Sam didn’t work alone?” which is a perfectly tenable idea because the MO was so simple.
I just started watching and I’m already transfixed and terrified.
Guys, I know that the COVID numbers are improving and more folks are getting vaccinated but let’s just everyone never leave the house.
Eat/Drink:
Açaí Bowls and Spicy Garlic Edamame at Jo Bistro
Nine times out of ten, if you ask me what I want for dinner - I’m gonna say a cheese plate or chips and salsa with a margarita the size of my face but that one time? I’m gonna want a bowl of fruit.
Jo Bistro has a great selection of açaí bowls (my favorite is the PB Crunch pictured below) and because I always also kinda always want something spicy? I get the garlic-chili edamame on the side.
Super healthy, super delicious.
Wawa Coffee
Keeping with the Bourdain theme - “There are few things I care about less than coffee. I have two big cups every morning: light and sweet, preferably in cardboard cup. Any bodega will do. I don’t want to wait for my coffee. I don’t want some man-bun, Mumford and Son motherfucker to get it for me. I like good coffee but I don’t want to wait for it.”
Two buck twenty ouncer of regular roast from Wawa with a little cinnamon and creamer and I’m good to go. Light, sweet, effective and efficient.
Misc:
Getting Vaccinated
I got my second Moderna shot. I had a headache, a sore arm, chills and mild fever. This lasted a night and I bounced back pretty quickly.
I would do it again in a heartbeat if it meant increases our chances of herd immunity.
Unsure of where to get vaccinated? Click here and put in your zip code.
Be smart, get vaccinated.
Beach Time With Will
My sister and her boyfriend were in town this week and we took Will to the beach. He did not care for the ocean but appreciated chilling in the grass underneath the palm trees. I was almost a teenager before I ever saw the ocean and I’m so glad that Will is growing up with it being such a big part of his life.
