Good Sunday to you friends, and happy Super Bowl Sunday! Right now, I’m having a hard time distinguishing up from down and right from left because of the news. I oscillate between wanting to be informed and being so inundated with information it feels like my head will detach from my body. If you are feeling like I am, friends, I wish there were good words for this. There are no good words for this. In my all-or-nothing Taurus-logic brain, I want to flip over the proverbial table, but I cannot. What I can say is resistance and revolution can look like rest. It looks like dancing in the living room, laughing with your friends, and spending time doing things you love. It looks like focusing your mind and energy towards nurturing yourself and your community.
So, what am I holding onto? Watching Kendrick at the Super Bowl, getting Beyoncé tickets this week, and leaving for Dublin on Thursday evening – a trip to celebrate my 3 year anniversary with my girlfriend, Bre. That is something my brain is excited about focusing on, and I can’t wait to share all the unreal photos from Ireland. The land where KerryGold comes from?! Tuh! I’m already crying.
If you need a hug or encouragement, I will send you some. If you need family, hey girl I’m your new fun aunt. Sticking together is what will get us through. As always, take what you need, and take it easy on yourself.
• Optimism in the face of uncertain times, is also revolutionary. From a 2004 archived article, these words have ripple effects in the present. (The Nation)
• Just a silly lil thing to make you chuckle. When you and your bestie show up dressed the same – a dilemma, or an opportunity? (Instagram)
• Not planning to watch Emelia Pérez amid the controversy? That’s okay, JP Brammer has his thoughts in a post that will make you cackle and cringe, rightfully so. (Substack)
• Are you familiar with Miss Rachel? Well, she’s basically the modern day Mr. Rogers. A theatre kid turned YouTube sensation, she’s known for teaching your kids how to do everything from sign, to learn and recognize colors/words/emotions, complete with earworm songs. Even in my nannying days, Miss Rachel remains a slam dunk, helping to educate and entertain. She’s built an empire, one cute rhyme at a time. (YouTube, Fortune)
• Apparently, we are living in a post-feminist world, whatever the heck that means, especially since equality has definitely not been achieved. Today’s long read is an interesting one; reheat your coffee y’all. (The Point Magazine)
• Are you a Super Bowl Party host, or an attendee? Bre and I will be walking over to our local dive bar, mostly to devour the free White Castle burgers and drink many glasses of Yuengling before rushing to my friend’s place to watch halftime. Even if you’re a party of two, these ham & cheese croissants are so easy, and so pop-able. If you need wings, crispy baked wings are on my agenda for Sunday. (Joy the Baker, The Kitchn)
• The constant need for stimulation is different from whining, “I’m booooored,” when I was little. It’s an affliction now. Is what we deem as boredom actually ennui, or frustration? Has boredom become a catchall word? (The Guardian)
• Fashion for my upcoming trip is leggings, layers, and this cat sweater. Honestly, the cat sweater is now my personality. (Lala)
• Can I share a secret with you? Chili’s and Olive Garden have come back into my life as my favorite restaurants. *ashamed* But, hear me out, it’s so dang good. Somehow Chili’s got ahold of the TikTok generation and flipped their entire business profitable amid many corporations failing. It should be studied! Also, if you go, please get a triple dipper and their coconut margarita. Watch it BLESS YOUR LIFE. (Wall Street Journal)
• Please, tell me what you’re watching these days. Apparently I need to get AppleTV+ because Severance is so popular right now. Bre and I are… we’re old. We watch High Potential, The Rookie, Celebrity Jeopardy, and Abbott Elementary, all on live television. There is nothing better than being in bed by 7pm to watch tv with someone you love. We’re truly in our Sleepytime Bear era, and I love that. (T3, Celestial Seasoning)
• I will take any and all recommendations for Dublin, y’all! We are taking a tour of Giant’s Causeway, doing a cocktail making class at the whiskey distillery attached to the Guinness Storehouse, and drunk bingo. A time will be had! For the plane, I’ve packed my eReader with a ton of books, but I need podcast req’s, please! I will definitely be downloading a backlog of Levar Burton Reads, though. (Apple Podcasts)
• You will need dessert today, and why not make it two giant chocolate chip cookies or a single cinnamon roll. Either way, all the treats have to be for just you. That’s the only way this works. (Joy the Baker)
40 Responses
I’m sad I was not able to have Yuengling while rooting for the birds in Seattle, but that does remind me of how proud I was of getting a couple Yuengling posters onto our Sister Act set this summer.
Have so much fun in Dublin!!
The news? There just are no words for what we are going to have to suffer again at the hands of the orange POS. Only this time I fear will be worse as we have an even bigger ship of fools and billionaires to plunge us back into the dark ages. How could half of the people in this country be so stupid as to vote for this monster again? How? Because they hate what he hates. Ugh!!
Happy Anniversary!
Podcast recommendation Stacey Abram’s Required
Pod Save America and Offline with Jon Favreau
Have a wonderful trip, can’t wait to read about it. So enjoy your posts
Cliffs of Moher while in Ireland is a must. There is a great place to eat/souvenirs near there too..can’t remember the name. Blarney Castle…all castles! Kilkee and Moveen in County Clare. Trinity College. Pubs have the best food! Irish dance performance. Drive or take a tour and take in the beautiful sights, landscape. Have a great trip! Ireland is beautiful and the people are so welcoming & fun!
My very favorite travel tip to someone going anywhere that’s so very different from home … find a thrift store. In the British Isles I think they are called “Charity Shops”. My favorite souvenirs are ones that I use when I get home … I rummage around in the kitchen utensils and have brought home wonderful little spoons for serving up a little dab of jam or to stir my coffee. Toast racks are always so cute at B&B’s, so I bought 2 at a church rummage sale in London, and I have pretty little doilies from Wales, Scotland, Ireland, England, and France! My husband still wears a wool, hand knit scarf he bought in Edinburgh in 1995. I even brought home 2 curtain panels because they were so pretty and different from any I’ve ever seen here. Vintage – maybe even 1940’s. I just used them this past holiday season for my Christmas tree skirt! Such happy memories!
I even once tucked a little lamp shade into my husband’s suitcase (he didn’t know!) which caused a “major” delay at the x-ray going through security. ? Looking back now I can see how suspicious he looked as he glared at me as I breezed right through. Doilies don’t show up on x-rays. ?
Hope you have a great time in Ireland, indeed a good time to escape and decompress from the craziness being thrown our way. Sounds like you have a good game plan while in Dublin! Enjoy and have a drink for me ..
Hi my Joy the Baker friend,
Thank you for this post.
I hope you and Bre have the very bestest, sweetest time in Ireland. I’ve never been but the people seem amazing. I am sure you will laugh, dance and drink some kind of alcohol, and then repeat! Enjoy every moment. If you find a four leaf clover make sure to make a wish, it might actually come true.
I can’t wait to read your post about it all, with lots of photos as well please.
Take care both of you.
Kerry
I am totally feeling the “flip the table” mood. I too have a rage that feels uncontrollable. But rest is a resistance (awesome book as well!) and I agree leaning into this is a must right now. Have a wonderful time in Ireland! I have not been but sounds like an amazing way to celebrate.
I highly recommend The Telepathy Tapes as another poster did above. I also recommend an old podcast called S Town as well as Scamanda. Fascinating!
Enjoy and stay warm!
I’ve never been to Ireland, so no recommendations, but the very best wishes for an amazing trip and a total escape from the stress of our news. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy. BTW, when I do get to go to Ireland, I’ll be back to read everyone’s recommendations. Please do a Sunday post about your favorite parts of the trip with a few photos!
I admit that I couldn’t understand the lyrics of the half-time show (talk about being old), but the choreography was great. It was a terrific show.
In these difficult times, news, etc., being there for each other and giving ourselves some love (dancing, reading, music, scrubbing the kitchen floor – if that helps) is so important. We need to figure out how to know what’s going on, take action as we can, and take care of ourselves and one another.
Giant’s Causeway is amazing! I recommend taking the long way down, if you’re able. If you’re staying in Belfast, the Shankhill Road tours are great. My family is from Ireland (I grew up in the US) and I grew up going to Ireland most years. I had never been to Northern Ireland until a couple of years ago (The Troubles) and it was so worth it.
I’ve not done a lot of tourist things but top of my list are Giant’s Causeway, Guinness Brewery and Blarney Castle. And don’t be afraid to pop into the little pubs along the way. I am biased but the Irish really are one of the most welcoming people in the world. Warning: we do indeed have a gift for gab AND spontaneous song is to be expected especially in earlier referenced pubs. Have a great time! And bring back all the sweets and chips {especially Taytos!)
Hope you have an amazing trip. Just one tiny recommendation from me… grab a bag of Percy Pigs (gummy candy) from Marks and Spencer’s food hall whilst you’re there.
Love High Potential!! Also watching Brilliant Minds, so good.
The Little Museum of London – DO NOT MISS IT! Also I would recommend Johnny Fox’s. They have wonderful food and a great Holley Show. They have buses from Dublin. https://johnniefoxs.com/ Also a visit to Glendolough is worth the drive! We were in Irelend in November and had a great time. There is so much to see and the Irish are wonderful! Have fun!
I so much enjoy your Sunday posts (actually EVERYONE on Team Joy)! ?
If you like High Potential, we LOVED the original French show High Intellectual Potential (HIP) on Hulu. It’s wackier & Audrey Fleurot is a whirlwind of color & flamboyance!
How I miss Yuengling beer!! Please have one (or 3?) for me!!! They don’t distribute into AZ yet but still staying hopeful!!
Watch “Bad Sisters” on Apple TV+
It’s about five, middle-aged sisters in Ireland and the sheer-evil man one of them is married to. There’s murder, plus comedy, in this drama you’ll want to binge. And there’s a second season! Highly recommend! ??????????
Such a good show!
Handsome podcast!
Podcast recommendation: Handsome. The mix of Tig Notaro, Mae Martin and Fortune Feimster is magic! If you have HBO Max, watch Somebody Somewhere. It is a gem.
Enjoy your trip to Ireland – and Happy Anniversary! After a recent trip to Dublin and environs we published our first international book in our Vedi Sito family travel series featuring it!. It’s available in Kindle Unlimited or printed, too. Not sure if I can/should post a link here but you can check it out at Vedi Sito Dublin:family travel guide. We include QR codes for venues so you can double-check info before heading out and deciding what you want to prioritize to see. Have fun!
Abby! Made my Sunday to hear that you are traveling to Ireland! I went in November, 2015, and it is just one of those trips that I cherish and could never recreate the awesomeness! I recommend the Little Museum of Dublin – I read that they are doing renovations in their main building but have a pop up right now. If they still do a tour / walk of Stephen’s Green, I would recommend that too since it has a great history! It’s a cool / silly / interesting museum and small enough where it doesn’t commit your entire day!
Eat at Hatch & Sons cafe while you are at the museum / on Stephen’s Green – one of the best pastry breakfasts that I had while in Ireland (outside of staying at a B&B where the owner made her own scones and jam!).
My friend and I randomly ended up at a pub called The Confession Box. We hung with the locals, and sang loudly to Irish folk songs and mainstream rock music, haha! We were arm and arm with a couple locals, holding our Guinness high!
Also, book a tour of the old library and Book of Kells at the Trinity College of Dublin – I love libraries and they had a great collection of first editions and old literature when I went. The main area of campus is beautiful so if this is your jam, I wouldn’t miss this!
I wasn’t in Dublin when I went to an Irish farm with mead, but if you can find a great Meadery, I would bring some home if you can!
Pack a Uniqlo ultra light down vest. I couldn’t have lived without these wonderful layering pieces! I live in Southern California, which doesn’t require too much cold weather gear, haha, so you may already have your favorite layers being in Chicago! I love that the vest squishes up into its own little bag or pocket, and it washes and dries well. I still wear mine from 10 years ago – pants, boots, long sleeve shirt, vest, and beanie – that’s what I wore the whole time!
Hope you find some hidden gems while walking around!
Love these tips! Makes me want to go to Ireland (more than I already do…!)
The Telepathy Tapes podcast is incredible! Happy Anniversary!!
Came here to say this! Obsessed and pushing this pod on anyone and everyone I can. Have a great trip! Enjoy some hot crispy fish and chips with a side of mushy peas alongside a cold cider or Harp. The best!
Podcast recs: Smartless, pick and choose guests. High Grant was great, as was Keri Russell, particularly if you’re old like us and watch The Diplomat ;). Still and always, Serial. The recent one, The Kids of Rutherford County is good and restores some faith in the legal system. Have a great trip!!
Happy Anniversary, have a wonderful trip!
Yes, check out Rick Steves! I went to Europe way back (books then peeps!) and his info was incredible.
Podcasts – I love cats, so Cattitude of course and Covered in Pet Hair, both on PetLifeRadio.com
Have a great time!
One of my favorite places in Dublin is……Marsh’s Library. It is a tiny, 18th Century still operating research library.
https://marshlibrary.ie/
Have a great trip!
I loved Loot, Shrinking and Ted Lasso. Halfway through Bad Sisters and want to watch several other shows.
If you like scones and coffee or tea, head to Bewley’s on Grafton Street for a nice break. Hopefully Trinity Library has reopened. Combine that with the Book of Kells. Kilmainham Gaol is a good way to learn some history. If you go, don’t miss the Proclamation sculpture across the street.
Download Derry Girls. Giants Causeway is a trip from Dublin to Northern Ireland, but so well worth it. Have tea or a meal at The Shelbourne if you can squeeze it in. Enjoy!!
I always love your posts Abby-thank you!
Podcast recommendations
The Amber & Lacey, Lacey & Amber Show!
Sloppy seconds
Black Fat Femme Podcast
Text Me Back
Wishing you both safe travels and a trip of a lifetime!
If you get AppleTV, you must watch ‘Shrinking’. So worth it.
Slow horses is great too on Apple TV. It has a slower start but it’s very good.
Safe travels to Ireland.
Good column today!
Have a wonderful trip! The EPIC museum is incredible and definitely worth your time. We also really loved Bread41 for out of this world food and Johnnie Fox’s for irish pub music and dance. I get a little teary when I rewatch videos from that night because it was so incredible. We loved all of the touristy things too, like the Book of Kells. Get to know the locals—I am a southerner and the Irish people we met even have us beat on friendliness. :) Enjoy!
14 Henrietta Street is an incredible museum- similar to the Lower East Side Tenement Museum in NYC. EPIC, about Irish emigration, is also great. Rick Steves has free walking tours you can download and listen to while you walk all over Dublin!
Yes I second the Rick Steves rec- he is the best in the biz!
Ireland! I went in my 20’s, again for my honeymoon, and back with my kids and parents. Just watched the Ireland episode of Somebody Feed Phil. Give that a whirl and take all recs.
If you can splurge on a castle stay or falconry…
It’s 3 hours from Dublin to Galway… worth it.
Dingle
Ring of Kerry
Any and all Cherry Bombe recs.
Have so much fun!
The only way I can handle the news these days is to treat it like coffee – consume all I care to before noon, then stop so it doesn’t keep me up at night. Then I consume positive, fun content like this. Thank you for helping me maintain perspective!
Podcast recommendation – have a look at Betwixt the Sheets – https://shows.acast.com/betwixt-the-sheets/episodes – Dr. Kate is an amazing hosts and she tackles all sorts of issues and time periods with a feminist eye
Ireland!! That is at the top of my bucket list. Have the best time and tell us everything.