Fun Things

It’s been a while since we talked entertainment, and while we’re coming up on an entire year of quarantine, it feels more important than ever. Let’s go.

• Fruit Pizza – I made a version of this heart-shaped fruit pizza for a virtual Galentine’s Day celebration last month and it was dangerously good. I used premade sugar cookie dough, topped it with CocoWhip (it tastes just like whipped cream but dairy-free), and decorated with red/pink fruit. J and I ate it all in two days. Woops!
• Insecure – If you don’t have HBO Go/Max/whatever they’re calling it these days, I highly recommend. Issa Rae created and stars in this hilarious, raunchy comedy that’s like a funnier, less whiny version of Girls. It takes place in LA and addresses the real stuff, like friendship breakups, off-and-on relationships, trying to figure out career stuff, racism, and life in your late 20s/early 30s. Plus, it all started with Issa Rae’s “Awkward Black Girl” sketch on YouTube, and I love a self-made badass.
• Severance by Ling Ma – This apocalyptic novel was eerily relevant in 2020 as it chronicles a global pandemic and follows Candace Chen, a first-generation American woman’s experience being one of the very few people left unaffected by Shen Fever in NYC. She joins a group of survivors and things get weird. Would *love* to discuss the ending if anyone else reads it!
• TikTok food trends – Just like everyone else, I’m constantly scrolling and laugh-crying at TikTok these days. At this point, I find it far superior to Instagram. But lately I’ve decided I want to try allll the food/cooking/beverage hacks I can find. So far I’ve tried the Baked Feta Pasta (phenomenal), the Tortilla Wrap Hack (I’ll prob never try to wrap a burrito again), and the Whipped Iced Coffee (meh). I ordered this water-flavoring bottle, so TBD on that, and let’s be real, I’ll prob order the famous TikTok leggings in my sleep here pretty soon.
• Coffee Shop Ambience – Does anyone else miss working from coffee shops? I used to work from home on Fridays, so I’d go to cute coffee shops around my neighborhood to get work done. Lately I’ve been streaming coffee shop ambience YouTube videos in my living room to fill the void. It sounds sad, but it’s actually pretty relaxing and the plus side is I don’t have to ask anyone to watch my laptop when I get up to pee.
• New gratitude journal – I’ve been pretty inconsistent lately, but when I take the time to write down the things I’m grateful for in the morning, it tends to make a pretty big difference in my mood throughout the day. This new one from Ban.do takes it a step further and prompts you to write down your goals, people you admire, why you’re proud of yourself, etc. It’s pretty great.
• Starbucks Impossible Breakfast Sandwich – I know this has been around for a minute, but we haven’t discussed and it is WORTH discussing. It is the best vegetarian breakfast sandwich I have ever had. I haven’t eaten cow or pig products in quite some time now, so I may be a little removed from the full carnivores out there, but even without cheese this sammie is delectable. The Dunkin Donuts one uses Beyond meat and while I appreciate the effort (and still order it fairly often) it just can’t compare. I’m Team Impossible all the way. I heard McDonald’s is going to serve Beyond Meat soon. They really shouldn’t have let BK beat them with the Impossible Whopper. I’m not usually a fast food gal, but with limited veg options on the go, I gotta say BK has been a lifesaver on the road this year. Never thought I’d say that.
• Ben & Jerry’s Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Chunks – Speaking of vegan alternatives, these things are DANGEROUS. They do not taste dairy free and they are not easy to stop eating once you start. You have been warned.

There you have it, now you know that my quarantine consists of a lot of TikTok, HBO, and taste-testing vegan foods. Oh, and one epic bachelorette party, but we’ll get to that later 😉

What’s been keeping you sane in 2020: The Sequel?