Friday Favorites: Big Wave Surfing, Summer Music, a Classic Novel You Need to Read, and More!

It’s been a whirlwind few weeks as my kids finish up school and my daughter prepares to graduate (!!!), but I wanted to quickly put out a Friday Favorites post because, well, why not? Here are a few things I’m loving lately:

 

Car Headrest Hooks

Who knew such a small thing could be so life-changing? I saw these car headrest hooks on TikTok and instantly knew I had to have them. They are simply hooks that hang on my car headrests… AND NOW I HAVE A PLACE TO HANG MY PURSE WHEN SOMEONE ELSE IS IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT. Which, as a mom, is pretty much always. I can’t tell you how frustrating it was to put my nice purse on the floor of the backseat, only to have it stomped on by my son or one of his friends when they all got in the car after school. NO MORE.

 

The 100-Foot Wave

I was definitely more than a little obsessed with this HBOMax docuseries and even weeks after watching it, I can’t stop thinking about it. If you love extreme sports or traveling to exotic locales or you just love getting inside the minds of some really quirky people (Me? I love all three.), The 100-Foot Wave is the series for you. The show follows aging big wave surfer Garrett McNamara and his family to a small fishing village in Portugal, where he’s convinced he’ll find and then be the first to surf a 100-foot wave. I don’t want to tell you too much about the show because there are a lot of surprises, but I loved it for the thrilling and very dangerous surfing, the interesting setting of the small village in Portugal, the inside look at the big wave surfing community, and for the intimate portrayal of Garrett himself. On a deeper level, the show is about a man past his prime struggling with whether it’s time to give up his dream and life’s work, and I think my Gen X generation in particular will really identify with his dreams and sometimes, delusions, and find his journey even more interesting. I highly recommend this series.

 

Wet Leg

This is the summer music you’ve been looking for. Wet Leg consists of two young women from the Isle of Wight who decided to start a band while they were riding a ferris wheel, so that they could get into festivals. Lucky us! Their music is funny, poppy, bright, and utterly delightful. I’ve loved every song of theirs that I’ve listened to (start with ‘Chaise Longue’ and you’ll get a good idea of what you’re in for) and Wet Leg is on repeat play right now in my car.

 

Watership Down

I’ve been wanting to read Watership Down for decades and I finally got around to it — and it certainly delivered!

Richard Adams puts his reader in the heart of the world of wild rabbits — His writing made me feel like I was experiencing his rabbit reality with all of my senses, and I loved how he made the rabbits seem distinctly un-human, as opposed to giving them mostly human habits and emotions in an animal form, a la Bambi. I felt like a stranger in the rabbit world and slightly repulsed by it, even as I was experiencing it as though I were right there with them. It really made for a brilliant reading experience.

Beyond that, the book is a true adventure story and I loved it in the way I once loved great books as a child. I really couldn’t put the book down once I got into it, and I was so sad when it ended. Consider Watership Down a must-read. For absolutely everyone.

 

Bedtime Yoga

I’ve made sleep a priority this year — with amazing results — so I’ve developed a whole arsenal of ways to get a good night’s sleep. One of my favorites is doing a 20-minute bedtime yoga session right before I go to bed. Every time I take the time to do it, I go right to sleep and feel great the next morning. Yoga with Adrienne is probably the most popular yoga account on YouTube and I like this bedtime yoga video in particular. Give one a try and see if it works for you!