Spare Time the Pod

Y'all, we have not heard each other's voices since the June episode...and it shows because this is a long one. We talk Cape Cod, Canada, the Olympics, coconut trees, and more! Buckle up xo

How did you spend your spare time this month:

* MM: Vacation in the woods! A lil Miami time, a little fam time, a little home time! Eating crabs, fruit, being hot, general summer tings

* AA: Cape cod <3, really restorative yoga, swimming in the pond, pickleball, eating soft serve and lobster rolls, reading! Full circle on the Japanese house from June, wedding planning!

Best/Worst:

* Best: 

* AA: CC birthday dinner

* MM: feeling like a nature girlie after a long hiatus

* Worst:

* MM: a macaroni and cheese that deserves jail time from Rose and Crown in Canmore, Alberta, Hannah’s spooky fall

* AA: it's so sad to say that literally every grossy pelosi recipe is bad 

* RETRACTION: Benito Skinner’s boyfriend is Terrence O'Connor NOT known sexual predator/former fashion photographer Terry Richardson (lmao)

Spare Time Rec:

* AA: All The Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker / art that makes you cry 

* MM: Louise Erdrich!

Culture / 3 Things You Need to Know: 

* The Olympics - snoop dogg, flava flav, etc. 

* Good things are always happening to me note - discuss 

* Election update: goodBiden, the month of The Coconut Tree

Look Ahead:

* MM: continuing my relentless travel schedule, wedding tour, introducing Hannah to many of my cousins, Thais’ bachelorette and work in Miami, reading (!!!), wedding planning 

* AA: summer cleaning, enjoying summer???, at long last my return to Maine, holding onto the peace from CC, starting over at the end??? We can only hope, cook90 altho that is no longer possible <3 more to come in august lol, really loving pema chodron 

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit inyoursparetime.substack.com

Loving summer so much we are two weeks late on this episode...let's blame it on the childhood expectations of summer vacation and move on! It's about: fruit, Asheville, queer weddings, and more <3

How did you spend your spare time this month:

* MM: Chicago, a hot 24 hours in nyc, friends visiting, being so fucking hot, celebrating Hannah’s birthday, two baby showers, baby news, and new baby arriving!!!! Also I am in my ricotta era

* AA: Mostly in DC! Going to the farmers market, blueberry picking, pool, NYC, asheville, my first queer wedding! 

Best/Worst:

* Best: 

* AA: apricot jam <3 

* MM: SUMMER PRODUCE

* Worst:

* MM: a Truly Horrible cobb salad

* AA: …asheville…

Spare Time Rec:

* AA: The Japanese House 

* MM: Minor league baseball, Gracie Abram’s album The Secret of Us

Culture / 3 Things You Need to Know: 

* brat

* Love island 

* Regrettably I must bring up the presidential election

Look Ahead:

* MM: first trip abroad with Hannah B! Enjoying some big boy mountains for the first time in a long time, college essay tutoring

* AA: cape cod, wedding planning, pickleball and pond every day <3 

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit inyoursparetime.substack.com

May 2024 has come and gone! We discuss lobster rolls, neck injuries, Chappell Roan supremacy, childhood friends, and more <3 Happy summer

How did you spend your spare time this month:

* MM: a lil Miami, a lil PA, a lil Boston, a lil Cape Cod, a lil Delaware–everything but DC 

* AA: Boston! The gym! Minnesota! Childhood friends <3 (the 999 is so scary) Katie Pruitt x2, NYC with my gorls, B two times in one week, locked down the wedding date 

Best/Worst:

* Best: 

* AA: Got a new car, end of an era etc. etc. and the cookie at LA Burdick??

* MM: Lobster roll at Sesuit Harbor Cafe!!!!

* Worst:

* MM: did some dumb flight shit

* AA: pulled neck muscle…

Spare Time Rec:

* AA: Universal Thread jean shorts + Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors (out 9/3)

* MM: one sec app

Culture / 3 Things You Need to Know: 

* Chappell Roan 

* Cookie croissants?????

* Girls resurgence 

Look Ahead:

* MM: pride month! Spending a fortnight in DC, quality time with some fam and friends <3

* AA: what is it like to cook in your kitchen? Trying to remember that! Time to spend time at the pool (join the gay masters finally), make progress on my YTT self study, las cultch culture awards and celebrating the end of an era

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit inyoursparetime.substack.com

We know it's already mid-May but come on! Just let us tell you about April 2024! We are reunited, full of pollen, and ready to tell you about crucial things like Miami's best burrito and protein!

How did you spend your spare time this month:

* MM: 

* AA: with my little babes, with my friends, mostly in DC!!! Its nice to be where you live, Philly, getting into “protein”, watching womens sports 

Best/Worst:

* Best: 

* AA: YTT / Laser Wolf 

* MM: gatekeeping best crepe of my life (and I lived in France!) so my real one is Uptown 66

* Worst:

* MM: throwing away my burrito from Uptown 66

* AA: Missing Chicago :( 

Spare Time Rec:

* AA: trivia on a weekly cadence 

* MM: unfortunately stopping at Buc-ees on a long road trip

Culture / 3 Things You Need to Know: 

* TTPD

* MISS Holly Humberstone idyknyk!!

* Women’s NCAA & Caitlin Clark–it was The Moment

Look Ahead:

* MM: beginning to never be in washington DC for a weekend forever lol! Honestly ~*massachusetts!*~, reading (I must!!), finding a way to be more present as I embark on my summer of travelz

* AA: It’s halfway through the month basically but weddings, NYC, Boston, Spring???? It feels like a very busy month tbh i am desperate for a capsule closet

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit inyoursparetime.substack.com

Hot take from MM but March is theeeeEeE best month of the year! Arieses rise!!! 03/24 included lots of friendship, flowers, and Fletcher. Tune in for the full skinny xo

How did you spend your spare time this month:

* MM: flowers!! Friends! Solo time at home in DC! Busy bee-ing! Packing! Driving! Light wedding planning!

* AA: Boston 2x , friends, babies, listening to so much music and being happy about it , brandi IRL 

Best/Worst:

* Worst:

* MM: our a/c breaking on the drive down to Miami 

* AA: how does a person get better at trivia 

* Best: 

* AA: getting engaged again but honorable mention same as u MM + Kacey

* MM: being with my friends <3 + Fletcher & Cowboy Carter

Spare Time Rec:

* AA: Mr & Mrs Smith 

* MM: listening to other people’s playlists

Culture / 3 Things You Need to Know: 

* Fletcher and Shannon are dominating my brain once again oooooh

* How’s your reading journey been going / books on our TBR we are excited about

* The chili crisp thing 

Look Ahead:

* MM: Miami and that is truly it!

* AA: YTT! Chicago! NYC! A nutritionist??? We’ll see. Do we care about Maggie and Taylor 

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit inyoursparetime.substack.com

Two girls with a lack of spare time for the month still somehow manage to speak on the topic for nearly 90 minutes. We are nothing if not verbose! Tune in for sandwiches, Kate Missington, and more!

How did you spend your spare time this month:

* MM: so….busy…..being eternally ill. Working! Truly riveting content! Missing my friend Alissa!

* AA: Missing my friend Marie! Also working but feeling fulfilled overall! Wow! Celebrating Hen, Cape Cod, Boston, NYC 

Best/Worst:

* Worst:

* MM: Your Only Friend

* AA: an overdressed Caesar that made me gag @ Macs 

* Best: 

* AA: Dame NYC and friends who you trust

* MM: I made some good soups! Shoutout to fish stock and to Rancho Gordo beans. 

Spare Time Rec:

* AA: buy tickets to small venues for artists you don’t know or don’t know well

* MM: the daylist feature on Spotify

Culture / 3 Things You Need to Know: 

* Kate Middletongate aka Kate Missington - link, link, link, link, link

* March + April Music - Ariana (brother/bf comparison pic for your reference), Fletcher, Bey, Kacey, Maggie, Taylor, Waxahatchee, GIR, Lizzy, Katie Pruitt 

* Strands NYT

Look Ahead:

* MM: THE music month is here!! Aries season, birthday celebrations, visits from friends, preparing to move my family to Miami for 5 weeks, more work! But also…FLOWERING TREES!!!!! The best thing on this earth maybe.

* AA: Leaning in to things that make me feel like myself <3, back to the cookbook journey, celebrating my number one girl and number one boy with a perfect weekend, Brandi Carlile, music foreverrrrrr, the release of Health Nut I am so ready.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit inyoursparetime.substack.com

Celebrating the first ep of 2024, an amazing new song, an anniversary weekend, and much much more, but, most insanely of all: celebrating five years of the Spare Time Pod--in all her iterations

How did you spend your spare time this month:

* MM: wintering (real) and wintering (Miami), making some treats, getting engaged again, watching movies

* AA: anniversary weekend, Fam, playing in snow!, willing myself to knit, going to the theater!!!, seeing JOSEPH <3 

Best/Worst:

* Worst:

* MM: sorry but Hannahs sweet potato mantou (from Tenderheart)

* AA: the obvious (honorable mention lutèce) 

* Best: 

* AA: TBIL / Rasika 

* MM: spontaneous dim sum at China Garden Han Gong (highlights: shumai, green beans, chow fun)

Spare Time Rec:

* AA: The Curse? Good Material by Dolly Alderton 

* MM: “Right Back to It” by Waxahatchee (also…Fool Me Once??? sorry)

Culture / 3 Things You Need to Know: 

* Oscar Noms / The Grammys 

* The new Fletcher album / the new MR album 

* Mean Girls movie and any other films 

Look Ahead:

* MM: Leap day!!!! Shoemaker family gathering, Lunar New Year, Miami…the dawning of Marie’s Busy Time™️

* AA: Boston/Cape time, new music I think, Portland Maine, bubby time basically 

Spare Time Sundries are here!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit inyoursparetime.substack.com

Another year gone by! The sands of time! Recap the full spin around our fav burning gas giant with our bests of the year in many silly and serious categories.

MOVIE:AA: Past Lives MM: Maybe Theatre Camp but idk

TV SHOW:AA: Jury Duty (Amazon Freevee)MM: The Last of Us (HBO)

BOOK:AA: The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty (runner up: Tom Lake by Ann Patchett)MM: The Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang (runner up: Big Swiss by Jen Beagin)

ALBUM:AA: Girls Of My Dreams, Fletcher (runner up: same as MM + Stick Season (We’ll All Be Here Forever), Noah Kahan and The Sun, JOSEPH)MM: the record, boygenius (runner up: Snow Angel, Renee Rapp, and GUTS, duh)

SONG:AA: As of this moment “The Wedding Song”, Renee Rapp and “The Tree”, Maren Morris for the vibe but for real it’s gotta be True Blue, boygenius for the real winner one of the most gorgeous songs on earth imo MM: “Not Strong Enough”, boygenius (honorable mention for a song that has been in my head for the last month: “Femininomenon” by Chappell Roan)

CONCERT:AA: sorry but it’s The Eras TourMM: it’s a tie! Boygenius or the MUNA set from All Things Go

MEAL:AA: Bar at SarmaMM: lunar new year dinner party

BREAKFAST:AA: Brown Butter Corn Cake at Radio Bakery in NYCMM: Bagels etc??????

LUNCH:AA: fennel, bean, olive, pecorino, sunflower seed, apple sal on repeat at least 1000 times (picnic in alethia tanner was the best) or the sweet potato, cucumber, citrus, peanut, lettuce, with the Cindy's Kitchen sesame ginger dressing MM: Cart Driver in Denver (honorable mention: Sofra with FOTP Sophia, perfect turkey sandwich on a picnic blanket in the park on March 26th)

DINNER:AA: Kowloon Fried Cauliflower at Little Donkey in Boston MM: Walrus Rodeo in Miami

DESSERT:AA: 3 citrus sorbet at weckerlys / hot fudge sundae hillstone MM: forever and always creme brulee from Le Dip

PURCHASE:AA:  Classic Easy Tote by CuyanaMM: not at all sexy but weekly compost pickup service

DISCOVERY:AA: I’m more of a literary fiction girlie I guess! Phony negroni MM: Quaker meeting (honorable mention: Dot’s Pretzels, Wegman’s ginger seltzer, slippers)

TRIP:AA: cape cod <3MM: Taos, NM Gaycation

#1 RECOMMENDATION: AA: take your lunch break / tell your friends that you love them MM: Is it too lame to recommend paying a professional to come clean your house monthly because that is my honest to god recommendation lol

What completely ordinary thing are you most grateful for right now in your life? MM: Modkat top entry litter box and tiny $2 digital clock from ikea, AA: Bouldering Project <3 and specifically the yoga, pilates, cardio, and strength instructors there that have truly brought me back to a version of myself I have really missed 

2024 Mood Inspo:

* Sunlight flooding the kitchen after a few rainy days

* Feeling a little manic in the car and blasting a crazy song you forgot about until that very instant (“I Gotta Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas, par example)

* Sitting on the couch having the giggles about nothing with your friends

* Getting complimented by a child

* When you’re at a concert and it’s the moment between songs and then the first notes play and you see two friends look at each other like “OH MY GOD THIS IS OUR SONG”

* Being really cozy and reading a book you can’t stop thinking about

* The special satisfaction of finishing a jar or tube of something

Thank you for spending your Spare Time with us in 2023. Looking forward to much more this year 🤍

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit inyoursparetime.substack.com

Happy 2024, friends! On our last regular ep of the year, we discuss drag bingo, a truly catastrophic cookie recipe, and...an engagement! Tune in next week for a special ep recapping 2023.

How did you spend your spare time this month:

* MM: Holiday-ing! Loving on friends and fam in DC, PA, MIA, 

* AA: drag bingo, scrapbooking, not knitting SOS, holiday shows, holiday dinners, baking cookies, spending christmas with my baby nephews 

Best/Worst:

* Worst:

* MM: two major fails: whole fish + cookies

* AA: the bon appetit smores cookies - seriously wrong 

* Best: 

* AA: everything I ate at I Egg You and the carrots at yellow: wood-roasted carrots tahini ranch, urfathing spice 

* MM: Getting enGayged 0o0o00o0o

Spare Time Rec:

* AA: Culture Study Pod + Your Sweaters Are Garbage 

* MM: The Land of Milk and Honey and The Book of Difficult Fruit

Culture / 3 Things You Need to Know: 

* The Iron Claw - I just have to give everyone a warning 

* Goodles 

* 2024 Book & Music Release Radar

Look Ahead:

* MM: trad-wife life lol, more themed dinner parties, more moving, thrifting, driving (!), and many more new year’s resolutions, new journeys for us both (stay tuned for more teehee), and old journeys aka reading 

* AA: D&D???? 75 Hard continues, TBIL weekend, going to the cape, reading I go so hard in Jan and have so many arcs, and the soon to be famous cookbook journey, Subscription Box - more to come!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit inyoursparetime.substack.com

November was a big for family, food, work, and being tired! I know that’s pretty unique but hopefully one or two of you can relate! Beyond that we discuss nutrituional yeast vinegar, Spotify Wrapped, and sharing a shave ice with friends. What’s not to love??

How did you spend your spare time this month:

* MM: working big time, being in Miami, recovering from working, holiday-ing, recovering from holiday-ing! Fam time, etc.

* AA: Boston! Friends! So many work dinners and things, NYC, Family, Friendsgiving, Touring the West Wing, etc. 

Best/Worst:

* Worst:

* MM: Cooking two Thanksgivings in a row

* AA: Chocolate peanut butter croissant at Radio Bakery lol 

* Best: 

* AA: the shaved ice dessert at Tonchin in Brooklyn but it was mostly the company probably 

* MM: Stock party! Best of Thanksgiving: Eric Kim’s Cheesy Scallion Stuffing

Spare Time Rec:

* AA: Have You Heard of Christmas by Matt Rogers 

* MM: Purchasing a gift from our gift guide (and The Dry Down newsletter)

Culture / 3 Things You Need to Know: 

* Spotify wrapped wrapped

* MOVIES (Good Grief, LTWB, Renaissance, Hunger Games, Past Lives, Saltburn, May December)

* Nutritional Yeast Vin 

Look Ahead:

* MM: December! You’ve always been a problem child! Reminiscing, daydreaming, thinking about the year ahead! Celebrating Christmas! Listening to my best of all time playlist! READING–I’ve got 14 books left to crush to hit 100 lol

* AA: Yearning for the Sara B album I guess, knitting I sure hope, reading, watching movies, snowboarding, celebrating Christmas with my nephews which will be too cute I think. 75 hard?

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit inyoursparetime.substack.com