Have a Lovely Weekend.

What are you up to this weekend? We’re going to watch Parasite for the first time, which I’m looking forward to, and I just started the great book Want. Hope you have a restful one, and here are a few fun links from around the web…

How delicious does this jam look?

A Dirty Dancing sequel is in the works.

Good luck doing this 30-minute meal in 30 minutes, haha.

A spiral museum in Switzerland.

Salted double chocolate peanut butter cookies.

Cool puzzles.

Issa Rae is making a documentary about the history of Black television, and Ta-Nehisi Coates’s book Between the World and Me will become an HBO special.

What a beautiful São Paulo home.

A blog series about new motherhood at age 40+.

Made me laugh. (The New Yorker)

Modern Citizen is killing it right now. (How pretty is this dress? I’d like to wear it every day this summer.)

Speaking of pretty dresses, in a recent week of outfits, Marianne said she wears her nicest dresses to Trader Joe’s because life is short! Should we join her? Take a photo of yourself in a favorite dress at home, walking around the block or at Trader Joe’s, and send it to hello@cupofjo.com. We’d love to feature a post with us all swanning around! xoxoxoxo

Plus, two reader comments:

Says Tess on will I be single forever: “I had an amazing neighbor when I was in college. She was about 75 and single. Very maternal, always taking care of the students next door. She’d never had a date or relationship in her life. Then she met someone at the swimming pool. They went out on a few dates, and we were thrilled for her. One day, we saw her come home early in the morning. We ran to her, wanting to know everything. She said: ‘Is this what all the fuss is about? I can do a better job myself.’ And lived happily alone ever after.”

Says Diana on I’m moving into my own place: “To make my space homey, I like to frame ordinary things I’ve saved over the years. I saved a sugar packet from a trip to Cuba with my family. A bus ticket from my cousin’s town in Poland. Guitar picks I caught at concerts, napkin doodles, my mom’s grocery list. Ikea has cheap frames and picture frames are almost always lying in ‘free’ piles in my neighborhood on trash day.”

Note: If you buy something through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission, at no cost to you. We recommend only products we genuinely like. Thank you so much.

(Photo by yasminemei/Instagram. Dirty Dancing sequel via GOACA.)

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Ashley

August 18, 2020 6:42 am

At the beginning of quarantine, about week 3, I got all dressed up and my husband asked, WHERE ARE YOU GOING??? Trader Joe’s, I replied, and we both burst out laughing. Now every time I’m dressed up he asks if I’m going to Trader Joe’s.

Claire Walker

August 17, 2020 2:51 pm

What did you think of Parasite??? I couldn’t stop thinking about it for weeks after I saw it…

Joanna Goddard

Author

Reply to Claire Walker

August 17, 2020 3:27 pm

oh my gosh it was so CREEPY! I was shocked by the twists and turns, which I definitely didn’t see coming. what did you think? xoxo

Juliana

August 17, 2020 11:54 am

I find it wonderful, Joanna, that you encourage reading for our own pleasure besides reading to and with our children.
It is so easy to let tiredness dissuade us from reading a couple of pages during a crazy busy day. When do you find the time to read? Do you schedule it during the day? Is it before going to bed? While baking?
Somehow, we find time for a movie more readily, and justifiably so since it is an experience we can share with family while it is happening. Reading remains a solitary act, but you offer an inviting, unpretentious venue for the sharing of titles, comments and thoughts about our individual adventures with reading.
So, how about talking about books and movies at some point?
Books that are more delightful than the movies they inspired.
Movies that are more memorable than the books they are based on.
Or the best movies based on books! Box office success before we even learned about the books behind the movie has been a pretty common phenomenon lately.
Reading the book behind the movie is in fact one of my ten favorite ways to pick the next title I am going to read.
Another one is selecting a different genre, and though I do not venture too far away, or I stay within the same three choices most of the time, I feel so validated and encouraged by the variety you suggest, or Caroline so aptly encapsulates in her posts.
Thank you, it is delightful to meet with you for a cup of Jo! (I think I have just written my non-romantic love letter!!)

Agnès

Reply to Juliana

August 20, 2020 5:00 am

I enjoyed reading your comment Juliana, it is so well written (I am french so not a native english speaker); I think reading is a habit and for some of us, it the so comforting. I find it hard to sleep if I don’t read a few pages, in bed; it’s like brushing my teeth. I have ALWAYS a few books by my side; sometimes I fall asleep without opening the book but I need to have a book in my hand. Books are my best friends (I do have people in my life, but books are always available ;).

August 17, 2020 7:45 am

Ok, The Quick Brown Fox “written by a man about an old woman” made me laugh out loud.

Karen Ortiz

Reply to S

August 18, 2020 12:13 pm

Me too! ‘…she was 31.’…hahaha

marie

August 16, 2020 9:56 pm

So disappointed that there is no mention about the derecho that went through Iowa. People are really hurting, and half the crops are ruined.

Claire

Reply to marie

August 17, 2020 9:57 am

Well this is not a news site, but I’m sure many would welcome the opportunity to contribute. Would you please elaborate, and share resources if you know of them? I saw that the Red Cross is collecting donations. I am assuming you are in Iowa – are you aware of local resources that also need support?

Christina

Reply to marie

August 17, 2020 12:09 pm

They cannot possibly mention every single thing that happens, however devastating it is for those involved. Which doesn’t mean lack of empathy!

Amy

Reply to marie

August 17, 2020 3:36 pm

@Claire Mazur and Erica Cerulo – here is a list of resources to help.

https://www.thegazette.com/subject/opinion/staff-columnist/iowans-were-devestated-by-the-derecho-heres-how-you-can-help-20200813

patricia durgin

August 16, 2020 1:13 am

Shameless plug as long as we’re talking about great puzzles – my sister-in-law has a small local puzzle company which makes the most satisfying puzzles ever! Art & Fable Puzzle Company. Google it!

Meg.F

Reply to patricia durgin

August 18, 2020 11:00 pm

Ohhh thank you for sharing!

Allie

August 15, 2020 11:25 pm

Hope you blocked out an extra hour after the movie for discussion time! Discussion prompts: classism, the role of scent/smell in the film, exaggeration/magical realism, “niceness” as a personality trait in relation to wealth, did certain events in the film actually take place, and how much did you want a hot tutor growing up:)

Fun fact: the house was built for the movie!!

Agnès

Reply to Allie

August 20, 2020 5:01 am

¿what? How crazy is the movie business!!

Kathryn

August 15, 2020 11:21 pm

LIKE A SLAP BRACELET

Kristina

Reply to Kathryn

August 16, 2020 11:39 pm

I laughed out loud at that whole “scene” ha!

Rashmi

August 15, 2020 10:16 pm

Has anyone seen this analysis of words used to define physical traits of men and women in prestige literature? It is so self evident when you read it and so so frustrating to realise how we still view male and female bodies differently.
https://pudding.cool/2020/07/gendered-descriptions/

alexis

Reply to Rashmi

August 17, 2020 9:27 am

Really cool, thanks for sharing!

Reply to Rashmi

August 17, 2020 2:38 pm

This is amazing (and saddening), thank you! Never heard of The Pudding before–I’m excited to dig in.

Agnès

Reply to Rashmi

August 20, 2020 5:05 am

Thank you, what a project! and the site is super interesting.

August 15, 2020 2:23 pm

hi everyone, unrelated to what was posted but does anyone have good local resources I can support or give money to in support of the communities where the hurricane | storm hit in iowa? https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2020/08/14/cedar-rapids-iowa-derecho/

Reply to ks

August 17, 2020 9:12 am

Lyz Lenz wrote this article about places to donate to and also has additional places on her twitter:

https://www.thegazette.com/subject/opinion/staff-columnist/iowans-were-devestated-by-the-derecho-heres-how-you-can-help-20200813

paulina

August 15, 2020 1:17 pm

Love the TJ’s idea! When Covid first started everynight I’d dress like a supermodel and take a cocktail around the block. Lifts my energy and everyone around me :)

Agnès

August 15, 2020 4:37 am

I hadn’t laughed like that for a long time! (the article on the 30 minutes recipe! it is totally me; and I love the sense of humour). I have to confess the weirdest thing: whenever I read a recipe, in English, I either hear it with Jack Nicholson’s voice, or Meryl Streep (because I saw a segment on the Ellen Show, where she reads a recipe in a sexy voice and it is soo funny). That was Jack Nicholson, in that one.

Nigerian Girl

August 15, 2020 3:42 am

That Dirty Dancing sequel? No. Big no. I won’t let Hollywood ruin my childhood. Parasite is the best movie I saw last year. I still think about it from time to time. And I keep hearing good things about Want. Enjoy, Joanna.

Callie

August 15, 2020 2:30 am

I’m sorry, don’t you mean Dirty Dancing is getting another sequel? As if Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights isn’t the most LOGICAL and TOTALLY BELIEVABLE, not too mention GREATEST film ever made!

Megan Wardell

August 14, 2020 11:10 pm

So fun! Lynn (who wrote Want) and I were on our high school track team together!

Karen

August 14, 2020 9:44 pm

Hope you enjoy Parasite. I did but also made the mistake of watching the last half late at night. I stayed up half the night because I couldn’t stop thinking about it after finishing the film!

Catherine

August 14, 2020 9:30 pm

I read Want recently and really liked it! Would you consider doing a post about it eventually?

Joanna Goddard

Author

Reply to Catherine

August 14, 2020 9:43 pm

Yes!

Sally

August 14, 2020 8:28 pm

The entire comment section on the Will I Be Single Forever post was one of the best parts of my week. Have a great weekend! ❤️

Rusty

Reply to Sally

August 15, 2020 10:15 am

That comment made me think that it sounds like my future self!! Hahaha ?

Maeve

Reply to Sally

August 16, 2020 11:50 am

SAME!

Nadine

August 14, 2020 8:00 pm

I can’t wait to see all the girls in their pretty summer dresses. (Have announced it to my husband, so now it’s “us” girls.)

carrie

August 14, 2020 7:12 pm

I saw Parasite in the cinema in February. That was my last “normal” weekend, carefree and going to the dentist, mall, cinema, and restaurants. Feels like a million years ago.

Amy

August 14, 2020 7:11 pm

I loved Parasite, and I kept thinking about it for several days afterward. One thing that really struck me about the film was that I disliked all of the characters (some more than others) but I still felt a great deal of empathy for each of them. The aesthetics of the film were amazing and it was such a pleasant escape to see it in a theater. I LOVED the house in the film.

Sarah

August 14, 2020 7:02 pm

Wow I love the idea of framing everyday things. I never thought of that! And it’s true – I picked up 3 frames from a “Free” pile last week :)

Quinn

August 14, 2020 6:10 pm

My husband and I finally watched Parasite a week ago (split over two nights, due to juggling kids and WFH) and it definitely lived up to all the hype! I couldn’t stop thinking about it, and just wanted to talk to other people about it, which there are definitely fewer opportunities for in the midst of a pandemic….

Hope

August 14, 2020 6:07 pm

I just want to share that I finished Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino this morning and it’s insane in the membrane good. I will be recommending it to everyone I know.

laura

August 14, 2020 5:32 pm

I thought Dirty Dancing already had a sequel, ‘Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights.’ I guess that one was more of a remake lol.. Excited about this one featuring Jennifer Grey!

Colleen S

Reply to laura

August 14, 2020 7:17 pm

It’s less of a sequel, but a prequel of sorts. Havana Nights took place four years before the events of the first movie, even though Patrick Swayze was much older and in Havana Nights.

Andrea

August 14, 2020 5:27 pm

Thank you for sharing the blog series about new motherhood at age 40+. I really needed to read that! I’m in my late 30s and finally know I want to be a mother but I also worry about how my age will effect my experience (pregnancy AND parenthood). It’s so nice to hear from women who have positive things to say about becoming first-time moms “later” in life. It makes me feel less alone.

Kay

Reply to Andrea

August 14, 2020 9:42 pm

Hi Andrea! You are not alone I had my first baby at 36 and my second at 37. I rather like having kids in my late 30s because I spent my 20s and early/mid 30s doing everything I wanted to do (travel, sleep in, read books until dawn, impromptu brunch and movie dates with friends ) that now I don’t resent my kids for having kept me from living that kind of life. I like feeling more sure and confident about myself in raising 2 beautiful kids to be good, decent human beings. Also, my first pregnancy at 36 made me feel so energetic and strong (with my second I was exhausted chasing a 1 year old around). Good luck in whatever choice you decide to make!

amy

Reply to Andrea

August 15, 2020 12:31 am

Read, State of Wonder by Ann Patchette, a fictional take on the topic of (much) older women and pregnancy. Fascinating, but I love her storytelling in general.

Agnès

Reply to Andrea

August 15, 2020 4:34 am

I had my first pregnancy at 42, my son is 6. My pregnancy was fine and I had all the energy; my partner is 100% on board. Of course, I’m the mother with the grey hair, but also I’m way cooler and more relaxed than the younger parents, after all, I was raised in the 70s! I had older parents and really enjoyed it, they were more relaxed. Don’t worry.

Rusty

Reply to Andrea

August 15, 2020 10:17 am

My motherwas 40 when she had meandwe became best friends!
Age isa number. We talked about EVERYTHING when I was a teenager.

michelle

August 14, 2020 4:42 pm

I’m watching Parasite for the second time on Saturday with my adult son. There is a twist in this movie you won’t see coming! Enjoy the movie JoAnna! ?

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