56 Comments
User's avatar
Andy Germuga's avatar

I am worried for Jonathan that Kevin Spacey is going to Phantom of the Opera the concept of remembering Bobby Darrin.

Expand full comment
Fran Hoepfner's avatar

Oh noooooo

Expand full comment
Clare's avatar

i like when you talk about your life

jonathan groff is so hot

it’s such a relief that death becomes her adaptation isn’t bad. miracles happen!

Expand full comment
Fran Hoepfner's avatar

Michelle Williams sounds amazing but seems so literally terrified to be on stage as to retroactively make me appreciate Nicole Scherzinger more... beyond that, it's nice to see women have fun again <3

Expand full comment
BDM's avatar

happy birthday and congrats on the upcoming wedding!

Expand full comment
BDM's avatar

also very #onbrand of me probably but i like the vintage dresses here. https://www.etsy.com/shop/vivianelisevintage/?etsrc=sdt obviously i have never had a reason to buy one so i have no idea if they're actually as nice as they look lol

Expand full comment
Fran Hoepfner's avatar

thank you!!!

Expand full comment
Maggie's avatar

gen z about to get bobby darrin fever - splish splash a real lol

Expand full comment
Owen's avatar

I actually kind of love that song but stupid novelty songs are either love em or hate em for me

Expand full comment
Maggie's avatar

I definitely had it on some cassette tape when I was a kid - very accessible to children who spend much of their time in or around baths

Expand full comment
Fran Hoepfner's avatar

Would be crazy and yet seems so plausible….

Expand full comment
karissa's avatar

hey fran!! horse in skyrim does not matter at all. it can be fun for the ~vibes~ (as seth just put it: the horses are there for funsies) but depending on how “seriously” you are “taking skyrim”, abundant fast travel and some brisk walking should cover you most times

Expand full comment
Fran Hoepfner's avatar

Perfect - I am not taking it seriously at all and playing as a cat person.

Expand full comment
Danielle Bukowski's avatar

as a similarly-aged woman in NYC getting married in 2025, someone early on recommended r/WedditNYC and I used it often to find answers to questions I was too embarrassed to ask/didn’t even know to ask. Happy partnership!

Expand full comment
Fran Hoepfner's avatar

I love WedditNYC!!!! And when I am feeling especially self-loathing I go on r/BigBudgetBrides to learn what I can't afford (personal stylist)

Expand full comment
Jack Riedy's avatar

"timeless" wedding style is what people search for when they don't have taste of their own. my best advice, one year removed from planning my wedding, is to do what you two want to do. so much of my wedding stress evaporated when I realized that I was planning something really fun.

Expand full comment
Fran Hoepfner's avatar

The plan is big party where ppl can dance which is all we ever wanna do

Expand full comment
Jane's avatar

Happy belated birthday! And I am nosy about weddings, so would happily read whatever you'd like to write about your own / the state of wedding planning in 2025--how did you decide to have one in the first place, what is it showing/reminding you about your taste, etc. But obviously only if you feel compelled to do so!

Expand full comment
Fran Hoepfner's avatar

Thank you!!!! And this is good to know - more to come, perhaps...

Expand full comment
Tessa Strain's avatar

Looking forward to observing my favorite Fran Birthday tradition (immediately forgetting how old you are).

Expand full comment
Fran Hoepfner's avatar

I'm 28!

Expand full comment
Tessa Strain's avatar

that’s right!

Expand full comment
Michael Rance's avatar

happy belated birthday!! also, I am ~so excited~ to hear what you think about Skyrim. It’s one of those games that is so fun to re-play, but discovering it for the first time is a real treat… is your character a kitty? a lizard? a BORING human? i hope you have a great time!!

Expand full comment
Fran Hoepfner's avatar

I’m a cat 🙂

Expand full comment
George Matthews's avatar

I think getting a horse in Skyrim is essential but only because figuring out stupid techs to ride your horse up a mountain that was clearly not meant to be climbed is one of the most fun things to in all of Skyrim.

Expand full comment
Brendan Boyle's avatar

love the idea of hotel birthday I gotta try this ... any hotels in Chicago you recommend?

bunch of rewatches this week ... two trips to the Music Box with L, first for 35mm Out of Sight (very fun, great soundtrack, look at the colors, children), then a Technicolor print of The Wizard of Oz. I do not remember the last time I saw this all the way through and I was locked in. Of all the special effects the movie has in its pocket it understands that Judy crying is the most upsetting thing you could possibly put onscreen. Sold out crowd was fun and respectful, three little kids kept getting up to dance to the songs in the left side aisle, which was cute and minimally intrusive. also rewatched Glengarry on streaming in prep for next week (SEE YOU SOON!!)

Expand full comment
Fran Hoepfner's avatar

The best hotel I ever stayed in Chicago was the Kimpton Gray (I later stayed at the Kimpton in LA for work where I liked the robe so much I bought it) — I think with enough time the rates there are pretty reasonable, all considered, though I’ve had some luck with hotel tonight out east.

I watched Wizard of Oz obsessively as a child and probably haven’t seen since I was 11 or 12… the modifications they’re doing to play it at the Sphere are annoying but seeing it again on the biggest possible screen does appeal. Feels necessary before another ugly Jon Chu Wicked movie conquers screens sans color. I’ve never seen Glengarry….

Expand full comment
Brendan Boyle's avatar

I think if you plan to see the new production going in blind is a valid approach; the movie has like 40m of original material and certain performances are so iconic any other cast would struggle in comparison, but actor battles are a lot of the subtextual fun

Expand full comment
Jack Riedy's avatar

I was at that Oz screening! So fun. I kept thinking "weird, lots of kids here for the Lynch retrospective..."

Expand full comment
brad efford's avatar

adam ross did a 2 day stint at my mfa when i was there — he was so nice and excited to be there and his first novel Mr. Peanut had just come out. good book imo and i have been happy to see him winning this year despite all of that happening almost 15 years ago :)

Expand full comment
Fran Hoepfner's avatar

Omg yes whenever there’s a big gap between novels for writers I feel lived — they lived life! Writing is hard! I rec playworld for sure though it’s a commitment when you’ve got those classics to balance also.

Expand full comment
brad efford's avatar

a book for the summer!!

Expand full comment
Emilio Calderon's avatar

Happy belated! Also, glad to read the bit about weddings being “yours” because my fiancée and I have gotten the “when’s the date?” Q several times and we have no answer!

Young me almost exclusively used quick travel in Skyrim but I think I would appreciate riding my horse cross-map now if I played again.

Expand full comment
Fran Hoepfner's avatar

Thank you!!!!!! I have rly tried to get good at responding to basic wedding questions with “no clue!!!”

Expand full comment
Michael Mann Facts's avatar

It’s cool that your brother’s favorite artist is Justin Bieber.

Does he have thoughts on his new stylist?

Expand full comment
Fran Hoepfner's avatar

No he’s really just in it for the music

Expand full comment
Casey Wright's avatar

I sometimes get a horse because it's kind of fun in helping w/ the immersion, and makes non-fast travel slightly less painful (I *TRY* to resist fast traveling in Skyrim b/c I'm a sicko and want to escape into the world). Kind of depends on your playstyle I guess?

I just started a new game a few months ago and haven't gone back (I may never? IDK). I don't have recs lol other than Chaurus's suck.

Expand full comment
Fran Hoepfner's avatar

It doesn’t seem like a game that necessitates fast travel so far and it’s kinda nice post Elden ring just to run around again without feeling burdened

Expand full comment
Casey Wright's avatar

It becomes a necessity (for me) (in past playthroughs) when trying to level up certain skills and having to manage inventory. But it was absolutely the first game where the scale of the world truly floored me. Like, "oh that mountain way tf over there? yeah you can get to the very tippy tip-top of it."

I also have a real fondness for the early stages of the game when playing at a higher difficulty. Dragon attacks are way more fun and stressful then.

Expand full comment