78 Comments
User's avatar
Court's avatar

I just love seeing your name in my inbox - even if it's chickpeas forever. BUT I ESPECIALLY LOVE when you share games, and right now my daughter is the only other game player in my house, so 2 player games are perfect!

Regarding podcasts, I'm checking out Dead Eyes and highly recommend Normal Gossip! You could start with episode 1 of season 3 - Righteous Lesbian Energy with Samantha Irby (I MEAN THAT TITLE but also it involves an HOA president and cats. I love it so much that my annual gingerbread house was for this particular episode).

Expand full comment
Catherine Newman's avatar

Okay, definitely starting with that episode!!!

Expand full comment
jane's avatar

thank you for the alligator inspo pic ♥️ i have to come out: this bev is crying out to be its own chickpeas forever recipe - sub out the soda water for like a couple tbsp of chickpea water, shake it up: spicy cherry sour (serve it in an old can of chickpeas)

Expand full comment
Interconnected Christina's avatar

OMG I love you. I was with you until I pictured drinking out of an old can of chickpeas.

Expand full comment
Catherine Newman's avatar

oooooohhhhhh!

Expand full comment
Werner, Gail L's avatar

Oh man...your weekly Substacks, how I look forward to them! Thanks for the podcast rec--bookmarking that! And I'll recommend another: Journalist Patrick Radden Keefe's "Wind of Change" series, wherein he and his buddy try to find out if the CIA is responsible for the creation of the '80s hair band era song "Winds of Change." Just trust it is a delightful rabbit hole to go down!

Expand full comment
Catherine Newman's avatar

I love him so much! That sounds fantastic.

Expand full comment
Oona Hanson's avatar

The haircut discussion and the hilariously delightful images made me think of one of my favorite memes. Not sure this link will work but here goes nothing: https://pin.it/6VVh1YTvL

Expand full comment
Catherine Newman's avatar

Ha ha ha! OMG. The messy pontytail too. Ha ha ha!

Expand full comment
Alycia K.'s avatar

One of my favorite memes too!!! 🤣🤣🤣

Expand full comment
Kathleen Donahoe's avatar

Dead Eyes is perfect! The Handsome pod is one off hysterical (3 (female, queer) comedians) and the podcast Heavyweight is beautiful story telling (also good for one-offs, can listen in any order). Have you played the picture version of Codenames? IT IS WILD (or as wild as things get here, as I also drink my mocktails. ha)

Expand full comment
Catherine Newman's avatar

Thank you so much for these recs, dear one!

Expand full comment
Kerri Rowland's avatar

Mocktails- my go to is Virgin Bloody Mary. You really don't miss the vodka and still get all the good stuff! Some places include a whole meal as the garnish!

Expand full comment
Catherine Newman's avatar

I always get bloody mary mix on airplanes because I feel like it's free gazpacho! But I'll have to integrate it more broadly. . .

Expand full comment
Anne's avatar

Cascadia is a very fun, Pacific Northwest Nature-centered game that can be played with 2, 3, or 4 players. Plus, it's beautiful!

Expand full comment
Catherine Newman's avatar

I keep looking at that one!

Expand full comment
Jess Kerwin's avatar

Cascadia looks fun! You may also like Wingspan or Takenoko - we play 2 player on those all the time.

Expand full comment
Catherine Newman's avatar

We have both those games. . .

Expand full comment
Abbey's avatar

The haircut images! I love these. Also I just noticed your novel got a lovely shout-out from author Jo Piazza today on Alisha Ramos’s Downtime Substack: https://downtime.substack.com/?utm_medium=email

Expand full comment
Catherine Newman's avatar

That makes me so happy!!!

Expand full comment
Natalie's avatar

I’m going to look into patchwork! We play cribbage most mornings and that is a great two person game.

Expand full comment
R Valiquette's avatar

Weirdly, they had Amarena cherries at TJ's this morning???? I'm not sure if it's a box they forgot about at Christmas or if maybe they are making them year round, but either way I snatched them up.

Expand full comment
Noelle's avatar

Patchwork! Bought it on your recommendation and I love it!

I think the scoring could be tweaked to make it more interesting, at the end we're just passing each other for points.

Would love to hear any thoughts!

Expand full comment
Catherine Newman's avatar

Hmmm. No offense, but I wonder if you want to read the rules again and make sure there's not something you're missing or metabolized incorrectly? (I say this as a person who constantly realizes that we've been playing games *slightly wrong*.) Because I think of it as a game that needs no tweaking. . . oh, wait. Are you playing the Express version? I don't know that one as well.

Expand full comment
Noelle's avatar

Thank you for this very good point, tactfully offered! I will do that and report back if it's worthwhile.

Expand full comment
Keris Fox's avatar

Saw this post and thought “Yay! Catherine! Hope it’s not more chickpeas…” and then saw the subtitle 😂

Expand full comment
Interconnected Christina's avatar

Whereas I thought "Yay! Catherine! More chickpeas I hope..." But am delighted regardless.

Expand full comment
Danielle Dreilinger's avatar

ALWAYS MORE CHICKPEAS PLS.

Expand full comment
Keris Fox's avatar

😂

Expand full comment
Catherine Newman's avatar

haa ha ha!

Expand full comment
Hannah's avatar

Aimee Mann ❤️❤️ I heard her sing at a concert for another artist and am delightfully obsessed now.

Expand full comment
Catherine Newman's avatar

love her

Expand full comment
Kim Druker Stockwell's avatar

I love Aimee Mann and I’m from boston and would see her when I was in high school and she’d be cruising newbury at. Love her

Expand full comment
Keris Fox's avatar

I loved Dead Eyes. Have you listened to Waiting for Impact? It’s Dave Holmes trying to hunt down a minor boyband from the 90s but it’s about so much more than that. I loved it a lot. Listening to his new series about MTV now.

Expand full comment
Catherine Newman's avatar

Oh, I bet I'd love that!

Expand full comment
Nancy Reddy's avatar

I bought a huge jar of amarena cherries at Costco and they've been a delight, in case anyone else needs a rec. But how did your hair turn out?

Expand full comment
Catherine Newman's avatar

Kind of messy-pretty, which I can get behind.

Expand full comment
Nancy Reddy's avatar

yay! that sounds great

Expand full comment
Kim Druker Stockwell's avatar

Seriously hilarious. All

Of it. Anytime I say stuff like your dad and I are in bed or something it’s like I’ve announced we’ve become swingers and going to do it all the time. How did they think they came to be at all? We’ve started playing backgammon together. He’s a lot better than I am but whatever. Happy Sunday!

Expand full comment
Catherine Newman's avatar

Ha ha ha!

Expand full comment