Another week down. Some things I'm liking this week:

📚Reading: Finished The Son  and LOVED - historical fic fans this one is for us - it follows three generations of a Texas oil family. Took a lot of breaks to Google. Just picked up The Identicals as a pallet cleanser and cannot.put.it.down. Kind of a Parent Trap vibe on Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard.
🎧Listening: The Missionary is an investigative podcast following the Renee Bach case. Renee was a missionary in Uganda allegedly running a nonprofit under the guise as a 'medical professional' although she just had a GED and 0 medical training. 100+ kids died in her care, and families are pressing charges. This podcast is a deep dive into Christian missionaries abroad, white saviorism, and interesting aspects of Ugandan culture.
🛍Comfort shopping: Feeling v low about the state of our country's leadership so went ahead and purchased this hat in light gray as a reminder of a time I had more hope. Not really a hat person but will likely become one until my hair salon opens back up. Bonus points for small business in the US!

📺Watching: Upload on Amazon Prime is everything I need right now - in the not so far off future, humans can upload themselves into a digital afterlife and this follows a young tech guy through his experience at the five star resort version of digital afterlife. I'm not into sci-fi at all but this is written by Greg Daniels who wrote The Office and Parks and Rec so..duh.
🍽Eating: So tired of everything I can possibly cook at home so picked back up my Sunbasket membership. This saved me in grad school with their options for oven-ready meals and "under 20 minute" meals (and they really are under 20 minutes - unlike some meal kits that require an inordinate amount of zesting and skills that this basic cook does not have). I also sent a week of  oven-ready meals to my brother who just had a baby because they deliver everywhere.
💼Work From Home: Amazon has some great looking blue light glasses. I got this pair and also added these to my cart:




stuff i like rn

Friday, May 29, 2020

A few weeks ago I put out a call on IG for clean/non-toxic serums as I ran out of my beloved Beautycounter Resurfacing Peel and Herbivore Botanicals's Bakuchiol Retinol Alternative Serum at the same time. I've tried a lot of serums that I love but love to try new ones.

The ones I've loved:






Beautycounter Overnight Resurfacing Peel
Cost: $63
Good for: brightness, smoothing.
This is all the rage in the BC community and I am here to say it is worth the hype! It feels great, smells good, and I love how my skin feels in the morning. Yes, Beautycounter is an MLM but yes you can also order directly from their website too.


Herbivore Botanicals's Bakuchiol Retinol Alternative Serum
Cost; $54
Good for: anti-aging, acne
Love this as a retinol-alternative. I have sensitive skin (read: somehow dry AND oily, somehow battling wrinkles AND teenage acne) and most derms have recommended retinol. I found this in my search for alternatives and have liked it a lot.


Drunk Elephant TLC Framboos Night Serum
Cost; $90
Good for: brightening, smoothing, fine lines.
This is at the higher end of the price spectrum and I get it. It feels great, my skin looked great when I used it.


These were the top most recommended in my Instagram poll for your favorite serums:
Sunday Riley Luna
Cost; $105
Good for: plumping, wrinkles

Is Clinical Active
Cost; $117
Good for: aging, brightness, acne

Skinceuticals CE Ferulic
Cost; $166
Good for: brightening, firming, lightening

Drunk Elephant TLC Framboos (same as above - I'm telling you everyone is onto this one)

Osmosis Rescue Serum
Cost; $54
Good for: smoothing, evening, acne

Kiehl's Vitamin C Serum
Cost; $68
Good for: firming, aging


clean corner: #crowdsourced serums

Thursday, May 28, 2020


Does anyone else remember when "sweet potato toast" was all the rage or was I the only one who got sucked into that trend? And is still riding the wave? I just love a sweet potato. Back when I was hard core paleo I truly believed a sweet potato could replace bread (false) and really any other processed carb (also false).  Anyway here I am, the last person on earth still making "sweet potato toast" recipes aka slicing up sweet potatoes and putting stuff on them.

Servings: 2
Total time: 25 mins
Ingredients:

  • .5 lb lean ground turkey 
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp chili powder (I use Trader Joe's Chili Lime powder)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • pepper
  • 1 bell pepper, chopped
  • .5 red onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, pressed
  • 3 TBS of Chipotle Peppers in Adobo (Chiles in Adobo work too - this is a canned food in the International Foods aisle usually)
  • 2 handfuls of your favorite greens (I use the Power Greens from Whole Foods but spinach or kale or really anything works here, just trying to sneak in veggies where I can)
  • 1 sweet potato (I recommend finding the most tubular and symmetrical sweet potato you can at the store), sliced length-wise into half inch thick pieces (I recommend a v. sharp knife or a mandolin for this task) 
  • 2 TBS olive oil


For toppings:

  • 1/2 avocado, diced
  • 4 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
  • Plain Greek Yogurt (I use this as a sub for sour cream) 
  • Chopped cilantro

Pull It Together:
Step 1: Coat a medium sized frying pan with oil and heat it up over medium. Once your oil is hot, add in the turkey and top with the seasonings + salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, breaking up the meat as it cooks.
Step 2: Once the meat is partway cooked, add in the bell pepper, onion, garlic, chipotle peppers (get plenty of that Adobo sauce in there!), and greens. Stir to mix and continue to heat for another 3-5 minutes or until the meat is cooked all the way through and the greens are wilted.
Step 3: While the meat mixture is cooking, coat the sweet potato slices with oil and season with salt and pepper. Store on a plate.
Step 4: If you have an air fryer, put your potato slices (one layer - no overlapping) in the basket and heat at 400 degrees for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, flip and cook another 2-3 minutes (as long as they aren't overcooked- this really depends on how thick your slices are). If you don't have an air fryer no fear! You can roast these in the oven at 425 degrees for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Step 5: Top your sweet potato toasts with the meat mixture and the toppings listed above. **Note: these make great leftovers! Just pop the sweet potato slices into your air fryer for a few mins or your toaster and reheat the meat mixture. If you're planning to use some as leftovers, I would keep the meat mixture, toppings, and sweet potato slices separated for the leftover portion,



weeknight dinner: easy taco sweet potato toast

Wednesday, May 27, 2020

Hello and welcome to #WakeUpWednesday, a segment where I scream into the blackhole of social media about things we should know. Last week on IG we discussed the role of white people in the recent, highly publicized, black murders. You can view the whole conversation in my highlights.

Syllabus:



Actual things I have heard people say:
"I'm white, it's not my place to [step up, speak out, march, fight] about Breonna Taylor or Ahmaud Arbery."
The response:

1. The recent murders of Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor have reminded us of a very, very big American problem. If either of them were white they would be alive. And if either of them where white and murdered in circumstances like this, there would have been charges immediately. Ahmaud's murderers were charged after significant public pressure MONTHS later, Breonna's murderers TBD- it's been a month. This is a really familiar story and it just keeps happening. The pattern here is racism (systemic, institutionalized, blatant, etc), and the racism that causes/allows this is a white problem. Look, I know none of us directly caused this, but these constructs are created by, enabled by, maintained by white people and white systems. The only people who can stop them are...white people.

2. Processing these murders and living with the trauma is enough. White people need to bear some of this load. The whole article is important but a few stats:
When experiencing microaggressions, the target loses vital mental resources trying figure out the intention of one committing the act. These events may happen frequently, making it difficult to mentally manage the sheer volume of racial stressors. The unpredictable and anxiety-provoking nature of the events, which may be dismissed by others, can lead to victims feeling as if they are “going crazy.” Chronic fear of these experiences may lead to constant vigilance or even paranoia, which over time may result in traumatization or contribute to PTSD when a more stressful event occurs later.


Almost one in ten Black people becomes traumatized, and these rates may actually be higher since diagnosticians are usually not considering the role of racism in causing trauma.  

3. The New York Times did a study and found that black teenagers experience an average of five instances a day of racial discrimination - that is 70 over the course of two weeks. That's...unacceptable. Speak up, for the kids.


 "It's hard for me to talk about racism, I'm afraid I'll say the wrong thing!"
The response:

Yes. These conversations are not easy and are uncomfortable because the system is built that way. This interview with the author of White Fragility breaks down what makes it so hard for us to talk about this, and how white people can be more aware and better at having conversations about race.


 "How do I learn more to get better at these conversations?" 
The response:

Here's a #crowdsourced reading list:

Here are some great Instagram accounts to follow: 

And a quick guide



We had a whole interesting conversation on IG (you can view it in my #WakeUp highlight), and this comment got the most reactions, definitely worth thinking about:



Alright, that's a wrap. Thanks for reading through - please share any resources and thoughts!

#WakeUpWednesday: The Role of White People in Black Killings

Wednesday, May 20, 2020

We're all about athleisure right now, and I'm here to tell you it does not have to be all leggings and sweatpants. I have been attempting to master 24/7 athleisure for YEARS which means I have amassed a collection of sweat-wicking clothes that can be worn in at LEAST two parts of my life: my casual workplace, relaxing at home, the gym, and/or social situations. These are my top four favorite dresses that meet my most important criteria:

  • Breathable
  • Sweat-wicking
  • Flattering for hips/ass/thighs
  • COMFORTABLE
  • Can bend over without anything showing

Note: these dresses come in lots of fun colors but I own every single one in black because a) my soul is black, b) I sweat a lot - like potentially have a problem - and black hides my sweat, c) black is always flattering, d) black will never go out of style and these are not cheap dresses so I need to get longevity out of them (and I have). 


The Athleta Della dress: This is lined and the rouching, which doesn't show in this picture because I'm assuming the model has less to hide (and Photoshop) so does not utilize it, is extremely forgiving. The rouching situation is a make-it-what-you-want type of thing.


Nike Yoga Dri-fit Jumpsuit: Flattering, insanely soft and comfortable,  lightweight enough to wear through the hot hot summer days. Can pair with a few layers/jewelry to be work appro or nighttime appro. I'm 5'4" and this comes down to my ankles.


Senitas Refresh Dress: Pockets, super cute. I usually pair with these Nike shoes. I'm 5'4" and this hits about 2" above my knee.


Lululemon Brunch and Back Dress: Live in this all summer - also great for day-to-night situations.

athleisure that isn't leggings (aka athleisure dresses)

Monday, May 18, 2020


And just like that another week in quarantine down. I was really disciplined for the first part of quarantine, but this week our mayor extended the stay at home order until June 8th and I began eating chocolate cake at 3 pm, wearing exclusively sweatpants, and braiding my hair as opposed to washing it because there are no longer rules.

On a positive note, I joined my favorite yoga teacher's Zoom class this weekend (she sent her Spotify playlist ahead of time which was a gamechanger for me with online fitness classes), and while her classes are always full of important reminders that apply to life outside of yoga like "take a second to laugh when you fall because it's not that serious, then take a breath and pick up where you left off", "stop thinking so hard you're ruining it, Lindsay!" - I was really struck when she instructed us to "notice what you are doing without judgement". I have felt a lot of [self-induced] pressure to make this quarantine productive and great, and as it (hopefully) comes to a close I've been disappointed with myself for not picking up a new hobby, figuring out something important, getting super fit, learning how to bake, etc. etc. This was an important reminder that literally no one has been through this situation before and there is no right way to do it. If the best way for me to cope was read about the history of Texas and watch The Wire, then that is what was best for me.

And now onto the (not end of the world) reads from the week:

Why Time Feels So Weird RN (Vox): An expert on the philosophy of time (who knew!) explains how our internal clocks work and why March was so damn long and April was somehow 5 minutes long for literally everyone in the entire world.

The Empathy Crisis of White America (Fruity): My friend shared this article with me after this week's #WakeUpWednesday (here is the full story and comments, will post a recap with links on the blog on Wednesday) re: the role of white people in recently publicized black murders. An interesting read on the psychology and history behind white America's reaction to violence against black people, and what we should be doing.

Why a Narcissist Doesn't Seem Like One At First (Psychology Today): Have moved on from my obsession with understanding psychopaths to narcissists. This is an interesting read on how narcissists appear, why behaviors change, and how we can deal successfully with them.

How to Elevate Your Presence In a Virtual Meeting (HBR): Six practical tips to apply ASAP. If you're new(er) to virtual meetings, also check out my Virtual Meetings 101 because they don't train us for this stuff.

OnlyFans, Influencers, And The Politics Of Selling Nudes During A Pandemic (Elle): Fascinating deep dive into how OnlyFans works, how it filled a gap left by stricter porn rules and free porn sites and then went mainstream thanks to quarantine, and what "casual tourists" mean for the industry. This is a corner of the world I know very little about and is really interesting.

More Women Than Ever Are Running For Office in 2020 (The Lily): !!!!!!!!!! 2020 is shaping up to be the year of the most diverse class of women running for office. There are more Republican women running than ever before, and people are ready to shake up the status quo (PLEASE VOTE - instructions here)

sunday reading list 5.17.2020

Sunday, May 17, 2020



Another week in quarantine, another week of me finding ways to entertain myself without leaving the house. I think I'm in the "anger" phase of grieving my old life as I found myself thinking about how mad I was at every fence/house/church/sidewalk I pass on my walks. Not complaining, just observing. Here are some of my things over the last few weeks:

👩‍💼Taking Action: Breonna Taylor,  a black award-winning EMT and aspiring nurse working the front lines of the Coronavirus crisis, was killed by Louisville Police when they burst into her apartment at midnight on 3/13/2020 and sprayed 20 rounds of ammo, shooting her eight times. The police were in the wrong apartment on a search for a drug dealer who had been arrested earlier that day. The family has not received any information aside from this. The police dept has not commented, and aside from a lawsuit filed by Breonna's family no action will be taken. https://justiceforbreonna.org/ has action steps we can take to help, and you can sign the petition demanding charges be filed, compensation for her family, and the appointment of a special prosecutor for her case. Our voices made a difference with #Ahmaud and we need to do it again for Breonna.
🎧Listening: Esther Perel made an appearance on this week's Sunday Reading List which reminded me to listen to her podcast where she posts couple's counseling sessions and I NEED to talk about the messiest episode I've ever heard: Couples Under Lockdown: NYC (a couple decides to divorce in February but right before the husband moves out the stay-at-home order is issued and now they are quarantined together and HE WANTS TO VISIT HIS GIRLFRIEND). LMK if you listened let's chat.

I also like Guy Raz's interviews with founders on How I Built This. I've been listening to female founder episodes - especially inspired by these stories of women being told by $$ men that their ideas won't work and the women saying LOL I'll show you.
Katia Beauchamp: Birchbox (supply chain nerds you'll love this)
M.M.LaFleur: Sarah LeFleur
Stitch Fix: Katrina Lake
Teach for America; Wendy Kopp
Away: Jen Rubio
Spanx: Sarah Blakely

👖Wearing: Quarantine has turned me onto jumpsuits and my friend recommended this Nike dri-fit jumpsuit that just arrived in black and I will be ordering in every single color and wearing every day this summer. Great fit for those of us blessed with butts/hips/thighs and breathable. Really what more can you ask for.
📚Reading: Really into newsletters right now. Regularly reading the Betches Sup for a funny/digestable take on daily news, Going Down with Claire Downs for celebrity gossip and general escapism, RaceAhead for news to stay woke, CEO Daily for business stuff, and Morning Brew for a daily Econ 101.
💆‍♀️Self Care: Everyone's face masking right now so I decided to ease in with the $12 cult favorite Aztec Healing Mask. This is only the third mask I've ever tried so I'm no expert but I really liked this and will use again! All you have to do is mix with water or cider vinegar in a bowl (no metal, #chemistry messes something up) and apply for 15 mins. I did MBA level research on this before I used it and found this article the most helpful.
🍽Eating: Have used my air fryer at least 3x/week during quarantine, had a COVID dream that Harrison sold our air fryer for $6 and woke up RAGING, am perhaps too attached to the air fryer right now. Tried this air fryer egg roll recipe last night and, wow, *chef's kiss* you can really do anything with an air fryer.
🛍Shopping: Must.have.more.color.in.my.life. I ordered this animal print face mask (non-medical), and am currently into spicing up my cell phone case. My favorites are this abstract case that gives me serious Nickelodeon vibes, this glitter phone case (am I too old for glitter?), this spotted case, this blobby one, and this pastel tropical case (please please let me go somewhere tropical soon). These are all Etsy shops in the US - double points for supporting small businesses. Pictures below:







stuff i like rn 5.13.2020

Thursday, May 14, 2020


This recipe consists of nothing but the ingredients listed in the title of this post.. it's pretty straightforward. We are trying to use up some of the quarantine pasta that Harrison hoarded before all this started, and I was shocked at his enthusiasm for angel hair pasta - I truly thought he purchased it because it must have been the last non-perishable on grocery shelves. I'm no connoisseur but isn't that actually the last pasta anyone would choose for literally anything? Harrison couldn't believe I was so thrown by his choice and tried to convince me that I'm the only one who would choose bucatini as my sole food if I was stranded on a desert island, but I felt validated at Whole Foods this weekend strolling down the pasta aisle to find it completely picked over minus a few boxes of angel hair. Looks like even in desperate times the rest of the world leaves behind the angel hair.

Anyway. Here's the recipe: 

Servings: 2 
Total Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:

For the pasta
  • 8 oz pasta (half a box) of your choice. As you know I would choose bucatini and Harrison would choose angel hair. It works either way.
  • 4 oz fresh mozzarella (this really depends on how much cheese you want, do what feels right), cubed into little half inch cubes
  • 8 oz grape tomatoes, halved
  • 1 handful of fresh basil, chopped
  • 2 TBS Olive Oil
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
  • Parmesan cheese to taste
For the meatballs

  • .5 lb ground pork (or ground beef/turkey works too)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 TBS Italian Seasoning
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper

Pull it together

  • Step 1: Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package
  • Step 2: While the pasta cooks, combine the meat, egg and seasonings in a medium sized bowl.
  • Step 3: Form the meat into balls (2-3" around) and place onto a plate.
  • Step 4: Heat 1 TBS Olive Oil in a medium size frying pan.
  • Step 5: Add the meatballs to the pan, cover, and cook for about 10 mins turning occasionally (or until cooked all the way through - depends on the meat you're using)
  • Step 6: Once your pasta is cooked/drained, toss with remaining olive oil, mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, salt, and pepper. Top with parmesan, and serve with the meatballs.

Hot Tips:

  • If saving the second serving for leftovers, I recommend keeping the ingredients separate so you can reheat the pasta and meatballs tomorrow and then add on the TMB because those things are better cold. Unless you're into cold pasta - no judgement here because sometimes in desperate times I eat bucatini with just olive oil and salt. (If you never worked in a restaurant and had to take hundreds of orders for tomato mozzarella basil sandwiches - TMB is insider shorthand for Tomato Mozzarella Basil 😎) 
  • Highly recommend drinking wine with this dish. Any wine.  

weeknight dinners: tomato, mozarella, basil pasta with meatballs

Tuesday, May 12, 2020


Hello from quarantine week .. 8? 7? 9? 20? Unclear, time is meaningless, every day is groundhog's day, and I am eerily starting to get used to this quarantine survival routine (coming from someone with no kids). Here are the articles I read on this sunny Sunday - avoiding topics we are bombarded with daily such as the end of the world.

How Frozen Pizza Took off in America (CNBC): I've spent some time digging into some really meaningful (lol) blackholes this week. I actually thought this article was really interesting - especially the fact that pizza wasn't a thing in the U.S. until the 1950's (a world without pizza?? count me out), and when the first company filed for a frozen pizza patent they had to cook a pizza because the lawyers had never had pizza before.

Esther Perel on Couples Handling Stress in Quarantine (The New Yorker): I love everything Esther has for us and her tips for handling marital stress in quarantine when one person is now expected to be our entire village are great. If you haven't followed Esther I highly recommend her podcast Where Should We Begin (where you listen in on her couple's therapy sessions! Right now she's posting sessions with couples in quarantine around the world including an American couple where the husband is attempting to carry out his affair in quarantine asdkfajsldf). Also check out her Ted Talks and I loved this interview on 10 Percent Happier.

Elon Musk's Starter Wife (Marie Claire): The birth of Elon Musk's son X Æ A-12 has dominated my group texts and one friend shared this older article of his rising star as told by his first wife. Fascinating look into a completely different world.

J. Crew's Fall from Grace (Glossy): We talked J. Crew's bankruptcy filing on my IG stories this week and the fact that Chapter 11 bankruptcy is a business strategy not a closing. This article goes into how J. Crew fell so hard, what its options are moving forward, and the most pressing question: what does this mean for Madewell?! (spoiler alert: Madewell's not going anywhere, and in fact is more valuable than ever to the business).

Adele's Weight Loss and Toxic Diet Culture (Yahoo): Toxic diet culture could have its own Wake Up Wednesday (which I think it will this week). Why are we all obsessed with Adele's weight loss? Is it the most valuable thing she's ever done? Was she worth less before her weight loss?

The Three Shifts of Leadership Mastery (Columbia Business School): What 21st century leadership and adult learning science tell us about mastering our leadership potential.

sunday reading list 5.10.2020

Sunday, May 10, 2020

Hello and welcome to #WakeUpWednesday, a segment where I scream into the blackhole of social media about things we should know. A few weeks ago on IG we discussed SNAP and WIC due to a PSA a lot of us saw floating around social media, and this post incorporates the original information with info/feedback collected from readers. The PSA encouraged people who do not rely on SNAP or WIC benefits to avoid shopping on the first week of the month since this is when benefits hit recipients' accounts, and to avoid buying to WIC qualified items. It's important (for a lot of reasons) to understand what all of this is and how it works.

Syllabus
USDA WIC Site
USDA SNAP Site
Immigrant Families Appear to be Dropping Out of Food Stamps (Politico)
The Trump administration plans to kick 700,000 off food stamps during a pandemic (Vox)


The Basics
  • SNAP (aka Food Stamps): Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program. Federally funded program run by the USDA.
  • WIC:  The Special Supplemental Program for Women, Infants, and Children. Federally funded program run by the USDA.
Who Qualifies
  • SNAP: Can vary by state but generally a single monthly income of $1,287 or two people in the household with a combined income of $1,726. You may have $2250 in countable resources (i.e. a bank account). 
  • WIC: WIC provides assistance for pregnant women, new moms (up to six months post-partum), infants (up to first birthday) and children (up to fifth birthday) whose income is at or below 185% of the US poverty guidelines.  
How It Works
  • SNAP: Individuals/families receive a plastic card (Electronic Benefits Transfer aka EBT card) that is used as a debit card and has funds added monthly. Card restrictions prevent users from purchasing anything BUT food - EBT cards cannot purchase tobacco, alcohol, pet food, hot food, prepared food, vitamins, etc. Most states have different windows for distribution, not just the first of the month.
  • WIC: Individuals/families receive vouchers or checks to be used at local grocery stores and farmer's market for WIC-approved items only as indicated by a little sticker (below). WIC approves nutritionally fortified foods and provides nutrition education, breastfeeding support and social services. 

Why this matters
This is a HUGE topic in policy and election conversations. It's important to understand what it really is, who it benefits, and how it works to make sure you can make informed votes. Hot topics in policy conversations include:
  • Undocumented immigrants qualifying for benefits
  • Tightening the requirements for beneficiaries (on April 1 as the pandemic took over and the US experienced unprecedented unemployment levels, the Trump administration quietly enacted a requirement that any able-bodied SNAP recipient without kids will be required to work 20 hours per week. Where are people finding work right now? Won't this force people into unsafe conditions that further spread the virus by trying to meet the minimum?) 
  • Should recipients be required to pass a drug test to receive benefits?
  • Should employment be required to receive benefits? 
We had an intense conversation about this over Instagram that includes debates around drug testing/work requirements, WIC qualification, and misperceptions. This conversatoin is in my highlights under #WakeUp. 



#wakeupwednesday: snap and wic

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Hi friends- hope everyone's hanging in there. Time in quarantine is so weird, and what's even stranger to me is that we all seem to be experiencing it the same: March was 100 days long, April was 2 days long, some weeks fly and some drag on forever. I can't wait for a study to understand this one.  Anyway - here are some things I'm liking over the last few weeks:

📺Watching: Dave on Hulu and FX has given me the laughs I need (multiple episodes took me to my highest laugh level - scream laughing which is above laughing so hard I cry on the scale of funny). Broadchurch (subtitles on) on Netflix is filling my mystery-thriller cup. Married At First Sight on Hulu, Netflix and Lifetime is fulfilling my need for reality TV that isn't too trashy (I recommend watching this one with a group of friends and Zooming Decision Day together), 10 whole seasons will keep us busy.
📚Reading: Currently renting audiobooks and e-books from the library since I'm flying through books right now and my budget does not support purchasing at this rate. So far my favorites have been Open Book which I was surprised how much I liked despite not caring/knowing that much about J. Simp (followed by Bad On Paper + Katie Sturino discussion and Be There in Five + Hitha Pepalu discussions).  The Girl Before has Girl On The Train vibes and I blew threw it in 3 days.
👗Wearing: This insanely soft Daily Ritual Jumpsuit via Amazon.
🎧Listening: I love Be There In Five and I have been closely following Stephanie McNeal's observations throughout the crisis and they combined forces for my dream podcast episode about Influencing In The Time of COVID. The audio is a little wonky in the beginning but there are so many times I wanted to jump in and join this convo.
🤓Learning: My IRL friend Sydney recently graduated with a Master's in Positive Psychology from UPenn and turned me onto her alumni association's FREE 45-minute webinars on Strategies to Thrive During Uncertain Times - this site has sign-ups for future webinars and recordings of past webinars. I attended Using Virtual Meetings As a Means For Connection and found takeaways I immediately put into action (greeting everyone in virtual meetings, injecting fun to break down barriers) and am signed up for Do You Want to Create a Flourishing Team Culture? Giving me a sense of control during these crazy times!
🛍Shopping: It's the little things that are making work from home more enjoyable, and one of those things is COLOR in my home office. I've added a few plants (mostly succulents due to my black thumb) and am now ISO a new laptop cover. I previously impulse bought this one a few years ago because it was right when the Obamas' portraits were released and it reminded me of Barack's. It's cracked, I need a new one. Currently deciding between abstract pastel, colorful stones (I used to have a cellphone case that resembles this that Harrison called my "Kylie Jenner case"), florals, cacti, or fine arts. Visuals below.






stuff i like rn

Monday, May 4, 2020


The last 2 weeks my energy has waned, my usual unshakeable positivity has deflated, and I've struggled to find motivation to do anything besides binge old seasons of Married At First Sight. This quote kicked my butt in this time of unprecedented pressures.

Here are my favorite reads this week, as always attempted to source not-end-of-the-world reading material:

Kim Jong Un is alive. And he’s ... at a fertilizer factory (Vox): I posted an IG poll last week and 73% of of us (myself included) thought Kim Jong Un was definitely dead. Turns out we were (supposedly) wrong. Still not convinced. Bonus read: Inside Kim Jong-un’s lavish lifestyle from Ibiza-style island to millions blown on lingerie for twisted ‘pleasure squad’

How CEOs Can Support Employee Mental Health in Times of Crisis (HBR): Great read with actionable steps we can take as leaders and co-workers to support our peers and direct reports (not just for CEOs).

Hemingway Was Once Quarantined With His Wife...and Mistress (Town & Country): CAN YOU EVEN BEGIN TO IMAGINE! Sidenote: highly recommend The Paris Wife if you haven't already read it - the story of Hemingway's first wife (and yes it does detail this quarantine). I'm renting e-books from the public library and ordering physical books from local bookstores.

For Better or Worse: Conflict and Connecting in Crisis (The Gottman Institute): Actual steps to take to keep marriages healthy in quarantine.

How Instagram Changed Our World (The Guardian): Everything from the economy to our values to plastic surgery. This also touches on some interesting points like why Facebook faces more scrutiny than IG despite having the same owner, how Instagram the company decided what was cool, and how their policies created the influencer.

sunday reading list 5.3.2020

Sunday, May 3, 2020