Shi comin’ in hot with the tea! I love chisme on any given day, but especially on my birthday 😆

It’s officially been a year since I checked into the hospital after the incident 😅 Life took a 180 after the pandemic, and another 180 after having the strokes, so I’ve done a complete 360 and am back to where I started 😆 So grateful to still be here today and celebrate with this chocolate vanilla swirl pudding snack (yes, I instacarted this jello, and yes, it’s sugar-free).

Sidenote: Adan Canto, who played Arman Morales on The Cleaning Lady, passed away yesterday after a private battle with cancer 💔 I don’t usually get choked up about celebrities dying (unless it’s Paul Walker, Robin Williams, Chris Cornell, Chester Bennington, Anthony Bourdain, Kobe… ok, maybe I do). I can’t believe he’s gone. He was my age. Life is short. Give your loved ones a big hug today…

Me checking the weather before my trip:

Smoked wings, anyone???

I smoked them and then air-fried them so they were extra crispy. It smells like BBQ up in this bitch. This is what I imagine heaven smells like. I’ll request BBQ for my last meal in case I’m not headed there 😅

Pammie works out of her bedroom, so she got this Harry Potter door hanger so her husband doesn’t ask her if she wants to smoke while she’s on a zoom call, and I don’t bust in with no pants on to look out her window and see if my favorite dog, Lucille, is sunbathing on the balcony next door 😅

My parents are on their way to a cruise and upgraded their flight there to premium economy. Didn’t know it came with champagne! My sister helped them book their flights, so not sure if this is like the time she got me a plane ticket to meet her in Chicago, and the flight attendant came by with a cheese plate and I was like, “I didn’t order that,” and she was like, “Pamela pre-ordered it.” And I was like, “Oh, okay!” While I was eating my wedge of brie, the flight attendant came by again with a bottle of champagne and was like, “She ordered this, too!” My aisle mates were so jealous. It was a morning flight, but I still drank the whole bottle of champagne and slept the rest of the plane ride from LAX to O’Hare 😅

I’ve only ever flown first class on my sister’s dime. She’s bougie and likes to travel in style. If I’m booking it, I’m like uhhh how many Southwest points do I have? 😅 When Shi found out we were going to New York for my birthday, she was like, “How much are flights right now?” and I was like, “Uhh IDK, Pammie bought them.” And she looks over at my sister, and Pammie was like, “We’re flying first class, so…” and Shi was like, “Oh, my bad!” And this was right after my sister explained that all her Harry Potter ornaments were spotless because Leticia the housekeeper dusted them LOL. In her defense, she hosted Christmas, so that’s why she had Leticia clean the house. She was referred to her by two of our other friends who also use Leticia to clean their houses. Coincidentally, we also get waxed by the same person. If you don’t share a housekeeper and a Brazilian waxer, are you even friends??? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Everyone knows I love miniature things, so for Christmas my dad’s sister sent me The World’s Smallest Battleship, Jenga and Lava Lamp. I’m also clumsy as fuck, so I dropped them all on my way to my room. Pammie was like, “Did you pick everything up? You don’t want to accidentally step on a tiny battleship!” And guess what I stepped on barefoot today??? I was like, “WHAT THE FUCK!” and I looked down and there it was… the world’s smallest battleship.

Oh, it’s personal.

I’m vanilla, baby
I’ll choke you, but I ain’t no killer, baby

File under: Shit I get asked to do because I know Photoshop.

Obviously a dude had the championship ring made since it says, “The Motherfucking king of fantasy football,” even though the ring was made after two girls joined the league (my sister and my ex’s wife—not me, I don’t know anything about football), and Pammie won last year!

I’m not really into designer purses, but I’ve been eyeballing this minimalist Gucci bag for years now, so I just bit the bullet and bought it. Should I also get the matching wallet or is my Ikea coin purse okay? 😆

I’m back from vacay and my boss took an extra week off. I’m the most senior designer after the web director (my 11-year work anniversary is tomorrow!), so I’ve been telling everyone I’m Gaye this week 😆

Last bake of 2023 ✌🏼 I hate actual ginger, but I love gingerbread anything. I’ve been known to eat a whole sleeve of ginger snaps in bed. If there were any gingerbread crinkle cookies left, I would’ve taken them to bed with me.

My relatives requested that I make my copycat lettuce wraps from P.F. Chang’s in case this party wasn’t Asian enough.

We left the party early because we were tired by 9:30. My aunt was like, “You’re going already? You’re leaving the lettuce wraps, right?” 😆

I’m not gonna make it to midnight, guys. Happy new year from this old broad 👵🏻

My cousin who lives by me in LA is down here for a country music festival this weekend LOL, so we treated her to a proper burrito at Lolita’s, followed by some sweets at Pop Pie, a showing of one of my favorite movies, When Harry Met Sally, at Angelika, and some homemade pizza.

One of my favorite pies is the Bee Sting from Roberta’s in Brooklyn. It’s topped with spicy soppressata, and my cousin doesn’t eat pork, so I had this baby all to myself.

At the end of the movie, the guy sitting behind us was like, “I genuinely enjoyed watching you guys enjoy the movie!” We couldn’t stop laughing during the part where Billy Crystal sleeps with Meg Ryan and he’s laying there afterwards. He was in the same position my cousin’s waxer told her to get in during her last Brazilian with one leg hanging off the bed, and she had just told us this story LOL.

She’s my concert buddy in LA, always down to see whoever I want (I took her to her first Tame Impala, Beyoncé, Sylvan Esso, and Hozier concerts, among others) and she loves my chicken adobo (my sister and her husband said it was too salty, and it still keeps me up at night). We had reservations to go to Pizzeria Bianco in DTLA for my birthday earlier this year, and I texted her and was like, “I don’t think I can make it. I had a stroke and I’m in the hospital.” 😅 She’s also my ice skating partner, and we usually skate outside the Staples Center Crypto.com when they set up the rink for the holidays. Ahh, I miss LA. I never thought we’d be close when we were kids. We used to live on the same street, but then her mom (my dad’s little sister) died when she and her siblings were still young, and they moved to LA where their dad lived. Who knew I’d end up in LA???

My sister parked my car in guest parking in front of the community pool earlier yesterday afternoon so the girls could park in the garage when they came over. My sister’s husband came home around 9:30pm and the girls were still here, so he parked in guest parking as well. When they went to move the cars back after the girls left around 11:30pm, both cars were gone. It turns out you need to have a permit to park in guest parking from 10pm-6am, so they both were towed 🙄 Christine graciously offered to take us to the tow yard when they opened at an unholy hour this morning, but we had to pay $300 each to get our cars! I thought my days of parking tickets were over (one weekend, I got a ticket in LA, a ticket in OC, and a ticket in SD!), but I guess I thought wrong ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Oh well, at least I was up early enough for Mcdonald’s breakfast 😆

I got my sister’s husband a Ninja Woodfire 8-in-1 Outdoor Oven for Christmas, partly because it gets hot enough to make pizzas, but mostly because it’s also a smoker and I love me some smoked meats.

For Pammie’s birthday, the girls got together for a pizza party on her rooftop. The oven works sooo well and fast. It cooked the pizzas faster than we could make them!

Chel brought us dick chips! They were salty and meaty with a vinegar backnote 😆

What should we make next? These smoked wings I once had at Alpine Beer Company that I still have dreams about? An entire smoked brisket??? 😜

As I was frosting my cinnamon rolls this morning, I could hear my sister on her 9am zoom call. I don’t remember the last time I had a zoom call or meeting. As long as I turn in my work on time, my boss doesn’t bother me. My coworkers will message me on slack till no end, but usually just to ask if I have a font or what I’m doing for my birthday LOL. I love working from home ♥️

Prepping for my birthday weekend 🎥✌🏼

Days off secured, flight and hotel booked ✔️

I brought down my projector the last time I was at my apartment, but there’s barely any blank walls in this big ass house, so I had to set up my screen on the 4th floor 😅 My sister’s husband uses that floor as his mancave (he keeps his boxes of baseball cards up there and it opens up to the rooftop where he smokes and grills), so I’m hardly ever up there, but what are you gonna do ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I think miniature versions of things are the cutest, so I made these adorable mini chicken and waffles. I just bought some Eggo Minis, a tray of Chick-Fil-A Nuggets, these cocktail picks, and served it with some quality maple syrup. So cute!

My chocolate bread pudding fixes things in the universe.

My charcuterie boards always have a theme 🎄

I made my banana nut bread last Thanksgiving and was asked multiple times where I bought it! Now I have to make it for every family party.

Is it even an Asian party if you don’t play games for money??? I learned that my cousin’s husband moves really slow after eating edibles and I suck at flip cup when I’m completely sober 😅

I was too busy taking pictures of my food to take any pictures of myself, but I wore this cute ass Christmas light strand sequin sweater dress that was festive as fuck 🎄

I’m officially off of work till New Year’s, so I’ll just be here till then ✌🏼

One Christmas, my aunt texted the whole family and was like, “If you’re married or over the age of 25, you will not be getting a gift this year.” I was like, “So not only am I old and single, I also won’t be getting presents this Christmas???” 🤣 My mom’s sisters and grandma used to give all the kids gifts and with all the kids having their own kids, it was getting to be a lot.

I usually don’t give gifts to all my cousins and their kids (there’s over 20 of those little fuckers!), but with my health scare this year, and all the love and support I’ve received, I thought why not???

I hardly use my cricut the rest of the year, but I bust that shit out for Christmas.

It was already a bitch to weed out all the letters before the strokes, but it was even tougher after. The strokes made my hands weaker and shakier, so it took me longer than necessary to weed all the letters. I also need more help opening jars. I used to have beautiful penmanship, but now I try to print everything I can on my computer. I only write my rent checks and sign restaurant receipts 😅 I also used to have a nice singing voice (I was in advanced choir in high school—I have the sequin dresses and nude character shoes to prove it), but after the strokes, I kinda sound like Marge Simpson 😅 I was telling the girls this story about this Manhattan Beach woman who had Alzeimer’s that I used to see missing flyers for. She went to LACMA with her husband, used the bathroom and then wandered off. I was like, “And years later, they found her BONES!” and Shi was like, “Your voice makes your stories sound 100x scarier!” 😅

That’s a wrap on 2023!

Will this be like that time we had a hurricane and people brought in their patio furniture for nothing???

She’s not the first person to tell me this. My other friend said the same thing when she was telling me her boyfriend doesn’t make her laugh 😂 I could never be with someone who doesn’t make me laugh!

My sister had a real Christmas tree last year, but didn’t want to deal with vacuuming all the needles and having to trash it afterwards again, so she got this artificial one.

She and her husband love the real tree smell, though, so I got some fraser fir fragrance oil for my scent diffuser, and now it smells like Christmas up in this bitch.

FYI if you didn’t already know, my sister is a Potterhead.

On our way to brunch today, my sister’s husband was like, “Why do you look like our rebellious teenage daughter?” I was wearing my Michael Myers shirt and carrying my medication in a ziploc bag because it didn’t fit in my tiny ass purse. The lip ring and the fact that I was fresh-faced out of the shower with no makeup on probably didn’t help. A few years ago, I flew with them, and the person at the airport counter thought I was their daughter. They were so offended LOL. I was like, “It’s probably because I look so young, not because you look so old.” 😅

Loved, loved, loved the new Wonka movie. I had no idea it was a musical, I think the studio didn’t disclose that on purpose so more people would watch it. Luckily, I like musicals!

I’m gonna drink all my beverages in this fun souvenir cup I got at the theatre.

I was going through my music tag, and I came across this Dia de los Deftones post where I was excited about Mike Shinoda being there. I just noticed Doja Cat on the flier! I didn’t know who she was 5 years ago, but she was my top artist on Spotify this year. If that was the current lineup, I’d totally be there.

How my demons look?! 😈

BRB, listening to Hoobastank’s 20th Anniversary Limited Edition LP ✌🏼

P.S. Hoobastank liked and reposted my instagram story 💀

Happy birthday to my bestie and favorite sister, Pammie!

This tracks. Although I would’ve thought Hoobastank would’ve made the cut, but Spotify stops tracking sometime in November, and I didn’t have them on heavy rotation until after that in preparation for their 20th anniversary show in December.

• TOPS Malibu New Year Wish Sparkler
• Lost Farm Strawberry Chews
• WhistlePig Whiskey
• Baileys Hot Chocolate
• Sur La Table Gingerbread House Mug Topper
• Escuminac Extra Rare Canadian Maple Syrup
• Sugarfina Mistletoe Kisses
• See’s Scotchmallow Tree
• See’s Caramel Apple Lollypops
• Chili Chews Strawberry Bites
• M&M’s Holiday Milk Chocolate
• Pop Rocks
• Pelon Pelo Rico
• Dulces Vero Pica Fresa
• Furikake Chex Mix

Get you a friend who gives holiday swag bags (It’s me. I’m the friend.) ❤️💚

I was promised dick chips ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Jessie asked me to make her baby shower invitation, so I’m asking all the important questions 😆

FYI Humboldt Fog is my favorite cheese (you should be writing this down). Christine was telling us a v serious story about meeting up with her pregnant friend who also has cancer at Plaza Bonita, and I was like, “Wait, is the Popeye’s open in the food court?” Some people say I have no tact, but that Popeye’s had a big ass “Opening Spring 2023!” painted on the wall, and it was Halloween and still not open! It has since opened if you’re wondering 😅

Also, while researching baby shower invites, I found this cute Baby-Q invitation. Anyone wanna go halfsies on a baby so I can throw myself a Baby-Q???

Reliving my youth (@ The Echo)

I started off my morning by doordashing a spanish latte and sunrise pizza from Urth Caffé. I went to my doctor’s appointment and Dr. Joshi had nothing but good things to say about me (the first time I saw him earlier this year, he said I was “hanging on by a thread” 😅). I went through 4 months worth of mail and had over $700 in checks from overpaying for my health bennies during my medical leave. The Echo’s up the street from Guisados on Sunset, so we ate some delicious tacos before watching Hoobastank at The Echo. Not to be dramatic or anything, but yesterday was the best day of my life.

I haven’t seen Hoobastank live since they opened for Linkin Park on their Meteora tour in 2004! Fun fact: Hoobastank went to high school with Linkin Park members (Mike Shinoda, Rob Bourdon and Brad Delson). I felt like a kid again watching them. Like, is it 2003? Am I about to get a charlie horse after watching them at Canes??? 😆 I was reminded that I’m not, in fact, a kid anymore when we walked back to the car and we didn’t have to pay for metered street parking because of my handicap placard, and when I was falling asleep on the drive home before midnight 😅

Shoutout to the guy standing in front of me wearing a Yellowcard hoodie 😂

Only two things about LA still warm this heart—the food and live music.

Update: You guys, Hoobastank liked my Instagram story 💀

R.I.P. to my fiddle leaf fig bush. It’s in a self-watering pot, but you have to refill it with water once a month, and I haven’t been in my apartment since August 😅

I got this noise notification (that I usually get when I’m at a concert) on the drive up to LA tonight. I guess I was rocking out to Hoobastank too loud 😆 I got a text last week confirming my doctor’s appointment in LA that I forgot about tomorrow, so I bought tickets for Hoobastank’s 20th Anniversary Show at The Echo since I’ll already be up here. Who’s ready to party like it’s 2003???

The Pantone Color Institute named its color of the year for 2024 and it’s Peach Fuzz. Pantone describes the color as “gentle, warm and cozy, subtly sensual and heartfelt.”

For those of you who think this stuff has nothing to do with you, I present to you this scene from The Devil Wears Prada 😆

So with flour on my hands
I’ll show them all how
Goddamn happy I am

What if when he sees me
I like him and he knows it?
What if he opens up a door
And I can’t close it?

BRB crying (@ AMC UTC 14)

Waitress is my favorite musical ever. Yes, over Hamilton. They both debuted in 2016, and Waitress was nominated for four Tony Awards, but Hamilton swept the Tony’s that year (Sara Bareilles was robbed, IMO). They’re showing the musical for a few days at the movie theatre, so I had to watch it with Shi (who was lucky enough to catch the musical on Broadway) and Pammie (who watched it with me here in San Diego). I made us some deep shit dish apple pie to celebrate. Just kidding. I instacarted a Julian Pie from Vons 😅 Ain’t nobody got time to bake a pie from scratch!

I put the pie slices in mason jars like they served at the musical for us to eat at the movie theatre because I’m extra. Shi was like, “Were they selling these outside?” And I was like, “No, I made them. Well, I bought the pie. I just put it in jars and made the label.” 😅 She was like, “I was just trying to make it here on time!”

It only takes a taste
When it’s something special
It only takes a taste
When you know it’s good
Sometimes one bite is more than enough
To know you want more of the thing you just got a taste of

We watched the musical live at the Civic Theatre, but they took it off Broadway in 2020, so I never got to see Sara Bareilles play the lead role in NYC. She did a small run with Jason Mraz playing her doctor, but I couldn’t find anyone who could just go to NYC for the weekend to watch it. I guess I don’t know anyone who flies by the seat of their very chill pants like I do! I hope they release it digitally so I can cry watch it at home whenever I want.

Deane sent me this vid and I couldn’t stop laughing, because it reminded me of the time we went to Boyle Heights for tacos. We heard gunshots as we exited the 5, and we were like, “This must be the place!” 😂

We knew of this truck, because we went to a taco festival (we’re v serious about our tacos), and we picked the vendor with the longest line because we figured they had the best tacos.

You know the tacos are good when you hear gunshots! 😅 Ratatata!

I will never be too poor for concert tickets or Crumbl cookies 😆

I once got pulled over for expired tags in LA the first day they expired, yet I’ve seen so many cars driving around SD with tags that expired years ago ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The dog my parents are watching has grown super attached to my dad. My dad says it’s because he’s a boy, but I think it’s because he gives him pupperoni treats. Here he is waiting for my dad outside the bathroom 😆

Homemade Zuppa Toscana on this cold ass day. The last time I had Olive Garden was my last lunch with Nori before she took me to the hospital 😅 Our waiter held the parm grater over my dish and asked if I wanted a fifth cheese on my four cheese ziti and I’m still laughing about it 😂

People think I’m a food snob and too good for chains, but I love me some Olive Garden!

My sister is in Vegas again, so I’m at my parents’ house cuddling with this good boi and I’ve already burned 2 bags of popcorn in the microwave. Feels like the holidays.

She was, in fact, that girl. Stars—they’re just like us!

I used to watch Selena Gomez on Wizards of Waverly Place on the Disney Channel, and now I’m watching her cook with Chef Alex Guarneschelli on the Food Network. How fast they grow up 🥹

I usually have Food Network on in the background while I’m working, and I’ve never heard so many people mispronounce espresso (ex-pres-so), mascarpone (mars-car-pown), chipotle (chee-poll-tay) and jalapeño (ha-la-pee-no). I don’t expect a Green Bay fan white dude in the midwest to be able to roll their R’s and say birria, but how about you learn how to pronounce it first if you’re gonna make it on national television? I was plugging away at my catalog, and I was like, “If this guy says ‘beer-ya’ one more time…” 🤪

At the end of this life are you happy?
Are you good with the choices you made?
Are you being yourself or just acting?
Do you wish you could start again?
When you’re on your last legs, on your death bed
When your life flashes before your eyes
Do you like who you’re with in that movie?
Or do you belong in mine?

Blake Rose songs on this cold ass day 🥶 (Yes, 60° is cold af to this San Diegan).

I sent Melissa O’Neil (my favorite actress from The Rookie) a birthday gift last July. I mailed it to the studio they film at (Paramount) right before SAG went on strike. They started filming again this week, and they held onto my package all these months and left it in her trailer! She posted this to her stories and called me TREASURE, y’all. I can die now.

You guys, Eric Winter‘s mom liked my post about Melissa 💀

And it’s worth it, it’s divine
I have this some of the time

Kevin Garrett covering my favorite Hozier song ♥️

…or let’s watch a dystopian action-adventure movie together (@ The Lot)

I thought the new Hunger Games was a love story, but it’s more President Snow’s villain origin story 😅 We drove up to La Jolla because The Lot was the nearest theater showing the movie with recliner seats where we didn’t have to sit right in front of the screen. We did, however, have to sit next to these obnoxious kids who kept loudly commenting stupid shit during the movie. Like, isn’t this movie rated R? Are you even old enough to watch this shit? Where are your parents??? 🙄 Anyway, I loved the movie. Even better than the original Hunger Games movies. I didn’t read the book, so I had no expectations and nothing to compare it to. It was pretty amazing.

BRB making spirits bright around here 🎄

What, you don’t like Irish whiskey and a massive amount of mini marshmallows in your hocho? Or do you not call hot chocolate ‘hocho’??? 😆

Only 30 more days till Christmas!

Spoiler alert, I’m the fun aunt 💰🎄🎅🏻✨

Some of my family use the Life360 app to track their spouses and kids. It tells you entirely too much information (including their location history and even when their phone battery is low so you can nag them let them know to charge it). I have too many secrets, so I don’t like people knowing my whereabouts at all times 😅 Plus, I’m a firm believer that if a man is gonna cheat on you, he’ll find a way, Life360 or not. Keeping him on a short leash and following him on some app isn’t gonna stop him. My mom’s baby sister was telling us last night that her husband said he’d be home from Viejas at 7am and didn’t come home till 7pm. He didn’t answer her phone calls, so she was super mad worried he was dead in a ditch somewhere. So my sister suggested the Life360 app that she and her husband use, and my aunt requested my uncle on it. He wouldn’t accept her request in front of the entire family last night, but she just texted this screenshot so I guess he accepted that shit LOL. Why is my family so crazy???

It’s leg day, y’all! 🍗

I had to get this tiny cornucopia, partly because it’s Thanksgiving, but mostly because it reminded me of The Hunger Games.

My mom’s deep fryer decided to stop working after we already dry rubbed four cornish game hens, so my uncle just deep fried them on the stove in a big ass pot of peanut oil. They turned out great! They were so small, they looked like baby birds, but I was assured these weren’t babies LOL. One time, I was watching an episode of Chopped, and one of the secret basket ingredients was a suckling goat and I burst into tears and changed the channel when I saw it. As a rule, I don’t eat any baby animals. Only fully grown animals that have had a good life 😆

Update 11/24/2023: Pammie told me that cornish game hens are slaughtered when they reach 4 WEEKS of age, so I won’t be eating them anymore 😅

King crab legs were on sale for $199 for 10 pounds at Costco! I’ve seen it upwards of $400, so this was a steal. Plus, we were near the Costco Business Center, so we went to that one and there were no lines on a Saturday!

Pumpkin pie hack: I bought a big ass pumpkin pie from Costco, used a biscuit cutter to cut out individual servings, and topped them with whipped cream and a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice. Adorable!

The Costco Business Center doesn’t have a bakery (or food court), so we went to the Grossmont Costco and it was CRAZY. There is a hell, and it’s the Costco in La Mesa the weekend before Thanksgiving.

My banana bread fixes things in the universe.

If your family doesn’t gamble at holiday parties, are you even Asian???

I hate baking in someone else’s house 😅

My parents are dogsitting while my aunt and uncle are in Paris for Thanksgiving, so this sad boi is my roommate for the next week (he misses his pawrents).

I love BBQ dick chips.

I hardly ever post on my personal instagram account (one time, I went to do one of those “top 9 posts of the year,” but I couldn’t because I didn’t have 9 posts LOL). I post on my chenford account pretty often, though! Today, this video I edited to The Reason hit 10,000 likes, one of them being from HOOBASTANK! IDK if I’m more stoked Hoobastank liked my video or more embarrassed that they know (and now you know) I’m such a fan girl 😅

My super (yes, his name is Michael Douglas) left me a message saying I’ve had packages outside my apartment door for months (he lives across the hall from me), and the postman left a note on my door that my mailbox is full. He knows that I’ve been in SD (I mail him my rent check every month), so I gave him permission to use my spare key that he has to put my packages in my apartment since I won’t be in LA till probably next month. He doesn’t have a spare mail key, though. Does anyone in LA want to empty my mailbox and water my (probably dead) plants? 😅 I’ll mail you my keys and give you my building code! You can even rifle through my underwear drawer. Just kidding (I don’t wear underwear).

This is my favorite Young the Giant song, and I love that they included it on their live album that came out today. I can’t wait to see them again at Innings Fest, even though I’ve seen them at least ten times in the past decade (including at the inaugural Innings Fest!).

Novo Amor and homemade chicken sotanghon on this rainy Wednesday 🌧️

I hate that this bathroom sign at my parents’ house is in three different styles of fonts. Sans-serif, serif and brush?! Like, pick one! 😵‍💫

Also, why am I like this? 😅

My mom loves the lettuce wraps at P.F. Chang’s and wants me to make them for Thanksgiving LOL. We hardly ever have traditional Thanksgiving food. I think we’re deep frying some cornish game hens this year because no one ever eats the turkey. I also accidentally bought 5 bags of turkey bone broth instead of chicken when I was doing a cleanse once, and the smell of turkey elicits my gag reflex now.

Since I’ve never made the lettuce wraps before, I found this copycat recipe and did a trial run, so I wouldn’t embarrass myself in front of all my relatives 😅 I omitted the ginger (because I hate ginger) and the sriracha (because not all of my relatives have my spice tolerance).They also serve them with iceberg at the restaurant, but I got butter lettuce instead because it was less watery and messy.

Remember that episode of Punky Brewster where the girls all wanted Butter Lettuce Babies? I think Cabbage Patch Kids was copyrighted LOL. If you don’t know who Punky Brewster is, then you are too young and I am too old. Anyway, the lettuce wraps turned out great and I’ll def be making them for Thanksgiving!

My work bestie is taking PTO, so I sent her a care package with her favorite popcorn from Chicago, these cookies from NYC that she showed me on instagram, and some homemade furikake chex mix to snack on, plus a USB full of illegally downloaded movies so she can fully enjoy her well-deserved staycation.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes and Trolls Band Together also come out on November 17. What a time to be alive.