Hello! Hello! Welcome to another weekly episode of Good Things where I give you a peek into my everyday life during the week, and roundup my good links, ideas, books, and more.
Good Morning,
Happy week to you!
Next weekend, Iâll have my August Intentions ready to go, but in the meantime, I want to give myself a pat on the back for physically printing out my intentions last month, and posting them on my cork-board to actually see on a regular basis. I ended up doing many more of the Good Things that I had outlined for myself! Itâs part of my current overhaul in making my systems more visible to myself.
đ If you are new here, welcome! I try to fill these newsletters with a little something for everyone. (If you are just here for the food, itâs at the end! Feel free to scroll, I wonât judge!)
Good Things This Week:
I had several conversations around Organizing Data â how do you present data so people can better understand things? How do you capture ideas in visuals that help get the message across? Had a great time meeting up with my friend
(Sams for WorldMetaphorical Grief Release: I donât really grieve conventionally, but a few bags of my dadâs clothes (he died in 2021) were sitting in the back of my trunk, sort of just a sticky point. My momentum of tackling nagging tasks finally tipped in the right direction, and in the middle of the day I swung by the thrift store to let them move on to someone else. (A few quick notes here - could I have sold the suits? consigned them? yes, I could have. Sometimes itâs better just to let something go than to find the perfect (extraction of best value) if it means itâs sitting holding space (physically or metaphorically) that you can use for other things. (I also ended up having a lovely human conversation in the driveway of the shop with a neighborhood friend who gave me an extra high-five, and was holding on to a few boxes of her momâs things and is about ready to release them â itâs a universal experience, I think.)
âPersonal Enrichmentâ: I finally made my way to the MFA for Hallyu! The Korean Wave, before it ended at the end of the weekend. Iâm always fascinated by how museum exhibits work to capture a specific cultural moment in time like Hallyu! in a single exhibit. The MFA is doing particularly great work in mixed media exhibits - really bringing together cultural influences, technology, and non-traditional curation (in this case, clothing, makeup, movie sets, and more!) in helping people understand the context of art in society.
Slow Drip Gardening
My first rounds of tomatoes ripened on my Early Girl. My other two tomato plants arenât really doing much yet. I also got my first cucumber!
My rhubarb wasnât happy, and itâs having a dramatic demise in the plot. Iâll let it die back and hope it pops back up in a better mood next year.
I got a special delivery of âthe good stuffâ rabbit poop fertilizer from a kindred garden spirit!
What are you planting?
More Good Things:
đ Reading: In my âYear of Sandersonâ weâre on to the Rhythm of War (Iâve also downloaded Tress of the Emerald Sea to listen to). Working my way slowly through: William Jamesâ The Varieties of Religious Experience, and David Burnsâ âThe Feeling Good Handbookâ. âThis is your Brain On Musicâ by Daniel Levitin. Dr. Casey Meanâs Good Energy. Dan Carlinâs âThe End is Always Nearâ from my neighbor. I finished
âs Celebrations cookbook, which Iâm genuinely surprised I didnât own already.đ§ Listen: I love listening to other peopleâs self-reflection. This week: Jay Clouseâs Mid-Year Review // Khe Hyâs 45 Life Lessons at 45 (video)
đ©ș Health: I had âtry a hydrafacialâ on my big self care list, and ended up checking this off this weekend. Sephora has $60 in-store hydrafacials with the Perk machine. If you donât mind sitting in the middle of a store getting a facial, itâs actually a *great* experience. My skin is looking pristine.
đ» Flowers of the Week: my mom brought be a happy addition to my front stoop! I love flower enablers. Also, my hydrangea clippings inside are still going strong. (And shout out to my neighbors Maryanne and Peter, who were planting their Caladium they order from Florida this week. Itâs pink and green, and steals the show! Apparently Lake Placid, Florida is the Caladium capital of the world.)
đ¶ Dog Walks with Friends: a little more like Dog Walks without friends â got to squeeze in an extra snuggle with our neighbor Sawyer the Corgi to let her out while her pawrents were on a longer day excursion. Exhibit A:
đïž Good Acquisitions: two months of Kindle Unlimited â I do this periodically when itâs cheaper than the book I want to get but I canât reserve from the library, and remember to set a calendar item to cancel // a stack of cookbooks from my local Buy Nothing group (including // a subscription to
(I love original Cup of Jo)
â Tackle a Nagging Task: this was a great week for getting things done. Iâm still bullish on my âDone Listâ which is where I simply take note of all of the errands I do as I get them done. âą Cleaned the dishwasher filter âą Changed the air filter. âą Pruned fridge contents âą replaced printer cartridges âą re-ordered sneakers âą scheduled the dog for the vet (heâs okay!) âą laundry âą released some of my dadâs old clothes to the thrift store âą gave some extra formula to the Freedge food pantry
đș Watching: Olympics! Olympics! Iâm still mid-way through the opening ceremonies (slow drip). I also watched Wicked Little Letters on Netflix with Olivia Coleman (would recommend, it was delightful!) âą to set the scene for the Olympics, Iâve been watching âSprintâ and the Simone Biles documentaries.
đ€Ł Memes and randomness of the week: move over Brat summer, itâs Ben Affleck Summer (walking around drinking a Dunks stressed out) // obsessed with Worcester native âPommel Horse Guyâ- is it the glasses? the squint? the *flawless* execution of his one singular event? the joy of his teammates? I love it all.
The Weekly Meal Plan:
Why do I do this? Iâll note, my meal plans tend to be more of a directional support for me than what I actually end up eating in my week. (I think a lot of people who do meal planning feel obligated to actually eat the things they come with rather than just using as a placeholder/inspiration. I do not feel so constricted.)
đ Good Eats from this Past Week: yogurt with Trader Joeâs passionfruit granola // I made a version of this pulled pork in my InstantPot slow cooker mode, after a three day fridge dry rub. Rice vinegar because I was out of cider vinegar. I added some fish sauce and a random noma umami booster. SO GOOD. // Out: I enjoyed Kyuramen with my friend Kathy, and got the Yingyang bowl (which gives you two soups in one). // after dinner went to Kyo Matcha and got a matcha/milk parfait to share with my mom! // I made Eric Kimâs Black Sesame Rice Krispies Treats (gifted) and would recommend! // first of my summer tomato sandwiches.
Skip it: I think Trader Joeâs vegan gf donut holes are just so-so (this is a polarizing opinion!) but if you are going to eat them, 20 seconds in the microwave and a splash of cream.
âïž Every week I spend some time working on my "Letâs Eatâ kitchen organization spreadsheet. Iâm working this week to consolidate some notes - favorite recipes recommended by friends into one place on my sheet.
Bean of the week: by-week while I finish my other beans.
Weekend prep: I went to farmers market on Saturday morning, and picked up cucumbers, tomatoes, corn, scallions, cod, and haddock. After last weekâs braised success, Iâm going to make another this week since I have a stock of large pieces of meat in my freezer I never know what to do with. Cabbage and lettuce to eat.
Sunday: Tacos! and Lizzyâs ice cream (white pistachio and
Monday: Haddock with pesto, tomato, and burrata
Tuesday: Lobster roll
Wednesday: a riff on chicken, corn, lime-basil butter
Thursday: Braised beef (barbacoa-ish) with rice
Friday: Dumplings and assorted greens
Saturday: Apertivo at Elephantine
Lunch Options: Tomato sandwiches. BBQ pork bao buns. Salmon with marinated artichokes and beans. Tuna salad. Lamb vindaloo with yogurt, tadka dal and yogurt. Coconut chickpea curry. Trader Joeâs Kimbap. đŠ A lobster roll off the summer list.
Snacks: đ Cherries. Yogurt and berries, yogurt with lemon and nuts, eggs. Trader Joeâs Rye crackers with cream cheese or Kalles. (So crunchy!)
Treat options: Apple Tartines. Key Lime Pie. Trader Joeâs SâMores in the freezer section. Popsicles. Dark Chocolate covered pistachios. (Still want to grab a new Flour Bakery corn muffin) Dark chocolate orange peels. Last of the rice krispies treats.
What are you eating this week?
Previous Years:
Something I really enjoy doing is flipping back in my journal or my blog to the week of the year over the past several years. When I write it out in a list like this, it feels like a nice accomplishment!
Observing the data this week: I was vibing in 2014. (I managed to read most of that Man Booker list, too, that summer.)
2022: Weekly Meal Plan
2014: New Balance Girls Night Out, Summer Scallop Salad, Summer Reading: Man Booker Long List
2011: Shio, St. Nicholas Greek Festival
2009: Pozole, resources for food lovers (how times have changed!)
Thatâs all for now! Hope you have a great week!
xo, Sam
PS: Will you forward this to ONE person you think would like this newsletter? Thank you!
Where is that ramen place?! Elephantine looks like somewhere I need to check out next time Iâm in Portsmouth. I had my first đ sandwich yesterday and will probably do the same today!!