Good Sunday to you friends, and happy Super Bowl Sunday! Right now, I’m having a hard time distinguishing up from down and right from left because of the news. I oscillate between wanting to be informed and being so inundated with information it feels like my head will detach from my body. If you are feeling like I am, friends, I wish there were good words for this. There are no good words for this. In my all-or-nothing Taurus-logic brain, I want to flip over the proverbial table, but I cannot. What I can say is resistance and revolution can look like rest. It looks like dancing in the living room, laughing with your friends, and spending time doing things you love. It looks like focusing your mind and energy towards nurturing yourself and your community.
So, what am I holding onto? Watching Kendrick at the Super Bowl, getting Beyoncé tickets this week, and leaving for Dublin on Thursday evening – a trip to celebrate my 3 year anniversary with my girlfriend, Bre. That is something my brain is excited about focusing on, and I can’t wait to share all the unreal photos from Ireland. The land where KerryGold comes from?! Tuh! I’m already crying.
If you need a hug or encouragement, I will send you some. If you need family, hey girl I’m your new fun aunt. Sticking together is what will get us through. As always, take what you need, and take it easy on yourself.
• Optimism in the face of uncertain times, is also revolutionary. From a 2004 archived article, these words have ripple effects in the present. (The Nation)
• Just a silly lil thing to make you chuckle. When you and your bestie show up dressed the same – a dilemma, or an opportunity? (Instagram)
• Not planning to watch Emelia Pérez amid the controversy? That’s okay, JP Brammer has his thoughts in a post that will make you cackle and cringe, rightfully so. (Substack)
• Are you familiar with Miss Rachel? Well, she’s basically the modern day Mr. Rogers. A theatre kid turned YouTube sensation, she’s known for teaching your kids how to do everything from sign, to learn and recognize colors/words/emotions, complete with earworm songs. Even in my nannying days, Miss Rachel remains a slam dunk, helping to educate and entertain. She’s built an empire, one cute rhyme at a time. (YouTube, Fortune)
• Apparently, we are living in a post-feminist world, whatever the heck that means, especially since equality has definitely not been achieved. Today’s long read is an interesting one; reheat your coffee y’all. (The Point Magazine)
• Are you a Super Bowl Party host, or an attendee? Bre and I will be walking over to our local dive bar, mostly to devour the free White Castle burgers and drink many glasses of Yuengling before rushing to my friend’s place to watch halftime. Even if you’re a party of two, these ham & cheese croissants are so easy, and so pop-able. If you need wings, crispy baked wings are on my agenda for Sunday. (Joy the Baker, The Kitchn)
• The constant need for stimulation is different from whining, “I’m booooored,” when I was little. It’s an affliction now. Is what we deem as boredom actually ennui, or frustration? Has boredom become a catchall word? (The Guardian)
• Fashion for my upcoming trip is leggings, layers, and this cat sweater. Honestly, the cat sweater is now my personality. (Lala)
• Can I share a secret with you? Chili’s and Olive Garden have come back into my life as my favorite restaurants. *ashamed* But, hear me out, it’s so dang good. Somehow Chili’s got ahold of the TikTok generation and flipped their entire business profitable amid many corporations failing. It should be studied! Also, if you go, please get a triple dipper and their coconut margarita. Watch it BLESS YOUR LIFE. (Wall Street Journal)
• Please, tell me what you’re watching these days. Apparently I need to get AppleTV+ because Severance is so popular right now. Bre and I are… we’re old. We watch High Potential, The Rookie, Celebrity Jeopardy, and Abbott Elementary, all on live television. There is nothing better than being in bed by 7pm to watch tv with someone you love. We’re truly in our Sleepytime Bear era, and I love that. (T3, Celestial Seasoning)
• I will take any and all recommendations for Dublin, y’all! We are taking a tour of Giant’s Causeway, doing a cocktail making class at the whiskey distillery attached to the Guinness Storehouse, and drunk bingo. A time will be had! For the plane, I’ve packed my eReader with a ton of books, but I need podcast req’s, please! I will definitely be downloading a backlog of Levar Burton Reads, though. (Apple Podcasts)
• You will need dessert today, and why not make it two giant chocolate chip cookies or a single cinnamon roll. Either way, all the treats have to be for just you. That’s the only way this works. (Joy the Baker)
