#288: Winter Comforts We Rely On (a snowed-in episode)

WEBVTT

00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.000
Elsie

00:00:01.000 --> 00:00:02.000
You're listening to the Beautiful Mess podcast. Your cozy comfort listen. I'm your host, Elsie Larson.

00:00:02.000 --> 00:00:03.000
Emma

00:00:03.000 --> 00:00:04.000
And I'm your host, Emma Chapman.

00:00:04.000 --> 00:00:05.000
Elsie

00:00:05.000 --> 00:00:06.000
This week we're sharing winter comforts that reliably get us through our least favorite season of the

00:00:06.000 --> 00:00:07.000
year.

00:00:07.000 --> 00:00:08.000
Emma

00:00:08.000 --> 00:00:09.000
We're talking about winter, getting through the winter.

00:00:09.000 --> 00:00:10.000
Elsie

00:00:10.000 --> 00:00:11.000
Yes, we're coming towards somewhat the end of it, the middle, mid, end of it here at the end of

00:00:11.000 --> 00:00:12.000
February. Yes, I will say my Canadian friend was roasting me. She said, We are all pussies and we

00:00:12.000 --> 00:00:13.000
don't really even know what a snow day is. And after hearing her side of the story, I will actually agree

00:00:13.000 --> 00:00:14.000
with her that we don't know what a snow day is, and I never want to find out, but yeah, we have our

00:00:14.000 --> 00:00:15.000
own Missouri that's fair light little i I'm scared of, I'm scared of driving on the on the ice kind of vibe.

00:00:15.000 --> 00:00:16.000
Emma

00:00:16.000 --> 00:00:17.000
The last snow day was not a big deal. And I literally got some groceries from Walmart, which we have,

00:00:17.000 --> 00:00:18.000
like 13 Walmarts in our town, and the meat was all sold out. Like, I couldn't even get what I had. I had to

00:00:18.000 --> 00:00:19.000
get something else, which was fine, but I was just like, wow, everyone's really worried.

00:00:19.000 --> 00:00:20.000
Elsie

00:00:20.000 --> 00:00:21.000
Like, yeah, that is true. That's a Midwestern trait, I think. And they had it when I lived in Nashville too,

00:00:21.000 --> 00:00:22.000
where people just, like, clear out the grocery stores if there's an inclement weather advisory.

00:00:22.000 --> 00:00:23.000
Emma

00:00:23.000 --> 00:00:24.000
It kind of makes me think, what if the weather men and women were in cahoots with the grocery store

00:00:24.000 --> 00:00:25.000
owners.

00:00:25.000 --> 00:00:26.000
Elsie

00:00:26.000 --> 00:00:27.000
Conspiracies? Where did they get you? Anyway? Okay, so we're going to share six things in this

00:00:27.000 --> 00:00:28.000
episode that help us get through because we have what February March. February, March, are the

00:00:28.000 --> 00:00:29.000
really bad months we still have to get through. And then April's like, iffy. And then in Missouri, where we

00:00:29.000 --> 00:00:30.000
live, it can still snow one time it snowed in May, like, a lot, yeah. So it's random, like, once, but I feel like

00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:31.000
once we get to April or May, we're getting there and we're having more nice days. And we even have

00:00:31.000 --> 00:00:32.000
some nice days this time of year. It's it's truly not that bad, but I feel like we get the best of both, where

00:00:32.000 --> 00:00:33.000
we get, like, that beautiful snow, but also it's not like for six straight months.

00:00:33.000 --> 00:00:34.000
Emma

00:00:34.000 --> 00:00:35.000
Yeah, and I actually really don't mind the snow and the cold. I think snow is really pretty. I don't like

00:00:35.000 --> 00:00:36.000
driving on ice. Obviously that can be a little treacherous, but I don't really mind being cold. I love

00:00:36.000 --> 00:00:37.000
wearing sweaters. It's the lack of sunlight. It's the less sunlight hours in the day for me, because I just

00:00:37.000 --> 00:00:38.000
think that affects you. It just does, or maybe it doesn't you, but it does me. And so this is more like my

00:00:38.000 --> 00:00:39.000
ways to like, try to keep up my spirit. Stay happy. I'm happy in my sweater. I'm just wishing for a little

00:00:39.000 --> 00:00:40.000
more sunshine, and there's really nothing you can do about it other than getting one of those lamps.

00:00:40.000 --> 00:00:41.000
Elsie

00:00:41.000 --> 00:00:42.000
Yeah, so you know, as a little bit of a summer Barbie, I have heard terrible things about those lamps.

00:00:42.000 --> 00:00:43.000
Emma

00:00:43.000 --> 00:00:44.000
So have I. I don't have one because I'm like, I don't know, I don't trust it.

00:00:44.000 --> 00:00:45.000
Elsie

00:00:45.000 --> 00:00:46.000
It doesn't sound like worth it to me, but if you have one and you love it, write to us. We want to hear but

00:00:46.000 --> 00:00:47.000
yeah, I've heard a lot of people say it was like a letdown. And, like, you can't really sit by this like, plate

00:00:47.000 --> 00:00:48.000
of light, like, long enough, and it's just like unrealistic.

00:00:48.000 --> 00:00:49.000
Emma

00:00:49.000 --> 00:00:50.000
I've taken vitamin D supplements before, and I think that does help on a chemical level, but I just like

00:00:50.000 --> 00:00:51.000
sunlight. It's nice to be in your house at 5pm and it's still sunny outside, and that's just not the case this

00:00:51.000 --> 00:00:52.000
time of year. So okay, anyway, so let's go back and forth. What's your first one? First winter comfort?

00:00:52.000 --> 00:00:53.000
My first winter comfort is books in bed, so I started my journey of learning to read at night in bed, and it

00:00:53.000 --> 00:00:54.000
is fun, and I'm I'm loving it.

00:00:54.000 --> 00:00:55.000
Elsie

00:00:55.000 --> 00:00:56.000
I think that what I need, here's what I need from our listeners suggestions of, like, the right kind of

00:00:56.000 --> 00:00:57.000
books to read in bed. Like, you know what I mean? Like, I feel like it's not a time for a challenging book.

00:00:57.000 --> 00:00:58.000
It's a time for, like, a compulsive type of book, Yeah, or like, something that feels kind of breezy. So

00:00:58.000 --> 00:00:59.000
what I was reading this week, actually, I'm going to talk about in the next episode on the book report, so

00:00:59.000 --> 00:01:00.000
I won't go too deep into it, but I'm reading the correspondent, and it's Oh Larry book where almost every

00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:01.000
page is just a letter. So it like, feels like it's moving really quickly, like, I think that the short, it's not

00:01:01.000 --> 00:01:02.000
chapters, really, but like, the short little bits, yeah, it keeps it moving, and it keeps it exciting. I bet you

00:01:02.000 --> 00:01:03.000
can be like, oh, I'll just read one more letter, yeah, you know. And then you find it's like, an hour later,

00:01:03.000 --> 00:01:04.000
and you're like, I need to go to sleep. Yes, I found myself just like, going and going and going. And I

00:01:04.000 --> 00:01:05.000
read like half the book in two nights, and it felt it was amazing. It was wonderful. So, yeah, I'm really

00:01:05.000 --> 00:01:06.000
trying to get into that. Send me your suggestions. If you have books that, like, kept you up at night.

00:01:06.000 --> 00:01:07.000
That's my goal.

00:01:07.000 --> 00:01:08.000
Emma

00:01:08.000 --> 00:01:09.000
Okay, my first one is a snow suit.

00:01:09.000 --> 00:01:10.000
Elsie

00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:11.000
Oh, okay. Describe.

00:01:11.000 --> 00:01:12.000
Emma

00:01:12.000 --> 00:01:13.000
Yeah. Okay. So if you've ever been skiing, which I have been once, they might see people wear these

00:01:13.000 --> 00:01:14.000
waterproof, very warm you can get snow pants, or you can get what's called a bib, which is essentially

00:01:14.000 --> 00:01:15.000
like overalls. And that's what I have. I have the bib, and then a waterproof, very thick coat with a hood,

00:01:15.000 --> 00:01:16.000
and I also have, like, waterproof, thick gloves and decent boots that, honestly, I wear all year round, but

00:01:16.000 --> 00:01:17.000
they work in the snow. So here's my pitch. I think that having a snow suit, if you have young kids and

00:01:17.000 --> 00:01:18.000
you're going to be playing outside, is the way to go, because you can be out there for hours and you

00:01:18.000 --> 00:01:19.000
won't be bitterly cold. But I also will say, even for those of you who don't go outside and play with your

00:01:19.000 --> 00:01:20.000
kids, maybe your kids aren't into that. Maybe you don't have kids whatever. I love the snow suit

00:01:20.000 --> 00:01:21.000
because I can go on walks this time of year, and it's actually like, beautiful when the snow's like, coming

00:01:21.000 --> 00:01:22.000
down and just, like, fresh or if it's just fallen. I mean, if it's, like, terribly icy, where you're going to be

00:01:22.000 --> 00:01:23.000
falling the whole time, then of course, that's not fun. But I do think there's something about walking

00:01:23.000 --> 00:01:24.000
outside when it's actually sunny and the sun in the snow is just just gorgeous. But if you're cold after

00:01:24.000 --> 00:01:25.000
five minutes, it's no fun. And for me, bundling up, like, with, oh, I have on yoga pants under my pajama

00:01:25.000 --> 00:01:26.000
pants, and then I put a pair of jeans on, like, I think that'll get you somewhere. If you're like, I don't want

00:01:26.000 --> 00:01:27.000
to buy a whole thing, it's like, I get it. But if you do fall down one time, and then you get your knee in the

00:01:27.000 --> 00:01:28.000
snow, and then it soaks through all the layers you've put on now you're going to be cold immediately.

00:01:28.000 --> 00:01:29.000
And I just think there's something to the snow suit. And I bought mine off Amazon. If you hate Amazon,

00:01:29.000 --> 00:01:30.000
that's fine. Go anywhere you want. But it was very cheap, and it is good. It's waterproof. It works for

00:01:30.000 --> 00:01:31.000
exactly what I want. Mine is bright yellow. I bought that just in case. I bought it just in case when I

00:01:31.000 --> 00:01:32.000
wanted my kids to be able to see me for whenever we're like, up a hill, and I'm like, come back up the

00:01:32.000 --> 00:01:33.000
hill. But then also, if I go on a walk and it's starting to get dark, because it gets dark so early, if people

00:01:33.000 --> 00:01:34.000
are out driving, I want to make sure they see me. So I brought a bright yellow one, and my coat is

00:01:34.000 --> 00:01:35.000
actually like, kind of a tan brown, so it's like, my pants, you just see the pants part, and it's bright yellow.

00:01:35.000 --> 00:01:36.000
And then I have this kind of brown jacket on, and I stand out in the snow, and you can see me. And,

00:01:36.000 --> 00:01:37.000
yeah, I I love it, and I only have one, and you don't really have to wash it that often. And it's great. It

00:01:37.000 --> 00:01:38.000
really wasn't that much of an investment money wise, and I use it pretty often in the winter just to, like,

00:01:38.000 --> 00:01:39.000
Get out of my house for a little bit, but not feel bitterly cold. No, I think that that's wonderful. I'm gonna

00:01:39.000 --> 00:01:40.000
get one. I'm gonna get one, and I'm gonna try it. The thing that, excuse me, like, I've never even

00:01:40.000 --> 00:01:41.000
thought one single time about taking a walk in the snow, yeah, like, for pleasure. And now I'm like, that

00:01:41.000 --> 00:01:42.000
actually does sound really nice, like, as long as it's not slippery, I'm gonna try it, because, yeah, like, if I

00:01:42.000 --> 00:01:43.000
wasn't brutally cold, like, and sometimes I just think it is, like, just good mentally to leave the house. It's

00:01:43.000 --> 00:01:44.000
very peaceful outside too, because there's not a lot of people out. And I also think there's something to

00:01:44.000 --> 00:01:45.000
the sound of, like, crunching snow. It's actually very nice. It kind of reminds me, in a weird way, of like

00:01:45.000 --> 00:01:46.000
the ocean, the waves, because it's just kind of this like sound that you can only do out in the world. I

00:01:46.000 --> 00:01:47.000
don't know, I don't know what it is, but it's nice.

00:01:47.000 --> 00:01:48.000
Elsie

00:01:48.000 --> 00:01:49.000
Okay, okay, for my next one, I'm gonna go like, all things hot water, so we're counting hot tea, coffee,

00:01:49.000 --> 00:01:50.000
Apple, cider, hot toddies, hot tubs, baths, anything where you can be like, just get warm and just like,

00:01:50.000 --> 00:01:51.000
experience that cozy feeling. We made a tea drawer that was like, one of our fancy things we did in our

00:01:51.000 --> 00:01:52.000
kitchen renovation is we made this tea drawer that is honestly epic, and every time I open it, it like,

00:01:52.000 --> 00:01:53.000
brings this little, like Spark of joy to my heart. So yeah, I'm not going to be without a hot tea until it is

00:01:53.000 --> 00:01:54.000
warm outside.

00:01:54.000 --> 00:01:55.000
Emma

00:01:55.000 --> 00:01:56.000
I love it. My kids have recently figured out, like, the joy of a hot bath too. Not hot because I don't make it

00:01:56.000 --> 00:01:57.000
like hot for them, like I would for me, but I'll make them a pretty warm bath, and they want to play in it

00:01:57.000 --> 00:01:58.000
until it gets cold. And it's just cute, because, like, normally they're kind of, they like baths, but they're

00:01:58.000 --> 00:01:59.000
like, done after a little bit of time. And I'm like, Oh, you're getting cozy. I can tell you're like, warming up

00:01:59.000 --> 00:02:00.000
in here. So cute, cute. Okay, next one, my next one is to daydream, redecorate/organize your house.

00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:01.000
Obviously, if you want to go ahead and just do it, great, but sometimes I feel like I want the space to

00:02:01.000 --> 00:02:02.000
like, think about something for a long time before I take the action. And I feel like this is the perfect time

00:02:02.000 --> 00:02:03.000
of year to do that, because you might be inside. Anyway. So I just think about, I'll literally get walk

00:02:03.000 --> 00:02:04.000
around with a measuring tape too, and kind of measure like, what size rug does this room need? And

00:02:04.000 --> 00:02:05.000
it's just like a fun little exercise you can get on your computer and Photoshop something or make a

00:02:05.000 --> 00:02:06.000
Pinterest board. That's fun, too. For me, I'm kind of just like walking around measuring things, thinking

00:02:06.000 --> 00:02:07.000
about, what if I moved this over here? Would that make it more useful or less useful? Or just like,

00:02:07.000 --> 00:02:08.000
noticing things in the house that, oh, I've been meaning to replace that usually it's like a rug for a long

00:02:08.000 --> 00:02:09.000
time, and I kind of forgot about it because we get busy. And now I'm in the house and I'm looking at it,

00:02:09.000 --> 00:02:10.000
I'm like, Hmm, okay, well, I'm gonna think about, like, what colors in this room? You know? I don't know.

00:02:10.000 --> 00:02:11.000
And I just think it's like a fun little thing, even if you end up not doing anything with these ideas. I almost

00:02:11.000 --> 00:02:12.000
think it's just like fun to do like, I have a friend who will, this is similar, but different. She'll kind of like

00:02:12.000 --> 00:02:13.000
online shop at night, put things in a cart, and then she doesn't even check out. It's just sort of like a fun

00:02:13.000 --> 00:02:14.000
little browsing thing for her, it's like browsing when you can't leave your house kind of thing. And I feel

00:02:14.000 --> 00:02:15.000
like this is similar for me, but it's me, like, walking around my house thinking about, what if I painted this

00:02:15.000 --> 00:02:16.000
room to look like, Fantastic Mr. Fox living room. Like, you know, like, I don't know it's fun. I love it. You

00:02:16.000 --> 00:02:17.000
should definitely do a Fantastic Mr. Fox room. Do you know the room I'm talking about. It's like, yellow.

00:02:17.000 --> 00:02:18.000
It has wallpaper. No, it's like a mustard yellow. I like, it's actually, it's pretty cool interiors for, like, a little

00:02:18.000 --> 00:02:19.000
it's not a cartoon. It's like, animated.

00:02:19.000 --> 00:02:20.000
Elsie

00:02:20.000 --> 00:02:21.000
That sounds amazing. Yeah, no, I do that too. In the winter, I just recently realized, like, remember that

00:02:21.000 --> 00:02:22.000
one time Trey spilled wine on the rug? Yeah, there's still no rug there. And I was like, okay, like, I so I,

00:02:22.000 --> 00:02:23.000
like, picking out a new rug, just little things, yeah, little, little things like that. Like, after Christmas, we

00:02:23.000 --> 00:02:24.000
pull our decorations away. Then I was like, Oh, I could use a few new pillows. And, you know, just

00:02:24.000 --> 00:02:25.000
things like that. I think that that's a good thing to do this time of year, like, that kind of nesting vibe.

00:02:25.000 --> 00:02:26.000
Yeah, cool. Okay, my third one is, go out. Go out, go out, go out, go out with friends. If someone invites

00:02:26.000 --> 00:02:27.000
you, go to movies. Plan, you know, go to your sister's house, crash your sister's date nights. That did

00:02:27.000 --> 00:02:28.000
happen recently. That happened at that we watched the house made movie, yeah, as a threesome. And

00:02:28.000 --> 00:02:29.000
it was great, yeah. And my friends were like, oh, else he's coming on your date. And I was like, actually,

00:02:29.000 --> 00:02:30.000
they both read the book and I haven't yet, so I'm coming on their date. Yes, yeah, just take any excuse

00:02:30.000 --> 00:02:31.000
you can. I find it. I'm an introvert, and I also just kind of a little like, I don't know, I have a little bit of that,

00:02:31.000 --> 00:02:32.000
like, transition. Like, I'm not good at transitioning, so I easily get stuck, like, just staying inside all the

00:02:32.000 --> 00:02:33.000
time, or staying home every night. And I kind of like, forget that there's, like, a whole world out there of

00:02:33.000 --> 00:02:34.000
things that you can still do during the winter. And I sort of sometimes, like, give up a little bit in the

00:02:34.000 --> 00:02:35.000
winter. So I think don't give up, even if you just need to, like, go to Barnes and Noble and get a coffee

00:02:35.000 --> 00:02:36.000
and walk around by yourself for an hour and read the back blurbs. Like, just do little things that bring

00:02:36.000 --> 00:02:37.000
you joy, you know, Home Goods, whatever, whatever. I agree.

00:02:37.000 --> 00:02:38.000
Emma

00:02:38.000 --> 00:02:39.000
Okay, my last one, I'm gonna call it gamify your cozy life. Okay, so here's what we're doing. We're

00:02:39.000 --> 00:02:40.000
gonna make a list of all the movies we want to watch, or maybe they're all re watches. We're gonna

00:02:40.000 --> 00:02:41.000
make a list of all the books we want to read for the next couple months, maybe even put them in order

00:02:41.000 --> 00:02:42.000
of like, you know, oh, I want to read this one and then this one, because this one's going to be really

00:02:42.000 --> 00:02:43.000
fast paced, and this one's a different genre, you know, whatever. I also this is a weird one, but so we

00:02:43.000 --> 00:02:44.000
will get takeout, like, once a week or so, something like that. And I like to kind of be like, Okay, we're

00:02:44.000 --> 00:02:45.000
going to try a different place every week for the next month, and we're going to rank them, and not to,

00:02:45.000 --> 00:02:46.000
not to, like, leave reviews or anything like that, just to just, just to make a game of it, just to be like, this

00:02:46.000 --> 00:02:47.000
is fun stuff I like to do. I like staying home and watching movies, reading books. We already get takeout.

00:02:47.000 --> 00:02:48.000
Let's try to make it a little bit of a game, a little bit more of like, something special, you know. So that's,

00:02:48.000 --> 00:02:49.000
that's it. And these are routines that I do, whatever routines you're in, try to find a way to, like, make it

00:02:49.000 --> 00:02:50.000
into a little game where you make a list, or you rank it, or you could make it somehow a competition. It

00:02:50.000 --> 00:02:51.000
depends what what your habits are. But yeah, I think it's a fun way to just kind of try to spice up your

00:02:51.000 --> 00:02:52.000
indoor regular life.

00:02:52.000 --> 00:02:53.000
Elsie

00:02:53.000 --> 00:02:54.000
Yeah, I love a checklist. Yeah. I actually have heard a lot of people say that this is the best time of year

00:02:54.000 --> 00:02:55.000
to get ahead on your reading goal. And I agree with that. It's just, I'm actually behind at the moment, but

00:02:55.000 --> 00:02:56.000
I'm but I am trying to get ahead. And yeah, I think that like anything you can just like stuff more like

00:02:56.000 --> 00:02:57.000
joyful activities into your day. Is a good thing to do this time of year. I agree. Cool. Okay, so we are

00:02:57.000 --> 00:02:58.000
going to do the guilty pleasure treasure. So yeah, we recently got a listener email that was like, bring

00:02:58.000 --> 00:02:59.000
back the old the old school segment. We used to do guilty pleasure treasure, so we've been doing it

00:02:59.000 --> 00:03:00.000
recently, and I think it's so fun. So yeah, it is fun. Yeah, tell us if there are any other old segments,

00:03:00.000 --> 00:03:01.000
because sometimes we just forget about things. We just don't remember. We just don't remember

00:03:01.000 --> 00:03:02.000
things. So feel free to bring it up as if we have forgotten. I like, this is not a secret. I basically use

00:03:02.000 --> 00:03:03.000
listener emails to write the podcast outlines. So anything you ask for if we if it fits, we'll probably do it.

00:03:03.000 --> 00:03:04.000
Okay. So my guilty pleasure treasure this week is that last week, when we had our Snowden week, I

00:03:04.000 --> 00:03:05.000
watched three Christopher Nolan movies in one week. It was amazing. So okay, so I started off with the

00:03:05.000 --> 00:03:06.000
prestige. Love it. Do you remember that? Yeah, and it's a book I didn't know as a book. I haven't read

00:03:06.000 --> 00:03:07.000
the book. Yeah, I'm really excited to read the book, because I just read that. They are similar stories,

00:03:07.000 --> 00:03:08.000
but different themes, which I think is interesting, and I really want to read it, so that is on my TBR. But

00:03:08.000 --> 00:03:09.000
anyway, just about the movie, I would say it held up amazing. I got the itch to rewatch it last year in one

00:03:09.000 --> 00:03:10.000
of my writing classes, someone like, put the, you know, the intro of the movie when he does his little,

00:03:10.000 --> 00:03:11.000
you probably don't this is for 15 years ago, he does this little monolog about, like, the three stages of a

00:03:11.000 --> 00:03:12.000
magic trick, and the prestige is the third stage. Anyway, it's such good model. And then they repeat it at

00:03:12.000 --> 00:03:13.000
the end of the movie. So anyway, I saw that. And I just, like, had this itch the whole year. I was like, I

00:03:13.000 --> 00:03:14.000
have to watch this movie. And my husband, I think I've complained about this in the past, he's kind of

00:03:14.000 --> 00:03:15.000
snobby about movies, and he just, he just isn't as open minded and as cool as me. So anyway, he

00:03:15.000 --> 00:03:16.000
decided he would not watch it. So I watched it in the middle of the day, which is what I do when I watch

00:03:16.000 --> 00:03:17.000
movies alone, yeah? Which he thinks islike, terrible, like, he gets the egg from it, and I think it's

00:03:17.000 --> 00:03:18.000
wonderful. I love watching a movie in the middle of the day, yeah? It's like a vacation. It's a like, pure

00:03:18.000 --> 00:03:19.000
luxury, yeah? So anyway, I thought the movie held up, just incredible, and it was so good. But then

00:03:19.000 --> 00:03:20.000
when I got to the end of it, I was like, that, you know what? This kind of reminds me of, this kind of

00:03:20.000 --> 00:03:21.000
reminds me of inception. And I feel like the plot was like, very like, mirrored, even though they're

00:03:21.000 --> 00:03:22.000
different stories. And then I had to watch inception, and then, and he watched that one with me, and

00:03:22.000 --> 00:03:23.000
then we decided to watch a Batman because, wait, so I was complaining about watched a Batman, but

00:03:23.000 --> 00:03:24.000
he wouldn't watch the prestige. Yes, okay, I don't even know what the snobbery is about then, and I like

00:03:24.000 --> 00:03:25.000
the Batman movies for the record some more than others, but yeah, it wasn't good. The Prestige was

00:03:25.000 --> 00:03:26.000
the best one out of the three. Inception was the middle, and the Batman movie, to me, was the lowest.

00:03:26.000 --> 00:03:27.000
But one did you watch Joker? It was the one with Heath Ledger. Yeah. Anyway, it was fun. It was fun

00:03:27.000 --> 00:03:28.000
week, and I loved it. And I'm still gonna go back and watch memento. That's the last one on my list that

00:03:28.000 --> 00:03:29.000
I have to finish this. Have you never seen memento? I have seen it at least three times, but not for at

00:03:29.000 --> 00:03:30.000
least 10 years. Okay, so it's been a while, and I feel like I can enjoy it again.

00:03:30.000 --> 00:03:31.000
Emma

00:03:31.000 --> 00:03:32.000
I love it, yeah, I love prestige. It's so great. I also am Hugh Jackman is my celebrity crush. Oh, hell

00:03:32.000 --> 00:03:33.000
yeah. So of course, I've seen it, but it also is actually a great movie and fun. Yeah, I loved it.

00:03:33.000 --> 00:03:34.000
Elsie

00:03:34.000 --> 00:03:35.000
Magicians. Yeah, I do. I am having an old man magician year because I'm also reading Jonathan

00:03:35.000 --> 00:03:36.000
strange and Mr. Norle right now. So it's just my magician time.

00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:37.000
Emma

00:03:37.000 --> 00:03:38.000
We are on a hardcore Paddington kick at our house, and the second Paddington has a magician in it.

00:03:38.000 --> 00:03:39.000
Okay, all right, my guilty pleasure treasure this week is a twofer. Okay? So I basically, this was, like,

00:03:39.000 --> 00:03:40.000
around my birthday, I was like, I'm in the mood to buy a couple of treats that are kind of like nostalgic to

00:03:40.000 --> 00:03:41.000
me, ooh. So what they were is, I bought this box of kind of fancy Turkish delights, which, if you don't

00:03:41.000 --> 00:03:42.000
know, is kind of like, it's almost like a jelly type candy, and it's usually covered in powdered sugar.

00:03:42.000 --> 00:03:43.000
Interesting. And why is it a nostalgic treat for me? Because there was this summer when I was in

00:03:43.000 --> 00:03:44.000
college, I was like, 20 years old, and I spent the summer in London. We had like an exchange program,

00:03:44.000 --> 00:03:45.000
and I did like a summer semester at a college there, and it transferred back to it was, like, called the

00:03:45.000 --> 00:03:46.000
Missouri London program. And every now and again I would go to this fancy department store,

00:03:46.000 --> 00:03:47.000
Harrods. Oh yeah, I went there it, oh, my god, yeah. It's like a department store from a movie, like you

00:03:47.000 --> 00:03:48.000
walk in, and it's just so fancy. And so cool. And, like, I never really bought all that much. I didn't have

00:03:48.000 --> 00:03:49.000
any money. I was, like, a poor college kid. It was amazing I was there. I spent all my money just to get

00:03:49.000 --> 00:03:50.000
there. So, yeah, sometimes I would just have, like, a free little time in my day, and I would just go there

00:03:50.000 --> 00:03:51.000
and walk around, because I just liked the vibes. But they had this, like, Turkish Delight counter, and it

00:03:51.000 --> 00:03:52.000
was just like magical. Like I wasn't even a kid kid. I was 20, like I said, but I was like, a kid in a candy

00:03:52.000 --> 00:03:53.000
store in that moment, and I would just buy a few Turkish jillites and walk around the store, and probably

00:03:53.000 --> 00:03:54.000
had powdered sugar on my face. And so anyway, that Turkish July really reminds me, like, transports

00:03:54.000 --> 00:03:55.000
me back to that summer when I eat it. And so I bought some around my birthday, and I was like, eating

00:03:55.000 --> 00:03:56.000
it all week long. And I was like, Oh, I bet my kids will like this. They did not like it. And I was like, oh,

00:03:56.000 --> 00:03:57.000
maybe Trey will like it. He did not like it. So I got the box to myself. It was great, nice. And then the

00:03:57.000 --> 00:03:58.000
other nostalgic treat I bought myself. This one's so random, but while I lived in LA, I would often go to

00:03:58.000 --> 00:03:59.000
coffee bean and tea leaf, which is not a chain that we have around here. So I associate it with LA. It's

00:03:59.000 --> 00:04:00.000
not only in LA, but I associate it with that because that's where I would have it. Anyway. I would always

00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:01.000
order a coffee and get their vanilla powder put into it, and it's just like, sweet vanilla powder. I don't even

00:04:01.000 --> 00:04:02.000
know what it's made of. It's probably not good for you, but it's just like, you know, so I bought, like, a

00:04:02.000 --> 00:04:03.000
canist. You could buy it online, and it's like a canister of vanilla sweet powder, and you can mix it into

00:04:03.000 --> 00:04:04.000
regular coffee. I also sometimes make a latte, and I mix it into the espresso and the steamed milk, and

00:04:04.000 --> 00:04:05.000
it's really good. And, yeah, it just, it just makes me feel like I'm back in LA, when I lived there, I was just,

00:04:05.000 --> 00:04:06.000
was like, kind of reliving my adventurous days. Oh, I love a nostalgia journey. Yeah, it's just very

00:04:06.000 --> 00:04:07.000
random little treats. So those were my guilty pleasure treeasures.

00:04:07.000 --> 00:04:08.000
Elsie

00:04:08.000 --> 00:04:09.000
Wonderful. I feel like it's not guilty. No, I don't feel guilty really. It's it like, but I guess they're both treats

00:04:09.000 --> 00:04:10.000
whatever the idea of a guilty pleasure is already like, inherently snobby and outdated. Let's just go with

00:04:10.000 --> 00:04:11.000
it. Yeah. Okay, all right. So we have a hot take debate for this week from Freya. And here's what she

00:04:11.000 --> 00:04:12.000
said. My hot take for an episode is that if you're stylish slash fashionable, but buy everything new and

00:04:12.000 --> 00:04:13.000
spend loads of money on curated vintage shops, then it doesn't count. Part of the challenge is making

00:04:13.000 --> 00:04:14.000
things work on a budget with limited options, and being creative. Thought you would enjoy this as

00:04:14.000 --> 00:04:15.000
vintage lovers. All right, what side are you gonna fired?

00:04:15.000 --> 00:04:16.000
Emma

00:04:16.000 --> 00:04:17.000
Yeah, I agree. Okay, I know what side I have to come down on. So what side are you? Okay, you do

00:04:17.000 --> 00:04:18.000
your side, and I'll just try to go with the second. But I have feeling we're gonna be on the same side.

00:04:18.000 --> 00:04:19.000
Elsie

00:04:19.000 --> 00:04:20.000
I'll just try, all right, yeah, no, you can take the other side. Do my best. You can hear me out. Rich

00:04:20.000 --> 00:04:21.000
people are people too rich. Rich rich people are just people who want to enjoy life and vintage shopping

00:04:21.000 --> 00:04:22.000
just as much like just the same. I've been both in my life, yeah, I've been a 17 year old with $6 at the

00:04:22.000 --> 00:04:23.000
thrift store making the most of it, and I've also limited sewing skills. Let me tell you, we did, yeah, and

00:04:23.000 --> 00:04:24.000
I've also been that in the New Orleans antique mall living it up like and I just don't, I don't think that it

00:04:24.000 --> 00:04:25.000
does matter. I think that it's really cool to get a deal. I still visit thrift stores regularly. I love antique malls,

00:04:25.000 --> 00:04:26.000
and I also love curated stores. I think it still counts. I think it's still cool. You're supporting a small

00:04:26.000 --> 00:04:27.000
business. What's not cool about that?

00:04:27.000 --> 00:04:28.000
Emma

00:04:28.000 --> 00:04:29.000
Yeah, yeah, I pretty much come down on your side with it. But here's here's my points to go with this,

00:04:29.000 --> 00:04:30.000
just to take the other side. So I will say there is something cool about an outfit or a person who has a

00:04:30.000 --> 00:04:31.000
style that feels very high low, and you really can't do the low without great taste and an interest,

00:04:31.000 --> 00:04:32.000
because I think being able to just pick something off of a rack that's basically been curated for you,

00:04:32.000 --> 00:04:33.000
easy, all of us could probably do that pretty simple. You could even hire someone to dress you if you

00:04:33.000 --> 00:04:34.000
have the money amazing, like, that's fun. But I do think to get the items that are found that are just in a

00:04:34.000 --> 00:04:35.000
jumbled heap or that were very inexpensive, but you had to have the eye to pick them out and to put

00:04:35.000 --> 00:04:36.000
them with something special does take a certain skill, and I think shows a level of like taste as well as

00:04:36.000 --> 00:04:37.000
experience, that is pretty interesting. And I think you kind of can't come by it without practice, because I

00:04:37.000 --> 00:04:38.000
think there are, there's a lot of like, having to try things out and be like, No, that doesn't quite go so, you

00:04:38.000 --> 00:04:39.000
know, I think it does kind of show a commitment to fashion and to style and to a love of it, to kind of

00:04:39.000 --> 00:04:40.000
have that kind of. High, Low vibe, or even just low all the time, and you found it all that way? Yeah, so I

00:04:40.000 --> 00:04:41.000
get where she's going with it. I don't know if I would say, be so harsh to say it doesn't count, because

00:04:41.000 --> 00:04:42.000
I'm like, if you have money and you spent it on that, then, like, that shows that you love it. But I do think

00:04:42.000 --> 00:04:43.000
if you're finding all the deals, you're you probably have really good taste, and you're just like, looking in

00:04:43.000 --> 00:04:44.000
odd places and probably spending more time on it. And that's kind of cool, you know?

00:04:44.000 --> 00:04:45.000
Elsie

00:04:45.000 --> 00:04:46.000
It's super cool. Like it, it is. One of my dreams as a mom, for my kids, is that they will have a thrift store

00:04:46.000 --> 00:04:47.000
phase as teenagers, and obviously, like, I'm not in control of that, they'll like what they like, but I hope

00:04:47.000 --> 00:04:48.000
that they do, because it was just such a special part of our upbringing and something that was so much

00:04:48.000 --> 00:04:49.000
fun for us. And our niece is currently in the phase, and we just really enjoy taking her so, yeah, I think

00:04:49.000 --> 00:04:50.000
there is definitely whatever, but I think vintage is cool no matter what, like even the stuff that's in

00:04:50.000 --> 00:04:51.000
museums. It's, it's all, it's all cool that, like, everything old is good.

00:04:51.000 --> 00:04:52.000
Emma

00:04:52.000 --> 00:04:53.000
Like, that's my you know, oh yeah, just older is better. I don't know. It's fun. It has history too. It has

00:04:53.000 --> 00:04:54.000
another layer to it. And, you know? So, yeah, I agree. Love it. Okay, we have time for a book report.

00:04:54.000 --> 00:04:55.000
Okay, I think you read this as well. Okay, so I recently read the ministry of time, oh, yeah, and I loved it.

00:04:55.000 --> 00:04:56.000
I feel like we both loved it, but we kind of had different, like, I feel like you didn't love the ending and i i

00:04:56.000 --> 00:04:57.000
liked it. I was like, yep, yep. So anyway, if you haven't read it, this will probably have spoilers, and the

00:04:57.000 --> 00:04:58.000
ending is kind of a thing, so, you know, just heads up. But yeah, Ministry of time, it is very literary. I was

00:04:58.000 --> 00:04:59.000
surprised how literary the writing was. I was not necessarily expecting that. I was beautiful. I found

00:04:59.000 --> 00:05:00.000
myself, I'm not really a highlight a book person. I don't use e readers, and I just don't sit with a

00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:01.000
highlighter when I'm just reading in bed or wherever I am. But I found myself over and over wanting to,

00:05:01.000 --> 00:05:02.000
like, highlight little phrases or the way the author described things, because I just thought it was

00:05:02.000 --> 00:05:03.000
gorgeous, like, really fun, great writing. And as you can guess by the title, it's about time it's about time

00:05:03.000 --> 00:05:04.000
travel. There's time travel in the book. This is not a spoiler. That's sort of the whole premise. You know,

00:05:04.000 --> 00:05:05.000
people in England are bringing back people from the past, and they're sort of figuring out the

00:05:05.000 --> 00:05:06.000
technology of time travel and seeing how it works, and seeing how, if we bring people back from the

00:05:06.000 --> 00:05:07.000
past, can they survive, and they have what's called a bridge, a person who's helping them acclimate to

00:05:07.000 --> 00:05:08.000
the modern day, and also keep an eye on them to see if their body rejects being in that time or

00:05:08.000 --> 00:05:09.000
something. So along those lines, bridge, who is our main character in the book, she falls in love with

00:05:09.000 --> 00:05:10.000
her man who's come from the past, and they have a relationship, and you kind of watch them grow into

00:05:10.000 --> 00:05:11.000
that and see it change over time. And so to me, I was like, this is, like, a very, very upmarket, slash,

00:05:11.000 --> 00:05:12.000
honestly, literary romance book with time travel. I was like, science fiction romance with beautiful prose.

00:05:12.000 --> 00:05:13.000
Sign me up. How have I not been pitched this book yet? Like, I just loved it. And this is the spoiler. The

00:05:13.000 --> 00:05:14.000
ending you find that there's a character who is the bridge, because she's from the future and she's

00:05:14.000 --> 00:05:15.000
come back to try to solve something. And I wouldn't say that. I guessed that. I would just say, like, I

00:05:15.000 --> 00:05:16.000
figured something like that was going to happen because the book's about time travel, and I just felt like

00:05:16.000 --> 00:05:17.000
that's where we were going. Was someone from the future was going to come back and be doing things

00:05:17.000 --> 00:05:18.000
I you know, so I didn't really I liked the ending. I was like, yeah, that that all checks out for me. That's

00:05:18.000 --> 00:05:19.000
fine. I think time travel for me is not like my number one favorite science fiction device or vehicle,

00:05:19.000 --> 00:05:20.000
because, as everyone knows who cares about it at all. There's sort of problems with it. And I think this

00:05:20.000 --> 00:05:21.000
author does a nice job in the very beginning. She's like, don't even worry about that. We're not doing

00:05:21.000 --> 00:05:22.000
that. I was, I was as a reader, I'm kind of like, okay, I hear you. We're going on this journey. We're not

00:05:22.000 --> 00:05:23.000
doing that. We're not going to worry about the different different timelines and how certain something

00:05:23.000 --> 00:05:24.000
changes, things we're not doing, that she's not trying to solve, that she's just telling me a story, and it's

00:05:24.000 --> 00:05:25.000
got time travel very well. I'm on the journey with you. And so for me, I was like, this is fun. I like it. I feel

00:05:25.000 --> 00:05:26.000
like the ending is satisfying, and felt like grounded and like, made sense. I enjoyed the whole thing,

00:05:26.000 --> 00:05:27.000
front to back. Loved it. Thought it was very sweet. Yeah, it was a blast.

00:05:27.000 --> 00:05:28.000
Elsie

00:05:28.000 --> 00:05:29.000
I thought it was fun too. Yeah, it has a lot of fun historical elements to it as well. And, yeah, I read

00:05:29.000 --> 00:05:30.000
somewhere. I don't know if the author stands by this or not, but she like I heard, I heard it allegedly that

00:05:30.000 --> 00:05:31.000
she kind of like developed. Up to crush on this historical person, and then the book was kind of

00:05:31.000 --> 00:05:32.000
wrapped around that. And I just like, love that. Yeah, inspiration point. I think it's so so so so so, so

00:05:32.000 --> 00:05:33.000
much fun. It reminds me of, there's this Alice Hoffman book called The Invisible hour, where this is

00:05:33.000 --> 00:05:34.000
actually, I'm not going to spoil it, but it is like an unhinged it's one of the most unhinged books I've ever

00:05:34.000 --> 00:05:35.000
read, in the best way fun, as far as, like, something with a historical person, and going back in time for

00:05:35.000 --> 00:05:36.000
the the sex of it all. And I just, I love it. I think it's wonderful. So, yeah, I I, but I do feel the same way

00:05:36.000 --> 00:05:37.000
about you with time travel. I think it's a very delicate line, and if like, it's either like you love it or you

00:05:37.000 --> 00:05:38.000
don't, and like, that's okay. It's a risk. It's a risk worth taking. I'm glad people take it. Yeah. So my book

00:05:38.000 --> 00:05:39.000
okay, I have had the most questions about writing craft books lately, which I'm so happy about that

00:05:39.000 --> 00:05:40.000
some of our listeners are going on similar journeys with us. You find a lot of the really good ones too.

00:05:40.000 --> 00:05:41.000
So thank you. Well, I don't talk about the ones I don't like, right? So I feel like that's part of why is that

00:05:41.000 --> 00:05:42.000
I'm just, I'm, like, really trying to read the whole shelf. Okay, so I talked a few episodes ago, I think

00:05:42.000 --> 00:05:43.000
before the new year, about my favorite one I've read was called writing the breakout novel by Donald

00:05:43.000 --> 00:05:44.000
Moss, who is literary agent and his own agency. And that book was written in like, the 90s. And so he

00:05:44.000 --> 00:05:45.000
referenced a lot of like, kind of like, all the best 20th century bangers. And it was really fun. It was a

00:05:45.000 --> 00:05:46.000
great book. And also he give, gave a lot of advice for, like, new writers, like new writer mistakes, which I

00:05:46.000 --> 00:05:47.000
loved that about the book too.

00:05:47.000 --> 00:05:48.000
Emma

00:05:48.000 --> 00:05:49.000
Yeah, I bought that as soon as I heard you talking about it.

00:05:49.000 --> 00:05:50.000
Elsie

00:05:50.000 --> 00:05:51.000
I got a copy for everyone in my writing group for Christmas. It's just, it's a great book. So if you haven't

00:05:51.000 --> 00:05:52.000
read it and you're on a novel writing journey, please put it on your shelf. I think it's really worth it. So

00:05:52.000 --> 00:05:53.000
anyway, I saw that he has more books. And I was like, great. He has several more. So I read his

00:05:53.000 --> 00:05:54.000
newest book recently, and it was called the emotional craft of fiction. And so this one is just all about

00:05:54.000 --> 00:05:55.000
inner lives. And, you know, just like making your taking your reader along for the journey, and it was

00:05:55.000 --> 00:05:56.000
equally wonderful. Yeah, it's still like, he's still, he does just a great job. I like, I like learning from literary

00:05:56.000 --> 00:05:57.000
agents, because they give a lot of, like, bad writing examples so you can like, and that's something like

00:05:57.000 --> 00:05:58.000
you need to know, like you need to hear, like you can only learn.

00:05:58.000 --> 00:05:59.000
Emma

00:05:59.000 --> 00:06:00.000
I learned from examples. I find it very helpful to like, understand what works, what doesn't work, yeah.

00:06:00.000 --> 00:06:01.000
And show me the example, like, yeah, yes.

00:06:01.000 --> 00:06:02.000
Elsie

00:06:02.000 --> 00:06:03.000
And I mean, to be honest, my greatest dream in writing is to make people cry. Like it's one of my

00:06:03.000 --> 00:06:04.000
greatest dreams, like, I want to write one of those books someday that's like, that destroys people. I just

00:06:04.000 --> 00:06:05.000
think it's a wonderful, wonderful aspiration and goal. So anyway, I would highly recommend to this

00:06:05.000 --> 00:06:06.000
book, and I'm gonna keep reading. I'm gonna read his whole list. You're such an emo girl. Yeah, I'm just

00:06:06.000 --> 00:06:07.000
out here trying to make write books to make people horny. I want to make people cry if I get the full

00:06:07.000 --> 00:06:08.000
body shakes. That is what, that is what I know like, I that's when I know I'm, like, devastating, yeah, I

00:06:08.000 --> 00:06:09.000
love it, yeah. Okay, so we're gonna pass it over to Nova for a joke or a fact with Nova. Hey, Nova. What

00:06:09.000 --> 00:06:10.000
do you have for us this week?

00:06:10.000 --> 00:06:11.000
Nova

00:06:11.000 --> 00:06:12.000
I have a meditation.

00:06:12.000 --> 00:06:13.000
Elsie

00:06:13.000 --> 00:06:14.000
Okay, what type of meditation?

00:06:14.000 --> 00:06:15.000
Nova

00:06:15.000 --> 00:06:16.000
I have a Lunar New Year meditation.

00:06:16.000 --> 00:06:17.000
Elsie

00:06:17.000 --> 00:06:18.000
Okay, I'm ready. Closing my eyes.

00:06:18.000 --> 00:06:19.000
Nova

00:06:19.000 --> 00:06:20.000
Get your deep breaths, right? Imagine you were so excited you had your costume on, and you're ready

00:06:20.000 --> 00:06:21.000
to go. You go and you see all sorts of lanterns filling up and glowing up the sky. Then finally, the parade

00:06:21.000 --> 00:06:22.000
comes and you see the dragon. It was really cool. You cheer with all your friends and eat some dinner,

00:06:22.000 --> 00:06:23.000
warm noodles, dumplings and rice. And then when you go home full of happiness, you smile, because

00:06:23.000 --> 00:06:24.000
tomorrow you will have a new day, and you get to celebrate again. Open your eyes, take deep breaths

00:06:24.000 --> 00:06:25.000
and think to yourself, What can I do this year of Chinese?

00:06:25.000 --> 00:06:26.000
Elsie

00:06:26.000 --> 00:06:27.000
Wonderful. Thank you for sharing that. All right. We'll be back next week.

00:06:27.000 --> 00:06:28.000
Nova

00:06:28.000 --> 00:06:29.000
Happy living New Year and Happy Year of the Horse.

00:06:29.000 --> 00:06:30.000
Elsie

00:06:30.000 --> 00:06:31.000
Thank you, Nova. Thank you so much for listening. We'll be back next week with how to start over

00:06:31.000 --> 00:06:32.000
when you fail, a topic that we're so passionate about. So see you next week.