What's Better Than Lemonade?

plus: what to read, Boy George's diet advice, and a perfect summer dinner

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One of the joys of writing a novel is finding inspiration as I go about my daily life, and this week, the muse struck as I drove along a country road.

Hold On by Wilson Phillips began playing on the radio, and as I sang along, my first thought was about Bridesmaids (the movie) and the wildly over-the-top final scene where Wilson Phillips appear at the wedding ceremony, which is held in a giant swimming pool in front of a water wall and light show…

Bridesmaids: why don’t more weddings happen in swimming pools?

The novel I’m writing is a romance set at a series of weddings, so naturally, my second thought was: I’ve got to find a way to use this song in my book! But then I got distracted by these lyrics:

You've got no one to blame for your unhappiness (No, baby)
You got yourself into your own mess…

Whenever I get to this part of the song, I wonder why Wilson Phillips had to be so passive-aggressive. I mean, if you’re in a bad relationship, it’s not always your fault!

Another thing about novel writing: a healthy amount of procrastination is involved.

Accordingly, once home, I Googled the meaning of the lyrics and found that Hold On is actually about overcoming addiction. Yikes, I now feel silly about all the times I was feeling lonely and hurt after breakups and played the song because I needed to know that if I could just hold on for one more day things would be OK…

No matter! Hold On is still going in my novel: I’ve added a scene where the main character and her friends debate what the lyrics mean. And maybe this conversation will take place at a swimming pool wedding ceremony. You never know!

What To Listen To

Speaking of song lyrics, Billy Joel’s We Didn’t Start the Fire is on the list of songs I aspire to memorize, along with Baby Got Back and Islands In The Stream (for karaoke purposes, you understand). I have long been proud of my ability to sing every word of Madonna’s Vogue, which I learned by endlessly rewinding and pausing the tape deck in my bedroom during 11th grade. And now there’s another song I want to memorize: Fallout Boy’s new version of We Didn’t Start the Fire, with newsworthy events from 1989 to 2023!

In podcast news: I am not usually a true crime fan, but I was riveted by Scamanda: the story of Amanda Riley, an American woman who faked a cancer diagnosis to get sympathy and cold hard cash from friends, neighbors, and strangers. While some episodes are repetitive it’s worth listening to the finale to hear the result of the court case and the judge’s opinion on Amanda’s behavior.

And I really enjoyed this episode of the Freakonomics podcast on marriage and why we choose to marry who we do. It is the summer of late love, after all…

What To Read

I’ve just started The It Girl, a bestselling murder mystery set at Oxford University. So far, so good! Next up, I’ll read Same Time Next Summer by Annabel Monaghan, who wrote Nora Goes Off Script, which I really loved - and is also a great summer read.

Mindy Kaling highly recommends The Better Half (and it was published by her Amazon Studios imprint), and it sounds both fun and funny, so it’s also on my list to read soon.

In other reading, are you up to date on all the “news” regarding Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk’s potential cage match? If not, there’s plenty of coverage…

I loved this interview with Boy George, one of my all-time-fave 80’s pop stars, on his weight loss theory…

“If you stuff your handbag, it looks bulky. But if you just put a few things in, it looks nice.

…being “Basqui-gay;” his top cultural inspirations; and the wisdom of David Bowie:

“…Oh my God, Bowie was right about everything.”

Back on the topic of marriage, I always read the Social Q’s column in The NY Times and this recent headline immediately grabbed me: I Had an Affair With Someone My Spouse and I See Socially. Help! I wondered how the sage Philip Galanes would respond, given that my own initial reaction, purely based on the headline, was intensely judgmental. Galanes did not disappoint, starting with the very first line:

“It is not my place to judge you, but it’s not my job to drive your getaway car, either.”

What To Watch

Polite clapping, the thwock thwock of racquets hitting tennis balls, and the measured tones of British sportscasters are the soundtrack to our mornings, as the TV is tuned to the tennis championships at Wimbledon.

In the evening, we’re cheering Idris Elba on as he attempts to extricate himself, and another 200 passengers, from a terrorist situation on a plane on Hijack.

On Wednesday nights I’m laughing along to Platonic. I love this show, its hilarious (and sometimes scarily accurate) portrayal of midlife, and the chemistry between Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne. I do not want it to end!

Sadie (16) and I are also watching The Crowded Room starring Tom Holland. This limited series starts slow, and we nearly gave up on it, but the scenes of 70s New York and the excellent Amanda Seyfried kept us engaged, and we can’t wait to watch the final episode later today.

Also on my radar: Indiana Jones is out at movie theaters (with Phoebe Waller-Bridge!) and the new Wham documentary on Netflix.

What To Cook

Limeade, Pork and Pineapple Tacos, Quick Pickled Veg

It’s hot here, so we’re eating most meals on the porch and avoiding the oven!

One of this week’s hits has been limeade, which Sadie (16) loves to make, because, as she says:

“Limes don’t have any seeds so they’re easier than lemons to squeeze, it barely needs any sugar, and it tastes better than lemonade anyway!”

We also made Ali Slagle’s Sizzled Pork and Pineapple Tacos which, served with white rice and a green salad, is a perfect summer dinner. You can substitute chicken, steak, or tofu for the pork knowing that it’s actually the grilled pineapple that makes this dish so special!

Next, I’m planning to make quick pickles using radishes, cucumber, celery, and carrots. I’ll add them for crunch to whatever I’m having for lunch at home (leftovers + lettuce in a corn tortilla) and I’ll put them out at cocktail hour as a healthy, salty snack.

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I’m off to work on my novel, watch more tennis, eat some pickled veggies, and print out some song lyrics…

Thank you for reading and have a wonderful weekend!

See you next Friday!
Amelia