Good morning, fam!

This week really is the definition of “dead week.” I took off work and haven’t touched my computer once…except for now because you all are worth it ;)

While I try to avoid opening my work inbox and decide what I’m going to wear for tonight’s shenanigans, check out this week’s recs.

Do those pre-NYE stretches, bust out the Liquid IV, and let’s get into it!

Here’s what I have for you this morning:

During this week off, my next book was Taste: My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci. Not only is he one of my favorite actors, he’s now one of my favorite writers. In this memoir, he seamlessly weaves family recipes into personal stories from throughout his life. Since many of his stories are centered around sharing food with friends and family, It’s the perfect holiday read.
Speaking of the holidays, Abby and I double-dipped into holiday movies this week. First up, we rented Violent Night featuring the one and only David Harbour from Stranger Things. It’s basically Die Hard if you swapped out Bruce Willis with Santa.
Next was something completely different. After watching Santa bash heads in with a sledgehammer, we needed a pallet cleanser, which is why we went with Holidate. Like most holiday romcoms, it was cringey and feel good. If you can look past the fact that Luke Bracey is a poor man’s Chris Hemsworth, then you’ll kick a kick out of this movie.
While browsing for another movie this week, Abby and I realized we hadn’t seen Disenchanted, so we gave it a shot. I’ll be honest, I fell asleep halfway through and woke up to a very different movie. Apparently Amy Adams turns evil? I guess if you like live-action musical comedies, then you’ll probably dig it.
Thanks to my Playstation Plus membership, I was able to download Returnal for free and give it a try. I’ve honestly never played any other game like it. You’re an astronaut who crash-lands on a shape-shifting planet and every time you die, you restart…but every loop is different. Yeah, it’s as crazy as it sounds.
For Christmas, Abby and I got each other a Breville Barista Touch espresso machine which means it’s our entire personality and we are now coffee snobs. I used these illy coffee beans for a more traditional Italian shot and hot damn was it good. If you have any other espresso bean recs, let me know!
We grabbed dinner and drinks with some friends on Wednesday and ended up at Crafted for the first time. This local spot was apparently on Bar Rescue and is known for their pressed cocktails served in itty bitty french presses. I went with their Honey Bear Crusher which I would definitely get again.
All hail “Dead Week,” the best week of the year!
As someone who freelanced for the beginning of my career, I thought this Freelance Forward 2022 report from Upwork was pretty telling. Who would’ve thought people would want to start freelancing after being introduced to remote working during the pandemic?1
Apparently more of you would rather stay in than go out for NYE.

You made it to the end! As a bonus, I’ll leave you with this.

Cheers,
Billy

1

He asked sarcastically.

Saturday Morning Cartoons #30