This. Is. Not. Okay.
We're two weeks into our personal experience of the grand national experiment that is Distance Learning, and spoiler: Nothing about it is even close to workable.
My kids and I are enormously privileged. We have WiFi (when it feels like working, which is about 60% of the time). Computers. One work-from-home parent and two who are deeply invested in their education. A school with resources and incredible teachers. Plenty of outdoor space.
A couple of weeks into lockdown, I did a bad thing.
I highlighted my own hair.
Even as I opened the box I could hear my colorist yelling at me from all the way across the city, but I couldn't help it: I'd already been badly in need of a touch-up when the world shut down, and whatever, I was bored, and still in the moment of quarantine when it felt like an opportunity to try new things (puzzles! bread! ...remember when we still had energy?!). And highlighting my own hair sounded kind of fun, or at the very least perhaps an opportunity to generate Content (tips and tricks! fashion roundups! ...remember when we still had an iota of bandwidth left?!).
Floaty floral dresses. My daily uniform is obviously shorts and a t-shirt or button-down, as you've observed on 20,954 separate occasions, but I've been trying to mix it up a bit. Putting on one of these dresses just makes you feel so pretty. The one pictured above (worn for a baby shower brunch several centuries ago, in February) is an old Zara dress I stole from my mama, but I just ordered this on-sale beauty for another option.
Lore Podcast. Ommmg this podcast is so good. Each episode covers a bite-sized bit of global folklore - alien sightings, pukwudgies (! it's a thing), vampire tales, and so forth - and explores its historical underpinnings. I listen to it on walks with Archie, and because I cannot get enough of it, Archie is a verrrrry tired pup these days. Side benefit: Tired pups eat fewer of their mother's favorite bras. Not none of her bras, but fewer. Here's a rundown of fans' favorite episodes, if you want some really good ones to get started with.
My rug died.
Or, rather: Archie killed my rug.
It's OK, I obviously expected it; potty training has not historically been my forte with either canines or humans. Very fortunately, the particular rug that Archie killed was a simple jute rug that I didn't expect to last very long, and that had pretty much been beaten to death already. But this room really needs a rug; it just looks so ungrounded without one.
These beef-and-veggie bowls are the evolution of a bulgogi bowl recipe I found online forever ago, and incorporate quick-pickled vegetables and soy sauce sweetened with brown sugar and ginger - it's a CRAZY flavorful dish - and so incredibly quick to make - and we've had this one in the rotation all summer long. *Important note before I continue: This is not an authentic Korean bulgogi recipe; it's simply a beef-and-veggie bowl spruced up with flavors inspired by the real thing.*
Curious about Korean food? This site run by a Korean mom has fantastic recipes to try at home.
Before we get to the recipe, here's a little hack I've been using, especially now that we're back to school: I keep a constant stockpile of assorted types of VeeTee rice on hand and use it to stretch out chicken, fish and beef dishes for lunch or dinner the next day. My kids are legit obsessed with VeeTee because 1) it's rice, and rice = always good, and 2) they can make it themselves in the microwave in just two minutes with zero fuss and mess. For this recipe I used Veetee Thai Jasmine rice, but I also usually have a whole bunch of Basmati and Wholegrain & Quinoa in my cabinets.
Go to VoteSaveAmerica. Right now. I've been looking at tons of different online resources so that I can provide you guys with the easiest, most straightforward information you need this election season, and this is it. At VoteSaveAmerica, you can:
Lue Health is a truly game-changing new startup that lets you monitor your health using at-home urine testing strips and a super-simple app that analyzes your results within seconds. Genius.
Turns out an oversized sweater vest is somehow exactly what I want to wear for fall. Weird, but true.
Harbor Cheese offers virtual cheese-tastings, with each ticket including 2lbs of various cheeses (!!!) and classes capped at 15 for an intimate experience. ...Can I do this...tonight?
A sampling of what Paul Gilmartin and I talked about in this week's episode of Mental Illness Happy Hour:
Sexless marriages: "You're dealing with your massive burden of emotional labor, plus the societal burden of being skinny, and beautiful, and hairless, and eternally nineteen years old, while also tiptoeing around egos. Of COURSE you don't want to sleep with your husband. Under what circumstances is that sexy or fun?"
How to talk to your young sons about toxic masculinity: "You are not bad. The culture surrounding straight white masculinity has become toxic, and part of your job is to be an example of the opposite kind of man."
Did you know you could be embarrassed by your knives? It's true. Three years ago, Alisa and Erin came over to cook paella at my house, and they were both horrified - truly horrified - at the extreme dullness of virtually all of my knives.
What's that? I should have sharpened them...ever?
Please, that would be far too responsible of me.
My daughter likes candy. Like, a LOT.
Here, as an example, is a photograph of her trick-or-treating at 2 years old. That's what you call "laser focus."
