This week's basics. #3 A little of everything.
The Idea of You, recent reads, a Chicago staple, pimple patches, a Starbucks dupe and a surgery update.
Welcome to this week’s basics! I’ve got a little of everything this time around and I’d love to see that happen regularly. I’m still trying to find way here. How can I balance sharing things that bring me joy while still being consistent and original? I want to be sure I’m being authentic to myself and Basic B’s Guide so I appreciate your patience as I explore this new world of Substack.
Recent Reads
I listened to How to Read a Book by Monica Wood and adored it. Eileen Stevens does a wonderful job narrating the story. I just love stories that explore themes of forgiveness, hope, community and acts of kindness. If you enjoy books by Ethan Joella then be sure to give this one a go. It’s available now.
How to Read a Book is an unsparingly honest and profoundly hopeful story about letting go of guilt, seizing second chances, and the power of books to change our lives. With the heart, wit, grace, and depth of understanding that has characterized her work, Monica Wood illuminates the decisions that define a life and the kindnesses that make life worth living.
I also read a physical copy of the Knife by Salman Rushdie . Thank you Random House for the gifted copy. This is a memoir and ‘meditation after an attempted murder’. I’m an avid memoir reader and often find myself compelled to read stories about people that are unfamiliar to me. I’ve never read anything by Rushdie before but I was interested to learn the story behind the traumatic incident and how he personally moved forward. I found myself highlighting quite a few passages in the first half of the novel. He did lose me a little bit around the halfway mark as his thoughts meandered and it became a bit too meditative for my taste. I still found it a worthwhile read as I could relate to the separation of mind and body while healing.
In the next months there would be many more such bodily humiliations. In the presence of serious injuries, your body’s privacy ceases to exist, you lose autonomy over your physical self, over the vessel in which you sail. You allow this because you have no alternative. You surrender the captaincy of your ship so that it won’t sink. You allow people to do what they will with your body—to prod and drain and inject and stitch and inspect your nakedness—so that you can live.
Things I Tried
I’m always on the hunt for a dupe as I love to save a buck. The Starbucks Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso is my go-to order when I want to treat myself as it’s one of the fewer calorie items on the menu and gives me the caffeine jolt that I so often need. So, you can imagine my excitement when I found a Starbucks Brown Sugar Oatmilk Cold Brew available on a Target run. This bottle rings in around $6.50 and makes around 4 grande drinks. That’s a 4 for 1 deal and it tastes AMAZING! I was thoroughly and pleasantly surprised. Highly recommend!
On another note, I’ve been stressing with my breast implant issue and a GIANT pimple popped up, right smack in the middle of my face. Yay. While at Target I decided to grab a pack of the Mighty Patches. I bought the 24 pack for $7.99 and decided to give it a go. While the pimple didn’t disappear after one use, it most certainly did after the second night. Glad to have these on hand and quite impressed.
What I Watched
Back in 2021, I led a buddy read of The Idea of You by Robinne Lee with a fellow bookstagrammer and friend. It was by far our most popular #dearbasicbuddyread and many participants were re-readers as the book originally published in 2017. The book quickly became a cult favorite and made a resurgence during Covid. I went in a little hesitant but tried to keep an open mind. I LOVED this book. It stands as one of my all time favorite romance reads and makes for a fantastic book club read. I convinced my local book club to read it and chatted with the ladies of BookTalkEtc podcast on an After Dark episode for patrons. Check that out if you happen to be a patron of the podcast. Just note that it is full of SPOILERS. We had strong opinions on the casting for the movie as well.
What I love most about this book is that it’s complicated and nuanced. It’s escapist while also firmly reminding the reader of the real world. It’s also very steamy which I tend to like in my romance reading.
I told friends and fellow fans that I would be watching the Netflix adaptation but I figured I would be hate watching. Well, I’m pleased to report that I didn’t hate it.
What I liked…(the basics)
Anne Hathaway surprised me, the chemistry was believable and the ending fit the movie.
What I didn’t like…(the basics)
The omission of all the complexities within the novel and how condensed their love affair felt. I think the movie really diminishes everything I loved about the book but I can see why the movie will appeal to viewers that enjoy a happily ever after.
Verdict: Read the book if you’re open to a complicated love affair that includes adult sexual content. Watch the movie if you’re looking for something less complicated and best enjoyed with bowl of popcorn and your favorite cold beverage.
Solène Marchand, the thirty-nine-year-old owner of an art gallery in Los Angeles, is reluctant to take her daughter, Isabelle, to meet her favorite boy band. But since her divorce, she's more eager than ever to be close to Isabelle. The last thing Solène expects is to make a connection with one of the members of the world-famous August Moon. But Hayes Campbell is clever, winning, confident, and posh, and the attraction is immediate. That he is all of twenty years old further complicates things.
What begins as a series of clandestine trysts quickly evolves into a passionate and genuine relationship. It is a journey that spans continents as Solène and Hayes navigate each other's worlds: from stadium tours to international art fairs to secluded hideaways in Paris and Miami. For Solène, it is a reclaiming of self, as well as a rediscovery of happiness and love. When Solène and Hayes' romance becomes a viral sensation, and both she and her daughter become the target of rabid fans and an insatiable media, Solène must face how her romantic life has impacted the lives of those she cares about most.
Final note: THE BOOK IS ALWAYS BETTER!
What I Ate
Portillo’s opened up a location not too far from us in 2023 and we’ve been anxiously awaiting lines to diminish before venturing over.
In 1963, Dick Portillo invested $1,100 into a small trailer to open the first Portillo's hot dog stand in Villa Park, IL, which he called "The Dog House." Years later, Portillo's has become a brand synonymous with Chicago. In fact, we're kind of a big dill- people say it's not a real trip to Chicago unless you eat at Portillo's. Fortunately, die-hard fans and first-timers alike have their choice of Portillo's restaurants, as we've beefed up to more than 70 locations across several states.
They’re known mostly for their Chicago-style hot dogs, Italian beef sandwiches and cheese fries. The kids were busy with a football event one night, so my husband and I took the chance to zoom over for a quick bite. We both had the Italian beef sandwich with hot peppers. I got mine dry - which really just means it’s lightly dipped in their hot gravy, which was perfect because I hate soggy bread.
Overall an indulgent and delicious meal, albeit a tad pricey. I was surprised the peppers weren’t too hot considering how many they put on the sandwich. If we go back I want to try the cheese fries but the onion rings were not a bad choice.
Life lately
In case you missed it…(see below for an update)
This week's basics. #1 Advocating for myself.
With just three weeks of the school year left for my boys, I knew we were entering a very busy season. Band concerts, soccer and basketball games, our bathroom renovation project, two flat tires in less than a week and now for a diagnosis I’ve been fearing.
An update…
I met with my plastic surgeon last week and they offered a couple of options and confirmed that the ruptured implant is NOT an emergency.
Option 1: I can swap out the ruptured implant with another implant. This surgery would be outpatient and about a two week recovery. My PS happened to have a cancellation and can slot me in for surgery on May 16th.
Option 2: A diep flap reconstruction surgery. This surgery is much more complicated and typically involves 2-5 days in the hospital, a 4-8 week recovery and multiple phases. I can be placed on the waiting list and hope for a surgery date for August.
Breast reconstruction with flap surgery basics from Mayo clinic
Overview
Breast reconstruction is a surgical procedure that restores shape to your breast after a mastectomy — surgery that removes your breast to treat or prevent breast cancer. Breast reconstruction with flap surgery involves taking a section of tissue from one area of your body — most often your abdomen — and relocating it to create a new breast mound.
Breast reconstruction with flap surgery is a complex procedure performed by a plastic surgeon. Much of the breast reconstruction using your body's own tissue can be accomplished at the time of your mastectomy (immediate reconstruction), though sometimes it can be done as a separate procedure later (delayed reconstruction).
Your plastic surgeon may recommend a two-stage procedure. The first stage is to place an implant expander and the second stage is to complete the tissue reconstruction. You'll likely need another operation to perform nipple reconstruction.
I wish that this was an easy decision and one that wasn’t so filled with unknowns. Nonetheless, it’s NEVER over for someone like me. I really want a long term solution and have been debating choice #2 for awhile now. I originally didn’t go that route after a year of chemotherapy and a mastectomy that wiped me out. After speaking with the PS and scheduler, I’ve decided to forgo the swap surgery and go forward with the diep flap surgery. I may change my mind between now and then and I can always have the swap surgery. Regardless I have a plan to do something early August. Right now the surgery and recovery is quite daunting but I’m going to focus on enjoying the summer and the bigger picture.
Phew, this week’s basics were a lot. Hopefully a lot of FUN with a side of real life.
Until next time.
xoxo Basic B
What a GREAT chat we had about Idea!!
I kind of enjoyed The idea of you (haven't read the book), i think based on the premise i expected something much worse, and it was pretty decent!