One of my girlfriends recently told me, “I’m letting myself have a BMM this week — a Bare Minimum Monday. I just need it after the weekend.” We all need a soft landing or a slow pitch every now and then. I say lean into the BMM because Lord knows we often have “Absolute Maximum” Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays…!
This icebreaker post is one such way to ease into the week. Pure fun. I always love reading your answers. (You can see prior posts here, here, here.)
Onward —
+Preferred pizza order.
+What song would be playing on repeat in hell?
+What question do you wish someone would ask you?
+A smell you hate that other people seem not to mind.
+A smell you love that other people seem to hate.
+Dream car.
+Food you associate with your mother.
+A food you feel like you should hate but secretly like.
+Trick for preventing yourself from crying at inopportune moments.
+Trick for preventing yourself from laughing at inopportune moments.
+Would you rather be infamous (e.g., famous for bad reasons) or forgotten?
+An acquaintance or friend from the past that you think of frequently and wish you knew more about — who is it? Why did he/she stick with you?
+Something superstitious you do.
I’ll go first!
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+Preferred pizza order. I love when Neapolitan-style pizza places have broccoli rabe and sausage on the menu — honestly, anything with sausage. From a more standard parlor: classic pepperoni.
+What song would be playing on repeat in hell? Right now, my vote would be “Peaches” from the new Super Mario Bros movie because my children have over-played it to the point of madness. But more longterm, I cannot stand “Brown Eyed Girl” by Van Morrison (and I LOVE Van Morrison — that particular song just makes me cringe) or anything by that band Owl City.
+What question do you wish someone would ask you? Probably something about writing. I could talk forever about it.
+A smell you hate that other people seem not to mind. Air fresheners.
+A smell you love that other people seem to hate. In general, I prefer scented cosmetics/beauty products — I know “unscented” is usually considered a selling point, but I like something fragranced, even subtly, like the terracotta powder from Guerlain. I know it’s such a turn off for others!
+Dream car. One of those little red or green Porsche Boxsters from the 90s.
+Food you associate with your mother. Mango, English muffins, Crispix cereal, coq au vin.
+A food you feel like you should hate but secretly like. Cooler ranch doritos. Really any chip, even the super-artificially-flavored ones.
+Trick for preventing yourself from crying at inopportune moments. If someone has the answer to this, pls alert me ASAP. I cry all the time and have never figured out how to turn off the waterworks. It’s a joke in my family.
+Trick for preventing yourself from laughing at inopportune moments. Thinking of something terribly boring and specific, like converting measurements from tablespoons to ounces or miles to KM.
+An acquaintance or friend from the past that you think of frequently and wish you knew more about — who is it? Why did he/she stick with you? I had a girlfriend in college who studied abroad with me and then we amicably went our separate ways after — no real reason, no hard feelings, just different friend groups and majors and, eventually, cities. She was so funny and smart and observant and I felt instantly that I could be my truest self around her with no judgment. She seemed to find me funny, too — we laughed all the way through Lyon together. I think of her far more frequently than our relatively short friendship might suggest. She was (is) a bright light. I miss you, Emily!
+Something superstitious you do. I’m not superstitious per se, but I am a fan of rituals and routines. For writing, I need a tidy office, clear desk, and no music at all, and I prefer to sit down in the morning to put pen to paper.
Share your answers by copying and pasting the questions above into the comments!
Shopping Break.
+I think I might pull the trigger on one of these mesh Longchamp bags. They’ve been popping up all over the place! Love.
+Just ordered this striped button-front sweatshirt. I wish it had a collar instead of a hoodie but SO good. Throw on with white jeans or a pair of shorts.
+Adore this new pattern from Minnow.
+Everyone’s favorite lamp, on sale.
+These folding sling chairs are surprisingly sturdy/chic looking for the price.
+Cute beachy dress.
+For organizing your pool bag. These mesh bags are also great for goggles/pool toys, or for collecting shells!
+This mini caftan is on sale and the pattern is irresistible.
+An ultra-chic pet bed!
+FUN Fendi bag.
+Funky-fun shorts from Tory Burch.
+This skirt is SO good.
+I love the look of a French kitchen with lots of copper pots and bowls hanging from the ceiling.