Friday Favorites: Podcast scares and a new favorite YouTuber

There is one week left of this massive work project.

One week left. One week of middle of the night calls, staying late to actually do my work instead of just being on calls and in meetings. One week. I can do anything for one week.

Honestly, writing these posts six days a week, trying to think of more creative photography to do, taking time to make dinner every night, the group chat, and my cat are honestly getting me through each week. Although my cat just changed the channel using the remote so I’m not as fond of him this exact second.

It’s also been snowing for three days, and you may be tempted to say, “oh, so pretty”. No. Absolutely not. It has snowed every two to three days since November 11th, I can’t see into intersections when I’m driving. I tried to go check the siding on the back of my building for my landlord and I sunk up to mid-thigh. No more god-damned snow.

Social Media Favorite: @latteandmood – Instagram

Okay, so this is a bit of a weird one for me. I do not know her name, I don’t even know what she says 95% of the time. I can’t tell if she’s in France or Quebec, or another French speaking place. I know nothing about this photographer, except that she takes the most beautiful, aesthetic pictures of coffee/breakfast. It’s so gorgeous. I love her pictures so much that it does not matter that I can’t read her captions or understand her stories, it’s so beautiful.

Movie/TV Favorite: Falling for Figaro – Netflix

This is a saccharine romcom movie, it follows a young, brilliant fund manager, living a perfect life in London with a great boss, who is also her boyfriend, making great money, living in a beautiful apartment in London. Except she isn’t happy, because she has always wanted to be an opera singer. So she quits her job and drives up to the Scottish Highlands to audition for a slightly reclusive, and abusive, singing instructor. She only has one other student, and the town is tiny, pretty much the only place in the town is the pub, and Highland cattle.

She has many falters in her confidence and her skill is only decent, but we follow her as she learns, gains experience, and fall in to and out of love with herself, opera, and the men in her life.

Podcast Favorite: Bad on Paper

I could write a whole love letter to this podcast, I have listened to every episode since I started listening to it and gone into the back catalogue at random points during COVID when I have needed to hear people talk about travel or life before the world blew up, before “social distancing” was part of our lexicon, and it’s very soothing. Mary Orton, last week’s social media favourite I actually started following because I listened to an old episode of Bad on Paper where they interviewed Blair Eadie and she recommended Mary for workwear outfits. Anyways, spoiler alert, Grace, one of the hosts, has decided that it is time to leave the podcast. Which, I was quite literally crying in the shower about as I got ready for work on Wednesday morning, it felt like a friend break up. And then as I was getting out of the shower, they announced that the new co-host was going to be Olivia Muenter and I screamed (quietly, it was 7:30 am and I share walls). She was a guest on the podcast a while ago and I’ve followed her ever since and I love her. I think she’s really hilarious, it will obviously change the podcast, Olivia is a lot younger than Grace, married, and lives in Philadelphia instead of New York or Charleston, but I’m excited for it.

I also got super nervous when I saw the episode title, I thought it was going to be an end of the podcast announcement. I had to keep reminding myself that Becca had just posted about the rebranding she had planned and the colours she wanted for the imaging, and you wouldn’t do that if you were cancelling!

Random Favorite 1: Caroline Winkler on YouTube

Caroline’s channel popped up in my YouTube algorithm and I have never subscribed to a channel so quickly, before my first video even finished. I also kind of love that she isn’t really doing anything on Instagram, it’s still her personal Instagram. But her YouTube videos are so my style, both clothes and home décor wise, but also with the humour. I feel like I have found my personality twin. I love it.

I want to ask my landlord if I can do this stripe backsplash, it’s so unexpected! Also I’ve watched 7 of her videos this week and could share them all!

Random Favorite 2: Tate’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

I got put on to these cookies from Carly Riordan, and then after hearing her talk about them on Instagram for a couple years I saw them at my grocery store in Oakville and of course I bought them, and they were so delicious. So when I moved and I couldn’t find them at the grocery store in town or either of the ones in the next town over (an hour away), I was sad, but I figured it was probably an okay thing for my waistline. But last week I saw them at my grocery store here in town and they are just as delicious as I remembered. And I don’t even really like crispy chocolate chip cookies normally, but these are made of crack.