Wear, Watch, Want #84: The Thrilling Orange Food Edition
Wear: Weleda Skin Food
I started this blog in 2011 and one of the first things I wrote about is Weleda Skin Food. I have been using this product since I was in middle school, which was in the 20th century. That is a long time to love a product, but when you find something great, you stick with it. Lately my skin has been so flaky, and I was throwing so many things at it to try and remedy the situation. Then, I realized the solution was right in front of me: Skin Food. This is a very heavy duty product, and I would not recommend using it as a regular moisturizer. I apply it at night, or when I’m planning on just staying home. I used to spot-treat my dry areas but I’ve learned my lesson that Skin Food will discolor your skin if you plop a big dollop on a particularly dry spot. Right now my skin is flaking like crazy in like, my muzzle area. Goatee area? I don’t know what you’d call this, but it’s around my mouth, chin, and nose. I apply Skin Food on my whole face, but then do another, heavier layer on my goatee. My skin was flaking so badly that I thought it would take a month to fully heal. It’s been two days since I dedicated myself to a Skin Food treatment routine and it looks like I’ve never had a flake in my life.
Watch: Cam
Cam is an amazing movie, not just because it manages to be a thriller that is (get ready) actually thrilling, but also because it manages to portray sex work in a way that is respectful and non-exploitative. The script was written by a former cam girl, and you can tell that a lot of care was taken to represent the job with compassion as well as accuracy. You can also find that out by reading this article, which I’ll warn you, does contain information about the plot.
Speaking of, I went into Cam not knowing anything about it, just knowing that it was getting good press. The story centers around Alice (Madeline Brewer), who cams under the pseudonym Lola. She is working her way up the charts of most-viewed cam girls, and desperately wants to crack the top 50. Then, suddenly, Alice discovers that her account has been taken over by a Lola doppelgänger, who is significantly better at the job than the real Alice. This second Lola races up the charts and makes the top 10, something Alice could only dream of, despite her incredible work ethic. Cam then follows Alice’s frantic journey to get her account back, take down this Other Lola, and uncover what’s behind this nefarious scam.
If you like thrillers, and always notice the male gaze in movies (and also notice when it’s not there, a rare thrill!) you will love Cam. I’m guilty of always looking at my phone when I’m meant to be watching something. Sometimes I’m in a theater seeing a movie and I think to myself, “Oh, if I were watching this at home, this is a part where I’d look at my phone.” While watching Cam I didn’t look at my phone once. That may be the best endorsement I can give.
Want: Mandarin Oranges
It’s winter, and that means it’s mandarin orange season. I’m going to become a produce snob for a second and tell you that the mandarins they sell in the grocery store are almost always bad (this is literally the only food I feel this way about, I am not generally such an elitist). You really need to order them from a grove to experience how great a mandarin orange can be. My mom grew up in central California in the middle of an orange grove, and we have had boxes of mandarins shipped to us direct from a grove since I was a little kid. We’ve bought from the same grove for years, and one year my mom sent me a box with a card attached that said, “Happy Orange Thumb Season!” and I’m shocked and dismayed that the grove didn’t adopt that as an official slogan.
If you are wondering if you’ve been eating shitty mandarins your whole life want to try a real straight-from-the-grove mandarin, the closest I’ve found that are (more) easily available are the mandarins at Whole Foods with the leaves and stems still attached. A tip, though, is to not buy them with the foliage attached because they’re sold by weight. (I have stood at the mandarin display in Whole Foods ripping of leaves many times.) If you want to get them from a grove, we’ve been using S and J Mandarin Grove for years, but they do sell out so act fast.
