👋 Hello everyone!
This morning we’re sitting outside on our patio because 1) it’s lovely out here and 2) our air conditioner is broken. It’s going to be 88°F today, so everyone hope someone can come fix it before it’s 88°F inside our home. No one likes it when Crystal is hot, trust me. 🥵
This week I went to our beautiful public library for the first time in over a year. It was quiet, and there were plenty of tables and chairs and open corners for reading. I randomly picked a floor to explore and found the foreign language book section, so I perused Japanese, Korean, French, and Italian cookbooks. I wandered around and poked at the cooking section. I sat at an empty table and did some work things, I said hello to people, I watched a very patient woman teach an elderly man how to use the computer, and I was asked for a dollar from a homeless fellow in the elevator. All was right with world again. 😌
What have you been up to lately? I’ve been…
🍔 Eating + Drinking
Hash browns with a soft-boiled egg and toast. Plain, unseasoned shredded potatoes are so good to have in the freezer!
Lunch at Hank’s. It was half-priced burger day, so we split this giant veggie burger. The patty was super soft and very mushroomy—we approve!
Super quick microwave dinner: rice, Trader Joe’s dal, steamed broccoli and cauliflower, leftover tilapia, and salad greens.
Chamomile tea and Ines Rosales olive oil torta. These have an anise flavor, which reminds me of biscochos, so I love them. (Also, this yellow cup is from the Butter video—I couldn’t help it, it was too cute!)
Justin made us fideo and black beans, scooped up with tortillas and some guacamole for me. (Did you know that Justin is allergic to avocado? Isn’t that just awful?)
Post-library lunch at Swedish Hill: I had to have that avocado toast again! Justin got a BLT, and we split a plate of smoked trout salad. He opted for green juice, and I went for a green tea Arnold Palmer.
Macarons from Swedish Hill—lemon, pistachio-rose, and salted caramel. Perfection.
We had adult beverages on the patio at Better Half! I had a can of frozen Whatamelon (from their “Sloppee” menu—its’ too funny), and Justin had a mezcal-lime-cilantro situation. After not drinking for so long, 1) we can really taste the booze, 2) I noticed how friggin sweet cocktails are, and 3) it now takes one (1) adult beverage to make me tipsy. We still won’t be drinking at home or that often, but if there’s an amazing cocktail or glass of wine we want to try when we’re out and about, we will. It really feels like a treat.
📚 Reading
The Outsiders—I haven’t read this in forever, but my friend A. and I were chatting about the film, and Stand by Me, and Lord of the Flies (did anyone else have a crush on Balthazar Getty? Just me? Oh.), and I figured it was time to re-read them. It’s just so good. I have to stop every now and then and tell Justin, “I’m just not ready to see what the Socs are gonna do today.” I’m thinking next I’ll read The Body (the Stephen King novella that Stand by Me was based on), or maybe Lord of the Flies.
Today’s Breakfast—I found this book at the library and just love it. It’s a collection of photos of the author’s breakfasts, and they’re all so inspiring! I’ve been slowly reading it using my Google Translate app. I wish I knew how the first thing about using/typing/identifying Japanese characters, so I could look up individual words. New research project!
“By 2030 there will be more women between 40 and 64 in the US than girls under 18.” Hooray for this article on Vox on how menopause/perimenopause is just ignored or shamed in society. It mentions that our society likes to pretend that women over 40 don’t exist. It reminds me of this skit. Hello world, women can be sexy, beautiful, important, and worthy of attention after age 40. 😤
💯 Just Supercool
Okay, I already write/run two weekly newsletters, but this group newsletter situation is super interesting to me. It’s like… a written Facebook for keeping up with people you care about, and I’m into it. Anyone want to make a Letterloop with me? #cantstopwontstop 😬
😂 Laughing
That’s it! Thank you for reading—hit reply and tell me what you’re up to.
--Crystal