This quar update is a little different because I’ve mixed things up by heading down South to visit my fam. I know I’m heading from NYC, a city that has successfully flattened the curve, straight into the belly of the beast, but my family is being incredibly cautious. Cases may be exploding, but we wouldn’t know since we’ve fully isolated ourselves at home. For more ideas, check out: Part 6, Part 5, Part 4, Part 3, Part 2, and Part 1.
Activities
- Cooking/Recipes:
- Popsicle – my bestie sent me an adorable popsicle mold for my bday. It may only be a single mold, but I’m thinking I can do some fun things with leftover wine and fruit.
- Lemon Blueberry Cake – My mom made this when I was home and it was sooo good. No icing for us, which makes it the perfect breakfast cake.
- Other Activities:
- Tie Dye – It’s pretty clear tie dye has been having a moment since March and I jumped onto the bandwagon early. I’ve bought several tie dye items, but half the fun is doing it yourself. Even more fun is introducing someone to the craft I grew up enjoying at summer camp so for my nephew’s sixth birthday, I organized a little tie dye party for the whole fam. So much fun!
- Coasters – I found some really fun acrylic coasters on Etsy that I was planning to buy…but maybe I should make my own like this.
- Harry Potter at Home – Familiar faces read Harry Potter, chapter by chapter.
Content
- Books:
- All the royal fanfic – Not one but 2 YA royal sequels just came out and I’ll be gobbling them up in due time.
- The Heir Affair – The Royal We was juicy fanfic at its finest. Been waiting too long for this Part 2.
- Majesty – The sequel to American Royals also looks like so much fun.
- The Jetsetters – It’s still summer for a few more days so if you’re planning a little Labor Day getaway (or stayaway because, Corona) this is a good beach read that – bonus! – is about a family from my hometown that vacations in all my spots.
- All the royal fanfic – Not one but 2 YA royal sequels just came out and I’ll be gobbling them up in due time.
- Movies:
- Welcome to Kutcher’s – Times have certainly changed. Back in the day, Jews of the tri-state would flock to what were essentially family summer camps. These resorts (clustered into what was known as The Borscht Belt) are probably familiar to you from Dirty Dancing and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel…even if you didn’t realize you were watching Jewish history as Patrick Swayze crawled across the floor. This wasn’t necessarily my favorite documentary ever, but I did find it interesting, especially learning how these resorts came about in the first place.
- Elder Millennial – One of the funniest standups I’ve seen in a long time. On Netflix.
- Bad Education – This true story of embezzlement from a wealthy public school school district in Long Island is wild. The cast is great – I’m surprised this didn’t get more attention.
- Work It – I LOVE a Netflix high school romcom and this one was fabulous. I’ve already watched it 4 times in the 5 weeks since its premiere.
- Inmate #1: The Rise of Danny Trejo – You probably recognize Danny Trejo, one of the hardest working men in Hollywood. This documentary reflects on his ascent to headlining star after years of playing the “hardened Mexican dude” extra…and after spending the 60s and 70s in prison.
- Coco – This isn’t a new movie, nor was it my first time watching, but while we were at the beach, my beau and I hosted a fiesta theme night when it was our turn to cook: Taco Tuesday followed by Coco. It was my nephews’ first time seeing the film and Brooks was actually old enough to understand it. It was beautiful watching them watch it and a wonderful movie that reminds us of the importance of family, traditions, and being just a bit bold.
- Palm Springs – This movie is basically a less slapstick version of “Groundhog Day” that’s funny and charming.
- TV:
- Fear City – The NYC’s takedown of the 5 mob families who ran the city in the 70s and 80s is so interesting. Great filmmaking and some pretty amazing recordings.
- Love on the Spectrum – This beautiful show follows different Aussies on the autism spectrum as they seek love and companionship. It’s only five episodes but so wholesome and enlightening that you’ll wish for more.
- Defending Jacob – I read the book back in 2013 and was very excited when Apple+ came out with the adaptation. If you liked The Sinner (season 1…that show started going downhill), you’ll probably really enjoy this.
- Arch Digest House Tours – I love being a voyeur touring these insane celeb homes on YouTube.
- Podcasts:
- The Bitter Southerner – I like The Bitter Southerner’s take on modern Southern culture so I decided to give their podcast a whirl, starting with the Waffle House episode because if you know, you know.
- Zack to the Future – I’m a fan of all things Saved By The Bell so I enjoy popping into this show where Mark-Paul Gosselaar and co-host Dashiell Driscoll revisit the show.
- Nice White Parents – I absolutely loved this show. In just a few episodes, Chana Joffe-Walt, a reporter, looks at the 60 year history of a Brooklyn public school and how it fails to serve its direct community…and how much can be tracked to the intervention of well-meaning white parents.
- Very Amusing – I’m not one of those crazy obsessive Disney people…but maybe that’s just because I haven’t had the opportunity to go to the park all that often. I still enjoy this show where a huge amusement park fan (and legit amusement park reporter, yes that’s a thing) talks about the secrets of the parks.
Peaches to Apples 