Things I’ve loved lately

Late summer edition

Can you believe that the end of summer is almost here? We’re heading to the Minnesota State Fair this weekend, which is one of summer’s last hurrahs for my little fam jam. We’ll be tossing back cheese curds, gnawing on corn cobs dipped in melted butter, and checking out the seed art in the Arts and Crafts building. What are you doing to wring out the last bits of summer’s joy?

Here is a random assortment of things I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this past month.

1. The Boyfriend on Netflix.

Those who know me well know that one of my favorite shows is Terrace House, specifically the Opening New Doors season. The Boyfriend takes a similar conceit—a group of singles move into a house together where they live their lives and encourage each other to do their best—but switches it up a bit. Everyone on The Boyfriend is gay (or bi, but only men are in the house) and in addition to their jobs and creative pursuits, they have to work shifts on a food truck selling coffee and cookies. I love quiet shows like this, where the epitome of drama is Shun leaning his head back on the couch and tuning out a conversation or the worried glance Dai gives away when he’s trying to nonchalantly pick up a water bottle. Most of the time, you watch the men cook or eat together and listen to snippets of their conversations. The scenes are interrupted by commentators who laugh and provide context or their own opinions on the bourgening couples or perennial singletons. I love it all. I could describe it this way: The Perfect Match or Too Hot to Handle are like double cheeseburgers with a side of fries and a chocolate shake. The Circle is like an ice cream sundae with no fewer than five flavors, sprinkles and cherries for toppings, and a generous swoosh of hot fudge. The Boyfriend is a salad, crisp and fresh, perhaps with a little feta or mint thrown in there. (To be clear, I love all of these shows. And all of these foods.) I think this show could be a wonderful palate cleanser in between intense series, or as an interlude before the chilly autumn days beg for cozy shows. (Terrace House: Opening New Doors should be watched very late autumn or in the early winter months.)

2. Haagen-Dazs mini coffee almond toffee crunch ice cream bars.

I’m usually not a “mini” person, because let’s be real, mini is never enough. Regular is never enough. But when you live in a two-adult household, specifically a two-sweet tooth-adult household, the regular Haagen-Dazs ice cream bars won’t work because they come in packages of three. That’s right, you heard me, THREE. Absolutely cruel. One person always has to either sneak or brazenly take the last bar, and it honestly feels terrible to be either the taker or the takee. But with the minis, there are six! And they’re not so mini that you feel totally gipped after eating one. If you’re me, you might still require a handful of chocolate chips afterwards, but for the most part, you’ve gotten your sugar fix. And this one is so good! The coffee is light, the toffee super crunchy, and it has almonds, not peanuts, so I don’t have to worry about kissing my son (who has a peanut allergy) after eating this.

3. Very “slow tv” videos on YouTube

We try not to have too much screen time in our house, but tv can be a great tool to keep my toddler occupied while I finish making dinner or while Michael clips his fingernails. Ms. Rachel is a favorite. Bluey’s full of bangers. But increasingly we’re turning toward compilations of garbage trucks picking up trash. When I sit and watch with my son, I’m shocked at how lulled into peace I can become by the soft grind and hum of the machinery, the quiet fascination I feel comparing technologies across fleets, and how fun I have saying “hi bus” and “bye bus” every time a new garbage truck comes on the screen. So far, we’ve enjoyed compilations of garbage trucks across Minnesota and, when we get tired of seeing snow, we check out the trash collection scene on Hawaii.

We’ve also discovered the joy of “day in the life” videos of farmers in rural Vermont. Our favorite parts are watching the ducks eat their breakfast. You’ve never seen a creature so earnest and joyful as a duck eating its fill after a long night in the coop.

4. The hilarious Substack Paula Eats

The publication’s tagline is “Painfully honest frozen meal reviews” but there is nothing painful about reading these absolutely hysterical reviews of everything from Guy Fieri’s Sloppy Joe Mac & Cheese to Lean Cuisine Cauli’ Bowl Alfredo. Every time I get one of Paula’s reviews in my inbox, I screech with glee and proceed to guffaw at just about every sentence. Paula is a talented writer (her first book comes out this fall!), a super kind and fun-loving person, and her grandparents were friends with my grandparents—how adorable! Win, win, win! Everything about Paula Eats is a win. Except for maybe the Aldi Specially Selected Lobster Mac & Cheese. That was not a win. But the review of it was. Check it out here.

5. The English Understand Wool by Helen DeWitt

My late graduate thesis advisor (and writing teacher and life teacher, R.H.W. Dillard, once mentioned that the best way to go into a book is to in knowing nothing about it. He’s the one who told me to skip any Introductions or Forwards, close my eyes against any blurbs or synopses on the back cover, guard against reading even the words on the inside flaps of the dust jackets. The book will reveal itself to you in its own time and you can come up with your own thoughts and feelings about it. This is how I most love to enter the world of a book. I tell you all of this in order for it to make sense when I say next: I’m not going to say anything else about this book, other than the fact that the publisher described the imprint it appears under as publishing works that gives “the pleasure one felt as a child reading a marvelous book cover to cover in an afternoon.” Even the use of the word “marvelous” as opposed to “wonderful” or “great” or “amazing” seems to fit the vibe of this strange little novella. If you are a literary sort, you may also enjoy this work.

6. The Vulnerables by Sigrid Nunez

This was my first Sigrid Nunez and I loved it. So many allusions, so many asides and digressions, so many sly little jokes. I typically don’t go for a “pandemic” novel, but the fact that this novel takes place during the pandemic and, furthermore, that the pandemic is central to the plot (“Plot” doesn’t seem to fit in with this novel. You know I love myself a plotless novel.), didn’t seem to come to the forefront of my mind while reading this. I was so taken with the voice and sensibilities of the narrator, and the things she’d say like:

“Only when I was young did I believe that it was important to remember what happened in every novel I read. Now I know the truth: what matters is what you experience while reading, the states of feeling that the story evokes, the questions that rise to your mind, rather than the fictional events described.They should teach you this in school, but they don’t.” —Nunez

This is another book I wish I could have read with Richard, my aforementioned professor. I think we could talk about that quote and the books that made us feel for a long, long time.

7. Being able to claim Governor Tim Walz as a fellow Minnesotan, and watch him share his progressive and pragmatic policies with the rest of the country

Enough said.

---

What have you been lovin’ on lately? Tell me in the comments, pals! I hope you’re having fun, laughing often, and eating your fill of summer tomatoes!

With love from my kitchen table,

Kaia