- What I’m Watching: Ted Lasso – Ted Lasso is, without a doubt, my favorite show streaming right now. I rank it right up there with my all-time favorite Gilmore Girls – it is that good. If you are unfamiliar with the show, Ted Lasso follows an American college football coach (Ted Lasso played by Jason Sudeikis) who is hired to coach English Premiere League Football (soccer) team, AFC Richmond, despite having no experience coaching soccer. It is a classic fish out of water story following Ted as he not only learns to adapt to the game of soccer, but also to life in London. I don’t want to spoil the show by giving away any of the plot, but I can tell you that the characters are all extremely well developed and those that seem fairly two-dimensional in the first few episodes, quickly become much more nuanced and complex. Fair warning: The language is ROUGH, so you definitely don’t want the littles in the room when you are watching. I could watch every single episode on repeat. As the character Trent Crim wrote in his article for the Independent in Season 1, “If the Lasso way is wrong, it’s hard to imagine being right.” And if you have been watching Ted Lasso, check out this Nerdist article: Ranking Ted Lasso Boyfriends from Worst to Best. It’s pretty spot on (but be aware that there are spoilers if you haven’t finished season 1).
- What I’m Reading: Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman – Everyone in our family is a huge Marvel fan, so of course, we’ve seen all of the Thor movies and watched all of the Loki series on Disney+. I took a lot of Mythology classes in college and while I knew a bit about Norse mythology, my classes typically focused on Greek and Roman mythology. In Norse Mythology, Neil Gaiman presents a modern day retelling of Norse myths. I have had a wonderful time getting lost in the tales of Thor, Loki and Odin. While quite different from their Marvel depictions, the gods of Asgard are no less interesting. I’m about ¾ of the way through and I’m so sad that it has to end! If you’re more of an audiobook listener, you can listen to the audiobook read by the author. Right now I’m contemplating which of Gaiman’s books to read next.
- What I’m Listening to in the Car: Pollyanna by Green Day – We have been gearing up for the Hella Mega Tour (coming to LA next week!) by listening to a lot of Fall Out Boy, Weezer and Green Day. Pollyanna is the latest single by Green Day and it is everything I needed from music in 2021. News headlines have been heavy lately, to say the least, and it can feel like the world is crashing down all around us. The song’s upbeat tempo and encouraging lyrics are perfect for a day that feels like everything is spinning out of control. Just like the song says, “Don’t let ’em get you down/ Don’t let ’em push you around/ We’re gonna take back the night/Everything’s gonna be alright.”
- What I’m Craving: Jelly Belly Scottie Dogs Red Licorice– When my boys were in fourth grade, they each took a trip with their school to San Francisco and Sacramento. While I didn’t go on the trips with them (David did though), I loved hearing all about their adventures. One of their favorite stops was their tour of the Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield, California. I’ve always known that I liked Jelly Belly jelly beans, but I’ve only recently discovered Scotty Dogs and I think they are my new favorite candy! Seriously, they are so good AND they are gluten-free! If you’re a red licorice fan, these are sure to impress.
- What I’m Wearing: This dress is one of my current favorites. I have it in two colors and it is so incredibly comfortable. It washes well, it’s comfortable enough to wear at an amusement park all day (I wore it at Disney’s California Adventure), and (my favorite part) it has POCKETS!
I hope you have a wonderful weekend! Cheers!