Things we would be seated for? A toddler tell all.

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Carol: It’s the climb. July 4th always reminds me of the summer of 1996, when I was handed a sparkler with zero instructions or supervision. No one told me to hold the metal part and not the sparkling part (tough concept for a 1st grader) before my sparkler was lit. It was a rough day for my tiny fingers. Shortly before this, my father let me climb to the very top of a fully extended fire truck ladder, not as part of a sanctioned children’s activity, but because a good ole boy had parked his relic firetruck in a parade in my hometown and I asked if I could climb it. He shrugged and said yes and then my dad let me, a 6 year old, climb to the top, nothing beneath me besides the overinflated self-confidence that has carried through the vast majority of my life, and pavement. And that’s on parenting in the 90s (and why I always asked dad for permission instead of mom).

🇺🇸 You can find me in stars and stripes for the Olympics and …that’s about it. But watching the footage of the Cowboy Carter concert this weekend had me ready to drape myself in a flag as I pledged allegiance to…Beyoncé. The Cowboy Carter Tour deserves endless awards. This isn’t just a concert, it’s a public art piece that demands we confront the power of protest, inclusion, and identity. As a white woman, I fully recognize I’m not the person to unpack the full depth of Cowboy Carter’s cultural commentary, but I absolutely stand in awe of it. It’s a reminder that patriotism can look like questioning loudly because you care deeply.

I started Season 3 of Ginny & Georgia last night, a highly recommended series at our last live show and a personal favorite. I’m not only obsessed with the show itself but am also deep in the TikTok interview rabbit hole with creator Sarah Lampert. I was lead here after a fan theory started circulating that Austin will eventually become a serial killer. While she’s not committing to Austin’s future, Sarah has been answering fan questions about creating the show, including the original name (Spiderweb) and providing interesting insight including that she actually wrote the pilot for a class she was taking online. It’s the perfect Sunday evening binge. Enjoy.

Skylar: Lip. Locked. 👄
Hailey Bieber dropped her latest Rhode accessory this week — a belted chain lip gloss holder. Let that sink in. A design team pitched this. A room full of people said yes. They made it, they did a photo shoot. Like… who is this for?

Imagine: you’re tanning on the beach, and every hour you have to rotate your lip gloss so the metal doesn’t brand your hip or give you a tan line shaped like a tube of “Peptide Lip Treatment.” Speaking of — that’s what really sent me.

Lip treatment? Girl, it’s lip gloss. The website says, “Lip care is skin care.” OK, but what is it treating exactly — a bad mood? A case of dry vibes? Let’s just call it what it is: a glorified lip gloss in bondage gear.

Poop Cruise on Netflix. Yes, that’s the real name. No, I’m not kidding. This one-hour “documentary” dives into the 2013 Carnival Cruise disaster and it’s giving Fyre Fest doc… lite edition. The quotes are unhinged, the dramatic reenactments are a choice, and the whole thing feels a little try-hard — but if you love a messy travel doc with delusional passengers and corporate chaos, this one will scratch the itch. Just maybe don’t watch it before booking a cruise.

If you’re a true crime girlie and somehow haven’t binged the King Road Killings podcast yet… let me tell you, that’s your weekend plans sorted. And if you have? Then you probably gasped like I did this week when Bryan Kohberger pled guilty to the stabbings of the four Idaho students.

Yes, that case. The one where two roommates survived and didn’t call 911 for hours, and the internet (and me) have been spiraling ever since. Bryan was a criminal justice student, and the details are terrifying. The whole thing has always felt like a Blumhouse commissioned horror movie with no clear ending — and the worst part? Still no real motive has been revealed. 

Skylar: I recently impulse bought the Aglio Olio seasoning blend from TJ’s and it has since taken up permanent residence on my counter because I have yet to put it away. Here are my top uses so far. 

Serving a fresh baguette with brie? I always like to put out some olive oil and vinegar on the side, but a dash of the Aglio Olio seasoning in the olive oil and you will instantly start calling your house cucina urbana. 

My algorithm believes that it is tomato girl summer and so do I. My snack of the week was to cut up beefsteak tomatoes, top with a scoop of cottage cheese and sprinkle with…. Aglio Olio. Also can add sliced turkey. Protein perfection and zero carb guilt. 

Carol: Chicken salad becomes my entire food pyramid in the summer. Right now? Fully feral over Trader Joe’s Chicken Salad with Everything But The Bagel crackers. I can’t find this gift of a snack on their website and there’s this Reddit thread of girlies in other cities tracking the availability of this classic masterpiece. BUT it’s been in stock at the Midtown Trader Joe’s in CLT, you heard it here first (but please don’t buy it all).

I’ve stopped lying to myself and just buy two tubs every week now, because my “meal prep” is actually me demolishing an entire container on Sunday, then gaslighting myself about where it went by Monday.

This is a classic chick salad, no grapes, just a crunchy carrot and celery moment. If you have a mayo aversion… leave this on the shelves for those of us who know what’s good.

Remember when everyone was so ready to “BeReal”? Like, we all collectively downloaded the app that promised to kill the filter and free us from the curated chaos of social media. No Facetune, no influencer lighting — just a lil unflattering moment of your day, whether you were at Coachella or in a Target bathroom.

It had its moment — peaked in 2022 with 53 million users, got an SNL sketch with Miles Teller, felt like the next big thing. And then… crickets. The app’s been in a steep decline ever since.

I’ll admit, I never used it (I am naturally not an early app adopter), but I loved the mission. Forcing people to post real life instead of curated feeds? Love that. But apparently… we don’t.

So what happened? Turns out, being real is exhausting. According to digital sociologist Dr. Harry Dyer (yes, that's a real job), the app’s surprise-posting model actually stressed people out — especially Gen Z, who already live life on edge. And Vogue described it as “too boring,” with people falling right back into the trap of trying to make their lives look cool anyway.

So let me get this straight: we’re allergic to looking boring but not motivated enough to not be boring? We hate being told what to post but are fine doom-scrolling judgmentally through everyone else's lives?

Make it make sense. How are we supposed to rebel against the algorithm if we tap out the second something isn’t perfectly polished or instantly viral? 

Tickets are already selling quickly for our show on 7/31 at Seaboard Southend - don’t wait til the last minute! 

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