Sweet Shit Round Up
September 2020
DISCLAIMER: THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS. IF YOU PURCHASE A PRODUCT THROUGH MY LINK I WILL RECEIVE A SMALL COMMISSION AT NO EXTRA COST TO YOU! READ MORE ABOUT IT HERE.
September is kind of the perfect month. A combination of summer and fall wrapped into one. Time to find out what sweet shit September brought to the table!
Books
- I really love graphic novels geared toward middle and high schoolers. They’re usually drawn super cute and the stories are relatable. In this autobiographical graphic novel, author and illustrator, Vera Brosgol, is a 10 year old Russian girl living in the U.S. suburbs where everyone around her has more money, more space, and the chance to go to different types of summer camps every year. When Vera discovers an affordable Russian summer camp she begs her mom to send her. But Vera spends most of her summer feeling left out and must learn that friends aren’t worth having if they’re always trying to get things from you. If you’ve ever felt like the outcast you’ll probably appreciate Be Prepared and the struggle Vera faces when it comes to figuring out who she is and the kind of people she wants to be surrounded by. If you’ve got a 9-12 year old in your life pick them up a copy!
Breaking Free by Rachel Jeffs
- Have you ever watched the show Escaping Polygamy? A trio of former members of a polygamist group work to help current members who want to get out. It’s harrowing to watch. Well, a major member of the FLDS polygamy group to escape is Rachel Jeffs, daughter of the church’s “prophet” Warren Jeffs. In this memoir, Rachel goes into detail on what it was like growing up in the FLDS church, the sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of her father, learning to live life as a plural wife, and, ultimately, what the final straw was to push her to leave the church. This book is a fascinating look into the behind the scenes of one of the most notorious polygamy groups in the U.S. It’s hard to not feel angry for Rachel and the other men and women who have been harmed and probably brainwashed by an egotistical criminal pretending to be the one true voice of God.
TV and Movies
-In the third grade I walked into a karate dojo with the intention of sitting in on a class then signing up. As my mom and I walked in the door, we took off our shoes and were promptly greeted by the sight of a child smaller than me sparring with a grown ass man. I had seen enough. I told my mom no way, wouldn’t even let her stop to put her shoes back on, and ran back outside to the car. That dojo had major Cobra Kai vibes. Based in the Karate Kid universe, Cobra Kai follows a grown up Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) and Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) from the first film. Johnny has turned into a down on his luck, functioning alcoholic who hasn’t had a win since he lost the karate championship in the 80s. Daniel is a successful business man running a car dealership and surrounded by a loving family. They’re still sworn enemies even though they obviously could be besties if they just tried. This show was fucking great. It started as a Youtube series before coming to Netflix this month and I’m so glad it switched. The episodes are only 30 minutes so they’re super easy to binge. William Zabka as Johnny Lawrence is a true delight. He’s stuck in the 80s, he’s kinda sexist, but he’s really trying to change himself and I totally get behind that. There’s a third season in the works that Elisabeth Shue ( ELISABETH SHUE) is rumored to make an appearance in and I’m excited. Check it out this weekend!
- Poop makes me laugh. Can’t help it. So when season 2 of American Vandal came out centering around an event simply referred to as “the brownout,” and figuring out the identity of an assailant known only as “the Turd Burglar,” I was ready for giggles. I watched this season when it originally came to Netflix in 2018 but while we were looking for something to leave on in the background this month, Jonathan settled on this and ya’ll it’s just as funny the second time around. I couldn’t get into the first season of American Vandal where the crew is on the case to prove a high school student’s innocence when it came to drawing dicks all over cars in the school’s parking lot. But season 2 had me captivated from the start. If you want something with a bit of mystery and a lot of laughs, you’ve gotta watch it.
- The first Scream movie is one of my favorite horror movies of all time. So when we were looking for something to binge we landed on the MTV Scream tv series from 2015. Here’s the thing. This show isn’t terrible but it’s not the best either. The first two seasons have a real problem with being incredibly white (the third season was revamped and featured a more diverse cast) and the ‘final girl’ is so goddamn boring but overall it’s worth the watch. If you like the who the hell is it aspect of the Scream movies and can get down with some decent (graphic) death scenes you can find all three seasons on Netflix. If you watch, let me know who you think the killer is!
- Addiction is incredibly prevalent in the U.S. Almost everyone knows someone who is coping with addiction or is the one coping themselves. This month, MTV put out a four part series following the teachers and students of a recovery high school in Boston. This documentary is a raw look at the struggle of teens trying to fight their addiction, showing the ups and downs that go along with recovery. The school is staffed with former addicts who understand what the kids are going through, regular drug testing is performed on students, and relapses are treated as part of the recovery process. It’s a really great and emotionally charged series that is worth the watch. Episodes can be found at mtv.com.
- This was a last minute addition to the list. While writing this, I needed something on in the background that I wouldn’t pay much attention to….this was a backfire. Sing On! just came to Netflix on September 16th so I’m accidentally on top of it for once! Hosted by Tituss Burgess, Sing On! is a game show where you don’t have to be the best singer, just the most accurate. Each of the eight episodes has a theme of rock, 80s, love songs etc. that dictates which kind of songs the six contestants will be tasked to sing in a karaoke style. The most accurate singer progresses to the next round while the contestants vote out one of their own for elimination. Voting out is all about strategy because the more accurate everyone sings the more money they can bank for the winner. So do you vote out your biggest competition or the person costing you the most money? I didn’t expect to enjoy this show as much as I have but I mean, how can you not? Pop songs, questionable singing, and Tituss Burgess being extra….it’s a deadly trifecta of fun.
- Roald Dahl created classics like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, James and the Giant Peach, and of course The Witches. Maybe the most unsettling of all his stories (which is probably saying something,) The Witches is about a young boy whose grandmother gets him hip to witches, telling him that they hate all children and want them all dead…or at least gone. Now let’s talk about the movie. This movie, ya’ll. I thought I hadn’t watched it before but as we went through it I’m pretty sure I saw it when I was a kid. Anjelica Huston kills it as the grand high witch who comes up with the scheme for all the witches to open candy stores and poison all of the children in England, turning them into mice. The story itself is relatively close to what I remember from the book, except for the ending. But it’s everything else that makes this movie a masterpiece. The Grand Witch’s hideous face, all the men in drag at the witch council meeting, the cute little mice puppets, Rowan Atkinson running the hotel! If you’ve never seen it or haven’t seen it since you were a kid, you’ve gotta add it to your Halloween viewing this year then let me know what your favorite/most laughable moment was!
Video Games
- Couch co-ops seem to be a rarity in the gaming world nowadays what with all the online games that make it easy to play with friends without leaving the house. So when we find a game that Jonathan and I can play together instead of taking turns it’s always a big thrill. This month we took on Resident Evil Revelations 2, which follows Claire Redfield and the gruff dad joke loving, Barry Burton on two adventures 6 months apart. This game came out in 2015 as an episodic adventure consisting of two sections. In two player mode, Claire and Barry each get buddies that are ALMOST useless but not quite. Revelations 2 is a great game for a pair of people where one is the better gamer since one of the players will be doing most of the work.
- I think I finally found it folks. Code Veronica was the last game I needed to see/play in the current Resident Evil franchise and it turned out to be my favorite one. This sucker is an oldie. It’s the last one they made with the fixed camera style (which I could still live without) but it’s easily the best storyline with Claire on the hunt for her brother Chris and dealing with the disturbingly close Ashford Twins. The gameplay is cool in that things you do as Claire can affect Chris when you switch to play as the older Redfield later in the game. I’ll admit, I couldn’t get used to the controls enough to play this myself but I actively watched Jonathan get through it…twice so it still counts. Capcom should 100% be putting the work in to remake Code Veronica instead of RE4. It’s an older game with a better storyline. It deserves it more! But they can still leave Wesker in there looking like David Bowie. That still feels right.
Podcasts
- My girl Mia, one of the wonderful women behind The Kindred Voice and Illuminate brought this podcast to my attention on her Instastory and honestly…we are kindred sisters when it comes to our taste in the creepy shit. My Funeral Home Stories is hosted by Grant Inman, whose family ran (still runs?) a funeral home. If you couldn’t guess from the title, the podcast chronicles Grant’s stories from his time working at the funeral home. Some are gruesome, some are sad, some actually teach you things like that they take leg bones when you’re an organ donor and it makes your feet floppy (as I was trying to fall asleep he talked about this and I had to discuss it with Jonathan for like three minutes after.) Grant’s great at putting some humor into a topic that can be pretty heavy or uncomfortable for a lot of people so I think if you can get past the gore and the tragedy of some of the body removals he talks about, this is a great podcast!
Products and Art
- Good lighting makes the difference, I’m pretty sure we all know that. After creating an office space in our house we realized the only light in there came from a ceiling fan/lamp combo and it….was no good. So we got these LED strip lights line the ceiling and they’re just so so much better. These lights have a warm, cool, and neutral setting as well as more of a night light at 10% brightness. These lights make seeing the colors of my craft supplies so much easier. We’re already talking about getting them for the living room once it gets painted and I’m so ready for them. If you’re looking for good lighting, pick up a set or two for yourself. You can also grab LED strip lights that change to all the colors of the rainbow…fun for all ages!
I shared these next few things on my Instagram already (and if you’re reading this and don’t follow me on there, what are you doing? @jodi_matoivch…I’ll be waiting.) But they were such a highlight for September that they needed to be included in this month’s list.
- For our anniversary this year, we decided to go the traditional paper gifts but I wanted to find something a little different to celebrate. That’s when I found MiniYou Dolls. She makes customized paper dolls and they’re everything! After sending some selfies and pictures of your favorite outfit, you receive your paper doll version that is magnetic and poseable! I can’t recommend Stacy enough if you want a gift that’s different and fun. She was really easy to communicate with, she let me know when she needed more pictures and was super friendly. She also worked hella fast cause I got these way sooner than I expected to. You can check her out on Instagram or order from her Etsy shop!
Sophie & Lili Dolls and Print
- Feminist icons are my shit and Jennifer Vallez creates some of my favorite sketches. Put them together and you can take all of my money. This month I picked up this awesome Nasty Women Unite print filled with some of the baddest women of today. And after debating for a couple of months I finally made my first purchase of her DIY doll kits in AOC and RBG (I got my order the day before RBG passed and feel grateful to get to celebrate her in such a cool way by putting this doll together.) The dolls come with the fabric and instructions then you sew them up and stuff them. It’s super easy even for a sewing beginner like me. Pick up your own dolls at sophieandlili.com and/or follow Jennifer on Instagram to see her latest work!
Get Involved
Vote Forward
- I don’t know if you’ve heard but this election is like incredibly important. There’s a lot at stake for a lot of people and this time around, people don’t get the luxury of just not voting. If you’re not sure how you can help with the election or are short on time/money, check out votefwd.org where you can adopt 5-20+ voters from different states and send them letters as election day gets closer urging them to get out and vote by letting them know why you do. All it costs is the price of the stamps ( and we all know the post office could use our money so this is really a win-win.)
You know how this goes….let me know what made your sweet shit round up for September and fill me in on anything you’re gonna check out from my list!