April 2025 Three Things

Summary

Bad On Paper: April 2025 Three Things Episode Summary

Hosts: Becca Freeman & Olivia Muenter
Release Date: April 9, 2025

In this engaging episode of Bad On Paper, hosts Becca Freeman and Olivia Muenter delve into a variety of topics ranging from personal experiences to media critiques, all structured around their signature "Three Things" format. Below is a detailed summary capturing the key discussions, insights, and memorable quotes from the episode.

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1. Highs and Lows

Becca’s High:
Becca enthusiastically shares her recent trip to France, emphasizing the rejuvenating experience she had in Paris and Bordeaux. She highlights the balance between exploring bustling cities and relaxing in serene vineyard settings.

Becca Freeman [00:43]:
“I fully let myself have the time. Office vacation. I didn't work except for I finished a newsletter while I was on the train there. But otherwise, I was very detached from email, from work, and it was wonderful.”

Olivia’s High:
Olivia recounts her experience teaching a writing workshop to junior and sophomore girls. Despite initial nervousness, she found the experience rewarding and gained a newfound appreciation for educators.

Olivia Muenter [04:46]:
“I felt, like, proud of myself, and it was just inspiring.”

Becca’s Low:
Becca discusses battling illness during her vacation, initially mistaking it for allergies but later identifying it as a cold. She appreciates the ability to rest without disrupting her friend's schedule.

Becca Freeman [10:23]:
“I ended up getting sick in the second half of the vacation. It was the worst.”

Olivia’s Low:
Olivia opens up about her struggles with maintaining a consistent sleep routine, citing late-night activities like watching basketball and TV shows as culprits.

Olivia Muenter [09:27]:
“I just can't get into the habit of going to sleep at the same time and waking up.”

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2. Netflix’s Content Strategy and Streaming Trends

Becca introduces an article from N+1 discussing Netflix's shift toward content designed for casual, second-screen viewing. She cites the example of the Lindsay Lohan movie Irish Wish, which simplifies plot points to cater to viewers multitasking during watching.

Becca Freeman [14:25]:
“It’s literally the studio notes that they’re giving. And there was this example... summarizing what has happened so far... just like to marry this person tomorrow.”

The hosts debate recent Netflix shows, including The Night Agent and Running Point. Becca criticizes these shows for being "clunky" and designed for half-hearted viewing, while Olivia acknowledges the trend but also notes Netflix's investment in high-budget projects like Black Mirror and upcoming films.

Becca Freeman [16:14]:
“It felt hollow... designed to be watched while you’re cooking dinner and not actually watching what’s happening.”

Notable Quote:

Olivia Muenter [20:44]:
“I just think this is going to be like the movie event of the last five years for me for sure.”

The discussion concludes with reflections on streaming service preferences, highlighting Apple TV, Hulu, Peacock, and HBO as potential choices if one had to retain only one subscription.

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3. Favorite Bookstores around the World

Becca and Olivia share their beloved bookstores, blending local favorites with international gems.

Becca’s Favorites:

• McNally Jackson in Williamsburg & SoHo: Praised for its gorgeous renovations and vibrant atmosphere.
• Beacon Hill Books in Washington D.C.: Holds sentimental value from hosting their book event.
• Trident Booksellers in Boston: A nostalgic spot from her college days with an attached café.
• Back Cove Books in Maine: Admired for its charming setup and friendly staff.

Olivia’s Favorites:

• Buxton Books in Buxton, North Carolina: A tiny, beloved bookstore where she attended Twilight midnight releases.
• Daunt Books in London & Rare Birds in Edinburgh: Celebrated for their unique selections and aesthetic appeal.
• Kinderhook Books & Tombolo Books: Local spots she frequents for their community events and welcoming environments.

Notable Quote:

Olivia Muenter [38:14]:
“Buxton Books in Buxton, North Carolina... I went there for Twilight midnight release parties. It is the best place in the world.”

The conversation touches on the challenges of owning a bookstore, with both hosts expressing admiration for the passion and effort behind independent bookshops.

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4. The Bird or Potato Celebrity Game

Becca introduces a playful classification game where celebrities are categorized as "bird" or "potato" based on their facial features. Despite the fun premise, the hosts find themselves frequently disagreeing on classifications.

Game Highlights:

• Pedro Pascal: Becca classifies him as a "potato," while Olivia opts for "bird."
• Timothée Chalamet & Jennifer Lawrence: Mixed classifications leading to humorous disagreements.
• Kate Hudson & Taylor Swift: Further debate illustrates the subjectivity of the game.

Notable Quote:

Becca Freeman [46:04]:
“What I've brought for you is a slideshow of celebrities for you to tell me if they're a bird or a potato.”

The segment underscores the subjective nature of such fun classifications, leaving listeners amused and curious to try the game themselves.

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5. Exploring Pinterest: Personal Boards and Inspirations

The hosts explore each other's Pinterest pages, revealing personal interests and aesthetic preferences.

Becca’s Pinterest:

• Focus Areas: Clothing inspiration, mood boards for books, recipes, and eclectic home decor.
• Notable Pins: Layered necklaces, striped pillows, blue nails, and inspirational quotes.

Becca Freeman [54:25]:
“The main thing that I use Pinterest for is my annual mood vibe board.”

Olivia’s Pinterest:

• Focus Areas: Garden designs, house interiors, watercolor art, and cozy film setups.
• Notable Pins: Built-in bookshelves, garden inspirations, Virginia Woolf quotes, and journaling ideas.

Olivia Muenter [56:38]:
“There’s a photo of a garden. I should say that I have two Pinterest accounts and this one is my lesson frequented one.”

The exchange highlights how both hosts use Pinterest as a tool for creativity and personal organization, inspiring listeners to explore their own boards.

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6. Obsessions and Recent Reads

Olivia’s Obsession:
Olivia is captivated by the Pen Pals Podcast, which focuses on writing goals and topics relevant to aspiring authors.

Olivia Muenter [59:40]:
“I am obsessed with this podcast. It’s called Pen Pals Podcast.”

Becca’s Obsession:
Becca shares her passion for learning French using Duolingo, aiming to enhance her language skills further.

Becca Freeman [60:21]:
“My obsession is generally learning French... I want to keep doing it every day.”

Recent Reads:

Becca’s Book Reviews:

1. "Broken Country" by Clare Leslie Hall:
   A literary romance mystery set in rural England, praised for its beautiful writing and engaging twists.

   Becca Freeman [63:07]:
   “It really made me feel like myself again.”

2. "Great Big Beautiful Life" by Emily Henry:
   A romance novel about two competing writers, noted for exploring themes of public perception versus reality.

   Becca Freeman [64:27]:
   “…it’s a forced proximity romance. And there’s kind of like the backstory of the heiress and how much of the public narrative is true.”

3. "Jane and Dan at the End of the World" by Colleen Oakley:
   A humorous take on a hostage scenario in a high-end restaurant, blending romance and mystery.

   Becca Freeman [66:11]:
   “It was very fun. I really, really liked it.”

Olivia’s Book Club Pick:

• "Wild Dark Shore" by Charlotte McConaughey:
  Described as a literary thriller set near Antarctica, focusing on a family's efforts to protect a research facility and a stranded woman.

Olivia Muenter [69:00]:
“I would describe it as very emotional. It’s beautiful, and it should make for a good discussion.”

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Conclusion

This episode of Bad On Paper offers a delightful mix of personal anecdotes, media analysis, interactive fun, and literary discussions. Becca and Olivia's chemistry and diverse interests create a comprehensive and enjoyable listening experience for both regular listeners and newcomers alike.

Notable Quotes:

• Becca Freeman [00:43]:
  “I fully let myself have the time. Office vacation. I didn't work except for I finished a newsletter while I was on the train there. But otherwise, I was very detached from email, from work, and it was wonderful.”

• Olivia Muenter [04:46]:
  “I felt, like, proud of myself, and it was just inspiring.”

• Becca Freeman [14:25]:
  “It’s literally the studio notes that they’re giving. And there was this example... summarizing what has happened so far... just like to marry this person tomorrow.”

• Becca Freeman [46:04]:
  “What I've brought for you is a slideshow of celebrities for you to tell me if they're a bird or a potato.”

• Becca Freeman [60:21]:
  “My obsession is generally learning French... I want to keep doing it every day.”

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Tune in next week for another insightful and entertaining episode of Bad On Paper with Becca Freeman and Olivia Muenter!

Transcript

[Olivia Mentor]

Hi, everyone, and welcome to Baton Paper Podcast. I'm Olivia Mentor.

[Becca Freeman]

And I'm Becca Freeman.

[Olivia Mentor]

And today we have a Three Things episode. We haven't. I feel like we haven't done one of these in a minute.

[Becca Freeman]

I'm very excited. I even brought an interactive. I don't know if it's a game, but a quiz element perhaps.

[Olivia Mentor]

Oh, delightful. I can't wait. Well, let's talk about some highs and lows first. I want to hear all about your high.

[Becca Freeman]

My high is that I just got back from my trip to France and it was wonderful. I feel like it felt more special because I hadn't traveled anywhere so since the beginning of the year. And so I was just giddy to go somewhere to take some time off. I fully let myself have the time. Office vacation. I didn't work except for I finished a newsletter while I was on the train there. But otherwise I was very detached from email, from work, and it was wonderful. We were in Paris for four days and I love Paris. I feel like I've been lucky enough to go there. I think this was maybe my fourth or fifth time there. So I have some things that are favorites that it was very fun to show somebody else. And then there's also. It's somewhere where I know that I'll go back to. So there's also like the aspect of collecting favorites versus, you know, sometimes when you go to a place and you know that you're not gonna. Who knows, life is weird, but you know you'll probably never go back again. Yeah, I love the aspect of knowing that I will continue to go to Paris throughout my life. Same with London. Yeah, it was so fun. And then we went down to Bordeaux, which is somewhere where I've never been before, and we stayed at the beauty brand. Caudalie has a hotel property outside of Bordeaux. And so we stayed there. It's like spa slash. It's on a vineyard. And it was definitely the more relaxing piece of the vacation.

[Olivia Mentor]

And.

[Becca Freeman]

And it was such a special hotel property. Like, the grounds were just so beautiful. The staff was so nice. It has three restaurants on the premises and they were all we didn't eat. One of them is a two star Michelin restaurant that we did not eat at. But the restaurants we did eat at were so good. So it was a lovely mix of exploring because we were very go, go, go in Paris and then coming to Bordeaux and mostly relaxing.

[Olivia Mentor]

It sounds like the perfect balanced vacation. You know, just a little bit of everything. You're not like going nonstop. You don't come back feeling like you've just been through the wringer, like, just perfect.

[Becca Freeman]

Yeah, it was great. We also did the go, go, go part first and then relaxed. So I feel like that was excellent.

[Olivia Mentor]

Very smart.

[Becca Freeman]

And then we came back on a Friday, which I would not usually do. I'm the kind of person who wants to squeeze as much time out of vacation as possible. Friend who I was traveling with had a work event on Saturday, so we came back on Friday. It was very nice to come back and then have the weekend to fully recuperate, both in terms of kind of getting back on this schedule and then also in terms of unpacking and, you know, doing all my life admin stuff that had been put off while I was away.

[Olivia Mentor]

It's a perfect vacation and post vacation experience rare.

[Becca Freeman]

Honestly, I feel great. It's Monday morning, we're coming into the work week, and I feel excited to get back to my book, which is honestly the best case scenario. I feel very renewed.

[Olivia Mentor]

Good. I'm so glad. I was just gonna ask what the single best piece of food you ate was. Important information for me.

[Becca Freeman]

Okay. So I think the single best piece of food we ate was these mussels. And I love mussels, so I am biased. That we had at a restaurant called Alfred in the first. On our first night there, we kind of went there on a whim and it was like the best mussels I've probably ever had.

[Olivia Mentor]

Oh, and then you like dip the bread in the broth and all of.

[Becca Freeman]

The bread in Paris is so good. I would have bathed in the broth. It would have been weird, but I would have done it also in like.

[Olivia Mentor]

A. I don't know the weather, but assuming it was like a little bit rainy or chilly, like, oh, that's, that's perfect.

[Becca Freeman]

It was so good. But tell me yours. You previewed last time we recorded that you were going to teach this writing workshop. I see. It landed as the high unpack it for me.

[Olivia Mentor]

Yes. So I taught this writing workshop for five days a couple weeks ago. It was six classes of a total of about 80 junior and sophomore girls. So 15 and 16 year olds. And I was sort of doing an introduction of who I was and teaching them how to write a story, how to begin a story. So the goal by the end of the week was that they would have a thousand words. Either, you know, the start of a book, the start of a chapter, a character portrait, whatever. It was very sort of open ended and whatever they wanted it to be. And it was just first of all, I was just telling you this, but I was as nervous as I have ever been for anything. I have never really taught in this format. I was intimidated by the idea of being around teens. I didn't know what to expect, and it was very new to me, and I was just extremely, extremely nervous. But in the end, it was such a wonderful experience. I mean, I hope that I was able to, you know, impart the love of writing at least a little bit more in a couple of them. But for me, speaking selfishly, like, it was such a wonderful learning experience. I feel like I have a new appreciation for teachers, for how hard it is to be, like, on, like, that all day long, how creative you have to be. I had this sense of confidence that comes from when you do something you're really scared to do, and then you figure it out and you actually like it. So that was good. I felt, like, proud of myself, and it was just inspiring to. I don't know, to think about writing in a different way. But also, like, it's so similar. Watching them, like, be scared to read their stories out loud is, like, how I feel sometimes. So I don't know. It was just. It was all very, like, lovely and inspiring. And I got some compliments on my outfits, too, which, honestly, was another highlight. Someone said my outfit was a slay. Oh. Oh.

[Becca Freeman]

From a teen.

[Olivia Mentor]

From a teen.

[Becca Freeman]

What did you go with as your teacher name?

[Olivia Mentor]

Oh, I just had them call me Olivia.

[Becca Freeman]

They are going to be talking about the time that Olivia visited for years. That's. Oh, my gosh. I would be. Were I in high school and had a cool young author visit. I would, like, join your cult. I would be. So I'd be like, this is the coolest thing that's ever happened.

[Olivia Mentor]

Thank you. I kept thinking, like, how much I would have loved to talk to an author at that age. And so I tried to remember that, like, maybe there's just one or two people who are going to become authors in this large group, and that's enough for me if I inspire one of them to start writing a book a little bit sooner than they may have otherwise. That's all I really wanted. And they are all so smart and kind. And some of them called me Miss Olivia, which was cute. Which was really cute.

[Becca Freeman]

Or even just broadening their horizons in terms of what career opportunities there are. I truly don't think that I perceived of being an author as a viable career until my 30s. Like, it just. It felt like the equivalent of saying, I want to be a rock star.

[Olivia Mentor]

Yes, that's exactly what I said to them.

[Becca Freeman]

Knowing that it's realistic. I don't know. I think you just helped to shape their perception of what career avenues are available to them.

[Olivia Mentor]

I hope so. And I really tried to communicate. Like, I've done a lot of different things. Like, I've had a lot of very, very cool jobs. Like, everyone says that this age group wants to be influencers. It's like, I've done that. I've done the editor. I've met celebrities. I've been on beauty brand trips. They were like, have you been on a trip with Tarte? And I was like, no, I didn't go on one of those.

[Becca Freeman]

But do you feel like they followed you on Instagram? Not that that's the goal.

[Olivia Mentor]

A couple of them did, but.

[Becca Freeman]

Oh, yeah, they're. They're in the cult of Olivia. I mean, same. I am too.

[Olivia Mentor]

I'm sure that my teacher outfits of the day are so cringe to them. But no, they were wonderful. And I really just wanted them to know, like, I've done a lot of things, but, like, there's nothing that brings me more joy than writing. And so if there's someone who feels that way, I hope that they run with it. That's my goal. I hope I get an email one day. That's like, I wrote a story that week and then I kept writing. That's the dream.

[Becca Freeman]

I feel. Not that I'm encouraging you to change careers, but I do feel like you have such a kind and empathetic and vulnerable aspect to your personality that I think you would be really suited to this.

[Olivia Mentor]

Thanks. I would love, love to work with young girls again and like, with creative writing workshops, so I would enjoy it immensely. I got so much out of it.

[Becca Freeman]

What about on the low side?

[Olivia Mentor]

My low is that I just. I feel like my routine in my life is good. My day routine is good. My sleep routine is just garbage. Like, I can't.

[Becca Freeman]

How so?

[Olivia Mentor]

I just can't get into the habit of going to sleep at the same time and waking up. Like, for a while, it was pretty solid. Like, I would wake up at seven on the dot, no alarm, which is fine with me. But then I started staying up later. Jake and I have been watching a lot of basketball for the college tournament, which sometimes goes late. I was watching the White Lotus finale. I just don't have a lot of discipline. Like, if I want to watch something, I'm like, I'm just going to stay here and watch it. So I need to get to bed earlier. And wake up feeling more rested. It's always the goal. I mean, this isn't a real low. This is kind of silly.

[Becca Freeman]

No. But I do feel like when your sleep routine is off, it throws off everything.

[Olivia Mentor]

It does. And then like I end up getting started later and it's just everything gets pushed and whatever. I just, I need to wake up earlier. This is the struggle of my life.

[Becca Freeman]

What about you, Milo? Is that I ended up getting sick in the second half of the vacation. I thought that it was allergies at first because Paris is maybe a little a bit ahead of New York in terms of everything budding and blooming. So immediately when I got there, my seasonal allergies started to rev up. And I thought it was just allergies, but it became clear in the second half of the trip that I was actually sick. Just like a cold sore throat type thing. And I'm still working through the dregs of that. I have, especially at night, I kind of have like a gross cough.

[Olivia Mentor]

Oh yeah, that's. That is no fun.

[Becca Freeman]

It's not excellent.

[Olivia Mentor]

Allergies have been really bad. So I understand why you confuse that. But I'm sorry to hear that. That's the worst.

[Becca Freeman]

That's okay. It was on the relaxing part. I was able to just kind of be on my own like one day when I didn't feel well. My friend who I was traveling with had work calls unfortunately. And so there was an indoor pool. I was the only person in there and I was just reading by the indoor pool. So it was very easy to kind of like isolate. So I hopefully didn't get anyone else sick and to like take it easy as opposed to. I didn't really feel like I was missing out on anything.

[Olivia Mentor]

Okay, good. Well, if you're going to be sick, it sounds like the best version of it, I guess.

[Becca Freeman]

No, I mean, I would have preferred not being sick.

[Olivia Mentor]

Well, yes, that's a given.

[Becca Freeman]

But it's okay. I'll be back in action. I am back in action. I feel fine.

[Olivia Mentor]

Good, I'm glad.

[Becca Freeman]

Let's take a quick ad break and then let's get into some things. So I just got back from Paris as we've been talking about, and one of the most re worn items in my suitcase was my camel colored quince cashmere sweater which is such a steal at under $50. And I was also browsing their site yesterday and wow, do they have some really cute items for warm weather vacations too. I snagged a pair of red linen pull on pants that I'M very excited about. You may know from Instagram that I'm inconveniently in my red clothing era, but there are also linen button downs, smocked dresses and so many cute pairs of shorts it was frankly more than I realized that they carried if you also.

[Olivia Mentor]

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[Becca Freeman]

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[Olivia Mentor]

What is the first thing you have brought to the table today? Feels very intense. So tell me your thing.

[Becca Freeman]

The first thing I've brought is did you read back in December or January, there was this article on the website n +1 that went, I don't know, fairly viral about Netflix's content strategy and how they're gearing their content towards casual viewing. Like they're actually making their shows designed to be half watched while you scroll on your phone or while you're folding your laundry. Did you see that?

[Olivia Mentor]

I didn't see that, but that is fascinating to me.

[Becca Freeman]

Yes. Like that's literally the studio notes that they're giving. And there was this example in the article from the Lindsay Lohan movie Irish Wish where at one point she basically just summarizes what has happened so far and restates what is going to happen next in this way that is very obvious to the person that she's having a conversation with. I. I don't have the exact quote handy, but it's something to the effect of there was a very romantic day of wandering and exploring. But as you know, I am going to marry this person tomorrow.

[Olivia Mentor]

Like it was such a I did watch that movie while doing something else.

[Becca Freeman]

Exactly, exactly. But anyway, so what I wanted to talk about was that I I read the article. I was kind of horrified, but it made Sense. And then I feel like I've run into two examples recently of that type of content where it clicked in my head and I was like, oh, yes, this is what they're talking about.

[Olivia Mentor]

Okay, what are those examples?

[Becca Freeman]

Okay, so the first one. Did you watch the Night Agent on Netflix?

[Olivia Mentor]

I watched maybe one episode.

[Becca Freeman]

That's probably the right answer. So the second season of the Night Agent came out earlier this year and I remember loving the first season. However, I had no memory of what happened. So when I saw the second season was coming out, I decided to rewatch the first season. I started watching this show and remember this is a show that I had already watched and remembered loving. It is the clunkiest, like absolutely made to be watched while on your phone show. I was like, how did I love this? I was obviously not really watching this.

[Olivia Mentor]

I guess it's true that they are not really making like the prestige television that they once did. Like. I mean, remember when Orange is the New Black came out and it was.

[Becca Freeman]

Like huge deal or they were the first ones. I mean, obviously this did not age well, but House of Cards.

[Olivia Mentor]

Yes, yes, House of Cards and Stranger Things, I think also like started out in a very sort of interesting, like, fresh place. I haven't watched it in a few seasons, but I haven't thought about it. But it's a great point. And actually Jake and I have been talking about this. We find ourselves going on Netflix less and less. There are shows we do watch, like, especially the reality stuff I find, you know, entertaining. Like I love Love on the Spectrum. I think that's an excellent show, but I hadn't thought of that. It was like a directive. It's. It's very dark.

[Becca Freeman]

Well, the other one that I noticed this with, and I'm also curious if you've watched this. Did you watch the new Kate Hudson show, Running Point, the basketball show?

[Olivia Mentor]

No, not, not my thing, but I have not heard great things.

[Becca Freeman]

It was not bad. It was enjoyable. However, it felt like there were all of the ingredients in it to be such a big hit. It had such a star studded cast. Obviously it had Kate Hudson. Jay Ellis from Insecure was in it. Justin Theroux was in it. Like it. It was very star studded. Chet Hanks was very star studded. And the premise is great. You know, it's the fuck up daughter of a basketball dynasty family ends up taking over running the team. And it was very clearly trying to be Ted Lasso and it very clearly fell short of that. I got the feeling that it was not an Execution problem. They made what they set out to make.

[Olivia Mentor]

Hmm. Which was second screen viewing.

[Becca Freeman]

Yes, it was so. I don't know what the right word is. It felt hollow. Hollow, yes. Yes. That is a great way to describe it. And it started off with this 15 minute. Maybe that's an exaggeration. This like 10 minute sequence of just VO explaining all of the people and the dynamics in the show. Literally, it was like Kate Hudson VO over shots of the different people. And she's like, I'm Isla and this is my family team. And I'm a fuck up. And then here's my brother and then here's my other brother. And like, it just went through the whole show. And I was like, wow, this is so clearly designed to be watched while you're cooking dinner and not actually watching what's happening.

[Olivia Mentor]

What does Netflix have coming out? Like, have you seen them advertise anything? Because usually I feel like most streaming services have, like, one big project that they're, like, pushing is the next thing, but I can't think of anything for Netflix.

[Becca Freeman]

I don't know. I mean, for a while they were really into movies that would otherwise have been, like, released in the theaters. Like, do you remember when they did those big movies with the Rock and like, action movies? Kind of. And I feel like they've backed away from that.

[Olivia Mentor]

Oh, there's a new season of Black Mirror, which I do love Black Mirror. So that. I'll give them that. I'll give them that. I guess it looks like there's a movie with Tom Hardy coming out called Havoc.

[Becca Freeman]

There's a Wednesday Chew, I've also heard. Oh, have you watched the Residents?

[Olivia Mentor]

No, but I. I listened to a review of it that was pretty positive on it.

[Becca Freeman]

I've heard. It's pretty positive too, but I have also heard that it spoon feeds you.

[Olivia Mentor]

Okay, well.

[Becca Freeman]

Oh, you know what they're working on? They're working on the Thursday Murder Club adaptation. I don't know that that's Steven Biggie.

[Olivia Mentor]

Steven Spielberg directing that? Yeah, Steven Spielberg is directing it.

[Becca Freeman]

Is he really?

[Olivia Mentor]

Isn't that weird?

[Becca Freeman]

Yes.

[Olivia Mentor]

Sorry, sorry. Produced by Stephen Spielberg.

[Becca Freeman]

Oh, produced by. Okay, that makes sense. Yes.

[Olivia Mentor]

Produced by. I knew he was attached to some way.

[Becca Freeman]

It looks like it's written and directed by Chris Columbus, an unfortunately named person who also wrote the Home Alone movies. Oh, I don't know if he wrote or directed them.

[Olivia Mentor]

Oh, wow. Yeah. Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirren, Ben Kingsley. Yeah, that's a good cast. I mean, that's a great cast.

[Becca Freeman]

Oh, he did Mrs. Doubtfire he directed the Harry Potter adaptations, or at least the first few. Not Steven Spielberg, but close.

[Olivia Mentor]

Frankenstein. Is that new? Starring Oscar Isaac and Jacob elordi.

[Becca Freeman]

I haven't.

[Olivia Mentor]

November 2025.

[Becca Freeman]

I don't know.

[Olivia Mentor]

Is that a Netflix movie? Okay, so maybe it's like their strategy is like the majority is second screen watching and then peppered in there. They have these more like high brow. Not high brow, but like big budget, like events that you like, wanna want to watch.

[Becca Freeman]

I don't get the sense that Running Point was particularly cheap. I think even for things that they're putting money into, we've really just come to a place where we are. If it's not appointment tv, like the White Lotus or Severance, people are half watching.

[Olivia Mentor]

Yeah, that's a good point. I guess they're putting more money into, into the shitty things, I guess.

[Becca Freeman]

I mean, I think they're meeting customers where they are. And I'm, and I'm saying this as someone who is so guilty of half watching shows. I thought I loved the Night Agent until I actually watched it.

[Olivia Mentor]

This begs the question, if you had to only keep one streaming service, which one would you keep?

[Becca Freeman]

Oh, that's interesting. I feel like Apple TV is coming out with the best original series, but they don't have a very good catalog of other shows to watch, you know, like existing series to rewatch. So I, I don't know, I feel like I would pick that for original series. But I mean, I do watch a lot of Hulu.

[Olivia Mentor]

Really. Okay, so it's between Hulu and Apple or Apple wins out.

[Becca Freeman]

Oh, also Peacock. I watch a lot of Peacock. I don't know, I, I, I don't live in that world. I don't have to pick. Okay, do you have an obvious one? I feel like you'd pick Peacock for sure.

[Olivia Mentor]

No, I think I would pick Apple.

[Becca Freeman]

Oh, you would.

[Olivia Mentor]

Or Apple or hbo probably.

[Becca Freeman]

Where are your, where are your Mormon wives?

[Olivia Mentor]

It depends which ones you're talking about. But the Housewives of Salt Lake City is.

[Becca Freeman]

No, not that one. Your Sister Wives.

[Olivia Mentor]

Oh, oh, the other. More the other Mormons. It's a different sect of Mormonism. Tlc, but that's on hbo.

[Becca Freeman]

Oh, okay.

[Olivia Mentor]

But like, if I had a gun to my head, had to choose. Like I would give up Sister Wives for Severance or shrinking even, I think, wow. But again, I don't have to choose. Also, now that I'm scrolling through these Netflix things coming out. Okay, so in fall we have another Knives out movie. We also have the woman in cabin 10 with that adaptation with Keira Knightley. We also have some movie called Steve starring Cillian Murphy. And then there's a movie with Matt Damon. So I guess there are things peppered in there. I will. I'll keep my Netflix subscription, I guess, is what I'm saying.

[Becca Freeman]

I love the Diplomat. It was my favorite show two years in a row. So they are doing good things. But there is some lowest common denominator content coming out. I say that as the lowest common denominator.

[Olivia Mentor]

Yeah, it's a little sad. It's a little sad, but I understand.

[Becca Freeman]

Okay, what have you brought for us for your first thing?

[Olivia Mentor]

My first thing is the project Hail Mary movie and the news that's been coming out about it. Have you seen. Have you seen all the news coming out of Cinemacon?

[Becca Freeman]

I saw that it has a release date. No, I don't think I've seen much. I was following some. This is so embarrassing. I was following Andy Weir on Facebook updates with like, he went to set for a visit earlier this year, so he had some updates there. But no, I'm not following. I didn't follow anything coming out of Cinemacon. Tell me.

[Olivia Mentor]

Okay, so Cinemacon, Ryan Gosling was there and they showed the first clips of the movie. So it's still in post production. And I don't know how someone has not leaked this trailer because I am dying for it, but there was someone who wrote up a very detailed description of it on CinemaBlend.com and I will just read you.

[Becca Freeman]

Wait a small clip before you do. I just need to know so I can handle it. Have we seen Rocky or no?

[Olivia Mentor]

Well, I don't think so. A part of him you'll hear now. So they talk about some of the jokes and like, you know Ryan Gosling as this T shirt and like, they come and get him and whatever. So the final scene of this trailer, it says on Cinemablend, a bridge is made between the two ships. And Ryland cautiously moves his way down it to a wall with a small window. And he screams and totally freaks out when an alien claw slaps against it. The scene then cut to the protagonist recording a video message saying, I met an alien. He's really growing on me. He's not growing in me. Which was a concern for a little while. And that moment concluded. The footage. Oh, my God, I'm so excited. This is apparently. I think the budget is like $650 million or something. And at the Cinemacon thing, Ryan Gosling was saying about how difficult of a movie it is to make because of the. I mean, all of the factors. It's just him. And then the video makes a lot of sense to me because, you know, kind of like the Martian, you know, he has to be talking in order to hear his monologue. Oh, my gosh. I'm just. I think this is going to be like the movie event of the last five years for me for sure. But I think maybe for the wider.

[Becca Freeman]

World, I think it will be huge. However, I think it hinges on how they render Rocky both visually and in an audio fashion. Because I think if they take one wrong step, it could become so bad so fast.

[Olivia Mentor]

I know, but I think they can do it. I just think Ryan Gosling is not gonna sign on to anything less than something.

[Becca Freeman]

I do trust his taste and discernment. Yeah.

[Olivia Mentor]

And I didn't realize this, but so I believe it's produced and written by the same guy or people who did the Martian.

[Becca Freeman]

Okay.

[Olivia Mentor]

Which I have. Have you seen it? Yeah.

[Becca Freeman]

Yeah. I haven't read the book, but I've seen the movie.

[Olivia Mentor]

Both great. But I didn't realize the Martian was nominated for so many Academy Awards. Did you know that?

[Becca Freeman]

Yeah.

[Olivia Mentor]

And so I hadn't really even thought of this as like an Oscar buzz movie, but maybe. I don't know.

[Becca Freeman]

This is like a four quadrant movie.

[Olivia Mentor]

Yeah. What does that mean?

[Becca Freeman]

It means that it like hits every movie viewer. Like, I don't know that it's super high brow. Although I do think that the climate fic aspect of it is very thoughtfully done.

[Olivia Mentor]

And Sandra Houler is playing the Edith Drought and she's an Academy Award winning actress. I think. I think she won last year for An Anatomy of a Fall. We have multiple Oscar winning people. We have Rocky. It's going to be good. Are you going to see it in theaters?

[Becca Freeman]

Absolutely. I think we need to see it together. Oh, my gosh. Maybe I'll come up there and we can go to Chili's. I mean, hopefully we get invited to something early. I don't think we made this book in any way, but, you know, maybe they. Maybe somebody recognizes our fandom for this.

[Olivia Mentor]

I've been talking about it.

[Becca Freeman]

So, you know, maybe we get to see it early, but if not, maybe I come up there and we go to the Albany movie theater and then we go to Chili's after to debrief. I'm not joking. You're like really making a face as if you think this is me being funny.

[Olivia Mentor]

No, I know you're serious. I know you're serious. I'm going to probably see it many, many times. And one of those times I think should be. Should be that and I'm thrilled.

[Becca Freeman]

Do you think that we should try to get Ryan Gosling to come on the podcast? Like, if we start.

[Olivia Mentor]

Rocky, just give me the sounds Rock. If we start now. I have been pushing this book since 2021. Okay. I have been out here in the streets single handedly selling copies of this thing. Does it need me?

[Becca Freeman]

But it was a popular. No, yeah, I was gonna say it was like a popular book generally, yes.

[Olivia Mentor]

But I think I was early to it. I really do. Probably not, but in my mind I had never heard of it when I picked it up. Okay. That's all I will say. This is me making my argument for the Ryan Gosling coming on the podcast of it all.

[Becca Freeman]

Like, I mean, I definitely think that we could probably get Andy Weir. Maybe we could get them together. I don't know.

[Olivia Mentor]

Oh, man, I'll take anyone. I'm just so excited. It's less than a year.

[Becca Freeman]

Less than a year.

[Olivia Mentor]

I know. Also, I didn't realize this. Did you know that Ryan Gosling signed on to be in this movie before the book came out?

[Becca Freeman]

No.

[Olivia Mentor]

So clearly I was not the first to take notice. Ryan Gosling was actually ahead of me. Yeah, but like that, It's a wild fact to me.

[Becca Freeman]

Wow.

[Olivia Mentor]

Wild.

[Becca Freeman]

I mean, I guess after the Martian, that makes sense. They knew that this was gonna be a big thing.

[Olivia Mentor]

Yeah. Yeah, I can't wait. I can't wait. And I can't wait for everyone who hasn't read the book to go into the movie because that's gonna be a delightful experience, watching them watch it.

[Becca Freeman]

I'm excited for months to go, wow, wow.

[Olivia Mentor]

Well, what's your next thing?

[Becca Freeman]

Okay, my next thing is a fast, silly thing. Do you find it difficult to get yourself to put on body lotion?

[Olivia Mentor]

Yes.

[Becca Freeman]

Thank you.

[Olivia Mentor]

Yeah, I don't love it. I don't love it.

[Becca Freeman]

So I got a massage while I was in France and it was at the Caudalie spa. And it was a great massage. And they use Caudalie body cream or something in addition to massage oil. And afterwards I was like, I feel so great. My skin feels so moisturized and smooth. And I thought to myself, becca, this is an experience you could give yourself anytime you want by putting on body moisturizer. And I don't know why I find it so hard to get myself to do it, but I almost never do it. And I have an embarrassing amount of different vehicles of moisturization. Like, I bought The. Have you seen the brand, Honey?

[Olivia Mentor]

I don't think so.

[Becca Freeman]

It's like a newer brand, but they have a spray lotion that you put on kind of like while you're still wet from the shower. I got that. I have oil, I have unscented cream, I have scented cream. I have everything. And I just can't get myself to do it.

[Olivia Mentor]

It's annoying. I think it's just an annoying.

[Becca Freeman]

I actually think it's harder in cold weather. I actually have an easier time with it in summer when I'm not immediately putting on clothes over my arms and legs.

[Olivia Mentor]

Right? Yeah. Because then you can just do it whenever.

[Becca Freeman]

Yeah, well, no, but then I feel like there's something gross about putting on lotion and then putting on jeans.

[Olivia Mentor]

Well, okay. The only lotion I do find easy to put on and I want to reach for and I've used multiple bottles, is the necessaire body serum. Cuz that stuff absorbs instantly. You can rub it into your legs and put on jeans the next second no problem. It is worth every single penny. The serum, you said it's the body serum. It. It's a pump, which is key. It is literally like it. Lightweight gel moisturizer. Like that's what it looks like. It absorbs. Yes, yes.

[Becca Freeman]

Okay.

[Olivia Mentor]

And I also love it because I find that it's moisturizing enough for winter, but also in the summer it doesn't feel too heavy. And like sometimes it can have that like, you know when you're like sweating a little bit and you have moisturize on and it's like worse feeling. Ugh, so gross. Doesn't do that. So yeah, I have like five empty bottles by my bedside because I just go through it. It's the best stuff in the world.

[Becca Freeman]

Maybe I need to try that.

[Olivia Mentor]

I think you would really like it because it does absorb so quickly. Like I. I would say within 15 seconds.

[Becca Freeman]

Okay, maybe I need to try or less.

[Olivia Mentor]

Yeah. Wait, you said you had a game.

[Becca Freeman]

This is not it yet. The third thing is the game.

[Olivia Mentor]

Oh, okay. I was like, I was trying to like.

[Becca Freeman]

What do you mean now?

[Olivia Mentor]

Lotion.

[Becca Freeman]

No, this one was just like, am I alone in this?

[Olivia Mentor]

No, I. I have a, a giant thing of moisturizer on my bathroom counter and every time I get out of the shower I look at it and I'm like, no. And then I just always reach for the necessary body serum. So I just need more of that.

[Becca Freeman]

I think, okay, I'm gonna buy that right after we get off because I feel like I want to be a moisturized person.

[Olivia Mentor]

I think you'll love it. I really do.

[Becca Freeman]

Okay. I'm curious of listeners. Let's talk in the Facebook group or in the Geneva group, because I feel like some people are just being like, you idiot. I've never heard of more first world problem.

[Olivia Mentor]

Well, that's true, but. But I think there are things like this that we all struggle with that are just easy, and then we're just like, no, I know.

[Becca Freeman]

And it's like, I want it, too. I don't know why I cannot get myself to do it.

[Olivia Mentor]

For me, it's like you have to kind of like you have to lean down. My. My toes are very far, you know, so I'm going to moisturize my legs. It's like I have to really get down there. And then it's. If you're wearing a towel, then sometimes the towel falls. That's why I really love my cozy Earth. Not to sound like an ad, but my towel wrap thing, because then it doesn't fall down and I have my arms free and.

[Becca Freeman]

Yeah, no, that's not it for me. It's the transition from, I've put on the lotion, now what do I do? Because putting. Yeah, putting on clothing seems gross.

[Olivia Mentor]

The time of absorption.

[Becca Freeman]

Yeah, so it's the time.

[Olivia Mentor]

That's why you need the serum.

[Becca Freeman]

And. Or maybe I just need to commit to robe time for 30 minutes after my shower. I work from home. There's no reason I can't sit around in a robe. Well, I could record this podcast in a robe.

[Olivia Mentor]

I hope that you. You find a solution. And I hope that the serum works for you.

[Becca Freeman]

I hope so, too. I hope so, too. I'm going to open a window right now so I don't forget. I'm not. Not joking around. Okay, let's take another quick ad break, and then let's talk more things. One thing I have been needing for a really long time is a mirror for my living room. But I was putting it off and putting it off because the room is otherwise decorated. So it just, like, felt like a rigmarole to figure out what piece fit. But a couple of months ago, enough was enough. So I logged into Wayfair, I put in the specs I wanted. I wanted a gold frame, I wanted a certain size. I put in the price I was willing to spend as a maximum, and voila. I found the perfect piece in under five minutes. And maybe you also have a home renovation project or even a single item to complete a room that you've been putting off to and Wayfair has stylish and quality home products for every budget.

[Olivia Mentor]

Wayfair's huge selection of home items has everything you need no matter what you're looking to upgrade this spring. Whether it is new patio furniture, some shelving to help you get organized, kitchen essentials for that party that you're hosting, or a brand new rug. And their incredible filters on their website help you narrow it down to exactly what you want to see if you're shopping in a specific price range or you have certain measurements that you're looking for or just a really specific color of upholstery. Plus they have free and easy delivery even on big stuff. They will even help you set it up too.

[Becca Freeman]

Shop the best selection of home improvement online. Get renovating with wayfair. Head to wayfair.com right now. That's W A Y F A I R.com Wayfair Every style, every home all right, Olivia, onto your second thing.

[Olivia Mentor]

My second thing is actually dovetailing off our last episode, which was about how to run a bookstore, and I put this question in the Facebook group. I loved reading people's responses and so I wanted to know what some of your favorite bookstores in the world are. These can be just the ones you love visiting or ones that you have really like specific, lovely memories at. I want to hear all about them and plug some wonderful bookstores.

[Becca Freeman]

Oh, okay. So my local, my closest bookstore is the McNally Jackson in Williamsburg. So that's where I go when I need a book. Right now I like to go to Books or Magic. I mean, I like Emma Straub, so I want to support her. I also think that I love their shelf talkers. I think they have really great recommendations. So that's on the other side of Brooklyn, but I do like to go there. I also think The Soho renovated McNally Jackson is gorgeous. It feels so special in there. So if I'm in the city, I like to pop in there. I have a very special place in my heart for East City Bookshop, which is in Washington D.C. who did a book event with me for the Christmas Orphans Club. So I love them. I. Oh my gosh. I've only been there once, but have you been to Beacon Hill Books in Boston?

[Olivia Mentor]

No, but I am very familiar with it. It's beautiful.

[Becca Freeman]

Yeah. I feel like everyone listening has probably seen it on Instagram. It's so cute. I love that shop. I feel like that's going to be like a must stop every time I go to Boston. I also love Trident Booksellers on Newbury street in Boston, where I spent a lot of time when I was in college or kind of like right after. And they have a little cafe in there, too, so that's near and dear to my heart. Oh, my gosh. I feel very on the spot. I feel like there's definitely other ones and I can't think of them. Tell me yours.

[Olivia Mentor]

Okay, first and forever, most favorite bookstore in my world is Buxton Books. Not to be confused with the Buxton Books in Charleston, which is also a great store. But Buxton Books in Buxton, North Carolina, in the Outer Banks is my most beloved bookstore. It's in this tiny shack, and this woman named Gigi has run it since the 80s, at least. I went there for Twilight midnight release parties. I go there every time I visit, on whatever rainy day of vacation we go there. And I just buy as many books as I can. It is so tiny and lovely and just, you know, is in every favorite childhood memory I've had. And I fear the day that Gigi announces that she is retiring because it will devastate me. And I would buy it, I would find a way, but then I would have to move there. And anyway, it is the best place in the world. I also really love Daunt Books in London.

[Becca Freeman]

Oh, I didn't think internationally beautiful.

[Olivia Mentor]

And also there is a store called Rare Birds, I Believe in Edinburgh in Scotland. And I had such a wonderful solo trip there a couple years ago. And this store only stocks books by women, I believe, which is really cool. And it's just a really, really pretty store. And then Kinderhook Books is my local bookshop, so I have to give them a shout out. I love just having a bookstore in town. They have so many cool events. I actually totally forgot to talk about this in my hive, but I was also going to mention that I took a writing workshop also in the past couple weeks, and with the author Laura Vandenberg, and that was through Kinderhook Books, which was Wonderful. Also, the McNally Jackson in SoHo will have a special place in my heart forever because it was the first place I ever saw my book in the wild on the day it came out. And I walked there by myself and I walked in and it was right there and it was just like, you know, a wonderful moment in my life. And then also I. I really adore Tombolo Books in St. Petersburg in Florida. I did an event there, which was wonderful. But it's just such a cool bookshop and really, really lovely people. And I can't wait to Go back now.

[Becca Freeman]

Did you grow up with a local indie bookstore? Because I. No, I didn't either. I didn't either. I was definitely a library kid when I lived in Connecticut. I can't think of there being a local indie bookstore that we went to. Went to Barnes and Noble a ton. There was.

[Olivia Mentor]

Yeah, Borders, like the strip mall.

[Becca Freeman]

Barnes and Noble, love.

[Olivia Mentor]

Yeah. The closest thing I like, my only really indie bookstore experience growing up was Buxton Books and going every summer and like just being obsessed with it and thinking it was the most lovely, magical place in the world. But no, I cannot remember one in Tampa existing.

[Becca Freeman]

Also, I was so bowled over when we were in Portland by Powell.

[Olivia Mentor]

Oh, yeah. Wow. Well, that's. That is. I don't even know how to describe that. That is like, oh, it's like a book theme park in like a good way.

[Becca Freeman]

Can you imagine being a teenager, a book loving teenager there?

[Olivia Mentor]

I can and I can't. Like, it just. It's so wonderful. It felt like a library almost, you know, like a library with books you could buy. I don't know. Yeah, huge. Huge. I've never really experienced an independent bookstore that big in my life.

[Becca Freeman]

No, me either. Me either. I feel like this is going to haunt me. I feel like I have not had enough coffee to off the cuff, come up with the right answers. And I feel like in two hours the coffee is going to be really coursing and I'm going to be texting you, being like, oh, should have said this.

[Olivia Mentor]

We can come back to it. We can just give shout outs to bookstores whenever. I mean, it's our podcast and it's about books.

[Becca Freeman]

You know what I really enjoyed? I went to Back Cove Books. You did an event there when I was in Maine.

[Olivia Mentor]

Yes.

[Becca Freeman]

And I thought that was a lovely book. It was a very cute bookstore and everyone was so nice there and I really like that. I think it's their nonfiction something. One of their sections is like in a vault.

[Olivia Mentor]

Oh, yeah. Really?

[Becca Freeman]

Yeah.

[Olivia Mentor]

Oh, yeah, yeah, you're right. You're right, they do. Yeah, they have that vault. That was a lovely bookstore.

[Becca Freeman]

Do you aspire to own a bookstore?

[Olivia Mentor]

One day before a bookstore opened in town, I was like, this town needs a bookstore. But now you know it, it exists and it's lovely and the owner is lovely. And I also have gotten a bit of a closer look at, you know, it can be quite difficult, I think. So I don't know. I don't know if I would ever have the income situation as an author to like play around with that, you know, you really need like capital and like, you need a safety net and.

[Becca Freeman]

Yeah.

[Olivia Mentor]

You know, we have so many house projects and I, I just, I don't know. But sure. Like in a fantasy world, if I'm like a best selling author making millions, why not? Yeah, that'd be lovely. Like, I would buy Buxton Books and save it for sure. Like, it would have to be the right situation. Like I would sell my soul to save Buckston Books if the case needed to happen.

[Becca Freeman]

Wow.

[Olivia Mentor]

I. That's how, that's how much I love it. What about you?

[Becca Freeman]

I mean, I've always said that my dream Twilight career, you know, in retirement would be to have kind of a book slash craft slash knickknack slash wine and cheese slash flower shop type thing. Again, it's a, you know, it's the kind of thing where it's like, is this a sound business investment? I have no idea. Like, if I just had money to burn. 100%.

[Olivia Mentor]

Yeah. I don't think anyone opens a bookstore being like, this is what's going to help me make it big. You know, I think it's always like a passion project on the side of something else.

[Becca Freeman]

But, you know, the thing that I feel like I've heard from hearing Emma Straub speak about it, hearing Ann Patchett speak about it, hearing our episode last week with More Cheeks is just how consuming it is to be the owner of a bookstore. So in the near term, I don't think I have the kind of time to put into that.

[Olivia Mentor]

Yeah, it's a lot. Well, what's your next thing?

[Becca Freeman]

Okay, so my next thing is the thing that I have an activity for, but it's gonna take just a little bit of setup to understand how we're getting here.

[Olivia Mentor]

A game.

[Becca Freeman]

So a couple of weeks ago, I was out to drinks with two writer friends, Hannah Orenstein and Georgia Clark, who both live in Williamsburg and are kind of like my neighborhood writers crew. And Georgia was telling a story about how her and her wife consistently get mistaken for sisters, even though they. They don't look alike. And she goes, and it doesn't even make sense because she's a bird and I'm a potato. And I was like, excuse me. And so she goes on to explain that she has a German friend. And apparently it's a German idiom or German phrase. I can find no record of this on Google, on Reddit. I like, I cannot find any proof of this, but apparently it is like a common German idiom that everyone either looks like a Bird or a potato. And at first I was unsure, and then we went through. We were at this wine bar. We went through every single person in the bar and classified them as a bird or a potato. And by the end, I was like, yeah, no, this. This does work as a classification system. So I guess my first question is, how do you identify potato? Yeah, absolutely. I'm a potato too. And even though I recognize that it would be more aspiration, I would like to be a bird. I'm a potato.

[Olivia Mentor]

Yeah, I do. I think it's fair to us. Potatoes. Although I thought you might say bird for you.

[Becca Freeman]

Face wipes. This is like a face.

[Olivia Mentor]

Is this like an essence?

[Becca Freeman]

No, no. And I explained this to my group chat poorly afterwards.

[Olivia Mentor]

Okay.

[Becca Freeman]

And they. They mistakenly also thought it was personality. And I think it works for both. I think it could also work for personality. And they agreed that I was a bird, personality wise and specifically, like a weird, flightless bird.

[Olivia Mentor]

Okay.

[Becca Freeman]

But no, we're speaking specifically facially.

[Olivia Mentor]

Okay. So still, I think you could go either way.

[Becca Freeman]

I don't think so. I think I'm a potato.

[Olivia Mentor]

I'm potato through and through. There's no. Like, when you think of a burmly spud bird.

[Becca Freeman]

Like, I'm thinking of Adrien Brody as one of the great birds of our. Our acting.

[Olivia Mentor]

Well, are we talking about noses?

[Becca Freeman]

I think it's a lot in the nose and the chin.

[Olivia Mentor]

Okay. I still feel I'm a potato, but I do have, like, a bigger nose, so.

[Becca Freeman]

No, I agree with potato.

[Olivia Mentor]

Potato face. Okay.

[Becca Freeman]

No, I think that it's a. It's an on the whole thing. So what I've brought for you is a slideshow of celebrities for you to tell me if they're a bird or a potato.

[Olivia Mentor]

Oh, I'd love this.

[Becca Freeman]

Or for us to discuss.

[Olivia Mentor]

Okay.

[Becca Freeman]

Okay. I gotta share my screen. And we'll also put this presentation in the Facebook group so you could look at the same photos and you can tell us if you think we got it right or not. Can you see my presentation?

[Olivia Mentor]

Yes. The first line is just simple aerial, black font, bird or potato. And then in a smaller font in italics. You decide. I love it.

[Becca Freeman]

Okay, so I'm starting easy just to, like, get us into the game.

[Olivia Mentor]

Sure.

[Becca Freeman]

Okay. First person, Pedro Pascal. Bird or potato?

[Olivia Mentor]

This is a tough one, but I'm gonna go bird.

[Becca Freeman]

No, no, no.

[Olivia Mentor]

He has a falcon like, look. Oh, he's so the falcon like, look.

[Becca Freeman]

Where in the jaw that this man is a potato. I thought that this was, like.

[Olivia Mentor]

No, I thought I'M going bird.

[Becca Freeman]

Easiest one to be like, here's somebody. Olivia.

[Olivia Mentor]

Looks like a falcon.

[Becca Freeman]

No, this man's a potato. We're gonna have trouble.

[Olivia Mentor]

Have you seen. Have you seen. Have you seen his new AirPod commercial?

[Becca Freeman]

No.

[Olivia Mentor]

Where he's dancing. Oh, my God. I could watch it if you were like, olivia, I've rented a cinema. It's just this commercial for an hour. I'd be like, I'll go. It's. I love it.

[Becca Freeman]

Nothing about that surprises me.

[Olivia Mentor]

I still go, he looks like a falcon. I remain.

[Becca Freeman]

Okay. Timothee Chalamet.

[Olivia Mentor]

Bird. Bird.

[Becca Freeman]

Timothee chalamet is a bird. I tried to set it up with two easy ones, but you disagreed with me on the first one. The first part of this presentation.

[Olivia Mentor]

This is. I don't think there's a right or wrong answer.

[Becca Freeman]

Okay, fine. The first part of this presentation is all men, by the way. And the second half is women.

[Olivia Mentor]

Great.

[Becca Freeman]

Gosling.

[Olivia Mentor]

Bird.

[Becca Freeman]

Bird. Yes. Yeah. It's like. See how long his chin is? Like, there's something in the face shape, and he has, like, a very.

[Olivia Mentor]

What's the eyes?

[Becca Freeman]

Also, I think the nose. Okay, so we agree. Andrew Garfield.

[Olivia Mentor]

Potato.

[Becca Freeman]

Absolutely. A potato. This man is a potato.

[Olivia Mentor]

I feel like. I don't. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Potato.

[Becca Freeman]

Okay. Friend of the pod. Glen Powell Bird. Yeah, this is. He is kind of a weird hybrid to me, where I think you can make the case for either, But I do think bird.

[Olivia Mentor]

I think bird. Because the eyes.

[Becca Freeman]

Yeah, no, I think bird, too. Hozier.

[Olivia Mentor]

Soulful potato.

[Becca Freeman]

No, he's a bird.

[Olivia Mentor]

Why? What about him is bird?

[Becca Freeman]

Like, so his face is long, first of all. He has, like, a more pointed chin, and he has, like, a big. A big nose. He's not a potato. I. I feel like a potato person. Even though a potato is oblong, I think a potato is, like, a more round face. And, like, to be a bird, your nose either needs to be, like, big in an Adrien Brody way or, like, very skinny, like, in a Timothee Chalamet way.

[Olivia Mentor]

I still feel he's a potato. Or I'm agree to disagree.

[Becca Freeman]

Okay, moving on to the women. Jennifer Lawrence.

[Olivia Mentor]

Bird.

[Becca Freeman]

No, she's a potato. I tried to make the first ones very obvious.

[Olivia Mentor]

She looks so regal, though. Like, that's not what it's about.

[Becca Freeman]

She has just such a potato face. It's not her.

[Olivia Mentor]

No, I still see bird. I see bird.

[Becca Freeman]

Okay, what about it do you think?

[Olivia Mentor]

It's just she has, like, kind of, again, like, that falcon, eagle, like, regal sort of, you know, ness to her face.

[Becca Freeman]

So I found the women were much harder to do because if you fuck with your face too much, you get to bird. And so there's a lot of people, like Kylie Jenner started out as a potato and got to bird. And so it depends what era of photo you pick. And like anyone who has buccal fat removal, like, you kind of just end up being a bird. So it's very hard with the women that if you with your face too much. So I tried to pick people who hadn't done too much.

[Olivia Mentor]

I think my thing is, like, if you kind of look like you could be royalty, I think Bird.

[Becca Freeman]

No, no, that's not. It's like your face shape. Okay. Anna Kendrick.

[Olivia Mentor]

Oh, Bird.

[Becca Freeman]

Yes, Bird. Again, I try to make the first two obvious to set us up, and we've disagreed on the first one.

[Olivia Mentor]

I didn't realize that it was like there is a right and wrong answer.

[Becca Freeman]

I didn't know there isn't. I guess it is subjective, but I thought we would be much more synergistic here. Okay, Sorry. Taylor Swift.

[Olivia Mentor]

Potato.

[Becca Freeman]

Yeah. If you had told me this without a photo, I think how I picture Taylor Swift in my mind, I would be like Bird, because I think of her as having very delicate features, but she has a very small chin. I think she is a potato.

[Olivia Mentor]

Hmm. Beautiful potato.

[Becca Freeman]

Yeah. Of course. Ariana Grande and I have a photo here of both pre and post. Like her current face.

[Olivia Mentor]

I will say bird.

[Becca Freeman]

I agree. And I think even before she started messing with her face, I think she was a bird. Beyonce.

[Olivia Mentor]

I can't call Beyonce a potato, but.

[Becca Freeman]

I think she is.

[Olivia Mentor]

I feel I will be struck down by God.

[Becca Freeman]

We're both potatoes. It's not shameful.

[Olivia Mentor]

Yeah, yeah, it's true. Um, yeah.

[Becca Freeman]

Taylor Swift is a potato.

[Olivia Mentor]

Round face, small chin.

[Becca Freeman]

Again, Small chin.

[Olivia Mentor]

Yeah, yeah.

[Becca Freeman]

Gwyneth Paltrow.

[Olivia Mentor]

Bird.

[Becca Freeman]

I would say potato. She's another one in my head that I would think of her being a bird. But like, when I look at a photo, I'm like, no, ma'am, you're a potato.

[Olivia Mentor]

Interesting. She kind of like, for some reason, she reminds me of a flamingo.

[Becca Freeman]

Hmm. Hmm.

[Olivia Mentor]

Like maybe it's still very long lean legs. I don't know.

[Becca Freeman]

Yeah, we're not. We're only taking account her face, not her body.

[Olivia Mentor]

Yeah, true. I'm taking count their essence, which maybe is why this is going so badly.

[Becca Freeman]

Okay. Kate Hudson.

[Olivia Mentor]

Potato.

[Becca Freeman]

No, Bird.

[Olivia Mentor]

What?

[Becca Freeman]

Look how long and pointy her chin is.

[Olivia Mentor]

Okay. I guess. I guess. Well, I still remain that Pedro Pascal Looks like a falcon.

[Becca Freeman]

This game has gone worse than I expected.

[Olivia Mentor]

I didn't know. I didn't know.

[Becca Freeman]

It's not your fault. I just. I don't know. We've disagreed more than I expected to.

[Olivia Mentor]

I'm so sorry.

[Becca Freeman]

It's okay. I'm very curious what the listeners say. I'm also curious if anyone else has heard of this.

[Olivia Mentor]

Me too, because clearly I hadn't. Neither has Google, but it's pretty fun.

[Becca Freeman]

I do think that there's also a fun version personality wise that you could play. Like, do you think you're a bird or a potato?

[Olivia Mentor]

Personality wise, Potato rising. Bird. I don't know what the phrases are for astrology. No, I don't know. I think I'm more bird like than potato because I'm a little personality neurotic. Yeah, yeah. Yes.

[Becca Freeman]

Like you're a gentle soul. Potato is like a hearty.

[Olivia Mentor]

Hearty. Okay. See, I would interpret it like a bird is like neurotic and the potato is like chill.

[Becca Freeman]

Okay.

[Olivia Mentor]

Anyway, there's so many different types of.

[Becca Freeman]

Birds, you know, and only one main type of potato.

[Olivia Mentor]

Exactly. This is where we run into the problem.

[Becca Freeman]

Okay. I don't know where to go for it. Tell me your last thing.

[Olivia Mentor]

My last thing is I wanted you to open up your Pinterest homepage and tell me what is there.

[Becca Freeman]

Okay.

[Olivia Mentor]

What are the vibes?

[Becca Freeman]

Do you want me to share my screen again?

[Olivia Mentor]

Sure, yeah. Here.

[Becca Freeman]

I can also.

[Olivia Mentor]

What if it was only potatoes and birds?

[Becca Freeman]

I can also. I'll take a screenshot for the listeners before I do. Okay. The first photo is a bunch of layered necklaces. I actually really like the look of it. There's one that says actually it is all fun and games. Is like an inspirational quote. Then there's like a breakfast nook with a lot of striped pillows and a really cool gallery wall. There's a pair of cute Adidas gazelles that are pink and green that I would actually wear. There's somebody taking an outfit. Selfie. There's like a market bag with wine and a baguette in it. There's some like jewelry photos, some blue nails.

[Olivia Mentor]

Those rings are cute.

[Becca Freeman]

There's this really cute blue dress.

[Olivia Mentor]

Yeah, that is very cute. Gingham.

[Becca Freeman]

I know. We're going to just open that in a separate tab. Anyway, it's mostly like interiors, clothes and jewelry.

[Olivia Mentor]

Very cute.

[Becca Freeman]

And then a salmon bowl, a salma bowl.

[Olivia Mentor]

Do you feel like it's accurate?

[Becca Freeman]

I feel like it's accurate based on what I use it for. I use Pinterest to Save a lot of clothes that like I don't want to buy now but that like I want to keep an eye on and or I do use it for like clothing and outfit inspo. I try to pin things if I like it and then I mean the main thing that I use Pinterest for is my annual mood vibe board. So it makes sense that I'm getting like inspirational quotes and like these travel photos. Like that all makes sense to me.

[Olivia Mentor]

Do you think this is accurate for your 2025 vibe?

[Becca Freeman]

I don't dislike any of it. I think it's like very heavily skewed towards jewelry which is because I was just on Monica Vinader's site. So I think that like maybe it knows and is showing me more jewelry.

[Olivia Mentor]

I also got an ad for HBO Max or Max as it's called now. So maybe it hurt us.

[Becca Freeman]

Yeah, like I don't know that my, my year is as jewelry focused as this is, but I don't think it's wrong. Oh, there's a cake that says not 30 yet. So it doesn't know.

[Olivia Mentor]

It's a cute cake though.

[Becca Freeman]

It's a cute cake. Yeah. And the interior stuff. Oh, look at this tile shower.

[Olivia Mentor]

That's very pretty.

[Becca Freeman]

Oh, this is really cute. This lobster drinking a Guinness that says the weekend is within your grasp.

[Olivia Mentor]

It does know you.

[Becca Freeman]

It does know me. We'll just save that to find it later. That was crossword. Yeah, this is. I feel like this is pretty good. Okay, show me yours.

[Olivia Mentor]

So it is, it's pretty accurate. It is a photo of a garden. Cause I've been doing a lot of garden research lately. I should say that I have two Pinterest accounts and this one is my lesson frequented one.

[Becca Freeman]

How do you have two? What's the other one for?

[Olivia Mentor]

I just randomly started two. The other one's on my phone so it's like more populated.

[Becca Freeman]

Oh, off the bat I would say this is highly accurate.

[Olivia Mentor]

Yeah.

[Becca Freeman]

There's also one photo in here that does not belong for me.

[Olivia Mentor]

Which one? Oh, the glasses one? Yeah, that one was off. There's a, the photo of a like 20 year old girl with like these very sort of, I don't know, like 90s reading glasses sort of.

[Becca Freeman]

Yeah, it looks like model off duty.

[Olivia Mentor]

Like Gen Z. Yeah, not, not my vibe. Okay, so there's the garden image. I've been doing a lot of that. So that's accurate. There's also an interiors photo with like a built in bookshelf because I've been pinning a lot of inspo for that lately. Like, it's very colorful.

[Becca Freeman]

Honestly, outside of the art over the mantel, if you told me that this was, like, your house, I would believe you.

[Olivia Mentor]

Oh, thank you. That's very flattering. What else? There's, like, a table with a bunch of watercolors and, like, kind of like a journal scrapbook thing. There's a photo of a woman with really great glasses and white hair in front of a bookshelf with a library letter reading with a cup of tea. There's an ad for a sweater that I already own.

[Becca Freeman]

There's somebody just holding up a candle.

[Olivia Mentor]

Oh, is that a candle? I thought it was coffee. Oh, you're right. It is a candle, I think. Or I'm not sure. I'm really into that brown and pink combination, so that's accurate. And then there's just a photo of some producer.

[Becca Freeman]

Yeah, this feels dead on.

[Olivia Mentor]

And then if I scroll down, there's a quote from Virginia Woolf and journaling. And then there's just the list of cozy films with beautiful sets.

[Becca Freeman]

Yeah.

[Olivia Mentor]

So me, I love Pinterest. I love it.

[Becca Freeman]

How often do you use it and what do you use it for?

[Olivia Mentor]

I pretty much exclusively use it for scrolling when I don't have anything else to scroll, which I find good. And I tend to, like, look for, like, outfit inspiration. I save, like, all of that. But usually if I'm searching for something specific, it's for something, like, house related. Like, I'm looking for a photo of, like, a scullery or, like, a library bookshelf with a ladder or garden inspiration. But I do like to also just browse, like, for inspiration if I'm feeling kind of bleh.

[Becca Freeman]

Yeah, I feel like I don't go on there aimlessly enough. Like, I go on there to make my mood board. I make a mood board for every book, too, that I write. So, like, I have those.

[Olivia Mentor]

I love that.

[Becca Freeman]

I save recipes on there. I have a board for recipes I want to make, and then I have one for recipes that are, like, my go tos, so I can visually browse what I want to eat. I do save clothes on there and clothing inspo, but I rarely go on just to browse. I should do that more.

[Olivia Mentor]

Yeah, it's. It's really fun. I find it quite inspiring.

[Becca Freeman]

Good things, Olivia. Good things.

[Olivia Mentor]

You too. We had a nice mix. I loved it. Well, let's get into some n matter.

[Becca Freeman]

Yeah, tell me what you're obsessed with.

[Olivia Mentor]

I am obsessed with this podcast. It's called Pen Pals Podcast. I found it through this writer, her name is Kelton Wright, and she is one of the hosts, and her and the other host are both writing novels and trying to get published. So each week they start the episode by checking in with where they're at on their writing goals that week, and then they talk about, like, a different writing topic. Like, one episode was about finances, one episode was about imposter syndrome, which. I really loved that episode, and I just. I really, really enjoy it. And it's a good one, if you like to write.

[Becca Freeman]

Oh, I'll have to check it out.

[Olivia Mentor]

Yeah, it's fun. What's your obsession?

[Becca Freeman]

My obsession is just generally learning French. So I said a few weeks ago that my obsession was duolingo Max. And I was doing it every day in the lead up to going to France. But I am enjoying using this part of my brain so much and of, like, getting a little better at a skill every day. So originally I thought that I was going to switch to Italian because I'm going to Sicily at the end of the summer after I was done with this trip. But I think I'm gonna stick with French because I already have a little more French than I do Italian. And also I feel like French is more useful because it's spoken in more countries.

[Olivia Mentor]

And if you already feel like you have momentum like I do, you should go with that instead of giving it up. Yeah.

[Becca Freeman]

Every day. And it's been really fun as my. When I pick up my phone and I'm, like, looking for an activity where I've had, like, games or, like, where I would scroll, like, I feel like I'm using duolingo, and it's really fun. Like, at the beginning of every little unit, I always feel a little overwhelmed. Like, I'm like, oh, my God. I. I'm not gonna. It's gonna be too much. This is gonna be the part where I, like, get overwhelmed and I can't move forward. And by the end of the unit, I'm always like, oh, yeah, no, I know all these words. It's really satisfying.

[Olivia Mentor]

It's such a good feeling to, like, build on something in that way, you know? Yeah.

[Becca Freeman]

And to be able to see it day by day, especially because I'm in the early phases that I'm. It's very easy to see myself picking up words and, like, knowledge.

[Olivia Mentor]

That's wonderful. Yeah.

[Becca Freeman]

I'm gonna keep going. I already did it today.

[Olivia Mentor]

Good. And if you're gonna keep going back to Paris, it just makes sense. Yeah.

[Becca Freeman]

I want to keep doing it. I'm gonna make it One of my goals for the rest of the year, to do it every day. Ish. When I'm home. And then I don't know, maybe as I get further along, maybe I'll take a little class or something or I don't know what I'll add in, but I like the goal.

[Olivia Mentor]

I wonder if there's, like, an immersive French language retreat that you could go to in, like, the south of France.

[Becca Freeman]

Oh, my gosh.

[Olivia Mentor]

That would be so fun.

[Becca Freeman]

Well, my friend Elizabeth was also saying that she wants to do it, so we were saying that we would have little video calls and speak to each other in French.

[Olivia Mentor]

Cute. That's so fun. Yeah, I like that.

[Becca Freeman]

Yeah.

[Olivia Mentor]

Well, what have you been reading? I have nothing.

[Becca Freeman]

So I've read a bunch. I've read a bunch because I haven't been watching Lost. I think I've given up on Lost. I'm not done, but I think I'm over it.

[Olivia Mentor]

Yeah, I. Yeah, it's a lot. Later seasons.

[Becca Freeman]

And I'm also lying to you here, because I also have two more books, but I don't know how much reading I'm gonna do this week, so I'm saving them for next week's episode because I don't need to talk about five books.

[Olivia Mentor]

You could.

[Becca Freeman]

No. Okay. So the first book that I read before I left, I read Broken country by Claire Leslie Hall. I loved this. Loved this.

[Olivia Mentor]

Yeah. It's everywhere right now.

[Becca Freeman]

It's everywhere. Kind of like a literary romance mystery. The first line of the book is, the farmer is dead. So there's a little bit of a mystery of who is the farmer and who killed him. And it's about this woman and a love triangle between her first love, who's the boy from the big house. And it's set in rural England. It's set in, I think, Dorset. So the boy from the big house and then her husband, who is like a very steady, quiet farmer type guy, and the first love moved back to town, and it kind of throws her life into disarray. I loved the book. I thought that it was really beautifully written, but at the same time, very spare. Like, the chapters are all three pages. It's so easy to whip through. I read it in 36 hours, and I feel like I haven't done that in so long. It really made me feel like myself again. And there were a couple twists at the ending, which I did not see coming. I'm a passenger princess when it comes to reading, so I'm not usually right about these things or even Trying to guess. But I adored this and I think it would be such a good book club pick for an in person book club because there's a lot of fodder about kind of what would you do if you were the main character?

[Olivia Mentor]

I'm glad you loved it so much.

[Becca Freeman]

I did. Then while I was on my vacation, I read Great Big Beautiful Life, which is the Emily Henry book that comes out later this month. I think it comes out on April 22nd. So this was a treat to myself while I was away. I really liked Is Not Going to Dethrone my favorite, which unpopularly is People we meet on vacation. I know that's a controversial choice, but I think I liked it better than her last book, Funny Story, which was only fine for me. And I like to see her doing something different. So this book is about two writers who are competing to write the memoirs of a famous, slash infamous heiress to a newspaper fortune. And there's a love story between the two writers. It's like a forced proximity romance. And then there's kind of like the backstory of the heiress and kind of she's in her 80s and her story and how much of the public narrative is true. It almost made me wonder if any of this was like Emily Henry reflecting on her own experiences of fame. It's obviously quite different, but a lot of it is about like external public perception versus reality. So I thought that was very interesting. It definitely has very strong Evelyn Hugo vibes. I've seen criticism that says that it's like a ripoff. And I don't think that's true. I think that it is quite different. And because of the romance as the secondary plot versus I don't think there's a romance in the present story. I think it's like a. Is the main character getting divorced? I can't remember what the circumstances are romantically for the.

[Olivia Mentor]

I can't remember.

[Becca Freeman]

Anyway. Yeah. But I really enjoyed it and I love seeing an author who's really famous strike out and do something different, you know?

[Olivia Mentor]

Yeah, me too.

[Becca Freeman]

I'm thinking very specifically of one author who stuck in the same area for like too long for me and I was just over it. So I love seeing Emily branch out before the party's over, you know?

[Olivia Mentor]

Yeah. There's a little bit of a mystery in this one too. Right. Which I like.

[Becca Freeman]

Yeah. Kind of. I wouldn't call it a mystery. I think you would be disappointed if you went into it expecting a mystery. But there's definitely like a. Oh, okay. What is this? Eris's story.

[Olivia Mentor]

Got it.

[Becca Freeman]

So, yeah, I enjoyed it. And then the last book I read on the plane back, I read Jane and Dan at the End of the World by Colleen Oakley. And Colleen Oakley wrote a book a couple of years ago called the Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise, which was a kind of like Thelma and Louise type, unlikely pairing, like fleeing a crime scene type thing between a teenager and an old lady. And I really loved that. So I was excited to check this out. This is very fun. I do not know what genre I would classify it as. It's like hijinks. I. I don't know what it. What I would say it is. So the premise of the book, it's about this couple who are celebrating their 19th wedding anniversary, and they go to this very famous, very expensive restaurant called the End of the World, La Fin de Monde to celebrate. And while they're there, the restaurant gets invaded by a terrorist group and they're held hostage. And the twist of it is, is that the female main character. Well, two twists. The female main character is planning to ask her husband for a divorce at this dinner, which she's actually already announced when the terrorists come in. And second of all, the main character is an unsuccessful novelist, and there is an uncanny resemblance to what is happening to the plot of her book.

[Olivia Mentor]

Oh, wow. Okay. That sounds so fun.

[Becca Freeman]

It was very fun. I really, really liked it. It's silly, you know, which I like. And I feel like it's so different than so much fiction that's out there right now. And I think it would also be a very fun accompaniment to Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. I was about to say, I don't know. I assume it must be inspired in some ways by it. So it's a very different, modern, funny take on that same kind of scenario.

[Olivia Mentor]

Very fun. Sounds great.

[Becca Freeman]

And you said you have nothing.

[Olivia Mentor]

Yeah, I didn't read during my little teaching week. And then I am reading a few things, but I haven't finished anything since, so. Yeah, none.

[Becca Freeman]

Tell us what we have for book club.

[Olivia Mentor]

Yes. So for book club in April, we are reading Wild Dark shore by Charlotte McConaughey. This is about a family who is kind of protecting this, like, research facility on this island near Antarctica. And what happens when a woman washes to shore and they have to help her survive. It's kind of like a literary thriller mystery. I would describe it as very emotional. It's beautiful, and it should make for a good discussion. So I'm looking forward to talking about it.

[Becca Freeman]

I've been seeing this everywhere. I'm it's not my usual affair, but I'm very excited to read it.

[Olivia Mentor]

I am excited to talk about it. If you want to talk to us about any of this stuff, you can join us in the Facebook group under batonpaper Podcast or on Instagram at Bat and Paper Podcast or on Geneva, which is like a social Slack channel kind of, which is also under bound on Paper Podcast. And I'm on Instagram and Substack and all the places.

[Becca Freeman]

Oliviamentor I am on Instagram ecamfreeman my newsletter [e-mail] no M. And we will see you next week.

[Olivia Mentor]

Bye.