This has been one of the busiest falls in recent memory, which is fine because I think things really start to taper off once the holidays are over. The cold starts setting in and you stop wanting to make plans or do things. The weather did a complete about face last week in NYC, and it suddenly got very cold so I’m realizing that even though it’s been busy busy busy, that hibernation season isn’t all that far away. Thankfully, I’ve got a big list of things to do so I won’t get bored.
PS – You can find the last Roundup here.
Activities
- Cooking/Recipes/Restaurants:
- This soup sounds like a chilled tomato bisque. Kinda like gazpacho, salmorejo feels like something I need in my life and I’m now trying to suss out the best recipe. True, we’ve definitely entered hot soup season, but dare to be different I guess.
- It’s almost Thanksgiving and my job is always the apps. It’s the only part of the menu that changes every year so I’m finalizing my dishes now. I’m most excited to try a viral charcuterie chips recipe.
- Cecci’s started doing a martini flight of 3 minis for $25 in the afternoon or $38 at dinner. Yes please.
- I must try Fonty’s Bodega aka the Indian bodega.
- I also need to get to Nishaan for the Pakistani chopped cheese.
- Other Activities:
- Sometimes it’s nice to disassociate with a craft and Craft Club has some great quirky kits.
- When you want to rage…but you also have to relieve the babysitter, there’s Matinee Social Club.
- I really want a Polo bear sweater but they’re shockingly pricey. Maybe depop?
- I’ve seen some beautiful painted taper candles, and it turns out they’re made with candle wax paint pens. This would be a great way to decorate a holiday table.
- From certain stops, you can take the Nostalgia Express subway – this may be even better (and cheaper!) than the Polar Express.
- I want to check out the sari exhibit at the New York historical society.
Content
- Books:
- Katherine McGee has done good by me with both of her previous speculative YA series (The Thousandth Floor and American Royals). I have a feeling her latest, A Queen’s Game, will also be great.
- Now that I’ve far surpassed my reading goal, I want to close out the year being more intentional with my reading. I wanted 50% of the books I read to be by BIPOC authors and 60% by women. My completed list is not as diverse as I would like, so I’m keeping that in mind every time I grab something new from my TBR for the next month and a half.
- Movies:
- Shari and Lamb Chop: This pair graced my television screen as a child, and I would love to learn more about the iconic children’s entertainer. (TBD where this documentary is currently streaming)
- Slice of Life: The American Dream. In Former Pizza Huts: People are repurposing Pizza Huts in all sorts of ways. (Prime)
- The Hollywood Complex: a documentary about the apartment complex where hopeful child actors camp out during pilot season. (Various streamers)
- The Quilters: There’s a program at a correctional facility on Missouri where inmates make personalized quilts for foster children. It’s a mini documentary and so heartwarming. (Netflix)
- Kpop Demon Hunters: Yes it’s a kids movie, but these songs are FIRE. (Netflix)
- The Wrong Paris: A cheesy romcom about a girl who goes on a Bachelor-style dating show in Paris, Texas. It was mindless fun. (Netflix)
- The Hating Game: I thought this movie adaptation about office enemies who one-up each other until they’re head over heels. I thought it was well executed and definitely underrated- it’s become a comfort movie for me. (Netflix)
- TV:
- Too Much: Messy girl moves to London for a rebound (Netflix)
- Stumble: A mockumentary about a junior college cheer squad. I haven’t started this one yet, but it’s topping my list. (Peacock)
- Love Thy Nader: Full disclosure, I used to know Brooks Nader, and that’s why I started watching this show about her and her sisters. It’s reality tv gold. (Hulu)
- Podcasts:
- What Went Wrong: When it comes to movies, even the hits can be problematic. This one covers the issues that plagued the good ones that almost didn’t get made and the bad ones that were greenlit easily.
- Camp Shame: The weight loss camp that inspired the movie Heavyweights was super dark.
- That Aged Well: Those movies that raised us? Yeaaaa looking back, some of them were garbage. (But some weren’t!) I’m loving this chat that determines which camp our nostalgic faves fall into.
- Evil Genius: This show revisits those people we saw as heroes and the ones we considered villains to decide, knowing what we do now, which they are really.
- Heidiworld: The true story of the Hollywood Madam’s rise and fall. Season 2 is the same vibe but about pornography star Jenna Jameson, and I can’t wait to start.
- IVF Distupted: The Kindbody Story: I remember seeing these gorgeous, millennial-coded fertility clinics popping up – it wasn’t that long ago. As a startup, they raised a ton of money, but in their efforts to grow quickly, they kinda ruined a lot of families.
Peaches to Apples 