Indulging in Autumn

I love love the fall. Not as much as winter but the beginning of the cold is always welcome. I celebrate this time of year by drinking maple oat milk (pictured), walking in the fall foliage, watching Gilmore Girls and switching out all my summer dresses for cozy sweaters. The only thing I truly hate is that it’s also allergy season. And that some misogynist scientists plated only male trees to make us suffer.

Visiting my old neighborhood

I used to live in Greenpoint what seems like forever ago and going back for a visit was both heartwarming and a little sad because almost nothing looks the same. The place in this picture was a mom and pop diner that had already closed when I was living there but still looks to be untouched by gentrification. New York is an ever-changing place which is really a blessing and a curse for those who grew up here.

Dance dance dance

For my one physical activity this month, I went out dancing with friends - a lot. I forgot how much fun I used to have letting loose and jumping around with friends and random people enjoying the same music as me. The collective experience is something to be celebrated when it can be!

Bloomsday by Steven Dietz

In this super meta play, an American in Dublin comes back to the moment he regrets the most of his life to try to convince his younger self to follow his heart and not make the mistake he did. The woman he missed is doing the same and each of these versions interact with each other. It’s a classic case of the right person at the wrong time and leaving too much up to fate. A beautiful lesson in following your heart when it matters most.

Beautiful Child by Nicky Silver

Well, I called it last time and here we are. Nicky Silver is back at it again with Beautiful Child, a play about pedophilia. Somehow, it is funny and touching and wild while still treating the subject with the respect it deserves. I highly highly recommend everyone read it because it is almost biblical in its conflict resolution while maintaining its humor.

Breath Boom by Kia Corthron

This play jumps through the early life of a young girl, then woman who is growing up leading a girl gang in the Bronx. We follow her through the height of her power to her downfall and multiple prison stays, and her consistent love of fireworks. This is a touching story about how the effect of time can soften even the most hardened people.

Jasper

This show was interesting to say the least. The set design was really interesting, especially the screen walls that looked solid one moment and cast shadows the next. The script itself however, was a little confusing- there was way too much exposition and the first act could have taken major cuts. It seemed like all of the climactic moments happened at the beginning of the second act which left the structure of the rest of the play to fend for itself.

Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls

I’m so glad I watched this because it was honestly so refreshing. I don’t watch a lot of reality TV but this one was well worth it. I thought I loved Lizzo before but knowing now that she created this platform for “bigger” (in this society’s norms) women and women of color to be seen and loved and respected in the way that they deserve - she’s an icon.

Intouchables

Yes I know it came out forever ago but it is a comfort movie and still stands as one of my favorite of all time. Omar Sy is ridiculously talented and this movie brings me to tears every time I watch it. (Please watch this one and not the Bryan Cranston/Kevin Hart ripoff)