#it’s a whole different vibe watching it as an adult lemme tell ya

[generalgemini-booknerd]

In my ongoing quest to avoid the news and the pending doomsday prophesies, I’ve been streaming shows online. Some that I’ve watched before, like “Leverage” and some that I haven’t before, like “Fringe” and “The Affair” (those last two all for my love of Joshua Jackson, obvs)

Tonight I started re-watching “Dawson’s Creek”

The angst! The drama! The music! Also, I’d forgotten how much of an instigator Pacey was with the whole torrid affair with Tamara Jacobs (that’s Ms. Jacobs, English Lit teacher to anyone NOT Pacey Witter”

So much nostalgia. And I think the start of a kickass new playlist..

[clandestine-j]

GOSSIP GIRL, EP. 5 REACTION & REVIEW

alright

this episode was pretty good, i'm here for this vibe if they continue with it. lots of shit happened, i have feelings about it so lets go!

(this episode also helped me discover i really am a horrible person lol)

ADULTS:

NICK X KATE: Nope! Full stop, don't want it. Bitch you nasty for being friendly with him while posting about his daughter. Nick x Davis is the true otp.

JORDAN & CO: JAIL. Plain and simple, ya'll enjoying this too much. Jail. Please. I beg. Ya'll are sick. A gun in a school and you're Bruce Wayne? Bitch.

KATE: As stated above and addition, I started to be cool with you. You still have to go jail but after serving time, I might be cool with you afterwards. Then you flip flop again went back to doing the worst. Limiting the comments doesn't help. Raggedy.

RAFA: PRISON. And let me tell you, my boy, Aki, he got Fox News in the back of his pocket so, step the fuck back. That's why Max figured yo ass out. GO TO PRISON. PRISON. And he tried to play him for a fool at the end. Prison isn't enough, vanish.

KIKI: SIS! You gotta get it together for your daughter. She can't be the more but, I feel you. Do better, be better. It's not as easy as just saying it but if you have family you can rely on, start to rely. You're daughter her habits from you.

OUR KIDS:

JULIEN: BIG SISTER ENGERY THIS EPISODE. I'M LOVING IT AND LOVING IT. I think she can stop trying a bit now and but I'm here for the connection, I'm here for it all. Quick thinker, knew the circle wasn't tight. She wasn't really there for Audrey but she has been, I think she just got caught up. Since Zoya moved there, they haven't had the chance to just be sisters, to just love each other without any drama. They have not only the past month to make up for but years and she wants to do right by Zoya. I'm glad she realized at the end that, she needed to be there for Audrey but I'm not upset because I get it. I also LOVE that she finally, stood up to Monet and say and get wit it or get it out. Boom. I've been waiting.

OBIE: I wanna ride hard for you because people keep talking about your hair line. I think you need to learn that relationships will have ups and downs and it won't be perfect all of the time. I feel like Obie is chasing perfection, no fights, no problems, just coasting and it won't happen, it'll never happen. Do better. That being said, I'm glad we got something from Obie. I'm glad we got to see him being the Prince of New York. It's hella shady that you didn't just come out with the truth and you wanted to do a song and dance but Obie is doing more and using that name so yes, give me character stuff.

MONET: BYE. No, but really. Amazing one liners as always. I liked the little fight with Julien, I felt a bit of distress, I'm into it. While I did expect her to cross Julien, I didn't expect her to cross Luna and all her hard work, that was dirty but you moving the story and shit so what can I say? I don't think Monet will go for the crown but I could see her finding someone to prop up. I want more of her parents, maybe she has a very bad relationship with her mom? Also, sis, Julien is right, you can't keep jumping clients when they want to change and do up their image. No sis, no. (And you almost tanked Julien's career soooooooooooo)

AUDREY: SIS U WERE SINKING. Okay, so Audrey isn't a character I feel that connected too. She's bitchy, a little less than Lunet but still. So, I have a hard time caring but objectively, you should break up with Aki. You know him by now and maybe it's comfort or you really want to have something. It's okay, break up with him because he's a friend and not the boyfriend you need. You want someone who will let you vent, not solve. Not see. Go live with Julien. The fight with your mom is understandable (And realize that forcing people on her won't work.) because you shouldn't have to be the back bone of the family. The dad line was a low blow, the airport thing was a low blow but you're a teenage girl and what can I say? Nothing, just don't become the woman you hate even though parents are the models. That being said, if I had seen her interacting with her dad more, the line wouldn't have been as low. But I can't tell that he loves her, we don't even get a phone conversation. Do better writers. And I think at the party, she got a chance to see how her mom felt. I don't know what happened to move but I think it has something to do with her meds. Audrey, be a boss. Break up, tell him that ya'll are better as friends because it won't go has bad as you think it will. Move in with Julien (I just want to see it happen.)

ZOYA: I don't even have much to say. My sis was popping off this episode. I got sass, I got questioning her relationship with Obie. Yes, talk about how you feel about him with the girls and go girl stuff. I really felt her when she said she wanted her own friend, writers please give her, her own friends. PLEASE. I'M BEGGING. Simon, you dirty dog. I'm glad Obie got it out but he could've said something to her. I'm sick. I'm more upset that he wasn't a new friend or a love interest. Just ugh. But I liked Zoya this episode, she could worry about normal teenage stuff for the most part without having to worry about being attacked by Monet and Luna.

LUNA: MY GOOD SIS. Just like I didn't expect Monet to turn on her, I didn't expect her to not stand by Monet. I know she was enjoying the Zoya vibe and thought it was cute, she was becoming a bit more friendly sure but I wow, yas. Go off girl. I want to see more of fashion stylist Luna, a Luna sponsored fashion show where Aki models and drama happens? I'd be here for it, I am here for it.

MAX: I was ready to box. Listen. I was ready to fight this point as much as I felt for him. So, the feeling for him. He honestly, believes that Rafa is good for him. And he was catching feelings? He thought Rafa needed him in his life because he had no family, he also has no family in a sense to him at least. So, he's really caught up in this man. And I feel so bad that he said he's sober when he's with him or something along those lines. That's heartbreaking. I'm glad that talk in the end pulled him out of it, I'm glad he realized that he had a hand to play in his friends not wanting to be around him or deal with him. I'm glad he followed them and was in on the hug. Wonderful. Now my dude, you do not deserve Aki, not as a romantic partner or a friend. My boy was seriously worried, and you blew down on him WHILE using a nickname for his nickname....sick. I was ready to throw hands, like. My spirit was not right. That was so low. I keep seeing people say that because Max wasn't in a relationship, Audrey shouldn't feel some type of way and Aki is just letting his hurt roll off because he's worried but while you didn't have a duty in the relationship, you had a duty as a friend, to both of them. You ghost for a week and say nothing, no talking about the blow up or the outing and you running with this little stanky thing, you try to ease back into the group, no. And you still don't deserve Aki's time. Like. My dude did not hit you up after the kiss, he was not checking for you on that dating app, he was interested in other mens, you sat between the couple. Okay. He had been checking on you from jump. Just no. I'm sick of the shit. Never step to my boy like that again.

AKI: MY boy. Lemme get this out the way. You need to listen, not solve or give perspective. Like, she doesn't need it. I get your friends in danger but express how serious you think this is to her. I get that a long-distance relationship might not bother you and you think things will work out because there are bigger problems but talk to her. Re-assure her. Or break up with her her. As I said before, ya'll will not hate each other if you break up. And learn to just, even, pretend or something but you struggle in this aspect. Do better. That being said, Aki, episode MVP. He said, something is off, take him down. My perfect himbo man, said not my watch. And listen, you can't be as pushy because people don't respond but I'm glad you were on it. You knew. You said, I'mma run up on this man and you did. Yes. That being said, stand up for yourself, this boy does not deserve your energy. I get it. You might have a crush, this is bestie but bestie has not been treating you right for a while. And this was a new love. You're too loving, let some of that going at Rafa energy pop out around the friend group. But you a king and you care so much, just re-focus for now. Find you a cute lil thang and make the boy jelly. I need this resolved before I can accept anything canon, fanfics is where I'll be. But overall, Aki was making moves, you gotta learn something from the right wing media mogul.

GROUP: I finally feel like I talk about them as a whole. I wish they would've shown the others being upset by Max's ghosting because ya'll acting lowkey outta pocket and I didn't see anyone but Audrey and Aki check for this boy. Like, do you really care? But he fit into the group hug at the end. I know Monet saw a rising star in Zoya at the bar place, you make this a powerful DUO. YOU KNOW YOU WERE FEELING HER. Luna and Monet roll their eyes Audrey but ya'll bet not play like the three of ya'll don't enjoy gossip, fashion, talking about people and lowkey making fun of Zoya's newbie-ness together. Honestly, I'm happy we got more group interactions and little moments, I can start to kind of see how they were friends for a while even if all of them aren't close.

Random Thoughts:

how was your son missing for two weeks on and off and there isn't more panic, you different but oh no heartbreak

aki is so loving towards everyone's parents, i love it

i also love that he assumed max was with aki

audrey as the child as it worse but her kiki's acting makes me feel for her more lol

the two girls were a bit of fun, i'd like to see monet take them down or build them up for fun

"i'm chuck bass" + the lil pull was great

i feel like max was already thinking about them becoming more when he mentioned audrey pushing him out but i'll take crumbs so he was probs just thinking about sex or the group as a whole

kate get out of nick's life, nick keep her out

zoya stop talking to that woman

jordan eww no, you can have kate

i'll ship obie and aki to get aki with someone that likes him and loves him, they talk, they have do something, i'll take it, whatever

i want throuple and i want akimax but not like this, i can't take the threesome scene unless max say's sorry and aki ducks him for half the episode if it's not that, i don't want it

maybe it's the start of a dream and it ends

(i do really want the ship but i don't trust the writers or the characters)

SIMON, I WAS ROOTING FOR YOU

who or what was max suppose to be?

why am i getting teachers and not family, i've seen jordan just one too many times

rafa prison

obie had shit to do this episode, use the money, i wanna see it

when will a student or random party gain control of gossip girl, give me that

rafa prison

i also think i’m a horrible person because i care more about stopping rafa than audrey’s home life so i was rooting for aki

overall, solid episode, maybe the footing has been found? i'm here for it and ep 6 looks like it's about to pop off

[abiteofnat]

TRENDY MY ASS, THIS WAS JUST PURE DELICIOUS... 

Because now that avocado toast is a must-have at every brunch, healthy restaurant, and cafe that incorporates natural lighting and yellow accents it is a competition of who has the best one. Sometimes avocado toast tastes like bread with unseasoned guacamole on top, and sometimes it’s so full of flavor and texture you can’t understand how God put it on our green earth to enjoy. 

As I watch Moulin Rogue and go through all the photos from my ten days in New York (both upstate and in the Big Apple) I’m amazed by the amount of ground covered and food eaten. I mean we like food, but we were in Syracuse for literally 12 hours and managed to do a whole Food Network season of Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives in that time. My family began our East Coast Adventure with a crack-o-dawn flight to Syracuse on a Friday, creating a deep rooted need-not-want for a giant iced mocha and a thicc everything bagel with veggie cream cheese from The Great American Bagel in the B concourse of O’Hare. While I am a morning person, I also wake up so intensely hungry for hard carbs and pure fat that in order to remain calm on a small plane catapulting through the open sky I had to enter a carb coma and that bagel surreeee did it! If you’ve never had Great American Bagel, hold your hand out right in front of your face this moment. Now picture a bagel that fills up your entire hand finger tip to finger tip that smells like bread right out of the oven and filled with what I think is the BEST cream cheese ever. For airport food, it is the Beyonce of airport food. I went there. 

Once in Syracuse we realized there is absolutely nothing to do there BUT EAT, as we had from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. to amuse ourselves before seeing my sister’s “summer college” theater performance she had spent three weeks there working on. After walking around the cute but sparse downtown of this old salt mine city, we found Original Grain, a cute & healthy eatery on the corner of the most picturesque section in town. It’s a warm, inviting spot filled with painted white wood accents, blue and yellow chairs around tall tables, and a ceiling covered in ivy and flowers. It feels a bit like a grotto, or somewhere that you would find in Hawaii while cruising around. There are two counters of morning food and afternoon food options, with the morning side offering different variations of avocado toast and a ton of smoothies/ energy drinks blended up right there. The afternoon side offers salads, poke bowls, and wraps for your lunch break pleasures and lemme tell you everything was so colorful and “crunchy” looking that I was nearly temped to eat a poke bowl at 11 a.m.. Too early for raw fish in my book though, also I was still very full of bagel. Mom and Dad ordered two different avocado toasts though, the Smashed Avocado and the Egg Man (minus the meats). 

The “smashed” had red pepper flakes, scallions, very crisp ripe tomatoes, and then a carrot & cumin dressing that I want to put on EVERYTHING. This dressing was such a weird freakin flavor; a mix of savory and spicy and rich and light all at once. It had a slight Asian flair to it, same with the ponzu sauce on the other option- it was sweet but given the saltiness of the soft-boiled egg placed on top it created a full mouth of flavor. I’ve never had an egg soft boiled like that where the outside was firm but the inside creamy as if a deviled egg had been reconnected at the seam and holy crap I have to get over my fear of eggs and learn how to make it!!! Also that would require a water boiling pot which requires a stove which neither I own. 

I also got a smoothie, the likes of which I had never had because it was full of chia seeds and berries and witchcraft instead of a brown banana and some almond milk such as I am used to making myself. I cannot recall what it was called but order any smoothie and I promise you will be full of nutrients and vitality when it’s gone. 

After OG Grain we went for a drive to small town America part of Syracuse near the river filled with family-owned ice cream shops and little places for travelers such as us to stop in and enjoy their road-trip vibes, which Regional Donut Authority served up perfectly! My mom, the queen of donut hankerings, found the one kooky donut place in the twenty mile radius and I fell in LOVE with the whole damn thing. The outside is like a vintage teen television show set and the inside takes you back to the 50′s, where you can picture teens sharing a donut before Jenny has to be home by 9, and there are old posters with witty sayings strewn about. There’s something about old Coca Cola merch that hits my nostalgia button even though I’m a 90′s kid, and the table and chair sets inside were all clad in Coca Cola logos which made it a stellar spot anyway- but then the DONUTS.

Each handmade from start to finish, decorated by some sweet young adult behind the counter, and in a cute lil display case with a million options to choose from. I went with the s’mores and also a Fruity Pebbles once because I have no self restraint from anything that will make a dynamic photo and also taste AMAZING and ya know what? For $2 a pop I think I could swing it. 

This S’MORES DONUT WAS JUST FREAKING CRAZY. The cake was moist and not greasy or heavy, the marshmallow fluffy like a Hostess cupcake filling, and the graham cracker slightly chewy from the August heat and entirely melt in your mouth. The frosting on both was perfect; not sickly sweet and not gooey. Just good ole frosting with a lot of tasty stuff on it. While these donuts are small, they are full of flavor AND fun. Plus, I got to enjoy them with my parents and learn the story of how they met which is really special. 

The last stop on our tour de eating a lot was a dinner destination called Pastabilities, a popular Italian place downtown and where we were meeting up with a family friend who also had a child in the Syracuse summer college thing. Suddenly this desolate downtown was packed with people, and they ALL wanted to go to Pasabilities, but this place was prepared and once inside it was easy to see they’re used to a large volume of humans and have ample space. But very very cute space! This is no tacky Italian location, it is a real classy place with a modern twist and lovely plates of homemade pasta that was making my stomach growl. You get their delicious hot bread and “Famous” spicy tomato oil upon sitting down which I took full advantage of, and then we ordered a round of rose and some burrata for the table because who can resist burrata????? 

This burrata was fresh, smooth, placed on fresh greens and good enough to eat sans bread. We also ordered a kale caesar that was full of fresh cracked pepper and sundried tomatoes, and then for the main course we enjoyed some linguine alfredo that made me want to kiss the chef. This alfredo was rich, dense, full of various cheese notes and there’s no need to describe the taste of homemade pasta because there is no way to describe that. It is a full toes to mouth taste that makes you go “HOT DAMN”. While Syracuse is not my number one favorite place ever visited, I really did appreciate the time spent with my parents and family friends over delicious food and in a new place in general. The beauty of travel is seeing the world no matter where in the world it is, and that comes with visiting places some call home and some make home if even for a few hours. We’re often in small, odd towns due to family stuff that forces us to be a funny, adventurous unit and make the best of it; the next morning before we drove to Cornell to begin a college tour for my sister we stopped at a local coffee chain called Freedom of Espresso and in the early morning sipped mochas made with locally sourced espresso in a quiet, hidden part of town, and that was worth the whole trip. Coffee, new places, and the knowledge there’s even more to see real soon. That’s the best thing in the world, I think.  

ANYWAY, should you ever find yourself in ‘Cuse and need a million pick-me-up’s and larger pants to fill, please follow in my steps!! Should I find myself there due to an intense need to visit Destiny USA (their mall, the name is fabulous) I will for sure be trying the Penne Vodka at Pastabilities next because good GOD it looked yummy. (Note: my dad just walked in and I showed him this post and he goes, “Yes that burrata was unexpectedly good.” So if you don’t believe me, trust Keith, he’s a tough critic.) 

Keep your peepers open for my next post on summing up NYC!!! How do I have normal blood pressure and cholesterol I eat like a street vacuum cleaner!!! 

Until next time, Happy Eating!

- Natalie