FMG: Spicy Sauce, Basketball, and New Lady Gaga
should we re-brand it to March MAYHEM!?
Happy Friday and happy March Madness! It’s one of the most joyful times of the year, and I hope you’re planning to spend the upcoming weekend watching an equal distribution of basketball games and Paige Bueckers TikTok edits.
I took a bit of time away from FMG due to a busy schedule and some travel, and I’m feeling creatively invigorated upon my return :) I spent last week on a little Tour de Southern-to-Middle Cali, traipsing from north LA down to Orange County, then up to Paso Robles and back down to the OC again. Things I drank: lots of delicious wine, one Alfred iced americano, and a total of six espresso martinis — all the makings of a perfect trip.
Music: Back when young Abigail was first old enough to stay home alone, there was exactly one thing I wanted to do with my uninhibited free time. I would plug in the family laptop, turn on its webcam, open up iTunes, and blast “Boys Boys Boys” by Lady Gaga. Naturally, I’d then press “record” and proceed to film myself singing the chorus, specifically the part where Stefani sings, “With hairspray and denim / and boys boys boys,” all to see if I sounded as good as I truly believed I did in my head. While I’ve outgrown that misguided self-confidence (and have placed it elsewhere, fear not), I will NEVER outgrow my love for Lady Gaga and her perfection of pop. I love her new album the most I’ve loved a Lady Gaga album since Born This Way (maybe even more, but only time will tell), and I sincerely hope you’re letting yourself dive in and embrace how fun music can be if you let it (the second half of your life truly begins when you allow yourself to admit that “baby is a bad boy with some retro sneakers / let’s go see The Killers and make out in the bleachers” is legitimately incredible lyricism). My Mayhem faves have been changing by the minute, but the current Top Five is (in order) as follows:
P.S. I can’t talk about Lady Gaga without reminding everyone that “Yoü and I” is one of the best songs ever written. One time my high school boyfriend and I got into a fight at our local Jimmy John’s because he said it was a dumb song and I told him I couldn’t be with someone who was capable of having such a bad take. I genuinely stand by that.
Books: All hail Libby! I was on the approximately six-month-long waitlist for a borrowed copy of The Favorites by Layne Fargo, but the Chicago Public Library delivered and I received my virtual copy well before its anticipated arrival date. For those who are unaware, The Favorites is a novel about a pair of ice dancers who grew up and ultimately became Olympians together, with a fair share of sports, family, and hormone-related drama along the way. It’s VERY reminiscent of Taylor Jenkins Reid (reminder that her new book is just 2.5 months away!), and I now find myself caring far more about ice dance than I knew I was capable of. I’ve been in a major reading slump (I haven’t finished a book in two months, which is very unlike me!), but this book is pulling me out. Next, I’m going to read the just-released Sunrise on the Reaping, which is the new Suzanne Collins Hunger Games prequel — and if I love it even half as much as I loved The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, I’ll be happy.
Trader Joe’s: I make exactly three dishes very well: soft scrambled eggs, chicken pot pie, and vodka pasta. I love homemade vodka pasta SO much that I genuinely prefer it (about 95% of the time) to restaurant vodka pasta, and I’ve become incredibly picky about jarred pasta sauces since discovering my talent. That said… sometimes a jar of pasta sauce is necessary! I recently saw this Calabrian Chili Spicy Pasta Sauce at Trader Joe’s, and I grabbed it to try at home. You must do the same! Immediately! My picky ass can’t get enough, and I’ve since bought a replacement jar because I ate Calabrian Chili Spicy Pasta for so many meals in a row. It’s really thick, it’s the perfect amount of spicy, and it pairs so well with some parmesan and a side of garlic bread. Omg it’s SO good.
I hope you have an amazing weekend — and if anyone finds a way to fill the Dylan-Efron-sized hole in our hearts now that The Traitors is over, you let me know.
Cheers!
Gail