Have a Wonderful Weekend.

What are you up to this weekend? My dad is coming to visit, and we’re going to take long walks and see Ford v Ferrari. Hope you have a good one, and here are a few fun links from around the web…

Found! The coziest sweater.

How cute are these gift tags?

A great interview with Tom Hanks. Spielberg once said about him, “If Norman Rockwell were alive today, he would paint a portrait of Tom.” (New York Times)

We played this game at a friend’s house recently, and it’s hilarious. Would be perfect for Thanksgiving family hangs.

Salt and vinegar mashed potatoes!

Do babies cry in different languages? (NYT Parenting)

A pigeon made a nest with flowers.

Every Matt Damon movie, ranked. Do you agree?

What a pretty alternative to buying fresh flowers.

Plus, two reader comments:

Says Elise on a funny relationship question: “I just got home from our elementary school, where our dog Pippa goes for the reading program. No, she does not read. The kids read to her. The dog is non-judgmental, and the kids get one-on-one time. Kids and dogs are so special.”

Says Alyson on what’s your glark: “For so many years my grandma and mama would do the up-at-4am-basted-broiled-Norman Rockwell turkey. Then five years ago, it just popped up in conversation that no one really cared for it. So far, we’ve subbed homemade fried chicken, oven-roasted salmon, sliced prime rib, and, after one very challenging year, skipped the drama altogether and just made a huge meal out of our favorite sides.”

(Photo by Stoops of Brooklyn.)

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networth

October 29, 2020 3:57 am

My colleagues were recommending Ford vs Ferrari and I like the star cast already. This week was my partners birthday and so we’re celebrating a little.
I haven’t played What do you meme yet but I’ve played Cards against humanity and that’s a popular game as well. Have you tried it?

Bridget

November 21, 2019 5:48 pm

nooo, without a DOUBT matt damon’s best performance/movie is Good Will Hunting! Although Ripley is pretty legit …

November 19, 2019 6:20 am

Oh my DOG! Elise’s comment about kids reading to her dog. That.Is.Too.Cute! I am going to ask every primary school teacher I know if I can do this with my dog!

Andrea

November 19, 2019 5:57 am

Making a Thanksgiving meal of just sides IS THE BEST THING EVER!!!

Hannah

November 19, 2019 4:59 am

I feel obligated to comment about the “What Do You Meme?” card game… while it is a funny game, I would like to preface to everyone – it’s not family-friendly!!! A bunch of my friends got together for board games night at a bar and played this and we were all very shocked by how dirty it was. Not sure I’d play it at Thanksgiving unless only us cousins played it, ha. (Read the Amazon reviews for more details)

River

November 18, 2019 4:29 pm

It should be said that “What Do You Meme” is absolutely an ADULT game. If your Thanksgiving fam is actually friends then yes, but if it is your actual family, not in a million years! *blush*

Alex

November 18, 2019 5:19 am

Ha! I knew it, I knew it! The talented Mr. Ripley IS Matt Damon’s best performance ever!

Janet Fazio

November 17, 2019 1:16 pm

Salt and vinegar mashed potatoes!?! I love the chips and seriously can’t wait to try these out.

November 17, 2019 5:36 am

That little pigeon is quite local for me. It’s been funny to see this go from our local news and around the country (which maked sense being a national memorial right near a national remembrance day) but now it’s obviously reaching right around the world!

Tory

November 16, 2019 7:49 pm

Lisa

November 16, 2019 3:36 pm

I loved that NYT article on Tom hanks. I follow him on Instagram and he is just delightful. Just reading the article made me want to try to be a kinder person. I would love if when people thought of me they thought of me as kind

Anna

November 16, 2019 1:04 pm

Loved the Emily Henderson link – it took me right back to when my husband and I had just got married and were living in a tiny studio while he was finishing grad school, and I so desperately wanted to make it feel like home. Fall decor was definitely out of our budget, but there was a gorgeous Japanese Maple in our courtyard that every other week I’d snip a little foliage from to display in our one pretty container!

Sara Cotner

November 16, 2019 11:58 am

I love Emily’s trick for bringing greenery inside! I do it both with fresh, green things, but I also do it with dried things that don’t have to be changed out: grass things that look like wheat, sticks, etc. Nature is so pretty!

Sarah

November 16, 2019 7:50 am

Very surprised to see Matt Damon plugged on here considering the ignorant comments he made about sexual assault and harassment during multiple interviews re: Harvey Weinstein. Even his co-star Minnie Driver spoke out against his comments. This was huge news at the time…how quickly we (including COJ) forget. Sad.

Joaquina

Reply to Sarah

November 17, 2019 6:28 pm

My thoughts exactly. Was dismayed to see the mention of him here. No more Damon press, please.

Elizabeth Spence

November 16, 2019 6:11 am

I also feel it is important to note that the flowers are plastic poppys rich in symbolism that were taken from a tomb and a wall of remembrance at the War Memorial, which adds to the strangeness of the birds choice but also, I imagine a bird wouldn’t use fresh flowers for a nest!

Katrina

November 16, 2019 1:46 am

I used to adore Matt Damon. I liked a lot of his movies, Bourne, Talented Mr. Ripley, Good Will Hunting. But, then there was news that he helped pay off Casey’s accuser, and then his response to the me too movement. It’s left a bad taste in my mouth and now I think of him as just another middle aged white guy who doesn’t get it.

Katie

November 15, 2019 11:20 pm

My school uses reading dogs as well. We’ve got one girl, 10 years old, who won’t speak to teachers at all, including me. This makes assessing her reading aloud skills hard! Thankfully, she speaks to her friends, and to the reading dogs. Such a lovely reprieve.

Hali

November 15, 2019 8:39 pm

That pigeon made me emotional! Birds are so weird and precious!

Kellie

November 15, 2019 7:21 pm

Stunning photo by the way! And loved the links! The taking the dog to school quote made me laugh!!!

reba

November 15, 2019 5:58 pm

Very off-topic, but…did anyone read the NYT article about the odd experience of having your house used as the model for a TV-show set? I’m not sure how to insert a link, but it’s here: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/15/realestate/what-its-like-to-watch-tv-replicate-your-home.html action=click&module=Well&pgtype=Homepage&section=Real%20Estate,
or search for “What It’s Like to Watch TV Replicate Your Home.” Maybe it is because it is New York, or maybe because of the home tours, but I read it and thought immediately of these Friday links!

mike

November 15, 2019 5:27 pm

I whole heartedly agree with the Talented Mr. Ripley as Matt Damon’s best movie. I would have put Good Will Hunting right above it in number 2, though. As I was scrolling down the list I kept thinking to myself that they forgot the Talented Mr. Ripley, I had no idea that anyone liked that movie the same way I did, so I was kind of (pleasantly) surprised to see it at number 1.

Kim

November 15, 2019 5:05 pm

The Talented Mr. Ripley is so good. I watched it last week and agree that it’s probably Damon’s best. I’ve never been a huge Damon fan, though.

Rebecca

November 15, 2019 4:59 pm

Thanks for another round of lovely links. I ended up having a little look at stationery treats online afterwards and discovered this gorgeous concept – a letter-writing club for children: http://www.mrboddington.com/sslw
COJ readers who love letters and have children may fancy signing up. I have stayed in touch with a dear friend I met whilst backpacking for 20 years, chiefly by post – it’s delicious! Enjoy xx

Erica

November 15, 2019 4:41 pm

My son (4 months) was actually part of a study at Harvard when he was about 10 weeks old where they’re seeing if babies understand different songs even outside their culture (different languages) – basically whether a song was meant to excite them or soothe them. He sat in a little chair w a monitor on his foot that tracked his heart rate and level of excitement based on how his skin sweat (developed by MIT). It was adorable, two little animations “sang” songs while they tracked and took video/audio of his reactions. Of course, being my kid, he let out the loudest poop with about 30 seconds left in the recording. ((facepalm))

PS, if you live near Boston, Harvard’s Developmental Lab and Music Lab have neat opportunities for babies to participate in studies like this (we’re doing another this weekend) and you get cool Harvard swag!

Cait

November 15, 2019 4:19 pm

The pigeon poppy nest just made my week. How adorable.

Sheena

November 15, 2019 4:03 pm

Thank you for that Tom Hanks article: I just read it and now I want to tell everyone else to read it, too. Really beautiful.

Deb in Oklahoma

November 15, 2019 3:57 pm

Oh, my. That pigeon with the nest of poppies just really hit me hard, especially the fourth photo. No idea why, but the symbolism in it was very moving. The pigeon wouldn’t know what it means, but we, as humans, do.

Candace

November 15, 2019 3:45 pm

What is the game!? I’m looking for a few for the holidays, but I’m from Canada and every time I click on an Amazon link you post it won’t take me to it because it’s in a different country (and yes I accept the change country thing and it still never works). Thank you :)

Joanna Goddard

Author

Reply to Candace

November 15, 2019 3:56 pm

It’s called “What Do You Meme?” And it’s so funny.

Bernadette

Reply to Candace

November 15, 2019 4:24 pm

Ahh its interesting and important to note they weren’t JUST natural flowers they were PLASTIC REMEMBRANCE DAY poppies. Xox

Tia

Reply to Candace

November 16, 2019 6:02 pm

Thanks Jo and Candace- I have the same issue with the weekly roundups. I love them all the same though!

laura

November 15, 2019 3:45 pm

What is it with Norman Rockwell lately? I keep seeing references to him pop up.

Maclean Nash

Reply to laura

November 15, 2019 6:15 pm

I know! I think Lana Del Rey kicked that off with her most recent album or somethin!

Reply to laura

November 16, 2019 5:47 pm

Thanksgiving coming up, probably? Iconic and whatnot.

Lora

November 15, 2019 2:59 pm

Once I was in the home of a news anchor who had interviewed all kinds of impressive people. I remember walking down a quiet hallway near the guest bathroom and there, framed alongside many impressive media awards, was a sweet, funny and genuine thank you card from Tom Hanks. It was early in her career and he was so kind and encouraging in the note. It clearly meant a lot to her and it inspired me to be more generous with my encouragement and gratitude.

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