Hello! Itās a long one this week so letās get right to it.
Holiday things
Since Thanksgiving is this week, I thought Iād share what my girlfriend and I are cooking/doing/thinking about for the holiday! First, hereās what weāre planning to make for dinner:
Iāve printed out all the recipes, and tonight Iām going to go through each one and highlight the things we can do in to prepare them in advance ā like washing, cutting, peeling, etc. Itās been a while since I made a big meal with a bunch of sides, and I donāt think Iāve ever made a pie, so I know Iāll feel better if I prep as much as possible in the next day or two.
In terms of the day itself, weāre still a bit undecided; we might do what we did last year and watch every single Thanksgiving episode of Friends, which was fun, and/or we might play games. We also connected with a local group about delivering Thanksgiving meals to elderly people who live alone, but are awaiting more info so thatās a bit up in the air right now. Iām also re-reading How to Support Indigenous People on Thanksgiving.
If youāre still looking for holiday inspiration, my coworker Amy Roseās 22 Ways to Make Thanksgiving Into Your Own Weird, Perfect Holiday is a good place to start. And if you plan to connect with friends/family across a distance, check out S. Bear Bergmanās sweet How to Make Socially Distanced Holidays Actually Feel Special.
Yesterday, I put out a call on Instagram for readings/poems/etc. to share before the meal and I got some good recs. Here are two I liked a lot: The Thanksgiving Address and "Perhaps the World Ends Here". A few people recommended Mary Oliver poetry, which I am always here for, and someone else suggested āThe Orangeā which is one of my all-time favorite poems.
Oh and if you want something to discuss over dinner, I suggest this fascinating 2019 Modern Farmer article, The Cranberry Caucus Is Insanely Powerful.
Moving onā¦hereās what else I had going on this week!
On the blog
And Sally and I released a new episode of Oh, I Like That about, in part, making the most of at-home celebrations.
Reading
You Donāt Have to Fake It Through Thanksgiving, NYT.
That Pre-Thanksgiving Covid Test Won't Really Keep You Safe, Wired.
Iām a contact tracer in North Dakota. The virus is so rampant that we gave up., Washington Post.
This Captain Awkward thread which starts with āPeople who hear about a common-sense rule or a boundary and immediately look for exceptions and defenses for why it shouldnāt really apply to them, as well as the people who, upon hearing about injustice, immediately look for justifications can pretty much fuck off forever.ā
Why Diet Coke Is the Perfect Thanksgiving Beverage, Lifehacker.
Play These Puzzles to Reveal the Racial and Gender Breakdown of Crosswords, The Pudding.
A Beginner's Guide to Microdosing Testosterone During Your Transition, VICE.
Will Anyone Ever Love Me?, Ā”Hola Papi!
Quiz: Should You Expose Your Relative to COVID-19 This Thanksgiving?, McSweeneyās.
Watching
Weāve been watching The Crown, which is likeā¦.not actually that good, imo, but I also kind of donāt mind right now? We also watched Filthy Rich (a four-part documentary about Jeffrey Epstein) on Netflix, which I went into with major skepticism and was pleasantly surprised by. I was worried it was going to sort of glorify him or paint him as, like, an enigmatic criminal mastermind, but itās not that at all. Itās as straightforward as an episode of Dateline and is just so unimpressed by him. The main thing I liked about it is that the main focus is the victims; hearing from them directly is incredibly moving, and is, to me, what makes the doc worth watching.
Have a good evening and be safe this week. āØ
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