Just the facts, ma'am

I love Boston...fact

Seriously what’s not to love about Boston???

As seen on last night’s walk back to the parking garage.

Well, well, well, it’s Wednesday—the day when I offer an inventory of what I’ve been up to, so let’s get right to it.

What I’ve been reading…

• Book-wise, I’ve got a big goose egg to report. Despite the fact that my Kindle is loaded, my to-read pile looks like a certain leaning tower in Pisa, and I have a lot of interest in reading, I just haven’t been doing it lately. But my next point might explain it. That said, I need to practice some self-discipline again and make time at the end of the day to read. I enjoyed that so much when I was doing it—why did I stop??? Why are we so quick to rob ourselves of enjoyment???

• I spend a lot of time reading online newsletters, reviewing transcripts, and trying to assimilate the information to inform my own opinions and positions. I discussed the importance of education in these confusing and chaotic times last week and specifically mentioned the work of: Dan Rather (Steady), Framechange, FrameLab, Heather Cox Richardson (Letters from an American), and Robert Reich. Since then I also subscribed to Paul Waldman’s The Cross Section, as I’m hellbent on not being one of those people who conflate opinion and fact. “By any means necessary,” as Malcom X was wont to say.

While I have never been much more than what I’d characterize as “politically aware” for most of my adult life, I’m becoming more engaged lately. The haphazard dismantling of the Constitution petrifies me, and the number of people who seem to be ok with it for reasons they can’t explain has motivated me to educate myself, stockpile facts, and understand the cause and effect of what’s happening. I feel a compulsion to fight back.

Actually, I kind of feel a compulsion to fight forward. No more sitting back “because they’ll never listen” or “they’ll never get it.” Maybe they won’t learn…but they’ll be perfectly clear what I think and what I think about then. The lines will be drawn. I think we need to break it down and build it back up—but blowing it up with no plan to rebuild is a very different animal.

Bottom line is this: if you hear an opinion you like, before you spew it as truth, you have to verify the accuracy of it. An unsubstantiated or unsupported opinion is a dangerous soundbite—not some holy truth. An opinion does not become a fact solely on account of the fact that you like it or because it fits with your narrative.

Moving right along…

What I’ve been listening to…

Music is the one thing I can count on to soothe my soul, no matter what. Whether it’s my own “Forest Bathing, Totes Chill” playlist, our collaborative “Pedestrian Pundit Reader Faves” or my bestie’s “Rage” playlist, I can always find the right song for the mood. Sometimes I need confirmation of my feelings, sometimes I need the auditory equivalent of someone shaking me by the shoulders or slapping me across the face a la Robert Hays in Airplane. Don’t forget, the collab playlist is still open to reader submissions, one song each, no explanation; I’ll add it and think of you when I listen. Comment here or reply to the email if you subscribe.

Been enjoying some new stuff lately too:

• Lady Gaga has a new album out called Mayhem, recommended to me by a friend particularly for a “reminiscent of TSwizzle” song, “How Bad Do U Want Me.” I def gives off shades of TayTay. (The opening notes are very “You Need to Calm Down” to me.) The album’s a great listen.

• I quit religiously watching CBS Saturday Morning once they quit on Jeff Glor as a co-host, but I have picked up some new music in their weekly Saturday Sessions, most recently Sam Barber and his Zac Bryan vibes. I particularly enjoy “Indigo” and “Restless Mind” both of which are duets with Avery Anna who has a fantastic voice.

• Foxes in the Snow is the latest album from Jason Isbell (playing solo, without the 400 Unit) and honestly if you don’t know Jason Isbell you should. I’ve been a fan since seeing him on the aforementioned “Saturday Sessions” back in 2020 when he appeared and performed with his (then-wife) Amanda Shires. While I do not know his whole (extensive) catalog, he has some songs that I completely adore (“Be Afraid” and “Hope the High Road” (the latter of which I learned thanks to the aforementioned collaborative playlist)). This album was just released Friday so I need more time with it to opine in totality, but early indications point to strong songwriting and soothing melodies. Win-win. In all fairness, there’s not a ton of variation in said melodies, so it feels a little sleepy at times. For now it falls into the “nice background music” category. I’d have liked one “banger” on it.

• I caught the song “Sugar in the Tank” by Julien Baker and TORRES while I was out running errands last week and loved it after only a few notes. Next time I heard it, Julien herself introduced it, noting that in East Tennessee where she grew up, “sugar in the tank” was a disparaging way of describing someone “light in their loafers” and so she wrote the song to reclaim the expression to describe love. That explanation made me love the song that much more.

• Other new (to me) songs that I’ve been enjoying are “Ultraviolet” by Clover County, “Neverender” by Justice and Tame Impala, “Giving Up” by Michigander, “People Watching” by Sam Fender, “A Million Miles Away” by The Plimsouls, “What’s Love” by Empress Of and MUNA, and “Messy” (I like the sped-up version best) by Lola Young.

Music is my most powerful weapon, my most powerful drug. Only it won’t kill anyone and I can’t OD on it. Speaking of win-wins…

What I’ve been watching…

• We’ve completed the most recent season of The Traitors and really enjoyed it. It was light, entertaining, and an eye-opening study of how you can take a single set of circumstances and present very compelling argument for opposites to be true—not to mention how quickly people believe what they want to believe because they see what they want to see. (Sound familiar?)

• The Pitt on Max is the best serial drama I can remember watching in a while, and I absolutely love having to wait for the next episode (tomorrow!). Though the gore is a bit too gory for me (sometimes I watch through the fingers of my hands covering my eyes), I think the reason it’s so good is because it’s pretty realistic in all facets. Noah Wyle is absolutely amazing in it and the episodes suck me in. The construct of the show—every episode represents a single consecutive hour in a shift—is brilliant (though I’m not sure how they’ll handle off hours), and the pace is quick, but they give each storyline its due. I hear it got the green light for Season 2 and that makes me happy. But if you have PTSD that’s related to any emergency department/hospital experience, I do not recommend it.

• Started the latest seasons of Survivor and Amazing Race and both are status quo—predictable but enjoyable. Same goes for Grey’s Anatomy which just returned after a winter break. I mean, it jumped the shark many times over the last million seasons, but it always gives me just enough to keep me watching. That said, it pales next to The Pitt…not even close.

• While I am decidedly less religious about Jeopardy! of late, the other night I caught Harvey’s first appearance. He missed the call (literally missed the phone call) to first appear on the show and shortly after was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. But he chased his dream just the same and six years later (I think), there he was on Monday night, absolutely crushing it and dethroning the standing champ. I didn’t watch last night (I will so no spoilers) so I am not sure what came of his Jeopardy Journey, but what a story! Go Harvey. A winner at life and a true testament to how to live.

• I also watched the Cheeto’s Joint Address and all I am gonna say about that is if you’re furious with the Dems for not standing for the kid with brain cancer (who Trump was exploiting for his own gain) and not at all bothered by the cuts he’s making to cancer and other related research funding, you’re missing the point. And it may kill you.

• On Saturday we saw a local production of Rent at the Company Theater (a *very* good regional theater), our Christmas gift from Kerri’s sis and bro-in-law. The usher led us to our front row center seats (she wanted us to have leg room, and did we ever—thanks!) and we settled in for the show, which was fantastic…save for the young woman seated next to Kerri. I thought I could hear her singing throughout the first act, and I definitely noticed the way she was sitting, with her foot practically in Kerri’s lap. The seats right next to us were vacant so at intermission I asked Kerri if she wanted me to move down one (she did). Kerri doesn’t often get annoyed so her interest in moving down said all I needed to know. I didn’t really want to shift any more than that because then we would have been slightly off center, but anyway, the wanna-be understudy came back for the second half sloshing a big glass of wine and continued to let loose until the final curtain. Singing, reciting lines, hollering out at inappropriate times, and sobbing so loudly during one particular scene that a) I could hear her 3 seats away and b) I was glad I wasn’t seated next to her—I’d probably be locked up for homicide this morning. Clearly she was a theater person, in that she knew most of the show…but don’t real theater aficionados know the “shut your pie hole during the performance” rule? Overall the show was great (one of my faves and Kerri had never seen it before). Seasons of Love always makes my eyes leak, and I’m always inspired by the line “no day but today.” Other than a total lack of chemistry between Roger and Mimi and Mimi being a little annoying in general, the show was fantastic. We noted that we need to keep an eye on their schedule as it offers a fun (and convenient) night out supporting local culture.

• Within the last week we went to see both the Celtics (Th) and the all-new Bruins (Tu) play (and the Bs game was not an easy thing to watch now that they shipped Weymouth’s Own Charlie Coyle to the Avs). We have a good system for nights out at The Garden—I drop Kerri in Hingham for the 7:45AM ferry, she goes to work, I leave around 4PM and drive in and park in the great garage right near her office, she stows her bag, and we set off on foot and grab dinner along the way. Then after the game we enjoy the walk back, breaking free from foot and auto traffic before heading home. The key is getting a reservation someplace so you’re assured of eats—can’t risk getting stuck eating Lucky’s (always cold) chix tenders or Sal’s (always nasty) pizza at The Garden. Pretty much the worst food ever. Both teams won, Celts in a blowout with many of their big names out or on the bench and the Bs did *not* play well for most of the game, were down 2-0 partway into the third period and pulled a rabbit out of a hat to win 3-2. It was a fun watch, but it was hard—who are these guys? Khustnutdinov? Say that 10 times fast. Or one time at any speed. The Bruins game reminded me a) to never give up and b) to expect the unexpected and you won’t be disappointed.

And lastly, what I’ve been eating and drinking…

• We had some King’s Hawaiian Rolls leftover after our weekend in NH for pond hockey so I used some of those to test out a King’s Hawaiian Cinnamon Roll recipe I had seen on FB. They did not disappoint. I think if I was having a brunch I would make a full batch. The ease-to-taste ratio is high.

• Kerri loves Chicken Parmesan so I recently cooked this one and served these Red Velvet Cookie Bars for dessert. My 8x8 pan was in use (housing the cinnamon rolls) so I had to make the cookie bars as a cake but it worked. Very good. More like brownies than cookies but I would definitely make this again—whether it was in squares as called for or in wedges as I was forced to do would make no difference to me.

• Last week I was looking for something new, but also something easy, and then remembered this recently saved recipe for this Ginger-Garlic Shrimp With Coconut Milk. It was in fact new and easy and also very good, but there was lots of liquid. I served it with Naan bread as suggested and think it might have been better over rice or noodles (also suggested and would do it in addition to the Naan).

• I’ve mentioned these before but bring these Easy Burritos up again as I’ve since made them with both ground turkey and ground chicken. My ranked order is 1) beef, 2) chicken, and 3) turkey. Kerri also preferred the beef but for her the other two were a tie. (I thought the turkey was a bit on the dry side.) All three were delicious though—go with your own personal preference. I know you might think that a recipe for burritos might be overkill but there is something about his recipe—they are so good. Sometimes we double it and then use what’s left over with some sauteed peppers and onions and put it over some brown rice for our next dinner. It’s a nice two-fer. I like when I get a couple of meals from my effort.

• Blueberry Crisp. I love a good crisp (or crumble) and this oatmeal topping is heavenly. Plus blueberries are a superfood, so, yeah…why not???

• Before the Celtics and we pregamed at The Dubliner. Since it’s St. Paddy’s Month the Guinness Beef Stew (for me) and Guinness Beef Pie (for Kerry) washed down with a perfect pour of Guinness (for me, anyway—Ultra for her) was glorious. We also went out to a local bar (Bates) for dinner before the show Saturday and went out last night to Bostonia Public House before we went to see the all-new Bruins play Marchy’s new team. 😢 Both were great. Bates never disappoints and there’s something about the energy and vibes of a hoppin’ place the city…bonus points for the piano player.

• I don’t think I’ve had any “fun” mixed drinks lately…but I did meet a friend for beers at Trillium Friday. A guy on the way in noted that “it’s the best place to come with kids” and while I would strongly disagree that it’s a place for kids at all, I will say that the beer there is good, and the pizza doesn’t disappoint. They had a beer called Level Playing Field for International Women’s Day with proceeds from sales going to Girls on the Run International and it was very tasty—sadly it’s only on draft so I couldn’t take any cans home. But I did my small part.

• Oh wait. I did have a Bourbon & Fever Tree Ginger Beer (two, actually) on a whim when I was watching the Joint Address last week. I have never had that combo before, having declined the offer of the ginger beer mixer when they were doing a bourbon tasting at Curtis Liquors recently. For whatever reason last week it called my name—and the ginger helped settle my stomach from the nausea-inducing speech itself. Lesson learned—go all-in on the free samples at the liquor store.

Hope you’ve been taking shelter from the political shitstorm to focus on the facts of life that make you happy. In any case I appreciate you choosing to be here with me, so much.

Have a great week.

Love you too.