friends – Julie Wrote a Book

Take Your Goddamn Meds

Anthony Bourdain was my introduction to foul-mouthed, bad boy chefs. But he was much more than that, and if you are not familiar with his work, I encourage you to skip over the salacious stories that are sure to emerge this weekend and instead read about some of the good he did. He was a perfect example of how to be a traveler, but he was also outspoken about the role of the immigrant workers in the restaurant industry. Most importantly, lately he was totally aware of the role he may have had in sexual harassment in food world, and…

Oscar Predictions

Are you watching the Oscars this year? We are having some neighbors over for dinner and champagne and dress commentary. Husband and I will place bets and he will win every category because he picks the logical, reasonable choice and I pick who should win if there was any justice in the world. And then he'll go you can't bet on someone who wasn't even nominated and I'll go yeah but she should have been nominated and he'll go that's not how betting works and then I'll go that's because no one ever listens to me. I'm a super fun wife.…

Dream Dinner Party

I got antsy today and thought up my dream dinner party for you. Check this out: Dream Guests: Let's invite creative, smart people with a wicked sense of humor. Check out this especially charming story about the Celibate Love Affair of Nora Ephron and Mike Nichols. So I propose you invite them (I know they both died. Let's not ruin this fantasy with details. We'll also invite their spouses, Diane Sawyer and Nick Pileggi.) It ought to be raining outside, and we can sit around the table talking and laughing until all of a sudden another bottle of wine is…

What's Saving My Life Right Now

Today is the mid point of winter, and I'm linking up with Modern Mrs. Darcy to share what's saving my life right now. Because depression can hit me any time of year, no matter the weather, I've never really understood seasonal depression. It’s no secret that I’m a Daughter of Winter. I’d choose a grey, rainy day over hot and sunny any day of the year. That said, this winter has been particularly rough. I’m making an effort to notice things – big and small – that lift my spirits or make me feel alive, human, and not insane. Movie…

Let's Go To The Movies

I'm thinking about hosting an Oscar party. (By party, of course, I mean I will invite Denise over to watch with me, and we will drink champagne in our pajamas and look askance at anyone who dares to speak over Meryl Streep or Viola Davis.) I am as annoyed as any feminist by the "Who Are You Wearing?" question that all women get on the red carpet. That said, I LOVE looking at Oscar dresses. This is a fun chart of the most iconic Oscar dress every year. Cher is the obvious winner for straight up crazy, but I'm…

The Shape of Water

There were two women about my age sitting next to me in the movie theater. They smelled like wine, and they were loud and bawdy through the whole movie. I wanted to snap at them You are not in your living room! Please kindly STFU. But I didn’t say anything because God knows I love a tipsy night out with my mains. They giggled like mad at the naked bathtub scenes, they debated the anatomy of the fish-man (“Do you think he even has a dick?”), they were not shy about scoffing and loudly protesting what they thought was weird…

2018 Word of the Year

I don’t make resolutions anymore. For the last two years, I’ve chosen a 'Word of the Year' and I think that works much better for me. Something about setting a resolution feels like a zero-sum game. Even though I totally know that isn't true; if you set a goal to lose 20 pounds and you only lose 15, you’ve still done very good work. I do understand that. But my brain is all-or-nothing, and I’m tired of beating myself up on December 31 (or, more accurately, around mid-January) for not keeping up with my goals. I was having a hard time…

Good Riddance 2017

The week between Christmas and New Year is weird, right? Everything feels off kilter. I stay up too late, sleep too late, am still eating cookies for breakfast and living in my house bra. Husband and the kids are off school and work so there are SO many people around all the time. I'm doing my best to stay off of social media because a) mental health and b) no, I can't actually think of another reason. It's entirely for mental health. So I'll keep this quick so you can get right back into your carb-fueled haze. We can worry about…

A Weekend of a Certain Age

Julie Strauss
September 30, 2017
Saturday Links
1 Comment

via Conversations I had this week: Whether YouTube videos are ruining our children's ability to carry on a normal conversation. (With Tara.) Whether we owe a person in authority respect if we respect the office, but not the person. (With my parents and sister.) Whether the Watergate/Vietnam years felt like this. (With Joe's parents.) Whether bungee jumping and shark cage diving are appropriate responses to existential angst. (With Tara. The answer is a hard NO. Tara disagrees with me, so I'll be waving at her from the sidelines. Then, I assume, I'll be driving her to the hospital.) Whether saying…

We Got the Beat

Hey now, Homeslice, what are you up to this weekend? It looks like I am going to have Sunday off – as in a whole entire DAY. Remember when I used to take Sundays off? No, neither do I. I’m determined to do it this weekend. It’s been ages since I’ve made the Rosemary Gimlet in that post; it’s time to break out the gin and enjoy the first weekend of fall. Fun fact: my oldest son, the Vegan Hipster, got a record player for his birthday a few years ago. But he almost never uses it. It’s become our favorite…