In my mind, maternity leave would mean tons of time to catch up on all the tv, movies, and books on my list. I thought I’d be baking cakes with all my free time. Turns out maternity leave is just about the furthest thing from a paid vacation. That’s why it took me a full six months to go through enough content (mostly during pumping sessions) to fill one of these posts. It may have taken some time, but I’ve got a meaty list for you now. For more, check out: Vol. 1 (which also links to the 14 previous Roundup posts).
Activities
- Cooking/Recipes:
- I have leftover applesauce from Chanukah. My beau likes them on latkes, whereas I’m firmly team sour cream. The problem is he uses a tiny bit the one night I make the potato pancakes and the majority just sits in the fridge, eventually going to waste. I’d like to use it to make muffins. Stay tuned…
- I’ve become quite the Umamicart fan and this week I intend to make one of the recipes (black bean noodles) they highlighted on their app.
- Other Activities:
- Yu and Me Books is a wonderful new store that centers diverse voices and immigrant stories. It’s located in Chinatown, near my office, and checking it out is one of the main reasons I’m excited to go back to work this month.
Content
- Books:
- It would be fun to work your way through the NYPL’s A book for every state list
- After loving The Housewives, I think I may need to read Not All Diamonds and Rosé by Dave Quinn
- Movies:
- Encanto is completely charming. I watched it myself and am not at all ashamed that I didn’t use my child as an excuse. (Disney+)
- I did a terrible job prepping for the Oscars but intend to work my way through the noms, especially CODA which was on my list long before the awards (Apple TV+)
- Ali Wong: Don Wong is another great comedy special by (Netflix)
- TV:
- Selena + Chef: Watching Selena Gomez learn how to cook from some of the best chefs in the country is better than your average cooking show, I think because the rotating chefs keeps things fresh (Netflix)
- Righteous Gemstones: This is quite possibly my favorite new [to me] show. This farce about the family behind a South Carolina megachurch is absolutely laugh-out-loud hilarious. (HBO Max)
- Harlem: This is what Sex And The City aimed to be. You very clearly have Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda characters, but in this show they’re not such caricatures so you actually believe they’d be friends. Instead of rewatching SATC, put this on instead. (Amazon Prime)
- And Just Like That…: Since we’re talking about SATC, I have to talk about the iconic show’s next chapter. It’s still so over the top and unrealistic with so many things that had me growling in frustration (Miranda not listening to podcasts when she’d be the only one who’d listen, Carrie’s CGI apartment, the whole Che Diaz character…), but I still watched all of it and somehow kinda enjoyed it? (HBO Max)
- The Gilded Age: Julian Fellowes is back with another period piece, this time tackling the Gilded Age era of industrialization and wealth in New York City. If Downton Abbey showed us the upstairs vs. downstairs, this shows us new money vs. old money. It might be a hot take, but I prefer this show, likely because I love seeing real people and places depicted. To take your viewing to another level, check out @keithyorkcity‘s episode-by-episode highlights. (HBO Max)
- How I Met Your Father: This cheesy show is a good one if you want something mindless with a laugh track. There are some cute callbacks if you were a fan of the original HIMYM. (Hulu)
- The Sex Lives of College Girls: I graduated in 2007 but I still absolutely loved this show about 4 college roommates coming of age in hilarious fashion. Another gem from Queen Mindy Kaling. (HBO Max)
- Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness: As a fan of the podcast, I loved watching the tv adaptation that has Queer Eye’s JVN quirkily delving into random topics like skyscrapers. I was impressed by how well this translated to the screen from an audio-only format. (Netflix)
- Inventing Anna: A few years ago Anna Delvey scammed NYC, claiming to be a German heiress to infiltrate the social scene and swindle their money. It’s a real life con in the age of Instagram that seems to wild to be true. (Netflix)
- Podcasts:
- icymi: This show has everything I love about topical pop culture references but zeros in on internet culture.
- It’s a Wonderful Lie: Maybe bookmark this one for 7 or 8 months from now when the holiday cards start pouring in. This show imagines the truth written between the lines of those holiday newsletters you receive from your aunts and frenemies.
- America’s Girls: The 50 year history of the iconic Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders with stories from the girls themselves
- After 1954: It’s been nearly 70 years since Brown v. Board of Education set to establish an integrated school system, but a major side effect is still felt to this day. In the wake of the court’s decision, tens of thousands of Black teachers in the South were fired, resulting in a disconnect between faculty and students. This 5-part series examines the impact on Black students and will hopefully inspire change.
Peaches to Apples 