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 4.29.17

I know I'm a couple weeks behind...now that I've moved, I've got to get into a new rhythm! I no longer have nearly as much time to kill on the commute, nor do I have enforced coffee shop time, ha. I'm trying to figure it out, though!

Reading: 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami. It's super weird, but really engaging-I am very very into dystopian novels and always have been, though sometimes these days they are a little too real. In fact, I really want to be reading it right now...

Listening: I finally listened to the soundtrack to Dear Evan Hansen. Beautiful and heartbreaking...my favorite! Of course, I now desperately want to see the show...maybe on my next trip to NYC I can somehow score tickets?

Watching: I haven't been watching much lately...no more cable for me! However, I can say I'm very excited to watch the Handmaid's Tale miniseries and to go see the new Guardians of the Galaxy! :)

Reading in D.C.

One of my favorite things to do when visiting any city is to hit up the local bookstore(s). D.C. certainly has no shortage-I managed to visit three and definitely have many more I need to make it to!

Unsurprisingly, many of these bookstores have a political bent. The store that is connected the restaurant/cafe Busboys and Poets makes that very clear with the name Politics and Prose. I couldn't resist getting two books for myself in addition to a gift for my dad. Mine naturally revolve around feminism-Rebecca Solnit's follow up to Men Explain Things to Me, the Mother of All Questions, and a discussion on the rise of the single woman, Rebecca Traister's All the Single Ladies. It's always reassuring to read work by and about women with similar attitudes to mine regarding marriage and children. 

Hannah is lucky enough to have an adorable used bookstore, Idle Time Books, around the corner from her apartment-and they're hiring! If I lived there, I would have applied in a heartbeat. Their cookbook and food writing section is fantastic, though I did manage to limit myself to purchasing only one book. 

On my last morning in D.C. I went to breakfast at the Potter's House, another combination coffee shop and bookstore. They are very social justice oriented, with a pay-what-you-can soup of the day and an atmosphere welcoming to those who might not have anywhere else to wait out a rainstorm. I missed out on the vegan bacon and sausage, as Monday is their produce delivery day and they make it all in-house, but the granola with Greek yogurt and latte were an excellent lighter breakfast. I could have happily purchased every book in the store, but had to hold myself back due to limited space in my "personal item" and knowing I was already very weighed down! I know I'll be returning when I visit Hannah next.

Any bookstore recommendations for my next visit?

xoxoxo

Emma

Entertainment Weekly 2.25.17

With traveling to this weekend to visit Alexa and Jack, I had to make sure I have plenty to occupy myself during the flights and layovers! You'd think there would be a direct flight from Boston to Pittsburgh but apparently not...

Reading: I'm still making my way through the Beka Cooper trilogy. I'm on the third one, though, so I'm sure by the time I return to Boston I'll be on to something else! These books tell the story of a young woman defying expectations based on gender and class to become a Dog, the early equivalent of law enforcement. The secondary (and beyond) characters are just as well-written, and there's just enough magic to be exciting without overpowering it.

Listening: I don't think I'll be making it to the concert myself, but in case any of y'all are looking for something fun in Boston Monday night: Colony House. They're a newer indie rock quartet with beautiful music and thoughtful lyrics-and some very danceable songs. They just released their second full length album and it is awesome.

Watching: Well, Dad and I tried to see Moonlight or I Am Not Your Negro last weekend-in honor of #notmypresidentsday-but there was not a single theater showing it within 45 minutes of Providence! We were pretty appalled by this, especially with the number of mainstream and alternative theaters nearby. I'm very curious about the demographics of the areas showing them vs. not. I still certainly mean to see both...perhaps before I return to Providence one night after work. We are really enjoying all of our family sitcoms: Fresh off the Boat, Black-ish, and Modern Family. 

As always , please pass on your recommendations as well!

xoxoxo
Emma

Entertainment Weekly 2.18.17

Last week's five-day weekend definitely threw me for a loop-while I loved the extra time off to be lazy and also catch up on things, I certainly got off my usual schedule. I also grew in gratitude for Overdrive's digital lending library-when I can't get out to get new books, and have a lot of time on m hands, I love that I don't have to purchase everything.

Reading: Tamora Pierce. I loved her books as a pre-teen/teen, and have so enjoyed rereading them! A lot of young adult fiction is so well-written and with such excellent and exciting ideas. I will never be embarrassed at my love for it :) Tamora Pierce in particular writes fantastic and empowering characters for all ages-the Winding Circle series is geared a little younger, while the Beka Cooper trilogy is definitely for older young adults.

Listening: Gotta give another shout out to Us the Duo. Michelle and I went to their concert on Wednesday and it was AMAZING. They are the cutest couple and so talented! They essentially set up a living room onstage and clearly had so much fun performing. Another couple got engaged during one of the songs and it was just too adorable-Carissa started crying onstage when she saw it. I couldn't actually see the couple, but it was so sweet. I also couldn't resist getting a t-shirt with lyrics from the song "Goodbye Forever"...I'm curious to see how people will react to a shirt that says "you're cool but I am cooler"!

Watching: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend season 2 is on Netflix! It is so fun and cute-and weirdly relatable in some ways. If you like rom-coms, clever/sarcastic comedy, plays on rom-com tropes, and music, you have got to watch it. Great for binge-watching over the long weekend!

xoxoxo
Emma

Entertainment Weekly 2.11.17

With these couple of snow days, I've had some extra time to catch up on my stories...dare I say I've had too much Netflix?

Reading: Maybe I'm a weirdo, but I love. love. love. cookbooks. My brother got me an autographed copy of the Flour cookbook (along with a gift card to the bakery itself) for Christmas and with my new task of celebrating my coworkers' birthdays, along with needing to do some Valentine's Day baking, I've been planning out some treats to come...

Listening: Joshua Radin recently released his latest album, The Fall and, no surprise, I love it. I've been following him ever since I was in high school, when my mom had to convince me to go with her to his concert at the Ark (on a school night!). I've been to embarrassing number of his concerts in Ann Arbor, Detroit, New York, Boston, and even Berlin when I studied abroad there. But I keep going because not only is his music fantastic but so is his stage presence and performance. Do yourself a favor and check him out. 

Watching: Dad and I saw Hidden Figures and it. was. amazing. I had been meaning to go for a while, and finally got around to it. Dad had heard of it, but was not prepared for the emotional roller coaster! It really was executed so well on every level. The tragedy, of course, being not only the lack of recognition received by these women during their work, but also the continued relevance of so much of the racial tension and commentary.

Any recommendations for next week's entertainment?

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!

How do you love yourself?

This question has been at the forefront for me since Friday. Between the inauguration and all that has followed-daily horrifying executive orders, continued reports of emotional and physical violence by those validated by our leadership's dangerous example, the individual tragedies of friends, and my own personal sadness, frustration, and exhaustion, I have to ask myself and others: how do you love yourself? When individuals and society tell you that you are not worthwhile, that you are not valued, and that they do not care-how do you convince yourself they are wrong?

I read. Anything that will help me escape from the current reality, even if it seems a little too relevant (I'm looking at you, 1984, Animal Farm, The Handmaid's Tale...). I'm lucky enough to have access to the digital library Overdrive through my library card, so I never run out of books to read-even if I don't think they are they highest quality literature. I'm also blessed in my friends-of-friends. I was at a gathering Sunday night and talking to a friend when the lovely hostess came up to me with two books. She said, "I don't know exactly what's going on, but I think you need these." They are two completely different books, but she was right. The (much) lighter read is Shit Rough Drafts by Paul Laudiero. You can read his blog here, but I recommend going ahead and ordering the book from Amazon-or even better, your local independent bookstore! 

The other is a book of poetry and prose, milk and honey by Rupi Kaur. Warning: do not read this on the commuter rail or coffee shop. You will cry in public and you will get weird looks. It is writing to savor, to read as you are swaddled in blankets drinking your favorite tea (or wine, no judgment here). Again, do yourself a favor and just purchase it here or go back to your equivalent of Literati Bookstore, one of my favorite places in Ann Arbor, MI. 

I listen to music. Whether I want to wallow, rage, or pull myself up, music can do it. This post will never end if I write about all the music I've been listening to, so I'll just name one-ok two-for each need. 

Embracing the sadness: Joshua Radin. Anyone who knows me can't be surprised by this-I've loved his music since high school and while I will always enjoy and appreciate it, his ability to speak to pain is amazing. Tristan Prettyman. Her album Cedar + Gold just has too much to relate to right now-even if the details are different, the emotions are the same. 

Fighting back: the soundtracks from Hamilton and Wicked. These may be cliche at this point, but oh well! Singing along to "Defying Gravity" and "My Shot" energize me on a personal and political level to keep going. We will win.

Simple cheer: this is when I get nostalgic. 90's pop, the a cappella music I listened to in high school, classic Disney...pure fun, and of course songs to which I can sing along.

Oh, and "No Man's Woman"...combines nostalgia (thanks mom!) and ass-kicking. :) 

The power held and imparted by art is truly amazing. There are other forms of self-care I engage in which I will come back to another time...but I never tire of finding more.
This is not a rhetorical question: how do you love yourself? Even if you don't want to share, take some time to think about it. And do it. 

You are worthy. You are loved.

xoxoxo

Emma

P.S. Don't forget to continue taking action: Rolling Stone has some ideas.