Obsessing Over Buzz Cuts, Rom-Coms & Erika Veurink

It's an exciting day in the WOWY Offices – Kyle has a new haircut and Emily discovered she has a big bellied baby. Plus, the TikTok dress she's so obsessed with she's worn it three days in a row and Kyle's newest find for staying organized.

Then author and entrepreneur Erika Veurink stops by the WOWY Offices to share her favorite rom-coms, where to buy the perfect white tee, her go-to tailor in New York City, and a surprisingly effective line for sliding into someone's DMs this summer. Later she reveals her ~SEXY~ obsession and an all-new round of Obsessed or Over It.

00:00 – Welcome to WOWY
05:30 – Emily’s Obsession
07:39 – Kyle’s Obsession
10:41 – Erika's Interview
30:23 – Erika's Obsession
39:38 – Obsessed or Over It

New show, new obsessions, every Wednesday.

Hosts: Emily Hymes and Kyle O'Donnell
Guest: Erika Veurink
Executive Producer: Julia Aubuchon
Technical Director: Drew Downing
Editor: Grace Harper
Graphic Designer: Maddie Jones
Original Music: Reuben Alexander
For RaffHouse Productions: Haleigh Raff and Glenn Raff

Keep in touch:
Instagram » http://bit.ly/4p5Dsxm
TikTok » https://bit.ly/47YvkbR
Email » wereobsessedwithyou@gmail.com

This Week's Obsessions:
Emily: TikTok Shop Cotton Gingham Midi Dress
Kyle: PurzInzert Bag Organizer
Erika: Books Under 200 Pages

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

We're Emily and Kyle. We started as coworkers in late night television and now we're best friends exploring NYC and our FYPs.

SPEAKER_03 0:07

This is an interview show about obsessions. Ours, theirs, and maybe yours too. Welcome to We're Obsessed With You.

SPEAKER_00 0:17

Signing off for the weekend.

SPEAKER_03 0:19

One billion dollars. Emily, how are you?

SPEAKER_00 0:22

Oh my god, Kyle, I haven't seen you in a hot minute.

SPEAKER_03 0:24

It's been forever. We pre-taped so many episodes.

SPEAKER_00 0:26

And you got a buzzcut.

SPEAKER_03 0:28

I got a buzz cut.

SPEAKER_00 0:28

Which now is like no longer a buzzcut. So I'm like so confused.

SPEAKER_03 0:32

Hi everyone.

SPEAKER_00 0:32

Oh hi.

SPEAKER_03 0:33

We just got right into it. Welcome to We're Obsessed With You. I'm Kyle O'Donnell.

SPEAKER_00 0:37

I'm Emily Himes.

SPEAKER_03 0:38

This is a show where we talk to the people we're obsessed with. About the things they're obsessed with.

SPEAKER_00 0:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 0:42

I'm obsessed with my buzzcut.

SPEAKER_00 0:44

I am too, except it doesn't look like a buzz cut anymore.

SPEAKER_03 0:46

No, I think it's also because I take like minoxidil just to like prevent balding. Um, but I've wanted to buzz my head for a very long time, as you knew. And then one day I was just like, I really just want to do it. So I took to Chat GPT and I asked them if I would look good. And they made doctored up an image. And when I tell you, that image doesn't do like justice to what I actually looked like. I look amazing. I keep catching myself in the mirror. And you're like, who's that man? I haven't had hair this short in 30, no, in 20 years, probably. Wow. 25 years actually.

SPEAKER_00 1:27

That's crazy.

SPEAKER_03 1:28

Yeah. So this is it. I love it.

SPEAKER_00 1:30

Does it feel different like when you're like washing it?

SPEAKER_03 1:33

Well, a couple of times I do like find myself like trying to like kind of like put it behind my ear, or like I used to like fluff it a lot, and and now there's nothing to fluff, so I need something else to do with my hands. But my barber refused me five times before he would do it.

SPEAKER_00 1:48

Wow, he didn't trust you.

SPEAKER_03 1:49

I walk in and I said, Do you do buzz cuts? And he goes, Yes, but not in you. And I was like, Well, I want a buzzcut. He said, I'm not giving you a buzz cut. And then it just like kept going until they were like really in my hair.

SPEAKER_00 1:59

Did you show him the photo?

SPEAKER_03 2:00

No, I was just like, just do it.

SPEAKER_00 2:02

This reminds me of the flea bag episode with her um her sister, where she goes in with the outfit, with a horrible haircut, and they're arguing with him, and then you find out the picture that she showed was exactly what she got.

SPEAKER_03 2:17

It was um, yeah, I just was like, let's do it. And then there was a minute during the haircut I was panicking. I was like, this is a grave mistake. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:25

Well, you never know how to like come back. Like it could be so different.

SPEAKER_03 2:28

Yeah. It could be like straight.

SPEAKER_00 2:29

I know. That would be so weird.

SPEAKER_03 2:31

No, I think it's fine. I didn't shave it. I just dust it.

SPEAKER_00 2:34

Um you think I would look good with short hair?

SPEAKER_03 2:37

Let's ask chat.

SPEAKER_00 2:38

Yeah, we should. Well, actually, you posted your chat photo. Yes. And my friend Tecla was inspired to look up what she would look like with brown hair.

SPEAKER_03 2:46

Well, my stepdad Mark, yeah, who's a listener, will um put into chat GPT certain facial surgeries he could get like lifts, upper left, upper left.

SPEAKER_00 2:56

Is there anything that's cut it caught his attention? Of course.

SPEAKER_03 2:59

If Mark had his way, his druthers, he would look like Chris Kardashian, truly. He's like addicted to plastic surgery. Um, what's your baby update? How many weeks are we?

SPEAKER_00 3:09

I'm at 36 weeks. Wow. Yes. And um, the baby is a really big. I know I look so small and petite, but I went the other day for a scan, and um my aunt went came with me, and she was like, I want to know the gender. And I was like, We're not gonna find out the gender. So she was asking the nurse, like, please make us look away. Emily won't let me know what the gender is. Make us look away. And the woman goes, You're not gonna have to worry about that. Your baby is so big that we're not even gonna be able to see what the gender is. And I was like, it's just their leg, everything's so compact. She wasn't if she really wanted to, she could look in between the legs, but she just was like, I don't need to do that.

SPEAKER_03 3:48

My god.

SPEAKER_00 3:49

So the baby is like so big. Um, so it's measuring actually a week ahead.

SPEAKER_03 3:54

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_00 3:54

So it's six pounds, ten ounces. Um and so, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 3:58

Terrifying.

SPEAKER_00 3:59

It's terrifying. But big babies.

SPEAKER_03 4:02

Big baby. Big big baby.

SPEAKER_00 4:04

Can you put that in? Drew, add it.

SPEAKER_03 4:06

At it, Drew. Big baby.

SPEAKER_00 4:08

Bigger babies supposedly have bigger stomachs so they can eat more and sleep longer earlier on.

SPEAKER_03 4:14

Great.

SPEAKER_00 4:15

So that's my tip about a bigger baby.

SPEAKER_03 4:17

I'm gonna say something that's maybe dumb.

SPEAKER_00 4:19

Don't talk about pee inside of me again.

SPEAKER_03 4:21

No.

SPEAKER_00 4:21

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 4:21

That's not dumb. That's fascinating. Why do you have to measure what babies eat? Don't they just eat until they're full?

SPEAKER_00 4:29

Yes, but when they're born, their stomach is the size of a um marble.

SPEAKER_03 4:34

I don't believe that.

SPEAKER_00 4:36

Well, I think that's crazy.

SPEAKER_01 4:39

What?

SPEAKER_00 4:39

Yeah, it's really, really tiny. So if they're tiny, oh, that's another thing. I'm so sorry I forgot to mention my baby's on the bigger side, and some babies measure big heads.

SPEAKER_01 4:49

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_00 4:50

And my baby is measuring big belly. Oh. Yeah, so it has a big belly. And the the doctor was like, we can't tell why. You don't have to be nervous, but it's um, it's a big belly. Great. Anyway, so a bigger belly earlier on they can eat more. And when they eat more, they sleep longer.

SPEAKER_03 5:05

Great.

SPEAKER_00 5:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 5:06

Um, before we get into our obsessions, oh yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:08

Find us on Facebook.

SPEAKER_03 5:10

Yes, find us on Facebook, find us on YouTube. Uh, we're on TikTok, Instagram. You can email us at we're obsessedwithyou at gmail.com.

SPEAKER_00 5:18

Yes. Kyle reads the emails. All of them.

SPEAKER_03 5:21

Send us notes. Um, and if you're listening, please like and review us um in the podcast app of your choice. Give us five stars. Five stars or review. It really helps us. Emily, what are you obsessed with this week?

SPEAKER_00 5:31

Okay, I am obsessed with this dress that I have on.

SPEAKER_03 5:34

It's so cute.

SPEAKER_00 5:35

I'm obsessed with it because as I get larger and my big baby belly is getting bigger and bigger, I just need something easy. It's so hot in New York City. I've worn this dress, I have to say, three days in a row. Um, this will be the last day.

SPEAKER_03 5:50

But it's so cute for the Aural experiencers. It is a linen gingham cotton. Cotton.

SPEAKER_00 5:58

It's cotton.

SPEAKER_03 5:59

Sh not shift dress. What do you call this?

SPEAKER_00 6:01

I kinda it's like an apron dress.

SPEAKER_03 6:03

Yeah, yes. It's so cute with pockets.

SPEAKER_00 6:05

Oh, it has pockets, and it's not too long, not too short, so like mid-calf. Um, I'm wearing a size large, and the best part? $30.

SPEAKER_03 6:15

Amazing.

SPEAKER_00 6:15

From TikTok shop. I never buy TikTok shop. I think this is my first TikTok shop purchase. And I saw some girl in it, and she I wouldn't have bought it if I just saw an ad for it. Yeah. But seeing this woman in it who was also pregnant, um, sold it to me. And it's not maternity, you just size up. So I'm I think I'm in a large, but um anyone can get it.

SPEAKER_03 6:38

How was the TikTok shop experience?

SPEAKER_00 6:41

It was so easy.

SPEAKER_03 6:43

Oh, that's so painful to me because I know I know. That's why that's honestly why I haven't done it because I know it'll open the floodgates.

SPEAKER_00 6:50

The thing is, I don't see too many ads that are like speak to me.

SPEAKER_03 6:54

No, I see the same ones a lot, actually. They're all like workout clothes.

SPEAKER_00 6:57

Some things just don't speak to me, but this was just easy because I was like $30. It's the summer, it's just so easy, and it comes in so many different colors. It's really blue, pink, khaki, yellow. Great, whatever you want. Choose your own adventure.

SPEAKER_03 7:10

Did it arrive quickly?

SPEAKER_00 7:11

It arrived so quickly.

SPEAKER_03 7:12

I'm fascinated by technology.

SPEAKER_00 7:14

In like three days, and then I got to bring it to the Jersey Shore with me. Yeah, and the girls loved it. I sent them the link.

SPEAKER_03 7:20

So cute.

SPEAKER_00 7:20

So I just think if someone needs an easy dress for the rest of the summer, there's still a few weeks left.

SPEAKER_03 7:26

Plenty of time. Yeah. Summer now goes until October 15th.

SPEAKER_00 7:30

What?

SPEAKER_03 7:31

I am like at the pumpkin patch, sweating. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:35

Oh, I'll get this an orange for the pumpkin patch. Cute. Adorable.

SPEAKER_03 7:38

Cute.

SPEAKER_00 7:39

Kyle, what are you obsessed with?

SPEAKER_03 7:41

I was influenced by a past guest.

SPEAKER_00 7:43

Oh, look at us being influenced left and right.

SPEAKER_03 7:45

Von Freeland. He came in with his boat and tote.

SPEAKER_00 7:48

Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god. I know what you're gonna say.

SPEAKER_03 7:51

I actually wanted to tell you about this for so long. I know.

SPEAKER_00 7:53

I hate that we can't talk.

SPEAKER_03 7:54

So if you know me, I have 10 million boat and tote. It is my favorite bag. I won't go for any other bag. And one of my big issues with it is that it's just a canvas bag.

SPEAKER_00 8:05

It's hard to organize.

SPEAKER_03 8:06

It's hard to organize.

SPEAKER_00 8:07

Because it's so this one's a big one. What size is this?

SPEAKER_03 8:10

This is large.

SPEAKER_00 8:10

Large with long handles.

SPEAKER_03 8:12

Long handles. Vaughn came in with a tote bag, and I looked in and he had an insert.

SPEAKER_00 8:17

So we just we literally looked right into his bag.

SPEAKER_03 8:20

And he had this insert organizer thing. So this is an insert that I got off Etsy called Purrz insert insert P-U-R-Z-I-N-Z-E-R-T. They have it for every single bag. The speedy, Louis Vuitton, Selene bags, the row bags, every single bag, every size boat and tote.

SPEAKER_00 8:38

A long chomp probably too.

SPEAKER_03 8:40

It has a laptop sleeve with a closure. It has three like individual slide things. So I have sunscreen because I may lay out. I have a joint because I may lay out. I have nothing else in these other pockets. I love that. I love the keychain. It's great. It's exactly what we were talking about with Liv Schreiber. Like this thing. Yes. This bag. This just helps me. A book sleeve, my Speedo in case I lay out, and something for my Stanley.

SPEAKER_00 9:05

And it's a nice size for the water bottle.

SPEAKER_03 9:07

Yes, and it goes right into my bag and everything's organized.

SPEAKER_00 9:10

The color is also really fun. I know, I got orange.

SPEAKER_03 9:12

Every single color.

SPEAKER_00 9:13

How much was it?

SPEAKER_03 9:14

I think like 40 bucks.

SPEAKER_00 9:16

Fine.

SPEAKER_03 9:16

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 9:17

To organize your life?

SPEAKER_03 9:18

To organize my life. Pressure. And it goes right in my bag. I'm obsessed.

SPEAKER_00 9:22

I love it. I love it.

SPEAKER_03 9:24

I use my bean bag as my gym bag, my work bag, everything like that. And usually, like I'm there, like, what are my keys? Where are my keys? I never carry my water bottle in it.

SPEAKER_00 9:34

I typically will also like have so many different bags within the bag. So then I have like eight bags. I'm like, which one did I put my keys in? What's going on? Yeah. It's too confusing. So this is so nice.

SPEAKER_03 9:43

I love this so much. Purs insert on that scene.

SPEAKER_00 9:46

I'm obsessed with that. I just have to find the bag that I use all the time for that right now.

SPEAKER_03 9:51

Yeah. I mean, mine was just the boat and tote. It's perfect. It's great. Let's talk about our guests this week.

SPEAKER_00 9:56

I'm obsessed with our guests this week. Incredible. She's so cool.

SPEAKER_03 10:00

So cool. Erica Verink. She is a writer, a like woman about town. She's fabulous.

SPEAKER_00 10:09

Yeah, she's a fashion writer.

SPEAKER_03 10:11

Fashion writer. Her book, Exit Lane, is out now. We're gonna talk to her about motherhood. We're gonna talk to her about Brooklyn, her Iowa roots, and fashion where she's shopping. So much of her stuff is about girlhood and making the mundane extraordinary. Yeah, little luxuries.

SPEAKER_00 10:28

Finding the sweetness and stuff.

SPEAKER_03 10:30

We love.

SPEAKER_00 10:30

Which we love. If you don't follow her, follow her like right now before you start listening.

SPEAKER_03 10:34

We'll be right back.

SPEAKER_00 10:41

Erica Verink, we're obsessed with you. Welcome. Welcome. I'm happy to be here. Oh my gosh. So my sister started following you first, and then she put me on to you. And last year, when you found the goodnight moon stamps, she sent them to me. I bought them for myself. For Kyle, his birthday. And my sister for her birthday. And we just like loved them. And it was like, I feel like you find sweet things that just like bring joy to everyone's life. Like the whimsy, the romanticism. And so like that's why we're obsessed with you. Thank you. And like everything you do. So thank you for being here. I'm happy to be here. We want you to kind of just tell our listeners a little bit about Eevee Enterprises. There's just so much. There's a huge umbrella of what you cover and what you do.

SPEAKER_03 11:28

We didn't even know like where to start talking to you.

SPEAKER_02 11:32

Okay, so most importantly, I'm a writer. And I write novels and screenplay and um and a fashion newsletter that goes out once a week on Substack called Long Live. And I run an event series called Evie Salon with brands mostly in New York, but all over the country.

SPEAKER_00 11:51

Oh yeah, my sister would like to get in on that. She can. Yes. She's like healthy today. She hits a good one. Yeah. Yeah. That's it. That's mostly it.

SPEAKER_03 12:00

Amazing.

SPEAKER_00 12:01

It's a lot.

SPEAKER_02 12:01

It's a lot. It's a lot of stuff. How do you handle all this? But it's my dream. It's like sometimes I feel like I'm a kid. Like I just got an office. Yeah. And it's like my lifelong dream to decorate an office. And I work with one person, Evan. And she's like, okay, it's not my lifelong dream, but I'm really happy for you. Um and what's the vibe? And Dumbo. It's coming together. Okay. Um, but I have a huge Nora Front poster framed. Great. Of course. And I have a like a cheetah print rug. And that's it. They love cheetah. No table, no chairs. No. So minimal. Figure it out.

SPEAKER_03 12:35

Are you have you yet to um romanticize your commute there?

SPEAKER_02 12:40

Well, now I have a baby. So when I leave, I feel like a jolt of energy. Oh, wow. Um, and so I'll walk there, I'll take the bus, I'll take the subway, I'll take a car. Like it's sort of choose your own adventure every morning.

SPEAKER_00 12:53

What am I feeling today?

SPEAKER_02 12:54

Yeah, which is nice versus like I have to take the sea every day, 10 stops.

SPEAKER_03 12:58

So I need to romanticize my commuting. Some days it's a roof.

SPEAKER_00 13:02

I think I'd read something Martha Stewart had said, like, don't take the same way to work every single day. Try a different street or go a different way. Just to like keep things like fresh.

SPEAKER_03 13:12

Queen.

SPEAKER_00 13:12

Yeah. We love queen. Where is she commuting? I know.

SPEAKER_03 13:15

To her garden.

SPEAKER_00 13:16

I also say that, but I'm like, did Martha say that, or did I say that to myself?

SPEAKER_03 13:22

She commutes wherever she needs to go.

SPEAKER_00 13:24

Where the lights take her.

SPEAKER_03 13:25

But as Emily said, we love how much you romanticize. What's is seemingly like the mundane and everyday thing. We were talking recently about the pill boxes.

SPEAKER_00 13:35

Yes, fancy pill boxes, which are so chic. But I feel like you find these things too. Like you have like the leather-bound journals or business card cards.

SPEAKER_03 13:43

Business card covers.

SPEAKER_00 13:44

Like those little things that just like bring such like they're little things that just like bring so much joy to someone's life.

SPEAKER_03 13:49

Are you always on the lookout for things like this?

SPEAKER_02 13:52

Always. I mean, I'm lucky it's my job. Like with the newsletter, yeah. I'm always like thinking, will my readers like it? Could I make a TikTok about it? Which could feel like a burden, but to me, it's like I'm thinking about it anyway. Yeah. So it's again.

SPEAKER_00 14:05

I feel like when I'm scrolling and trying to find these things, sometimes I go down a road of like, I'm like now in a black hole. Like of scrolling. How do you kind of stay on the right side of the search?

SPEAKER_02 14:16

I mean, I am pretty ruthless. Like, I'm not, I don't have a lot of time. So if I can't find it, I'm gonna tap an expert. Like I I would maybe DM someone like Nan and be like, Yeah, I can't find the right China to give a friend for a wedding.

SPEAKER_00 14:29

Do you know what to do?

SPEAKER_02 14:31

Like, I love asking a friend.

SPEAKER_00 14:33

Well, I feel like you're out right now trying to find the best red light mask.

SPEAKER_02 14:36

I am because I was using one and it was gifted, but then it broke. And I was like, I don't know that I want to buy it. And I just need someone to be like, here's the science. Yes. Or like I would bet my life on it, and no one has.

SPEAKER_03 14:49

Do you have an expert? I've a dermatologist.

SPEAKER_02 14:52

Yes. I've texted derms and they're all like, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 14:55

Oh.

SPEAKER_02 14:55

Wow. No one, no one has been like, trust me, Erica. And the people who do, they're like, you have to use it twice a day. Yeah, right. Like all day you have to sign it.

SPEAKER_03 15:04

You have to have that in your office. Yeah. Just like a panel of it.

SPEAKER_02 15:07

It's stupid. And then you do have a charge. So I think I'm gonna let go of that. That hunt.

SPEAKER_00 15:12

Well, I guess like you learn to you have to learn how to let go. Yeah. Tap out and then tap. No, tap in, then tap out. Exactly.

SPEAKER_03 15:19

Part of this romanticism is that you have said that you want to be the next Nancy Myers and that she's a huge inspiration for you. What does that mean in your vision?

SPEAKER_02 15:32

Wait, well, first of all, I didn't call myself that. People are always like, you say that you are the next Daisy Myers. I'm like, okay, uh, and a writer who I do are called me that at L Magazine. But to me, it means just like a body of work that feels extremely coherent and romantic. And I love a happy ending, and really am excited to get more into film. I'm already obviously into literature. And so that's the aspiration is just to keep building a body of work where you could pause a movie at any scene and be like, oh, Erica Varank made this. Like I recognize that dialogue.

SPEAKER_03 16:06

Real autorship. Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 16:08

And just like the look of it too. Great outfits. Well, a great couch, like a great van. Like just like the setting just like feels like happy.

SPEAKER_02 16:17

Yes. Yeah. That's the dream.

SPEAKER_03 16:19

What is your creative process like?

SPEAKER_02 16:21

I mean, I'm just always uh tossing around ideas in my head and then like messy Google Docs, and I'm big on pen and paper. So I have one notebook that's unlined. This is my planner, and I wrote down my obsession so I don't forget. And um, it's unlined, and that's my like no hold spar creative journal. So I'm like, I can write anything in here. It doesn't have to turn into my next novel, or it makes me feel like I can play around. Um, but I'm just always thinking about it, thinking about my next project.

SPEAKER_03 16:51

This is so interesting that you have this analog thing, but you're also an incredibly online person, and part of your version of celebrity is that you are online. Right. Like, how do you how are you at terms with this romanticism of the analog world?

SPEAKER_02 17:07

Yeah, when I'm online, I'm working. Like that's what it feels like. And when I put my phone on the healthy mindset. Yes, totally. Oh, that's like the only way I can post is I'm not like, I wonder what she's gonna think. Or like, no, I'm like, I'm clocking in, like doing my retail shift, and I'm like selling the dress, and then I'm leaving, and then the notebook, it's like, sorry, it's just me and my ideas.

SPEAKER_03 17:29

And yeah, I love that safe.

SPEAKER_00 17:30

We have talked with so many people about things they do to stay offline, and whether it's um needle pointing or mahjong, and you really say like reading, like just read a book. Um, which I think like so many people just are like, what? Yeah, which is crazy, but it's not that hard. Once you get into a book, you're so into it, it really keeps you away. Completely. What do you think like are some of the good summaries? Like, what should people be reading right now? I well, I can't spoil my obsession.

SPEAKER_02 18:00

Oh Julia over here, she'd be like, but I'm I just bought um the shampoo effect, which I'm really excited to read. Yes. Jenny Jackson is like such a she's actually an editor, so it's like her prose is just so sharp. Yeah, I'm really excited. Obviously, yesterday, like you hate yourself if you haven't read it yet. Like, I have sitting on it. I know.

SPEAKER_03 18:22

I can't wait.

SPEAKER_02 18:23

And I think summer is a good time to again crowdsource. Like, if you have a crush, it's a perfect opportunity to DM them and be like, what are you reading? Or like bring it up conversationally. That's hot to talk about. Erica? Oh my god. Don't ask me, ask your crush. That is really good.

SPEAKER_03 18:41

That is also such a good entry point. Maybe because if they don't have a book, fuck that.

SPEAKER_00 18:44

Take them out. Yeah, tap out.

SPEAKER_03 18:46

Yes. Wow, you're on to something.

SPEAKER_00 18:48

I'm on. Oh, I love that. I'm currently reading Exit Lane, it's in my bag right now.

SPEAKER_03 18:52

Can we talk about the book cover?

SPEAKER_00 18:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 18:55

It's stunning. Thanks. I have nothing to do with it. How did what was that process like?

SPEAKER_02 18:59

831, who I published it with, all of their books have this eight three-one ratio. So they came to me and were like, these are your colors. And I was like, I don't know. Yeah, I don't know. And they're like, trust us. And then by the time the book came out, I was fully obsessed.

SPEAKER_03 19:15

And it starts purple and yellow, right? Oh my god, it's it's striking.

SPEAKER_02 19:20

I know. I love it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 19:22

Oh, that's so good.

SPEAKER_02 19:23

And I love the color red, but then they were like, no, we feel good about this. And red is so like easily tied to romance. So I like that this felt kind of collegiate.

SPEAKER_00 19:31

It felt like the first one that was different than all the other ones we had done before. I haven't read the other 831s, but my sister has, and she graves about them. I really like set piece. I think you guys would like that one. You said you like a happy ending, so I'm hoping that this has a happy ending. Excellent. I love we've been talking about that because we've there's some books behind you that we've been talking about. There's just like there's something about the happy ending that sometimes that's what we just want right now. Yeah. It's like, I don't want to be stressed. I want to know everything's gonna be okay. Creative project takes so much time.

SPEAKER_02 19:59

I mean, you guys know that so much time, so much effort. You involve so many people, and I'm like, if all of that work is going to go into it, I want it to be a positive, like a gift to the world and not a like, and they all die.

SPEAKER_03 20:12

You know, what are some underrated rom-coms or romantic novels, movies, anything like that that you think people should be checking?

SPEAKER_02 20:21

I'm really like, I think I'm gonna start a new series about modern rom-coms that I like because I'm kind of sick of hearing people complain about it. Yeah, okay, me and reading it today. Totally. I like I need to do something about it. Yeah, I just saw the invite. And while it's not wait, yeah, it's not necessarily a rom com. I want to like move it in that category and be like, this is a step in the right direction, like great dialogue, sort of a set piece. Yeah, um, so that's I like that like 500 Days of Summer is like a classic to me. Crossing Delancey is one of my favorite rom-coms of all time. Oh, it's from the 90s. So it's like it's not modern at the time, but it's perfect.

SPEAKER_03 21:02

Great.

SPEAKER_02 21:02

It's it's in sort of like uh Nora Efron universe. Um, I like Moonstruck a lot.

SPEAKER_03 21:09

Great. I'm gonna I have to send you this video. Someone just posted on um Instagram. It's people interview in when Moonstruck was being filmed, they interviewed a bunch of people in Carol Gardens about it. And the women are like, I should have been in the movie. Like bummed out that people were like, Oh, Nicholas Cates is looking good. It's so good.

SPEAKER_02 21:28

It's such a fun New York story. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 21:31

Yeah. I love it. So obviously you live in Brooklyn now, but you're from Iowa and you're very proud of your Iowa roots. Yeah. What is it about Iowa?

SPEAKER_02 21:40

What am I like? So I moved here to go to FIT and I sort of like decided during orientation, like, I guess I'm just gonna own this because there's no point in being like, fuck Iowa guy. There were a lot of kids from Ohio who were like that. And I was like, I I do love where I came from. I have a lot of fond memories. I go back like at least once a year. Um the Midwest is just so different. And it's it's like a different pace. And I have a lot of family that like farms and live a different lifestyle. And I think it's really healthy too if you live in New York, like get out of New York and come back and not get lost in the sauce.

SPEAKER_03 22:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:18

Well, that's what I like about Brooklyn too. I do feel like it's a little slower because I always call it the suburbs. Yes. Completely. And it's like not to so many people, but it is. It is like a way slower pace, which I like about it. I love that about it. Yeah. Love Brooklyn.

SPEAKER_03 22:30

How was being raised in Iowa impacted how you parent in Brooklyn?

SPEAKER_02 22:35

Yeah. It's crazy. I mean, my daughter's eight months, so I don't really know if I have a lot of people. It's just like a potato. I'm like, eat it, not called. I think um I hope that she'll have like a lot of time outdoors. That was important to me growing up. And I had parents who were sort of like, You're excited about acting? Okay, you're really nervous on stage and you're quite bad at it, but we're gonna drive you to all the auditions and we're just so excited for me to try new things. And I think a lot of New York parents can get like competitive or intense. Like, I did this, I want my kids to do that. Um, so I'm hoping I can be open-minded. She's wearing a lot of headbands right now that I don't like. Oh is she choosing them at eight? Um, and it's my first practice of being like, okay, you have your own sense of style, and I'm gonna stay out of it. But it's hard.

SPEAKER_03 23:26

I often think about that with children. Like, what if they're losers?

SPEAKER_00 23:30

Well, I'm like, right now, this thing is does whatever I want it to do. Yeah, completely comes out, mind of its own.

SPEAKER_03 23:37

Yeah, are you ready?

SPEAKER_00 23:38

I mean, not the second it comes out, but like still, like it's I can't control it anymore. Do you will it be a Leo?

SPEAKER_03 23:44

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 23:45

My sister's a Leo and Kyle's a Leo. Yeah, Leo's amazing. Your baby, I mean, eight. My baby's a temple double Scorpio.

SPEAKER_02 23:53

Oh girl. Wow. But my dad was a Scorpio and he passed when I was younger, and she came like three days before his birthday.

SPEAKER_03 24:01

That's amazing.

SPEAKER_02 24:02

So I said, You're that kind of Scorpio. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 24:05

This is what we're in store for.

SPEAKER_02 24:08

Love. Yeah. Yeah. Everything. It's signs like yesterday. I was like making a list of signs. Do you ever do that? I don't make a list, but that's actually how to turn your day around.

SPEAKER_01 24:17

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 24:17

You say, I'm looking for signs, and you open a notes app and you make a list of every single sign. You see, I sore I had seven yesterday.

SPEAKER_00 24:26

Well, you did this with the banging of the Yes. Yes.

SPEAKER_03 24:29

So I read this book, Signs, by Warwick Jackson. Of course I'm familiar. Yeah, so I read that book, and it was like you have to ask for them, right? So years ago, I was like, I wanted some, I needed a sign. And so I asked my grandmother for a sign. And she always would would like bang on pots and pans. Like they would march around with pots and pans, and at her um like bereavement dinner after her funeral, like everyone did that. So it's like I'm looking for this sign. I go to a lunch at John George. He says, you know what? When uh 25 years ago, when I got my first Michelin star, I had everyone bang pots and pans in honor of this new achievement. I don't remember what it was for. Like, that's what we're gonna do. And everyone came out banging pots and pants around the restaurant.

SPEAKER_02 25:16

That makes me so emotional.

SPEAKER_03 25:18

Isn't that crazy? I was like, where in New York am I going to have that?

SPEAKER_02 25:21

It's such a gift. Yeah. And you can ask for that any day.

SPEAKER_03 25:24

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 25:24

So you have to say it out loud though. Or start a new note in your notes. Like, I know.

SPEAKER_00 25:30

I was out, I went to a scan the other day with my aunt. My aunt came with me, and she was a lot at the scan. And afterwards, we were gonna go right over here to like a diner, and she goes, you know what, let's go to the mark. And when we're sitting there and we had lunch at the mark at a $50 burger, she remembered that right before I was born, she went to the mark with my grandmother. So we were like, Grandma is happy that we are eating a thousand dollar lunch right now. That's not as much of a sign, but we took that as a sign and ran with it to Zip. You get to decide. Yeah, there's no rubric. Yeah, that's true. My mom always, anytime she gets mother emails from the mother genes, she goes, truth. All the signs you can get.

SPEAKER_03 26:14

She should buy jeans every time, though. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 26:16

It works.

SPEAKER_03 26:17

Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 26:18

Um, so I do I consider you like a fashion expert. So it's Kyle. Yes. Thanks, Kyle. Um, we asked some of our viewers um what they wanted to kind of know about, like the best of the best. So we're hoping that you can tell us about a few things.

unknown 26:33

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 26:34

Do you have a favorite white tea? I do.

SPEAKER_02 26:38

It's from a brand called Everybody World. Oh, I've heard of this brand. Yes, yes. It's LA based, and there's a heavy boxy tea that is incredible. Like, I have a very close friend who's also my stylist, and she's like the roe fancy. And it's always like contentious between us because I'm like, I'm from Iowa, and I wore this t-shirt around her, and she goes, Who makes that? And I was like, Oh my god. And I was like, this is really well. I love it. It's like $40. Yeah, yeah. And my my like tip is to steam it and hang it up, and it just lasts so much longer.

SPEAKER_00 27:15

Than a fold. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Ballet flat.

SPEAKER_02 27:18

Okay. I like the Margot ballet flat. Um, but I do think resoling a Chanel ballet flat secondhand is always gonna be I love resoling chicas. I do it every night. Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_00 27:32

Me and my cobbler.

SPEAKER_01 27:33

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 27:34

That's real. How much I go to the place in 30 Rock, which I always think is scamming me. I have one pair of Chanel flats and I love them. Remember when I got them? I brought them in and we like freaked out about them. So sweet. And now I've had them for like six or seven years every year. It costs about $100 to resole. Well, that seems high.

SPEAKER_03 27:52

Yeah, it's really high.

SPEAKER_00 27:54

I think like $65.

SPEAKER_03 27:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 27:56

I'm paying $95. So I'm getting scared. Do it in Brooklyn. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 28:01

I have a spot in Brooklyn Heights that I like. Do you have a good um alterations person as well? Yeah, of course. In Brooklyn. Yeah. I go to Alts and Brooklyn Heights. Oh.

SPEAKER_03 28:10

They're so expensive.

SPEAKER_02 28:11

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 28:12

But you need a good for a suit, I'll go there. But otherwise, okay.

SPEAKER_02 28:18

I like um G and G. Okay. In uh I think it's on West Broadway. Okay. They're really good. It's not as expensive, but like Tom Brown goes there sometimes.

SPEAKER_00 28:27

Someone told me about a place where all the SNL people go to on Allen Street, or right around the corner from Eddie's.

SPEAKER_03 28:33

Our Taylor went missing.

SPEAKER_00 28:35

I I created a story. All of a sudden, expert Eddie was missing.

SPEAKER_03 28:39

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 28:39

And somebody else took over for him who wasn't as good. I hope he doesn't listen to this podcast. And I'm convinced he murdered Eddie to get hit the number one spot.

SPEAKER_03 28:48

Kept the name, everything's the exact same.

SPEAKER_00 28:50

But the alterations aren't as good.

SPEAKER_03 28:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 28:52

A bad alteration.

SPEAKER_02 28:53

It's like what could be worse?

SPEAKER_03 28:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 28:55

Anyway, okay. A watch. Okay, you have to go secondhand. Obviously. Yes. Okay, so I got this for my one-year wedding anniversary. It's beautiful. It's a men's two-tone tank, and I got it on the Real Real. My recommendation is to go into the store by us, and I think it's Carol Garden slash and try on a thousand different watches. See what works. Because it's not intimidating. Like you could go to the Soho one too, but they're really friendly at the Cobaha one. And just try them on for size, like different faces, different brands. And then once you can zero in on what you want, I still think the real real is like you can do the auction sites, but it's a bit overwhelming.

SPEAKER_00 29:36

I always want to buy one in an airport when I'm traveling abroad because they're always on, like you can get the tax back and stuff.

SPEAKER_02 29:42

I did that for the first time and it did blow so well. I like bought a Louis Vuitton toiletry bag.

SPEAKER_00 29:49

And you're like scary for me. When's the flight gotta go? I don't think it's worth it. I know. I never, I've never done it. I just like in my mind.

SPEAKER_03 29:57

Express lane about it. Totally.

SPEAKER_00 29:59

I know. It's like we're running out of time. You have to like do like the kiosks to get the bat tax back.

SPEAKER_02 30:03

Yeah. Yes.

SPEAKER_03 30:04

It's humiliating.

SPEAKER_02 30:05

It's not romantic.

SPEAKER_03 30:06

Um, we'll be right back with your obsession, but what's one word you would use to tease us?

SPEAKER_02 30:10

Sexy. Oh, I can't wait.

SPEAKER_01 30:15

That's a fun. That's a fun one. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 30:23

We're back. Okay. You teased us with sexy. Yes. I know. We're feeling the fields. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 30:30

What are you obsessed with? I'm obsessed with books under 200 pages. Oh.

SPEAKER_01 30:37

Oh. What a dream. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 30:40

For a lot of reasons, but number one, it fits in a purse. Yes. Yes. It's paperback. Reading a book under 200 pages at a bar is an invitation. It's not a performance of like.

SPEAKER_00 30:52

Huge. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 30:54

And you can feel accomplished. Like if you're in a bit of a slump or you haven't read in a while, like you can read this in a weekend. Absolutely. Yes.

SPEAKER_03 31:02

There is something sexy about this. Also, just like I'm going to say, like, a lot of books under 200 pages are by independent imprints or something like that.

SPEAKER_01 31:10

Right.

SPEAKER_03 31:10

Knowing what an imprint is soha.

SPEAKER_01 31:13

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 31:14

Like, oh, this is just like it's a Cleveland imprint. It's like I agree.

SPEAKER_00 31:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 31:20

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 31:21

Okay, so what are some of your favorite sexy underraskin I was told to be prepared?

SPEAKER_02 31:27

And at first I had them all in my back. I love it. And I was like, I don't think we have to bring that down. So I have a lot. Okay, fun. The first one is Bad Marie, which is about a nanny gone psycho. Love. The second is Speedboat, which is a classic. So you can buy this used for like $3 if you like John Didian or like want people to think you like John Didian. Read Speedboat.

SPEAKER_03 31:50

I've only read the famous Joan Didian.

SPEAKER_02 31:52

So you'll like this. It's super voicey. Okay. Other women, which is a tiny, tiny book.

SPEAKER_01 31:58

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_02 31:58

Or like, you know, there was a small run and then it was reprinted. You can definitely find it at McNally Jackson. Great. I love it there. Um I love that one. Train Dreams, which was a movie that I loved that movie. It's such a good movie. And it's a very sad book. So like you have to be in the mood. Yeah. But I love that one. Seduction Theory, I just read. That sounds sexy. It's like about professors upstate. Like there's an affair, obviously. But it all ties up in 200 pages. Yeah. Great. Like, how? How? Yeah. How do they do that? And then obviously Exit Lane. Yeah. But like all the A31 books. Like, I think just it's such a treat, a book that length.

SPEAKER_00 32:38

Yeah. I feel like in the summer too, it's like you throw it in your bag, you go away for the weekend. You're like, we're gonna sit in the park. It's easy where you don't feel like overwhelmed.

SPEAKER_03 32:46

I also like um moments that are then like tied to the book. So it's like this one weekend, I was reading Exit Lane. I love that and I did X, Y, and Z. Like I brought it with me everywhere. That's really like that's very sweet.

SPEAKER_00 32:58

I just want to bring up a book that I think she might like that you brought me into, the French one.

SPEAKER_03 33:03

I was just about to recommend it.

SPEAKER_00 33:04

That's under 200, and that was I gotta look up the name of this. We have because we've looked it up before. It is like it pulls at your heartstrings. It's about these two boys who were in love in childhood and they separated, and it's like them, it's French.

SPEAKER_03 33:18

Lie with me. Yep, by Philippe Besson.

SPEAKER_00 33:20

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 33:21

Take a little translated. Do you remember this?

SPEAKER_00 33:24

No.

SPEAKER_03 33:24

By one Molly Ringwald.

SPEAKER_00 33:28

Oh yes. Yes. How?

SPEAKER_03 33:32

She is a French expert, and she translated this absolutely stunning gay. It's also like it's a very intimate epic because, as you said, it spans years and years and years. And it I was reading it on the West Side Highway. Sobbing. Sobbing. It's not for lovers of a happy ending. But it is.

SPEAKER_00 33:55

But there is some closure with it. Like there is something that you do feel whole at the end of it. It was oh God. Thank you. Yes.

SPEAKER_03 34:02

It's phenomenal.

SPEAKER_00 34:03

And those books do stick with you.

SPEAKER_03 34:06

As a writer and someone who wrote a book under 200 pages, did you set out to do that, or is there a different process you go through and like attacking?

SPEAKER_02 34:16

Yeah, I did like because that's part of 831's like calling card. Is that their books are all shorter? Um, but I have a new book that we can talk about later that um is going to be shorter, but not that length. And I think I'm just more prone to keeping it a little bit you know to the point. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 34:37

You're bringing sports into this one, I believe. Yeah. I read. Yeah. Yeah. Okay, we love.

SPEAKER_02 34:42

What sports? I'm really excited. Basketball.

SPEAKER_00 34:44

Oh, that's what I have not been into yet.

SPEAKER_03 34:47

No. I'm happy to add it to my rotation. So love it. Why basketball?

SPEAKER_02 34:51

I grew up playing basketball. Um, and I didn't want to do a sport I would have to learn.

SPEAKER_03 34:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 34:56

So basketball was.

SPEAKER_03 34:57

Oh, great. I just read a great gay tennis book.

SPEAKER_02 35:01

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 35:03

I love that book. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 35:04

I mean, there's one.

SPEAKER_03 35:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 35:05

But there's actually a lesbian one that has like a magical realism in it. Oh. This isn't a recommendation. That's fine.

SPEAKER_03 35:15

We'll leave it there. When people ask someone who has taste and is a writer, do you feel pressure when people ask you for advice on things? Like on book recommendations?

SPEAKER_02 35:28

Yeah. My best friend used to be a bookseller at Three Lives, and she writes a book Substack. Oh, and so shut her out. What's her name? Ruby's Rex is the name of the Substack. Her name's Ruby. Um she has the best taste in the world. So normally my reads are like a filter down from her. Yeah. She tapped her in. Yeah. And I love to just send, I'm like, go subscribe. She writes a letter once a month. There's always a theme. Um, so I like to outsource to her. But then if I love a book, I'm gonna go like unbelievably hard on recommending it. But I'd rather do that for 10 books I'm obsessed with a year versus like try this, try this, try this.

SPEAKER_00 36:10

That's my thing. Do you have a favorite bookstore, like someone who helps you with books? Like, I think like sometimes I don't know. I think a lot of these bookstores do know what they're doing. Yeah, but I think there's some are better than others. Three lives is the best. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 36:22

It's totally the best. You can't take photos in there. Like everyone who's there has such a specific taste. Yes. And I think it's when you find the bookseller who reads like you, then you can just default to them. And that's such a gift.

SPEAKER_03 36:35

It's such a curated selection in there that like just by walking in, I feel like trusted. Yeah, yeah, completely. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 36:44

You posted about books that you should read um leading into motherhood. My I had a question if you had any books that your partner could read leading into fatherhood.

SPEAKER_03 36:56

Because my husband needs to sense the shade.

SPEAKER_02 37:00

No, and I am constantly shading my husband for the same thing. But I have to remember that like reading isn't for everyone. Totally. Um, but there's this book called Equal Partners. Okay. And that is the Bible. That's like I made my husband read it before we got married, and it was like the day of our wedding. He was like, cram man. I was like, well, that counts, I guess. I love you. But I don't, yeah, I guess that like there are like a lot of like really cheesy, like, come on, dad, like like ties on the cover. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I don't know. There's a new one that just came out about like being a modern dad, and I ordered it for my husband, and we'll see if he reads it. But like there's also a life kit podcast about it with the author. So like maybe that's like a better place to start. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 37:48

Is your husband a reader in general?

SPEAKER_02 37:50

No. But when we first met, he like totally hoodwinked me. And I was like, You should read The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenies. And he's like, I read it in a day, it was amazing. And you're like, and then we like moved in together, and I was like, What? Where are your books? Yeah, no books. And so now, six years in, I still give him a hard time, but he um like loves to cook and he used to be a private chef. And so he does all the food in our family. Sab. And I'm like, I guess I would rather you make Broma bakery cookies last night than like cozy up to a novel. Yeah. Yeah, that's fair. I guess. Because you can cozy up. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think that's fair. What's a favorite dish he makes? I really like we love going to fish tales in our neighborhood. And so like when he cooks a fish with a little like slaw or vinegar salad, like it's just simple and easy. Yeah. I love that. Yeah. Or stake.

SPEAKER_03 38:44

You even romanticized your partner. You're with your private chef. Amazing. I know. I know.

SPEAKER_00 38:54

I need to start doing that.

SPEAKER_03 38:55

Me too. Yeah. I have like started hanging out with this guy, and I get so self-conscious about my book selections because I read like I'll read like high literature. Yeah. But then I'll read six strings of like smut or like mystery.

SPEAKER_01 39:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 39:10

But I feel so self-conscious.

SPEAKER_01 39:11

What does he read?

SPEAKER_03 39:12

Books about like the economy and like war. Yeah. He's a very straight reader in that way.

SPEAKER_00 39:21

Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Like are all these books like 800 pages? I think so. Yeah. So you should bring him a 200 pager. I should. That's romantic. Yeah.

unknown 39:32

I love it.

SPEAKER_00 39:34

I don't know anything about him, but I think he would love it.

SPEAKER_03 39:38

We're running out of time, but we want to do a lightning round to get your takes on some hot topics. Great. Simply tell us if you're obsessed or over it. Three, two, one.

SPEAKER_00 39:46

Pre-sliced cheese. Obsessed?

unknown 39:48

So obsessed.

SPEAKER_03 39:50

Still in shadow.

SPEAKER_00 39:51

Well, where do you like to get your pre-sliced cheese?

SPEAKER_02 39:52

I like the brand Cabot. Oh, yeah, I love Cabot. I do their shit. Why is Cabot so good? Yeah, it's so cheap. I know. Vermont. There you go. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 40:01

Book clubs.

SPEAKER_02 40:02

Um, okay.

SPEAKER_03 40:04

Great. That's how I feel too.

SPEAKER_02 40:07

Okay, saying awesome sauce. No, pass.

SPEAKER_03 40:11

Inspiration.

SPEAKER_02 40:13

Obsessed. Caprize. Pass.

SPEAKER_03 40:17

The scent tomato leaf.

SPEAKER_02 40:19

Oh, obsessed. Old bay. Obsessed.

SPEAKER_03 40:22

Summer storms.

SPEAKER_00 40:24

Obsessed. Toe rings. Pass. Go home. Especially when it's not running on weekends. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 40:37

One final question.

SPEAKER_00 40:39

Are you obsessed?

SPEAKER_03 40:42

We take three weeks off. Three, two, one. Are you obsessed with that?

SPEAKER_02 40:47

Completely. Yay.

SPEAKER_00 40:48

We're obsessed with you. Thank you so much for being here.

SPEAKER_02 40:54

I'm Erica Varank everywhere, and my subseck is Long Live.

SPEAKER_03 40:58

We love you so much. Thanks for watching. Thanks for tuning in.

SPEAKER_00 41:04

Are you obsessed with us? Please like, comment, and subscribe.

SPEAKER_03 41:07

Bye. Not casting me was the greatest mistake of their lives. I should have been in the movie. What part would you have played?