Entertainment Weekly 3.31.18

Is there anything more satisfying than beginning the month on a Sunday? Nope, just me? Ok then...

Well, regardless of that, I can't believe this is the last day of March! It's finally starting to feel like spring (though I really don't want to jinx that), Michigan is in the Final Four, and Easter is tomorrow...what a weekend!

Reading: Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie. A powerful, engaging, timely, heart-wrenching read. The author draws you in with the stories of individuals while commenting on the tragedies of the world in which we live from a range of perspectives. HIGHLY recommend.

Listening: Spotify's "Have a Great Day!" playlists has been going strong in my apartment-and on my walks. It is just so fun!

Watching: Dad and I went to see A Wrinkle in Time last week. I loved the book as a child, and still do as an adult. I'm often disappointed with movie adaptations, and of course this was far from perfect. However, it really held true to the most important parts of the book and the messages that are so meaningful for everyone, but especially the girls who can identify with Meg.

Happy Easter weekend, y'all!

xoxoxo
Emma

Entertainment Weekly 3.24.18

I'm sure you can all guess why I missed last week...and you'd be right! Michelle and I decided to actually "do" St. Patrick's Day and met up with Ace, Marco, and Alex to celebrate during the day. Alex and I both had child-related commitments Sunday morning, so we decided to ensure we ended the night early...which meant starting at an appropriate time! We had a lot of fun, and Michelle and I (along with Dad) still managed to do well and have fun at the St. Patrick's Day 5k at my work the next morning.

This week, I was very sad to miss the March for Our Lives-unfortunately, I had to work at the exact time it was taking place. I remain wildly inspired by all the young people who are working so hard to change adults who are supposed to guide and keep them safe.

Reading: Tempests and Slaughter by Tamora Pierce. I have loved her books since I was in middle school and they continue to be amazing. I love young adult novels, especially those with good representation, important messages, and excellent story telling!

Listening: all the interviews and speeches from the youth leading the March for Our Lives and the related movement.

Watching: Nothing new...just one episode left of the latest season of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. I'm so sad it's about to be over again!


xoxoxo
Emma

Entertainment Weekly 3.10.18

Lots of early mornings for me this week...the friends and family sale is happening at Athleta right now, so lots to do before we open each day!

Recent...

Reading: my friend Molly lent me Robin Sloan's Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore and I happened to check out another book by the same author, Sourdough, without realizing it! I'm still in the first, but finished the second, and am loving them. His writing style is very clever, and both books seem to acknowledge the importance of technology while still holding reverence for the "old ways" of doing things (reading/research and baking, respectively).

Listening: Burnt Toast (Food52's podcast) is back! Their first episode of the season is about food fights-a nice lighthearted contrast with so many heavier topics I deal with daily.

Watching: Aaaand Crazy Ex-Girlfriend season 3 is on Netflix! I'm trying to ration them out, but it's hard...I had originally so opposed watching this show and now love it. Check it out, especially if you love musicals/sarcasm/feminist takes.

Have a great week, everyone!

xoxoxo
Emma

Entertainment Weekly 3.3.18

One of my best friends, Jessica, is visiting this weekend! Along with Michelle, we have been having a blast eating everything in sight...and thankfully walking quite a bit to balance it out, ha.

Lately, I've been 

Reading: Seven Days of Us by Francesca Hornak. A very enjoyable yet emotional read. I definitely recommend picking it up for your next beach or cabin trip!

Listening: Nothing new, really...it's been a lot of taking advantage of the last days of my SiriusXM subscription in my car! I do love the Broadway station.

Watching: Desperate Housewives is on Hulu. All of it. So yes, I've been watching it obsessively. Oops!

Entertainment Weekly 2.24.18

Short but sweet today...

Reading: The City Baker's Guide to Country Living by Louise Miller (as recommended by Carly!). Such a fun read-I zipped through it. I also love novels that include recipes, and this has some goodies!

Listening: Brandi Carlile's new album, By the Way, I Forgive You. Gorgeous and powerful as always. I even bought it rather than just using Spotify!

Watching: I went with Dad and Michelle to see Black Panther-it was amazing. I have way more to say about it, so I really need to get a whole post about just it going, but suffice to say that you need to see it immediately. I want to go again!

Have a great rest of your weekend!

xoxoxo
Emma

Entertainment Weekly 2.10.18

As always, lots of work work work over here...I managed to do some socializing, too, the last couple of weekends which I'm totally using as an excuse for my lack of posting. Lately I've been

Reading: Alice Waters' Coming to My Senses: the Making of a Counterculture Cook. Obsessed. It's as engaging as a novel, inspiring as a cookbook (even without recipes). Even if you're not as into food culture as I am (or even at all), read it!

Listening: the Fearless Rebelle Radio podcast. I know I mentioned it before, but I just can't get over how amazing it is! This week Summer interviewed Tiana Dodson and she had some powerful words: "when I can see myself as someone of value, I can see everyone else as valuable". This was in the context of fat acceptance/activism, but 100% applies in all facets of life. LOVED IT.

Watching: Is it too embarrassing to admit I've been watching Pretty Little Liars? I needed another mindless-ish, pretty show to play in the background when I'm cooking, cleaning, etc. and it fit the bill...Highly problematic but oh so entertaining.

Finally tried Harpoon's pretzels last weekend-I've been missing out!

xoxoxo
Emma

Entertainment Weekly 1.20.18

I was really sad not to be at a Women's March today-it was such a powerful experience last year, and desperately needed after the political and my personal upheaval at the time. Alas, I had to work-and I haven't been feeling very well the last couple of days, so it may have been for the best that I didn't push myself any more than I had to.

last year's march on the common

This week, I've been

Reading: Everything We Ever Wanted by Sara Shepard. It's a heart-wrenching family story and at the same time super readable.

Listening: the (original cast recording of the) soundtrack to Les Misérables, of course! I'm super pumped that my choir is singing a medley of songs from it-it will be so hard not to sing as dramatically as possible!

Watching: I love that Black-ish now has the spinoff for the oldest daughter, Zoe, called Grown-ish. You all know my love for the prior, so it comes as no surprise I'm into the latter as well!

xoxoxo
Emma

Entertainment Weekly 1.13.18

vegan pad thai, based on recipes from Thug Kitchen and the Lunch Room

Oh boy am I looking forward to having an actual day off on Monday! I really enjoy both of my jobs, but I'm definitely missing having actual weekends...

Reading: Enchantress of Numbers by Jennifer Chiaverini. It's a story of Ada Lovelace, an amazing mathematician and the daughter of Lord Byron-and totally inspiring me to seek out an actual biography of her!

Listening: I haven't made it through the whole podcast yet, but I have a feeling I will be subscribing-Summer Innanen has an interview with Caroline Dooner, the creator of the The Fuck It Diet, on her podcast Fearless Rebelle Radio.

Watching: I would highly recommend Phantom Thread...I saw it last night and it was fantastic. While 9:30pm really was too late for me to start a movie (ha!), it was definitely worth it.

xoxoxo
Emma

Entertainment Weekly 12.30.17

I can't believe it's the last Saturday of 2017! I'm totally thrown off as to what day it is, since my main employer is closed for the week and I'm just working full time at Athleta-though of course, that doesn't translate into Monday-Friday.

Reading: I read the Princess trilogy by Jean Sasson and have mixed feelings. It's certainly fascinating, and a valid look into one person's experience, but it seems to be generalized a little too much. Just make sure you take it with a grain of salt, but it's worth a read!

Listening: Code Switch, as always, has been fantastic. 

Watching: I went with Dad & Lucas to see the new Star Wars movie, of course! We really enjoyed it, though of course Lucas and I had to pick it to pieces a bit. 

Have a very happy New Year! Stay safe, have fun, and do you :) 

xoxoxo

Emma

Entertainment Weekly 12.23.17

Just 2 more days till Christmas! I'm ready-gifts are wrapped, stocking stuffers are gathered, menu is planned...just one more day of work at Athleta until I get to head down to Providence to celebrate. Lucas flew in yesterday so we should have a pretty festive time! I've been waaaaay in the holiday spirit, so I've been 

Reading: I just finished The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo and really liked it-the end wasn't my favorite, but overall it was a really great look at complex relationships-my favorite topic!

Listening: Michael Bublé's Christmas album-I don't listen to him the rest of the year, but he's on repeat at this time!

Watching: The Santa Clause-all 3 are on Netflix right now! It's a blast from the past, as the German Club in high school watched it every year on the bus to Chicago for the Christkindlmarkt. 

xoxoxo

Emma

Entertainment Weekly 12.2.17

It's December! (Not that you didn't know that...) but now it is 100% ok to listen to Christmas music, get my decorations up, and start writing those cards...

Lately, I've been 

Reading: I just finished The Romance Reader's Guide to Life by Sharon Pywell. So good, so entertaining! 

Listening: Did I mention I love Christmas music? Pentatonix, of course, has some lovely selections and I have forced all my family to listen, ha.

Watching: I had my annual Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer viewing with Mom, Lucas, and Alvan on Monday night...ah, tradition.

Now, I'm off to a girls' night-though I have to head out early before a big day tomorrow! Plenty of rest is required for managing 8 11-13 year old girls at their first 5k race...wish me luck!

xoxoxo

Emma

Entertainment Weekly 11.18.17

I can't believe Thanksgiving is next week! I'm slightly comforted by the fact that it's early this year...but still mostly terrified that Christmas will be here so soon. However, I also cannot wait to be in NC visiting my family there, getting all the hugs, delicious food, hot baths, and puppy snuggles I have been missing.

In the meantime, I've been cooking up a storm, snuggling with Triss, and

Reading: Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy by Sheryl Sandberg. Written after the sudden death of her husband, it is a look at how to recover from such a loss and continue to live life. She doesn't advocate for "getting over it", but looks at how and why people are able to continue moving forward in their lives after this and other tragic events. Powerful and helpful.

Listening: The Dinner Party Download had their thank you episode last week-the last one will be December 1st. I've listened to it for a long time, so I'm going to have to find a new source for fun facts! The hosts have a book coming out, Brunch is Hell: How to Save the World by Throwing a Dinner Party, which of course I want to read, but I must say that I do love brunch...

Watching: The last season of The Mindy Project is here! Thanks to Mom for continuing to have Hulu Plus so I can finish a show that has been so funny and heartfelt over the years :)

xoxoxo
Emma

Entertainment Weekly 11.11.17

I feel weird saying "happy Veteran's Day!", but I must acknowledge it. We need to honor our veterans, not just with a day stating we do, but by taking care of them. The lack of quality health care services, particularly mental health services, that is easily accessible to veterans is appalling. The lack of follow up, follow through, and accountability regarding sexual assault and abuse in the military has to change. We must continue to advocate for the necessary changes in legislation to provide support and services to all veterans.

On a more cheerful note, one of my coworkers had the kids writing thank you notes to veterans the other day-apparently there were at least 10 that were addressed to veterinarians! She was baffled by all the gratitude for saving cats and dogs until she figured out the confusion...

This week, I've been

Reading: Startup by Doree Shafrir. Another fun and interesting novel-I couldn't put it down!

Listening: Thirst Aid Kit is a new podcast by Bim and Nichole...it is fantastic! While a podcast about women's attraction to men might seem trivial, it really isn't-it's fun but also necessary. It is still seen as masculine, slutty, etc. for women to openly express sexual attraction and this helps to normalize it.

Watching: I went to see Thor: Ragnarok last week with Dad, Michelle, and Georgina. I knew it would be in the style of Guardians of the Galaxy (and was a little concerned they were just hopping on the bandwagon) but oh my goodness it was hilarious! We couldn't stop laughing.

Have a great weekend!

xoxoxo
Emma

Entertainment Weekly 11.3.17

I cannot believe it's already November! I had a blast celebrating Halloween with the kids at work and with my friends on the weekend-1/3 costumes being creative is actually pretty good for me, ha! I did my classic Holly Golightly for my friend's party (I worked until an hour before it and had no energy to come up with anything else) and rocked the unicorn onesie on the actual day, but for our Halloween party at work some of us dressed up as Candyland characters, which of course I loved. Hope you all had a Halloween full of awesome costumes and your favorite candies!

I also had my one-year Bar Method anniversary on Halloween-it's hard to believe I've been there a year already. I am so grateful to have found a workout I love enough to stick with, and a lovely community to go along with it!

Reading: American War by Omar El Akkad-the story of a second Civil War taking place in the not-too-distant future. Depressing, intriguing, heartbreaking-and I couldn't put it down. A truly dystopian novel for adults.

Listening: Spotify's Top 100 Classical playlist has been keeping me company as I do the (seemingly endless) amount of paperwork and emails I have every day. I really appreciate being exposed to new pieces and renditions of ones I already know!

Watching: Black-ish just keeps being amazing. The episode this season about postpartum depression was fantastic-in all populations it is a topic that is not discussed openly enough. Amongst African-Americans, treatment for any mental health concern is not as welcome as it is in some other populations. The writers, actors, etc. did a great job of portraying the realities of both the challenges and necessity of seeking support.

xoxoxo
Emma

Entertainment Weekly 10.28.17

Happy Halloweekend! One costume down, 2 to go here...and I still don't know what I'm wearing for tonight, oops! I've been baking up a storm the last couple weeks, especially since it's finally getting cool enough to use the oven on a regular basis.

I've also been

Reading: Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson. He also has an excellent TED Talk-and I got to hear him speak at a leadership conference this spring-and I'm a little obsessed. At work people are also working with the youth to address the systems that are impacting our youth, so reading this was pretty timely. The people's stories within it are heartbreaking, but the work being done through the Equal Justice Initiative is beyond inspiring. Read it, watch it, act on it.

Listening: The podcast Code Switch's series on school systems and race is excellent. I love learning about different approaches to empowering youth to succeed!

Watching: Getting caught up on The Flash-one of my coworkers also watches all the superhero TV, so he's been giving me a hard time about being behind and not being able to talk about it with me. I'm almost there!

I've been feeling pretty determined to empower our youth lately, clearly-I hope you do the same!

xoxoxo
Emma

Entertainment Weekly 10.14.17

The first weekend in so long that I'm not traveling and don't have guests...it has been so fun but I must admit, I'm happy to have a weekend of (almost) no plans. I decided to go to Providence for the evening to hang out with Dad/avoid ruminating over (non-)relationships, and tomorrow I start at my new part-time job, but otherwise I get to just do me! More to come on the job front of course...I have a feeling it will result in a lot of Insta photos :)

favorite lazy Saturday activities: drinking coffee and baking

Reading: The Assistants by Camille Perri. I loved this book-a story of undervalued women, in underpaying jobs, fighting back in clever ways. Definitely check it out!

Listening: When I was in Nashville a couple weeks ago, I discovered that there is, in fact, some country music that I enjoy. Of course, it's closer to folk, but it still counts! Leaving Thomas is an adorable and talented duo from Canada who performed at the Bluebird when we were there...if anybody finds their song about online dating, please send it to me-I've been on the hunt!

Watching: All the Michigan football, of course! I did miss part of a game for my friend's wedding (I guess it was worth it...ha!) and it has been fun but stresssssfull. That last loss to Michigan State was painful, but hopefully we come back knowing we ned to up our game!

Have a great weekend, y'all!

xoxoxo
Emma

Entertainment Weekly 9.16.17

The kids came back this week...oh boy. It's been good to have them, but it definitely makes getting anything done a lot more challenging!

Lately, I've been

Reading: Wine All the Time by Marissa A. Ross. I would highly recommend this-it has totally inspired me to learn more about and experiment with wine! A totally accessible (and hilarious) guide that is still extremely informative.

Listening: I've been getting some shit for my choice in music lately (that I don't listen to anything new)...but I do enjoy some newer stuff! John Legend, for example, is pretty much a perfect human.

Watching: 30 Rock is going off Netflix on October 1st, so I'm finishing up my rewatch! One episode left...

Have a great last weekend of summer! Bring it on, fall...

xoxoxo
Emma

Entertainment Weekly 9.2.17

I guess it hasn't been so weekly lately...again with the traveling! Someday I'll get caught up on all those posts too...maybe on this long weekend? Though I will definitely be trying to make the most of what's left of summer as well, along with fully embracing the start of football season! Go Blue!

Reading: I was so excited to find The Admissions at the Ann Arbor Public Library-Friends of the Library book sale. I've been on the hold waitlist for it for ages, so I was totally willing to spend $2 on it. It was definitely really engaging and wrenched at my heart-I highly recommend it!

Listening: I listened to A LOT of my usual podcasts while I was driving to and from Michigan last week, as well as singing along to musicals at the top of my lungs and an audiobook. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children was actually a great one to listen to-and I am pretty picky about what I will listen to rather than read myself.

Watching: I began watching the Defenders while at camp with James, so have been working on that. I just have 2 episodes left-can't get enough of superheroes making sarcastic and witty comments!

Have a fantastic Labor Day weekend! Oh, and GO BLUE!

xoxoxo
Emma

Entertainment Weekly 8.12.17

I'm finally feeling like my schedule is getting back to normal, but the celebrating and socializing hasn't slowed down much! I was so happy to get to be a part of Dawnmarie's bachelorette last weekend, and have 2 birthday celebrations this weekend-woohoo!

Lately, I've been 

Reading: I just finished Isabel Allende's The Japanese Lover. A beautiful love story that shifts flawlessly between characters and times. 

Listening: I've been listening to the Moth podcast for a long time, but it continues to be a favorite. It never fails to make me emotional. 

Watching: I've been rewatching Galavant now with a couple different friends. It is so funny-and with the popularity of Game of Thrones, the humor feels particularly relevant.

Have a wonderful weekend, y'all!

xoxoxo
Emma

Entertainment Weekly 8.5.17

I know I've been MIA-with all my travel, and then trying to get my life in order after returning, I really let writing fall by the wayside. I'll have a bunch of travel posts coming-I'm just really struggling with motivation! I know once I get back to it, but it's like exercising. When I fall out of the habit, it is so hard to get back in it. I managed to get back to my daily Bar Method, so I know I can get back to writing too! In the meantime, I've been

Reading: I loved In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume. I wouldn't recommend it while traveling by plane (it revolves around 3 plane crashes that happened in Elizabeth, NJ in the 50s) but it is really good. I'm so glad that Judy Blume is writing for adults!

Listening: Dia Frampton's album Bruises is haunting and beautiful. Listen to it on a rainy day (like today!)

Watching: Riverdale. I had no intention of watching it, but my goodness is it engaging! A definite guilty pleasure but I would certainly recommend it.

Have a great weekend!

xoxoxo
Emma