Have a Cozy Weekend.

Annie, have you tried Silver Palate’s Chocolate Chip cookies? SO GOOD!! My favorite, for sure!

My first thought was money! But that’s not fun, although I’m sure she could use it. Maybe money/gift card plus a pretty, classic necklace she can wear to job interviews? I bought a Mejuri pendant last year that makes me feel fancy and successful even though I’m not.

Mejuri options: https://mejuri.com/shop/t/type/pendants?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=branded_search_us_1_general_low-volume_phrase_all_pro&gclid=CjwKCAjwjZmTBhB4EiwAynRmD7cZZSyZfH3eCe-RpsNwDCt1-aT7Ngk1P61vRXWoLdYEhCUROpKkJRoCec8QAvD_BwE

Ana Luisa has some cute ones too: https://www.analuisa.com/collections/necklaces/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=16726834730&utm_term=ana%20luisa&utm_content=594011119871&gclid=CjwKCAjwjZmTBhB4EiwAynRmD8Lf_XZYxjbmORCK9l9wwcWUVWcoWi7ipXOTduglOzliV9k9wL3ORRoCJ8kQAvD_BwE

How about a fun weekend roadtrip with just the two of you? Doesn’t have to be expensive or even that far away. Pick a destination, plan for some fun, touristy or sight-seeing stops along the way, pack some yummy snacks, maybe stay the night at a hotel (with a pool!) and spend some quality time together to celebrate her accomplisments!

I hear you Meghan!!!! It’s been a long haul. Those of us without under fives haven’t forgotten you! I hope those under fiver shots are coming very soon 🤞🤞🤞

This!

I didn’t know this, but I’m not surprised.

I didn’t know this and appreciate the info. I did know he held very progressive views for his day, and knowing he also held anti semitic ones – it almost makes it even worse.

I was also so disappointed to see this 💔 it seems my comment from the weekend was deleted.

My (rescued) dog also looks a lot like this! The behavioral trainer we hired said she was very likely a heeler with some pittie in there. She definitely has the personality of these breeds (HIGH HIGH energy, territorial, protective, did I mention high energy?).

Looks like the cutie is a pit bull

The Embark DNA test is a cool gift idea if you ever want to treat yourself or put it on your wish list! We loved getting the results for our two rescues!

My dog also looks just like this! ♥️ We call her a “California brown dog” when people ask what she is. 😊

Since this is a stock photo (per the Stocksy caption at the bottom of the post), your chances of finding out this exact dog’s breed/mix are slim – BUT, I have an old trick from my former life as a research editor that occasionally strikes gold. Since this is from Stocksy, you can go to their site and plug ELDAD CARIN DOG into their search field (no quotes, just the photographer and subject and find the image’s listing page and metadata:

https://www.stocksy.com/1846350/dog-lazing-at-porch

Every once in a while you’ll luck out and the tags will tell you what you want to know. If not (as in this case), hey, at least the search only took a few seconds. This can also occasionally strike gold with food shots like the frosted cake a few posts ago; occasionally you’ll get a clue about a real recipe.

https://www.stocksy.com/304305/homemade-chocolate-cake

No luck here either, but since the image was taken in 2014, you can at least narrow it down to something someone concocted prior to that year and eliminate newer cookbooks and published recipes? If you’re feeling REALLY bananas you can search for the photographer’s contact info and send them a note. Dogs and cake merit sleuthing sometimes, right?

this comment is so wholesome. hugs.

love this! i also thought it was only a Thai recipe

Happy birthday Christine!

I saw Six on Broadway last December and it was fantastic! The native New Yorker seated next to me had already seen it four times and was aiming for six, of course!

So many beloved books, movies, shows are soo problematic when viewed with today’s lens with our ever evolving knowledge and understanding of being a human. I find myself simultaneously bummed and grateful when I rewatch stuff because while it’s problematic, it also gives me so much hope for how much progress has happened since then. I also try to find the positives – for example Friends is fiiilllleeedd with jokes and situations that do not age well at all. But for its time, it is actually very progressive. Yes, lots of gay jokes and misogyny but look at how all the babies were born in the show. One by a divorced lesbian, triplets by surrogacy, one “out of wedlock”, and twins by adoption. That’s VERY progressive for its time! I know in 10 years we will look back on everything we are watching and reading now and find glaring problems too. That’s a GOOD thing!

Agreed. The Tina Fey fandom is annoying because she has refused to acknowledge her problematic and offensive portrayals in shows/movies written by her.

I’ve been rewatching so many 90s and early 00s movies, and I’m surprised (still, but maybe I shouldn’t be!) how many age poorly. I wanted to curl up into a ball even watching something silly like Superbad. I sometimes feel like society has grown up more in the last 5 years than the previous 20. But then I feel like there’s so many 80s movies that do age well (except for maybe the whiteness of the cast)! Back to the Future, the original Batmans, the Dead Poets Society. Star Wars, The Goonies, Beetlejuice. I’m not sure what it is. Maybe more fantasy kept 80s movies fantastic?

It’s an interesting expression we use – that something hasn’t aged well. When really, people of color recognized problematic racial portrayals back then. Gay people recognized hurtful gay stereotypes back then. We say something hasn’t aged well when it’s the sensibilities of the ‘mainstream’ catching up to what the rest of us already knew.

And agreed that it’s jarring to see uncritical praise for Tina Fey given the hurtful racial and transphobic things she’s said and done.

My thoughts exactly.

This answer might not satisfy your point, but cowhides and sheep hides (and leather) usually co-products of the meat industry – as I understand it, the animals used for fur coats, trims, etc. have been exclusively raised (or hunted) for their fur. (I’m not saying it’s right or that I like how it looks, just that cow, sheep, deer, or often bear hides are on the same ethical level as eating beef, veal, or lamb, venison, etc. as I understand it).

Similar to what EH said – a friend owns a farm where she raises meat sheep and will occasionally sell the sheep hides as well rather than them just being disposed of as waste. The same can be said about using leather. I believe in that aspect it comes down to how you feel about consumption/use of animals in general.

Ha! Canadian here. When I went to New York last fall, I made a point to check out the TJ’s. It was nice but I’d definitely built it up in my head after so many years of reading about it!

A fellow Aussie here who is visiting the US later this year – you better believe I have a Trader Joes shopping list.

I’m in the US and lived near a Trader Joe’s until we moved to a state without one. I like to go back whenever we visit my hometown! I especially love browsing the seasonal selection in the fall and winter. We really miss the chocolate Babka and my husband once told me I must never return from Trader Joe’s without chili spiced mango!
Also, they have beautiful cards for $1 that we stock up on whenever we visit. I keep some and put them in little frames!

Aussie American dual citizen here. Remember Aussie food is delicious and high quality. I would temper your expectations of TJs.

we don’t have a trader joe’s in my state so i was excited to visit one for the first time too. it definitely has a lot of snacks. but also a lot of prepared and processed foods. it really isn’t for me as i’m not a snacker and try not to eat processed foods. that being said, whenever my parents come to visit they always bring me a jar or two of my beloved Chili Onion Crunch condiment. i love to put it on stir fries. https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/crunchy-chili-onion-062480

I love that story as well!

I was in a rush one day getting my condo ready for a real estate showing. I was frazzled and nervous and called ahead to TJs to make sure they had hydrangeas for me to spruce up my place. Somehow it came up on the phone that I was in a rush, so they told me to call when I arrived. A TJs employee ran outside with my flowers, delivered them to my window and said it was on the house. I don’t eat many of their snacks but that’s why I keep coming back!

I live in the US, and had heard people rave for years. I finally went and was initially underwhelmed. BUT I have since discovered that my primary reason for going is more about an extraordinary passion for 4-5 items, not the whole store. (dark choc. PB cups, black pepper toscano cheese, Tarte D’alsace pizzas, frozen chicken nuggets, brownie mix, ghost pepper potato chips….) okay, maybe more than 4-5., but I’ve tasted my fair share of TJs “misses” too. You ultimately find things that you cannot live without.

I agree with others who say that TJ’s is underwhelming. People talk about it as if it’s some kind of food wonderland, which is puzzling to me, Their marketing is good, but keep in mind it is still a large corporate chain offering a lot of highly processed food. I suggest instead seeking out local businesses, specialty shops, farmer’s markets and growers, which are more interesting and unique, offer delicious products, and support the local community and economy.

Haha! Greek Australian here and JUST last night, after years of hearing about trader Joe’s, I checked out their online site because I was so curious about them too!
P.S. shout out to Aussie meat pies and chico rolls. On my last visit to Australia (I now live in Greece) I remember sitting on a bench all by myself and just absolutely devoured FOUR meat pies in one sitting!

I agree with the commenter below about the high quality of food we enjoy in Australia, and how American imports generally tend to disappoint us. However, I think Whole Foods (including their salad bars) would be a much better fit for us.

I never shop at TJ’s, because I like to cook my own food. I shop at Costco.

OMG Chicko Rolls! My husband made me try one on our last trip to Aus and they are so delicious but also… what is it? Exactly? I still have no idea.

I definitely have a TJ’s shopping list for when I’m in the US. Supermarkets in foreign countries ftw! I went to Switzerland one year right before Easter and they had a display of pound cakes (tasted like pound cake) in the shape of lambs. Miraculously I got one home in one piece. Yummy lamb face :D.

I’m going back to Switzerland next week and looking forward to another supermarket treasure hunt :)

Ugh. I both love and hate Tina Fey. I love her sense of humor and constantly quote 30 Rock….but I am really tired of her choosing not to do better after repeatedly being told to do better regarding race stuff. It’s a blissful ignorance that reeks of white privilege.

I feel this way too. I started reading her memoir and her lesbian jokes also made me cringe rather than laugh. For me, comedy that is pure joy is mindy kaling anything.

same. don’t get it. not a fan. be funny without playing into stale, racist tropes? *gasp*

I had the same thought. I hadn’t seen that article before. But I read Gabrielle Union’s most recent memoir and she had a section on popular tv shows that had episodes with blackface and 30 Rock was one of them.

!!! THIS!! Thank you for speaking up AJK, as a fellow Asian American woman, I have also always cringed at the ways that people of color are portrayed in her shows, and if we’re going to get specific, Asian Americans. That scene where Asian students are pointed out in Mean Girls always makes me cringe, and while I know it’s basically a cult movie at this point, I wish other people who weren’t Asian wouldn’t be so quick to laugh at us. Thanks for speaking up about this, some days it makes me sad that racist Asian stereotypes are still so acceptable in mainstream media.

Thanks for sharing, AJK. What I have seen with several white woman comedians (and I must now admit I am a white woman and I have this same tendency, though I am not a comedian), is this tendency to over-identify with the “marginalized” parts of their life. For example, there aren’t a lot of women in comedy. There definitely were even fewer when Fey was up and coming. This is true. What is ALSO true is being white is an immense privilege in a culture built on white supremacy. Without acknowledging that, and, worse perpetuating racism in your work, it is violent toward people of color. I get tired of this over identification to being a woman (yes, it’s true, sexism exists) but then leveraging whiteness to “succeed.” And I must say I see this pattern in myself as well and am working toward breaking this approach within me.

Agreed. The bit in Kimmy Schmidt where her roommate puts on geisha-face is absolutely abhorrent.

I could barely get through the trailer without wanting to bawl. How would I ever make it through the whole film?!!! It looks gorgeous.

I saw it this weekend and I think it will be with me for the rest of my life. What a stunner of a film! My fave line: “I’m not surprised, I’m already thinking of you” resonated so deeply.

Great question- in art there is always an element of improvisation. This allows for things to appear natural. But what has happened often in theatre, ballet, and other performance arenas is the assumption that the intimacy is consensual-wherever it leads. This leads to uncomfortable and inappropriate situations in general, but is also a place where many performers have taken advantage of their partner. For example- In a fight scene, the fight coordinator comes in and choreographs it to ensure it is safe for both performers. They attend rehearsals and performances to ensure it is “tight” and safe. An intimacy coordinator would work with the performers to ensure the scene was consensual and safe for all parties, regardless of whether it’s a hell of a kiss or a story in which there is an assault scripted.

I watched an interview with Regé-Jean Page last night where he talked about how important having an intimacy director was for Bridgerton. And how it’s essentially choreography, but grounded in a really thorough discussion of boundaries and consent and what each participant is and isn’t comfortable with. He made exactly the same comparison as Cara with the role of a fight coordinator and that it’s essentially for the same reasons…. to avoid inadvertently causing harm. I thought it was really interesting, and positive – it wasn’t something I’d ever heard discussed before.

There is a lot of extremely intimate choreography in dance, and unfortunately many ballets depict sexual violence including rape and gang rape scenes. That ideally requires planning, boundaries and utmost professionalism to rehearse and perform in a trauma informed and safe way. Not only for the dancers but for the audience who is going to witness it. This historically has not been done this way in ballet companies. Unfortunately a lot of sexual harassment and power of abuse has happened because dancers have not had a lot of agency compared to the directors and choroegraphers, and for a long time it’s a been a culture of ‘don’t speak up and do what you’re told.’ I am not a professional dancer but I trained pre professionally, and even just in that I was put in extremely uncomfortable intimate situations by choreographers with no one turn to about boundaries or professionalism – and that was normalized. There was no question if I was ok to make out with someone on stage, I was just forced to do it while experiencing really inappropriate direction. This kind of accountability has been sorely needed in the dance world for a long time. I hope that helps with understanding!

The NY Times article is really worth reading- dancing is a very intimate art wherein dancers are literally touching each other’s bodies in ways both choreographed and improvised, and the hierarchy that exists in the dance world means that dancers are not too often given space to voice their concerns or feelings of discomfort- you are expected to just do what the choreographer/company director expects from you. The article gives specific examples of how having the intimacy director helps dancers find ways to make everyone feel comfortable, for instance when dancing a scene that includes simulated rape or even just kissing, or one example from the article was a dancer who’d just had a baby and needed a bit of help working back up to the point of being touched all over her body in places she wasn’t quite comfortable with anymore.

it was a revelation!

Me too!!!!! Been a fan for at least 6 years. I am usually too impatient to wait more than a year to get my letters back but I’m going to try 10 years too. I love reflecting & looking back at past selves

beautiful comment, Emily. thank you for saying this.
Do you ever read Barbara Brown Taylor? I love her for the same reasons you describe.

With you, Emily. I’m an “orphan” from religion, but there truly is beauty in divine mystery.

Hi Emily, This quote made me cry, too! I’m in a similar boat, but I still identify as “Christian,” although I’m so careful to say that these days because it often doesn’t signify “good news” to people. I mourn this so often. Hugs to you- I totally get where you’re coming from. <3

I hear you–I don’t miss the church, or my belief, but I do deeply miss a certain mysterious beauty that I remember finding in that world.

@emma I am an atheist and nearly all I find is mysterious beauty in this world.

i know what you are saying <3

Oh my goodness, thanks for the giggle. Too true. :)

LOL