Yes/No Detroit

Another busy week, and today I'm working in the office (about a 30-minute drive, including parking in the parking structure in Birmingham) so I have to crank this week's post out quickly. The weekend is shaping up to be a bit busy too, including a Ford House tour; I've never been, so I'm interested in seeing it. Steak board! At WL Socialhouse, Kzoo What I've been up to this week: Cooking . We finished up a Blue Apron box from last week and we had Green Chef this week. Green Chef used to be one of my top favorites, but it was a bit expensive; I got this box for $32 or so, which isn't bad, but I do feel like they're a little more limited now in meal choices compared to their sister companies, Hello Fresh and EveryPlate. Last night we cooked an Asian peanut chicken and udon noodles meal, and sometime this weekend we still have chicken tacos to cook.  Friends get-together . On Saturday night, we headed to South Lyon to hang out with some friends, one of whom is...

I can't believe it's already March 21st—this month is flying by. I'm looking forward to resting a bit this weekend, but we are seeing friends on Saturday night and I usually see my parents on Sunday nights, too. 4-sq. lunch pepperoni pizza from Buddy's What I've been up to this week: Dining out/getting takeout. Last Friday, I met up with two friends for lunch at Buddy's in Farmington Hills—I don't usually go out during work, for lunch, but a different friend was supposed to be visiting that weekend and then was unable to make it, plus I had a doctor's appointment in the AM, so I kept my lunch plans and worked a half day. On Saturday, I went to check on my condo and drop my HOA check, so I swung by Pink Garlic to get us Indian takeout. On Sunday, I was at a birthday party and we had sushi and Hungry Howie's pizza, and on Wednesday, I was in Ann Arbor (more about that below) and had Chela's takeout for lunch.  Returning to U of M. I'm a 2009 Un...

*Disclosure: I have been given tickets to the show in exchange for this post. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. I have seen David Sedaris live in person maybe four to five times now: the first few were at Hill Auditorium, in Ann Arbor (on UM's campus), and I've seen him twice at the Fisher Theatre. His readings, just like his work, are very entertaining, and it's always great to meet him after the show to get one of his books signed.  He'll be at the Fisher Theatre next month, on April 8th - read below for more info! About the reading: David Sedaris, author of the previous bestsellers Calypso, Naked, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim , and regular National Public Radio contributor will be appearing for one night only at the Fisher Theatre on April 8, 2025 at 7:30 p.m. following the release of his newest books, Happy Go Lucky and Pretty Ugly. Tickets go on sale Friday, December 6 and will be available online at BroadwayInDet...

This week has been super busy; the weekend will also be, but I should have time to sit and relax a bit as well. Pesto pizza from Bigalora, Southfield What I've been up to this week: Doctors appointments. I had one yesterday and I have my annual physical today. The one yesterday was very quick but they took bloodwork, which I wasn't expecting, and I'm pretty sure I have to do bloodwork today too ... and I had my Crohn's infusion last Saturday ... so for those of you keeping count, that's three (bloodwork) pokes in one week. Yay.  Seeing Peter Pan at the Fox. On Tuesday, myself and three friends went to the Fox in Detroit to see Peter Pan . Oddly, I have never seen the musical, although I've seen most movie iterations of the show, and probably have read the book before. The musical was a bit chaotic/action-packed, for lack of a better description, but overall I liked it. I'll be at the Fox until Sunday, and you can read more info at my blog post . Seeing Kimbe...

I spent the first half of this week in lovely Miami for work, where it was nice and warm (except for one day where it DOWNPOURED on me as I walked back to my hotel from the conference hotel ...). Looking forward to relaxing a bit this weekend, except I have my Crohn's infusion tomorrow so I have to be up early-ish for that. Chai-spiced macaron (left) and delicious Reese's tart What I've been up to this week: Traveling to Miami for work . I had a very early flight on Sunday, at 7am (had to get up at 3:30am and be in a Lyft by 4:30am...) because the other choice was 2pm, and the conference kicked off around 5:30pm. I stayed at the Residence Inn Aventura Mall, which is where I stayed last year as well—the conference was at the JW Marriott resort across the street, so it's a quick walk. The conference was mostly Monday and Tuesday, and then Wednesday I flew home. Dining out/getting takeout.  On Friday, I went to go check on my condo and then I got Pink Garlic takeout for my...

Another busy week, and today is finally the last day of February. I'm heading to Miami for a work trip on Sunday (yay, warmth!) but my flight is at 7am, which is going to be tough ...  Cactus Blossom from Texas Roadhouse What I've been up to this week: Dining out/getting takeout. Last Friday, I had a free cheesy bread coupon from Green Lantern to use - and I always forget they have a Southfield location on Telegraph now—so we double-dipped, so to speak: we picked up my bread, and then got Buddy's takeout as well, which was tasty, since we had some holiday gift cards to use. On Saturday night, we were seeing a movie at Emagine Novi, so we went to Texas Roadhouse around 7pm after for dinner. TXR is always tasty, but my husband and I both agreed we won't be going back on a weekend night for dinner anytime soon; it was a 50-60 minute wait (not a big deal; we put our name in on their online wait-list, and stopped by my parents' house for a second), and then when we got t...

*Disclosure: I was given a digital code for this movie in exchange for this post. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. I saw A Completely Unknown in the theater recently-ish, and really liked it - Timothee Chalamet was great as Bob Dylan, and the supporting cast was also really good. The film is currently out on digital, and on 4K UHD Blu-ray and HD Blu-ray Apr. 1 One of my lucky readers will win a digital code for the movie - see below for details! About the film: Directed by Academy Award nominee James Mangold, A Complete Unknown offers an intimate portrayal of Bob Dylan's transformative years in the early 1960s. Academy Award nominee Timothée Chalamet delivers a captivating performance as Dylan, capturing his evolution from a burgeoning folk artist to a cultural icon. The film delves into Dylan's relationships with contemporaries like Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy), Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro), and Pete Seeger (Edward Norton), whose influence shaped his early soun...

All images courtesy of Disney *Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this movie to facilitate this review. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. I saw Mufasa: The Lion King in theaters in December, not really expecting much because I wasn't a huge fan of Disney's live-action The Lion King, which premiered in 2019. However, I ended up really liking it, and now three  of my lucky readers will win a digital code for the movie! About the film:  Exploring the unlikely rise of the beloved king of the Pride Lands, “Mufasa: The Lion King” enlists Rafiki to relay the legend of Mufasa to young lion cub Kiara, daughter of Simba and Nala, with Timon and Pumbaa lending their signature schtick. Told in flashbacks, the story introduces Mufasa as an orphaned cub, lost and alone until he meets a sympathetic lion named Taka—the heir to a royal bloodline. The chance meeting sets in motion an expansive journey of an extraordinary group of misfits searching for their destiny—their b...

This week has felt long even though it's only been two work days for me—I was in Chicago from Sunday through Wednesday for a work trip. Looking forward to sleeping in a bit this weekend. View of Navy Pier from the Sheraton Grand hotel, Chicago What I've been up to this week: Traveling for work . I had a three-night stay at the Sheraton Grand, in Chicago—this was actually my third time staying there, the first was for a blogger conference, BlogHer, in 2013, and the second was for this same work conference in August 2023. The hotel is very nice, I was a tiny bit disappointed because last time I had a ridiculously large room (it had three windows!) and this time I had a standard one, but I still had a nice view of Lake Michigan and the river from it. I was there for a candy conference that's basically like speed-dating—I had about 11-12 appointments on Monday and Tuesday with companies, and three on Wednesday before I left.  Dining out/getting delivery . On Saturday, I think i...

Happy Valentine's Day to those that celebrate it! I am doing nothing today and honestly am kinda happy about it—I've had doctor appointments and other things to deal with all week. On Sunday I am going to Chicago for work, as well.  Burger, fries, and shake from Shake Shack What I've been up to this week: Dining out/getting takeout . Last Friday, I worked at the office, so a friend and I got Sweetgreen (pricey salads, but delicious) for lunch, and I also stopped at Paris Baguette. For dinner that night, I got my husband and I takeout from Pink Garlic, our favorite Indian place. On Saturday night, I did game night with a friend and her husband, and we got Shake Shake takeout—they're doing a deal every day through March, from 2-5pm daily you can get a free shake (~$6.50 value) if you spend $10+ at an in-store kiosk or in the app, so we were scrambling to get our app orders in by 4:55pm, lol. The code for that is SWEETSPOT, and I have a few other Shake Shack deals on my FB...

The first week of February has gone by pretty fast. I'm headed to the office for my once-per-month day there soon, but not a fan of the fact that it's 14 degrees out right now ...  AYCE chicken meal at Zehnder's, Frankenmuth What I've been up to this week: Frankenmuth for Snowfest. Last Friday, my husband and I played hooky from work (aka, we both put in for time off, lol) and went to Snowfest, which is a favorite of ours. Snowfest is (unsurprisingly) primarily snow sculptures, but they also have ice sculptures. We had lunch at Prost, my favorite charcuterie/wine bar there, then also went to the Fudge Kitchen, Cheese Haus, and a few other shops, like the board game shop at the outdoor mall there. We finished up with dinner at Zehnder's, and because it was still January 31st, I had my free AYCE (all-you-can-eat) chicken meal on my Zehnder's card for my birthday. If you haven't been there (or Bavarian Inn) for their AYCE meal, and you like fried chicken, I hig...

Moana 2 is now available on digital and will be available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD on March 18. In the interim, two of my lucky readers will win a digital code to download the movie! About the film: Gather your family to experience Moana and Maui’s latest adventure at home since Disney’s  Moana 2  arrives to digital retailers (Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV and Fandango at Home) and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD on March 18. The highly anticipated sequel to the Walt Disney Animation Studios fan favorite is the #3 highest-grossing film of 2024 and recently crossed a billion dollars at the global box office. It is the fourth WDAS film ever to do so ( Frozen, Zootopia, Frozen 2 ). Critics and fans alike have hailed Disney’s  Moana 2  as “a fantastic voyage” (Brian Truitt, USA Today), and “a joyous adventure the whole family will love” (BJ Colangelo, Slash Film). The digital and Blu-ray release goes far beyond with hours of exclusive bonus content for the whole family...

Everyone always complains that January feels like a year in itself—I always feel kind of compelled to defend my birth month, when that happens, but I do agree it feels long. Today is the last day of January, though, and my husband and I took the day off work to head up to Frankenmuth for their Snowfest, which is basically an ice festival, and to get my free birthday chicken at Zehnders. We will also go to Prost for lunch, which is a wine and charcuterie bar. Tasty pizza leftovers: Buddy's (top), Green Lantern circular deep dish What I've been up to this week: Watching movies . Last Friday I went to see A Complete Unknown at Birmingham 8 after work, since I was working in the office that day. I unfortunately fell asleep for a bit of it (recliners ...) but Timothee Chalamet was very good in it, as was Edward Norton, Elle Fanning, and the girl who played Joan Baez, another folk musician. From what I saw, I'd give it 4-4.5/5, but it was a bit long (2h20m, I believe). On Wednesd...