An Ode to Kraft Dinner, Food of Troubled Times

Catapult

More than twenty years later, the sound of dried pasta tubes sliding across cardboard soothes me like a rain stick. Kraft was the first meal I ever truly loved, the first one I attempted to cook on my own, and the first food I could not live without. There are four boxes tucked into my pantry as I write this.

An Ode To The Strange Joys Of Peeking Inside Celebrity Homes

Bustle

Some things are generally understood to be wonderful. Antique clawfoot bathtubs, vintage mid-century recliners, infinity pools. We see them and we salivate at what they offer: the promise of luxury, style, and comfort; of expansive dining rooms with glass doors that open onto a secluded cobblestone patio.

The Great Pottery Throw Down Helped Me Find Solace In The Chaos Of 2020

Bustle

I have ruined my pottery pieces in every way imaginable. I have drowned them in water, parched them until cracks formed and accidentally gouged them with nails. I have looked away for a second and toppled them and I’ve focused too hard and sliced them in half. Some have exploded in the kiln and others have been knocked over by cats, shattering on the kitchen floor. Each destroyed work of art has reinforced a central lesson: in pottery, and in life, everything is chaos despite our best attempts at control.

Why Our Obsession With Bring It On Endures, 20 Years Later

Bustle

Within the first two minutes of Bring It On, the film lets us know that it’s in on the joke. The Toros’ opening cheer is performance art, equal parts self aware and self-criticism. It tells the audience: I know how you might feel about cheerleaders, and frankly, I don’t care.

Why I'll Never Forgive Violet's Boyfriend In Coyote Ugly

Bustle

Sometimes, late at night, I think of a line from Coyote Ugly. “They don’t come to watch you sing, they come to watch girls shaking it on a bar,” Violet’s (Piper Perabo) boyfriend Kevin (Adam Garcia) screams at her in the Manhattan alley of the Coyote Ugly Saloon. He’s just traded his beloved Spider-Man comic book (wish I was kidding) to get Violet, a bartender with dreams of becoming a singer-songwriter, a spot at a prominent open mic night.

Why Amy Is The Only The Family Stone Character Worth Rooting For

Bustle

From the first moment Amy Stone (Rachel McAdams) appears on screen in The Family Stone — swinging a well-used NPR canvas tote over her shoulder while carrying a hamper full of dirty laundry — it’s clear that she doesn’t give a f*ck. As the grumpy youngest sister of the Stone family, she’s the antithesis of a lovable Hallmark character with their shiny blowouts and pashmina shawls.