Here & There, #1.
This past week, I’ve made a good-faith effort to read less of the news and more of… literally anything else I can get my brain to focus on. For me, this means I read a lot of fluffy “rom-com in print” type of books and also a few other things around the internet. Here are a few links I’d recommend.
This story, via Hayley Nahmen’s new newsletter (!!!), made me feel better about our perpetual hunt for TP.
All this time in our apartment has me dreaming big dreams for our balcony. Over the course of some Pinteresting, I stumbled across this Green Wall DIY and have been thinking about it ever since. Should I claim this as my quarantine hobby?
This NYT article was reassuring. It’s a relief to know I’m not the only one feeling extra scatterbrained these days!
For my fellow teachers, this article has some actually useful tips on managing distance teaching while staying somewhat sane. I’m on spring break this week, and trying my best to take it completely off, but I’ll definitely be trying to find a more reasonable work/life balance when we’re back.
“Recipes are very concrete. When we’re unsure about the future, there’s a comfort in the structure and predictability of baking.” San Francisco is always a sourdough town, but this piece on the psychology behind our current obsession with making sourdough at home was lovely. I actually have a friend who offered to share some of her starter with me, so I may jump on this bandwagon myself.
I love the idea of a virtual cookbook but haven’t had the energy to organize one just yet. Perhaps soon!
“If I had a credo for my book, it would be ‘People First,’” he said. “Too many people worship false gods — wealth, reputation, power — that are not more important than the people in our lives. Relationships are what make our lives worth living.” I’ve been thinking about the themes of this NYT article a lot lately.
“I worry quite a bit about what’s being asked of teachers right now. Flooded with resources from well-meaning organizations, the internet now ablaze with helpful hints and tips about online learning, they’re being asked to deliver meaningful instruction overnight to students scattered hither and yon, each with wildly different capacities to fully participate and with different levels of disruption in their lives. Suddenly the demands we had been placing on teachers in ‘normal times’—often criticized for being excessive—seem like a walk in the park.” The concerns from this education newsletter resonated with me. This all is so hard.
A few months ago, one of my friends made some pretty cool things using natural dyes. She got the most beautiful colors from beets and turmeric, and I’ve been wanting to try it for myself ever since. I found this post with some useful tips, we already have beets in the house, and I’ve been looking for some quarantined spring break activities… so this might be the week I actually try it!
Let’s end with food! I make these spicy chicken pieces all the time. They’re easy & flavorful & great with cauliflower rice or salad or basically whatever you have on hand. I highly recommend!