How was your Thanksgiving? Whether it was the most peaceful day of your life or a little too extra, I’m slinging some gems your way for this weeks’s must-reads and smile makers. And if you haven’t already shopped, here are my favorite Black Friday deals to shop right now.
Also, side note: everyone’s been posting on social about the new season of Yellowstone. Peacock TV’s Black Friday sale = access for 99 cents per month. You’re welcome.
Smile-inducing:
She had her first birthday party at 105. She wanted 105 cards. She got 1,200.
Purr about it. The oldest domestic cat ever lived to 38 years and 3 days old. The oldest still-living cat, Flossie, is only 26.
Queen Elizabeth II pregnant. Here’s a TikTok full of rarely-seen images of her pregnancies.
Nano robots are fighting cancer! Clap for it, because the first human trials are underway right now.
An artist is leaving enormous trolls around the Aussie countryside. What a great Dane, eh?
Eye-opening:
Who knew?! The balloons in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade were introduced to replace live animals OMG.
There’s a chance these newborn twins are older than you. No, really. They were just born, but they came from frozen embryos a la 1992.
Quick fun: This historical photos Facebook group is ripe with fascinating looks at yesteryear. It’s a total deep-dive and brings me plenty of never-knew-that moments. Also, if we’re not friends there… hi! I’m @brycegruber there and IG.
These Birkenstocks just went for over $200k. Guess why before you read (and leave your guess in the comments).
Alcohol consumption in the U.S. was almost 300% higher in the 1800s. Whiskey at the time was cheaper than beer, coffee or milk. I’m more of a whiskey body lotion gal, anyway.
Snoop has a full time blunt roller and has the perks of free food, weed and clothes. WHAT A GIG.
What I’m loving right now:
These Brooklinen Window Pane sheets. I buy a new set every year during the brand’s Black Friday sale because they’re THAT good.
These J.Crew dupe sweaters are $8 right now! They’re soft, come in loads of colors and sizes XS through XXL. And seriously, I did a side-by-side comparison—they’re almost identical. Expect that article soon.
Feisty walks. This isn’t a product and it’s 100% free. I started taking long, brisk walks in my neighborhood every night. Sure, plenty of calories are burned… but sheesh, the talk/walk is free therapy from wholly unqualified people (us) that expels all the anger from our bodies. We go home tired and at peace. 10/10 recommend. Find a neighbor or friend willing to do the same. It’s the best thing I’ve committed to in a long time. Oh, and the fresh air is pretty nice.
This Lululemon half-zip. Comes in a bunch of colors and sizes and it’s made of an easy-to-clean scuba material. A total weekend staple for me.
Currently shopping:
These are my favorite Black Friday deals to shop right now. Did I mention that the best-ever giant claw clips are $2 each with free shipping?!
My favorite-ever Rag & Bone jeans feel like sweatpants. I told my Sharing Opps newsletter subscribers about ‘em a while back, but holy moly—they’re nearly 50% off right now! I wear them almost every single day.
The entire Ilia Makeup sale. All of it. Holy macaroni, it’s SO good. I just wrote a 2,000 feature for Reader’s Digest on the brand’s Skin Tint. I’ll share that next week.
I wrote these gifts for couples and unique gifts pieces recently. They’re blowing up the internet, so if you need more ideas… here you go!
Jobs:
Alice + Olivia is hiring remote stylists! Work from anywhere, it’s all digital. You’ll be helping customers find their best looks/fits via the Internet.
Subtl Beauty needs a remote content creator. Make beauty videos, get paid. TikTok is their preferred jam.
LTK needs a new PR manager. Work from anywhere. It’s the rebranded version of LikeToKnowIt and RewardStyle. If you understand affiliate systems, you’re a head above the rest.
Musings:
This one is quick and easy—I’m just grateful for YOU and helping me build the new, totally supportive and wonderful Extra Good community. If you’re a media industry friend, I’d love to support your work. Comment below or email me with your recently-published work that this community totally needs to read. If you’re a publicist with an awesome thing to share, I’d love to make your life easier! All I ask in return is that you share this newsletter with a few friends/colleagues to encourage sign-ups. That’s it! (And it’s totally free to be here, so giving a *gift* subscription costs exactly… $0).
Happy Thanksgiving from the sister in law house in NJ
Hi Bryce!
I'm a sweet potato pie fan too! I adore sweet potatoes and brisk evening walks!