nicolas cage smoking two cigarettes at the same time
I still feel like I’m going fucking CRAZY!!!!!!!!! Every day it’s felt like another weighted blanket’s been thrown at me full speed and knocks me to the ground. Have you been feeling like this, too? At least it’s finally raining here. The added constant smell of wildfire smoke over the past two weeks is only adding to my multiple blankets of stress, compressing me. Thank god we have the distraction of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve coming. Do you have any plans? It feels like the only thing that will save me are all of the new movies coming out on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Have you started decorating? Who cares anymore… Writing this used to feel fun and exciting and now it feels dumb to complain about frivolous things. Am I wrong to feel this way? Is my tea valid???
❤️🔥 Wild At Heart (1990) directed by David Lynch at the Metrograph -
Wow, this was so much fun and, honestly, one of the best movies I’ve ever seen. On Monday night, we saw Wild At Heart at the Metrographh for the first time and damn that feels like a sin to say. I think seeing it in a completely packed theater influenced me to say this is one of the best movies I’ve ever seen, but if you get it, you get it!!!
The movie is filled with insane quotable lines and laughs and even a “this is the worst movie I’ve ever seen” from a person behind us (that’s how you know you’re watching something that will change your life). I think it would only be fun if you’re watching it with a group of people and not so much a “let me throw on a movie while we eat dinner on a Wednesday” vibe, so be warned if you’ve never seen it. It has an all-star cast that feels like an Avengers: Endgame for anyone with taste. Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern are the leads and there are a bunch of Twin Peaks folks that it kinda feels like a Twin Peaks spinoff at some points. Not to mention Angelo Badalamenti!!!! It was all one big massive dream blunt rotation, and I didn’t want it to end. My favorite sequence that resembles Demi Moore’s meltdown in The Substance is Diane Ladd’s lipstick meltdown. ACTING!!!!
🥀 Adrianne Lenker at the Kings Theater in Brooklyn - On Tuesday, we saw Adrianne Lenker and had literal front-row, center seats. It was kinda awkward because we were overdressed, everyone else was in t-shirts, and it felt like we kept making awkward eye contact with her throughout the performance. I didn’t know what to do but smile, so I was either ALL lips during her set, or I was weeping and really no in between. It was really intense to be so close and I could basically see my reflection in her front gold tooth. She played a handful of new songs that felt like her most straightforward songwriting to date. One of the new songs talks about her separation from Big Thief bandmate Alexander Meek (Buck Meek), and it left me in SHAMBLESSSSSS.
🏠 Gem Home in Nolita -
Obsessed with this space. Flynn McGarry of Gem and Gem Wine just opened up a new spot in Nolita, and it honestly pisses me off how much I love it. The front area is filled with both new and vintage home goods and groceries, the middle area is a cafe, and the back has a large dining area. We went for breakfast the other day and got a round of coffee, parsnip cake, a cardamom bun, and a caraway bun. The flavors were subtle and unexpected and, overall, left me feeling really excited to come back again for lunch.
🍮 Parsnip Sticky Toffee Pudding - A complete VISION of a fall dessert!!! I got this recipe from Cafe Hailee on Tiktok and it really is one of the best desserts I’ve ever made. When it comes to sticky toffee pudding, if it’s on the menu at a restaurant, you bet your ass I’m gonna order it. I’m a slut for anything that has that rich molasses caramel/butterscotch-y flavor, and this may be my favorite iteration of it yet. This recipe is different because you bake the cake (infused with parsnips and dates), then slice and grill in a pan with butter like a grilled cheese, then top with brandy spiked toffee sauce and sour cream whipped cream. It's a total dream, and we’ve been making dents in the loaf all week.
She also has a cookbook coming out that I preordered…
🕸 Anatomy of Lies (2024) on Peacock - I am not taking recommending something on the PEACOCK app lightly because who even has a Peacock account? But if you do… PLEASE watch Anatomy of Lies. It was one of those things where the trailer started playing when I accidentally opened the app and we were immediately hooked and had to watch all three episodes in one sitting. It’s an INSANE docuseries that follows Elisabeth Finch, who was one of the top writers turned co-executive producer on Grey's Anatomy, and her deep, DEEP, D-E-E-P web of lies. It’s one of the most shocking exposés I’ve ever seen, and I really need you to watch it so we can talk about it.
🥨 Elbow Bread on the Lower East Side - A new bakery opened in the old spot where Mel The Bakery was on Canal and thank GOD it was Elbow and not another smoke shop!!!! Elbow is from some of the people behind S&P and Court Street Grocers, and they’re filling a void on Canal that’s been there since Mel moved to Hudson. I’ve gone a few times and tried mostly everything on their current menu and my favorite is the sesame bread with a big pat of butter in the middle (not pictured below). Understated excellence!!!
🦃 The Thanksgiving Menu - We’re heading up to the cabin on Sunday for Thanksgiving and hosting Karina and Miles for the week. The past couple of years writing this, I’ve included what all I plan on cooking, but I still haven’t planned the menu and I’m lowkey freaking out about it. I think the vibes are so off this year that it’ll be a “simple is best” style menu. Do you have any recipes you’re trying out this year? What are you doing for Thanksgiving? Are you going to your parents? Are you staying home? What are you wearing? Actually, who gives a fuck anymore!
🌲 The new Cypres candle from Le Labo - It’s hard to make a GOOD holiday candle with a nostalgic piney scent that doesn’t smell like you got it from Target (no shade to Target candles). I’ve been burning this candle for a month and it’s a good mix of some of my favorite scents (patchouli and wood) with just a hint of cypress tree. A new holiday essential for me this time of year.
And finally, this is me if I didn’t have this newsletter to yap about my interests -
Last week, we got an email from the building manager that a cat was caught roaming the halls of the apartment building and included a picture of him in the super’s apartment:
France has been having a hard time not being the center of attention with Ladybird moving in. They have been beefing occasionally (Francis smacks her if she gets too close), but last night when I was sitting on the couch they did this, and I almost died:
Let’s leave this on that note.
Goodnight!!!