Wear, Watch, Want #151: The Breaking My Own Rules Edition
Wear: Kirkland Nest Dog Bed
This isn’t really something anyone has worn, but I ordered Hero a new bed to replace his beloved Cuddle Cup and this is SO much better. Shockingly better. He is obsessed with it, and I tried to order another one, but Costco is sold out, and now I’m checking every day so I can buy at least one more before they sell out again. I will say that while this thing is described as a “24” Nest Pet Bed,” there is no way the diameter is 24 inches. I measured and it’s more like 20 or 21. BUT my 30lb Boston terrier fits in it just fine, so if you’re considering it, buy it anyway and give it a shot - you can always return it (this is my Costco motto.) I also ordered this bed to go in his crate and again, it is so nice I feel like I have been cheating my dog for over a decade by never getting him a Kirkland dog bed.
Listen: Blank Check
Again, this is a Watch that isn’t a Watch, it’s a Listen. Rules mean nothing!
Anyway. Do you ever reach the end of new podcast episodes, and you don’t have an audiobook to listen to, but you need something to distract you while you clean/bake/walk the dog/drive? This happens to me occasionally, and it often leads to me finding a new fave. This is the case with Blank Check. My film podcast friends on This Had Oscar Buzz frequently mention the Blank Check Podcast, and I decided to give it a try. I already listen to one podcast where two men talk about films, and THOB manages to not be completely aggravating, but I wasn’t super hopeful that magic could happen twice. But I decided to try out a few episodes of Blank Check, and I couldn’t believe it. They’re great! They’re nice boys!
The podcast works by choosing a director who has been given a “blank check” to make whatever films they want. Sometimes it works out, sometimes you get Aloha. The hosts choose a director and go through their filmography (or in the case of some, like Spielberg, a specific part of their filmography) and talk about each movie one by one, often with guests. This is a part of the show that many (MANY) podcast hosts, particularly male, film-obsessed podcast hosts would not consider: They choose guests that offer particular insight to the films they are covering. Both hosts are cis white men, and they had a trans woman (Emily VanDerWerff) on to talk about Silence of the Lambs. They had a black woman (Jourdain Searles) on to talk about Beloved, and that’s just in the Demme series. These film boys take special care not to talk about things outside of their own experience, to have compassion, and to think critically about how our relationships with pop culture change over time. If you’ve spent any time around men in the entertainment industry, you know that this is refreshing and rare. It’s a good podcast hosted by good guys!
Want: Cropped Relaxed Jeans
I got this idea in my head that I want to own some high waisted, wide leg, cropped jeans. I ordered five different styles, in multiple sizes, from multiple stores, and there was one clear winner: Pilcro Ultra High-Rise Pleated Relaxed Jeans. If you are anything like me, you read “pleated jeans” and felt immediately nauseated, but they’re not pleated around the waist/hips - they’re pleated around the hem. They’re also not pleated in the way I think of pleats. It’s more like one dart taken in at the bottom, to ever so slightly taper them. It’s SUBTLE is what I’m saying. i have a curvy athletic-ish build, and it was only after reading tons of reviews of these jeans that said they’re great for curves that I decided to add them to my cart. The size I got was too small, but it was clear that these could be total game changer, amazing jeans. So I’ve ordered them in the next two sizes up, to see which works, BUT they’re backordered and I have to wait a month. and I’m totally Veruca Salt-ing over these jeans because I WANT THEM NOW.
