All posts filed under: weekly ideas

week 9: comfort food + a lovely film

White Borscht I made soup this week, and it was just what I needed — a hug in liquid form. I had never made borscht before; I thought it was a Polish dish, Russian perhaps; I didn’t know it was Ukrainian. The recipe was in Sam Sifton’s NYT Cooking newsletter last Wednesday. The second I saw it, I wanted to make it. I love potatoes. The recipe is by Gabrielle Hamilton, another NY Times writer and author of Blood, Bones & Butter, which I now want to read. The soup was delicious, and I will make it again, I’m sure. Get the recipe and try it yourself (potential paywall) here. Belfast This morning I watched the most beautiful movie. I’m sure most of you recognize the picture. It’s called Belfast — one of the best movies I’ve watched in a very long time. No wonder it has been nominated for several Academy Awards, including best picture! I think everyone should see it. Enjoy your week!

week 8: focus on mental health

Week eight of 2022 ended sadly. Another war and more people dying for no good reason. What does war solve? To write about what I was making this week, or to tell you what delicious recipe you should try next, seems completely irrelevant. And honestly, I haven’t been inspired to do either since Thursday. Actually, even before the events of the past few days, I have been noticing myself feeling kind of blah about everything. The pandemic has lasted too long; even after vaccinations and now with the new post-pandemic “normal” slowly setting in, everything has changed so much. I think I’m just exhausted, and it seems like there’s no end to bad news. All this led me to an article by Adam Grant about languishing. He describes it as a mental state in which you aren’t quite depressed, but are not flourishing, either. He wrote it to describe a general lack of joy and direction many people were experiencing in 2021. But in 2022, I can relate. In his article, Grant tells us that …

week 7 1/2: afternoon in SF, blueberry-ricotta pancakes and lots of swatching

Not a whole lot happened over the weekend. I had promised Shortie to take her to the City to look for a dress for her prom, which I keep pretending isn’t really happening. I’m still in denial that this year is her senior year. It feels like yesterday when I was pushing a double stroller down the street or hanging out at the park with my two toddlers and random people would stop to say things like, ‘Oh my goodness, what cuties! Enjoy them mom. They grow up so fast!’ But, as a stressed-out first-time parent, I never really listened. When you are in the middle of raising little kids, your mind is too busy wondering if your children will actually take a nap on your drive back to the house, or if you have enough diapers to make it through another day, so you can avoid another stop, especially if they’ve fallen asleep in the carseats. And the reality is, they do grow super fast, and in the blink of an eye your babies …

week 6: one finished object, Swedish t.v., & a quick grain salad for your w.f.h. days

Hello, there! I am totally late posting this. It’s been quite chaotic around here the past couple of weeks. At my office, our graphic designer resigned and I suddenly had to switch gears and wear her “hat”. It had been quite a while since I worked in production juggling multiple jobs with tight deadlines, so I am pretty exhausted and can’t wait until we hire a replacement. Sick Doggie Did you know dogs can get pink eye? I had no idea. My little dog had been looking a bit off. She kept squinting like when the light is too bright. It took me a while to notice it, but then it was obvious something wasn’t right with her eyes. I googled a bit and found it could be conjunctivitis, a.k.a. pink eye. So, I took her to the vet on Saturday and have been Nurse Gabi for a few days. Thankfully, she’s feeling much better! Since it’s been so crazy, I was very pleased to actually finish one of my projects in progress — my …