Friday Flames | 10.5.23
A weekly synopsis of what we figured out about wedding prep, the history of hair dye, and Andrew Ridgeley.
Saying Yes to the Dress
It’s a lean writing week for us at WTFGUHQ, as we pour our meager energy reserves into Magda and Mike’s wedding on Sunday. You’ve heard plenty about it over the past months, and it’s safe to say that—after transport has been coordinated, officiant hired, wardrobes sized, meals selected, pre-events organized, pet care established, etc., etc., and etc.—we’re all ready to have this most joyful event happen already.
We won’t have a check-in this Monday, while Magda celebrates her second first day of married life. But we’ll surely have a lot to say about the weekend once the confetti clears.
This week on the podcast
On the Monday Check-In: Magda’s brain shut down amid all the decisions for her wedding this weekend, and Doug emerged from the Colorado woods.
Monday Check-In: "I woke up this morning and just ... couldn't."
Listen now (12 mins) | There was actually a lot to check in on this week, Magda’s last before her wedding on Sunday. Stress and decisions and the usual last-minute organizational mishegoss have so frazzled the bride-to-be that she’s immersed herself in more Duggar skul-Duggery
For Episode 18: We can choose how we age. We can forgive our bodies and wear what we want. We can ignore the scary marketing. We can read Karen Walrond’s new book.
Episode 18: "Trust you'll handle the tough stuff, and look forward to the good stuff."
Listen now (69 mins) | A lot has happened since Karen Walrond published The Lightmaker’s Manifesto in 2021. For one, we’ve all aged—which is nothing new. We’ve been doing that since the day we arrived. It’s just at this point in our midlives that we seem to notice it more.
News from Podcast Alumnae
Congratulations to previous WTFGU guests Ann Imig (Episode 11) and
(Episode 16), who with Mariana Olenko have launched their new humor podcast, It’s Pronounced “Memwah.” Their first, very entertaining episode discusses WHAM! George Michael and Me by Andrew Ridgeley.Currently watching
Doug watched Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar on the plane to Colorado and was delighted by its wide-ranging and unapologetic silliness. The writing team behind Bridesmaids had the clout to get this old-school comedy romp made, and the complete lack of anything remotely serious was a perfect “soul douche.”
Magda won’t get the chance to watch the season finale of Only Murders in the Building until next week, so no spoilers, please! She has liked Season 3 more than Season 2 and is already excited for Season 4—as long as Chevy Chase’s rumored involvement is minimal.
Currently reading
Magda read Kon-Tiki by Thor Heyerdahl for her Norwegian Club book club, and it's making her feel like a slacker. It's too amazing that humans once devised and accomplished this astonishing voyage—4,300 nautical miles across the Pacific Ocean by raft—and now can’t drive across town without GPS.
Doug spent early mornings on campsites finishing The Razor’s Edge, by the splendidly-named Somerset Maugham. It seemed very appropriate to read about finding life’s meaning and rejecting rampant consumerism while shutting off his phone and living in the woods out of a backpack.
Next on the podcast
For Episode 19: Jennifer Mendelsohn talks about her remarkable story arc from journalism to Twitter fame to #resistancegenealogy to her burgeoning expertise in using DNA to reunite Jewish families affected by the Holocaust.
Thanks for reading, and here’s to love. 🥂
Magda and Doug