Instead of an Outfit…
I don’t try to discuss politics on this blog. I have very strong views, but I keep them to my Twitter account or in real life conversations. However I saw this gif this week regarding The Motion Picture Association of America and had to share:
No matter your political views, there’s some serious issues going on right now regarding women – their health, their rights, their position in this society. This quote from Ryan Gosling is a few years old but still quite pertinent, and it's a lot easier to digest when a good-looking man is stating it. While this quote from Gosling is in regards to an issue with the MPAA, it also is an example of the current direction of American society in regards to women. And while I am on this topic, if you haven't read The Handmaid's Tale… do it. Do it now, and if you can try to finish it up before election day and come back and let me know what you think.
Okay, finished with politics, carry on.
I finished the Beth Ditto memoir, as did my husband. Super quick read, but that doesn’t mean it’s full of fluff. Felt more like a conversation you have with a relatively new friend over several glasses of wine in an almost-empty bar while on a vacation or business trip. That kind of conversation that goes down as easy as that third glass of Malbec, but during it you open all sorts of closets full of skeletons and learn why each other are the way they are and your friendship and respect for each other deepens. I loved Beth Ditto and Gossip before reading the book and now love and understand them even more.
Quick reminder – You can save on most online purchases with a few extra clicks. I just had a conversation with a friend about this. I do most of my shopping online because it’s easy and quick. I always go to Ebates first to get cash back. Ebates often has coupon codes listed for different online retailers, but I also Google “Retailmenot [name of store]” and if that doesn't work “Promo code [name of store] [current month and year]” to find the most up-to-date deals on the Web. By doing this the other day, I saved $50 on a pair of shoes. Too bad they didn’t fit, but that’s why I primarily shop at places with free shipping and returns!
Has anyone done hypnosis to stop chewing your nails and/or cuticles? This is the worst habit I have and while it wasn’t cute as a kid, it’s downright grody as an adult. The more stressed I am and the less sleep I get, the more I do it and right now my hands are pretty dreadful. I have tried the gross-tasting polishes, tried regular manicures, tried regular moisturizing to no avail and really feel I need to kick the habit before I turn 40.
Yesterday was the first time when Emerson cried as I left for work. She has always been so… adult about me leaving each day. “It’s okay Mommy, grownups come back.” (Thanks Daniel Tiger for that PSA.) Yesterday was a different thing where she begged me to not leave her and she ran to me when I came home as though she hadn’t seen me in a year. It was hard driving to work yesterday, and I was kind of glad this morning I had to leave before she woke.
Last night Karl made us DLTs for dinner. What are DLTs you ask? Oat nut bread, mayonnaise (want to be 100% vegan, go ahead with the Nayonaise), field greens, sliced tomato, cracked black pepper, and toasted dulse. The dulse toasted gets a crunch similar to bacon and the taste… well it tasted like a sushi BLT. I was thinking of making a wrap with Boston lettuce, cucumber slices, smoked salmon, a bit of cream cheese and dulse for lunch later this week. My husband now wants to throw dulse in everything but it’s such a strong and specific flavor, I think it needs to be used thoughtfully so we don’t end up wanting to hurl each time we see it. Karl is famous for falling in love with an ingredient and using it to death – most recently with coconut oil. I went from loving Body Shop Coconut Body Butter and anything with coconut to feeling a tad queasy when I smell it on warm skin or in a warm dish. I really don’t want that to happen with dulse (though gotta say, reheating pizza in a pan with a touch of coconut oil is Ah-May-Zing!).
K has three photoshoots in the next week and then next weekend we’re heading to Key West to shoot a wedding (and have a mini vaca sans-bebe). I was looking forward to a quiet month after the insanity of late-summer wedding season, but we really only had a week or so to catch our breaths. I almost wrote, “Good thing we don’t have any more shoots on the books after this” but then realized after Key West it’s holiday season which means backdrops and lights in our dining room and weekends at the lake and other picturesque locales. We’ll sleep when we’re dead, at least we’re doing things we love!