March Music!

March was an incredible month music wise!!

I truly don’t think I’ve ever been as busy as I was this month and the music I listened to this month is special because it brings me right back to how I was feeling in all my travels.

At the beginning of the month, I visited a friend of mine in Nashville and he has incredible music taste and played the DJ all weekend, so the beginning of my playlist is a lot of the songs we listened to together.

One of my favorite memories from the trip (and from March in general) was when he played Little Lies by Fleetwood Mac out of the blue and said “this is the best song to sing to in the car with the windows down.” I don’t think I’ll ever be able to hear that song again without thinking of that moment.

It was also ironic that he chose that particular song because I had recently read Tell Me Lies by Carola Lovering (named after Little Lies) and I’d been meaning to listen to the song since I read the book, but I kept forgetting, so the fact that he picked that song, of all songs, stuck with me. And it’s also ironic because several parts of that book centralized around music, and the songs in the book had already reminded me of him because we’d coincidentally listened to all of them together back in December. It goes deeper than that, but the entire situation felt far too coincidental for me to overlook.

The following weekend, I went to 90s Con in Hartford, CT and met two of the Dawson’s Creek cast members and some of the OG Roswell cast, so although I didn’t put any Dawson’s Creek songs on the playlist, I’d be remiss not to include the Dawson’s Creek soundtrack in this post (especially Teenage Dirtbag by Wheatus). 

Then, the weekend after that, I flew to Chicago and I went to Epic Cons Chicago and met some of the Roswell NM, Twilight, Teen Wolf, One Tree Hill, and Pretty Little Liars casts and the first night I was there, my friends and I saw Tyler Posey and Phem in concert. Unfortunately, at the time, I only knew one song by each artist (I’m a fan of Posey’s because of Teen Wolf, not his music), but I was blown away by how talented the two of them are!! 

So, I started going through their discographies, and I ended up loving three of Posey’s songs SO much that they are the ONLY songs I listened to for the last FIVE days of March. Those songs were Runnin’, Sober, and Happy. Runnin’ is so chill and just vibey and Sober and Happy are some fun, head bumping songs with really great lyrics!!

Check out my full playlist below:

  1. You’re The Song (That I Can’t Stop Singing) – Frankie Valli
  2. She’s so Mean – Matchbox Twenty
  3. Do You Remember – Jack Johnson
  4. Linger – The Cranberries
  5. Little Lies – Fleetwood Mac
  6. Far Too Good – John Smith
  7. All On You – Mitchell Tenpenny
  8. You’re So Vain – Carly Simon
  9. Unwritten – Natasha Bedingfield
  10. Dirty Work – Steely Dan
  11. Kiss Me – Sixpence None the Richer
  12. Still into You – Paramore
  13. Misery Business – Paramore
  14. Fake Happy – Edit – Paramore
  15. Saturdays (Feat. HAIM) – Twin Shadow, HAIM
  16. This Time Around – Citizen Shade, Neon Feather
  17. Little Bit of Love – Anders Sohn
  18. One of These Nights – Eagles
  19. Grand Canyon – Mat Kearney
  20. Emotional – Anthony Hall
  21. Faithful – Allen Stone
  22. Already Do – Josh Gray
  23. Hurts Like Hell – Josh Gray
  24. Runnin’ – Tyler Posey
  25. Sober – Tyler Posey
  26. Happy – Tyler Posey 

You can listen to the full playlist here!

Tell Me Lies – Carola Lovering

Tell Me Lies – 5/5 ✩

Tell Me Lies is a raw and gripping story about Lucy Albright as she navigates life after meeting Stephen DeMarco early in her freshman year of college. Stephen is the definition of the Wrong One, but no matter how how hard she tries, Lucy has a hard time letting go of Stephen, even when she knows she should.

Initially, I had reservations about this book because of the toxicity in its characters, but this book genuinely took over my life after reading it. I truly cannot stop thinking about it and it’s easily become a 5 star read for me. I listened to the book and then almost immediately got a physical copy and dove right back in. I also watched the Hulu series, but that will be touched on in another post.

I loved this book so much that it sent me into the biggest reading slump I’ve ever experienced; I was reading a book every couple of days at the beginning of this year, and since I finished Tell Me Lies, I’ve only re-read a single book.

In a general sense, this book is an incredible read because of its characters. Lucy and Stephen, specifically, are so fleshed out and feel so dynamic and real on the page. This novel is so character driven, which makes the ending INCREDIBLY rewarding. I won’t spoil, but the scene where Lucy and Stephen talk at the wedding had be smiling so big and feeling so much pride for Lucy that it almost hurt.

I truly don’t think I’ve read a novel this rewarding in years – to be able to watch two characters go down such an deep journey, both together and separately, filled me with pride and I honestly wish I could read more and spend more time with these characters.

I also loved how the characters were so aware of each other’s body language (even if many times, they were presumptuous and wrong in their thinking). I can’t remember reading a book where the characters were so cognizant of others’ actions and body language.

Plot wise, I’m not quite sure what I was expecting when I picked this book, but I really enjoyed how deep this book was. I thought it was going to be something light and fun and this was not that. This book made me stop and think and really analyze the impact our actions and personalities have on each other. I also loved how this story wasn’t just the story of what happened between Lucy and Stephen, but also Lucy’s journey in forgiving her mother (and Stephen’s journey of self-destruction).

Something else I found so gripping about this work is that the novel has a tremendous amount of foreshadowing and Carola Lovering was able to wait for the perfect moments to let the story’s elements unfold (i.e. Macy, The Unforgivable Thing, and Marilyn’s role in Lucy and her mom’s lives).

The dedication of this novel also played a role in how powerful this book was for me. I didn’t pay attention to the dedication when I listened to it the first time around, but reading it the second time added an unforeseen depth to the story.

Lastly, from a strictly superficial perspective, this cover.is.stunning. It’s very easy to overlook the intricacies of this novel’s cover – it’s just words after all. But knowing Lucy and Stephen’s characters, but Lucy especially, this cover holds so much more meaning.

One True Loves – Taylor Jenkins Reid

One True Loves – 5/5 ✩

One True Loves is a heartwarming, moving story about Emma Blair, a woman who has found herself in a place where she’s found not one, but two, true loves.

Emma spends her young adult life with a crush on Jesse Lerner from afar. Meanwhile, she works alongside Sam Kemper, whom she accidentally sent straight to the friend zone, which she regrets, until Jesse notices her. Emma and Jesse then go off to college together and build a life together on the west coast full of love and travel and they end up marrying.

Just a year after their wedding, Jesse is in a helicopter accident and is presumed dead, sending Emma into a spell of grief she’s unsure how to pull herself out of. In an effort to heal her heart and her life, she moves back home to her family in Massachusetts and embarks on a journey of healing, becoming a person she never expected to be, but loves nonetheless.

In a chance run in, Emma encounters Sam and the two fall in love and get engaged. Though she didn’t see it coming, everything in Emma’s life is perfect. That is, until she finds out Jesse is alive and her life is thrown off kilter once again.

One True Loves is such a raw and touching story of life and love and grief; it made me laugh and it made cry and I closed it feeling an intense ache but also like I’d been broken and been mended back together perfectly.

Taylor Jenkins Reid has such an incredible ability to craft realistic and raw characters, so much so that I felt each emotion Emma did as she put herself back together, as she fell in love with Sam, as she navigated what her life could be with Jesse back, and ultimately what path she chose for her life in the end.

There’s no better way to say it than to say that each time Emma’s heart broke, I felt it deep in my bones, and each time she was able to put it back together, I felt that with her too.

This book is a reminder of what true, innocent love can be, while also showing you the struggles you will face when you’re in love. Each of us are faced with choices when we fall in love – we have to decide what to do with our heartbreak and we have to choose how to express that true, feel it in your bones, love – and TJR so skillfully paints such a realistic picture of these actions and emotions.

This book makes me feel nostalgic and reminds me of what love can be and should be at its core.

Nashville 2024

A couple weekends ago, I went down to Nashville to visit one of my friends from high school. Nashville has always been on my list of places I wanted to visit, but beyond the bars and the country music and cowboy boots, I really knew nothing about the city before I visited.

I flew in late on Friday afternoon and Evan and I went straight to 12th Ave S and got drinks at Bottle Cap Nashville. Per his recommendation, I tried a Strawberry and Lime Crush, and if you’re ever there and want to a drink, I’d definitely recommend it! It was light and refreshing with the perfect amount of sweetness in the background. I only had one, but I feel like they’d sneak up on you because I couldn’t taste any alcohol at all!

We intended to go to bartaco afterwards for dinner, but with it being a Friday night, there was way too long of a wait to justify waiting. Instead, we headed to 21st Ave S and got dinner at Taco Mama. Definitely would recommend their food too! Their prices were super reasonable and they gave so!much!food! with each order. And it was a fun vibe inside.

21st Ave S was also a really nice street with tons of shops and it was far enough away from downtown that it didn’t feel overcrowded or overwhelming at all. Definitely a good spot if you’re still looking to go out, but don’t want to deal with the hoards of people you’ll find on Broadway.

Saturday

We started the day with brunch at Nashville Jam Company and oh my god, that food was delicious. It was such a cute, quaint restaurant – it was in a house in a neighborhood amongst a lot of music studios and it felt so homey inside.

I got the 2 egg breakfast with grits – I felt like I couldn’t go to Nashville and not try grits! – and we shared some biscuits with the restaurant’s signature jams (all of which were delicious!)

Then we headed to Centennial Park and saw the Parthenon (which was gorgeous) and walked around for a little while. The weather was a little gross and rainy that day, but there were swings set up around the park, so we found one and sat for awhile – which was the best thing we could’ve done because we witnessed a wedding!!

We passed a young boy (probably only 18 or so) walking around with his family and they were all dressed up, and when we stopped to sit, we saw his family and his wife’s family staring to gather by a pretty bench. Then the couple sat down and started reading their vows.

Evan and I were so infatuated we stayed until the ceremony was over and pictures were taken and both families left. We were so invested we were even making up backstories for the couple and their families and tried hypothesizing what they were up to the rest of the weekend and how excited they must’ve been for the wedding.

We also saw the end of a proposal while we were there!

Then we headed to Broadway and walked through a bunch of tourist-trap shops – which I LOVED. I love souvenir shops like that. But I will say, those shops had the highest prices I have ever seen for souvenirs. I always buy a magnet for my mom and a shot glass for my dad when I travel, but they were asking between $12 and $18 for SHOT GLASSES! (Other than this though, I did think that Nashville prices were really reasonable).

Of course, we also walked through all the shops that were selling cowboy boots. Check out my favorite ones:

I’m a huge fan of both of the Roswell series, so I thought these were so cool! But, unfortunately, all the boots down there were SO expensive and I really don’t think I would wear them outside of Nashville, so I came home empty handed.

We also dropped into Coyote Ugly. When I was in Covington, GA last December, my friend and I were getting dinner at a little rooftop concert. It was a low-key, acoustic show with very little dancing, and in the middle of the show, our friend Bob Somerhalder came up to us, had a short conversation, and left. The next day, we were all at an event with Bob and with my friend’s parents and Bob told her parents that we were dancing the Coytote Ugly the night before at the concert, which couldn’t have been further from the truth! I’ve never seen the movie, but when I saw the bar, I knew we had to go in because that’s all I could think of.

It was probably around 3pm when we walked in and people were drunk off their asses and playing musical chairs as the bartender stood on top of the bar. I never would’ve wanted to be one of the people playing, but it was a funny environment to be in… until Evan and I got called out for not drinking and watching from the sidelines. And we took that as our cue to leave.

We walked the rest of Broadway before heading back toward Evan’s apartment and dropping into McKay’s, which is a HUGE used book and music store. They have an INCREDIBLE stock of books, vinyls, cds, games, and so much more. It was almost overwhelming walking in there but I absolutely loved it.

I found a signed, first edition of one of my favorite books – We Were Liars by E. Lockhart, which is being adapted into a Prime series by Carina MacKenzie and Julie Plec – and I found so many Frankie Valli records and I’m still a little heartbroken that I didn’t have enough room in my backpack to take any of them home.

We took it easy for the next few hours after that – we took a nap and watched New Girl while eating our leftover chips and salsa. (Which was even funnier than normal because Evan is the epitome of Nick Miller).

Then we headed out to get dinner at Amerigo and their food was to die for. We shared a Caesar salad (and I don’t even like Caesar salad – lettuce is a no in my book – but it was incredible) and for my meal I got the chicken piccata. The portion was huge and it was!so!good!

I know I’ve said all the food I got on this trip was good, but I promise you, I’m a harsh critic and I’m not easily satisfied when it comes to food, so this is saying something.

If you’re looking to drink, I got a Sgt. Peppar, and it was…interesting. Not something I’d order again, because although it was good, it also tasted like PEPPER. And you’ll probably think I’m crazy because it should’ve been obvious it would taste like pepper, but I missed the part when I was reading the menu where it said Absolut Peppar Vodka. (It also had Dry Vermouth, St Germaine, lime juice, and cranberry juice)

Before heading back to Broadway, we stopped into Cross-Eyed Critters Watering Hole in the Graduate Hotel for some karaoke. I tried to convince Evan to do a song with me – we had an epic karaoke performance of Tonight Tonight by Hot Chelle Rae back in middle school that could use a reprise – buttttt Hot Chelle Rae wasn’t really the vibe in this place.

Our last stop of the night was at Luke Bryan’s bar – I loved the vibe and loved the rooftop, even if it was a little chilly that night – and we ended the night with Milkshakes (which was arguably the best part of the night. We had fun at Luke’s, but the whole time, we were looking forward to those milkshakes).

Sunday

We started out my last day in Nashville at Warner Park Center and what was meant to be a little 20 minute walk turned into a 4 mile low-key hike. The park was beautiful – with areas for events and picnics, paths for biking and family walks, trails through the woods, it was lovely. But, both Evan and I are stubborn (and forgot to take pictures of the map) and we ended up getting a little lost and didn’t make it back to our car for nearly an hour and a half.

We were starving by the time we finished our walk and ended up at Inchin’s Bamboo Garden. Per Evan’s recommendation, I tried the Mongolian Beef with white rice (which again, was very good!) and we tried some dumplings also, one of my personal favorites.

Before dropping me at the airport, Evan took me by the Opry, which I have to say, was SO different from what I expected. I feel like I’d thought it would be closer to Broadway and I definitely didn’t expect it to be right next to a huge shopping center either. We didn’t go inside, but we did go through the gift shop (I LOVED all the clothes with fringe) and I’d definitely be interested in going back for a show.

Lastly, we took a walk through the Gaylord Opryland Resort which was STUNNING. I felt rich walking through there (which I am not) – it felt like a dream. I also used to work at a hotel and loved the job, so all I could think of while I was in there was how nice it would be to work there. We also got gelato from a pop-up shop inside and it was so good. The clerk gave us a hassle for ordering “boring” flavors, but I’d definitely recommend the pistachio and the salted caramel.

I wish I had more photos to share from when I was there but I didn’t really take many besides the boots and a photo of Evan and I at Luke’s.

Overall, I loved the city and I can’t wait to go back asap! I think there is so much to do in Nashville and while I think the two/two and a half days that I was there was the perfect amount of time to spend in the city at once, there’s definitely a lot left I’d like to do. But despite how much I liked the city itself, I think my favorite part of the weekend was catching up and singing in the car to whatever music Evan queued – some people are bad at being the DJ (I am one of them), but he killed the music game this weekend.

Tips for Visiting Nashville

  1. Bring Your Cowboy Boots (and Hats!)
    • I travelled with just a backpack, so there was no way I could possibly have brought my boots and hat unless I wore them on the plane. I get SO self conscious though and never would’ve gotten on a plane wearing my cowboy boots, but when I got to the airport and saw everyone else was wearing them, I kind of wished I had too. So, if you feel like you want them, bring them!
  2. Bring Liquid IV
    • I do this whenever I go on a trip where I know I’m going to be drinking a lot (like Vegas in January). I didn’t need it on this trip since I didn’t drink too much, but drinking a bottle of water with Liquid IV in the morning when you wake up and at night after you get back from the bar works wonders.
  3. Over Budget
    • Like I said, these souvenir shops were the most expensive I’ve EVER seen, and drinks at Luke Bryan’s weren’t the cheapest either, so I’d plan to over budget if those are things you’re interested in. Otherwise, I didn’t find prices to be too high on food or anything (and I never had to pay a cover to get in anywhere), so if you’re working on a tight budget, I do think Nashville is a good city to visit. Also, parking was SO much cheaper than any other city I’ve visited.
  4. Try Tacos Somewhere
    • I was shocked how many different places had tacos – Nashville is not the place I’d expect to have tons of taco restaurants, but they were everywhere! And the ones I had (and other places Evan’s said he’s been to) were SO GOOD

Survivor 46 – Episode 2

This post is coming a little late because I really didn’t like this episode and don’t know exactly how to write about it beyond the bullet points I wrote down when I watched the episode, so these are pretty much just my raw reactions here. I still haven’t watched episode 3.

Charlie

  • I wish Charlie would STOP TALKING ABOUT TAYLOR SWIFT. Like buddy, we get it, you like Taylor. But that doesn’t have to be your entire personality.

Venus

  • I like Venus, but I don’t want her to just jump into this alliance with Brandon so quickly and just automatically think she can trust him. I actually do believe she CAN trust him, I just don’t want to see her getting blindsided by trusting people too fast.

Yanu Tribe

  • I really freaking hate this tribe. I think anyone that got placed on this tribe was screwed from the start. Jess was barely able to speak or be spoken to on this tribe, Bhanu is so vocal that it screws him and his tribemates over, Kenzie (and Tiff by association) are your stereotypical mean girl, Q is stuck between a rock and a hard place, and don’t even get me started on Jelisnky.
  • I really do have a hard time speaking about reality tv online – everyone on this show is a real person and I don’t want to come on here talking poorly about them (it’s not like a scripted series where everyone is acting a part) – but what I will say is that I do not like Kenzie.
    • I think she’s a complete mean girl and I don’t like how she treated Jess at ALL.
      • I will admit that Jess never spoke her mind and I do believe she WAS a weak player, but Kenzie and Tiff were genuinely mean to her and I didn’t appreciate that at all.
      • I just felt like they were bullying Jess and doing everything they could to be MEAN and get her out of the game. Getting people out of Survivor is the name of the game, but their actions were so mean spirited and there was simply no need for that. Kenzie and Tiff treated Jess like she was stupid and like they were superior to her and it just painted them as mean girls in my eyes.
        • I don’t think there was anything wrong with Q making a fake idol for Jess – it was pretty smart – but I hated the way the girls talked about Jess when she couldn’t find it and how they were laughing at her and talking about her like she was stupid.
  • Kenzie comes off like she thinks she’s above everybody else – she said something along the lines of: “we’re the only people here who know anything about the game” and “Jess is a bad survivor player. It is what it is.” In saying this, she placed herself on such a high pedestal and looked down on most of the other people, and honestly, she’s been in the game for such few days (and hasn’t done anything remarkable) that she hasn’t done anything to justify such an arrogant attitude. There was even a moment during Tribal when I felt like Kenzie was looking at Jeff like she was above him and the game too and that’s just not true.
  • I disliked the way Kenzie treated Bhanu also. She treated him like he was a child and all of them actively excluded Jess at Tribal? Like what the hell?
    • I don’t dislike Bhanu as a person, but I do dislike him as a player. I think he’s too emotional and he doesn’t seem to really understand the game; he completely panics and is all around way too overly emotional. But I don’t think that’s an excuse for Kenzie to treat him like a child either.
  • I was glad that Jess thought their gameplay at Tribal was incredible because I sure didn’t. Honestly, I had angry, hot tears in my eyes after how they treated her.

Some overall observations–

  • This one hit me like a ton of bricks: Growing up is being more interested in the interpersonal dynamics of all the people on the show than the comps. I’ve watched reality tv since I was a kid, and I was always way more interested in the comps, whereas my mom, who I’d watch with, would always tune out the comps and pay attention to the people and I thought she was crazy. Now, that’s kind of exactly what I do! The drama is way more interesting now than watching everyone compete in comps!
  • I’m not a fan of how these people treat each other. I don’t like the interpersonal dynamics yet this season, and it’s really taking away from me enjoying the game because I truly just don’t like many of these people and don’t think they treat each other well. I know that it’s a game and deception and strategy is part of that, but my issue lies in the fact that I don’t think these people are showing each other respect and treating each other like they’re also people.

Survivor 46 – Episode 1

I watched early seasons of Survivor, but only got back into it again in season 42, and I’ll be the first to admit, I struggle with reality tv.

Whenever I watch the first episode of a reality series, I ALWAYS think to myself ‘wow, I really HATE reality tv’, but as long as I stick it out through the first few episodes of the season, I always end up invested.

I let myself get so annoyed at the beginning of the season because I am the queen of having STRONG first impressions. On Big Brother, I’m usually totally spot on with my impressions (shoutout Turner from Big Brother, he was my favorite night one and remained so the entire season), but I’m not always right when it comes to Survivor. I don’t think I’m alone in having hated Emily at the beginning of last season and then ending up completely loving her, so I hope that happens again this season.

I just really hate how everyone in their confessionals in the first episode of a series act like such big shots and like they’re going to be the most ruthless, most cutthroat player, etc. etc. etc. It feels so fake to me. These people build themselves up to be these characters that are just not real and I hate the way I feel like everyone has an ego the size of the moon. I’d much rather see someone’s real character than something they’re trying to build up to.

Because of that, Hunter is by far my favorite player after episode one. I felt like he was open and relatable and he seemed like a genuinely nice person. I feel similarly about Q because of how confident he was in standing his ground before Tribal.

I’m excited to see how this season plays out, but I’m definitely kind of nervous for this season because last year’s cast kicked such ass that I don’t know if this season will be able to live up to it. The season prior too. I don’t think anyone will be able to live up to Jake (45), Kaleb (45), Yam Yam (44), Carolyn (44), Carson (44), Frannie (44), or Matt (44).

Here are my first impressions after the first episode:

  1. Based solely off the first shot of each tribe, I thought I was going to LOVE the Yanu tribe and they actually ended up being my least favorite. Not even because they were on the bottom, but I just genuinely don’t love the people as a group.
    • I was annoyed by how strong some of the tribe members personalities were (or weren’t)
      • I really didn’t like Kenzie at first – she felt overbearing and overconfident to me and all around just too set in her ways. She grew on me a bit by the end of the episode though.
      • I like Q a lot so far. I respect his game play and he seems like a genuinely good guy.
      • I like Jess, but I want to see more from her. I’m obviously not a castaway so I can’t possibly understand the brain fog she must be feeling, but I just wanted to reach out and shake her and tell her to put herself out there more. Before Tribal, I was terrified she was going to go home, and as an Asian woman myself, I really didn’t want to see her go home, especially not first.
    • Jelinksy
      • I want to be as nice as possible here, but honestly, Jelinksy drove me CRAZY. He was playing way too hard way too fast – and honestly just being plain old dumb about it.
      • He was also a freaking hypocrite – talking about not quitting and always giving 100% effort and I laughed OUT LOUD when Jeff called called him out for quitting and not owning it.
      • The kid was ignorant and just didn’t understand the mechanics of the game – and WHO QUITS A CHALLENGE (not once, but TWICE)?!
      • He also was just delusional? Thinking his actions would lead him to Survivor legend status? And thinking this was a huge blindside? No way, dude.
  2. I’m watching Survivor, I don’t want to hear anything about Taylor Swift
    • I’ll get hate for this, but I don’t like Taylor Swift, and quite honestly, I just want to engage in something and not have it turned back on Taylor Swift.
  3. I think my favorite tribe is the Nami tribe
    • I like this group as individuals and also as a group – I think their personalities mesh very well and make for good TV.
  4. I love that there are some contestants from Massachusetts – I hope they host some watch parties this season!
  5. Other people that stuck out to me in the premiere:
    • I liked Maria, especially after seeing her on the journey.
    • I love Tevin’s personality and I really hope to see an alliance between he and Hunter.
    • I really respected Moriah for her vulnerability and putting herself out there so early on.

Looking forward to seeing how things start to shake out on next week’s episode!

February’s Playlist!

I watched a lot of tv and movies this month so I didn’t have any specific playlist on a heavy rotation; I mostly listened to the playlists Spotify recommended to me and asked friends for recommendations when I wanted to listen to music.

One album that a friend recommended to me was Sturgill Simpson’s A Sailor’s Guide to Earth and I FINALLY listened to Noah Kahan’s Stick Season (Forever) all the way through. I also listened to a lot of old country music.

Here’s the playlist I made of songs that stuck out to me most this month. It’s some old music and some music I liked from my recommended music:

  1. Morning in America – Jon Bellion
  2. No Shame – 5 Seconds of Summer
  3. i hate your ghost – Spencer Jordan
  4. stranger to me – Zachary Knowles
  5. 12 Hours – Chris James
  6. tomorrow tonight – Loote
  7. Last Minute – Sam MacPherson
  8. rocket science – vaultboy
  9. The Reminder – Chris James
  10. Drive You Back Home – Raynes
  11. Start – Sam MacPherson
  12. The Sky is Green – Spencer Jordan
  13. December, 1963 (Oh What a Night!) – Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons
  14. I Hate LA – Hot Chelle Rae
  15. Stay – Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons
  16. hiccup – Valley
  17. Starting to Scare Me – Katelyn Tarver
  18. Still Good – DNCE
  19. Big Girls Don’t Cry – Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons
  20. No Hard Feelings – Old Dominion
  21. Here’s To The Zeros – Marianas Trench

You can listen to the playlist here if you like it!

Romantic Comedy – Curtis Sittenfeld

Romantic Comedy – 3.5/5 ✩

Romantic Comedy is about Sally Milz, a sketch writer for a late night comedy show. In 2018, Sally connects with Noah Brewster, who is that week’s host and musical guest on the show, but after a miscommunication, the pair go their separate ways. Two years later, Sally and Noah reconnect and relight the spark of what could’ve been when they first met.

Sittenfeld’s characters were witty and dynamic. Their love felt youthful and innocent and I really appreciated how both characters – especially Noah – were able to communicate their feelings for one another. It was refreshing to have a set of characters who were able to work through their issues rather than get lost in miscommunication.

What I disliked though about this novel was how it took place in present day, and by that, I mean it focused on modern politics and Covid played a tremendous role in the storyline. While I share very similar political views to Sittenfeld, part of the reason I love reading so much is that I can enter an alternate reality where I don’t have to think about the political climate. I read during the 2020 Pandemic because I could escape a reality where being in the same room as someone I loved could have actual, legitimate repercussions.

I was quite surprised when I started reading this book and Covid began playing such a large role in the characters’ lives because I genuinely had not known that it was part of the story at all. I think the romance in this story was strong, but I think it could’ve remained strong without having had the backdrop that it did, so for that reason, I give this book a 3.5/5 rating.

Las Vegas ’24

I’m an east girl with a west coast heart.

Earlier this year, I packed my bags for my first trip of 2024 and headed out to Sin City.

Vegas has always been on the top of my list of places I want to travel, but I’ve never been able to make the trip work. My friend Nicole and I have been best friends since pretty early on in college, both of us love being out west, and we both have a serious case of the travel bug but we’ve actually never travelled together.

Toward the end of last year, we decided that we wanted to finally make the trip. On a whim, we booked our flights, hotels, and started planning the weekend. We booked a flight out on a Friday afternoon and took the redeye home Sunday night. I was a little bit nervous that wouldn’t give us enough time there, but it was honestly the perfect amount of time. It’s an exhausting city, and although there were things we didn’t get to do that I wished we had, they will all still be there next time.

Where We Stayed

We stayed at a different hotel each night we were there and both definitely had their pros and cons. I actually did enjoy both of them, but I don’t think I’d stay at either of them again.

Night One: Circus Circus

Circus Circus was so.freaking.fun. There was so much to do in the hotel – I felt like we could’ve spent almost a full day in the hotel and we wouldn’t have gotten bored. The hotel had a casino, huge arcade area, bars, free circus acts, tons of food and dessert options, gift shops, a salon, and an amusement park???!!!

It’s definitely a perfect place for families to stay. It was fun, it was lively, and there were countless things for the kids to do.

If you’re looking for a 5 star hotel, though, this isn’t the hotel for you. It was safe, it was clean, but it was dated. For me and Nicole, though, it did the job; it fit our budget for the night and it was a hotel where we felt safe.

One of my qualms with the hotel was the location. It’s on the strip, but it’s on one end of the strip, so it was very inconvenient for night life. We had to Uber to other parts of the Strip when we went out and we had to Uber back to the hotel at the end of the night and I would’ve preferred to be able to walk.

Night Two: Hilton Grand Vacations Club on the Las Vegas Strip

This hotel was straight out of my DREAMS. I love hotels and this might (okay, it probably will) sound weird, but this was one of those hotels that just smelt clean and luxurious when you walked in.

The room was beautiful – it had a full kitchen, full living room/sitting area with a pull out couch, and a spacious bedroom and bathroom. There was even a washer and dryer!

I loved EVERYTHING about this hotel, except one thing: the location. It was actually next to Circus Circus, but on the other side, closer to the end of the strip, so again, it wasn’t really walkable to where we wanted to be.

But if location isn’t a concern for you, I’d definitely recommend this hotel!

What We Did

Our first night in town, we didn’t do too much. We were exhausted and fighting a bit of a stomach virus, so while we intended to go to XS Nightclub to see Chainsmokers, we dressed up, went to the Circus Circus casino for a little while, and met up with a friend from college. At that point, we’d been up for over 24 hours, so we ended up spending the majority of our night eating In N Out and Raising Cane’s and catching up.

The next day, the three of us met up with another friend from college and got brunch at Hash House a Go Go – which, if you’ve never been, you have to try! We spent the rest of the day exploring the Strip and walking through all of the casinos and being tourists.

Nicole and I on the Strip!

Later that afternoon, we explored Circus Circus and then headed to the Venetian and got dinner at Smith & Wollensky before heading to the Westgate Resort for a Frankie Valli concert – probably the highlight of the weekend for me! Frankie is one of my all time favorite artists and being able to see him in concert meant the world to me (I might’ve even shed a tear or two!). Westgate was also really fun and lively – their casino was fun, there was live music in the casino after the concert, and it was also SO COOL to be in the same place that Elvis was.

That night, my friend from LA came to town and we went to XS Nightclub to see Marshmello, but there were SO many people there that we ended up going over to the club at Resorts World where Louis the Child was playing a set.

On our last day, we got brunch in the Venetian and then did some more exploring on the Strip. We went to go on the High Roller, but unfortunately, it was closed and it was a little bit too chilly to go ziplining, which was right next to the High Roller. Then we headed over to Fremont Street and explored Old Las Vegas before going over to The Strat and doing a little bit of gambling.

Tips If You’ve Never Been to Vegas

  1. Vegas is Not Walkable – Plan Accordingly
    • Vegas is a BIG PLACE. You might think because you’ve heard of the Las Vegas Strip that everything is going to be close and walkable, but you would be wrong. My friends and family told me, ‘Jordyn, you can’t walk everywhere. It’s a big city.’ and I heard them, but I don’t think I listened to them. When we were there, we had to Uber to different places, there was no walking from place to place. Even though things look close on the map – THEY ARE NOT!
  2. Do Your Research
    • The city can be overwhelming. It very big, it’s very crowded, and there are so many things to do that it really can get overwhelming.
    • I wouldn’t suggest planning your trip down to the minute, but I would suggest coming up with a list of things to do while you’re there. I find that when I have too many options of things to do, I end up not doing very much at all because I overthink the decision making process. If you have a list of things you want to get done while you’re out there, it will help keep you busier and you’ll have a better time.
    • I felt like I had done so much research before I visited, but I still felt like a deer in the headlights at times, so I would highly suggest educating yourself before you go.
  3. Wear Comfortable Shoes!
    • I know I said Vegas isn’t a walkable city, but you will still do your fair share of walking! If you’re out during the day, I’d suggest wearing sneakers or flip flops – basically, what I’m saying is, wear flat shoes.
    • I’m stubborn and I love wearing heels when I go out, so during the days, I wore my sneakers, then in the evenings, I wore a pair of heels and carried a purse big enough that I could stick a pair of flip flops in it and switch my shoes when my feet started to hurt too much.
  4. Check Out All of the Hotels/Casinos
    • One of my favorite parts of the trip was going from hotel to hotel. Once you get to a certain part of the strip, it does get easier to walk from place to place and all of the resorts are so grandiose. It’s definitely worth seeing as many as you can.
  5. Go With People You Trust
    • I didn’t feel like any parts of the city I visited were dangerous, but I definitely was on guard the whole time. I felt like it was a city where I couldn’t trust many people and I was grateful that I was with people who had my back and vise versa.
    • Vegas is obviously a big drinking and gambling city and it’s a place where people can very easily be taken advantage of. Stay safe and stay on guard.
  6. Over Budget
    • Vegas is an expensive city. I was on a tight budget while I was there, and I was able to still do everything I wanted, but everything costs money. Food and beverages are expensive, experiences require tickets, gambling gets expensive if you choose to do that, so make sure you allot enough money (and then some) for the things you want to do.
  7. Go to the In N Out Company Store!
    • I love In N Out and getting at least one burger from there was at the top of my Vegas bucket list. What I didn’t know I could do was visit the Company store. They had so much In N Out memorabilia and I ended up leaving there having spent way too much money. My favorite things I bought were my license plate frame lined with little red In N Out palm trees and a dog collar for my dog!

Can’t wait for my next trip out west!