Miki’s Favorite Books
(Fiction): Normal People by Sally Rooney. You Are My Fireworks by Pete ’The Heat Miser’ Schulte. Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Sweet Sorrow by David Nicholls.
(Non Fiction): Chase Darkness with Me by Billy Jensen and Karen Kilgariff. Untamed by Glennon Doyle.
Pete’s Favorite Books
(Fiction): Sweet Sorrow by David Nicholls. The Searchers by Alan Le May. All Quiet on the Western Front by Eric Remarque. All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. The River by Peter Heller. The Tobacconist by Robert Seethaler.
(Non Fiction): Colorado’s Carlino Brothers: A Bootlegging Empire by Sam Carlino. How the Zebra Got its Stripes: Darwinian tales told through evolutionary biology by Leo Grasset.
Miki’s Favorite TV or Movies
Normal People, Hamilton, Dublin Murders, Onward, Sex Education (second season), Modern Love, Jacob Dylan’s Echo in the Canyon.
Pete’s Favorite TV or Movies
Onward, Normal People, The Devil All the Time, BeeGees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart, Modern Love, Sex Education (second season).
Cordi’s favorite books and movies:
Disney Family Sing-along, The Greatest Showman, Wonky Donkey,
Disney’s Imagineering Documentary, Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, Santa Bruce. Meeting and loving all the characters at Disneyland except Gaston, who was cocky and overly flirtatious (but this dad thought he was very funny and what does one expect from Gaston?).
Sadie’s favorite books and movies:
I am new to your human ways. I shall reserve judgment until this time next year. Hey, you there, I intend to eat your big toe.
Shit we all hated:
Tiger King.
Miki’s notable music:
J Balvin, Camilla Cabello’s Havana, Billie Eilish
Pete’s notable music:
Scritti Politti, Diddy, Chumbawamba, Doug and the Slugs, Sneaker Pimps and the Captain and Tenille.
Favorite 2020 moment for all of us:
Little Sadie Charlotte being born in April. That could have gone very badly with the Covid and the dads maybe not being allowed in the delivery room, but we were very lucky and everything turned out just fine. The hospital staff was great, and, as I recall, we got quite a complimentary meal. Here are the harrowing details…
I was exhausted and hungry after driving 15 minutes, cheerleading another 15, and then cutting the umbilical chord. I was cold and hungry and night was closing in. Outside, the interstate traffic thundered through my brain. The snack area was closed due to the virus. They didn’t have Doritos anyway. Nothing much on tv. So I hunkered down and let the night wash over me. Finally, merciful sleep…
In the morning I poked my head above the covers. I heard a squeaky cart approaching our room. It was the complimentary breakfast we were promised. Gingerly I lifted the lid from my plate. Was this the runny eggs and rubber sausage I anticipated? No dude, it wasn’t. Instead, I was presented with a glorious tray of steak and eggs, mashed potatoes, asparagus, and chocolate mousse. Hot coffee and fresh orange juice. Was this a mirage? These things don’t happen to me. Whatever it was, I dug in. How is it possible that the greatest meal of my year (my life?) was in a hospital? I remember thinking I ought to check in on my wife and baby, but the steak was cooked to perfection, the potatoes divine, and the asparagus was so so asparagusy. I don’t usually crave dessert but I wanted to roll in that mousse, smear it on my clothes and eat it again later. I think I did that. So there you have it, fond memories of a meal supreme and, oh yeah, a new baby! Happy New Year everybody!
