What's IN/OUT this week

I saw Little Simz on Wednesday night (excellent!) and made a snarky comment to friends when I saw the youth making hearts with their hands in that weird new way. Not even five minutes later I tried to take a quick video of the show and HAD MY FLASHLIGHT ON. Security immediately came over with a wheelchair.

IN: Fire pits. Got a few logs, some newspaper, and a little free time? I’m coming over with matches!! I love sitting around a little fire so much and I REALLY love smelling like a bonfire after. Seeing a warm glow on your friends’ faces is heaven. Putting food on sticks to warm it up is how we were meant to live. OUT: Leftover Halloween candy. I wound up with a full bag after a slow trick-or-treat night and I do not want this around anymore. And if I’m being honest, it doesn’t even taste that good to my old-ass palate. You get to a certain age and suddenly find yourself drawn to candy wrappers that mention sea salt, the Swiss Alps, toasted almonds, and other words that could also be used to describe the color of L.L. Bean sweaters.

IN: Forcing ourselves out in the evening. I booked myself for a 6 p.m. yoga class on Tuesday and started to regret it as the sun was setting around 4:45. But I hopped on my bike and had an actually pretty lovely twilight ride to the studio, where the teacher decided to fill the room with candles. Bless him for understanding that we all deserved a little treat for making it out “that late” after the time change. OUT: Leaf blowers. I am happily doing all the fall activities like enjoying fire pits and admiring leaves, but my nemeses are in full force right now: the leaf blowers. The specific type of noise I hate most is either droning or repetitive sounds: an idling car, for example, or the kid downstairs playing his scales over and over on the marimba. 

IN: My new coffee pot. I’ve never had an electric coffee maker because I’ve always been the only person drinking coffee in the house. I have a pour-over and a French press, which is more than enough for little old me. But how can I call myself a hostess when I can’t brew a big pot of coffee for the homies when they come over?? I bought a very basic Mr. Coffee (what else?) with just an on/off switch, no fancy bells or whistles. And I cannot wait to wiggle around the apartment, asking if anyone needs a top-off. A post-dinner or -drinks coffee? Unbelievably retro. Where is my can of Folgers?? Who borrowed my Jell-O mold?! OUT: The farmer’s market (only because the season is over). I don’t get a ton from the market, but I will suddenly become emotionally dependent on apples or tomatoes from a particular vendor. Until next season, I’ll get my hot sauce from the grocery store like any other plebeian.

IN: T-shirts from Chicago bars. It recently came to my attention that Alexander Skarsgård was doing a press tour while wearing merch from Chicago’s Old Town Ale House. Phenomenal timing, seeing as how I just bought a t-shirt from another great Chicago bar, the Longroom. Trendsetting! OUT: My streak of not shopping online. I had been doing such a good job of not buying clothes on the internet this year, but I cracked and ordered some underwear and a sweater. I’ll explain my rationale for not shopping online another time, but for now let’s just cross our fingers that the sweater fits, at least.

Tell me what you hated this week!