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And wow.

It's one of those shows that makes you immediately ask everyone, "Have you seen this?" even though the show came out forever ago.

Ironically, while I've been watching it, I also stumbled across a New York Times article about declining birth rates and new research suggesting smartphones may have played a bigger role than we realized.

Now, do I think our phones are single-handedly responsible? No.

But it did make me wonder how much of modern life happens through a screen now instead of in person. Less hanging out. Less awkward flirting. Less running into people accidentally. More scrolling.

Anyway. Between Handmaid's Tale and fertility research, my brain has apparently chosen "societal trends" as this week's personality trait.

The internet has been obsessed with something called "Chair Theory" lately.

The idea is simple: the people who genuinely want you in their life make room for you. They pull out a chair. They invite you in. They create space without making you wonder whether you're welcome.

At first I thought it sounded a little dramatic (as most internet theories do), but the more I thought about it…it did make sense.

Friendships.
Work.
Communities.
Even the version of yourself you're trying to become.

There was a time when I thought adulthood was supposed to feel like constantly proving yourself. Proving you belonged in the room. Proving you deserved opportunities. Proving you were interesting enough, talented enough, successful enough.

But the older I get, the more I realize the best things in my life haven't felt that way at all.

The friendships that lasted.
The jobs that helped me grow.
The people I feel most myself around.

None of them required convincing.

They made room.

Maybe that's what growing up actually is: spending less time searching for a seat and more time recognizing the places that already have one waiting for you.

And maybe that's why the life I'm building today feels surprisingly familiar.

Because when I look back at the little girl who spent hours dressing Bratz dolls, rearranging imaginary rooms, writing stories on her laptop, filming YouTube videos, and dreaming about what her life might look like one day...I think she'd recognize this version of me immediately.

Turns out she already knew where she belonged.

What about you?

I wore this set to Acre for happy hour after work and accidentally had the best martini of my life. Which is unfortunate because now my standards are wildly unrealistic.

The good news? It's only $8 during happy hour.

The outfit felt like the perfect middle ground between office-adjacent and "yes, I will be staying for one more drink." The kind of outfit that works when you don't know if the evening is ending after one martini or turning into dinner.

Shop the look → here

I love a matching set because it removes all decision-making from getting dressed. Throw it on, add sandals, jewelry, and suddenly it looks like you spent significantly more time planning than you actually did. Switch to heels and add a cute jacket and you’re ready for a night out.

It's giving "I have my life together" while requiring almost zero thought, which is really the energy I'm trying to bring into summer.

Bonus points because the chocolate brown color makes everything feel a little more expensive.

Shop the look → here

This PrettyLittleThing set has basically become my ideal weekend uniform lately. Oversized, comfortable, easy to throw on, and somehow still looks put together.

I wore it for a slow coffee run and one of those mornings where the only item on my calendar was wandering around and pretending I had errands.

The older I get, the more I appreciate clothes that feel like pajamas but don't look like pajamas.

A win for all of us.

Shop the look → here

It's somewhere between banana bread and coffee cake and somehow disappeared in less than 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Mash bananas until smooth. Mix in butter, brown sugar, egg, milk, and vanilla.

Fold in flour, baking powder, and salt until just combined.

Pour into a lined loaf pan.

Mix topping ingredients together and crumble over the batter.

Bake for 55–60 minutes.

Whisk glaze ingredients together and drizzle over once cooled.

You're welcome.

Ok — this was such a random find and I'm honestly obsessed.

Please don't overcrowd it.

JK. Kind of.

Kinda Izakaya feels like one of those spots where every table is ordering something different and everything looks good enough to make you regret your own order. The space is cozy, energetic, and genuinely feels like a little slice of Japan tucked into Berkeley.

This is the perfect spot for a casual date night, group dinner, or one of those dinners where the goal is simply to order way too much food.

We barely scratched the surface of the menu and already have a running list of things we need to come back for.

Save this one.

📍 Kinda Izakaya — Berkeley

👉 Live list here

If you're looking for one of the best happy hours in SF, this is it.

Known for their award-winning pizza, Doppio Zero somehow flies under the radar when it comes to happy hour. Everything is around $8–10, portions are generous, and the bill somehow feels suspiciously low when it arrives.

Must orders:
• Beet salad
• Carbonara gnocchi
• A spritz and whatever else catches your eye

The pizza isn't my personal favorite in the city, but honestly? The happy hour alone is worth the visit.

Good for: Happy hour with friends, after-work drinks, casual dates

This is one of those places where I order the same thing every time because it's that good.

Their newer creamy white sauce udon has been living rent free in my head for months. The noodles are perfectly bouncy, the sauce is rich without being heavy, and every time I order it I immediately remember why I came back.

Good for: Casual dinners, weeknight cravings, group dinners

A cozy English gastropub tucked inside Inn at the Opera that somehow feels both elevated and comfortable at the same time.

Now featured in the Michelin Guide, it's become one of the tougher reservations in the city—and after eating there, I get it.

If you can snag a Wednesday reservation, order the Beef Wellington.

Trust me.

Good for: Date nights, wine lovers, impressing someone without trying too hard

👉 Live list here

One of NYC's most iconic food carts is officially back.

You'll find Lev in Soho a few days a week serving some of the best street food in the city, and it's exactly the type of place that reminds you not every great meal needs a reservation.

Good for: Walk-ins, quick bites, exploring Soho

Part restaurant, part speakeasy, part live-music hideaway.

Tucked away on the Upper East Side, Isle of Capri has cave-like interiors, pasta, cocktails, and live music every Thursday that makes the entire place feel transported from another era.

Good for: Date night, cocktails, aesthetic people

West Village keeps finding new ways to take my money.

Their banana matcha latte is ridiculously good, and if you're a matcha person you'll appreciate that they use a generous amount of matcha rather than giving you glorified green milk.

Good for: Matcha lovers, afternoon walks, West Village wandering

👉 Live list here

One of my favorite hidden gems in LA.

Tucked into Chinatown, Firstborn recently switched to a four-course prix fixe menu that somehow makes the entire experience feel even more intentional and special.

The food is thoughtful, the atmosphere is intimate, and it feels like the type of restaurant you'll immediately text to a friend afterward.

Good for: Date night, anniversaries, romantic dinners

If I lived closer to Culver City, this place would become a problem.

Juliet's café concept is part brunch spot, part neighborhood hangout, part patio wine situation. Coffee, matcha, pastries, breakfast, lunch, cocktails—basically everything I want on a sunny Saturday.

Good for: Brunch, patio hangs, catching up with friends

A charming little Manhattan Beach date-night spot that's already earning a permanent place on my LA list.

The space is cozy, the vibe is relaxed, and the ice cream sundae alone deserves its own paragraph.

Save this one for when you want dinner somewhere that feels special but not overly serious.

Good for: Date night, Manhattan Beach weekends, dessert people

👉 Live list here

And he hit a home run with this one after spending many hours on the waitlist for this button up.

The formula remains undefeated.

Clean. Pop of color. Works every time.

Shop Paak's look → here

And somehow the biggest storyline became whether or not West took beta blockers before filming. 😭

The entire internet has been asking why he seemed so emotionally detached during the reunion and why Amanda’s pupils were so large. And when Andy Cohen straight up asked West if he was on beta blockers...he said yes. Ciara (resident nurse and reunion MVP) immediately shut that excuse down and basically told everyone that beta blockers don't erase emotions, they just reduce physical anxiety symptoms. The internet has largely crowned her the winner of the reunion.

Honestly, Ciara deserves hazard pay for having to explain both friendship and pharmacology at the same time.

And I still prefer UK.

Maybe it's the accents. Maybe it's Maya Jama. Maybe it's because the UK cast still feels slightly more normal and slightly less influencer-coded.

It's still early, but people seem optimistic about this season and are saying it feels like a step back in the right direction after a few weaker years. And after last season…let’s GO.

Also, Love Island UK remains one of the only shows where I can become emotionally invested in complete strangers within approximately 36 minutes.

Which means I will once again spend an unhealthy amount of time saying things like:

"I don't know why she picked him."

"That man is a walking red flag."

"They're never surviving Casa Amor."

The US version has gotten SO much better over the last few years, and Ariana Madix continues to be one of the best reality TV casting decisions ever.

I still give UK the crown, but USA has become appointment television.

Which feels like Summer House's older, slightly more hydrated cousin.

Everyone has real jobs, real responsibilities, and significantly better skincare.

The problems are less "who hooked up in Montauk?" and more "am I making the right life decisions?" which, unfortunately, is much more relatable.

I fear this demographic may be my future.

Meanwhile I've spent the last week watching The Handmaid's Tale, which has made the transition into reality TV feel particularly aggressive.

Also: rooftop pool season has officially begun.

I spent approximately three hours floating around Life Time last weekend and suddenly understood why people become pool people.

There's something deeply luxurious about having absolutely nowhere to be. No errands. No laptop. No notifications. Just a chair, a book you may or may not actually read, and enough SPF to survive the afternoon.

It felt like the kind of thing I imagined adulthood would be when I was younger.

The Life Cafe remains offensively expensive.

The smoothies remain aggressively average.

And yet somehow a mediocre $14 smoothie tastes different when you're drinking it in a swimsuit after floating around for three hours pretending you're at a resort.

Will I continue complaining about the prices?

Absolutely.

Will I be back every weekend this summer?

Also absolutely.

That’s all I got! Open to any topics or suggestions you have - slide into those DM’s, or emails? People still do that right?

Talk to you next week my loves, xx