TGIF: Things I'm Liking Right Now (August) (Patreon)

Hello and happy Friday, patrons! How are you doing this week? I hope you're hanging in there. I'm hanging in there! I'm riding the waves of nausea while perpetually floating down a proverbial lazy river and all in all it's not too bad. I realized it's been a second since listing some things I liked so let's dabble with that today. I was worried this list might seem overwhelmingly catered to 'sick people' on account of I'm sick and these are some things that are making me feel better. But looking back I realized most of my 'like lists' it look like they could be for a sick person so, hey, we're on brand! And maybe we reframe 'for a sick person' with 'for a person who wants to nurture themselves'. Ahhh, now it's more palatable and less sad! Let's get into this!

Aja Vines: Aja popped up randomly on my FYP weeks ago and I immediately loved her energy, her aesthetic, and her general warm, spirituality-lite ~vibe~. She's an intuitive reader and modern mystic that does card readings for the collective just about everyday on TikTok and I just love the way she interprets her cards. She has an amazing way with words and a genuinely uplifting outlook that's infectious. When I can remember I try to check in with her daily readings just to see what connects for me. Almost like reading your daily horoscope. She's easy breezy but often drops excellent wisdom and profound knowledge to chew on in such a gentle, fun way. Big fan!

Liquid IV: This has probably been in a like list in the past but this is my current lifeline. I got all sorts of recs about liquid IV during chemo and glad I did. Regardless of whether you're currently poisoning a cancer in your body, it's always good to hydrate! And this shit gets it done. Like I've said before, so far my side effects are like one big hangover (except for the army of new red spots on my neck and shoulders - cute!), so these favorites work for my party-hardy-hungover-and-dehydrated girlies out there too. I'm currently into the lemon lime flavor after realizing the strawberry did not want to befriend my nausea. So sad. Let me know if there's other flavors I should be going for. 

"Bloating Cure" Morning Drink: This is a TikTok I found showing how to prep lemon ginger ice cubes to make a "bloated cure" morning drink. I've done it and it's fantastic. You basically mix ginger juice, lemon juice, honey, chia seeds into ice trays and freeze them. In the morning you pop one into a glass, pour hot water over them, and drink it. Incredible! I've never meal prepped before (no, this is not a meal) but now I get the thrill of it. It makes me feel like I'm a successful busy mom with 4 kids that got her morning ginger juice fix before dropping the kids at their international Montessori camp school and sliding into a 3 hour sweaty yoga ballet class. Cute!

GoldBelly: This one is full credit to Mamrie Hart for introducing me to this. This week she sent me matzo ball soup from a place called Russ & Daughters in Brooklyn. Why? Because she's not only an incredible friend but truly one of the best gift givers I have ever met in my entire life. Damn! How did she send soup from Brooklyn? Through GoldBelly, a site I had never heard of before and once I looked at it I was amazed. You've probably heard of this already, I mean I only found out about Crumbl cookies a month ago so we know I love living under my luxurious rock. Goldbelly's homepage says "America's most iconic food shipped nationwide" and that's exactly what they do. All the iconic eats from all of the US are all at your fingertips. It's like collecting pokemon but instead it's regional ribs and cheesecakes. How fun! It's a great gift idea, for the sick and the healthy. Or a fun date night idea, whether your dating yourself or another human, without the hassle of travel. Thank you Mamrie, for the soup and the education on the existence of GoldBelly!

Heating Pad:  This is not new or uniquely exciting but I have been gifted two heating pads in the last two months and I've put them to great use so they're going on the list. Beanz isn't the only one loving her heating pad these days. Whether you own a tiny hairless creature or not the transition into full adulthood becomes much more comfortable with a heating pad. 

Bossdog clothing/art: I don't know when I started following @bossdog on IG or how but it was a while ago and I'm glad I did. They're a two person art and design team that cover "Pop culture, sports, peace, love, and a dash of Dystopian Apocalypse for good measure." They have wonderfully chaotic designs that speak to the fun, feral gremlin inside of me. I have a few of their shirts and recently treated myself to the "I had a Knight to remember at the Medieval Times restaurant" - it's awesome. They're like a dystopian Lisa Frank/Ed Hardy/Midnight Gospel mashup. What's not to like!

Miralax: Yes I did put a stool softener on today's list of likes and I feel very good about it. This one came recommended by doctors, Hank Green, and the general public, it's BACKED. I'm no expert on digestion, I wish I was, it would make my life SO MUCH EASIER. But if you need something to gently, and I mean gently, release the kracken, this stuff is wonderful. And yes we do have the value sized bottle placed directly in the middle our kitchen island like fresh bouquet of flowers. It's practically an altar at this point.

Rael Pimple Patches: I found these pimple patches randomly on Amazon, they had 48k+ great ratings, so I bought them. Simple. And they're great. The ratings were correct. Though I love the pimple patches that look like stickers that people are openly rocking (it looks like you rewarded that area of your face for doing a good job!) I love these sneaky invisible ones even more. And mostly because I feel like these actually work a little better for me than the fun ones. A lot of times I put these on before bed and then completely forget about them until I start washing my face and think "did I get an old chip stuck to my face in my sleep?" that's how invisible they are. Big fan of these little guys!

Abercrombie & Fitch loungewear: I know, I know, is it 2003??? No, it's just 20 years later and my 37 year old self is living out my 17 year old self's fantasies of lounging around in A&F sweatpants all day. Talk about healing my inner child. I got a lot of recs for loungewear a couple months ago and I was surprised that so many people had been raving about A&F stuff. Especially raving about it as acceptable clothing for adults. I had seen a fashion girlie I love, Rach Martino, link to different lounge sets in her stories and I was sold (she gives amazing fashion links on a daily basis if you're looking!). I bought a couple zip up hoodies, sweats, and shorts and they've all been awesome. So comfy, affordable with lots of sales happening seemingly all the time, and great quality. I've washed a worn many times and haven't had any issues with shrinkage or quality. Now, how long do I wait before I get some iron on letters to iron on to the butt? I'm thinking the words "Tired" or "I Should Be Sitting Down". Cute! 

Okay, that's my lists of likes for the moment. Please let me know what you're into right now! What's nurturing you, what's keeping you cozy, what's loosening your stool? I don't want to know the answer to the last one because I already have the holy grail of gas, I think. But let me know whatever else is making you feel calm and comfortable! Okay, I gotta get back to maximal chilling. I hope you all have great weekends! A Barbie bonus pod should be coming your way sometime soon! Thanks, as always, for being here. 💚G