anything goes with emma chamberlain - my nonexistent birthday party, i'm ranting again

Episode Date: May 23, 2024

for the past 10 years, i've refused to throw myself a birthday party and this year was no different. i just turned 23 and i made the decision that once again i was not going to throw myself a birthday... party. and it's kind of weird because i actually enjoy birthday parties. but my god, do i hate throwing one for myself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Starting point is 00:00:00 I think I have a birthday party mental block. For the last probably 10 years, I've refused to throw myself a birthday party. And this year was no different. I just turned 23 and I made the decision that once again I was not going to throw myself a birthday party. And it is kind of weird because I actually enjoy
Starting point is 00:00:21 birthday parties. I love going to other people's birthday parties. Love, like when it comes up on the calendar, I get excited. Like when someone texts me and says, hey, next week I'm having a birthday party. I'm elated. Elated.
Starting point is 00:00:36 I love birthday parties. I really do. But my God, do I hate throwing one for myself. This episode is brought to you by Secret. Secret deodorant gives you 72 hours of clinically proven odor protection. How epic is that? And it's free of aluminum, parabens, dyes, talc,
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Starting point is 00:01:21 It was such a phenomenal trip. You know, I travel a lot and over the years I've sort of figured out how to have the best experience. It requires a lot of research to find the perfect place to stay. I'm looking for something safe, clean, reliable, fairly priced. Whether you're looking for an all-inclusive getaway or a relaxing weekend spa visit, the Hotels.com app has a perfect hotel for every trip.
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Starting point is 00:02:19 people's schedules, which makes no sense because I get excited when somebody's birthday party comes up in the calendar. It's not a burden to me, but for some reason, I believe that if I were to throw a birthday party, it would be a burden to those who were invited. They'd be like, oh, come on, another one? I don't have time for this. I have shit to do.
Starting point is 00:02:39 I don't wanna go out tonight. Fuck, I don't wanna hang out. No, what an inconvenience. Fuck Emma, she sucks. Why did she have to throw a birthday party? Now I have to go to this birthday party and it's a chore. Okay, so that's reason number one. Reason number two, I think I'm afraid of being disappointed.
Starting point is 00:02:58 You know, if I put a lot of money and time into planning a birthday party and everyone was busy and no one showed up, I would be very disappointed. I mean, obviously I would have my closest friends and family there, but I don't know if I'm throwing a birthday party, I want the room to be packed. I want it to be a fucking vibe. And you know, I always feel bad for people when they throw a birthday party or some sort of party and it ends up not being very fun and people sort of talk shit about it.
Starting point is 00:03:27 And I've seen that happen many times where, you know, a party didn't really turn out to be very fun. And it sort of reflects on the person who threw the party, which is sort of unfair because the fate of a party is in the universe's hands. It's not in the hands of the person throwing the party. I guess in some ways it is, but the energy who shows up, it's all unpredictable. And it's kind of sad when somebody's party doesn't work out.
Starting point is 00:03:56 The third reason why is because it's a lot of work. And I'll put in work for other people, but it's harder for me to put in work for myself unless I'm super passionate about it. And I'm not necessarily super passionate about throwing myself a birthday party. So there's a lack of motivation there. Number four, there's something inside of me
Starting point is 00:04:19 that feels like throwing a birthday party for myself is too indulgent. Like Emma, really? You think that you're so important that you should have your own birthday party? Which again is stupid because when other people throw a birthday party for themselves, I'm like, exactly as you should,
Starting point is 00:04:35 you should have the most phenomenal, beautiful night of your life with all the people that you love and have the best time ever. Like, I don't see birthday parties in such a negative light for other people at all. But for me, I'm like, you narcissistic pig,
Starting point is 00:04:50 you wanna fucking throw a birthday party for yourself? You're a loser and you're a narcissist and you're toxic. What makes you think that you deserve a birthday party? What makes you think that that many people care about you and will show up? What a loser. It's just negative self-talk. It's almost like a weird imposter syndrome.
Starting point is 00:05:06 Like I don't feel like I deserve a birthday party. I don't feel like I've earned a birthday party for some weird reason that I don't understand. That's how imposter syndrome is. It's like telling you in the back of your head that you don't deserve what you have or you don't deserve nice things, even though you do. I definitely still have imposter syndrome
Starting point is 00:05:26 with my birthday for some reason. Gone rid of it in the work side of my life, I think. I'm working on it with the relationships, you know, feeling like an imposter in relationships, getting better at that. But I've not addressed my birthday party imposter syndrome, so it's still kind of there, I'm realizing. And last but not least, number five,
Starting point is 00:05:46 I actually don't really like parties that much. Like I would way rather go on a trip or go out to dinner with five friends. Keep it low key. Like I kind of prefer that over going to a party. I don't like parties that much. They're so rarely fun. So for all of those reasons, I do not throw birthday parties for myself. However, I was laying in bed the other day, sort of thinking about what I would do
Starting point is 00:06:18 if I were to throw a birthday party. And I realized that I have a lot of very strong opinions about what a good birthday party is to me. So today I've prepared for you a full birthday party itinerary that will maybe come to fruition one day, not this year, but maybe will come to fruition one day. This is my ideal birthday party. This is what I think the perfect birthday party would be for me. And I have a lot of opinions about why. Let's start out with the venue.
Starting point is 00:06:50 Okay. Venue is very important because it is the foundation for the vibe, for the energy of the party. Now, what I don't want is to throw the party at my own house. Why? It's going to be the worst night of my party. Now what I don't want is to throw the party at my own house. Why? It's going to be the worst night of my life. I'm going to be so stressed out about whether or not my neighbors are upset with me,
Starting point is 00:07:14 because there's a lot of noise. I'm gonna be very concerned about whether or not my guests are rummaging through my things. I'm gonna be very stressed out about my cats and their well-being. Where are my cats going to be during all this? They're definitely not going to be out during the party. Somebody is going to leave a door open. The cat's going to run out.
Starting point is 00:07:34 My life will be ruined. The music might be loud. They might be upset. I have to hire a cleaning crew the next day to clean up my house, probably because it will be so messy. Throwing a party at my own house sounds like a fucking nightmare. So that is out. Another thing that I think is out is throwing a party at a massive venue,
Starting point is 00:07:51 like renting out, I don't know, like a huge space. I don't like birthday parties being held at a huge space because a lot of times it ends up not feeling intimate enough. Like, there's too much space to kind of do your own thing in the corner. And so you don't end up mingling. I think it's better to have a birthday party in a small, more intimate homey space because people tend to bond and hang out and talk more. And speaking of that, the venue must have reasonable volume.
Starting point is 00:08:24 Okay. I don't want to throw a birthday party at a club. Speaking of that, the venue must have reasonable volume. Okay, I don't wanna throw a birthday party at a club that's so fucking loud and dark that you can't talk to anyone or hang out with anyone. That is no fun to me. Do I think that there should be a dance floor? Absolutely, I think dance floors are great. Is it common that you'll find me
Starting point is 00:08:41 on the dance floor at a party? No, I'm always sitting in the corner talking to somebody. I love that. That's my vibe Do I think there should be a dance floor anyway? Yes, but not like a club vibe If the entire party is just a dance floor, it's a dead end you get sick of that you dance for an hour Unless you're on drugs You can only dance for a little bit and then you have to sit. And if it's so loud that you can't talk to anyone, then you're gonna get bored when you're sitting and wanna leave.
Starting point is 00:09:09 No, here's the vibe I believe in for my birthday party. Okay, we have two options that I can think of. Number one, a house that's not yours. Okay, a rented house of some sort. It's cozy, it's intimate. Some areas can be loud and have a dance floor. Other areas can be more quiet. There can be an area to hang out in the backyard.
Starting point is 00:09:33 There's a kitchen in there where people can go in and make drinks or maybe you could set up a bartender if you're really feeling crazy. Well, I guess if I'm feeling crazy, this is my birthday party, That's a phenomenal vibe or possibly some sort of vibe II bar that isn't too loud like
Starting point is 00:09:52 Maybe a bar restaurant vibe where you can sit you can stand You can be in a loud dance floor area. You can be in a quieter more chill area. There's a bar area to hang out into. It's not too big where everyone's all spread out and nobody's hanging out, but it's not so small that it's like cramped and uncomfortable and everybody's miserable and can't sit down and stuff. Perfect balance.
Starting point is 00:10:18 And ideally something too that has a cool aesthetic to it, like nice decor. My vibe is not a futuristic club with like neon dance floor, neon lights everywhere. It's just not me. My hypothetical birthday party needs to have nice decor that matches my aesthetic. So douchey.
Starting point is 00:10:42 This is a hypothetical birthday party though, so you can't say, Emma, you're so douchey for this. Yeah, it didn't happen. So leavechey. This is a hypothetical birthday party though, so you can't say, Emma, you're so douchey for this. Yeah, it didn't happen. So leave me alone. Like let me have my fun for fuck's sake. Okay, moving on.
Starting point is 00:10:51 Let's talk about timing. When are people showing up? Okay, let me tell you what I don't like. I don't like when the party starts at 11pm. I do not like that. By 1230, I'm getting a little sleepy. You know, that's a little too late for mommy. Mommy's getting old. Nothing too late. This might be a hot take, but I love a dirty, a
Starting point is 00:11:15 day party. People show up at like, I don't know, 3pm, hang out, have some drinks. You know, maybe there's some activities going on. We'll get into that later, but I kind of like an all day party. During the summer in my backyard, I love to have a few friends over. In my backyard, we start at like two or 3pm, and we go into like eight, and then everybody has dinner.
Starting point is 00:11:43 Sometimes we all have dinner together. Sometimes we separate for dinner, go out to a restaurant or something. You know, everybody goes and does their own thing. And then you're in bed by 10. It's phenomenal. But you get also more time to hang out, more time to party because you start early.
Starting point is 00:11:59 It feels like a full day experience. It's so fun. And you end up bonding with everyone who's at the party because you spend so much time together and it's daylight and you can talk because it's during the day. Like at night, it's when things get dark and loud, but during the day things are lighter and brighter. And I don't know, like the daytime invites a less intense vibe,
Starting point is 00:12:21 more conducive for hanging out and you can still party, you know, you can still have drinks, you can still dance and stuff, but I don't know, I love a darty. So start at like 3 p.m. Or the other option is starting at like 7. Now, recently I went to a birthday party that started at like 7 and I was like, wow, that's early. Like I'm shocked.
Starting point is 00:12:44 In LA, you know, usually parties start at like, wow, that's early. Like I'm shocked in LA, you know, usually parties start at nine, 10, 11 p.m. And so seeing a party start at seven, I was like, this is fascinating. What's happening? It was also very delightful. You know, you don't get the whole day experience, which I really do enjoy. But when you start at seven, people can come and go throughout the evening. Same thing with the day party, people can come and go throughout the evening. Same thing with the day party. People can come and go throughout the day. But I don't know, when it starts early in the evening, people sort of trickle in over the course of the evening.
Starting point is 00:13:13 And, you know, there's options to eat dinner there and all of these things. And it's more of a well-rounded evening instead of showing up to the party at like 11 p.m. and half the people being exhausted and wanting to go home like 30 minutes after arriving. Next let's discuss activities. Now let me tell you what I don't like. Two polar opposites, okay? I don't like when the only activity is just getting drunk and dancing and clubbing. I don't like that. Because again, that gets boring for me. It's too loud. It's too overwhelming. I like to sit and hang out. And so when the only activity is getting drunk and dancing, it's like, you're not even spending
Starting point is 00:13:57 quality time with anyone. You're not even going to remember it. Like it feels pointless to me. And I feel like people end up leaving that environment sooner. Like if there's nothing to grasp onto socially, people just leave. Obviously there are some people who love to dance and get drunk and do that all night. That's maybe 50% of party goers. A lot of people are like, God,
Starting point is 00:14:19 I'd love to just be able to sit and talk and hang out or do a less exhausting activity. I can't dance all night it's just not Enjoyable, so when that's only activity, I think people just get discouraged and leave not everyone but a decent portion But then on the other hand, I don't want the activities to be overly planned either It's not very fun when you show up to a party and there's strict rules on what's happening. Like everyone has to sit in a circle and play this card game. Or everyone needs to go outside and play beer pong right now.
Starting point is 00:14:59 Or everybody needs to go grab a frisbee because we're playing frisbee or everybody needs to get on the dance floor because we're all dancing. Like things should not be overly organized. There should be things around that are optional, but it should be low key, which leads us to the activities that I do enjoy. I will say I enjoy games. I think, I think. Like drinking games are fun.
Starting point is 00:15:30 Having a little card game out, like a drinking card game, so fun. Beer pong, sorry, call me basic. That's fun to me. I actually enjoy that. And there's a way to make it classy and a way to make it cute, you know? You can buy cuter cups to spice it up or something.
Starting point is 00:15:46 Ping pong, fucking badminton, a tattoo artist, a piercing person, fortune teller, bouncy house, like I don't care. Having little optional activities around is kind of nice. Even like arcade games could be fun. Actually, maybe a birthday party at an arcade could be fun. Like I love the arcade game where you throw the basketballs into the little hoop. It's basically basketball.
Starting point is 00:16:16 I fucking love that arcade game. If there was just a room filled with those, that would be the best birthday of my life. But yeah, like stuff like that's fun. Maybe there's a pool, maybe it's a pool party. It's just nice to have something to do. But it's nice to have it be optional. Next, let's discuss decorations. Now this might be a hot take. I don't love when everything is overly detailed. I appreciate the art of it though. Don't get me wrong.
Starting point is 00:16:48 Like if you Google birthday party decoration inspiration on Pinterest, you'll see what I'm saying. People will throw birthday parties and make the most detailed decorations. Everything is on theme. Every single napkin, every single balloon, every single tablecloth is all perfectly matching and super on on theme. Every single napkin, every single balloon, every single tablecloth is all perfectly matching and super on a theme.
Starting point is 00:17:09 I don't think that that's necessary. I think it's so much work and so much effort and I don't think it's worth it for me. When someone else does it for their birthday party, I think that's gorgeous. But I, if I was throwing my own birthday party, would not spend the money on that. I just don't think it's necessary. I think you can do subtle decor that's chic and, you know, cheap and just keep it at that. Like you could get a few really cool balloons
Starting point is 00:17:39 and maybe put like a cute little sign on the door, call it a day. That's all. It's cost so much money to decorate things in that Pinterest level of detail that I just wouldn't do it. Unless it's a super intense, weird niche theme that's kind of funny. Like if somebody threw me a Napoleon Dynamite themed birthday party or like a Coraline themed birthday party and every single plate was Coraline and every single, that's kind of funny. Like I kind of love that.
Starting point is 00:18:11 If somebody were to surprise me with it, maybe I wouldn't do it myself, but that would be kind of iconic. So like, that would be kind of funny. Like if the food served at the Napoleon Dynamite birthday party was like tater tots, you know, it's like super on theme. It's actually kind of a good idea. Maybe I'll do Napoleon Dynamite themed birthday party next year. So maybe I do like super detailed decorations. I guess they do, but only when it's kind of silly.
Starting point is 00:18:40 I think if it's for aesthetic purposes, I don't need that. You know, I can pass on that. If it's for funny, amusing purposes, yes, I can get behind that. Okay, next, let's discuss the guest list. This might be shocking to some of you, what I'm about to say. I kind in an open door policy. Like, I don't like when there's a party and plus ones are not allowed. It's like, no, only you are invited. You cannot bring a friend. You can't bring anyone. Or like, you're only allowed to bring one friend.
Starting point is 00:19:19 I don't like that because, I don't know, it just complicates things socially. Like, let's say for example, I invite one of my friends to my birthday party and I say, you're only allowed to bring one friend. And they actually were planning to hang out with two friends that night. Now there's an uncomfortable situation. I always respect somebody's rules when they're throwing a party. If they're like, don't bring anyone with you, I'm like, done.
Starting point is 00:19:44 I'm not bringing anyone. I always respect other people's rules. they're throwing a party. If they're like, don't bring anyone with you, I'm like, done, I'm not bringing anyone. I always respect other people's rules. I totally get it. Everyone has their preference. But I kind of like meeting new people when I'm at a party. That's kind of the whole point for me. So even if it's my own birthday party, and it's kind of weird that people I don't really know
Starting point is 00:20:00 that well are gonna be there, I would prefer that over being super controlling over the guest list and not potentially unlocking fun new personalities. Because that is ultimately what I enjoy about a party is a mix of a bunch of different personalities. That's when it's the best. That's when it's the most exciting. Obviously, there are times when a bad apple can come in. But for the most part, if you're inviting people that you know and love and they're bringing other people, if you like the person that you invited, chances are they're not going to invite anyone who's
Starting point is 00:20:32 that horrible. You know, I don't know. I kind of like the idea of being like, if you know someone who's coming, come on in, let's make new friends. Let's have fun. I actually do that again. I do that during the summer in the backyard I'll just like have People over that I barely know I'll tell my friends. Hey invite whoever and Sometimes I'll invite people over that. I don't really know that well, but that's what makes it so fun That's what makes it feel all the more exciting is when you have a big mix of people.
Starting point is 00:21:09 Most of the time, I prefer a small group over a super large group when it comes to hanging out and doing stuff. But I do that already so much that if I'm throwing a birthday party, I'm gonna go big, bring whoever. If anyone misbehaves, they get kicked out. No problem, you know?
Starting point is 00:21:26 Next, let's discuss the dress code. Let me tell you what I do not like. I do not like black tie fancy. No. I don't enjoy myself when I'm in a really uncomfortable fancy outfit. I end up wanting to go home sooner. I get tired sooner.
Starting point is 00:21:44 So I would never put my guests through that. Do I love playing dress up? Absolutely. But if I'm throwing a birthday party, I want people to want to hang out all day, all night. So I don't want to put people in fancy outfit and then now they're uncomfortable and their feet hurt and they want to go home early because I don't know,
Starting point is 00:22:02 I even think about that with my wedding. Like if I end up having a wedding one day, kind of want it to be casual vibes so that people can just enjoy themselves. It's not so formal that everyone's just excited to go home because they don't want to stand in their heels anymore or in their dress shoes. I don't know. I also don't like parties that feel like a hot competition. You know when somebody's throwing a party and it's at a club or it's at a house,
Starting point is 00:22:33 but the invite gives this vibe of like, oh no, we're dressing hot tonight. I don't know how to explain it, but you can tell on a party invite what the vibe is. Like if it's kind of a cool, edgy invite, you know, oh shit, we're dressing hot tonight. Whereas if it's more of a fun, playful invite, then you're like, oh, I can be chill, you know?
Starting point is 00:22:54 I don't like the hot competition for my own birthday party. I like it sometimes, it's kind of fun to almost dress to theme and, you know, wear your cute little tight pants or, you know, your cute little top or do like a bitchy like makeup look. Like that's a vibe sometimes. Don't get me wrong. It can be fun, but I don't want that energy for my hypothetical birthday party. I just don't want that. I'd rather people come really casual
Starting point is 00:23:25 in clothes that they can wear all day or all night. People should want to feel cute, but it doesn't need to be a hot competition. Could also be fun to do a pajama party. In fact, that is kind of my dream. Oh my God, that'd be so fun. Pajama party would be really fun. Or super niche theme like,
Starting point is 00:23:46 okay, we're doing a Napoleon Dynamite birthday party. Everybody has to dress up as somebody from Napoleon Dynamite. The only thing I don't like about that is that that does create a task for the people attending that's kind of tedious, which is kind of not ideal. You don't wanna, I don't know, create a chore for the people going to the party, but it could also be kind of not ideal. You don't wanna, I don't know, create a chore
Starting point is 00:24:05 for the people going to the party, but it could also be kind of funny. I don't know. I think mega casual or pajama party is ideal for me. Oh my God, you know what would be so fun actually? Pajama party at like a bar, cause it's kind of opposites. That could be fun.
Starting point is 00:24:24 Being able to wear pajamas where you don't normally get to wear pajamas is possibly one of my favorite things in the entire world. And to have a birthday party with that in mind, I mean, yeah, that's kind of a vibe. Okay, let's talk about the bar slash drink situation, okay? I will say an open bar is critical. An open bar that's prepaid by me,
Starting point is 00:24:50 or by whoever's throwing the party, me, I guess. I really feel like I've won the lottery every time I go to a party and there's an open bar and I don't have to pay. I know it sounds stupid because it's like, I mean, it's just, it's like, who cares? Like, pay for your drink. Of course. But there is something so fun about being able to just go up to the bar and grab something in and out. You don't have to get your card out. It's free. You know, you feel taken care of. It's a fucking vibe. So if I were to throw a birthday party for myself, definitely open bar. I thought about it kind of being cool to have like a bunch
Starting point is 00:25:32 of wine, like doing like a wine party. But I very quickly realized, no, that's never fun. Everybody has such unique alcohol preferences and like what works with their body and what they enjoy the most. Some people don't like alcohol at all, but for people who do drink alcohol, everyone has their own preference. Like for the most part, I like a tequila soda with wine when I'm drinking or a glass of wine. When I go to a party and there's just beer, I'm like, fuck, I don't drink beer. No. You know, like the options are helpful so that everyone can participate if they want. So I think it's open bar and I think it's all types of liquor. You know, if people misbehave, they get kicked out.
Starting point is 00:26:19 That's mommy's rule. Okay. I already been through this. So if anyone's abusing the open bar, they're out and it's as easy as that. Yeah. That leads me to my next one. Do I have a security guard or not? Yes. So that I can say, take this person out now. They're causing a scene. They're causing a ruckus. Get them out. No, I'm kidding that. I did not write that down on my notes. Next, let's discuss food. I thought about this a lot,
Starting point is 00:26:45 and it's clear to me what I don't like. I don't like when it's all junk food. Don't get me wrong, like, yum, and there better be some fun foods, even if they are junk foods and give you a stomach ache or whatever, for me specifically, give me a stomach ache, whatever, that must be included.
Starting point is 00:27:05 However, if it's all junk food, everyone's gonna get a tummy ache, everyone's gonna be sluggish. You know, there has to be a good balance of options, right? Some fresh stuff, some fun stuff, like a mix of everything. All junk food, everyone's just gonna have diarrhea and have a stomach ache, you know what I mean? Like, that's not good for morale.
Starting point is 00:27:27 Also, I don't love when there's a big table filled with food and it's just sitting there and kind of like rotting for too long. That feels like a food safety issue to me every single time I see it. Like, every time I go to a party and there's just food that's been out on the table for literally eight hours and all of it is perishable,
Starting point is 00:27:50 I'm like, I feel like this is not safe. Also, the food gets gross really quickly. There's certain foods that are totally fine. Leave chips out all day, who gives a fuck? Leave fruit out, that's fine. There's certain foods where it's fine. Like snack foods, all good. But like, I don't know, like having like a bowl of pasta out
Starting point is 00:28:11 feels like a food safety issue to me. Anyway, so I think the food should be made to order. Maybe there's a food truck outside. Maybe there's, I don't know, some sort of like restaurant involved in the party, whether they're catering or something, and they're like managing it. I don't throw parties, so I don't know, some sort of like restaurant involved in the party, whether they're catering or something and they're like managing it. I don't throw parties, so I don't know how this shit works, but having the food sort
Starting point is 00:28:31 of made to order or have it be maintained by a third party or just have there only be snacks out that can be out all day and nobody's worrying about food poisoning. Am I the only one that is very concerned about food poisoning? Maybe, but my God, I am not... There's no good time to get food poisoning, so I'm always avoiding it. I think some foods that I would love to have at my birthday party would be
Starting point is 00:29:01 definitely some sort of tater tot situation. I just love tater tots. I know earlier I mentioned my Napoleon Dynamite theme. This is actually regardless of theme. I just love tater tots. Tater tots are a good option. Honestly, I feel like Italian food is always a hit. Like I went to a birthday party a few months ago that had full Italian vibes going like really good Caesar salad, really good spicy rigatoni,
Starting point is 00:29:28 like all the things, really good pizza. There was like a fried zucchini, like it was a balance of light and yummy, but also like fun, like it was balanced and well done. So maybe that's the vibe. But also like a falafel truck could be so good. Like falafel wrap, hummus. That would be pretty good.
Starting point is 00:29:52 I always need hummus involved whenever I'm having a party. Every party needs a little fucking plate of hummus. God damn it. I believe that. I believe that with every fiber of my being. That's just necessary. So consider that on the snack table. There is, I guess, a difference between the snack table
Starting point is 00:30:09 and the main food, you know what I mean? The snack table is far less important, I would argue. The main food is what's really important. Like, what are you doing? Ooh, honestly, a Mexican food truck would be kind of amazing as well. Like burritos, tacos, customizable options, you know, people can get what they want. That would be kind of amazing as well, like burritos, tacos, customizable options, you know, people can get what they want.
Starting point is 00:30:28 That would be really good. With a salsa bar, must have a salsa bar. That would be iconic. Wow, that's great. I love that. That might be my favorite. There's options. There's options.
Starting point is 00:30:38 Let's discuss gifts. I really don't need any gifts. So I would make a no gift policy for my birthday. Number one, I don't need any gifts. So I would make a no gift policy for my birthday. And number one, I don't need anything. Number two, I get very uncomfortable with gift giving and gift receiving. Like the whole thing, I don't like it. Because I don't like receiving gifts
Starting point is 00:30:56 and I get uncomfortable with it, I assume that other people are like that. So I don't like giving gifts because I don't like making other people uncomfortable. But that's ridiculous because many people enjoy receiving gifts. In fact, it's many people's love language. So I need to get over that. I actually like, I love giving people gifts,
Starting point is 00:31:17 but I don't like being there when they receive it. Like, I'd rather mail people a gift and they can just react to it however they want. And they can just shoot me a text and say thank you for the gift. Like they don't have to be like, I love it. And it's like, no, you don't. And it's fine. But let's move on. So no gift policy for my birthday.
Starting point is 00:31:34 And last but not least, let's discuss cake flavor and design. I want something naughty. Okay. I want something like a chocolate peanut butter cake. I want something like a classic funfetti vanilla with thick buttercream. Like I want something sweet. I want something with absolutely no elegance.
Starting point is 00:31:54 You know what I mean? Like when I think of an elegant cake, I think of like a lavender Earl gray cake with beautiful cream cheese frosting or carrot cake with cream cheese frosting or like lemon cake. I actually love lemon cake, but not on my birthday. Uh, I would love it, but I'd prefer fucking chocolate,
Starting point is 00:32:16 peanut butter, brownie, chocolate chip, cookie dough, like fucking pack that shit full with every goddamn dessert you can think of. Like I want that shit to be just sickly sweet. I want funfetti. Like that's what I want. I want to feel like a little kid when I'm eating my stupid birthday cake. That is the type of flavor I want. I do not want lavender, rose water, fairy dust birthday cake. I want sticky fingers, funfetti. That's what I fucking want for my birthday. And I will say I'm a sucker for a funny cake.
Starting point is 00:32:52 A few years ago, my friends got me a huge cake that was shaped like a penis. And it was funny because at the time I was the one in the group who had a boyfriend and it was like, oh my God, Emma loves, like, what, you get the idea. It was like, I was the girl in the group who had a boyfriend. And it was like, oh my God, Emma loves, like, you get the idea. It was like, I was the girl in the group who, you know what I'm saying? And so it was funny at the time,
Starting point is 00:33:12 cause it was like, ooh, Emma loves wiener. You know what I mean? Here's a wiener cake. It was funny. It was personal with the group. I love that. I thought it was funny. I took a selfie with my penis cake.
Starting point is 00:33:24 My dad was in town. He saw it. He was mortified. It was a nightmare, thought it was funny. I took a selfie with my penis cake. My dad was in town. He saw it. He was mortified. It was a nightmare, but it was funny. And I do love that. So a funny cake that's sort of like an inside joke. I love that. On the other hand, I do love just a beautifully made cake by a really passionate cake artist. I think that that's phenomenal. There are so many amazing cake artists.
Starting point is 00:33:44 Like, I am constantly watching their videos on Instagram Reels. cake artist. I think that that's phenomenal. There are so many amazing cake artists. Like I am constantly watching their videos on Instagram reels. Even though I'm back on TikTok, I still don't watch TikTok. I only watch reels. But you get the idea. Like that could be really cool. Like just letting a cake artist do their thing. The one thing I don't like is when there's too much fondant. I hate fondant. I think it tastes horrible. And I think cake should, you know, I get you need to use fondant to decorate a cake, but it shouldn't have too much.
Starting point is 00:34:12 Shouldn't be like the whole cake is fucking fondant. And it should be always peeled off, in my opinion. So that's my ideal birthday party. It's kind of all over the place. It seems like it's a day party. It's kind of all over the place. It seems like it's a day party. It's a darty. It seems like there's food trucks. It seems like this birthday party is going to cost a lot of fucking money.
Starting point is 00:34:34 My hypothetical birthday party is like fucking 20 grand. No, this is like insane. Like I feel like maybe this is why I haven't thrown a birthday party is because subconsciously I'm like, Emma, you have too grand of ideas, like cool down. I almost enjoy talking about birthday parties in a pretentious, picky way more than I enjoy actually having one. Like I love this discussion and I feel almost full. Like I don't need to have a birthday party for another at least 10 years.
Starting point is 00:35:06 Like, I feel satisfied. So, you know, we're gonna leave it at that. I hope that you enjoyed this episode. Please let me know what your ideal birthday party looks like. You can shoot a DM to at anythinggoes on Instagram. Let me know. I'm so curious. If you disagree with me on some things, if you agree with me on some things, as always,. Let me know. I'm so curious. If you disagree with me on some things, if you agree with me on some things, as always, please let me know. New episodes of Anything Goes
Starting point is 00:35:30 every Thursday and Sunday. You can listen anywhere you stream podcasts, but video is exclusively on Spotify. You can check me out at Emma Chamberlain on Instagram, Emma Chamberlain on YouTube, pretty much at Emma Chamberlain everywhere. You can check out my coffee company. We're probably in a store near you. If you live in the United States, use our store locator on chamberlain everywhere. You can check out my coffee company. We're probably in a store near you. If you live in the United States, use our store locator on chamberlaincoffee.com to see if we're in a store near you. Go pick up some fun,
Starting point is 00:35:53 or you can order Chamberlain coffee straight to your door. I hope that you all are having a beautiful day. And if you're not, I hope that you have a beautiful day soon. And I love you all and appreciate you all. And thank you all for listening to me rant about a hypothetical birthday party that will not happen. You learn nothing, but maybe it was good background noise while you folded laundry or something.
Starting point is 00:36:20 That's all I could ask for because some of my favorite content is background noise while I'm folding my laundry. You know what I'm saying? So we're all in this together. Love you all. Thank you all for listening and I will talk to you so soon. Bye.

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