TGIF: Some Things I Like At The Moment

Hello and happy Friday, patrons! How is everyone doing today? I hope you're doing okay, and if you're not, I'm glad you're here. It's another gray day here in LA so it seems fitting to offer you some more 'things I like' aka 'things that bring me comfort and joy and ease'. Quick caveat, as with most things I do it's likely I might have repeated myself, so if there are things on this list you've seen before well then...

1. whoops!

2. I guess I'm not lying about liking it

Without further ado (because who needs more ado?! I aDON'T) let's jump in!

Fody Vegan Salad Dressing Variety Pack: I'm preeeetty sure I've mentioned Fody before, as they make great gut friendly pasta sauces/marinades/snacks/etc, but I don't know that I called our their salad dressings. Well, ring ring, we're calling out the salad dressings. Look, I'm a basic bitch, I love salads. But salad dressings usually have a ton of garlic powder or onion powder in them that disrupts the ol gas factory down south. But these dressings nix all the gut disruptors and actually taste pretty good! They're maybe not as delicious as the dressings I'm used to, but I'll happily sacrifice a teeny bit of flavor to forego a huge pain in my ass, ya know? These guys are low FODMAP certified, keto, gut & IBS friendly, and Non GMO...what an impressive resume! And with a lack of a kitchen at the moment they've been super easy to throw over a prepackaged salad for lunch. How quaint is that!

Reebok Vintage Sneakers: I was looking for simple white tennis shoes for summer (have I mentioned I'm a basic bitch yet?) and I found these over on ASOS. I was expecting them to be like all previous everyday tennis sneakers I've bought in the past, super cute but excruciating on the back of the ankle after 30 min. Turns out I was wrong! These are honestly the most comfortable tennis shoe I've ever worn. They have the softest terry cloth cushion that kisses the back of your ankles like a pair of lil pillow lips and it's fantastic. I've been wearing these coooonstantly and I've already agreed in my head that when these wear out I'm going to immediately replace them. I feel like the most comfortable tourist in these sneaks, even in my own home.

Original Stretch BIG BLANKET: I know in that image the blanket looks average size, but IT'S NOT! It's a BIG BLANKET. Look at this shit.

I told you! How stupid is that?! So stupid that it's EXCELLENT. This was a gift from Elliott for Christmas because my husband gets me. And look, it's not cheap as blankets go, but that's because it's BIG, you guys. It's ridiculously big. I love it so much. I lay on the couch every night with this thing and it swallows me up and it's magic. And I guess I'm not alone, on their website it has a 4.9 star rating and over 8k reviews. Well, damn. #nonspon but if they're looking for a spokesperson they know where to find me. Completely devoured by their product relinquishing all awareness of time and space.

MerPeople: Speaking of losing awareness, MerPeople, the new docuseries on Netflix examining the world of mermaid enthusiasts, is another great way to loosen your grip on reality! I had been recommended this series a lot and as you heard on the pod we finally dove in. lololololuhh. And we ate it up. We burned straight through it. I love watching people exploring hobbies/art/passions that they love. And this ....well....these people fucking love being mermaids. I mean, shello, they're spending thousands of dollars participating in a community and art form that gives them a sense of purpose and expression without any definitive financial gain. They're running on pure excitement and passion. I love watching that. I probably love it too because it's so similar to the early years of Youtube and the exhilarating energy that filled those early Vidcons. Before that body of water got overcrowded and polluted by industry. Fun!

Liquid Lash Extension: Pretty sure this mascara has been making the rounds on TikTok for a while now. I think I found it by scrolling past a makeup artist raving about using it on a client from Bravo's SummerHouse for their reunion look. And, if you know anything about realityTV reunion episodes, they're the knock down drag out gladiator superbowl extravaganzas of the season. So if this mascara held up for that unnecessarily intense level of theater I should probably give it a go to casually wear around my house. So I did and it's great. It gives great length, great coverage without clumping, it doesn't smear when you cry (I've tried!), and it doesn't irritate my eyes. It's got like 33k great reviews so this thing lives up to the hype. It also slides off. I know, I know, what the fuck?! It creates little tubules around your lashes that you can actually slide off at night. Trust me, I didn't believe it til I slid it myself.

BelliWelli Snack Bars: Another gut friendly treat! I found these while looking up low FODMAP snack on amazon and they're great! They're gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, & Low-FODMAP...another impressive resume! They also sponsor Willow Pill during Pride month and it's so not a cringey spon! They're even selling Hot Girls Have IBS sweatshirts and I love it...

YES! Reclaim those bowels, baybay!

Tarte Tinted Moisturizer: We're entering hot girl/sweaty person summer and that usually comes with minimizing the makeup. I bought this BB cream/tinted moisturizer from Tarte last year as a primer for my foundation (bc I like my foundation like I like my dessert, caked) and it worked great. Then I realized how great it is by itself for the hotter weather...which I think is more of the intended purpose of the product anyway. Regardless, it's like smashing the best chocolate mousse you've ever had directly onto your faceskin. It's so damn light and airy it's unbelievable. I don't know how else to describe it other than it doesn't feel like you're putting anything on. It's like a fun, weird, slightly unimpressive magic trick just for you. Big fan!

Smiley Slides: I bought these sandals from Walmart when I was down in Palm Springs after I got a pedicure and realized I didn't have any footwear that let my precious painted toesies taste the air. These are cheap, cute, suuuuper light weight, and an easy shoe to throw on when I need to scurry out front to pick up my Cheesecake Factory delivery. Not much more to say there!

Pivot Year by Brianna Wiest: You all know how much I love Brianna Wiest's writing, and her new book, Pivot Year, is no exception. I went to her book signing out here in LA and it was SO SWEET. She was ~stunning~ in person, truly so lovely inside and out. I felt incredibly fangirly-nervous and giggled through awkwardly trying to figure out what to say to her. It was a damn treat! Her new book is filled with 365 pages of daily insights/wisdoms/meditations/thought-provoking-paragraphs. And you don't have to "read" it like a traditional book, you can flip to any page in the book on any day, or you can peep at it from start to finish daily. It's up to you. I keep thinking it's a great gift idea, especially during graduation season as graduates start to embark on new chapters of their lives. But it's also great for anyone that wants to mark off a year of their life and dedicate it to self work and change. Ya know a pivot...year.

Okay, well that's all I got for you today! As always let me know what comforting things you've been into lately. I'm always open to expanding my comfort zone...comfortably. Especially with this current June gloom in LA any TV/movie/documentary recommendations would be hugely appreciated! That big ass blanket isn't going to sprawl all over the couch and watch TV by itself, ya know. Okay, off I go. Thanks, as always, for being here! Have great weekends! 💚G