our long regional nightmare is almost over — march is here! we’re in that sweet spot of unexpectedly perfect spring days wedged in between heinous gray ones and i am enjoying myself sometimes. here are a few good things!
1. octavia coffee shop (cobble hill)
stopped into this place on saturday to read my book (eavesdrop) and it was completely lovely. my cappuccino was great, the barista was friendly and the chocolate chip cookie hit the spot. i love a place that’s clearly full of regulars too. they have a little arts and crafts wall where you can leave a note when you visit, which is the perfect way to announce…
2. bonnie eileen sullivan
…my new niece!!! look at what a perfect little peanut she is. bonnie eileen was born on march 1st! her parents, tom and erin, are doing an amazing job and i’m counting down the days until i get to kiss her tiny little face. I LOVE YOU BONNIE!
3. the dune score
dune 2 came out last week, which called for a rewatch of the first one. i almost fainted in the theater watching it in 2021 for reasons i cannot elaborate on here, but needless to say, i couldn’t really take in the film. one thing i do remember (which was confirmed in the second viewing) is that the score HITS!!! the one where they are singing words i do not understand makes me feel like i could defeat the giant butthole worm!! hans zimmer you will always be famous!!! can’t wait to see the second movie next week (i will not be nearly passing out this time).
4. father of the bride part II
one thing i realized while waiting by my phone for news about bonnie’s arrival is that almost all of my knowledge about what happens in the lead up to a birth comes from father of the bride part II. the bag packing, the false alarms, the ambiguously eastern european man named franck driving you to the hospital… that is all my brain can conjure about the experience until i have my own child! this one and the first one are up there for my all-time favorite movies.
5. all of us strangers
WARNING!!! this movie does not pass the sunday test. i cannot emphasize enough how much you shouldn’t watch this movie on a sunday night. i’ve been dying to see it for months but i never got around to looking up what it was actually about. all i knew was that my two favorite men — andrew scott and paul mescal — were lovers in it and that was good enough for me. it’s streaming on amazon prime now, so i pressed play on sunday night and was consequently ugly sobbing — almost unable to get ahold of myself for the rest of the evening. i think i liked it? it was a little heavy handed but i appreciated the approach to the subject matter of grief and the afterlife.
6. the way this person’s husband describes love in his wedding vows
so i watched all of us strangers and then i got in bed and opened tik tok, hoping for some comedic relief. instead, i was greeted by this video, which only added fuel to the fire. it’s so beautiful!!!! listen to it and you’ll understand what i mean. “it’s just that life is long, and loving well is a thing you do, not a lottery you win.”
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7. 825: yousef (this american life)
in december, TAL aired a bonus episode that was a series of conversations between reporter chana joffe-walt and yousef hammash. yousef is a palestinian man in gaza who had been trying to move his whole family to rafah — one of the few places deemed to be a safe zone during the war. rafah is a small city of about 250,000 people, where 1.5 million people are now sheltering. israel is now bombing the area and threatening to launch a ground offensive there. this episode is an update to that bonus and it’s worth your time.
8. ‘it was never gonna be me’ by riese
my friend lexi released this song monday and it has been stuck in my head all week! it’s so catchy and fun i love it. add it to your dance party playlists!
♡good thing from a good person♡
my wonderful cousin noreen keleher is stepping up to the good things plate today with a really great rec that just may revolutionize your kitchen. neen has three adorable little girls and definitely doesn’t have time to be chopping — who among us does??? i was belly laughing reading this entry and have already placed my order for the chopper. love you, neen! here’s her good thing:
Oh heyyyyyy good things cult following- how happy are we all to be here?! Absolutely stoked. I am here to present one of my many many LIFE HACKS. We all thrive on a shortcut or know a GOOD THING when we see it, am I right Luce!?
One of the greatest wins in life is: your day to day made easier in ANY which way.
Ready for one of the best things of my 2023? Enter: veggie chopper extraordinaire. Does the thought of chopping thousands of veggies for the sake of wellness cause you mental fatigue and burnout? look no further, enter the number one necessary kitchen gadget: THIS GUY. https://a.co/d/hneI3ek
It chops, it dices, it does all the heavy work so YOU DONT HAVE TO. Need a quick mirepoix for that life invigorating soup of your dreams? Under 2 min flat. Do your tears ricochet while cutting onions? They don’t anymore. Never use a knife/cutting board again. Keep all chopped veggies prepped in the convenient container at bottom until ready to use. Also, if your swift hand ninja chop doesn’t cut it (pun intended) simply place on the floor and stand on it with your foot, works every single time.
New world unlocked? Yes. Am I too tired to chop veggies with this beloved invention? No ma’am. The world is your oyster friends, let’s hit it. (Literally)
Author’s note: I’m writing this while enjoying another good thing: a goose island Sofie beer. Another post for another day.
thanks, as always, for reading! i’m really trying to see oppenheimer before the oscars sunday. also — please submit good things to me!!! i need more features!!
xoxo