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 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 1.13.18

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 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 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 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 5.20.17

What a week it has been. I was so very ready for the weekend to be here...and thankfully it is living up to my hopes. Barre, cooking (including roasted rhubarb, my fave!), Mindy Project, plans to hang out with friends...in the meantime I am

Reading: The Singles Game. It was a fun, easy read-but still had me emotionally invested in the characters. Definitely recommend it!

Listening: Racist Sandwich. A hilarious, irreverent, important podcast that explores politics through food. Start listening now!

Watching: The Mindy Project. Since Mom got Hulu Plus in order to watch The Handmaid's Tale, I've also been rewatching all of the Mindy Project. Total comfort TV.

Have a great weekend, y'all!

xoxoxo
Emma

Entertainment Weekly 4.8.17

Three weeks in a row whaaat? To be fair, there's a good chance this won't be happening next week...I'm finally moving to Boston! Dreading the move part, excited about the living in Somerville part...more to come for sure!

Reading: I'm cheating and posting about what I'm excited to start reading: The Mother of All Things by Rebecca Solnit. I loved Men Explain Things to Me, so when I came across this follow up I had to purchase it immediately.

Listening: I gave in and started listening to Pod Save America. I get rather overwhelmed with the news and absolutely hate watching it, though I will watch shows like Last Week Tonight and Full Frontal with Samantha Bee. This podcast is produced by four former Obama aides who do a great job of breaking down what is actually happening.

Watching: I finally saw Get Out! I have been meaning to forever-despite absolutely never watching horror movies. It's really more of a social commentary playing on horror movie tropes-and there are already numerous reviews and reflections on it better than I could write. Suffice to say, you should see it, read articles like this one about it, and listen to the interviews with Jordan Peele. Absolute brilliance.

Now I have got to get outside and enjoy this beautiful day...it finally feels like spring!

xoxoxo
Emma

Entertainment Weekly 2.4.17

So I'm really going to try to do this weekly-I might need y'all to help keep me on track to have it up Saturday mornings! I didn't even manage it today...but at least I'm making it not the right day, ha. Just a regular post about what I've been reading, listening to, watching...I don't know about you, but I'm always looking for more, especially books. I tend to read really fast, and I take the commuter train daily, so I require a lot of solo entertainment.

(and caffeine)

Reading: I finally finally finally am reading Jenny Lawson's second book, Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things. She is brilliant and honest and a little alarming at times, all in the best way. She has struggled with anxiety, depression, and other mental health challenges throughout her life, and writes about this in a relatable and funny way, without trivializing it. This can be a difficult balance to strike, but it is consistent throughout all of her writing. She also has many hilarious anecdotes relating to such topics as taxidermy and the frustrations of women's clothing (where are the pockets??). As always, I linked to Amazon, but please check out and support your local bookstore if possible. You can also check out her blog-it's fantastic.

Listening: One of my favorite podcasts is back with new episodes: You Must Remember This. The tag line for it is "the lost and forgotten stories of Hollywood's first century". With each season, the creator has identified a theme, from the McCarthy era blacklists to this season's "Dead Blondes", the stories of actresses known in large part as beautiful blondes, who died in tragic ways. The first story this week was of Peg Entwistle, a stage and film actress whose death you may be more familiar with than her work.

Watching: Dad and I watch pretty much all the superhero TV shows. Supergirl was originally something of a hard sell for me, as many of the promos had framed it as far too much of a rom-com, with the perfect-except-for-being-clumsy female lead. Over time, though, it has done some awesome things, most recently the relationship between Kara's sister, Alex and the detective, Maggie. However as we watched Monday's episode and heard them call the female villain, Livewire, a "nasty woman" I couldn't help but be taken aback. This was said by the true "bad guy" of the episode, so I'm unsure of what their intent was but I cannot believe it was an accident. Melissa Benoit participated in the women's March with a brilliant sign, so there is no way that slipped past her either. I'm choosing to believe it was commentary on the complexity of our political figures, as Livewire had, in fact, been kidnapped and her powers were used against her will.

Any recommendations for commute entertainment? I am flying through Furiously Happy, so am definitely going to need another book soon!

xoxoxo
Emma

P.S. There's always more to do-even if it's just supporting J.K. Rowling in her brilliant fight against internet trolls!