Coffee Grinds: 04
Coffee Grinds: 04
Tarot cards, The Bear, horseback riding, meal prep, and a new book.
On my mind this week: Tarot cards, The Bear, horseback riding, meal prep, and a new book.
It’s been a weird week.
I’d like to blame the fourth of July last week or my birthday or the fact I’ve had all kinds of random appointments throwing off my schedule. I can’t quite pinpoint it, but my creativity has been off.
The summer has been flying by with an uncomfortable speed that had me forgetting it was even Christmas in July (a favorite of mine! Yes, it’s true, I love Hallmark) and the days have been so chaotic that my reading schedule has been all off. Books that once took only a couple weeks to finish are now taking a month. I feel in a fog.
So this week, we’re sticking to the basics. I hope that’s ok. Next week I’ll return with a new Friends I’ve Loved, but I hope you’ll catch up on the last three in the series if you haven’t already —this is by far my favorite thing I’ve put out lately and I’d love your thoughts.
Part I: What I'm reading
This week, I started The Fortune Seller by Rachel Kapelke-Dale.
It’s the follow-up to her brilliant debut, The Ballerinas.
A quick description of The Fortune Seller:
Middle-class Rosie Macalister has worked for years to fit in with her wealthy friends on the Yale equestrian team, but when she comes back from her junior year abroad with newfound confidence, she finds the group has been infiltrated by the mysterious Annelise Tattinger.
A talented tarot reader and a brilliant rider, Annelise is unlike anyone Rosie has ever met--but when one of their friends notices money disappearing from her bank account, Annelise's place in the circle is thrown into question. As the women turn against each other, the group’s unspoken tensions and assumptions lead to devastating consequences. Set in the heady days of the early aughts, The Fortune Seller is a haunting examination of class, ambition, and the desires that shape our lives.
I’ll admit, the first few chapters I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it. It feels wordier than The Ballerinas, and I don’t envy sophomore releases—it’s a lot to live up to such a stunning debut. But recently I’ve found myself thinking about it more and more.
It reminds me of my days getting tarot readings from an ex’s mother, who I still adore. Even after we broke up we’d meet for dinners and do readings at her place or in my car, gossiping over burgers and wine, asking me to hold questions for the cards and me nervous every time I shuffled. What if I get it wrong? What if I don’t cut the deck in the right place? What if I hear something I’m not ready to hear?
A virtual card I pulled just now. I’m not sure of the validity of online readings, but I thought it would be fun for this newsletter. It seems appropriate, no?
I’ll never forget, I got a reading right before my first solo trip to Toronto and she told me I was going to meet a blonde man, a little older than me, and he’d make a significant impact on my life. I spent the whole time looking for him, pining for this boy I was sure was going to be my long-lost love.
Of course, that’s not really how the cards work.
But it was fun anyway. The searching, the pining, the hoping. The finding meaning in every stranger on the street. I loved the mystery of it all. I guess in many ways, I still do. Even if it’s been a while since I’ve had a reading.
Part II: What I’m watching
It’s been a roller coaster of shows lately. We’re still chugging away on Nashville though Season 4 is a little unhinged, I’m not surprised. We can’t expect perfection all the time. I still enjoy it.
Then there’s The Bear. Season One remains one of my all-time favorite shows. It’s absolute perfection in every way.
For a time, Season 1 held a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and it was well deserved. The show is a masterclass in craftsmanship and storytelling. While beautiful, Season Two strayed a little too far from the scrappiness of the first season and left me wanting. Though it did bring us a deeper understanding of Richie (Forks was truly one of the best episodes) and of course Olivia Coleman, so I can’t be too upset.
Season 3 then, falls somewhere in the middle. It has the heart I came to expect in Season One with the artful budget of Season Two. I found myself having to sink into episodes to enjoy them fully. To let go of expectations and just let it be what it was. Which is ok in the context of art, less so with a narrative arc. This is where The Bear Season 3 loses me.
As critics have said, it suffers from too many cameos and a meandering plot, largely due to much of the cast having other commitments. This is a problem for a show that requires its main cast. You can’t very well build a show around a cast that’s in it 1/4 of the time, though they do try by giving larger than necessary screen time to the Fak brothers, which is cringeworthy at best, and a waste of time at best.
I’ve read that in part this is due to trying to earn their title as a Comedy for the Emmys, but let’s be honest, The Bear is a Drama through and through. That’s not to say it doesn’t have comedic elements, but they’re not as strong as the dramatic ones.
While there are some standout episodes, like Liza Colón-Zayas’ heartbreaking portrayal of Tina Marrero in a standalone episode, it feels like the show is straying further and further from the scrappy upstart it once was.
Success and all that.
That said, I’d still wholeheartedly recommend this show to anyone and everyone. My criticism isn’t because I don’t like the show, it’s because I love it. I’ll eagerly watch Season Four and any other season they give me. I just hope they bring back that same energy, creativity, and scrappiness of Season One. Also, you know, the main cast.
But for real, Season One was perfection.
Part IV: What’s on my mind
Meal prep. I never thought I’d be someone who did this but the delicious recipes and cute containers sold me. I’ve been following MaKayla Thomas and loving every iteration of her meals. I’m pretty routine-oriented when it comes to dinners, but I love to mix up my weekly lunch, and knowing it’s healthy and fueling my goals makes me feel good about the progress I’m working towards. Here’s a sampling of some of the most recent ones. Forgive the Instagram format:
Ice cream Sundays: We don’t leave our dog Sawyer alone anymore because at 15, he really can’t be. Which is fine with me because I’d rather be with him than anyone else. Because he’s an old boy and can’t sustain long walks in the heat (not unlike his mom and dad) we’ve been using Sundays to drive to a local ice cream stand and then walk around the little town nearby. I love our little senior pup-friendly activities.
It’s been really sweet to see him so happy and enjoying his puppacino. Plus, the ice cream is delicious.
Father and son in matching shirts on Father’s Day
Cantering: I don’t talk much about horseback riding here, but it’s something my husband and I have been doing for the last year or so.
At the start of 2024, we told our trainer we wanted to learn to jump by the end of the year, and last week I had my best lesson yet. I’ve been learning to canter for a while but am finally starting to feel like I’m getting it.
Like any sport, when done well it looks effortless, and actually doing it yourself makes you realize just how hard it is and how many muscles you don’t even know you have! It’s a challenge for a body that’s constantly tense (mine) and a mind that’s never quiet (also mine) but I do love it and have so much respect for those that can do it effortlessly. Watching some of the riders at our barn and seeing how their body doesn’t even move as they canter around the ring is SO impressive. The control!!
Starting pole jumps: We’ve also started working on tiny (tiny!) little jumps at the trot, which has been the coolest thing:
And even training for jumps at the canter, which starts by simply going into a light seat at the canter, while the pole is on the ground.
Of course there are a million things that need work—my heels should be down more, I shouldn’t lean back so much, etc etc. But it’s really cool to see how far I’ve come, and feel like I’m working towards something tangible.
Anyway, that’s it for this week. Thanks for your patience while I get my creativity mojo back. Hoping to get back on track with a new Friends I’ve Loved for you next week. :)
If you made it this far I’d love to know:
What are you reading right now?
Have you watched The Bear Season 3? What did you think?
What’s your favorite sport to do or watch?
Talk soon,
Angela