The 📖📺🎧🔪🛍️ List

Chappell Roan v. fame, a truly hilarious new sitcom, a few great recipes, and a baby book I think may save us the first few weeks

Good Friday, miluvs. It’s a big weekend over here — tomorrow is my baby shower (!!!) that my mom and sister have been obsessing over for the last two months, and I can’t believe it’s here? And it’s for me? And my baby? I’m 😵‍💫

Friends and family have been getting into town this week with Zac’s mom and sis getting in tonight, so it’s going to be a very busy weekend, and I imagine come tomorrow evening, I will be dead to the world because I can hardly handle a normal Tuesday around here anymore what with my levels of exhaustion. But I can’t wait!

Before I dive into this week’s list, I want to expand a bit on a thought I shared yesterday via IG stories re: Chappell Roan.

Here’s what I said:

I said what I meant, and I meant what I said, but allow me to elaborate.

I LOVE Chappell. Y’all know this. In the spring, I walked in on Zac watching her tiny desk concert and about lost my damn mind. Her vocal range and general talent is awe-inspiring, and I can’t believe it took a decade for her to “get discovered” but such is life.

I’ve heard Chappell may have bipolar disorder and be neurodivergent in some way. I’m not sure if it’s been confirmed, so let’s put that aside for the sake of argument today.

I know how fucked up fame can be, especially at such a high level. I can only imagine the anxiety and pressure that comes with becoming an “overnight sensation” (I put this in quotes because Chappell has been at this for 10 years. It wasn’t overnight, so I use the term loosely). I’m well aware of how the media and paparazzi treat celebrities; “boundaries” is not in their vocabulary, literally or figuratively. Terrible things have happened with paparazzi involved (yes, I’m talking about Diana).

I’m also not gonna sit here and play the hard ass card like “TOO BAD, BABE. IT’S THE NAME OF THE GAME. BETTER GET USED TO IT.” I hardly think anyone should ever just lay down and take it, so to speak. Y’all know I’m not about that.

HOWEVER.

There is a way to deal with unwanted attention and behavior with tact and charm, and Chappell is not doing that. The way she speaks in interviews and on carpets is off-putting and just kinda downright bitchy. Y’all know I love a bitch — but a witty, charming, funny bitch. Not a little bitch, and certainly not an ungrateful one.

I understand if Chappell has anxiety — I do, too (and it’s why I’m on Prozac and Buspirone)! Getting overwhelmed easily is a thing; I experience it daily. But how you go about handling things counts for so much. If she doesn’t like how the pap or anyone else talks to her, I get it but the snapback (and on an awards red carpet, no less, AKA the pap’s turf) is too much for me. It’s giving brat but not in a cool #bratsummer way; in a “JFC I feel like I can’t say anything or she’ll be offended and snap at me so I’m just not even gonna bother” kind of way.

I don’t do demure, so that is not what I expect out of anyone. But I do expect keen tactfulness, and she lacks that. Maybe I’m just 37 and a grouchy elder Millennial, but Gen Z’s general defiance and knack for finding the offense in literally everything is grating. Like, listen girlie pop — no one said this level of success and fame was gonna be easy. You by no means have to lay down and take it, but you also can’t just pop off on red carpets either because “lots of screaming is scary.” Come on now.

Stalking and obsession and general creepiness is one thing (I’m referring to her calling out her fans for making her and her family feel unsafe as she rises to fame), but I feel she is hellbent on breaking the norm and calling out every little grievance she experiences as “disrespect,” and it’s exhausting. No one wants the reputation of being hard to work with. Or maybe she does. IDK. Maybe she has a plan in mind for how she wants this all to go and doesn’t give a flying fuck how she comes off or is perceived. That’s definitely what it feels like.

And if that’s the case, okay. We often forget that loving the artist and their art are not mutually exclusive — you can exhibit one and not the other. Chappell’s music and skillset is fucking fire, I know that much won’t change for me. But that doesn’t mean I have to cheerlead or support her red carpet clap backs. I, too, was once 26 and emotionally immature as hell. If you’re prone to emotion more than the average bear, regulating yourself can be hard work, but I do hope she tries because I just don’t think the attitude is doing anything for her.

She doesn’t have to be demure or mindful; I’d just like to see her be slightly less triggered, a little more grateful, and exercise poise over emotion.

If you read this and disagree with me and think I’m being too hard on the youth and am an irrelevant, pregnant wench, I get it. But if you don’t think those things, consider sharing with friends to get a convo going.

And now, for the Weekly List.

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WATCHING 📺

I have been following Brian Jordan Alvarez on Instagram for a while, so to see such a funny, talented guy get his own network television show is just so cool. I had “Sitting” stuck in my head for two weeks (a “hit song” he made up under one of his many characters, TJ Mack) when he dropped it a year ago on IG. He’s just so fucking hilarious, and his new sitcom, English Teacher, is too. Brian created it, writes it, and stars in it alongside his real life BFF, Stephanie Koenig. It circulates around his life as a gay English teacher in Austin, TX and brings the freshest, driest humor to today’s classrooms of America. In the first few episodes alone, he deals with a school mom’s homophobia, a kleptomaniac drag queen, and a made up disease called “Asymptomatic Tourettes.” Watch it on Hulu.

MAKING 🔪

Last weekend, I scrolled through my saved IG recipes and came across this one for Caramelized Onion and Garlic spaghetti. I made it, added perfectly grilled chicken for protein, and Zac is still talking about it. He thinks I should make it for every event ever (we have no events). It’s truly amazing, so easy, and SO FULL OF FLAVOR. FWIW, I used half and half instead of coconut milk or straight cream.

As far as cookbook recipes go, I made Brocc Your Body’s one sheet blackened salmon/broccoli/potatoes with creamy cilantro sauce from her cookbook, Seriously, So Good and it was… seriously, so good.

I also made my first recipe from Caroline Chambers’ cookbook, What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking, and it was AMAZING. Simple veggie chili that almost seemed too simple to be flavorful, but holy wow. It was absolutely delicious, especially with some shredded cheese and crushed up tortilla chips. FWIW, I used a whole jalapeño, seeds and all.

You need both of these books in your kitchen for EASY, fast, delicious recipes.

SHOPPING 🛍️

I’m not ready for this baby, but who is? Can you ever be truly ready? The thing that freaks me out the most is the first few days. You walk inside your home with a fresh new human to keep alive, and it’s like… HOW? Zac’s work colleague just had a kid and told him this book, Moms on Call, is his and his wife’s bible and has been invaluable, so I got it and OMG? It’s written by two pediatric nurses who spent 20 years answering 2am calls from worried parents, and it’s so incredibly specific and granular. It’s like “Days 0-7, days 7-14” etc. Just browsing it, I already know I’m going to be walking around with it in my pocket. Check it out if you’re expecting or know someone who is.

I never thought I’d buy anything from Gwyneth or her GOOP line, but here we are, the proud new owners of these amazing living room chairs from CB2 x GOOP. We sat in them a few weeks ago and couldn’t believe how comfortable they were, so we waited to order them over Labor Day with a 15% off discount code. We also waived the $279 shipping fee since we live literally down the street and Zac has a truck, so it was a huge win across the board. We love the swivel aspect (especially for watching TV while rocking the baby), and they look great in our new setup.

Ya girl got a few non-maternity dresses from Amazon she think you’d like. The first is this linen one I shared on stories this past weekend. It has pockets, has a cute little bow in the back, and is tent-like and shapeless in the best way.

I also got this number from The Drop, and it’s so0o0o0o0o cute! It comes in so many colors, but it’s also $60, so I think I’m gonna wait to get a second color when I’m PP and can get my “regular” size.

I need to shout out this cute shower curtain one more time in case you missed it or misplaced the link I shared on stories last week. We needed to update our guest bath curtain, and I love what we got at Target. The small, dotted horizontal lines are a perfect, subtle pattern that bring some life to it without it being over-the-top. Plus, it’s $25 and machine washable! What’s not to love?

❤️ If you liked or loved this letter, hit that little heart at the bottom to show some love. A little love goes a looooong way around here ❤️

Have a great weekend, and we’ll chat next week!

EGM