Well, hello Wednesday.
Not sure how you’re here again/already and it’s time for another edition of “What I’m _______________ Wednesday” but here we’re are. My head is spinning and even though I feel like there isn’t much going on I’m overwhelmed at the idea of summarizing whatever it is and doing so nicely.
I’ve taken on a small (4 or five days over two weeks, tops) work assignment that isn’t exactly in my wheelhouse so that may be part of this discombobulated feeling—I’ve been squinty and scrunched in front of the computer for two days and I have one pesky problem I want to solve and can’t figure out. Yet.. So I may be heading into workaround territory today. That’ll be interesting.
And I’ve been sleeping like absolute crap.
But I’m not here to complain. So I won’t.
Without further ado, here’s what’s been going on during the five weeks since the last personal/social/pop culture roundup:
Eats and drinks…
I mentioned a Maple Bourbon Margarita last week and got some requests for the recipe, so here you go.
I had my mom over recently and made this Grilled Flank Steak with Blue Cheese Butter:
…with this Blueberry Cornbread Shortbread Tart:
Both were delicious. Like the drink described above, the dessert was a great “one foot in summer (blueberries), one foot in fall (cornmeal)” choice. If you’re a big fan of crumbles/crisps/buckles/etc. you can’t go wrong with this one.
I recently got sucked into a taste test at the local liquor store and have really been enjoying these Cod’r drinks on and off since. I haven’t found one “seltzer” drink that doesn’t have a funky after taste for me…and these are great. With 4.5% ABV and only 100 calories to boot.
Other than that, I can’t really think of anything exciting going on in the kitchen. I need to step up my cooking game now that Fall is on the rise.
We did go out two weeks in a row and had an amazing meal at our local fave (Sorelle) last week and hit an oceanside (well, technically bayside) gem (Jake’s Seafood) on Saturday. We had a great table inside that felt like we were outside, minus the chill.
We have so much fun together. (Most of the time. 😂)
Note: I can tell you one thing for sure. I am *not* eating cats or dogs or any of the pets (at least not to the best of my knowledge).
On the small screen…
The new Wheel of Fortune. I haven’t seen many episodes (to be fair), but so far so bad. Ryan Seacrest calls the “bucks” and not dollars. The new set is throwing me off. The show is now too loud, too bright, and too rushed for me. Same game, totally different game. In summary: I buy the rumors that Vanna is not vibing with Ryan.
The Bachelorette finale. If you’re behind, scroll right along. Every time they say, essentially, “Most dramatic finale ever. Never happened before. Pour a glass of wine.” And every time it’s something NOT dramatic. Just when I reached a boiling point that they were stringing us along again—BOOM! The. Drama. Jenn flipped the script and proposed. But by the time the finale aired, the happy couple was no more. Shock and awe ensued. Entertaining enough TV, but *not* how to find love. I think they could keep the show just as dramatic and make it proposal-optional.
I watched a couple of eps of the new show English Teacher. I chuckled a few times, but the jury is still out. I’ll stick with it for a bit though. Kerri’s up to playing hockey 2X/week so I got a little bit more of my private TV-watching time back. Just in time for the new season of RHOSLC, which picks up with that snow bunny crew tonight.
We got caught up with Cobra Kai and quasi-binged (three nights in a row) Bad Sisters (loved it!). Reading about the Emmys reminded me that I also watched (a bit ago) Baby Reindeer but am not sure I ever mentioned that here—it’s worth a watch. Good combination if laughs and gasps.
I’ve continued to follow the Red Sox (no comment) but when I’m watching and it goes into extra innings, I see the runner on second base and ask myself, “How did I possibly miss that?” I always forget, every time—that’s how they start extras now. Ghost runner, they call it. Sneaks out onto second base, undetected by the human eye. 🤣🤣🤣
I’m also watching loads of football. Pats got a win so there’s that. I am following the Tua Tagovailoa with interest—I think this concussion thing is really scary. We see what is happening with athletes, more and more stories of post-career anguish and early death. Seems like one of those societal problems we should be able to solve. But we can’t, because—like most of these problems—follow the money. (Speaking of football I am looking forward to watching American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez, which premiered last night. What a story that was. What a dirtbag he was. Friendly reminder: surround yourself with good people.)
I’m also looking forward to seeing how the season wraps up for the women of the WNBA. Playoffs start this weekend. And now that everyone watches women’s sports, it’s taken on a life of its own.
Lastly…The Debate. I can’t even. Honestly. I can’t go back there this morning. 🤦🏼♀️ Not enough coffee to get me through talking about that right now. Sorry not sorry.
While watching TV, the commercials are unavoidable sometimes. While I generally think Skechers are sketchy and the slip-in ones are hokey, I’ll admit I was intrigued by a TV commercial I recently saw for Skechers step-in pants…and can’t wait for the women’s version 😂😂😂.
On the other small screen, aka the Kindle…
I bailed on Wandering Stars, a title I was struggling through, which is notable for two reasons: 1) Because I don’t do that. I have long suffered through things that I don’t like. So yay me, not forcing myself to be miserable and 2) Because I don’t do that. Have I lost my game? Can I no longer muscle through? Have I gone soft?
Truth is I bailed because The Women was ready for checkout (after a long wait on the Holds list) and for Kindle management reasons I had to make a choice—keep slogging through and pushing off my coveted hold or trade it in for something I was looking forward to reading? The choice was obvious—but I struggle with many of life’s obvious choices. Like saying no. Even so, I did it. I let the unfinished book expire and checked out a new title. And when the new Erik Larsen (Demon of Unrest) title was mine to borrow a few days later, I took that as a sign and downloaded that too. I’m not actually reading anything right now (aside from chipping away at Bird by Bird) but I am excited to start up again. Soon. (Once I get through this “job” and I’m not staring at the monitor all day.)
In my ears…
Had a little bit of a Jackson Browne run after reading this very cool article about his song “These Days” (a fave) in the NYT.
So of course I went down the “cover song rat hole” as I tend to do. And then I realized that I have talked about this song a couple of times here. First (that I can find) in 2022, here, and then again here. It’s one of those songs that I occasionally forget about, but when I hear it it goes straight through my bones and into my soul.
This line gets me every time: “Please don’t confront me with my failures, I had not forgotten them.” It was interesting to hear how it gets reimagined (and reworded) in some of the covers.
And: He was 16 when he started writing the song. Positively brilliant!
I’ve been digging the sounds of Mt. Joy (love “Highway Queen”) And just enjoying their sound in general) and this 2015 Ryan Adams’ cover album of Tswizzle’s 1989 which I had completely forgotten about. Which may have been by society’s design—I think he may have been cancelled…but still I like his broody, jangly guitar. And this album has some gems, IMO.
Other tunes on repeat of late are “Favourite” (Fontaines DC), “Pink Skies” (Zach Bryan), “Happiness” (The Heavy Heavy), and “Stargazing” by Myles Smith. (But the same-titled song by The Neighbourhood is also 🔥.)
I heard “Things Can Only Get Better” by Howard Jones the other day. As I recall he was one of the first artists in the 1980s to really go all in on his own style—of music, of dress. All so different, and all without apology. This time, though, this bit stopped me in my tracks: “Treating today as though it was the last, the final show. Get to 60 and feel no regret.” When the song was released in 1985, I was 18. Getting to 60 with no regrets was the challenge for my then (44 and 43 year old (🤯) parents then. But now here I am, at 57…and I really need to scramble if I’m to get to 60 with no regrets. Who knew that listening to 80s on 8 would result in an existential crisis? 🤦🏼♀️
Other stuff…
I play the NYT games regularly but currently am in a bit of a fight with Spelling Bee. Really? Not a word???
Honestly. Not a word???
I need to speak with a manager.
Been playing lots of Pickleball, but the Advanced Beginner AND UP drop-in session has started stressing me out. I’m probably on the low end of “Advanced Beginner” but I figure if you’re “and up” you just have to deal with people who are learning. Between a) the guy calling the ball for me (“Yours!”) but never for himself (thus confusing me thinking he was calling for it himself…especially jarring for shots that were clearly mine…so it really threw me off), b) the guy (also new to the game) mansplaining and calling me alternatively Cindy and Sidney but not once Nicky, and c) me worried I’m gonna take one off the face and lose a tooth, I’m over the edge. It’s like I’m in a reboot of the Dodgeball, only with Pickleball.
Nevertheless, she persisted.
I’m also still looking for work. This job came up in one of my many alerts:
And I’ve been wondering ever since. Is a Proactive Funeral Director another way of saying paid assassin?
Anyhow…
It’s a bit of a muddy mess for me these days, so thanks for wading through the quicksand with me. I appreciate your company and support, so much.
Love you too.
Never finished Bird by Bird. May need to pick it up again.