Deadloch, "Red Wine Supernova," and Eggo Waffles
March 2024 Round-Up
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Welcome to your March 2024 Bi-Monthly Round-Up!
That’s right, folks. Round-ups are getting a little more bountiful around here.
I conducted a poll in my IG Stories to see if people would prefer I did my round-ups a little more frequently, and the majority voted for that option. Meaning, from now on, every two months I’ll put together a list of all of my favorites across a handful of categories, including what I’ve been listening to, watching, purchasing, and more (note that any affiliate links will be clearly marked with an asterisk).
Let’s get this party started!
Music I’ve Been Vibing With
I’m still slacking on listening to full albums, but here are the individual songs I’ve had on rotation:
“Edge of the Earth” - The Beaches
“Red Wine Supernova” - Chappell Roan (I also adore “Pink Pony Club” and “Casual” from this queer-as-hell album)
“Chemtrails Over The Country Club” - Lana Del Rey
“Back To December” - Riot House, Jack The Underdog, ENZI (this is a really fun cover for the crossover population of Swifties and emo kids)
“Touching Yourself” - The Japanese House
“ONE MORE TIME” - blink-182 (yep, still a sucker for blink)
What I’ve Been Watching
Deadloch was the surprise household favorite of the TV shows Jessie and I have been watching lately, and we’re not the only ones who loved it (check out praise for the show from Vanity Fair and Forbes).
It’s a detective comedy/drama (replete with Australian humor and slang) that’s partly satirical while also keeping you on the edge of your seat as you try to guess the killer. I heard about it on TikTok because the show is full of lesbians and queer humor, and the talented cast drives the eight-episode season at a thrilling pace.
Deadloch is available to watch on Amazon Prime, and you can check out the trailer here. My fingers are crossed for a second season!
For my fellow reality competition show fans, The Trust: A Game of Greed on Netflix was not what I would call good, but it was fun to watch and very messy. It has elements of Survivor (not the survival part) and The Mole.
11 strangers live together in. a fancy house, and all of them are vying for a cut of $250,000 of prize money. They can either share equally or vote each other out to increase the size of their individual portions, and they’re also given offers along the way that can potentially add or take money away from the group pot.
There were some fascinating (and at times painful) racial, gender, and socioeconomic dynamics at play between cast members, and it was interesting to see how people’s upbringings fueled their decision-making and assumptions about others.
Lastly, while I am not a true crime girly, I had heard that American Nightmare on Netflix was riveting, so we decided to give it a try. It’s based on the horrifying abduction and kidnapping story of Denise Huskins (alllllll the content warnings for SA, violence, police incompetence, and more), and the main thing I took away from the three-part docuseries was what law school had already taught me: DO NOT TRUST THE POLICE.
Y’all, I am so serious when I tell you that if the police ever want to question you about anything—anything at all—ask for a lawyer. And if you need more proof of that, watch American Nightmare.
For My Book Nerds
It was a tough January and February for me, so my reading is off to a slow start this year (which is also the reason I haven’t posted any new queer book reviews yet for paying subscribers). The handful of books I’ve gotten through so far have been just okay, so I’ll hold off on new book recommendations until the next round-up.
Products I Recommend
My sister turned me on to the Little Sleepies brand* of PJs, and I have to say, they are so comfortable! The PJs are made of bamboo so you do have to treat them with care (I wash ours on delicate and then hang them to dry), but the comfiness is worth it, IMO. I have multiple sets now (in short and long sleeve) featuring different patterns.
I have to give a shout-out to the Eggo Grab & Go Liège-Style Waffles in Vanilla Bean flavor! The first time I had Liège waffles was when my friend Odile baked them for me from scratch, and these are a pretty close match for her homemade ones.
They can be made in the air fryer, and the crunch of the pearl sugar is magical. My sole complaint is that each box only comes with four waffles, so I have to eat them sparingly.
I don’t know about y’all, but in the last couple of years, I started experiencing hair loss at the temples (probably from pulling my hair back tightly throughout my life). It started to bother me how noticeable it was when I had my hair in a ponytail, bun, or braid, so I decided to try the Virtue Labs Flourish Density Booster. I spray it on every night before bed (except on wash days) and rub it into my scalp, and each bottle lasts me around six months since I’m only spraying it on two targeted areas.
I’ve been using the spray for about a year now, and it’s made a huge difference! So many hairs have started to grow back in at my temples, and the hair loss is far less noticeable now. It will take years for the new hairs to catch up in length to the rest of my hair, of course, but the steady growth has me feeling more confident.
Other products I’m loving right now include:
Boie USA Loop Body Scrubber - I learned a few years back that standard loofahs aren’t hygienic past a handful of uses and that if you replace them as often as you’re supposed to, it creates a lot of waste. So, I switched to a body scrubber, and I’ve never looked back. The Boie one I use I’ve had for years (you can even throw it in the dishwasher on the upper rack for deeper cleaning from time to time), and when you’re ready for a new one, you can send yours back to Boie for them to recycle it. I also haven’t had any issues getting mine to lather with my LUSH body wash.
HP Sprocket Portable 2 x 3” Printer* - Jessie bought me this HP Sprocket Printer in the blush color a couple of years ago, and I’ve used it to print all sorts of photos and images (including the annual reading tracking project I talk about in the next section of this round-up). The paper that comes with it has a removable backing that reveals a sticky side, so you can turn any of the photos into stickers. I recommend the photo paper refill* and this brand of case* too.
Anti-Fatigue Kitchen Mats* - Whenever someone comes to my house for the first time, they usually ask me about the teal mats in my kitchen. I’ve had my mats for years (we have them in all the places Jessie and I find ourselves standing for long periods in the kitchen to cook and clean), and they’ve held up well. This brand’s mats come in a variety of colors and sizes so you can match them to your home.
L.L. Bean Women’s Wicked Plush Robe - Jessie got me a new robe for Christmas, and I think I’ve worn it almost every day since. So plush! So comfy! I love that it has a hood and deep pockets (there’s also a men’s version, but it lacks the hood). For increased longevity, I make sure to wash mine by itself on delicate and then use the air dry function of our dryer to get it mostly dry.
Govee M1 RGBIC LED Strip Lights* - The lighting situation in my office is horrendous for Zoom calls, so I’ve been looking for a solution. I decided to try these Govee strip lights on the back of my giant monitor (something I’ve seen gamers do before), and I’m glad I did. For calls, I set them to warm white and they help illuminate my face, and for the rest of the time I can set them to fun colors and patterns. These lights can go on walls, desks, and other furniture too.
Luminara Candles Set* - If you want to set up a romantic candle situation at home without the fire danger, messy wax, or having to replace the candles, may I recommend the Luminara matchless candles. I bought a few sets of these on a 50% off deal after first seeing them in a restaurant, and they look great. The “flames” move, and if you buy the separate remote, you can control all of them at one time as well as adjust the brightness and flicker speed.
Clear Rubber Adhesive Feet* - These feel so random to mention, but I use these rubber feet all the time. I have them on the bottom of my huge wooden cutting board so that it doesn’t slide on the counter, on the bottom of some houseplant pots to protect furniture surfaces, under my laptop for ventilation, and on the back of picture frames. There’s basically an army of little rubber feet doing work around my house, and I keep thinking of new uses for them.
Monopoly Deal* - We went to visit friends in California last month, and they introduced us to this card game version of Monopoly where each round of play only lasts 15-20 minutes. It was super fun, so we bought it for our own game cabinet.
Miscellaneous
Anything that doesn’t fit into the other categories has a home here:
Remember what I said above about not talking to the police? Something else I learned in law school was that the police don’t have any special duty to protect citizens, which tends to shock people (as it should). For more on that, listen to this episode of Radiolab that lays out the law in a way that’s simple to understand.
As I mentioned in my last round-up, the household Christmas present was a Peloton. For the other Peloton riders subscribed to the newsletter, I wanted to share that one of the most fun rides I’ve done so far was Olivia Amato’s Barbie Ride. Olivia can often be too hardcore for my preference, but the music in this ride was so fun that it flew by.
I got the idea from TikTok to start tracking my annual reading at the back of my journal each year, and the photos below show how my 2023 spread turned out! The HP Sprocket printer I linked to in the product recs part of this round-up is what I used to print out the cute little book stickers.
That’s all for this round-up, folks! If you have questions or want to chat about anything I included, don’t hesitate to comment (if you’re a paid subscriber) or reach out via email. You can also find all of the past round-ups you may have missed here.
Queerly yours,
Shohreh
*Links with an asterisk are affiliate links. If you purchase items using those links, I may be eligible for a small commission which helps support my writing and other content.
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