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A Week In Toronto On A $78,200 Salary

Welcome to where we are tackling the ever-present taboo that is money. We’re asking real people how they spend their hard-earned money during a seven-day period — and we’re tracking every last dollar.

This week: a senior implementation specialist who makes $78,200 per year and spends some of her money this week on chocolate pudding.

Editor’s Note: All amounts are in Canadian dollars.

Was there an expectation for you to attend higher education? Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
Yes, but to my parents’ credit they did tell me they would be happy with either college or university. I remember my mom saying it’s very hard to get a good job just with a high school diploma. I did really well all through high school and got a scholarship for a full ride to university for first year, which I promptly lost after one semester by not reading the fine print about mandatory GPA and partying a lot. My parents and my grandmother generously supported me throughout all of university, including housing, but I had part-time jobs for spending money and I worked in the summer. This is a privilege I don’t take lightly as I watch my friends all struggle to pay off their loans now.

Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent(s)/guardian(s) educate you about finances?
I remember my parents fighting a lot about money and it’s really impacted my relationship with money and my husband. We’ve been together for 13 years, but I’m still not going to combine our bank accounts. My mom earned more than my dad, but she also spent a lot more, always insisting that we go out to dinner or go on vacation. Both of my parents had good government jobs, but I remember them having to ask my grandmother for a loan to do a repair on the roof. I never want to be in that position. Eventually when they divorced they sold the house and both moved into rentals because the debt was too much to take on individually.

What was your first job and why did you get it?
I worked at a summer camp every year starting at age 15 until I was 19, where I was paid an “honourarium” of $45 a week and $5 of free candy. I got this job because I was such a campkid and couldn’t imagine aging out of camp, and they were some of the best years of my life. My parents did “trial separations” multiple times while I was in high school and when they were separated my dad would give me an allowance for cleaning the house and cooking dinner a few times a week. My first real job was a student space supervisor during my first year of university.

Did you worry about money growing up?
Maybe not worry, but I was definitely annoyed by my mom’s spending habits. I remember listening to the fighting and the complaining about being broke and even then being like “Well… Feels like a pretty obvious solution to me.” Overall though we were happy, had clothes on our back, and never went without.

Do you worry about money now?
Yes and no. This last year I really started to care about my financial picture for the first time and finally got out of debt. I also got a new job with a fairly substantial pay bump and I’m really proud of how far I’ve come. I am proud of my cheap rent and my rainy day fund and I know I could make it quite a few months of being unemployed. I have given up on home ownership but am coming around to taking retirement seriously. I worry about having children and that wiping out our disposable income.

At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net?
I became financially responsible for myself at 22 when I graduated from university and moved to Toronto. I have enough in my rainy day fund for a few months, and I know my partner (and theoretically his parents) would support me if needed. My dad has told me, “You can move home if you’re about to be homeless, but not for any other reason.”

Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income? If yes, please explain.
As mentioned, my parents and my grandmother supported me all the way through university. I received around $2,000 from my granddad when he passed away in 2013. My in-laws also gave us $10,000 for our elopement earlier this year which was not asked for, but definitely appreciated.

Day One

7:45 a.m. — I start snoozing my alarms. I went to New York over the weekend and am still recovering and very snoozy. I eventually get up, brush my teeth and get dressed, then walk my dog P. and make breakfast. I have a bagel with baba and Chipotle Everything Bagel Seasoning and a coffee. I also feed P. and eventually sit down for work by 9:05 a.m.

10:45 a.m. — Two of my friends that I went to New York with sent me some money for the trip —$40 for an Uber back to the airport and $220 for one person’s share of the hotel. I put the $220 in my vacation fund and the $40 on my Amex. I’m mostly sending follow ups this morning so I’m just kind of chilling. I have a clementine and a cinnamon bun Joe-Joe.

11:40 a.m. — Still not being super productive. I finish one task, have some leftover pizza and caramel rice cakes for lunch as my next meeting gets canceled.

2:30 p.m. — I take P. out for her afternoon walk and then make a veggie wrap for lunch #2 (Team Always Hungry). I have my first one-to-one with my new manager and it goes okay. I’m one of those people who is terrified of getting fired and I think he reads this wrong. But he doesn’t bring anything up about the fact that I’m only going to the office once a week instead of the mandated twice.

4:10 p.m. — I promise I’m generally not an impulsive person but I just randomly ordered a new phone online. I’m going to Morocco at the end of the month and I was thinking about how my phone is now a twice-a-day charger and how I’ve been out of storage for a while. For only $15 more per month I can get 35 more gigabytes of data, and a 128G iPhone 15, and just went for it. I think this is my first example of lifestyle creep since getting my new job last July, but since my work pays for $50 of my bill I think it’s worth it.

5:15 p.m. — Unfortunately I do spend the last hour of my workday getting this new phone and looking at phone cases, lol. I clock out and do 45 minutes of power yoga, shower and clean my apartment for a bit.

6:50 p.m. — T.’s home! My husband travels a lot for work and has been in the States for the past two weeks. We did see each other very quickly and luckily while I was in New York, but it’s very nice to have him home. We eventually go for dinner and drinks at an Irish bar fairly close by. I get a grilled cheese and fries with two and a half Harp beers. T. pays and we have a really good time talking sh*t about the New York trip, his time on the road, and how obsessed I’ve become about going to Antarctica. T. and I don’t split finances, which I know people have a lot of opinions about, but I hate feeling like the money police and I like feeling like I get taken out to dinner. Right now it works for us.

10 p.m. — We walk home and feed P., then watch an episode of the show that T. shot (actually he was the director of photography, but who’s bragging) that came out while he was away. It looks super good. It’s hard for us to be apart but I’m really proud of him and how talented he is. Bed around 11 p.m.; so happy to not be the one taking the pup out.

Daily Total: $0

Day Two

7:15 a.m. — Office day means getting up a little bit earlier, but nothing criminal. I brush my teeth, put on sunscreen, make toast and a coffee to go and head out for the streetcar; there’s money loaded on my Presto and there are fare inspectors today.

9 a.m. — In the office, pretending to work already. My first order of business is ordering a cake for my upcoming Go Live client ($52 expensed). After that I work on some documentation and attend an API kick-off call. I also make coffee #2 and eventually eat a granola bar from the office kitchen.

11:50 a.m. — Not to complain about a free lunch but… This one is Greek, and I’m a vegetarian, and I literally just get iceberg lettuce, three olives, and a few roasted potatoes. Cool. I have a bag of Cheez-Its and half of a doughnut that were ordered for our coworker’s birthday, and a small bag of Brookside, and am feeling full enough.

3:30 p.m. — I am having trouble keeping my eyes open. I move my desk to be a standing desk and eat a bag of chips.

4.50 p.m. — Had a productive push to end my day but really ready to leave. I take a granola bar and some fruit gummies from the office snack drawer and head for the streetcar. I tap my Presto and read for about 75% of the way, and then I get off early to walk since it’s a nice-ish day and I feel a headache coming on. I have had a headache about 95% of the days I’ve worked from this office, something about the fluorescents.

6 p.m. — Home and feeling loopy. T. and I giggle on the couch for a while and listen to music and talk about our days. Eventually he goes on an LCBO drinks run and I watch an old episode of Summer House. When he gets back he makes us breakfast for dinner: hash browns, eggs and toast. We watch EuroTrip and we both have an ice cream sammie for dessert.

9:50 p.m. — When we switch the movie off I’m having trouble keeping my eyes open and end up going to bed at like 10:10 p.m., which is early even for me. I’m out by 10:40 p.m.

Daily Total: $0

Day Three

8:45 a.m. — Got distracted with T. this morning and am up later than I’d like to be, but I don’t have any morning meetings and honestly I don’t regret it. I take P. out, make an everything bagel with baba and a coffee, and sit down to work.

9:30 a.m. — I got paid a day early! Thank you Easter! I do my payday routine: pay off both credit cards (which really hurt after New York), put $700 into my rent and rainy day fund, and put $300 in my TFSA. The only bills I manually pay are on my first paycheck of the month and this is the second. Usually I’ll have about $300-$400 to put in my trailer park fund this paycheck, but New York put a stop to that. If I didn’t have another trip coming up in less than a month I would pay my credit card back with some money from my vacation fund, but at the moment I think skipping a month of my trailer fund is okay. I also buy my pay day treat: a phone case for my new phone from Walli. I can’t ever go back from having a loop at the back of my phone case, but the Loopy case I wanted is sold out. It is kind of pricey, but cheaper than Loopy and I get a really fun cow print. $73.33

10 a.m. — While paying off my credit card, I see that my Presto has auto-loaded. $20

10:40 a.m. — Really on a rip and a tear this morning. I’m watching a training video for one of my new clients and get a one-day sale email from Uniqlo. I need a larger, more secure purse for Morocco so I can bring my film camera around, and I’m still on the look out for a pair of green cotton pants, also for Morocco. Both of these are on sale at Uniqlo and I buy an extra pair of underwear to meet the $75 free shipping minimum. I also get $10 off from signing up for texts and that means the $75 is irrelevant. I do in-store pickup and tell myself I will try stuff on and potentially return things while I’m in store. Still another kind-of impulsive purchase. $74.24

12:20 p.m. — T. also got paid early today and e-transfers me for the flights to Morocco that I bought back in January. I had lent the money from my rainy day fund so I put the money right back in (+$630). I have a veggie wrap, a cookie and everything bagel cashews for lunch.

1:40 p.m. — The tote bag I bought online last week — because it was sold out at the concert I went to in New York — is marked as undeliverable and is being returned to sender… Thank you for the $75 back but also… I wanted that tote bag. I submit an online form but don’t hold my breath.

4:30 p.m. — Just got told I had the wrong info for something I’ve spent probably about five hours on this week 🙂

5:15 p.m. — Done for the week! I do a quick power yoga video and then spend 10-15 minutes in my reading nook to finish my book. It was a collection of short stories that a friend of a friend of mine wrote, I rate it higher on GoodReads than I normally would to support a pal. Afterwards T. and I stroll to the LCBO since it’s closed tomorrow ($17.40) and then pick up hot cross buns from Cobs to be extra festive ($9.25). $26.65

7 p.m. — Once we’re home, I make us a quick dinner of zucchini and gnocchi with red sauce. Gnocchi is a hugely underrated pasta. I also have a Harp and T. has a High Life. Eventually T. heads out to meet a pal and I finish season 6 of Summer House and go to bed around 11:20 p.m.

Daily Total: $194.22

Day Four

8:45 a.m. — It’s Good Friday which means a Good Sleep-In. I get up around 9:15 a.m., walk P., have two hot cross buns and coffee for breakfast and start on my new book, an oral history of emo called Where Are Your Boys Tonight?

11:40 a.m. — T. eventually gets up and my reading time is interrupted. I do my hour of power yoga, have a big shower, do my skincare for once and make coffee number two and have two pomegranate Pop-Tarts that T. brought back from the States, and a clementine. I start my professional management course which I’m determined to do two hours of every weekend.

3:20 p.m. — My head hurts and I’m not focusing well so I stop to have some cheese and crackers, cucumbers and spin dip for lunch and watch this week’s Summer House.

4:15 p.m. — T. comes home from his camera prep and takes P. out for a walk. I get ready for my best friend B.’s birthday party! The theme is indie sleaze and this is my Super Bowl. I still have an American Apparel deep V and an American Apparel hoodie which I pair with skinny jeans and I straighten my hair. When I head out I stop by A&W and get two potato peri-peri buddy burgers ($9.02). I eat one at A&W and bring one to eat when I get there. $9.02

6:30 p.m. — I get there early to help set up and add a slouchy beanie to my ensemble. Our friends start to show up, the playlist is great, and it’s an all-time good party. We take a lot of film photos and decide on our summer mantra: take it easy. For context — last year was freak summer. B. brought a pack of PBRs for the party and our chef friend brought a birthday cake. I take the beers I brought home.

11:30 p.m. — T. has to be on set for 9 a.m. tomorrow so we gotta scoot. We TTC home, he walks P. and I wash my face and hit the hay.

Daily Total: $9.02

Day Five

8:20 a.m. — T. gives me a kiss before he heads out for set, and I snooze for a bit more before getting up to walk P. I again have two hot cross buns and coffee and put on Vanderpump Rules while P. has breakfast as well.

11:20 a.m. — Get myself off the couch to walk to the grocery store. We need dog food and I want to make my friend, A., worms and dirt for his birthday tonight. Yes that’s two birthdays in a row in the same friend group — we also have one next Friday. Woof. The grocery store is a 25-minute walk each way but I like to walk and it’s a sunshiney day. I see some buds on the trees! I get chocolate pudding, Oreos, gummy worms, Mini Eggs, crackers and dog food. The lady in front of me gets all vegetables. $26.14

12:45 p.m. — I get home and make the pudding in order to give it a few hours to sit. I eat two Oreos dipped in pudding and let myself have five minutes of chill time on the couch and then force myself to get up and do a slow yoga flow. Balance.

2:15 p.m. — I take a quick body shower, get my clothes sorted and run to the cafe across the street to break my $20 bill for laundry. I get a pumpkin spice Americano and a ginger molasses cookie —a very autumnal order for a nice spring day. $8

3 p.m. — I put two loads in at the laundromat ($7). When I get home I work on my PMP course for a bit and eat my cookie. Switch my laundry over and keep working on my course while it dries ($1.75). $8.75

4:10 p.m. — Walk P. and start making dinner while I put my clothes away, just an easy veggie fish and chips. I also assemble the worms ‘n’ dirt, feed P. and get changed for the night. I put on an old episode of Below Deck while I bop around.

5.50 p.m. — Wanted to head for the bus about 15 minutes ago but just had too much to do. I take the streetcar to the bus (paid on Presto), the bus to the subway, ride the subway for one stop and find out that it’s not running this weekend… Take the shuttle bus, the subway and then another bus… Overall two hours on the TTC by the time I get there. Love that for me.

8 p.m. — I drink three beers, have some chips and a mochi doughnut. This pal always celebrates his birthday by toasting his enemies which is very fun, and his girlfriend gives me an edible which is also very fun. This year he adds in an element where we all have to do a presentation. Mine is on “How To Not sh*t Your Pants Internationally,” a concept I’m very passionate about. Other presentations include: “Horses and Gemstone Synesthesia,” “Sonja Morgan’s Toaster Oven,” and “Cereal.” Overall, a very fun night.

11:30 p.m. — T. drove to the party since he only finished set at 6 p.m. and there’s no way he would have made it with the shuttle bus, so he only has one drink and then drives us home. The weed has made me very sleepy and it’s extremely nice to just cruise home. I go to bed right away.

Daily Total: $42.89

Day Six

8:20 a.m — T. gives me a kiss goodbye and heads back to set, he walked and fed P. this morning so I keep snoozing.

11:30 a.m. — Finally up. I do my final yoga for my month-long challenge. I really liked this yoga streaming website and I will use it in the future, but I’m going to cancel for now. I tend to do one month spurts at working out so I can keep things fresh and not get bored. I eat some leftover pizza from B.’s birthday and watch Below Deck.

1 p.m. — Take P. out for a walk; the Easter parade is already starting on my street.

2 p.m. — Head up to the top of our block to get scooped by T. We’re heading to our hometown for Easter dinner and the traffic combined with the parade is intense. We stop at Tim Horton’s for a coffee and Timbits, and T. pays. I also pay my rent in the car.

3:45 p.m. — Made it home. The dinner is at T.’s parents house but my dad will come because they’re besties. There’s also his sister (who’s pregnant, lots to discuss), her husband, T.’s cousin and his son, my brother-in-law’s dad and T.’s aunt. I feel very fortunate to be adopted into a fun, nice and normal family, because that was not always my experience growing up. As a teen I couldn’t imagine an Easter dinner without someone screaming. I am slightly sad that I don’t get an Easter basket.

8:40 p.m. — Post-pie we leave our hometown and the traffic is still rough. We talk about how much we both got talked over in that dinner and how nobody understands what either of us do for work. We get home, feed P., and watch an episode of T.’s TV show. I shower and head to bed by 11 p.m.

Daily Total: $0

Day Seven

8:10 a.m. — Wish I had Easter Monday off. I get up, brush my teeth and put sunscreen on, and walk P. I give her breakfast and have leftover pizza, leftover Timbits and coffee for myself. My first Slack message I see when I log in is about how much internal time I used last week… Tracking my time is the worst part of my job.

11 a.m. — I start on this manual that should help with my billable hours, but it also feels very self-serving. I cancel my power yoga membership and sign up for the Action Jacquelyn Barre Definition app. It’s $29.99 but I won’t get charged for seven days and when I do I’ll expense it through my “wellness fund” and then I’ll cancel before the end of the month.

12:30 p.m. — I make a little snacky lunch of a hot cross bun, cucumbers, cheese, crackers and Everything Bagel almonds.

2:30 p.m. — Meetings are done for the day so I do my first workout of my new challenge. I do a Barre-Yoga-Leg-Sculpt with ankle weights and it is a killer. I haven’t used my ankle weights since I did this creator’s workouts last May. By the end of the 30 minutes I’m shaking.

3:10 p.m. — Back online and do a head-down task while listening to The Bald and the Beautiful.

4:55 p.m. — Done for the day and it looks like I missed the nice weather. I read my book in my nook for about an hour before T. and I head out on a walk. We stop by the grocery store and get canned dolma and spanakopita for dinner, and I eye that they have ice cream on sale. T. gets the groceries and then we stop at Shoppers for leftover Easter candy. I get some that doesn’t have a price tag and I’m not sure how discounted it really was ($6.20). Afterward we go to the same bar we went to earlier in the week and get two pints each. We have a really good talk about Morocco and our future trailer. I’m aware it’s not a good investment, but it’s the closest thing to a cottage I’m going to get. We agree that this will be an “information gathering” summer, and then, depending on the answers we get, try to purchase one during the summer after. T. pays for the beers. $6.20

8 p.m. — We get the ice cream on the way home. $4.99

8:15 p.m. — We make rice to go with our dolma and spanakopita and watch I Love You, Man. Our friend’s birthday on Friday is Paul Rudd themed and we’re still trying to get ideas.

11 p.m. — Lights out baby!

Daily Total: $11.19

The Breakdown

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A Week In The Life Of A 22-Year-Old Mary Kay Consultant

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Meet Rhianna Slinko, a 22-year-old Mary Kay Independent Sales Director based in Fort Lauderdale, FL, who eschewed a traditional path in favor of launching her own business with the direct-selling beauty brand that’s been around for over 60 years. As a consultant, she’s responsible for the growth of her personal business of selling Mary Kay products and teaching women how to care for their skin, while also helping others who are interested in starting their own Mary Kay business. “I love working for myself — I love the flexibility and the freedom,” she says. “I get to work toward my own dreams instead of working non-stop to help someone else achieve theirs.” Keep reading for a weeklong glimpse into her life.

Day 1

7 a.m. — My alarm goes off, and it’s pitch black outside, so obviously, I hit snooze until it’s 8 and finally decide to get out of bed. I wash my face with my and head to the gym. It’s always better to get there early before the morning rush. After a sufficient amount of exercise (roughly, an hour), I go home to shower to get ready. I’ve perfected and streamlined my makeup routine to exactly four products: an undereye concealer, , lip liner, and .

10:30 a.m. — One of my clients has a facial appointment (a session that allows Mary Kay Consultants to identify their customers’ skin-care needs — and it’s also a way to test different products together). I prep her skin with and the before applying a natural makeup look. She doesn’t know a whole lot about skin care, so I go over the benefits of several products, like Mary Kay’s new and how it protects from harmful UVA/UVB rays (most derms would agree that sunscreen is the most important skin-care product). I also teach her how she can achieve an easy natural, glowy makeup look (as a mom of three young boys, she doesn’t have a lot of time for herself). She ends up purchasing a , the Mineral Facial Sunscreen, , and .

1:15 p.m. — I make myself lunch — chicken, salad, and rice — and scroll on my phone for about 15 more minutes than I should have before I do a little bit of work, which involves setting up my week and scheduling facial appointments, and helping my team members do the same.

5 p.m. — I start Bible study homework and then heat up leftovers (beef, onions, and asparagus) and eat while I watch a rom-com — truly the best combo in my opinion: leftovers and mindless TV.

6:45 p.m. — I go to Bible study, and since my customer from earlier that morning is also in my group, I’m able to personally deliver all the products she purchased earlier today (white-glove service!).

8:40 p.m. — I chat with one of my new team members about what she hopes to get out of her Mary Kay business, and how I can support her in her goals. With a Mary Kay business, everyone’s goals look different, but the vast majority sign up to earn a little extra income on the side. Her goal is to make an extra $300 a month, while working her full-time job.For so many of my friends who got a corporate job right out of college, they usually clock out at 5 p.m. or 6 p.m., but for me, I sometimes have to take calls at night. But I don’t mind it — I love being able to support women in this way, thanks to the flexibility my business creates.

10:30 p.m. — I wind down for the night, which means applying my Clear Proof Charcoal Mask while I finish watching my movie before heading to bed.

Day 2

7 a.m. — Another morning, another gym day. One of my customers ordered a “lip and lash” product bundle ( with the and ), so I quickly put that together before meeting her at the gym. I actually met her at the gym — I had noticed she was new, so I went up and introduced myself. She had just moved here and didn’t know very many people. I usually meet new customers through word-of-mouth, but sometimes if I see someone, I’ll just go up to them and strike up a conversation — it’s nerve-wracking, but completely genuine.

9:30 a.m. — After the gym, I stop by the grocery store to pick up a few snacks, a gift card, and a bunch of different flowers, because I’m planning to ask one of my best friends to be one of my bridesmaids tonight at my belated birthday dinner. I got engaged last year on November 11 (11/11!), and we’re getting married this November, so I have a feeling she knows this is coming.

10 a.m. — I get home and make myself an egg wrap for breakfast before heading out again to meet with a new team member of mine to go over her next steps and goals for her Mary Kay business. I help her set up a few skin-care parties (they’re like fun, social, spa-like gatherings we host to let friends and family test new products) and facial appointments for the first couple of months, so that she’s off to a strong start. I also show her how to use her Mary Kay personal website, which is a personalized link through where customers can purchase products through their Mary Kay Consultant.

12:15 p.m. — I pick up lunch from one of my favorite healthy restaurants. It’s a simple order — chicken, rice, and Brussels sprouts — but so good that I actually crave it every now and then. I go home to eat and (finally) shower from my morning workout — don’t judge!

2:30 p.m. — I have a few hours before dinner, so I take the time to look over my first quarter results to see where I’m at and where my team is at. We’ve had a strong start to our year; we’re on track to meet our sales goals — which means potentially being in the top 1% of sellers and earning the use of (aka the legendary pink Cadillac!).

6 p.m. — My best friend stops by before we head to our dinner reservation — and I use the moment to surprise her with the bouquet I made for her asking her to be a bridesmaid. We both start crying — tears of happiness. She was my first friend in elementary school, and now she’s going to be in my wedding.

8 p.m. — I try a new lip look — a shade called “” that I think is the perfect peach color for summer, and I get a ton of compliments. Dinner was in downtown Fort Lauderdale and I eat an amazing pasta dish — her birthday gift to me.

9:30 p.m. — I use and to take off my makeup and go to bed.

Day 3

9:45 a.m. — It’s so much later than my usual wakeup time, but I’m not feeling 100% and extra sleep was definitely necessary. It’s too late to go to the gym, because it’ll be packed (the thought of a super crowded gym gives me major anxiety), so I’m taking a rest day. I go out to get a medium coffee, but I only take three sips because I’m starting to get the shakes; it was too strong and tasted too much like coffee (I like my coffee to taste like dessert).

12 p.m. — I have a video meeting with a new team member — a college student who wants to work on her Mary Kay business on the side. We plan her business launch party (an event with food and drinks that serves as an opportunity to introduce the brand to potential customers) and discuss how much time she’s able to invest in her business. I offer suggestions on ways she can integrate Mary Kay into her life (without feeling overwhelmed) and share tips on how she can secure her first few sales. My number-one tip I give to my new team members is: Never judge a person. Starting your own business is scary, but I always encourage my team to ask about and share their goals with others, because when they’re excited, others will be, too. That inspires confidence and makes all of this a lot more fun.

Afterwards, I make a few calls to potential customers who were referred to me. To be completely honest, talking on the phone still really scares me (I’m part of the texting generation). Before every call, I have to hype myself up. One of them answers, and she’s really excited about Mary Kay, so we set up a date to meet. I leave a few voicemails — and one calls me back (she thought I was a scam — because, again, no one calls anymore!), and also set up a date.

3 p.m. — I make myself lunch (it’s rice and chicken again — I’m a creature of habit and I like what I like) before I leave for an appointment. I sell a , , and a makeup palette with her favorite cheek and eye colors (, Chromafusion Eye Shadow in , , and ). I fulfill her order right away because I have everything in stock.

5:30 p.m. — Dinner is at my fiancé’s sister’s house tonight! She and her husband have the most adorable five-month-old. On my way over, I grab cinnamon muffins for dessert (I can never show up empty-handed). We chat about how excited we are for the wedding over a truly exceptional dinner of chicken, sweet potatoes, and salad. My fiancé’s family has always made me feel so welcomed — it already feels like we’re family.

8:45 p.m. — Back home and I’m so tired that I’m in bed by 9 p.m.

Day 4

7 a.m. — It’s Friday(!), but also leg day…which is always a struggle.

9:30 a.m. — After leaving the gym, I shower and decide to do a natural, “clean face” makeup look that involves two products: and . I pack up an order — and a — and deliver it to a customer. On my way back, I stop at the post office to give a gift to one of my team members and to also mail something to one of my bridesmaids.

2 p.m. — I decide to work from a coffee shop today (another perk of this business’ flexibility). I also think a change in scenery could inspire productivity. I buy a $13 smoothie, which I know sounds obscenely expensive, but it’s so good. And it’s Friday — why not treat myself? I send follow-up texts to confirm appointments, book a facial for the upcoming week, and design flyers for my new team members. It’s wild to me how much I can accomplish without distractions.

3:15 p.m. — The weather today is 70 degrees and beautiful, so I bask in the sunshine for a bit before I meet up with my mom to watch the high school girls’ lacrosse game (my old team), because my dad coaches part-time, so I always love to go and show support. Plus, it’s nostalgic for me.

6 p.m. — I pick up pad thai for dinner for the three of us and we eat at my parents’ house while we watch a movie, which is low-key the best way to kick-start the weekend.

Day 5

8:30 a.m. — I make myself a bagel with cream cheese and get ready to spend the morning with my dad, who needs a ride to return a rental car. I drive his truck to the rental place and then somehow get tricked into not only getting mulch for the house, but also to accompany him while he gets a haircut. While I wait for him, I send texts to my team members and follow-up messages to my customers — the work never ends.

1 p.m. — I throw some chicken tenders into the air fryer for lunch and start to get ready for my friend’s birthday dinner in West Palm, which is about an hour drive from where I live. I’m in the mood to dress up, which obviously means: full glam — a full makeup routine, base and all. I combine the and , and the result is flawless — it truly looks like there’s a filter on my face.

4:30 p.m. — My friend comes over to “shop” my closet, aka borrow a dress for tonight, and we leave for dinner. I also bought her a bouquet, because I’m planning to ask her to be one of my bridesmaids. We go to a nice Italian restaurant, and I had the best time laughing and catching up (also a highlight: There was a celebrity at the table next to us). We spend the night in West Palm; let’s normalize (!)

Day 6

8:30 a.m. — I ask my friend to be my bridesmaid. She starts tearing up right away and says she had been hoping that I’d ask.

10:30 a.m. — I head home; it’s chore day and prep day, which I love and hate. I hate the process of it all, but the ritual of resetting my space and mentally preparing myself for the upcoming week helps me overcome anxiety and stress. A customer purchased a few different foundations, so I process those orders while I do my chores: laundry, vacuuming, and dishes.

2 p.m. — I take an hour-long nap. I normally never nap, but allowing myself to rest when I’m tired is really nice — I just have to remind myself to not feel guilty about it.

5 p.m. — I have dinner with my family (ham, sweet potatoes, and Brussels sprouts), and we watch an awards show.

9:30 p.m. — My fiancé and I are long-distance, which is incredibly hard. Communication is important in every relationship, but it becomes even more essential in a long-distance one, since we can’t physically be with one another. We talk on the phone for an hour before I go to bed.

Day 7

5:45 a.m. — A client asked me to try a new workout class with her, so while waking up this early should be illegal, I love hanging out with her.

6:30 a.m. — It’s a cardio class, and I won’t lie, I’m 100% struggling.

10 a.m. — All the endorphins from my early morning workout are hitting me, and I feel like I can do anything. I make ham and eggs for breakfast and write my to-do list for the day, even though I already feel like I had a whole day and it’s not even noon.

11 a.m. — I have a video call with my team. We meet every Monday to talk about our weekly goals and aspirations (and sometimes, something as minor as what book we’re currently reading), and it never fails to inspire me. This call absolutely fills my cup up for the day and I’m excited to get to work.

12 p.m. — For lunch, I go to a cafe and order a vanilla latte and a salad. I send a few texts to my team members, confirm a couple appointments, and invite guests to a spring makeup event I’m hosting next week (to go over popular makeup trends for the year, how to apply them, and introduce a skin-care routine that’s best for them). I also chat with my bridesmaids about dress color and style options.

3 p.m. — I have a facial appointment with two girls; I give each of them a . Both are college students and interested in starting a Mary Kay business as a side hustle, so I take the time to answer any questions they have.

5:20 p.m. — I help one team member with a facial where we use the , , and . The client is expecting a baby boy in the summer and also interested in starting her own Mary Kay business!

7 p.m. — For dinner, I had chicken fried rice…and then had the sudden realization: Wow, I eat a lot of chicken and rice.

8 p.m. — Tonight is our Monday Night Live meeting, which is where we share selling tips as a team, share events or product promotions, and recognize people for their accomplishments. In traditional employment settings, someone is only recognized professionally when they receive a promotion, but this meeting gives us the opportunity to celebrate each other’s business accomplishments, however big or small. I also love the fact that by meeting virtually, we can be together even if we live all over the country.

10 p.m. — I take off my makeup with my and head to bed.

Reflection

My week included a lot of planning for myself as well as leading a few facial appointments for my own customers. This was also the first week of a new month, so I was busy meeting with my team members and helping them get set up for a strong month. My greatest joy is giving women a community they didn’t necessarily have before, and the hope is that the more I support my team, the more they sell, and the more business they get, the more confident they become. It’s amazing working with my team and being a part of their lives — and I’m so grateful for the community we’ve built together. We all have our own goals and dreams, but our businesses bring us closer together — it’s hard work, but the end result makes it all worth it.

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First-time actor Agathe Riedinger is a wannabe influencer from the wrong side of the tracks in this forthright and fluent film

Feature first-timer Agathe Riedinger is bringing the TikTok energy for this story of a wannabe Insta influencer-princess from the wrong side of the tracks – but the director is also bringing some pretty old school social realism, exerting its downward gravitational pull. The result is forthright and fluent and fiercely acted by a newcomer lead who, in the time-honoured style of movies like this, is defiant, vulnerable and front and centre of almost every shot. But it also sometimes treads water in terms of narrative, running out of ideas before the end, and its final ambiguity about an ultimate success that is there to be hallucinated rather than achieved feels anticlimactic.

Liane, played by Malou Khebizi, is a 19-year-old with a French and Italian background living in Fréjus in the south of France. She was once given up for foster care by her troubled mother but now taken back home and is now in charge of babysitting her kid sister, whom she is busily turning into a mini-me version of her own brassy, sexualised image. Liane shoplifts and sells the stolen goods – which has paid for her breast-implant surgery and she has also had her lips done. She hangs out with her friends, getting drunk, but is fastidious about how and with whom she’s having sex; she has thousands of followers on her Only-Fans-type insta (although oddly, it doesn’t occur to her to have an actual Only Fans account). Liane also has a poignantly religious sense of her own heroic martyrdom, her ill-treatment at the hands of online haters, men and her appalling mother.

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A Week In Vancouver Island On A $92,000 Salary

Editor’s Note: All amounts are in Canadian dollars.

Was there an expectation for you to attend higher education? Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
There was always the expectation. My father was very clear, we were very smart. There was no way we’d be wasting our potential. He wanted me to be a lawyer, but unlike with other immigrant parents, I got to choose my major and went into social sciences and got my master’s in history. I deferred my PhD too much so I got dropped by the program.

I chose my university by where I got a full first-year scholarship and then after that took about $15,000 in student loans for my undergraduate degree. My parents paid my rent and I got a part time job for food. For my master’s, I had a student line of credit of $10,000 and $5,000 in student loans, otherwise it was all savings and scholarships. With the line of credit, I had a total of $30,000 in student loans.

Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent(s)/guardian(s) educate you about finances?
Save. We talked about how you get a dollar allowance and half of it goes into long term saving with 25% in short term and 25% in spend. My family came from poor rural China, and has some generational trauma from Japan and World War II. You need enough money to be able to buy your way out. Investing came after I was 18.

What was your first job and why did you get it?
At an ice cream parlour. I was 12 and my parents made me get it for responsibility. I only lasted three weeks because I hated it.

Did you worry about money growing up?
I grew up thinking we were not rich, because we didn’t get big plane vacations and I had only been to Disney twice. (I didn’t count flying from Toronto to Vancouver every summer as a vacation since we were just seeing family. But we stayed in a house my parents owned.) But we had a big new-build house in the rich end of town and my mom stayed home to raise all of us. We had to work for things (like going to see a movie on opening night or a new CD) but we always had money and got what we wanted. In retrospect, my family was/is fairly well off. Both my parents grew up poor, with parents working multiple jobs and different shifts to make ends meet; with the strive/drive to not have that childhood, and for my father to be able to retire, his parents really impacted mine and my siblings’ and cousins’ lives. My father showed me the apartment he grew up in Chinatown a few years back. It’s light years away from the house my grandparents owned when I was a kid and how I grew up.

Do you worry about money now?
Of course. Inflation is real and we are actively planning a wedding for the next year, as well as a baby in the next few years. We also need to buy a second car, so we’re saving for that.

At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net?
Fully financially responsible? 25. I lived in a family property in one of the most expensive cities in Canada, so even though I paid all my bills (food and phone), I didn’t have to pay rent. In fact, I made money, as I rented rooms out and used the income for house utilities, and paying my student loans down faster.

When I moved in with M., I just paid condo fees until two years ago when we bought our house, which gave me plenty of time to save. Our financial safety nets are family, and our savings. I know my family would bail us out. M.’s father would as well. Conversely, we are M.’s mother’s safety net and, when we are making all of our plans, we have to keep in mind that we will be subsidising her.

Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income? If yes, please explain.
Yes, I received $50,000 from my parents once they sold my childhood home, as did both of my siblings. I have also received $10,000 from one set of grandparents which paid off my car and part of my student loans when I was 21. I will be receiving another inheritance when probate is done, for around $100,000. M. also has received inheritance which allowed him to buy his first condo in their early 20s when the market was much better. That condo, and the subsequent upgrading, helped us afford our house.

Day One

10 a.m. — I drive to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription. Not how I want to start my Sunday morning but y’know. Normally I’d walk since it’s about 20 minutes but I have a UTI. I’m “lucky” that, despite not having a doctor because of the healthcare shortage, my work pays for the Maple app so I could get a doctor to write the prescription and order the lab work at 1 a.m. I’ll do the lab work later this week when I can get an appointment, but will take the relief now. Insurance makes the antibiotics free, but I also buy hydrogen peroxide because we’re out and we have a dog that thinks everything is meant to be in her mouth. I also bought some oral wound mouthwash because we were out. I come home and M. has made us breakfast. I pay with debit. $15.90

1 p.m. — We do our taxes. I have a mini meltdown when I realize the part-time bakery job I had for a few months didn’t take off income tax last year, so I owe $800. Luckily, M. is getting a refund so we net out positive with $400. The bakery took off income tax in 2022, so unsure why they didn’t in 2023.I make us lunch.

3 p.m. — We walk the dog, then watch The Rookie. A wedding venue emails us back and is surprisingly affordable at $3,000.

6:30 p.m. — I explain what lazy girl dinner is to M. and then make a lazy girldinner. Aside from fresh vegetables, we haven’t really grocery shopped since February. We need to do a big pantry shop and neither of us want that. We debate about buying a food saver and if we should wait for a sale before we do so. M. is more frugal than me and is determined we should.

8 p.m. — We start season 3 of The Rookie. After two episodes, we go to bed

Daily Total: $15.90

Day Two

5:45 a.m. —Wake up and start work. I get up to date with what’s happened on the weekend and check that my automated reports. Sometime before 6:30 a.m., I get the kettle on for M.’s pour-over coffee before I go back to my meetings. There’s a 20-minute gap where I get changed and do my skincare and brush my teeth. I’d love to be a skincare person but honestly I’ve spent too much money on product that I don’t use and that just goes bad. Washing my face and using sunscreen is a win.I also make sure that M.’s lunch is in his bag and I get our travel mugs ready. We recently splurged on a stupidly expensive espresso machine that we call his Engagement Espresso, as it cost the same as my stupidly expensive ring.

8 a.m. —We drive to work. Prior to buying our house, we were both working from home and lived in a city with amazing transit. We only needed one car. Since buying the house and moving to a city where public transit is a joke (the one bus goes past our house every 90 minutes), M. changed jobs and is in the office every day and I have to go in three days a week. We need a second car or for the e-bike rebate to come through. I’m also done in the office by 1 p.m., but M. works normal hours, so I either have to take the bus home, or go to the gym for three hours. Today though, I drop M. off. I will pick him up later as he has a half-day because of a dental appointment.

8:30 a.m. —I ask my boss how the work-from-home tax forms work, and he is going to find out.I run more meetings and work on a request for a dashboard and a business case for a new feature that I have to convince leadership to spend money on.

12 p.m. — I drive back to M. While I wait for him I am incredibly hungry. I don’t usually eat a proper meal until around 1 p.m. I go to the bakery by M.’s work and buy a cheese bun for me ($3.65), and an apple pie scone ($2.55) for M as a snack. M points out he won’t be able to eat until after his appointment. I pay with debit. $6.20

1 p.m. — I drop M. off, and the car stops working. The engine won’t catch. I try multiple times and then run into the dentist to dramatically announce to M. and the receptionists that the car won’t start. M. asks me what he wants me to do about this, since he’s about to go into an appointment. I go back to the car to FaceTime my father. He also asks what I think he can do to help since he lives 3,000km away. M. texts me to remind me we have BCAA. I finally get the engine to catch and drive home.

1:30 p.m. —I walk the dog, mail a (late) birthday card and then start researching what an alternator is. The car is over a decade old and, until the house, the most expensive thing I ever bought at $12,000 back in 2015. We have the funds for the cost, but it’s my first car and the fact it might be the end of its life is scary. Alternators can cost between $400 and $800 repair with labour, so that’s fun.

2:30 p.m. — We get an email back from a wedding venue saying they cost $75,000 minimum. The timing is hysterical because M. now owes the dentist $618, as they haven’t flipped it under my insurance. They split the payment in half, as he has a follow up in two weeks. After the next appointment they will flip the whole amount under me and we’ll get reimbursed for the whole amount. Pay $309 on credit card. $309

3 p.m. to 10 p.m. — We walk the dog, make dinner (M. makes white sauce pasta, with chicken and peas) and watch The Rookie. There are 13 episodes in season 3, but we will be busy every night this week besides Friday and Sunday, and I would like to finish season 3 so we can start season 4 next Monday. I don’t want to pay for more than one month of Crave.

Daily Total: $315.20

Day Three

1 a.m. — $100 is automatically transferred from our account to the credit card debit. We have an auto transfer of $100 every Tuesday to a Visa where we balance transferred both our cards. We have an offer for 0% interest for 10 months, so we used it for some bigger expenses (snow tires, brake replacement and general Christmas stuff) and are on track to pay it back within the next six months. $100 (included in regular expenses)

5:45 a.m. — Work. Meetings, reports, trying to convince a colleague that the process does include them and that their refusal to follow it means that their requests won’t be done. M. has another half day, so I can go into the office at my leisure… If the car starts.

9 a.m. — The car starts. It takes longer to drive into work today because the tourists are starting to come and their van builds or campers are not exactly highway speed and, with a two-lane highway, if you don’t merge over fast enough you’re stuck.

10 a.m. — Meeting done, car starts again and I drive home for more meetings. The least amount of time in the office is preferable for me. At home, I meet with my manager where we discuss future my salary and promotion. I am due for a promotion in the start of Q2, which would push me to six figures. I’ll believe it when I see it, but I’m really excited at that possibility for my family.

11:15 a.m. — Work runs late. There’s some issues with the data and we can’t figure it out. We call it a night, and I’ll record the video presentations tomorrow, once we fix the data.

1:30 p.m. — Nap time! It’s bad for me, but honestly I don’t sleep well during the night so naps are what keep me alive.

6:30 p.m. — M. comes home, we eat dinner. Groceries come to $96.83 for two pork loins, two packs of bacon, chicken nuggets, coffee, pop, an eight-pack of peppers, milk, tomato, pickles, rice, avocado, mushrooms, sour cream and lettuce. Not too bad —we average about $300 a month in groceries because we can buy bulk and have a second freezer. For the month of March we are currently at $123.61 for groceries and there are 12 days left in the month. We went on a small weekend away, so we ate out a fair bit but even then our current food budget stands at $272.27 today. $96.83

7:30 p.m. —M. makes a coffee and plays video games with his friends. They do it every week. I have a shower, fold and put away laundry and then read in bed.

Daily Total: $96.83

Day Four

5:45 a.m. —Work. I find out the limits of how many people I can invite to a Teams meeting. I also make us coffee, make sure M. has lunch packed (leftovers). M. has walked the dog and has put the recycling and compost out for pick up. I drop M. off at work and go to the office.

10 a.m. — I leave the office for home and more meetings. I walk the dog and go record training videos. I get an email that Amazon is doing its big spring sale. I send a link to a robot mop and vacuum that’s on a big discount to M. We want one, but I’m not in charge of the research on it.

11:45 a.m. — I shove lunch in my mouth, last night’s leftovers. I’m running late for my UTI lab work, and decide to get myself later by collecting all the random dishes and mugs that just show up places and starting the dishwasher. I actually get to the lab 10 minutes early but need to buy gas on the way home. I tell my team I’ll be MIA for a bit and leave the work phone in the car. I buy 15.6 litres of gas for $30 at $1.879 per litre on a credit card. It sucks. I don’t fill up because we’re going to my in-laws’ this weekend and there’s a Costco Gas Bar there. $30

12:30 p.m. — Work goes long again.

1:30 a.m. —Nap!

2:30 p.m. —Walk the dog and drive to the gym. I usually go three times a week but with last week’s weekend away and this week’s weird half days from M., today’s the only day.I make up for it by doing both upper and lower body and a 30-minute circuit.

4:30 p.m. — I pick up M. and we go to Costco. We get nachos, ham, cheese buns and some other items. We debate buying our friend’s kid a toddler set of clothes and decide no. We end up buying work pants for M., and a garden hose. It comes out to $116.90. I order our Costco date-night dinner of hot dogs and fries for a grand total of $6.41 and pay by credit card. $123.31

8 p.m. — Dance class! We bought a series of six lessons of introduction to ballroom back in December for a new date-night idea. We paid $60 per person and this is the fifth lesson tonight.

9 p.m. — We’re home, we let the dog out. M. spends an undetermined amount of time watching ballroom videos while I sleep.

Daily Total: $153.31

Day Five

5:45 a.m. — Work. All the meetings. Thursday is the meeting day. I debate with a friend what’s the earliest call we’ve had and 4:30 a.m. still wins. I pack lunch for M and his coffee and he leaves. I end up cleaning up cat puke as the cat decides to drink milk from M.’s cereal and vomit it up on camera in a meeting.

9 a.m. — I make myself a matcha and walk the dog.

1 p.m. —Working; I treat myself to a lunch of a cheese bun and ham sandwich. We used to eat it every Sunday while growing up but the cost of ham has been outrageous. The deal at Costco yesterday was $1.50 for 100g, which is really good.

1:15 p.m. —I seal the wooden deer Christmas decoration we bought last year. It sits outside our front door and needs to be weather-proofed, and I’ve been putting it off for five months. But the weather is good and we have newspapers. The dog and the cat don’t like my wooden deer.

1:30 p.m. — Nap!

5 p.m. — M. comes home, we walk the dog and I make dinner (Kraft Dinner and nuggets — I swear we eat veggies, but today is not that day). We discuss the possibility of our dog at our wedding as a flower girl, and if she’ll be in a tutu or a cheongsam like me. I am now researching if they make dog cheongsams and if she can match us. The cat, despite all my heart wanting it, won’t physically be there because he will have an anxiety attack and probably die.

6:30 p.m. —Board game night! We go to a friend’s to repeat the same scenario. We’ve lost two weeks in a row.

10:30 p.m. — I pack M.’s breakfast (oatmeal and frozen berries), lunch (spicy tuna and mayo) since he’s trying to go to the gym before work, and feed the animals before we go to bed.

Daily Total: $0

Day Six

5:45 a.m. — Work. I have a deep focus block which means I can get the script for the training I have to run. Public speaking is not my strong suit and it’s a group of a thousand people so I’m not looking forward to it.

9 a.m. — I walk the dog, make a matcha and make a to-do list for what we have to get done before we leave to go to my in-laws tomorrow. I text my mother-in-law happy birthday, and hope that she got the card in time. She did.

9:30 a.m. —My last meeting for the week ends and I’m debating calling it a day so I can nap. Instead I make lunch (cheese bun and ham), text my mother-in-law our plan for Saturday, and unload and reload the dishwasher and go back to work for at least another hour.

12:30 p.m. — I shower and do skincare.

1 p.m. — Nap! Somewhere in this time FedEx comes and since I’m sleeping, we have to pick up on Monday. I’m not too sure what it is, I assume it’s our custom address stamp from Etsy because that’s the only thing I’ve bought recently.

3 p.m. — I prep dinner (nachos), unload the dishwasher, pack my overnight bag and confirm all our venue tours by email. I start a load of laundry and do a quick clean. I feel like this is not the best image of our diet. I swear we generally eat healthy but we both have been feeling really blah over the past two weeks. I do have three whole peppers and two whole avocados in the nachos though.

5 p.m. —M. comes home, we walk the dog, have dinner,and plan out next week. We have a big Wednesday next week (mechanic, nail appointment, dance class), and we are having our friends over for Easter so we need to prep for that. We pack the car so tomorrow is a very easy start. M. also gets paid today. We’re lucky that we’re on alternating pay periods, we used to be on the same and it always felt stressful. M. also lets me know his union has secured a 3% cost of living raise to start in Q3.

7:30 p.m. — We finish The Rookie and head to bed. Crave reminds me that I have 10 days until I’m charged again. Sadly, I think we’ll have to pay for two months.

Daily Total: $0

Day Seven

8:30 a.m. —Wake up. No one (except the dog) slept well so we’re not in a morning mood. M. makes coffee and walks the dog, while I finish packing the car and give the cat a lot of attention. Our first wedding venue tour is at 11 a.m. and the one that is the most expensive (between $8,000 and $10,000), but also the one we probably want the most.

10:40 a.m. —We visit our dream venue. We stay way longer than expected. Basically if the quote is under $10,000, we’ll get it.

1 p.m. —We get to our in-laws and have a lunch of egg salad sandwiches. We need to buy gas. My in-laws drive us to a pottery painting store.

2 p.m. — We paint pottery. My mother-in-law wanted to do this for her birthday. I paint a vase, M. paints an Easter egg, father-in-law paints a mug, and mother-in-law paints a plate. $143.36

Daily Total: $143.36

The Breakdown

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iPad Pro (2024) review: So very nice, and so very expensive

It hasn’t even been released yet, but is probably one of the most divisive devices the company has made in years. On the one hand, it’s an undeniable feat of engineering. Apple squeezed a new M4 chip and “tandem” OLED panel into a tablet that’s somehow thinner and lighter than the one it replaces. And the prior iPad Pro was no slouch either, garnering loads of praise for its combo of power and portability since it was first introduced in 2018.

On the other hand, this tech comes at a cost: the 11-inch iPad Pro starts at $999, while the 13-inch model costs $1,299. That’s $200 more than before, and that’s without a $299 or $349 Magic Keyboard and a $129 Pencil Pro. (The unit I’m testing is a 13-inch system with 1TB of storage and 5G, which costs $2,099) The iPad Pro has always felt like Apple flexing its muscles, showing off an absurdly powerful and portable vision of tablet computing that’s overkill for almost everyone, and that’s . Furious debate has ensued over the value of an iPad Pro and why in the world anyone would buy one instead of a MacBook. This isn’t a new conversation, but it feels particularly heated this time.

Before getting into the details, it’s worth noting that I haven’t even had a week to use the iPad Pro M4. So I can’t assess things like long-term durability, which I can’t help but wonder about given just how thin it is. But in the short time I’ve had the iPad Pro, I can say that it’s somehow a major leap forward that doesn’t significantly change the iPad experience. As such, you’ll have to really ask yourself if it’s worth the price.

Hardware

If you stare at the iPad Pro M4 head-on, you won’t notice any difference between it and the previous model. The display still makes up the vast majority of the front, with thin, equally sized bezels surrounding it. The Face ID camera is now on the landscape edge (a great change that Apple first brought to the basic iPad in late 2022), but it’s basically invisible to the eye — no notch for the Pro.

However, picking up the iPad Pro tells another story altogether. While the new 13-inch model is fractionally taller and wider than the 12.9-inch version it replaces, the iPad Pro M4 is 20 percent thinner and about a quarter-pound lighter. I cannot stress enough how radically this changes the experience of holding the iPad Pro, especially the larger of the two.

Before, the big iPad Pro was just a bit too big and heavy to be comfortable as a hand-held tablet. I used to prefer using the 11-inch iPad Pro or Air when I’m relaxing on the couch browsing the web, playing some games, messaging friends and doing other light tasks. Now, however, it feels entirely reasonable to use the 13-inch model in that fashion. I still think smaller tablets are better for hand-held tasks, but the reduced thickness and weight make the new iPad Pro much easier to handle.

I want to talk a little more about how ridiculously thin this iPad is. Apple has rightly gotten its share of flack for relentlessly trying to make its products thinner, to the point where it affects durability and usability. Perhaps the best examples are the Touch Bar MacBook Pro models that Apple first introduced in 2016. Those laptops were indeed thinner and lighter than their predecessors, but at the expense of things like battery life, proper thermal cooling and a reliable keyboard. Apple reversed course by 2020 when it brought its own chips to the MacBook Pro; those laptops were heavier and chunkier than the disastrous Touch Bar models, but they had more ports and better keyboards and no issues staying cool under a heavy workload.

This is all to say that, for those computers, the pursuit of “thin and light” hampered their primary purpose, especially since they aren’t devices you hold in your hands all day. But with something like an iPad, where you’re meant to pick it up, hold it and touch it, shaving off a quarter of a pound and 20 percent of its thickness actually makes a huge difference in the experience of using the product. It’s more comfortable and easier to use — and, provided that there are no durability concerns here, this is a major improvement. I’ve only had the iPad Pro for less than a week, so I can’t say how it’ll hold up over time, but so far it seems sturdy and not prone to bending.

Beyond that significant change, the new iPad Pro retains the same basic elements: There’s a power button in one corner, volume up and down buttons on another, and a USB-C Thunderbolt port on the bottom. There’s a camera bump on the back, in the same position as always, and a connector for the Magic Keyboard. Finally, there are four speakers, one in each corner, just as before. They sound much better than speakers from such a thin device should sound, a feat Apple has consistently pulled off across all its devices lately. Aside from the size and weight reduction, Apple hasn’t radically changed things here, and that’s mostly OK — though I could imagine some people wanting a second Thunderbolt port just for power when a peripheral is plugged in.

The specs of both the front- and back-facing cameras are unchanged; both are 12-megapixel sensors. Somewhat surprisingly, Apple removed the ultra-wide camera from the back, leaving it with a single standard camera alongside the LiDAR sensor and redesigned True Tone flash. That’s fine by me, as the standard lens is just fine for most things you’ll want out of an iPad camera. Its video capabilities are still robust, with support for ProRes video recording and 4K at a variety of frame rates.

Meanwhile, the front-facing camera on the landscape edge of the tablet means you can actually do video calls when the iPad is in its keyboard dock and not look ridiculous. I generally avoided doing video calls with my iPad before, but I’ve done a handful on the iPad Pro and all the feedback I’ve received is that the video quality is solid if not spectacular. Regardless, I won’t think twice about jumping onto FaceTime or Google Meet with the iPad Pro now that the camera position is no longer an issue.

Tandem OLEDs

The next thing you’ll notice about the new iPad Pro is its OLED display. Specifically, Apple calls it a “tandem OLED” display, which means that you’re actually looking at two OLED panels layered on top of each other. The screen resolution is essentially the same as the old iPad Pro (2,752 x 2,064, 264 pixels per inch), but a number of other key specs have improved. It now features a 2,000,000-to-1 contrast ratio, one of the things OLED is best known for — blacks are literal darkness, as the pixels don’t emit any light.

The OLED enables more brightness and improved HDR performance compared to the old iPad Pro — standard screen brightness is up to 1,000 nits, compared to 600 nits for the last model. As before, though, HDR content maxes out at 1,600 nits. This is a nice upgrade over the Mini-LED screen on the old 12.9-inch iPad Pro, but it’s a massive improvement for the 11-inch iPad Pro. That model was stuck with a standard LCD with no HDR capabilities; the disparity between the screens Apple offered on the two iPad Pros was significant, but now both tablets have the same caliber display, and it’s one of the best I’ve ever seen.

Everything is incredibly bright, sharp and vibrant, whether I’m browsing the web, editing photos, watching movies or playing games. I cannot stress enough how delightful this screen is — I have a flight this week, and I can’t wait to spend it watching movies. Watching a selection of scenes from Interstellar shows off the HDR capabilities as well as the contrast between the blackness of space and the brightness of surrounding stars and galaxies, while more vibrant scenes like the Shire in Fellowship of the Ring had deep and gorgeous colors without feeling overly saturated or unrealistic. Given how the screen is the most crucial experience of using a tablet, I can say Apple has taken a major leap forward here. If you’re upgrading from the Mini-LED display in the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, it won’t be quite as massive a difference, but anyone who prefers the 11-inch model will be thrilled with this improvement.

As usual, these screens have all the usual high-end features from prior models, including the ProMotion variable refresh rate (up to 120hz), fingerprint-resistant and antireflective coatings, True Tone color temperature adjustment, support for the P3 wide color gamut and full lamination. Other iPads have some, but not all of these features; specifically, ProMotion is saved for the Pro line. And this year, Apple added a $100 nano-texture glass option for the 1TB and 2TB models to further reduce glare, a good option if you often work in bright sunlight. (My review iPad did not have this feature.) Between that and the improved brightness, these tablets are well-suited to working in difficult lighting conditions.

M4 performance

Choosing to in the iPad Pro rather than a Mac is a major flex by Apple. Prior M-series silicon hit Macs first, iPads later. But as Apple tells it, the tandem OLED displays needed the new display engine on the M4 to hit the performance goals it wanted, so rather than engineer it into an existing processor, it just went forward with a whole new processor. The 1TB and 2TB iPad Pros have an M4 with four performance cores, six efficiency cores, a 10-core GPU and 16GB of RAM, while the less-expensive models have to make do with three performance cores and 8GB of RAM.

Either way, that’s more power than almost anyone buying an iPad will know what to do with. Interestingly, even Apple’s own apps don’t quite know what to do with it, either. When the company briefed the press last week, it showed off new versions of Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro for the iPad, both of which had some impressive additions. Final Cut Pro is getting a live multicam feature that lets you wirelessly sync multiple iPhones or iPads to one master device and record and direct all of them simultaneously. Logic Pro, meanwhile, has some new AI-generated “session players” that can create realistic backing tracks for you to play or sing over.

Both features were very impressive in the demos I saw — but neither of them requires the M4 iPad Pro. Final Cut Pro will still work on any iPad with an M-series processor, and Logic Pro works on M-series iPads as well as the iPad Pro models with the A12Z chip (first released in 2020).

Of course, when you’re spending in excess of $1,000, it’s good to know you’ll get performance that’ll last you years into the future, and that’s definitely the case here. As apps get even more complex, the iPad Pro should be able to make short work of them. That includes AI, of course — the M4’s neural engine is capable of 38 trillion operations per second, a massive upgrade over the 18 trillion number quoted for the M3.

Unsurprisingly, the iPad Pro M4’s Geekbench CPU scores of 3,709 (single-core), 14,680 (multi-core) and 53,510 (GPU) significantly eclipse those of the M2 iPad Air (2,621 / 10,058 / 41,950). In reality, though, both of these tablets will churn through basically anything you throw at them. If your time is money and having faster video rendering or editing matters, or you work with a lot of apps that rely heavily on machine learning, the M4 should shave precious seconds or minutes out of your workflow, which will add up significantly over time.

Fortunately, the new chip remains as power efficient as ever. I haven’t done deep battery testing yet given I’ve only had the iPad Pro for a few days at this point. But I did use it as my main computer for several days and got through almost 10 hours of work before needing the charger. My workload is comparatively modest though, as I’m not pushing the iPad through heavy video or AI workloads, so your mileage may vary. As it has for more than a decade now, Apple quotes 10 hours of web browsing or watching video. But given what the M4 is capable of, chances are people doing more process-intensive tasks will run through the battery a lot faster.

New Magic Keyboard

As rumored, Apple has two new accessories for the iPad Pro: a new keyboard and the Pencil Pro. Both are still just as pricey as before. $350 for a keyboard case still feels like highway robbery, no matter how nice it is. But at least they’re not more expensive.

The good news is that the is definitively better than the old one in a number of ways. First off, it’s thinner and lighter than before, which makes a huge difference in how the whole package feels. The last iPad Pro and its keyboard were actually rather thick and heavy, weighing in around three pounds — more than a MacBook Air. Now, both the iPad and keyboard case are thinner and lighter on their own, making the whole package feel much more compact.

The base of the Magic Keyboard is now made of aluminum, which makes the typing experience more like what you’ll find on a MacBook. The keys are all about the same size as before, and typing on it remains extremely comfortable. If you’re familiar with the keyboards on Apple’s laptops, you’ll feel right at home here. Apple also made the trackpad bigger and added a function row of keys, both of which make the overall experience of navigating and using iPadOS much better.

The trackpad also now has no moving parts and instead relies on haptic feedback, similar to the MacBook trackpads. Every click is accompanied by a haptic that truly tricks me into thinking the trackpad moves, and small vibrations accompany other actions as well. For example, when I swipe up and hold to enter multitasking, there’s a haptic that confirms the gesture is recognized. Third-party developers will be able to add haptic trackpad feedback to their apps, as well.

Between the improved layout and thinner design, the Magic Keyboard is essential gear if, like me, you make your living while typing. It’s wildly expensive, yes, but it’s also extremely well-made and thoughtfully designed in a way that I just haven’t seen anyone else match yet. Yes, there are plenty of cheaper third-party options, but the Magic Keyboard is the best option I’ve tried.

Apple Pencil Pro

, I can’t help but lament my complete lack of visual art skill. But even I can tell that the is a notable upgrade over the model it replaces, which was already excellent. As before, it magnetically attaches to the side of the iPad Pro for charging and storage, something that remains an elegant solution.

The Pencil Pro does everything the second-gen Apple Pencil does and has some new tricks to boot. One is Squeeze, which by default brings up the brush picker interface in apps like Notes and Freeform. It’s a quick and smart way to scrub through your different options, and it’s open to third-party developers to use as they wish in their own apps. The Pencil Pro isn’t too sensitive to the Squeeze gesture; I didn’t find myself accidentally popping open the menu while doodling away. The new Pencil also has a gyroscope, which lets it recognize rotation gestures — this means you can “turn” your virtual brush as you paint, giving it another layer of realism. Between tilt, pressure and now rotation sensitivity, the Pencil Pro is even better at capturing how you are using it.

Apple also added haptic feedback, so when you squeeze the Pencil you’ll get a vibration to confirm the action. It’s also used in a great new “undo” menu: if you squeeze the Pencil and then tap and hold on the back button, you can then quickly scrub through and undo everything you’ve written, step-by-step. This history makes it easy to take some risks while working on something and then quickly rewind if you’re not happy with the results. And each step of the log is accompanied by a haptic buzz as you scroll forwards and backwards.

Finally, the Apple Pencil Pro has Find My integration, which will make it easier to find when you inevitably lose it in the couch cushions (or leave it at a coffee shop). Given that Apple threw in a lot of new features and kept the price the same, I can’t complain too much about the Pencil Pro. The only bummer is that the new iPad Pro doesn’t work with the second-generation Pencil, presumably due to a different battery charging and pairing setup necessitated by moving the front camera to the same edge as the charging area. So if you’re upgrading, a Pencil Pro (or the less capable $79 USB-C Pencil) will be a requirement.

iPadOS

I think it’s worth a quick mention that Apple has not made any changes to iPadOS to go along with this release, and it’s one of the things that has made the internet very angry. There’s been a lot of chatter from some people who think the iPad Pro should run macOS or similar software; the vibe is that the iPad’s hardware is wasted on iPadOS.

I can only speak for myself and note that I was able to do everything my job asks of me on the iPad Pro while I was testing it, but that doesn’t mean it would be my choice over a Mac for certain situations. If I was at an event like CES, I’d want my MacBook Pro to facilitate things like transferring and editing photos as well as working in Google Docs. I can do those things on an iPad, but not as easily, mostly because the Google Docs app doesn’t handle going through comments and suggestions well. I did, however, find it easy and fast to import RAW photos from my SD card to the Lightroom app. For the first time, I felt comfortable doing my entire review photo workflow on an iPad. Even things like tearing through my email are better in the Gmail web app than the Gmail app for iPad. Overall, though, I was perfectly happy using the iPad Pro as my main computer; some things are a little tougher and some are easier. The whole experience doesn’t feel significantly better or worse, it’s just different. And at this point, I enjoy seeing what I can do on platforms that aren’t Windows and macOS.

Ultimately, Apple has shown no indication it’s going to make iPadOS more like a Mac. By the same coin, it still shows no indication of making a Mac with a touchscreen. For better or worse, those two worlds are distinct. And with no rumors pointing to a big iPadOS redesign at WWDC next month, you shouldn’t expect the software experience to radically change in the near future. As such, don’t buy an iPad Pro unless you’re content with the OS as it is right now.

Wrap-up

is a fascinating device. I can’t help but want to use it. All the time. For everything. It’s truly wild to me that Apple is putting its absolute best tech into not a Mac but an iPad. That’s been a trend for a while, as the iPad Pro lineup has always been about showing off just how good of a tablet Apple can make, but this one truly is without compromise. It doesn’t just have a nice screen, it has the best screen Apple has ever made. It doesn’t have the same processor as some Macs, it has a newer and better one.

To get all of that technology into a device this thin and light truly feels, well, magical. That’s how Steve Jobs described the first iPad; significantly, he also said it contained “our most advanced technology.” In 2010, it was debatable whether the first iPad really had Apple’s most advanced tech, but it’s absolutely true now. And that’s what makes the iPad Pro such a delight to use: it’s a bit of an otherworldly experience, something hard to come by at this point when so much of technology has been commoditized.

But when I think realistically about what I need and what I can reasonably justify spending, I realize that the iPad Pro is just too much for me. Too expensive, too powerful, maybe a little too large (I truly love the 11-inch model, however). If you’re in the same boat, then fortunately, there’s an iPad that offers nearly everything the iPad Pro does for significantly less cash. The iPad Air may not be nearly as exciting as the Pro, but it offers the same core experience for a lot less cash. But if you aren’t put off by the price, the new iPad Pro is sure to delight.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ipad-pro-2024-review-so-very-nice-and-so-very-expensive-210012937.html?src=rss

Engadget

iPad Air (2024) review: Of course this is the iPad to get

The expensive and gorgeous iPad Pro M4 is a complicated device that’s hard to outright recommend — does it make sense to spend well over $1,000 for a tablet with the inherent limitations of iPadOS compared to a Mac or Windows PC? , however, is much easier to evaluate. Since , the Air has had nearly the same form factor as the Pro, with some corners cut to differentiate the two. But the Air is also a clear upgrade over the base iPad, appealing to someone like me who appreciates its excellent screen, superior chip, improved multitasking capabilities and a better accessories experience.

It’s pretty easy to sum up this year. It has a faster M2 chip compared to the old M1, it works with a new Apple Pencil Pro, the front camera has moved to the landscape edge and it starts with 128GB of storage (double the prior model) at the same $599 price. These are all expected updates given that it’s been two years since the last iPad Air. But with the 2024 iPad Air, Apple is also : the first 13-inch iPad that doesn’t carry the “pro” designation and associated costs. The 13-inch Air starts at $799, which is $500 less than a comparably-sized iPad Pro. (The model I tested with 512GB of storage and 5G costs $1,249.)

Hardware updates

I’ve never considered buying a 13-inch iPad Pro. Besides the high price, I also find such a large and heavy iPad difficult to use handheld. It’s great when in a keyboard dock, as the bigger screen is much more suitable for multitasking, but I also want my iPad to be easy to hold for casual tasks, playing games, watching movies and all the other basic stuff tablets are good for.

My current personal iPad is an 11-inch Pro from 2020, so I’m an obvious mark for the new iPad Air. And after testing the 13-inch Air, I’m thinking about jumping on the big tablet bandwagon for the first time. Part of my reasoning is that the 13-inch iPad Air weighs less than the previous-generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro it is based on. Those tablets typically weighed in around 1.5 pounds, but the Air comes in at 1.36 pounds.

That doesn’t sound like a major difference, but it’s been just enough for me to feel more comfortable using the Air as a tablet rather than just docked in a keyboard case. It’s still a little more unwieldy than I’d like, and it’s still heavier and thicker than the new 13-inch iPad Pro. But, the iPad Air is $500 cheaper; at that price, I’m willing to accept a little trade-off.

The new 11-inch model is indistinguishable from the 10.9-inch one it replaces in dimensions, weight and screen size. Don’t let Apple fool you into thinking the screen is a whopping .1 inches bigger this year, because it’s not — the company is just rounding up. (The same goes for the 13-inch Air; it has the same 12.9-inch screen size and resolution as the old iPad Pro.)

The M2 chip is a big selling point for the iPad Air, but note that if you have the 2022 model with an M1, you won’t experience massive performance gains here. Geekbench 6 tests show that the M2’s GPU is about 30 percent faster than the M1, with lesser gains in single- and multi-core performance. But, compared to my 2020 iPad Pro with an A12Z processor, the M2 is more than twice as fast. So if you don’t have an iPad with an M-series chip, the new Air will be a major step forward.

That camera is basically the same as the one in the last iPad Air, but now that it’s on the landscape edge it’s much better for video calling when you’re using it with a keyboard. I’d actually consider taking work calls with the iPad now, something that wasn’t the case before.

I’m also very happy that the base iPad Air comes with 128GB of storage rather than the stingy 64GB it was stuck on last time. It’s far easier now to recommend people pick up the cheapest configuration. And you can also get up to 1TB of storage in the Air for the first time, if you need it.

Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil Pro

The Air is stuck with the old Magic Keyboard, which is heavier and thicker than the new model and lacks the helpful row of function keys. The Magic Keyboard remains crazy expensive — $299 for the 11-inch and $349 for the 13-inch — but it’s still my favorite keyboard for an iPad. Well, it’s my favorite after the updated version for the iPad Pro. It’s comfortable, quiet and responsive, particularly considering how thin it is, and I have no problem banging out stories on it for hours at a time.

If you’re a fan of the Apple Pencil, though, the good news is that the iPad Air supports . I cover it in more detail in my iPad Pro review, but it does everything the older second-generation Apple Pencil can while adding new features like haptic feedback, Find My support, a squeeze gesture for bringing up menus and the ability to roll the Pencil in your hand to change the width of a brush thanks to built-in gyroscopes. It costs $129, which is the same as the second-generation Pencil. The only bad news is that the old Pencil isn’t compatible with the iPad Air because of a redesigned charging and pairing system that accommodates the landscape front camera.

What hasn’t changed

That’s essentially everything new about the iPad Air this year. The display remains the same standard Apple LCD, which looks very good for everything I use an iPad for. It’s definitely not in the same league as the new tandem OLED screen in the iPad Pro, or even the mini-LED display that came before it. I definitely noticed the comparatively worse brightness and contrast in the Air’s screen when comparing it side-by-side with the Pro. But, the good news is that I don’t spend all of my life comparing screens, and the iPad Air’s is still a strong selling point for the tablet. It’s laminated to the front glass, unlike the screen on the basic iPad, and it’s more than bright enough for indoor use.

The only thing I wish it had was a higher frame rate. The iPad Pro’s “ProMotion” feature adjusts the frame rate from 10-120hz, while the Air maxes out at 60hz. Over time, I stop noticing that the UI feels comparatively jerky in animations and don’t think about it too much. But whenever I switch back to the iPad Pro, I quickly appreciate how much smoother and more fluid everything feels.

The back camera is identical to the one on the prior iPad Air, which is fine. It’ll take a decent snapshot in good lighting and you can shoot video in 4K at a variety of frame rates. But you can’t record in the ProRes format — Apple limits that to the iPad Pro. But that likely will not be an issue for anyone considering an iPad Air. Similarly, the iPad Air’s USB-C port doesn’t support faster Thunderbolt 4 speed, but in my testing it was fine for pulling in RAW photos from my camera. If your workflow is such that you’ll use that port a lot and benefit from faster speeds, I will shockingly recommend you check out the Pro.

I haven’t even had the iPad Air for a week, so I’ve yet to run our time-intensive battery test. But from the daily use I’ve put in, it typically meets Apple’s 10-hour rating for light tasks like internet browsing or watching videos. Doing more processor-intensive tasks will surely wear it out faster, and I’ve noticed battery life tends to dip a bit when I’m using the Magic Keyboard. But, as with most iPads, you won’t need to reach for the charger too often.

Wrap-up

Jumping back and forth between and Pro has emphasized how great of a value the Air is. I can’t deny there are a number of niceties that all add up to make the iPad Pro experience better. Face ID is clearly superior to Touch ID, for example — I quickly got tired of reaching for the power button to unlock the Air. The iPad Pro’s screen is the definition of luxury, and the improved keyboard case provides a slightly better experience. It’s also lighter and easier to hold, with better speakers, too. And, of course, it has that new M4 chip.

These things are all important and useful, but after getting used to the Air again, I don’t miss them too much. The M2 is plenty powerful for my needs, the Apple Pencil Pro experience is identical, the old Magic Keyboard is still great to type on, the screen is bright and colorful and — perhaps most importantly — it’s $500 cheaper than a comparable iPad Pro.

For some, that extra cash might be well worth it. There are some things the Pro can do that the Air cannot, like shooting ProRes video or go into Apple’s Reference Mode for improved color accuracy and consistency against a bunch of color standards. And the M4 will save time on processor-intensive jobs like rendering video. And some people will simply want to get the best iPad they can, money be damned.

But for the rest of us, the iPad Air is still here, offering 80-ish percent of the iPad Pro experience for a lot less money. And for the first time, there is a large-screen iPad at a much more approachable price. My heart may want an iPad Pro, but my head (and wallet) agree that the iPad Air is a far more reasonable option.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ipad-air-2024-review-of-course-this-is-the-ipad-to-get-210019225.html?src=rss

Engadget

NEWS OF THE WEEK: Rebel Wilson hasn't spoken to Isla Fisher since bombshell claims

The actress admitted she and her former friend have had no contact since her memoir's release. Wilson's book, Rebel Rising, spends one chapter detailing accusations that Fisher's estranged husband Baron Cohen had behaved inappropriately towards her on the set of their 2016 comedy movie, Grimsby. Baron Cohen strongly denied Wilson's claims and after his legal team issued an injunction on the publication, the book was eventually published in the U.K., New Zealand and Australia with much of the relevant chapter, titled Sacha Baron Cohen and Other A**holes, blacked out.

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Doctor Who Space Babies review: Bet you didn’t expect that

The following includes spoilers for “Space Babies.”

You can’t help but admire Russell T. Davies’ audacity. He plucks the rights to make Doctor Who from the BBC. He gets Disney+ to write an enormous check to bring the show to life in a way never before attempted. Then, with so much money at stake and a months-long promotional campaign, he opens season one and the door to new fans with this.

We kick off at the end of “The Church on Ruby Road,” with the Doctor's latest companion, Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson), entering the TARDIS for the first time. The Doctor introduces himself and offers a quick run-through of the premise for the folks at home. They’re an alien, adopted by the Time Lords of Gallifrey who were then wiped out. That leaves the Doctor (once again) as the last of their kind; a quasi-immortal time traveler who can go anywhere in the universe.

To set the scene, the pair hop back to prehistoric Wyoming to gaze at a detailed vista of some CGI dinosaurs. This is the show boasting about what it can do even for a throwaway scene with its new bigger budget. And it helps banish the memories of some of the from way back when.

Ruby is already savvy to the conventions of the time-travel genre and asks about the risks to causality if . The Doctor dismisses this idea out of hand before Ruby does and causes unutterable damage to the timeline. The butterfly is quickly revived and the Doctor nips back into the TARDIS to activate the Butterfly Compensator. Which is as close as this show gets to saying that it has never been a hard sci-fi show and it never will be.

For their next trip, they travel into the far future, landing on a space station that grows babies for colony projects. The bowels of the vessel are being stalked by an eyeless, teeth-heavy monster while the upper deck is crewed by talking babies. Mere seconds after proving the show can do decent-looking dinosaurs, it overreaches and adds an appallingly creepy CGI mouth to a baby. I’ve seen this done in movies, and commercials, and it never works, and please God stop trying.

The Doctor and Ruby encounter the crew, a bunch of babies with the minds of preschoolers and the mouths of adults, or something. They’ve been left to run the station, with pulleys and cables letting them control specific onboard functions, and smart strollers to carry them around. The only other presence on the ship is an AI, NAN-E, which acts as a comforting voice for the kids.

Ruby’s genre-savviness kicks in again here, and she notices there’s almost a storybook quality to the situation. A bunch of kids being menaced by an unwelcome, bogeyman-esque presence below, and the need for a hero to step in and rescue them. The pair give the babies some much-needed cuddles and are then invited to another part of the station by NAN-E.

On the way, the pair discuss origin stories and how Ruby, following on from the events of “The Church on Ruby Road,” wants to use the TARDIS to find out who her parents are. While they talk, snow — the same snow that fell when Ruby was left on the steps of the eponymous church — starts to fall inside the corridor. Ruby’s memories and history are somehow seeping through into the present, or she’s able to do something to alter the universe.

But they can’t focus on that too much, since they’re interrupted by NAN-E, who turns out not to be an AI, but a person. Jocelyn Sancerre (Golda Rosheuvel) is the last adult crew member, who stayed on the station to care for the children when everyone else was ordered to leave. The government of the planet below pulled funding for the stations and ordered the adults to leave, abandoning the children in place. But, because the planet is also anti-abortion, they wouldn’t terminate the as-yet unborn babies, preferring them to slowly die from external factors. Geez, do you think they might be talking about us?

Much as this will be framed as a post-Roe story by US audiences, it’s worth saying the UK’s Conservative Party has taken a similar approach. In 2010, the Labour government had worked to greatly reduce child poverty and homelessness with a number of targeted programs. These were quickly unwound by the incoming Conservatives, not only undoing all of those gains but making the issue a lot worse. So much so that .

The streak of saying the quiet part out loud continues when, while hatching a plan to save the babies, they opt to take them to another planet in the system. It’s a world that takes in refugees, but you have to turn up on the planet’s doorstep to get any help, because it won’t lift a finger to help rescue people in need from further afield. Again, this is a not-so oblique reference to the UK’s monstrous policy of attempting to block refugees from reaching the country via sea. It is a point of enormous pride for the Prime Minister that he has boasted about his work to prevent boat crossings.

This is made all the more painful as, for a brief moment, the country was reconsidering its approach following the , a two-year-old boy who drowned while attempting passage to Europe from Syria. The image of his body became a harrowing and defining image of the day, but the press quickly worked to stifle any pro-migrant sentiment, enabling the country to engage in an enormous boondoggle by spending millions of pounds building a detention center in Rwanda to forcibly-relocate people seeking asylum in the UK as a “deterrent.”

The grown ups can’t mull their problems for long as Eric, one of the babies (sorry, space babies) heads down to the lower level to tackle this bogeyman. There’s a telling moment where Ruby sprints out to rescue the child far ahead of the Doctor, continuing a thread from the Christmas special: Ruby Sunday is willing to throw herself head-first into the action rather than waiting for help, steel pipe in hand. Doctor Who has always thrived when the companions — a name we’ve been saddled with since 1963 — are active figures in the narrative. Every one of the show’s sidekicks, bar one, has their ardent fans, but commanding figures like Sarah Jane and Ace are always the most beloved.

Once the baby is rescued by the other babies wielding a gas pipe as a flamethrower, they’re sent back upstairs while the Doctor and Ruby take on the bogeyman. Ruby’s assumptions are proved further right when it turns out the alien is actually a bogey-man, as in made of snot. The station’s malfunctioning systems sought to build an appropriate environment for the kids, and used children’s literature as its template.

Jocelyn works out that she can force the bogeyman toward an airlock while keeping the Doctor and Ruby safe. She then exposes the monster to the void of space, but the Doctor can’t be so cruel to another lonely, misunderstood figure. He makes his way into the airlock room and closes the door to seal them both in to save the bogeyman’s life.

The episode ends with the Doctor realizing that the station can eject its six full years worth of soiled diapers to propel it towards the refugee planet. It’s entirely fair game to resolve a crisis precipitated by rogue bodily fluids with a poop joke.

Crisis averted, he and Ruby walk back to the TARDIS where he gives her a key and welcomes her to the team, before adding that, as much as she may want to, he can’t take her back to the moment she was abandoned. He covertly begins scanning Ruby to work out what exactly is her deal, and why she’s capable of bending the universe. (And yes, there are shades of the in how this is playing out.)

The TARDIS lands back at Ruby’s home, smashing up the kitchen and the Christmas dinner therein.

I imagine it won’t be long after the episode airs that the usual corners of the internet will scream culture war. Davies was always a political writer and feels a duty to be unapologetic about his viewpoint on current-day matters. His original tenure on the show was rooted at the tail-end of the Blair and Brown years, fueled by righteous fury around the invasion of Iraq. This is, again, all the more surprising given it’s being broadcast on Disney+, the model of conservative restraint.

During his first tenure, Davies would begin the production of every episode with a tone meeting which outlined how each episode would maintain a consistent feeling in the writing, acting and direction. By comparison, “Space Babies” lurches wildly: Poop and fart jokes in one scene, unsettling horror in the next, weighty examinations of human morality between. The scenes of Jocelyn’s adult dialog being run through the “nanny filter” is a good source of comedy, it’s just odd that they’re juxtaposed with high drama.

But that’s more or less what makes Doctor Who one of the best shows on TV — its ability to do anything it damn well pleases. If the weirdness of what you’ve just seen appeals then you’ve just become a Doctor Who fan. If it didn’t, then you might find the next episode will serve up what you were looking for.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/doctor-who-space-babies-review-bet-you-didnt-expect-that-000030277.html?src=rss

Engadget

Samsung HW-Q990D soundbar review: A small but significant update

was the best overall soundbar I tested last year, mostly due to its stellar audio and the fact that a subwoofer and rear speakers came with it. The company didn’t change much for the 2024 version, , but one tweak delivers a feature last year’s model should’ve had: HDMI 2.1. There are some new audio modes too, but you can find those on other Samsung soundbars. The Q990D is as powerful as ever, but it’s still pricey at . If you already bought a Q990C, the company hasn’t given you a reason to upgrade just yet.

What’s new on the Samsung Q990D?

The biggest addition on the Q990D is HDMI 2.1. With this, Samsung addressed my main criticism of the Q990C, which debuted last year at a time when much of the competition had already adopted the standard. HDMI 2.1 delivers 4K passthrough at 120 frames per second, which will improve the visuals if you connect your PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X directly to the soundbar.

The Q990D also arrives with new audio modes. Private Listening turns off all of the front-firing drivers and uses only the rear satellite speakers. It’s basically an expanded version of the night mode a lot of companies offer on soundbars, aimed at reducing boomy bass when family or roommates might be asleep. My house has an open floor plan and my TV faces towards the hallway to the bedrooms, which means any soundbar will beam noise in that direction. Private Listening sends the audio the opposite way, and while you have to sacrifice some overall quality, it’s good enough for all the times you need to be quieter.

There’s also a new Party Play mode that provides more balanced sound between the soundbar and rear speakers for a better experience when you’re hosting a rager. When this is active, you get the full audio range rather than just the channels specifically programmed for the speakers behind you. I actually turned the speakers around and faced them out of the living room to project the re-tuned audio into other communal spaces. This makes a bigger difference for movies and TV because music already plays from the rear speakers with more balanced levels.

These two modes aren’t unique to the Q990D; the rest of the 2024 Q-series lineup will be able to use them too. This is the first time I’ve tested them though, and it’s notable that they actually work well on Samsung’s most expensive soundbar.

What’s good

The combination of a driver-packed soundbar, large subwoofer and more-robust rear speakers produces immersive sound that envelops my living room. Whether you’re listening to music or the soundscape of Dune, the Q990D retains the sonic prowess of its predecessor. Dolby Atmos content from Disney+ is as immersive as ever. I could hear the finer details of Knowhere in the opening scenes of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, including the life-like reverb of Radiohead’s “Creep” playing over a loudspeaker. The directional sounds of the town, including the hustle and bustle of people moving around, make it seem like you’re standing right there.

For music, there’s deep, boomy bass when a track calls for it, and that crisp detail that I heard in movies is here too. Justice’s Hyperdrama shows off the Q990D’s range, with driving low-end tone on songs like “Neverender” accompanied by textured synths. Quieter genres like jazz are a blanket of sound too, with albums like Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue offering subtleties that make you feel like you’re in the studio.

The thing I like most about the Q990D is that everything you need for a complete surround sound setup is included in the box. The subwoofer and rear speakers come with the soundbar and don’t require an additional purchase. Those satellite speakers also house up-firing and side-firing drivers, which isn’t always the case on comparable accessories from the competition. And the setup is as easy as plugging everything in because pairing with the rest of the system happens automatically.

What’s bad

An all-in-one setup is great, but that also means the Q990D is expensive. At $2,000, this is a considerable investment even if you’re getting everything you need in the package. The Q990D is currently on sale for $1,750, but we don’t know how long that discount will last. For comparison, Sony’s upcoming is $1,400. The cheapest subwoofer and rear speakers you can get for it are $400 and $350 respectively, which puts your total cost at $2,150. Of course, with Sony you have two options for subs and rears, and you don’t have to buy all of them. LG offers some respite if you want to go that route, with its coming in at $1,500 and including the subwoofer and rear speakers with up-firing drivers.

The overall size of the soundbar is something else you’ll need to consider. The Q990D houses 11 front-facing speakers, two up-firing drivers and a subwoofer. All of those components need space, and accommodating them means this soundbar ends up being quite large at 48.5 inches wide. While that’s not a deal-breaker per se, it does require some planning, so just know you’ll need ample room.

Like soundbars from other companies, the Q990D has some handy features that are reserved for Samsung TVs. For example, Q-Symphony, which uses your TV speakers in addition to the soundbar to expand the audio capabilities, requires a compatible 2020-2024 Samsung TV. The Q990D sounds great without this, but just know you’re not getting the full bag of tricks unless you also have a supported TV.

Wrap-up

Unless you care for the latest HDMI standards, the doesn’t offer a huge upgrade over last year’s model. Their design and features lists are nearly identical, except for two new sound modes and 4K/120 passthrough. And some of those additions are available on more-affordable Samsung soundbars. So if you already sprang for last year’s Q990C, there’s probably not enough reason to make another sizable investment. If you don’t already own a Samsung flagship soundbar, the Q990D offers boomy, immersive sound in an all-in-one package that now has all the modern conveniences it should.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsung-hw-q990d-soundbar-review-a-small-but-significant-update-180022782.html?src=rss

Engadget

Jerry Seinfeld tried to get Chris Rock to reference his Oscar slap for the Pop-Tarts movie

Jerry Seinfeld’s directorial debut is already filled with many of Seinfeld’s various famous friends—all of whom apparently shrugged and said “Eh, it’s Seinfeld, how bad could it be?” when he tapped them to appear in a fictionalized story about the creation of the Pop-Tart. But one notable Seinfeld ally is…

The A.V. Club

Shallow Grave review – Danny Boyle’s Edinburgh noir debut is a triple-crossing treat

Obnoxious flatmates Ewan McGregor, Christopher Eccleston and Kerry Fox get way more than they bargained for with the arrival of enigmatic Keith Allen and a suitcase full of cash

Rereleased for its 30th anniversary, the macabre black-comic crime caper is from screenwriter John Hodge with Danny Boyle making his feature-directing debut, giving us a hint of the turbocharged showmanship that always marked his style and which he was to crank up another notch a few years later with the zeitgeisty 90s hit Trainspotting. Shallow Grave is a bizarre Edinburgh noir, centring on cover-ups, disloyalty and incompetent corpse-management in the approximate spirit of Ealing, with touches of Hitchco*ck’s The Trouble With Harry and Orton’s Entertaining Mr Sloane. It’s also a kind of 90s young person flatshare entertainment, but closer to the BBC’s This Life than Friends.

We get an embarrassment of riches in the cast, with Peter Mullan, Ken Stott and Gary Lewis in small roles. But it’s the three stars who jump out of the screen at you: sexy hospital doctor Juliet, played by Kerry Fox, morose bespectacled accountant David, (Christopher Eccleston), and louche and grinning journalist Alex, played by Ewan McGregor. This grisly trio of entirely obnoxious individuals (who incidentally break the relatability rule that would nowadays be imposed on a movie like this) have a huge flat in Edinburgh and need a fourth person to share the bills. After auditioning a few people and variously pranking and humiliating them – behaviour which alone justifies everything they get, including the beating Alex receives in a hotel lavatory – they agree to a certain coolly mysterious applicant, played by Keith Allen, who claims to be writing a novel about the death of a priest. It is this enigmatic new flatmate who is to bring murder and chaos, double-cross and triple-cross, into these hapless people’s lives.

The Guardian Film

‘It was terrifying but screw it’: the director who had to disown her film to get an Oscar nomination

Tiger Stripes, about a girl who turns into a jungle cat when her periods start, was chosen by Malaysia as its Oscar entry. But they wanted cuts. Amanda Nell Eu relives a ‘painful and comedic’ experience

The director Amanda Nell Eu has always been a bit of a rebel, she says over video chat from her home in Kuala Lumpur. “When I was teenager, I was sometimes labelled a monster by my parents and teachers. I probably wasn’t the most obedient child.” Now Eu has turned the horrors of puberty into an actual horror movie. Tiger Stripes is her feature debut, a funny and political film with a whopping air punch of girl power. Set in a conservative Muslim school, it mixes body horror with Mean Girls energy and a sprinkle of Malaysian folklore.

Eu cast her trio of leading girls during lockdown, putting adverts on Instagram and searching through TikTok profiles: “Schools were shut, everything was shut.” Zafreen Zairizal plays 12-year-old Zaffan, a rebel who is constantly yanking off her headscarf and daringly wears a bra to school. Zaffan’s body is changing: hairs sprout and spots erupt. Then, when she becomes the first girl in class to get her period, she’s ostracised by her two best friends. “You’re dirty now,” adds her mother.

The Guardian Film

20 Essential Summer Buys, According To R29 Readers

It’s the beginning of May, which means several things are currently sitting at the top of our to-do lists: it’s time to send our friends that , set our alarms for the return of a , and take a trip down memory lane to unearth the our readers loved in the past month.

If the top-performing items from our April stories were any indication, our readers are very much ready to bid spring adieu and usher in hot girl summer, even with still a few weeks away. Among the bestsellers are breezy dresses, glowy makeup, and several thrown in for good measure. This can only mean one thing: you are making some epic plans this summer, and these buys are getting you in the mood.

Click ahead for the 20 products our Most Wanted readers loved in April, based on anonymous shopping data. Feel free to put on “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter — poised to become the summer bop of 2024 — while you’re at it.

At Refinery29, we’re here to help you navigate this overwhelming world of stuff. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy something we link to on our site, Refinery29 may earn commission.

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A Week In Des Moines, IA On A $71,000 Salary

Editor’s Note: This is a follow-up diary. You can read the original entry .

Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent(s)/guardian(s) educate you about finances?
I don’t remember specifically. I know my parents encouraged me to have a savings account and to save as much as possible.

What was your first job and why did you get it?
I got a job at a daycare when I was 14 and able to drive. (Yes, you can drive at 14 in the state where I grew up.) I wanted spending money. I worked there for about six months before getting fired for not having any availability. This remains the only time I’ve ever been fired.

Did you worry about money growing up?
I remember my parents telling me that we had to cut back in 2008. Other than that, no. We didn’t live extravagantly, but I never had to go without anything, and it never felt like we were struggling.

Do you worry about money now?
Worry? No. But I think about it constantly. I’m in my YNAB budget daily and check my Personal Capital net worth monthly. I’ve saved enough that I will be okay if an emergency happens, which really takes away a lot of stress.

At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net?
When I graduated college at 21 and got a real job, I took over the majority of my own expenses. However, my parents allowed me to stay on their health insurance until I was 26, and I’m still on their phone plan and Netflix. I try to operate under the assumption that I’m on my own, but the reality is that my parents would take me in if I were in a truly dire situation.

Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income? If yes, please explain.
My parents gave me $5,000 for Christmas in 2019, which allowed me to buy my house about six months earlier than I was planning to. This is the only large lump sum I’ve received since college. I don’t know if this counts, but I also took advantage of some neighborhood-based and income-based home buying programs that my city offers, which also helped me purchase my home. The total was about $12,500 in forgivable loans and $15,000 in 0% interest loans. The remaining amounts on those are reflected in my mortgage total above.

Day One

6 a.m. — Someone in my neighborhood is yelling, maybe for their cat. I check my phone. Not time to get up yet.

6:45 a.m. — My alarm hasn’t gone off yet, but I’m awake, so I get up and get dressed in the clothes I so nicely set out for myself last night. I brush my teeth, put on my sunscreen, and drink my daily protein shake. I have a few extra minutes, so I spend them plunking out a song on the piano. I used to play about 15 years ago, and have recently started taking it back up. I am very bad.

7:30 a.m. — Time to leave for work. It’s about a 15 minute drive.

8:30 a.m. — My boss messaged me a few times over the weekend, so I reply to him and get started on the various campaigns I need to get drafted this week.

10:30 a.m. — Time for a second cup of coffee. One of my favorite coworkers missed my news last week: I was getting super excited about a guy I was seeing (like, movie-level connection, I swear) when he suddenly needed to “work on his finances” (eye roll). We commiserate about that for a couple of minutes. Onward and upward. I’ve only recently gotten back into the dating world. About five years ago, I wrote a Money Diary in which my partner H. exhibited some major red flags, and the comments really let him have it. Regardless, we stayed together for five years, until we broke up six months ago. I was looking for more commitment than he was able to provide, so we decided to go our separate ways.

12 p.m. — I peel my lunch banana and start eating it, then I get a call from a recruiter I’m working with. She had a role that would be perfect for me, and she just submitted my info to the company. Maybe they want to schedule an interview! I beeline it to a private place and answer, and she tells me the company is pausing their search to “regroup internally.” Ah yes, the job search equivalent of “working on their finances.” “It’s not you, it’s me.” Right. I dejectedly finish my banana and get some trail mix from the work vending machine. I’m going out for dinner, so a light lunch it is. $0.25

2:30 p.m. — I bum a quarter from a coworker and get a La Croix from the vending machine. Pamplemousse! I blast some focus music to try to get something accomplished this afternoon. If I can hear my coworkers’ conversations, I feel the need to join in, and, wowza, I talk a lot. This has been a major issue since my company called us back into the office.

4:30 p.m. — Quittin’ time. I drive to the restaurant. I am meeting with a friend I haven’t seen in a while, and we have GOSSIP to share! We have a great evening, a couple of glasses of wine on happy hour, and a delicious pizza — goat cheese, honey, arugula. Perfection. Then a salted caramel mousse thing for dessert. She picks up the tab for dinner, I pay for dessert. She’s way too nice to me. $11.63

8 p.m. — I get home, crash on the couch, and chat with a new Hinge match. He likes swing dancing and musical theatre. Very promising. We set up a date for Saturday afternoon. I auditioned for a community theatre play yesterday, and today I get notified that I have a callback, tomorrow at 7 p.m. Nice! In my last Money Diary, I was working in theatre. I am much happier now that it’s my hobby instead of my job, and that’s not just because of the extreme difference in pay. When you’re working in the industry it is much harder to participate in it outside of work.

10 p.m. — Time for bed. I brush my teeth, wash my face, and go to sleep.

Daily Total: $11.88

Day Two

6:30 a.m. — I get up, pet my cats, and take a shower. Take my meds, drink my protein shake, plunk on my piano, out the door at 7:30 a.m. I even put on some makeup to look nice for callbacks tonight.

8 a.m. — One of our vendors is doing a training today, which eats up a big chunk of my morning. We are holding our own training as well, so I get the room set up, put out snacks and water, and make sure the presenter doesn’t need anything.

11:30 a.m. — I head over to the Hy-Vee. I buy a pack of gum to break my $20 ($1.66) and then get some things to keep in the work freezer for lunch ($11.68). Instead of making one of the things I just bought for lunch, I buy Jimmy Johns ($9.62, but on a gift card) and take a short walk around the park. I give 26 cents to the person who gave me a quarter yesterday. Gotta make his investment worthwhile. He laughs. $13.60

1 p.m. — Our training is a bit of a disaster. I start formulating a plan to make future ones better.

4:30 p.m. — Before my callback, I’m meeting my trivia team at a bar for charity trivia. I get a cider ($7) and make a donation ($31.50). $38.50

6:15 p.m. — I leave for my callback. It goes pretty well! They called back three women for one role, so I’d say I have a 33% chance of getting it. When I get home, I am exhausted. But hungry. I make some taco meat and use it for nachos — salsa, bell peppers, cheese, and sour cream. Then it’s time for bed.

Daily Total: $52.10

Day Three

7 a.m. — Get up. Morning routine. This morning my piano song is one I know pretty well, to make myself feel better about my skills.

8 a.m. — Get to work, check emails, drink coffee. I have a meeting with my CEO this morning, and it goes really well. I thought I had a hard ask, but he agreed to it right away. I do not understand this product I’m trying to promote. Usually I can learn things pretty quickly, but this one is stumping me. I ask Google about it, I ask our experts about it, I ask ChatGPT about it, and I’m still struggling hard.

12 p.m. — The director of the play calls me. I got the part! My coworkers overhear me on the phone and clap for me when the call is over. They’re so sweet.

1 p.m. — Haircut appointment. This place is objectively too expensive, but I tried multiple salons to find someone who a) would even attempt to do a pixie cut and b) did it well, and this is where I landed. My hair does look great. They also do a complimentary touch-up between appointments, so I can stretch them out to every three months. $110.95

2 p.m. — Therapy! We recently switched from every week to every other week (thanks, Wellbutrin) and I have a lot to say. I make myself laugh out loud by comparing my recent fling with the song Red (faster than the wind, passionate as sin, ended so suddenly). That’s too melodramatic even for me. Also, I need to find an artist other than Taylor Swift to use as my entire personality. This $20 comes out of my FSA.

3 p.m. — I have a date at a coffee shop after work, so instead of going back to the office, I head to the coffee shop to finish up my day. I get a cobb salad with all the extra vegetables and a turtle mocha. Salad is mid, coffee is great. $14.59

5 p.m. — This guy is insufferable. He buys me a tea, then talks at me about how reading YA novels doesn’t count as reading (I didn’t bring it up), complains about online dating, and then says, “But it’s not all bad. At least you get to talk to me,” with no indication that he’s being facetious. I turn down his request for another date.

7:30 p.m. — Usually Wednesday night would be trivia (yes, still on the same team as my ex), but tonight, it’s time for a video call with my friends. We’ve all got stressful things going on, and we’re all over the world, so I appreciate the time to reconnect. We talk for over two hours. After that, I say something cringy to my Hinge match from the other night and go to sleep.

Daily Total: $125.54

Day Four

7 a.m. — The usual morning lineup. I stop for gas on my way to work. It’s back under $3 per gallon. $32.76

8 a.m. — This week at work I’ve been putting off the major project that I have to do in favor of smaller, easier ones. It’s crunch time now. I put in my headphones and start blasting my Taylor Swift.

10:45 a.m. — Time for a snack. I get another vending machine trail mix packet. The vending machines here are so cheap that it’s a real crutch for me and my poor planning. $0.25

12:30 p.m. — I heat up one of the lunches I bought on Tuesday: a frozen wild rice, broccoli, and carrots packet. I add shrimp, which I buy frozen. It’s pretty tasty. My coworker finds an abandoned co*ke in the vending machine and gives it to me.

2:45 — To avoid falling asleep at my desk, I get up and take a lap around the building. It’s unseasonably warm outside. I stop at the vending machine for a La Croix: lime this time. $0.25

4:30 p.m. — My friend calls as I’m leaving work. She’s having some issues with one of her coworkers and wants my advice. When I get home, I take a quick nap, then heat up some taco meat for nachos again, shower well enough that I don’t smell, and then head back out the door. I have a ballroom dance class tonight. It’s the last week of an eight-week series. We learned the basics of waltz, tango, and foxtrot. It’s been a lot of fun! I will definitely sign up for another class when I’m done with the play.

8:30 p.m. — I have a FWB from another state that I see when he’s in town for work. I met him on Tinder shortly after my breakup. At first I really needed a hot stranger to tell me I’m pretty. Now that I’m doing better mentally, it’s just fun to chat with someone whose life is so different from mine, and with whom I would never actually be able to have a relationship. I wasn’t going to see him this week, but he tells me that this is his last trip here. I’m sentimental and dramatic, as we know, and the idea of a fond goodbye is enough to get me out of the house. I pack a bag in case I stay with him. We meet for a drink at the bar next to his hotel. I have two gin and tonics, he has a few whiskey co*kes. He pays. We talk about life.

10:30 p.m. — We walk over to his hotel, and when we get in the elevator he grabs me and kisses me, hard. I melt a little. The rest of the night is wonderful, although I don’t get much sleep.

Daily Total: $33.26

Day Five

6:30 a.m. — My alarm goes off, and I swear at it. FWB gives me a little snuggle and then I get up to shower. We grab breakfast at the hotel. I have some yogurt with berries and a hard boiled egg, which is cooked perfectly. I have to head to work, and he has an Uber coming to bring him to the airport, so we give each other a big hug and say goodbye. What a weird feeling.

7:15 a.m. — I get to work early to shoot a video. The person in front of the camera does a great job. My weekly check in with my boss goes well. Not much to report, and with him, no news is good news. I am already on my second cup of coffee.

10:30 a.m. — I eat an oatmeal cream pie from the vending machine. I wish I had gotten my morning protein shake. By 11:30 a.m.,I need a third coffee. There are mini bags of chips set out in the work kitchen. I take the Crunchy Cheetos. At 12:45 p.m., I take my lunch break and eat another rice/veggies/shrimp meal. $0.40

2:45 p.m. — With under two hours left of the week, my coworkers and I are pretty much fried. We start talking about Mel Brooks movies, expired stuff we still had in our cupboards (?), and the desert full of tires in Kuwait (??).

3:45 p.m. — I came in early, so I get to leave early. I get home and take a nap. My cats both snuggle on top of me.

5:30 p.m. — I heat up the rest of my taco meat. Someone at work mentioned Office Space, which I have never seen, so I put it on. It’s… Okay. While the movie plays I decide to do some picking up. I’m about three years overdue on cleaning my oven, so I get out my oven cleaner. Of course it’s nearly empty. I consider ordering some on Amazon, but for whatever reason, I really want to get this done right now. I go to the hardware store down the street and buy some. There’s a very cute dog there. $6.34

7 p.m. — The oven is sprayed, the dishwasher is running, and all the trash is in the outdoor trash can. HBO recommends Wedding Crashers, which I’ve also never seen, so I put it on. It’s not very good.I try out the “espresso martini wine co*cktail” I got at Aldi last week. It’s decent for $10. I put some coffee creamer in it, which helps. I have a couple glasses of it and wipe down the oven when it’s time. Holy cow, the oven was disgusting.

9 p.m. — Somewhat buzzed, I decide it’s time to learn a new song on the piano. In my alcohol-induced confidence I buy the sheet music for Olivia Rodrigo’s Vampire. I can totally sing that… Yeah. $6.36

Daily Total: $13.10

Day Six

8:30 a.m. — I get out of bed, pick out a decent outfit, and do some eye makeup. I grind and brew some coffee and have a protein shake. I pull up the Vampire sheet music to see if I can actually play it as well as I thought I could last night. To my surprise, I can!

9 a.m. — I leave the house to go to Dungeons and Dragons. I’ve been playing in my coworker’s campaign for a few months now. On my way, I get a slice of sausage breakfast pizza from Casey’s, which is my pre-DnD tradition. Oh man, it’s so good. $3.41

11 a.m. — DnD gets done early today. We all leveled up significantly, as next session is the grand finale. It was a really nice session, with some fun role play and a wedding between two NPCs. I’ll be sad when it’s over. Since I have some time before my date, I decide to try bra shopping. I can’t get down with the idea of buying one online. I go to Soma, which is the only place in town I haven’t tried. The workers are very nice but I get stressed out and have to leave. This is why all my bras are several years old.

12:25 p.m. — The stress made me sweaty, and I have to head to my date. I go to the Sephora next door, spray some dry shampoo in my hair, find some perfume that mostly smells like lemons, and hope the guy doesn’t get close enough to smell me.

12:50 p.m. — I get to the coffee shop a little early and stand in line. When the guy walks in, I recognize him right away from his photos. Phew. We split a Chemex. I am not usually one for black coffee, but this is darn good. He pays. We have a lot in common and never run out of things to talk about. He’s also good looking. We talk at the coffee shop until it closes at 3 p.m., then we decide to walk around outside, and end up hanging out until 5 p.m. At the end of the date, he asks for my number, walks me to my car, and gives me a small kiss after asking permission. He says that he had a great time and wants to see me again. I agree enthusiastically.

5:15 p.m. — I’m feeling pretty good when I get home, so I text him to reiterate that I had fun and would like to hang out again. He seems to have had a change of heart on his drive home, because he says something about not being sure there was a “romantic spark.” Maybe he noticed that I smell. I resist the urge to get back on Hinge immediately. I eat some carrots, bell peppers, and cottage cheese while I text my friends, “Had a good first date, but he’s not attracted to me.” They provide the proper amount of consolation.

6:30 p.m. — I make some rotini with butter, garlic, and parmesan — my comfort meal. I run a bath and eat my pasta while I watch Tick, Tick… Boom for maybe the fifth time. I just love Andrew Garfield, okay?

9 p.m. — A new season of Love Is Blind is out and nobody told me? I start to watch the first episode. I drift off before the episode is over.

Daily Total: $3.41

Day Seven

7 a.m. — Nope. Not getting up yet.

8:30 a.m. — I get out of bed and gather all my dirty clothes into my hamper. I take them downstairs and start the first load of laundry. The remainder of the morning is a combination of laundry, vacuuming, piano, watering plants, and singing and dancing to my cleaning music.

12:00 p.m. — I make myself some eggs over easy and toast with everything bagel seasoning. Delicious. When I put my plate in the dishwasher, I notice that the bread I used has mould on some slices. After a momentary panic, I decide there’s nothing I can do about having eaten mould. I return to my cleaning.

2:15 p.m. — I put on more Love Is Blind. This season is a nightmare. I can’t look away.

3:30 p.m. — It’s gorgeous outside. I pause the show to take a walk around my neighborhood. When I get back, I have a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch with oat milk. A couple of cats are having a hardcore fight outside. My neighbor starts throwing rocks at one of them and I ask him to please stop. Then he gets out a ladder and starts climbing up my tree, looking for one that got chased up there. I watch with horror.

5:30 p.m. — I cook some salmon, broccoli, and couscous for dinner. It’s pretty delicious! There is enough left over for three more meals. I also prep some overnight oats for breakfast tomorrow. I pat myself on the back for actually cooking and planning lunch.

5:45 p.m. — The aerator on my sink breaks while I am washing dishes, and it sprays water everywhere. I order a pack of six replacements on Amazon. I return to Love Is Blind. My friends and I share some Instagram memes back and forth. This is my perfect Sunday evening after a busy week. $6.94

9 p.m. — I am still hungry. I put some chicken nuggets in the toaster oven.

10:00 p.m. — Time for bed. I dumped my clean laundry on the bed earlier and didn’t fold it. Rather than fold it now, I move it over to make room for myself. Goodnight!

Daily Total: $6.94

The Breakdown

Weekly Total $$ Spent: $266.23
Food & Drink: $51.38
Entertainment: $6.36
Home & Health: $13.28
Clothes & Beauty $110.95
Transportation $32.76
Other $31.50

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Your Horoscope This Week: May 5 To 11

Now that we’re well into , all zodiac signs are likely to be in the mood to deepen their connection to earth, to their values, and to their body. This is particularly the case because Venus, Jupiter, and Uranus are all in Taurus at the same time as the Sun and the Moon, making fixed earth energy a dominating force in the cosmos this week. All zodiac signs will feel an increased amount of passion coursing through them, but we’ll also be reacting in more stubborn and temperamental ways.

The highlight of this week is the occurring at 11:22 p.m. EST on Tuesday May 7. This lunation encourages us to tap into our physical senses in order to create a deeper sense of security and self-trust, which will then ripple over on a collective level and will encourage us to reflect on ways to make Earth feel like a safer place to live. Profound evolution can occur on personal and societal levels these next six months if we’re intentional about where we’re directing our time, resources, and energy and if we keep standing up against what’s inherently harmful. It’s up to us.

Read your horoscopes for your Sun and Rising signs for the most in-depth forecast.

Aries Sun & Rising:

Aries, this week’s Taurus new moon activates your sector of money and security, making it prime time for you to get your finances in order. These next six months provide you with the foundation necessary to start fresh if you’ve felt overwhelmed financially. The key is to break things down into step-by-step action items that you can do to create a greater sense of stability and structure in your personal and professional budget.

Since this is Pluto’s first full week retrograde in Aquarius, your social circle will also be on your mind this week. People from your past may hit you up and ask to reconcile your relationship or reconnect. Check in with yourself to see if you have capacity to hold space for people who may have once left you hanging. Yes, we’re all evolutionary beings, but with for the next five weeks, you’re feeling a bit more selfish with your energy, and that’s perfectly acceptable.

Taurus Sun & Rising:

Happy new moon, Taurus! On the 7th your annual new moon strikes, helping you get out of whatever funk you may have been experiencing during the first . You’ll have the feeling of seeing yourself from a completely refreshed perspective, allowing you to be kinder and more compassionate with yourself, your inner child, and people around you.

With in your career sector, you may be reflecting on moments when you were way too tough on yourself professionally speaking, which may have led to burnout or deeply rooted frustration. Use this retrograde to reimagine what your career path would look like if you chose to approach it from the spirit of play rather than pain. What would it feel like to choose the path of least resistance? Take time this week to set your new moon intentions, and use Mars’ presence in Aries in your spirituality sector to make sure your intentions are aligned with your intuitive awareness of what’s best for you.

Gemini Sun & Rising:

This Taurus new moon week activates your sector of spirituality and healing, Gemini. You’ll be in a more homebody mood during this lunation, but at the same time, Mars’ presence in Aries is activating your sector of friendship and could lead to people hitting you up left and right and seeking your attention. Since Venus, the Planet of Love and Connection, in your solitude sector, chances are that you’d benefit from saying no to too many requests. Your spirit needs time to rest and recharge.

Pluto, the Planet of Transformation, spends its first week retrograde in Aquarius. This activates your sector of travel and long journeys, which means a part of you may be taking a trip down memory lane this week and remembering some of your favorite experiences. What can you do to reignite that spark that you once felt back then? Instead of feeling like you’re missing out, start brainstorming ways to bring more adventurousness into your life through the events you go to, the books you read, and the movies you watch. You don’t have to book a flight, but you can travel in other ways.

Cancer Sun & Rising:

Cancer, as a moon-ruled being you’ll feel quite attuned to the energy of this week’s Taurus new moon which activates your sector of friendship and social networks. If you’ve had to share a special project digitally, this is the week to put yourself out there on social platforms, including ones you may not be utilizing as much, such as LinkedIn. You’d benefit from experimenting with various forms of self-expression, especially with Mars, the Planet of Action, and causing you to step out of your comfort zone, whether you feel completely ready to or not.

Pluto spends its first week retrograde in Aquarius in your sector of depth and merging. Past collaborators may resurface in your life, itching for another chance to work with you. It’s advised to take your time to see what the pros and cons of your last project(s) were, and to also check in with your body when it comes to how you feel about working with that person or those people again. Your gut instincts are likely to tell you everything you need to know. Trust yourself, don’t second-guess yourself.

Leo Sun & Rising:

Leo, this week’s Taurus new moon strikes in your career sector, encouraging you to slow your roll, professionally speaking. Mars’ presence in Aries has supercharged you with different ideas and ambitions, but having the Sun, Moon, Venus, Jupiter, and Uranus all in Taurus is also encouraging you to make sure that you’re not rushing to the finish line. You may need to set new intentions regarding what success looks and feels like for you, beyond material gain.

Meanwhile, in Aquarius may lead to you reflecting on the successes and challenges of your past and current relationships. You’re being invited to be more adaptable and clear when it comes to the way you show up for your loved ones and the way you want them to show up for you. Mars’ presence in Aries can help you vocalize your needs with confidence, but make sure you hold space for your loved ones to do the same, without you getting defensive if they have constructive feedback. It’s all a learning and growing experience…

Virgo Sun & Rising:

Virgo, this week Mercury ends its post-shadow period of its , so you may feel like the brain fog you’ve been dealing with is finally starting to clear. Perfect timing, because the Taurus new moon on the 7th strikes in your sector of expansion and travel, encouraging you to plan a dream trip between now and the next six months. You deserve to take a break from the hustle and bustle of life and do more of what your heart’s been craving, so make sure you set intentions this week that prioritize your bliss.

With Pluto spending its first full week retrograde in Aquarius, your mind will be on your health and wellness routines. This would be an ideal week to be proactive about your health and wellbeing, whether that’s booking a checkup you’ve been avoiding or (re)connecting with a therapist to ensure that your mental needs are being met. There’s so much that you’ve been dealing with behind the scenes, and since Pluto is the planet of the underworld, a lot of your subconscious fears, insecurities, and blockages may reemerge during this five-month retrograde. Be patient with yourself and have compassion for whatever feelings come up at this time.

Libra Sun & Rising:

Libra, this week’s Taurus new moon brings out your Venusian qualities, especially since your planetary ruler at the same time as the new moon (as well as the Sun, Jupiter, and Uranus). This Taurus stellium activates your sector of depth, merging, and collaborations. If you play your cards right, you may end up doubling or tripling your income and increasing your revenue streams within the next six months, based on the intentions you choose to set and act on this week and beyond.

This also means that you may need to find some new partners with whom to create or make money, Libra. This is especially due to the fact that the south node is in your sign, swiftly removing anyone that you’ve outgrown from your orbit or timeline, even if you tend to be a people-pleaser. Accept that this new moon means you’re entering a fresh chapter of your life, and things are going to look and feel different from now on.

Scorpio Sun & Rising:

This week’s Taurus new moon takes place in your partnership sector, Scorpio, encouraging you to be crystal clear about what your most ideal relationship with yourself and others feels and flows like. Imagine that you have a blank canvas on which you can paint your dream life — who would be living that life with you, and what qualities and energy would they be contributing to your experience? You’re encouraged to let go of your need to figure out how and when it’s all going to happen, and rather tap into why you want it to happen. The Universe will take care of the rest.

in Aquarius may have you in a distant state of mind this week, as you’re being called to evaluate ways that you’ve previously sabotaged your own success due to your fear of failure (or even your fear of success). Instead of beating yourself up about moments of past paralysis or self-destruction, Pluto’s asking you to be brave and rise from your ashes. This doesn’t have to happen overnight. This is a five-month retrograde so you can take your time during your rebirth, but the key is to not stay stuck in old ways. Bloom beyond your apprehensions.

Sagittarius Sun & Rising:

This brings forth the Taurus new moon, Sag, and since your planetary ruler Jupiter is currently in Taurus until the 25th, you’re feeling a strong emphasis on taking care of your mental and physical health. This is the week to weed out distractions and unhealthy habits, especially if you’ve been meaning to do so since the start of the year but you kept putting it off. We’re two weeks away from your annual full moon, so spend the days after May 7 setting specific intentions regarding the new and evolved being you’d like to become.

With Pluto spending its first week retrograde in Aquarius, your desire to create and express yourself imaginatively deepens significantly this week. Get out your journal or paintbrush, let yourself sing in the shower, or indulge in a creative hobby that you used to adore when you were younger. The more you let your inner child explore life’s wonders in innovative ways, the more in tune you’ll feel with the world within and around you.

Capricorn Sun & Rising:

Capricorn, this week’s Taurus new moon encourages you to play more. You’ll be in the mood to indulge in leisure, especially since the Sun, Moon, Venus, Jupiter, and Uranus are all in this sector of your chart all at once. This week is ideal for brainstorming ways to minimize what’s on your to-do list in order to give yourself more time to breathe and expand your current circ*mstances.

Pluto’s first full week retrograde in Aquarius is activating your money sector, so if you find yourself stuck in scarcity-based mindsets when looking at your bank account, know that this isn’t a permanent feeling… It’s normal to have insecurities during , but the new moon energy can help you remember that there are several ways to measure wealth in your life. You can measure wealth by how much presence you have with your loved ones, by how many deep breaths you take, by how much sleep you get. Dare to reimagine what it means to be wealthy, and soon financial wealth will simultaneously flow into your life.

Aquarius Sun & Rising:

Aquarius, with in your sign, you’ll be in a mellow and low-key mood. The Taurus new moon on the 7th intensifies your desire to stay close to home and not get caught up in drama or distractions. Your sector of roots, domesticity, and the past is activated by the Sun, Moon, Venus, Jupiter, and Uranus all in Taurus. “Less is more” should be your mantra for the week. Take a break from your usual routine. Allow yourself to spend all day resting in bed at least one day this week. Turn off your phone and spend more time meditating, looking at the trees swaying in the wind… Simplicity will feel healing for you.

The intentions you set this new moon week will most likely have to do with finding ways to feel more at ease with your family, or cultivating deeper ties to your chosen family. You’re known as the rebel of the zodiac, the unconventional hermit, but with Pluto retrograde in Aquarius you’re also realizing how solitary your journey can be. But it doesn’t always have to be. If you put out the right call, the right people will answer…

Pisces Sun & Rising:

Pisces, this week’s Taurus new moon stimulates your sector of communication and creativity, making the course of the next six months one of your most sensitive and artistic periods of the year. The intentions you set around May 7 will help kickstart a fertile and imaginative time for you artistically and personally. You’re in the mood to experiment with life and with the concept of creation, and with Saturn and Neptune both in your sign you have the green light to view life as your playground.

Pluto’s first full week retrograde in Aquarius is activating your sector of spirituality and closure, so you may benefit from spending time on your own this week rather than tending to other people’s needs. Keep a dream journal near your bed because your subconscious mind is likely to be super active around this time. Your mission this week is to pay attention to the signs and synchronicities in while also finding practical ways to remain grounded and in touch with reality.

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One of cinema’s living legends, at 85 years old, filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola (“The Godfather,” “Apocalypse Now”) has finally made “Megalopolis,” an ambitious sci-fi epic he’s been dreaming of making since the 1980s. With the film set to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival later this month, in a matter of days, French distributor Le Pacte has released the first look teaser of the movie.

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A Week In Philadelphia On A $94,000 Salary

Day One

8 a.m. — It’s Tuesday and I wake up and get the day started. I quickly make my bed and do my simple skincare routine of vitamin C serum and sunscreen. I make a cup of chai latte with a double shot of espresso using my Nespresso. I love my Nespresso machine but am slowly getting tired of all their coffee selections. I also have a moka pot, so I am seriously thinking of taking a little break from my Nespresso and just buying ground coffee from my favorite neighborhood coffee shop.

9 a.m. — I work from home fully and live in a one bedroom and den, which is essentially two bedrooms. I use the den as my office. I sit at my desk and check my calendar and emails while chatting with my sister on the phone. She calls me on her way to work every morning and now it’s a part of our morning routine. My sister and I are very close. She is a new mom and gives me updates on my nephew and her job, and I do the same, while occasionally humoring her with crazy dating stories. It is 2024, and I am done with all the dating apps — they suck and unless I meet someone in the wild that adds to my already amazing life, I am better off single. I hang up before my 9:30 a.m. client call.

11 a.m. — I am suddenly hungry and have been craving this salad from Trader Joe’s, where I get my groceries. I use their pre-made Asian salad kit but add half an avocado, some pre-boiled beets, and three falafels to it. It tastes amazing, and I take about 10 minutes in the kitchen to enjoy my lunch. I try not to eat at my desk to create some sort of work-life balance (makes me chuckle). I eat a little piece of TJ’s dark chocolate with almonds then go back to my desk.

11:10 a.m. — I sit at my desk and work on some products, and sit through some meetings. I pause to make some black coffee and stretch my legs. As tempted as I am to take a quick nap, I do take a little break to read a few pages of a book we are reading for our book club at work. I also spend a few minutes FaceTiming my 18-month-old nephew, who is the absolute love of my life!

5:30 p.m. — I head to the gym, where I go six times a week. It keeps me sane and gets me out of the house. It’s also a great place to make new friends. I strength train for an hour today and it’s honestly the hardest class of the week, but I feel so proud of myself afterwards. I have always had a tricky relationship with my body and because I also struggled with PCOS for a long time, my weight kept fluctuating. I am finally in a place where I have a healthy relationship with my body, feel good, and for the first time in my life look forward to working out. I feel stronger and fitter every day!

7:45 p.m. — Back home after a killer workout. I eat leftover lentils, rice, and zucchini for dinner. I don’t really watch as much TV anymore because I am tired of staring at a screen all day. I love cleanliness and clean my kitchen and tidy up the living room most nights a week, so I can wake up to a clean apartment the next day. I get in bed by 9:45 p.m. and read, with light rain sounds in the background. I suddenly remember I may get hungry in the morning, so I make a chia pudding with chia seeds, almond milk, chocolate protein powder, and peanut butter. By 11 p.m. I am asleep.

Daily Total: $0

Day Two

6:45. a.m. — I wake up involuntarily at 7 a.m. but scroll on my phone until 8:15 a.m. I really need to work on not spending so much time on my phone every morning. It’s also starting to give me a headache. Once the weather gets warmer, I want to go on walks instead, even if it’s just two or three times a week. I make my bed, do my skincare routine, change into somewhat respectable clothes, and eat my chia pudding at my desk around 9 a.m. as I speak to my sister on the phone and catch up on my emails. Our parents are visiting from out of the country, and they are flying into Boston, where my sister lives, at the end of April. I plan to be there on the same day, so I buy my flight tickets, too. $80

2:10 p.m. — I’m done with few of my calls and have had a productive day so far. I have my lunch (same as dinner last night) and a chocolate Power Crunch protein bar. It’s seriously so good and the only low sugar protein bar that doesn’t taste like cardboard. I get invited to a St Patrick’s Day bar crawl next weekend, but it sounds exhausting. I have a concert the night before and brunch the day of so the idea of doing more things is already tiring. My 30s are wild: the struggle to stay home, go out, be with people, and also relax alone never seems to end. While I have a lot of friends in the city and I am super thankful for that, lately I have been feeling increasingly depleted around people and want to be by myself often. I don’t know if it’s me getting older, becoming more introverted, or just seasonal antisocialness.

5 p.m. — I’m done with work and on my way to the gym. I have two workout classes today so I will be so tired after. It’s pouring outside but the cancellation fees are the biggest motivator to get me out of the apartment. Once I’m back I have a protein shake, three falafels, and two pieces of dark chocolate for (girl) dinner. I will be watching Dune: Part 2 with some friends on Friday night so I venmo my friend for the ticket. $17

Daily Total: $97

Day Three

8:30 a.m. — Get out of the bed and make a dirty iced chai latte. I am also a little hungry, so I eat two rice crispies with peanut butter for breakfast while I speak to my sister and get my day started. Take a minute to realize how adulting is a scam and every day feels the exact same. But after a slew of , I like this quiet and peace of mind. I am also super excited to see that the public library has a book I had on hold, finally! I am an avid reader and the cost of buying multiple books every month really adds up. I try to borrow books from the library (both Kindle and paper version) whenever I can, but sometimes the wait is almost a decade long!

11 a.m. — This morning has been productive. A friend wants to see Hadestown so I buy tickets for $70 in April. My friend pays me back for her half. I have watched three shows so far this year and love it. I want to make a conscious effort to see more shows and support the various theatre groups. Also, I don’t think I have ever seen a bad show in my life. $35

12 p.m. — I eat lunch, which consists of a little bit of leftover sushi rice, two eggs, and half an avocado, topped with hot sesame oil, furikake seasoning and shredded nori. It’s such a quick and healthy meal! I also realize I’ve run out of kimchi and make a mental note to add that to my grocery list.

2:15 p.m. — Finally done with all my calls for the day. Now I can just turn on some good music and focus on working. I have been putting my phone on these days, muting all notifications except my sister and Teams messages for work. This has been a life changer and I highly recommend it. It takes off the pressure to respond to people’s messages instantly, even after work hours. I am really trying to limit screen time and this seems to be the only decent solution so far. I also snack on a few pieces of dark chocolate from Trader Joe’s.

5 p.m. — Done with work for the day. I am also realizing that I don’t remember most of Dune to watch the second film so I will, at some point (and that means ASAP), watch it. I plan to watch it tonight and maybe tomorrow during the later half of the workday — because Friday. I really don’t enjoy watching TV during the day so we’ll see. I change and head to the gym.

7 p.m. — I come back home and put on a Briogeo hair mask after quickly washing my hair. I make a quick salad for dinner, then shower and get in bed. I realize I don’t have any more dry shampoo so I order a pack of three and a pack of loofahs from Amazon. I was blessed with very good hair but I got over-influenced by all the heat hair hacks on Instagram; as a result my hair has suffered and now I am trying to go back to using coconut oil and hair masks and repairing some of the damage. Men never have to worry about these things or spend as much on products as women do. I get annoyed as I put things in cart. I finish my book by 11 p.m. and head to bed. $21

Daily Total: $56

Day Four

8 a.m. — TGIF —the weather is beautiful and it’s also International Women’s Day! I wake up feeling so amazing. I walk to the local coffee shop and get an iced matcha and a bagel with tahini and honey. I sit in the park for a bit as I speak to my mom on the phone and hear about her travel adventures. $12.55

12 p.m. — I wrap up my meeting and head to my laser hair removal appointment. I struggled with really stubborn chin hair thanks to my PCOS and I finally started getting them removed. I am on my fifth session. I seriously cannot wait to be done since it’s not cheap. I am in and out in 10 minutes. It’s also a five-minute walk from my apartment so I am back at my desk in no time. $90

3 p.m. — We discuss our and we have a blast doing it. I seriously love the people I work with. It is just a healthy, non-toxic work environment and I am surrounded by brilliant women at work. I wrap up work for the day and head to the library to pick up a book. I plan to read in the park because it looks beautiful out.

1 a.m. — Back home after happy hour and almost three hours of watching Dune: Part 2. I am exhausted. I had two drinks and some Korean chicken wings. The movie was entertaining but the Orientalist tonality was a bit sickening. It’s 2024 and people still don’t seem to understand the issue. I pass out. $62

Daily Total: $164.55

Day Five

4 a.m. — I keep tossing and turning and can’t sleep until about 6 a.m. I finally wake up around 9 a.m. This seems to happen to me whenever I have a drink. I have been really limiting my alcohol consumption since it doesn’t make me feel good anymore and also doesn’t align with my fitness goals. Is that what your 30s are like? Child’s pose but no child-like energy! Everything seems to cause a headache and a backache!

1:30 p.m. — I normally go for a morning workout class on the weekends, but my friends and I are going to the Philly Spin charity event instead. It’s basically four hours of spin, raising funds for the City Hospital of Philadelphia. I take the train to get there. I FaceTime with my nephew on my way and since he is obsessed with umbrellas these days he gets excited to see me walk around with one. I love him so much! After living a year in Philly, I am finally getting more comfortable taking the train but try to avoid it alone at night. I bike for about 90 minutes and my two other friends bike for the rest of the time. It was well-organized, emotional, and a fun event! We celebrate post-event with two drinks and dinner. $44

9 p.m. — I am home after the event. It was raining and dark so we just Ubered back (I pay for the Uber since they did for the night before). I am exhausted so I shower quickly and get in bed by 9:30 p.m. and pass out. Thanks to the alcohol and going to the bed too early and the daylight saving, I am up by 4:30 a.m. again! $18.22

Daily Total: $62.22

Day Six

9 a.m. — Get off my bed after a few sleepless hours here and there and get ready for my Pilates class. The gym has been a great place to meet new women my age and be friends with them. Also, the social interaction at the gym is not draining at all! We motivate each other to go to classes, workout more, and it’s just a very positive environment. I get a smoothie at the gym with my points which accumulates over time with each class I attend.

11 a.m. — Walk back with my friend who lives in the same building and also goes to the same gym as I do. I am ready to stay in all day and read and nap since it’s super cold and windy outside

4 p.m. — After all the laying around and reading my book, I get a boost of energy and start meal prepping for the next week days. I make spicy turkey and quinoa pilaf, roasted brussels sprouts with hot honey, and baked sweet potatoes. I clean up right after. There is no bigger joy in the world than living alone to a clean space and not having to deal with a man-child to do the most minimal house chores.

7 p.m. — I eat my dinner and a group of girls who live in the same building as I do walk over to a friend’s apartment to watch Damsel on Netflix. My friend lives in an apartment complex with common areas with large TVs so we just watch it all together without necessarily having to go inside her apartment. The movie is short and we have a good time. The movie was just okay, but the company was great.

9:15 p.m. — We walk home and try to stop at two pharmacies, but they were both closed so early! Your girl has been constipated for the first time in maybe… 25 years, and trying to get some Miralex leads to an adventure in the city. We finally find a Target that’s open late. My friends are the sweetest and decide to walk with me in the wind and rain. No other better bonding activity than bowel movement, I guess! I purchase a pack of Miralax and bananas for my weekly protein shake. $22

Daily Total: $22

Day Seven

8:45 a.m. — It’s Monday again! I have my breakfast and make my coffee while group chatting with my sister and my mom. We catch up for a few minutes and I sit at my desk. We have an all-staff call at 10 a.m. so I just catch up on some emails and plan my work day.

12 p.m. — After a Teams frenzy and multiple technical issues, I am done with my two back-to-back meetings (which started at 10 a.m.). I work for 30 more minutes and quickly find time to eat my lunch before another meeting at 1 p.m.

5 p.m. — Wrap up with work with close to no breaks. Today was super busy. I try to listen to a podcast in the background but cant’t focus while trying to get some writing done. I quickly change and walk over to the gym for my Monday spin class with my friend. I also panic a little about how much money I spent this week and vow not to spend so much next week —I should be okay since I don’t have to laser or buy another flight ticket.

7 p.m. — I came back after my spin class and a quick walk with my friend. I still have a lingering headache from the alcohol and just feel exhausted and annoyed overall. I shower and have a protein shake and three falafels for dinner.

9 p.m. — I am in bed and try to read a couple pages but get distracted by news and social media and just get very upset with the state of the world now and how unjust the world is. I toss and turn and finally fall asleep, praying that the Miralax kicks in tomorrow.

Daily Total: $0

The Breakdown

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On a hot spring day in Munich, I went to a small movie theatre in the basem*nt of an apartment building, dreading the prospect of missing an evening in the setting sun, possibly with a Bavarian beer in hand. The whole city seemed to be anxiously anticipating the upcoming Champions League semi-final . People roamed the streets, trying to find a place to watch football with their friends.

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The Idea Of You Author Couldn’t Sell Her Black Romance. So She Wrote White Characters Instead

reads the audiobook for her own romance novel, . The author has also been an actress for over 30 years (you may remember her from , Hitch, or the ) so it’s no surprise that it’s her voice bringing the words she wrote to life — but it’s still a little jarring to listen to her say the words “cunniling*s fly by” and “Mr. Campbell, this is a really nice dick,” just before I hop on Zoom for our interview. When I tell Lee I’ve been listening to her , she smiles. “So you’re used to my voice,” she says, referring to the British accent she put on to embody Hayes, the 20-year-old boy band frontman who falls for Solène, a 40-year-old art gallery owner and mom of one of his biggest fans. She voices both her protagonists. “Don’t worry, I won’t go into it, I won’t make you blush,” she teases. Lee is no stranger to making readers blush. is a steamy, risqué page-turner that nails the provocativeness and passion of its premise. The novel was originally released in 2017 but gained new popularity when during the pandemic (and when the rumors swirled that — Lee insists Hayes is based on multiple people).

The (coming Thursday to Prime Video) stars and as Solène and Hayes, and while the movie may dull some of the book’s racier scenes — if you’re waiting for Hathaway to tell Galitzine he has a nice dick, you will be disappointed — it is still a highly entertaining romance that’s horny enough to entice fans of the book and charming enough to satisfy audiences new to the story. Plus, the boy band scenes (propped up nicely by who fittingly ) will have you squealing like Hayes Campbell is in your bedroom. And Hathaway’s Solène is less French than in the book but she’s just as sophisticated and sexy. And that was Lee’s main objective: to write about a 40-year-old woman owning her sexuality and whose prime wasn’t in her past, like so many other movies claim. She would know. Lee has been navigating Hollywood for decades as an actress and when the roles started dwindling and switching to over-the-hill caricatures, she wrote what she wanted to see.

You may not have guessed that a Black woman was behind the buzziest (and very white) romance movie of the season, but Lee’s source material did indeed lay the foundation for a fun, pleasing romp of a movie — if you read the book first, consider it foreplay. also serves as a producer and she and Lee (who played sisters in Deliver Us From Eva!) prove that behind so much of Hollywood’s best sh*t, you’ll find Black women. Here, Lee talks about the “risk” of Hayes’ age, writing white characters as a Black woman, and the magic of boy bands.

Unbothered: One of the to the film is Hayes’s age, from 20 in the book to 24 on screen. Do you know why that decision was made?

Robinne Lee: Full disclosure, I was not involved at all in the making of the film or the production so you’d have to talk to filmmakers about that. But I think one of the earlier conversations we had when I was still kind of in the loop was the fear that having him so young would scare viewers off. Interesting, because to me, [his age] made it more intriguing. It heightens the risk. It adds tension and gives the story more gravitas. But those are for readers, and readers are different from movie viewers. There’s some overlap, obviously, but I think they didn’t want to scare people off so they made him older.

That’s really interesting. When you were writing it, was there a consideration for you about scaring people off with this big of an age gap?

RL: No. It’s so funny because somebody asked me about this last week, and I’d found a post-it that I have right above my desk that says something like, “Do not go lightly onto the blank page” or something to that degree. It’s a , and it’s the idea that if you’re gonna write, make it matter. No one wants to read everyday life. If you’re gonna go to the blank page, give us something that we don’t get in everyday life that we can kind of sink our teeth into and go along for the ride. And making him 20, which is legal, able to consent, and physically grown, was my way of heightening the risk, and giving the reader a little shock value. It’s like, can she pull this off? What is he going to be like? What are they going to have in common? Is it going to work?

The stakes are higher.

RL: The stakes are higher! The stakes are high.

As a reader, because Hayes is so young, you have to reckon with your own feelings while Solène is reckoning with hers. You’re thinking “I don’t know how I feel about this,” and she’s going through the same internal struggle. It works. It’s also very clear that you are making a commentary on aging and sexuality. What did you want to say about female desire past a certain age with Solène?

RL: I was writing this just as I was turning 40. I’ve been an actress in television and film for 30 years now. I was seeing a shift in the roles that I was being considered for and even the way they were described. They were fewer and farther between but then I would get the breakdown [for a character] and it would say something like, “once attractive,” or “a good-looking woman who was hot in her youth but she’s seen better days” or like “was attractive, but now tired.” [laughs] It was kind of like every woman at 40 can’t just be attractive and a doctor or and a lawyer. No, no, no, you’re past your prime, and we’re going to put that in the actual description of your character. Whose idea was it that we all just fall off this cliff? I knew that I wasn’t falling off a cliff myself. I didn’t feel any less attractive than I did two or three years prior. In fact, I felt more attractive because I was no longer having babies. I didn’t have an infant attached to me using me as food. I could wear my sexy dresses again, I could wear my heels again, I could go out with my girlfriends and have a great time, and I could be with my husband and have a wonderful time. I just wanted to make a statement about the fact that we don’t shrivel up and die at 40.

It’s sad because 40 is when most people are coming into their own, career-wise, for men and women. And they’re coming into their power, and then they have agency and they’re able to enjoy everything they’ve been building for the last few years. It’s finally gelling. And yet, for men, you’re on the rise and everything’s wonderful and for women it’s like, oh, yeah, you’re doing great at that, but it’s too bad you’re not really desirable anymore. So often we see relationships with a younger woman and an older man because their power is seen as continuing to accumulate and their desirability continues to grow as they get older. [For men], looks have nothing to do with it. It’s all about the power. And so that’s why it’s fine for a 60-year-old man to date a 30-year-old woman, but we’re viewed as, well, your looks are fading, so what could [a younger man] possibly want with you? That was really painful to see, over and over again, in the media, TV shows and films and articles. Even when you read a fashion magazine, it was like, “what to wear at 20 versus 40” or “cover up your upper arms at a certain age” and I just wanted to rail against that and say we are out here, and we are completely as desirable at 30 as we were at 20, because now we have the knowledge, intelligence and experience that we did not have then.

Absolutely. And then I think there’s another layer as a Black woman, and you’ve been in this industry for 30 years so you know that the stories are also different for Black women past a certain age. This is a white-fronted project with a Black woman and of course you as the author of the source material. White directors and writers tell stories of other races all the time. Is there something to be said about allowing Black folks to make whatever they want, including work that doesn’t necessarily star Black people?

RL: It’s really funny because there is this backlash against white authors writing for characters of color. They don’t know what they’re doing, and don’t have a sensitivity reader or someone they can consult. A lot of that is coming from white writers who don’t have access or who haven’t grown up with [people of color], so they don’t know them very well. They become these caricatures or stereotypes because they think, well, that’s what I saw on TV or that movie or oh, that woman in my office is like that. But they don’t really know them. I can write for characters I know and like. I have known white women my entire life. Some of my best friends are white women. My husband’s a white man. I know white people really well. Obviously, they’re not a monolith. But I know my girls from Westchester, I know my girls from Yale, I know my girlfriend’s Columbia Law School, I know my girls from LA. I’ve got people, I have my Jewish girlfriends, I have my Waspy white friends. You’re invested in their lives and their experiences and you have these genuine relationships that are 20, 30, 40 years old. I can write for someone like that just like I can write for a Black character or I can write for an Asian character if I’ve had those relationships.

Also, and I think this applies to a lot of topics — like beauty for example — we’ve had to learn about white people. We know white people because the world is very well-versed in whiteness. It’s what we are taught.

RL: Yes, especially going to schools in America, the literature that we’re taught. We come up reading all the same white literature for sure. I think younger Gen Z people are a little more progressive now and I know that at my kid’s school, they’re reading way more Black authors and Latinx authors and Asian American authors now than I ever did in grade school and high school because their schools are paying attention to that. Whereas when I grew up, I grew up in a very integrated community and I still wasn’t reading a ton of Black authors. And a lot of Black authors I know have had the experiences that I’ve had, like growing up in a more integrated environment, or at least going to majority white colleges and having friends from there and these enduring friendships. If you know people really, really well, you can write them well, and it’s not jarring on the page.

But on the other hand, there’s the argument that if we don’t tell our stories, who will? Or if we don’t center ourselves in stories, who will? Did you think of that at all when you were crafting this story?

RL: My experience going to the world, as a Black woman, is different. The way the world responds to you is different. When I write for a Black character, my point of view is completely different. The world reacts to her differently. If Solène was a Black woman showing up with this guy who’s half her age and white, it would have been a whole thing. Plus, she’s got a daughter and that would have been even more drama and tension than I wanted to deal with [in this story]. But also, full disclosure, I spent six years writing a book prior to writing this book. Right before The Idea of You [I wrote a book] that I could not sell. It was a Black protagonist. There was a white love interest. And one of the responses I got from an editor at that time was, “Oh, well, no, we already have an interracial relationship that we’re putting out this year.”

Oh, we’ve all heard that one.

RL. Yeah! So when I thought about this book, I was like, Okay, I’m gonna sell this book. Nothing’s gonna keep me back. If I have to make two white characters, I’m going to make them two white characters, but I’m going to make them very personal and specific to me. I live in Paris. I’ve lived in France before and I have a huge affinity for French culture. I’ve always been fascinated by French women. So I knew [the protagonist] was going to be French. She grew up in the States, but she had that upbringing and her mom and her aura are very French.

I understand that. You did what you felt you needed to do.

RL: Right.

Hayes is the lead singer of a boy band and I read that you were inspired to write this story after watching one perform. I grew up on boy bands and still get a thrill and joy from seeing them. For you, what’s so special about boy bands and specifically how they connect to girls and women?

RL: I’m a little older than you. My obsession was Duran Duran. They were not a boy band, per se, but they were five cute boys from England. And the book, well, August Moon are five really good-looking guys from England. Duran Duran are considerably older than me but I was 13 and there was nothing more incredible to me than them. I’ve been chasing that. And then fast forward a few years, shortly after graduating from college, I’d started a management company with a girlfriend of mine and we were managing a singing group and we got one of the New Kids on the Block to produce our group. So I got to know them. And they were still kind of at the height of their fame. So I got to see the inner machinations, between the group, but also what it’s like to live in that bubble, like the chaos and the fandom and not knowing what people’s intentions are and why they’re trying to get close to you. They keep their entourage around them to keep them feeling secure. There was a lot I was exposed to. I kept a journal and I wrote a lot down, but I forgot about it until I was writing this book. There’s always been a boy band appeal. I’ve seen New Kids on the Block in concert. I’ve seen Duran Duran in concert. I’ve seen New Edition. I’ve seen NSYNC. I’ve seen Backstreet Boys.

One Direction?

RL: I have never seen One Direction.

I wasn’t going to ask you about Harry Styles because I know you’re sick of that question by now and as a reader, I don’t really care who the inspiration for this character is.

RL: ​​That’s what it felt like for me. [The inspiration] was a lot of different things. It was more of the experiences that I’d had and wanted to create for this character than any one person inspiring the story. It was just very much like, how can I show this woman coming into her own but in a sexy way that’s unexpected, that we’re not used to seeing, that’s gonna be enticing and dramatic.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

The Idea Of You is available to stream on Prime Video starting May 2.

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Screen Rant

A Week In Houston, TX On A $65,380 Salary

Day One

9 a.m. — It’s been almost a month since my last flight attendant trip, and today is my first day back. I’ve been working out of town with my automotive job for the past two weeks and need to get errands in before heading to the airport. I have a quick slice of banana bread and a coffee at home.

10:30 a.m. — A morning of errands. I swing by the dry cleaner to drop off my automotive uniform ($15.19), but I will get reimbursed for it. I waste time in Target perusing things I want but really don’t need. I leave pleased with my level of self-control and come home with only the essential: store-brand q-tips. $3.19

12 p.m. — Back home. It’s gorgeous outside and I’ll be in an airport or on a plane for much of the day, so I go on a walk with my parents at our local park. My dad has recently had back surgery so we’re taking things easy — even a casual stroll does wonders. It’s a great time for us to have family catchup time, no devices, just each others’ company. After the walk I make a smoothie.

2 p.m. — Back at home I do a quick five-minute core workout on Peloton. It’s not a lot, but it’s the five minutes I have available before getting ready to leave for work. I shower, pack my bags for a three-day trip, and throw in a bagged salad for dinner. My parents and I head out to the airport — I am so grateful to have their help in shuttling me to and from work.

3 p.m. — While I live in Houston, I’m based in Dallas Fort Worth (DFW), so I have to catch a flight there to start my work trips. I fly domestically for free, but it’s not a confirmed seat, so it’s a cost of my time. I didn’t make the 4:15 p.m. flight. While waiting for the 6 p.m. flight, I eat my bagged salad. I decide it needs something extra so I buy nuggets from Chick-fil-A. $8.72

7 p.m. — I’ve made it to my base airport! My sign-in for my trip is at 8:08 p.m., the flight leaves at 9:08 p.m. I take an hour to stop by a Minute Suites ($0, included in my priority pass via my credit card benefits) to get some homework done.

8 p.m. — I sign in for my trip, but unfortunately we’re a little delayed. We get going and I land in Denver at 11 p.m. (midnight my time). The airline pays our hotel and transportation; I tip $1 to the van driver. We get to the hotel around midnight and I can’t get to sleep fast enough. $1

Daily Total: $12.91

Day Two

7 a.m. — I wish I could get more sleep, but I have so much homework to get through and want to get to the gym. The hotel we’re at has free breakfast. Nothing groundbreaking, but it’s free! I have scrambled eggs, sausage, coffee and fruit.

11 a.m. — We leave the hotel to get back to the airport (I give a $1 van tip to the driver again). I work one flight to Miami and eat a leftover passenger meal (veggie enchiladas) for lunch. Surely packed with preservatives, but it’s free and easy access. $1

6 p.m. — We’ve gone from Mountain to Eastern Time and have three hours to kill until our next flight. I find a quiet place to do some homework and pick up two empanadas before the next flight to San Antonio. $4.52

9:30 p.m. — We fly to San Antonio. We’re about 20 minutes delayed, again, and arrive at 11:45 p.m. We get to the hotel around 12:15 p.m.; I tip the van driver $1. It takes me a little while to wind down, I get my uniform ready for the next day and listen to a podcast. Go to bed by 1:15 a.m. $1

Daily Total: $6.52

Day Three

8 a.m. — No free breakfast at this hotel, but there is a local taco place just 10 minutes walk away. I wake up, go to the gym, and get coffee and breakfast tacos. $11.10

10 a.m. — Back at the hotel. I’ve noticed my nail polish has started chipping, which I hate. I take off the polish and do a clear coat. I shower and get ready to leave the hotel by 11:45 a.m. $1 van tip to the driver. $1

12 p.m. — Back at the airport. I’m working three flights today, but today is better than yesterday because we don’t have any “sit” time in between our flights. Because we’re only paid for flight time (no pay for boarding or deplaning, either), the less down time between flights, the better. I have no time to get food in the airport and am lucky there are extra passenger meals leftover for my lunch and dinner. Veggie greens and grains bowl and a pesto pasta salad.

7:15 p.m. — My second trip ends in Houston and the third trip of the day is a deadhead back to base (DFW). Deadheading is where crew fly as passengers for repositioning. Because it’s not a “working” trip, I can just stay in Houston and call it a day! My parents pick me up from the airport. They pass on my dollar tip 😉 I decompress at home by playing with my cat, and cleaning after my dad cooks dinner. Cleaning is so therapeutic for me and so fun now that I have a new “toy” — the Tineco mop-vac combo. Bed by 10:30 p.m.

Daily Total: $12.10

Day Four

7 a.m. — I wake up and stay in bed for at least 30 minutes playing with my cat. He was a foundling my brother adopted from a warehouse during the pandemic. I do a 30-minute Peloton yoga class at home and make a coffee. I potter around until it’s time to leave to see my brother for brunch.

10 a.m. — While my folks and I live in the Houston suburbs, my brother lives in the city proper. Ever since I moved home the family has maintained a weekly brunch date at a local cafe near my brother’s house. It’s my turn to pick up the bill (my brother and I rotate). Since we both work and our parents are retired on a fixed income, it’s the least we can do. $97

2 p.m. — Back at home and I try to do some homework, but I get distracted by the environment and decide to go to the library. What a glorious place, free and quiet.

6 p.m. — I’m home for dinner. As usual, my dad cooks and I clean. We have a routine of watching MSNBC and our PBS shows. Tonight it’s All Creatures Great and Small.

9 p.m. — I do laundry and charge the car. Since switching to an EV we changed our electric bill plan to have “free nights”. This means we pay more per kWh of electricity used during the day and aren’t changed for any electricity used between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. As a result, we only ever charge the car after 8 p.m. Showered and in bed by 10:30 p.m. (tomorrow I have to be up early for my internship).

Daily Total: $97

Day Five

7 a.m. — I wake up and make scrambled eggs and spinach for breakfast. I take a cold-brew coffee to go. Today is my in-office day for my internship. I’m lucky to have found a practicum placement that was open to hybrid-style work. While I could drive downtown, I prefer taking the park and ride and metro ($4.75). Battling traffic as a driver is so stressful; as a passenger I can relax and get some work done on the bus. Bonus: It’s the environmentally friendly option! $4.75

8:30 a.m. — I take my regular window seat on the bus, put my headphones in and listen to a podcast while paying bills (school tuition) and scrolling Instagram. Most of my friends are in other cities, staying in the loop on socials has been a great way to stay connected. $1,086.58

12:30 p.m. — My internship is at a non-profit that has recently restructured. Today is the first meeting of the new work group. We break at 12:30 p.m. for lunch and a group of us order UberEats. I offer to pay (so I’ll get the credit card points). We order bánh mì from a local Vietnamese spot; the total is $47.67. My colleagues venmo me for their share (my total is $15.89). $15.89

3:30 p.m. — I try and leave the office before rush hour hits. Back to the metro then the park and ride, $4.75. No work gets done on the ride back, I just listen to music and close my eyes. $4.75

5 p.m. — I’m back in the suburbs and need to swing by the grocery store on my way home. My dad needs some tomato paste, arugula, and Beyond Meat patties for dinner. I throw in a couple of bagged salads and Luna Bars for my next work trip. This is my attempt at some form of meal prep! $28.62

7 p.m. — Home and dad has dinner ready —cooking is his love language. We have our usual routine of MSNBC and PBS. Tonight, we watch Miss Scarlet and the Duke. I clean, do a 20-minute evening yoga session on Peloton, shower, and pack my bags for tomorrow. I’m in bed by 11 p.m., too late considering the time I need to be up at tomorrow…

Daily Total: $1,140.59

Day Six

4 a.m. — It’s never easy waking up this early. But it will be worth it to avoid rush hour. As a commuter, I need to give myself at least two flight opportunities, just in case the flight is full or canceled, I need to have a backup to get to work. I make a decaf coffee — the smell helps me wake up, but I plan on taking a nap on the plane and don’t want to be caffeinated just yet.

6:47 a.m. — I make the first flight, but in a jumpseat, not a regular passenger seat. I’m grateful to get on, but this means I’m not allowed to sleep or close my eyes. Oh well, I’ll just plan on getting a nap once I’m at the airport.

8 a.m. — I’ve made it to DFW but have a few hours until my first flight sign-in at 11 a.m. I decide to book a two-hour nap at the Minute Suites. My credit card gets me one hour for free, and I pay for the second hour —it’ll be worth it for the work day I have ahead. $49.50

10:30 a.m. — Refreshed from my nap I get my breakfast order in at McDonald’s minutes before the menu switches over to lunch. Can’t go wrong with a classic #1 Egg McMuffin Meal with a black coffee. $7.79

11 a.m. — I’m signed in for my trip but we are delayed because of a late inbound aircraft — not a great way to start the day. We only have one and a half hours of “sit time” between our two flights today, so if the delay drags on, it could impact our next flight and our layover time. By 2 p.m. we finally take off from DFW to Phoenix Sky Harbor. My passengers keep me busy and I don’t have time to eat anything — I drink water and a club soda with lemon from the plane.

6 p.m. — Because of our delay from DFW, we are late into PHX. I have no time for getting food between flights. Now we’re in the air from PHX to Miami. The dinner service is over, so now I can finally eat, too. There are no leftover passenger meals — thankfully I have that Luna bar and a bagged salad.

11:44 p.m. — We finally land in Miami, two hours late. I’m exhausted and really glad I made the choice to pay for an extra hour nap in the Minute Suites. The van driver takes us to the hotel; I tip $1. As tired as I am, it’s nearly impossible to go to bed right away. We have most of the day tomorrow in Miami so I spend some time figuring out what I want to do and where I’m going to get breakfast. At 1 a.m. I finally get into bed. $1

Daily Total: $58.29

Day Seven

8 a.m. — I want to make the most of the day so I wake up, do my usual workout at the hotel gym, and walk to a local coffee shop, where I have cold brew and an acai bowl. $17

11 a.m. — I catch up on phone calls with my brother and my best friend in New York. My brother reminds me that Dune: Part 2 is coming out soon, so I pre-order tickets so we can have the best center seats in a row towards the back. I’m happy to splurge for IMAX and treat the family — I often think about how I don’t pay rent so doing things like this are important to me. $93.10

12:30 p.m. — Walking around the city I pass a cat café and can’t help myself: I must go in! It’s only a $10 fee that goes towards supporting the shelter. They are all so sweet and I hope they get adopted ASAP. The cat with the longest residency has only been there four months, so they must get pretty great exposure. $10

1:30 p.m. — I need to get back to the hotel to shower and get some homework done. I snack on some popcorn and the Luna Bar I brought from home. Realizing that I’ll be working two flights tonight and not getting to my hotel in Cleveland until 1 a.m., I take a quick 30-minute nap before getting ready for work tonight.

5:30 p.m. — I order a salmon Caesar salad from the hotel restaurant for dinner to eat on the plane. With our crew discount it makes the price more agreeable. $18

6 p.m. — The van driver takes us to the airport; I tip $1. We’re back at the airport and through security by 7 p.m. Luckily everything is on time tonight. First flight is from Miami to Charlotte. After the dinner service I eat my hotel salad on the plane. We have one and a half hours of “sit time” in Charlotte before flying to Cleveland. $1

12:30 a.m. — We’ve landed in Cleveland! We deplane, the van driver takes us to the hotel, I tip $1 and am in bed by 1:50 a.m. $1

Daily Total: $140.10

The Breakdown

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Jurnee Smollett On We Grown Now & The Necessity of Protecting “Black Boy Joy”

After starring in nostalgic coming-of-age film , understands all too well how art imitates life, even at its bleakest moments. The of one plays a hardworking mom of two, Dolores, in Baig’s sentimental drama, set in Chicago’s famous during the early ’90s. It follows the unbreakable bond between her young son, Malik (Blake Cameron James), and his best friend/neighbor, Eric (Gian Knight Ramirez). Malik and Eric are two dreamers who, just as they’re learning to spread their wings beyond the bounds of their public housing neighborhood, navigate new hardships after tragedy strikes: the shooting death of their classmate. The horrific incident (based on the real-life Chicago murder of ) disrupts the boys’ already challenged reality, though they still cling to hope for a better life through imagination —one of their favorite pastimes is “flying,” aka jumping on old mattresses. A fearful Dolores, however, cannot dream as freely; the burdens of parenthood have bogged down her spirit beyond repair. She’s tired, worn-out, and stretched past her limits, yet still moved by her son’s optimism in a world threatening his existence. Malik’s naïveté makes it that much harder for Dolores to decide whether to preserve his innocence or teach him the truth of being a young Black boy in America. The internal battle is one Smollett immediately connected to as she raises her seven-year-old son, Hunter, and it’s why she related so deeply to the touching tale.

“We don’t get these types of stories that often, and as a mom to a Black little boy, I want to put this type of art into the world,” Smollett shares over Zoom. The actress tells Unbothered that she always looks for a piece of herself in every project she pursues. In , so many parallels jumped out: a close-knit family with a dinnertime ritual, a wholesome not wholly robbed of its joy, and the mama-bear fear that comes with raising kids on her own; every aspect felt personal and refreshingly nuanced. In a world where can sometimes feel one-dimensional and fixated on a particular, stereotypical narrative, Smollett appreciates how We Grown Now instead takes time to illustrate the freedoms of boyhood, heartwarming friendship, and the complexities of adulthood. It’s a story not often told through the eyes of two Black boys, but one the actress and producer is highly honored to be a part of.

A day before We Grown Now’s nationwide release (it’s in select theaters now), Smollett sat down with Unbothered to delve into the emotional labor that went into her performance as a protective single mom from Chicago, how she drew from her own motherhood journey, the film’s “essential and responsible filmmaking,” and why she says playing Dolores was “food for my soul.”

Unbothered: Family bonds, community, and history play such significant roles in We Grown Now, and I imagine you reflected on your own childhood and upbringing after you signed on for the film. How did that impact your approach to this story?

Jurnee Smollett: Yeah, I mean it really was the basis of my inspiration in my approach. In my process, in general, I’m always drawing from how much of myself is in the character. I’m drawing from my own experiences. And so, Dolores reminds me so much of my mom, of growing up in that house and the family table being the center of so much, just like it is at Dolores’s household, and the struggle of so many mothers who are raising these babies by themselves to protect their joy, to protect their light. I think Dolores really wants to protect her babies but doesn’t understand that in protecting them, you don’t have to stifle them. And so Malik’s in that “I want to spread my wings, I want to fly” mode, and I think it’s terrifying her because not only is she terrified for his safety, she’s terrified that she herself has stopped dreaming. That’s something that parenthood does. They say that you’re essentially parenting your inner child as a parent. So yeah, I drew from my personal inspiration a lot.

Watching the film, I couldn’t help but think back to you starring in Eve’s Bayou and how well that film articulated the loss of innocence for children, how our surroundings and the things we’re exposed to so young deeply affect us. In that regard, how familiar did this story feel when you read and processed the script?

JS: Reading the script, I was so refreshed by the fact that Minhal [Baig], our filmmaker, had this mission of bringing more humanity to these stories. We know the culturally dominant narrative of Cabrini-Green, of places like Cabrini-Green. But she was not interested in telling that very stereotypical story because, in fact, through research, she discovered that this place actually was more complicated and actually was home to many folks and many parents just trying to raise their babies, working these jobs, and trying to survive and create a little nest. I was just so moved. And honestly, I was moved by the notion of telling a story through the eyes of two Black little boys. I mean, we don’t get these types of stories that often, and as a mom to a Black little boy, I want to put this type of art into the world. I didn’t really draw a connection to Eve’s Bayou, but a lot of people have been reflecting that back to me, I think because I was so young. I was [around] the age of Malik.

Seeing Blake Cameron James and Gian Knight Ramirez as the core duo of this coming-of-age film, did you have flashbacks on set to your childhood acting days?

JS: Yeah, I did think about all the actors that I worked with, that I learned from, that I took lessons from and put in my back pocket, things I still use today as part of my process. It was a beautiful role reversal for me to kind of be in that position on set as a producer and as a fellow castmate.

I remember Sam [L. Jackson] on Eve’s Bayou. He was one of our producers, and obviously, acting alongside him, he poured into me so much, and I would watch him. And so, for me, with Blake and Gian, they looked up to me and were like, “Oh, Miss Jurnee!” It was great just to be able to show them how important it is and [teach them] certain things through my actions, like treating the crew with an incredible amount of respect and generosity, making sure you fold up your clothes at the end of the day when you take them off for costumes. This sort of stuff that I think we take for granted. I did enjoy the little role reversal.

I love that. Did you find yourself giving them advice or tips while you all were filming?

JS: If they asked! It’s not like I sat them down and gave them some big lecture. Really, actions are more powerful than words to me, so I wanted them to see how I just moved about. You show up, you got to know your lines, you’ve got to know the intention of the character, you have to have done your research, [and] you got to be ready to go. I think those are the things that I wanted to instill in them, kind of like with my son. I think kids learn so much more from what they see than what you tell them.

Much of this film takes place in the wake of tragedy after a child, Dantrell Davis, is killed by gun violence, and we see through Malik and Eric’s eyes how they navigate a socio-political environment with these very adult problems. Can you recall when you similarly had to deal with the complexities of adulthood as a child?

JS: Yeah. We all have had those moments, right? Where you just go, “Oh, I think that’s the moment where I kind of grew up.” I would say for sure it was probably the separation of my parents when I was 11, right around the time that Eve’s Bayou was actually coming out, that I feel was so pivotal for my childhood and just kind of [being like] your reality is not the same anymore and your world has forever changed.

I think with Blake and Gian, that’s such an immense amount of tragedy to experience the loss of your peers at such a young age. And when I met Dantrell Davis’s mom, the amazing , that interaction with her was so impactful. For one, she’s such a generous and open spirit. We just hugged and we cried. I am in awe of her strength, of the beautiful light that still shines so bright out of her. She gave me a lot to use with my character. Because Dolores would’ve known her, and Dolores would’ve known so intimately what that experience was like and been afraid to go through that. But yeah, I think we all have that moment in childhood where you’re just like, “Oh, yeah, life was never the same.”

Absolutely. When I look at Dolores in this film, I see how she balances being a mother, a provider, and a daughter who’s not too grown to lean on her mother for support, and just a Black woman who’s trying her best to survive and take care of her family the best way she knows how. Talk to me about the emotional work of portraying those different layers.

JS: The emotional work, really, starts with the script. It starts with what’s on the page. And working with Minhal, she was very collaborative and open to feedback and script revisions. I thought a lot about my grandmother, who was a single Black mother to four babies working, and just the labor on top of the labor. The toll that it takes on you. For Dolores, it’s really what her mom says in the movie: “These babies won’t grow if you won’t grow.” And she’s hit that ceiling where she doesn’t even dream, she doesn’t believe in a reality outside of this, and she’s trying to hold on to everything. Don’t move, don’t change, don’t grow. And change is not bad. Change is essential. But a lot of the emotional work was just asking the questions of who, what, why, when, how. Why is she this way? How did she become that way? What does she want, and how’s she going to get it? I have my process. I work with a lot of different coaches, and we do different things, but I think a lot of the emotional work was being able to answer those questions.

For sure. And I’m sure you being a mother, your journey really informed how you wanted to play this role.

JS: Absolutely. Because, well, I sit in a place of privilege, and yet I still have that voice in the back of my head that’s like, “How do I protect my son’s light, his Black boy joy? But how do I also let him know the dangers and the challenges of being a Black body in this world, in America, and finding that balance and that dance?” Imagine what a mom like Dolores experiences without having the type of resources that I have. Yeah, it was food for my soul to play Dolores.

That’s amazing. I really enjoyed your performance in the movie because seeing that perspective of what mothers go through makes me look at my mom and think about the things she went through raising me. The film overall was great. And like you mentioned, this kind of art needs to be out in the world. We need more of these stories, especially for us.

JS: I believe so. I love films like Stand By Me and Crooklyn. I am so proud that this film is, to me, a very essential contribution to the cinematic canon.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

We Grown Now is now playing in theaters.

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A Week In Madison, WI On A $55,473 Salary

Day One

9 a.m. — I wake up, wishing I had gone to bed earlier. After lying in bed for 20 minutes checking my phone, I roll out of bed and get ready. Breakfast today is arugula, nutritional yeast, and avocados mashed with pico de gallo on top of some sourdough bread, all from my Trader Joe’s run from last week. I don’t like to work when I’m eating, so I put on an anime while I eat; this month, I have a Crunchyroll subscription (I’m planning to cancel it in two weeks). I got it to pass the time during my winter break, but I don’t think I need it every month especially since I normally don’t watch that much anime.

10:25 a.m. — After prepping a bit for my meeting at 11 a.m., it’s time to leave the house to catch the bus, which stops right next to my apartment once every 15 minutes. I don’t have to pay a fare because the bus that goes between university housing and campus is free. I normally bike to school, but I left my bike on campus after hitching a ride with friends on Saturday. The bus is crowded and the guy next to me has doused himself with Axe body spray, which I hate the scent of since it reminds me of middle school. I suddenly really miss my bike.

10:50 a.m. — I arrive at my office in time to set up my meeting with my future postdoctoral advisor, C., at 11 a.m. I just accepted the job offer last Friday, and we’re both really excited. I’m looking forward to living in a warmer and more diverse city, working with C., and getting the pay raise (it’s still less than half of what I would make if I were to take the industry offer I also have, but becoming a professor is my dream so I wanted to give it a shot). We plan my visit in early March and discuss a problem I’ve been thinking about sporadically for the past few weeks. We realize the problem has already been solved by a decades-old paper that I overlooked. I’m unfazed because such is research.

12 p.m. — After my meeting, I work for a bit, looking up the main result of the paper C. mentioned and feeling stupid about not having noticed it before. Then it’s time to get lunch with the seminar speaker. My research group has a weekly seminar that features an external speaker; we usually get lunch and dinner with the speaker when they visit. This week, the speaker is a graduate student like myself who’s planning on working in the industry, so I’m looking forward to meeting him. I order two vegan tacos, and my advisor picks up the tab since he always pays for my food. I feel bad about it, but he insists on doing it, telling me to pay it forward when I get students of my own.

1:30 p.m. — I arrive back at my office and work for a bit more before my seminar. I then head to the seminar at 2:30 p.m. The speaker has a nice talk prepared, so I pay attention the whole time (sometimes, I tune out after the first 20 minutes if I don’t understand the talk and/or am not interested).

3:30 p.m. — Seminar is over, and I have plans to meet up with my friend to get bubble tea. We head over to the tea shop, and I order a strawberry milk with boba, which I specifically pick because it’s not caffeinated. Even though I order the smallest size, the price still comes to $7.69 due to the non-dairy milk surcharge (and inflation). But it’s worth it since I get to catch up with my friend, who I haven’t seen in over a month. We talk about our job offers and some department gossip. $7.69

5:30 p.m. — My friend heads over to badminton while I find my bike on campus and bike home. It’s been a really mild winter, so I’m really lucky that I’ve been able to ride my bike almost everyday. I found it for $150 on Craigslist, so it’s much cheaper than buying a car and paying for insurance, gas, registration, and maintenance.

6 p.m. — I get home and heat up some rice and leftover vegan bulgogi (from Trader Joe’s) that I stir-fried last night with some leftover vegetables in my fridge. I add some gochujang sauce and kimchi. While I’m eating, I watch another episode of the anime I watched this morning. This is a bad idea, since I end up watching three episodes. For dessert, I have a blood orange and three peach and oolong tea Oreos (a Chinese flavor that I found in a local Asian supermarket).

10 p.m. — I finally begin working, going back to the paper C. pointed me to earlier. I work until 1 a.m., when I take a break to shower; I try to avoid showering right before going to bed because I find that it wakes me up. I work for another half an hour before heading to bed at 2 a.m. (I’m a night owl).

Daily Total: $7.69

Day Two

9 a.m. — I make myself the same breakfast as yesterday, pouring myself a large glass of soy milk for calcium. My favorite non-dairy milk is oat milk, but soy milk has more protein and is cheaper, so I buy it more often. I have a hankering for another episode of anime, but since my weekly meeting with my advisor is this afternoon and I feel very behind, I opt instead to respond to some emails while eating so that I don’t end up watching anime instead of working. I finish breakfast and get straight to work.

12:30 p.m. — It’s time to bike to class, which starts at 1 p.m. My commute to school, which takes 15-20 minutes, is along a bike path around a lake, and it’s an unusually warm day again, so the bike ride is enjoyable. Class has already started when I arrive; I’m always late because I have a hard time leaving my house in time. The professor teaching the class keeps me on my toes, so I’m hyper-focused for the entire 75 minutes.

2:15 p.m. — Class ends and I rush to my office to prepare for my weekly meeting with my advisor in 45 minutes. Almost as soon as I sit down and start poring over my notes, he asks to postpone the meeting to 3:30 p.m.; I gladly oblige. Since I have some extra time and haven’t eaten since this morning, I decide to grab a vegan breakfast sandwich from an on-campus cafeteria next to my department that I usually go to when I’m short on time. I have $30 deposited on my Wiscard, which I use to pay for the sandwich. The sandwich is tasty, but I wish the campus offered other plant-based options so that I don’t have to buy the same thing every time I get hungry.

3:30 p.m. — It’s time to meet with my advisor. We catch up a bit, chatting about our weeks; I tell him my plan to visit Houston, where my new job will be, and he’s really excited for me. We also talk a bit about job market gossip, which has been on our minds a lot lately since I was on the job market these past few months. I tell him about the paper C. pointed me to and discuss how it could applied to my thesis problem.

5 p.m. — I grab my stuff from my office and head upstairs to the departmental teaching assistants union meeting. I’m no longer a teaching assistant, but I still try to attend if I happen to be on campus. It’s pretty amazing how problems such as low pay for student lecturers, uneven teaching assignments, international student fees, and segregated fees were an issue when I started graduate school and still are an issue six years later. Luckily, in recent years there’s been a national movement by various graduate student unions to fight for better pay, which has been inspiring to see, even if change has been slow.

6:30 p.m. — The meeting ends, and I head home with S., my friend who lives across the street from me. I decide to take the bus so that I can talk to S., leaving my bike locked up on campus. S. invites me into her apartment to chat for a bit. We gossip about the apartment for another hour or so before S.’ husband comes home. The three of us chat for another hour before I decide to head back since S. needs to prepare for a meeting tomorrow and I need to do more work.

8:30 p.m. — I ate two slices of vegan pizza at the union meeting, but I’m still a little hungry. It’s late and I’m feeling lazy, so I make myself instant sesame noodles I bought from a Chinese supermarket a few days ago. I eat the noodles with tofu puffs, a chopped baby cucumber, and some kimchi. I eat a blood orange and a mini Trader Joe’s Drop the Dairy! ice cream cone for dessert. It’s been a long day, so I reward myself with a few episodes of the anime I watched yesterday, Skip Beat!, which I’m hooked on because of the strong, badass, female main character.

11:30 p.m. — I’m getting really tired so I hop in the shower and get ready for bed. The shower wakes me up again, so I end up staying up another hour before being tired enough to go to bed at 1 a.m.

Daily Total: $0

Day Three

9 a.m. — I wake up, get out of bed, and make myself the same breakfast I’ve been eating the past three days. It’s my last avocado, so I make a mental note to myself to stop by Trader Joe’s later today to buy even more of the same breakfast. I want to watch anime while I eat, but the wifi isn’t working. I spend half an hour trying to fix it, to no avail.

10:15 a.m. — I catch the bus to campus, grab my bike, and bike to a teashop downtown to work for a bit since my wifi isn’t working. The barista has my order memorized because I always have the same thing: black tea latte with oat milk, boba, and lavendersyrup, less ice, 50% sugar. I prep for my meeting with my collaborators on Friday. $6.79

12:45 p.m. — It’s time to bike to campus to attend a graduate student reading seminar. I’ve gotten to a point where I have a hard time sitting through talks that are over an hour, so I start fading at the one hour mark, but the topic is interesting, the speaker gives a decent talk, and I’m engaged.

2:30 p.m. — Seminar ends. I read online that the wifi issue still hasn’t been resolved; I’m really annoyed since I was planning to go home and work since I already spent money on tea today, and I don’t work very well from my office. I end up biking to a coffee shop across the street from Trader Joe’s, where I was planning to get groceries for the week, and order a small chai latte with oat milk (it doesn’t help that I don’t like black coffee, so my drinks tend to be more expensive and sugary). The total, combined with tip and the vegan milk tax, ends up being just over $5. $5.04

5 p.m. — It’s starting to the get dark, and I like to avoid biking in the dark, so I decide to head to Trader Joe’s to get some groceries. I could probably buy more food for less at other grocery stores, but when P. is traveling, I go to Trader Joe’s because I like the frozen pre-made and low-effort food options they offer. Dinner this week will be another batch of vegan bulgogi; I grab a jar of kimchi and cucumbers for topping. I also grab a bag of microwaveable potstickers, frozen veggies, blood oranges, and more avocado toast ingredients. Finally, I grab some Impossible meat — a rare treat —and tempeh to cook when P. gets back. None of the snacks appeal to me —probably because I had too much sugar today. $45.76

6:30 p.m. — I arrive home and cook myself some vegan bulgogi from leftover vegetables in the fridge: half a bell pepper, half a shallot, half a bag of kale, and a carrot. I eat the mixture with rice, kimchi, a chopped baby cucumber, and some gochujang sauce. Luckily, the wifi is back on, so I of course watch a few episodes of anime.

8:30 p.m. — Time to do work again. I alternate between starting my dissertation (I found out today that I have less than three months to write it), reading the paper for my meeting on Friday, and proofreading and transcribing an idea one of my collaborators came up with. I’m a ball of stress, really feeling the pressure of all the work I need to get done between now and May. I stay up until 2 a.m. working.

Daily Total: $57.59

Day Four

9 a.m. — I wake up and lie in bed for another 30 minutes, trying to sleep some more, to no avail. I get up, make myself the same breakfast I’ve been eating all week, and sit down to watch another episode of anime.

10 a.m. — In the middle of watching anime, I get a call from the dental office I’m trying to schedule a preliminary visit at; I want to get my teeth checked out since I haven’t gone to the dentist in two years. After scheduling the first available slot they have, I decide to book a bang trim; I’ve been wanting curtain bangs for a while now. I then finish my anime episode and head back to my desk to write more of my dissertation.

12:30 p.m. — It’s time for the only class I’m taking this semester again, so I bike to school and go to class, packing some frozen potstickers to heat up for lunch afterwards.

2:30 p.m. — Class is over, and I go to a coffee shop to pick up a matcha latte with oat milk with my office mate. We sit at the coffee shop until it closes at 3 p.m., discussing some points we were confused about in class. $6.59

3 p.m. — I head back to my office, heat up some potstickers, and work on my dissertation some more, taking a break to go to my academic sibling’s talk at 4 p.m. I stay behind and chat with some friends before returning to my office at 4:45 p.m. Then it’s time for more thesis writing before my friend, J., is supposed to pick me up.

6:30 p.m. — I get an email about a tornado warning, so I text J. for a rain check. Even though the tornado is unlikely to reach Madison, we decide to reschedule for the next day just in case. I run to the bus to catch it home before the weather gets any worse.

7 p.m. — I’m home, so I quickly heat up a bowl of my leftovers from dinner yesterday, topped with the usual cucumber, kimchi, and gochujang. I watch the last two episodes of Skip Beat! as I eat, feeling really dissatisfied with the ending. I guess I’ll have to read the manga.

8:30 p.m. — After dinner, it’s dissertation writing time again! While I’m writing, A. texts a group text complaining that her ex-boyfriend, who just broke up with her a few weeks ago, has lost one of her favorite board games. The rest of us decide to all pitch in to replace the board game, Decrypto, as a Galentine’s gift; the breakup has been really hard on A. and we want to do something to cheer her up a bit. S. orders it on Amazon Prime and I venmo her a quarter of the cost since there are four of us. I work until 12:30 a.m., when I shower and go to bed. (It’s an “early night” for me since I have to get up “early” for a haircut tomorrow morning.) $6.59

Daily Total: $13.18

Day Five

8 a.m. — My alarm goes off; I have to get up earlier than usual today for the haircut I have scheduled for 9 a.m. I’m so tired I lie in bed for 10 minutes before realizing I really need to get up. I quickly get ready, make myself some avocado toast, and run out the door at 8:40 a.m.

9 a.m. — I arrive at the beauty school where I usually get my hair cut at 9 a.m. on the dot. I’m glad I’ve gotten faster at biking — it only took 20 minutes to ride my bike to campus, lock it, and cross the street to the hair salon. My stylist cuts the curtain bangs I requested and tells me how to style them. I don’t tell her that I’m a low-maintenance person, doing the bare minimum to get ready. I can’t even be bothered to brush my hair most days, let alone apply styling mousse, tease, and blowdry my bangs every morning. Plus I don’t even own a round-tip brush or blowdryer. My bangs look cute, though. $8

9:30 a.m. — I settle down in a coffee shop next to the hair salon and order my expensive iced matcha with oat milk and lavender syrup. I then start reading the paper I will be discussing during my meeting this afternoon. The paper is really dense and outside my comfort zone, so I don’t feel ready for the meeting. $7.81

11:45 p.m. — I head towards the department, drop everything off at my office, and head downstairs to meet with some undergraduates I’m mentoring.

1 p.m. — I run to my office to get ready for my Zoom meeting at 1:30 p.m. I try to go to the cafeteria by the department to get a vegan breakfast sandwich since I’m starving and didn’t have time to pack myself food while I was running out the door this morning, but they’re out and there are no other vegan options. I’m forced to go back to my office and go to the meeting hungry.

3 p.m. — The meeting is over, and I’m drained; the paper we are reading is quite dense and technical, but at least my collaborators are really nice and communicate effectively. I’m already 30 minutes late for the graduate student town hall my department is holding, but I decide that I really, really need food. I walk to Target, which is about 10 minutes from the department, and buy myself some non-dairy yogurt, a box of vegan mac ‘n’ cheese (for dinner), and a GoMacro oatmeal chocolate chip bar. It}s far from a proper meal, but I’m hoping this food will tide me over until dinner. I then rush over to the town hall to catch the tail end of it while devouring my GoMacro bar. $9.76

4 p.m. — The town hall is over, so I pack up my belongings and head towards my friend J.’s car for our weekly hangout. He drives us to the pool hall we go to every week to shoot some pool. Along the way, we chat about jobs (we’re both graduating, so this has been on our minds) and reflect on our six years in Madison; we’ve been friends since our first year and everything feels so different now. We get to the pool hall and I grab us a table while J. gets a beer; I decide to forgo one to save some money. We play four games, and I pay the $28 tab, which is unusually high since there’s a special Friday night rate. J. venmos me half. $14

7 p.m. — After I help J. pick up some of his belongings at his old apartment, he drops me off back at my place. I quickly cook up the box of mac ‘n’ cheese I just bought at Target. I also add in some arugula, broccoli slaw mix, and a cut up vegan buffalo chicken patty. I eat while watching my favorite YouTuber, Beryl Shereshewsky, who cooks foods around the world submitted by her subscribers with a common theme in mind. Today’s video is about mayonnaise dishes; even though mayo is usually not vegan, I like to think about whether I can veganize a dish that looks interesting.

8:15 p.m. — I shove the rest of the mac ‘n’ cheese in the fridge and make my way to the bus stop to go to my friend A.’s place for a weekly knitting night with a group of girls in the department. This week, I’m working on a sweater with the yarn left over from a scarf I knit for P. a while ago. A. made some delicious vegan pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, which we snack on while we knit and gossip.

1 a.m. — Knitting night is over, so I hitch a ride with my friend S., who lives across the street from me. I vegetate for a few minutes, scrolling my phone before showering and crawling into bed at around 2 a.m..

Daily Total: $39.57

Day Six

9:30 a.m. — I wake up and lie in bed scrolling my phone for half an hour, really glad that I don’t have anywhere to be. I make myself some avocado toast and eat the rest of the mac ‘n’ cheese from yesterday. I finished Skip Beat! so I decide to watch two episodes of another anime, Yona of the Dawn, to test it out. I’m not completely hooked yet, but decide to give it a few more episodes.

12 p.m. — After responding to some texts, I start writing my dissertation again. For a boost of energy, I make myself a small matcha latte with soy milk and agave syrup.

2 p.m. — P. texts me and says that he’s arrived back in town, so I drive his car to go pick him up at the bus stop downtown; he flew out of O’Hare in Chicago since the tickets are a lot cheaper, and there’s a bus that travels pretty frequently between downtown Madison and O’Hare. I’m really excited to see him and we catch up about our weeks as he drives us back.

2:30 p.m. — We get home and P. immediately goes to bed for a nap since he’s been awake since 4 a.m. I decide to join him since I’m also exhausted from a long, draining week.

5:30 p.m. — I’m feeling really refreshed from my nap. We’re both starving, so I get up and rummage in the fridge before quickly making us some frozen vegan orange chicken from Trader Joe’s, steamed eggplant, and rice. P. and I split up the household chores; I’m in charge of cooking since I enjoy it, while P. is in charge of the dishes. We catch up some more as we eat dinner.

7 p.m. — P. and I drive to a nearby grocery store, discussing what to eat this week. Today’s list includes ingredients for two types of lentil soup, oatmeal with frozen fruit for breakfast, and a Thai green curry to use up the open containers of curry paste we have in the fridge. It’s P.’s turn to pay for the groceries (we switch off week to week), which are around $80.

8:30 p.m. — We get home, and I make us a blackberry cobbler using some blackberries I froze in the fridge from a grocery run two weeks ago; I saw them on sale for $1.99 for an 8oz carton so I came back with a mountain of cartons of blackberries. I then sit down to catch up on some administrative work and write more of my thesis.

12:30 a.m. — P. and I sit down to watch the episode of Spy x Family we’ve been ending our days with. I cut us up some blackberry cobbler topped with vegan vanilla ice cream to enjoy while we eat. After the episode of anime, we brush our teeth, and then I take a shower and crawl into bed with P.

Daily Total: $0

Day Seven

11:30 a.m. — P. and I sleep in because it’s Sunday. I finally get up at 11 a.m. to make some breakfast. This morning, I’m attempting to make dosa masala and sambar; P. bought some dosa mix a while back from the Indian grocery store, but I’ve been too lazy to make it. I figure that today is the right occasion since he just got back from his trip.

1:30 p.m. — P. and I finally sit down to eat the dosa masala and sambar with store-bought mint and coconut chutney. Breakfast took longer than expected to make in part because I had to steam potatoes, soak some pigeon peas, and cook the sambar for a long time. It’s also my first time making dosas, so my dosas do not look anything like the ones I’ve ordered at restaurants. Still, you can’t really go wrong with a crepe fried in vegan butter and stuffed with spiced potatoes, so the fruits of my labor still taste good.

2:30 p.m. — I finally sit down to work on my dissertation some more with EDM playing in the background. P. does the mountain of dishes from this morning and then browses some license plate options for his car in preparation for our move to Texas.

5:15 p.m. — One of the faculty members in my field, M., picks me up to get dinner with the seminar speaker this week. P. is jealous that I’m going to a diner with lots of vegan options that we haven’t been to for years, so I promise to bring him back some food. I order a tempeh and portobello sandwich with lemon tahini dressing for myself and a tempeh BLT to go for P. Everyone at the table orders milkshakes, so I get jealous and also splurge on a vegan Oreo shake to go for P. and I to share. The total comes out to $45.71, including tip. $45.71

8 p.m. — M. drops me back home, where I find P. sitting in the living room in the middle of a virtual movie night. I join him for a bit, sipping my half of the vegan Oreo shake. I’m so glad I decided to splurge since the shake is delicious. While P. finishes his movie, I return to my office to write my dissertation since every minute counts when you’re in a time crunch!

10 p.m. — P. wraps up his movie night, and it’s time for the two of us to go on our weekly Sunday night pool date. We like to go at this time since the hourly rate between 10 p.m. and 12 a.m. on Sundays is only $5 an hour. But today, when we get to the pool hall, we see that they have closed, probably because it was a slow night since not that many people are out after Super Bowl Sunday. Dejected, we drive back home and spend the rest of the night watching YouTube videos together.

12:30 a.m. — It’s time for our nightly episode of Spy x Family (we finish season 1!). I then shower and climb into bed with P.

Daily Total: $45.71

The Breakdown

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Riddle of Fire review – quest for a blueberry pie aims to be ye olde work of whimsy

This kids’ adventure story with a faux medievalist vibe has a cute conceit and some fun sequences but the inexperience of the cast and director shows

If you’ve ever tried to make a home movie with young children, you quickly come to appreciate how hard it is to get the little monsters to remember their lines and hit their marks, let alone give good performances. It’s an education in the difference between good and bad direction, the raw, primary-teacher skill in herding cats while also managing tone, quality control and all that storytelling stuff. Just try it for yourself and you’ll realise just how good a job directors such as Garth Jennings or Taika Waititi did with child-led films like Son of Rambow or Hunt for the Wilderpeople.

At the very least, this awareness will help you be a bit more forgiving of a film like Riddle of Fire. This would-be work of whimsy stars three kids – eldest but still preteen leader Alice (Phoebe Ferro) and her friends Hazel (Charlie Stover) and Jodie (Skyler Peters), the last two brothers – who are spending their leisure time in remote Ribbon, Montana, knocking about and getting into trouble, like kids do. Except that writer-director Weston Razooli lays on a faux-medievalist vibe, with ye olde-style subtitles and a pseudo-fairytale structure that turns their adventures over a day or two into a kind of quest, like something out of the Brothers Grimm or JRR Tolkien. In order to get the password the boys’ mom has used to lock the TV, preventing them from using the games console they just stole, the kids must find or make a blueberry pie for her. The need for eggs gets them mixed up with a gang of rednecks who poach wild animals to turn into taxidermy creations, led by Lio Tipton’s evil witch-like home schooling matriarch.

The Guardian Film