Is it me, or have the last few weeks been greyer than an elephant at dusk? At least here in Indiana, if someone took the colors away outside you might not notice the difference. My eyes have simply adjusted to the dismal sights of winter and my soul has turned to that fun mix of mud and slush that covers every sidewalk.
Consequently, I believe it is high time (one might even say past time) for some good stuff! If you’re new around here, here’s the scoop: every 6-8 weeks or so I give a list of things I’m liking lately, things that bring me joy, or just all-around good things. It’s neither thrilling nor mind-blowing, but I am a firm believer that good stuff was meant to be shared, so here I am sharing like a kindergartner shares germs.
Warning: the nerd alert in this list is HIGH.
Books:
After Rise of Skywalker came out, I was on a bit of a Star Wars kick. I just couldn’t seem to get enough – from jigsaw puzzles to the animated Clone Wars series, I wanted more. More out of curiosity than anything else, I googled “Star Wars novels.” Y’all, there are 8 zillion. I then googled, “What are the best Star Wars novels?” And I started at the top of the list, with the Thrawn Trilogy. Guys. These books were delightful! They’re ridiculously long, but they’re intriguing, action-packed, and they feature the heroes of the original Star Wars movies. They take place a few years after the Return of the Jedi and are a fun blend of nostalgia and new stories. Basically, all-around enjoyable.
Podcasts:
In case you don’t know this already, I am very high input. I like knowing all the things. My Google history is a wide smattering of topics, problems, and completely useless trivia. So it’s no surprise that the Stuff You Should Know podcast is a go-to for me. The hosts are clever and they move quickly, covering one broad topic per episode. You can bounce around to the topics that interest you; informative fun for all!
Recipes:
I recently started counting my macros (more on that another time, maybe) and was in need of a way to cook ground beef without wanting to gag. One evening I stumbled upon what my roommate affectionately calls, “Sloppy Joe in a Bowl.” It’s very easy and pretty tasty, which is basically all I ask from a recipe on a weeknight.
Step 1: Cook rice
Step 2: Cut up an onion and bell pepper (color is chef’s choice) and sautée them in olive oil
Step 3: In a small bowl, mix together a lot of ketchup (I dunno, maybe 1/2 a cup?), about half that amount of yellow mustard, half that amount of honey and apple cider vinegar, and half that amount of Worcestershire sauce. Add salt and pepper, and stir that nonsense up.
Step 4: When the veggies are about half done, add 1 lb of ground beef to the pan and brown it.
Step 5: Pour sauce over meat.
Step 6: Serve over rice.
Step 7: Enjoy.
Television:
While we’re talking about Star Wars, can we talk about Carrie Fisher? The woman was hilarious. She lived an absurdly dramatic and complicated life and still managed to be a good human who made people laugh. I’ve mentioned her books before, but I finally watched her stand-up show, Wishful Drinking, and it was great. It’s a little hard to get your hands on, but if you can find it, it’s an evening (or afternoon or morning, there’s really no wrong time to watch stand-up) well-spent.
I hope one of those things brings some non-grey moments to your life, friends. Until next time.
Leave a Reply