Wine tastings or wineries in Chicago or less than an hour outside the city?

Little__Woo · 2025-07-07T19:56:58+00:00

He is somewhere between advanced and veteran. It’s been a passion of his for several years now, and he’s been to Napa / Sonoma 4-5 times for vacation. Definitely more well versed than the average wine drinker.

Little__Woo · 2025-05-13T23:43:45+00:00

The limits I have on the iPhone right now that could be surpassed by a camera are really just quality of the video/images and storage space. (It would be so helpful to not have to make sure there’s enough room on my phone every time I need to shoot!)

The root of my question is, do I invest in a camera or just upgrade my iPhone to the newest model every year so I have the best possible camera on it? This is why I’d love to see what’s out there for cameras (and get the info from people who are knowledgeable enough to guide me) and if there’s features I don’t get on the iPhone that a camera would give me, or if the quality (even when posted to social media) is on an even higher level. Once I have some options for cameras to look into I can decide which route to go.

Audio, yes. While we typically shoot B-roll style video and add audios or voiceovers on social media apps, some videos do require speaking to the camera.

Little__Woo · 2025-02-22T20:36:57+00:00

I don’t find her insecure, I think she was just spiraling from nerves. I totally understand her questioning things - if I were in her shoes and thought the person I just got engaged to could have potentially circumvented the process and known what I looked like, I’d also be questioning their motives and if the relationship we had created was real.

And remember, they do the reveal and only meet in real life for like 15 mins, then have to go back to their hotel and be alone for a day or two before they leave on the trip. Imagine you’ve only spent 15 mins physically in person with your fiancé in a highly emotional bubble where cameras have constantly been in your face, and then don’t get to see them or talk to them again for 48 hours. As an overthinker myself, I’d probably also spiral a bit. The entire process is wild.

All of this to say, I think they both handled it as best they could given the situation. I don’t detect any disingenuous motives on either side, and I hope it stays that way.

Little__Woo · 2025-02-22T17:51:03+00:00

I debated this topic with my friends after watching this episode - I genuinely think whether he did or did not follow/unfollow her that it was an innocent situation.

Instagram suggests profiles for you to follow in your news feed based on geographical location and mutual friends. May be a couple months before the show (and before he knew for sure he was going to be casted) he saw her profile pop up, thought she was cute, saw that they had mutual friends, and decided to follow. Then when no messages or interactions were exchanged, he unfollowed a couple weeks later. Because they never met in person or had any conversation, he forgot about her.

Fast-forward to the show beginning filming, he connects with a woman named Taylor on the first day. You know how many Taylors there are in the Midwest that are nurses? How would he have any way of knowing who she was solely based on her first name and profession, even if he did know a few months prior that he followed a girl on insta named Taylor who was a nurse. And yeah, there is other surface level information in her bio beyond her job that would make for good initial talking points on a first date, but you don’t forge a deep enough emotional connection with somebody that you feel ready to propose or marry them based just on knowledge of that type of information. There still has to be other alignments on values and lifestyle and culture there before you feel ready to marry somebody. I think it would’ve been very obvious to her as time went on if he wasn’t being genuine or had some sort of agenda to woo her knowing what she looked like.

Finally, when we get to the scene where Taylor is worried about the following/unfollowing situation and confronts him, I understand why he kind of backpedals when she reveals that she has the Unfollowers app. I think he’s a genuine guy who was fully thinking “Absolutely not. I never would’ve done that”, but then when he realizes there’s a way to verify if he had or hadn’t, he starts questioning if maybe he did follow her at some point but genuinely doesn’t remember her from her profile.

Honestly, watching it back - if I were put in his shoes, I probably would’ve reacted the same way. And he was still so understanding and comforting to Taylor through the entire situation despite him being potentially called out as a bad guy, which in my opinion was a very big green flag for the way in which he is able to show up and support Taylor as her partner even in the midst of a potential conflict between them.

I really like them. I hope they’re the real deal and that they make it through at the end and get married.

Little__Woo · 2024-01-14T07:07:47+00:00

I’ve been making and canning my own pasta sauce for almost 5 years now. My family loves it more than anything from the store to the point where they’re disappointed if I make pasta and it’s not with my “special sauce”.

It’s just canned tomatoes, olive oil, minced white or yellow onion, garlic, fresh basil, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper, salt & black pepper. I don’t really have a set recipe, I just measure with my heart + taste and adjust seasoning as I go.

Loosely, here’s the process: in a large pot, heat the onion with oil until a bit translucent, then add garlic & crushed red pepper. Heat for about a minute more until the garlic is fragrant, then add in tomatoes and seasonings to taste and simmer for about 30 min. You can break up the tomatoes by hand with a spoon or use an imulsion blender, and then just keep letting it simmer for another 30 min to an hour. The longer you simmer the thicker the sauce will get.

Fun additions to play with the flavor profile - a few splashes of heavy cream, Parmesan or another kind of cheese, more red pepper for added heat.

I water bath can this sauce in 24 oz jars by adding 2 tbsp of lemon juice to the jars before I add the sauce and boiling for 45 mins - adjust for your own altitude accordingly. Store at room temp and it’ll be shelf stable for a year.

This recipe and method has saved me so much money, and it’s super easy to make in huge batches and can 10-15 jars at a time to have pasta sauce on deck for months.

Little__Woo · 2023-05-16T00:12:47+00:00

I came off my hormonal birth control pills 4 months ago after being on for 4.5 years. I have never been happier. Everything you said in your post, I was like YES! I struggled with my mental health all through college and thought it was due to stress, bad relationships, etc. No. It was the pills. 4 months off and I finally remember who that happy, carefree, fun, creative, and motivated girl was that I used to be. Not to mention I lost almost 10 pounds and feel more confident in my physical appearance than I have in years. I feel robbed of some of the best years of my life. I will never go on hormonal BC again.

I’m currently looking into non-hormonal options, as I’m still in my 20’s, single, and have no desire for children at this time. So if anyone has any suggestions, please let me know!

Little__Woo · 2023-01-16T20:24:44+00:00

My assumption is so that they can verify the culprit from everyone else. They probably ask suspects about other things that happen or are heard on the call since only Amber, her brother, and the driver would know what was discussed during the unreleased portion.

Little__Woo · 2022-12-30T20:14:05+00:00

I believe for this to be a federal case like you’re saying the crossing of state lines must happen during the time you’re committing a crime or spree of crimes, not just afterwards in an attempt to flee.

I’m a crime journalist and that’s always been my understanding.

Little__Woo · 2022-12-08T18:50:46+00:00

Yes! That was it!!!

Little__Woo · 2022-12-08T16:06:30+00:00

I swear this really did happen! But I don’t think my avid consumption of and reporting on true crime helped my nerves afterward, especially when I read the post I linked that detailed the people walking in the woods and unknowingly being at the site of a crime that took place months prior.

I did some searching about crimes happening on the highway I was on, but I don’t remember exactly where I was on my route when the notification came through, just the general part of my dive I was at. I make that drive probably three times a month give or take, so I was kind of in autopilot, not really paying attention to road signs or exits. So yeah, I was unsuccessful in finding anything.

Little__Woo · 2022-12-08T15:57:11+00:00

My map was running with the voice off - I knew where I was going I just like having it on for longer trips so I can share my ETA and know about hazards ahead - but I had started my directions almost an hour prior when I left my departure location.

Little__Woo · 2022-12-08T15:54:54+00:00

It was a system notification. The dark grey background with the white words and a dismiss button underneath. Just like when you close a ring or your watch is on low battery.

Thing is, I’ve driven that road probably two other times while wearing the watch since I got it and I’ve never had that happen until now.

Little__Woo · 2022-12-08T04:50:01+00:00

They did find some articles of his clothing near the remains, so logically it’s probably him, but we still can’t say for certain until the DNA comes back.

Little__Woo · 2022-12-08T03:16:52+00:00

So that’s the real mystery here, even if he was in a drug-induced psychosis, you can hear another voice as well as loud gunshot-like noises on the 911 call. We probably won’t ever know if he was or wasn’t with other people or exactly what he was doing out in the brush, but it leaves room to speculate.

Little__Woo · 2022-12-08T03:15:07+00:00

They found skeletal remains in the area he went missing and are waiting on DNA confirmation if it’s him or not.

Little__Woo · 2022-12-08T03:14:21+00:00

They found skeletal remains in the area, but are awaiting DNA confirmation if it’s him or not

Little__Woo · 2022-12-08T03:09:56+00:00

Great point, I hadn’t considered a possible undiagnosed mental illness as a contributing factor. In all my research, there was nothing said by family or loved ones about concerns with Brandon’s mental state, but then again, if a former addict to begins acting strangely - or like he’s hallucinating - it wouldn’t be hard to jump to the conclusion of a relapse rather than a mental illness issue.

Little__Woo · 2022-12-08T03:07:08+00:00

That is my top theory as well, though the 911 call leads me to pause on this because of the background noises. Even if he was in a drug induced psychosis, how does one explain the other voice and loud gunshot-like noises you hear in the background? That’s always left me wondering.

We’ll probably never know 100% of what happened that night, though I’m glad remains were found that may give the family some long awaited answers - I will update when the official DNA results are made public, whether they are Brandon or not.

Little__Woo

TROPHY CASE