The Bloggy Part:
This morning I found myself thinking, “When I look back on 2020 and the pandemic, what sorts of things will I remember about this experience?”
- I’ve found comfort in plants and online shopping carts.
- We now get our groceries delivered to us like we are pharaohs. (Now to find someone to feed me grapes.)
- I never know what day it is. Or what time.
- Every day is an emotional rollercoaster, dipping down into loneliness and then back up to bursts of creative inspiration.
- SGN is my favorite news source.
- I snack too much and now I need to discover the joys of healthy snacks.
- We have stocked the bar and have rediscovered Elder Sign and can’t wait to hang out with friends agai–OH WAIT.
- Sarcasm and tone-of-voice are hard to read when you’re texting someone who doesn’t normally text you.
- Actively avoiding watching too much TV is much more difficult when you add another TV to a small townhouse.
- I like lists with nice round numbers.
Something I’m OBSESSED With:
One of my good friends started sending me snaps of ADORABLE rollerskates because she was thinking of buying herself a pair. Since then, she’s asked me about going out and skating together after the quarantine is over. My sense of balance is horrible and I’ve never successfully roller-anything-ed, which means I answered her with a resounding, “YES THIS IS A WONDERFUL IDEA!” Thus, we both ordered adorable death-wheels online. She got the idea off of cute Tik-Toks and (I think) wants to make her own as well. Meanwhile, all I can think about is going to see a roller derby match. Also, buying cute band-aids for my knees. ‘Cause I will need them.
Being the impatient person I am, I ordered a pair of skates online but soon found out they are on backorder and I wouldn’t get them until late May. This would not do. Especially because The Great Husbando wanted to get some rollerblades as well. I did the responsible, adult thing, and shopped for rollerblades with him. Now I have a pair of blades now and have quad-skates coming in… later? They’re not in stock yet so who knows.
These have a surprising new use as well. A couple days ago, I found myself at a place where I was having trouble focusing on work. Instead of sitting in my office chair like a responsible adult, I found myself running around the house trying to finish some (albeit much needed) housework. So, I sat in my chair, strapped myself into my blades, and was trapped in them. This was under the guise I wouldn’t be able to get up and go downstairs without falling over. And it worked! Kind of.
Since then, I’ve been rolling my way around the (carpeted) upstairs of our home with ease. The Pergo laminate flooring downstairs is a different story. Much like Mario Bros, the smooth, slick underground level is much more difficult than it is here in the carpeted topside world. You see, down in the depths of the first floor, there are plenty of sharp corners and I have yet to get elbow, knee, or wrist guards. What can I say? I’m a fragile, delicate human with the stability and muscle strength of cooked pasta.
30-Day Challenge Update:
I am reading and listening my way through my TBR list but I still need to curb my TV-watching habits. It’s a work in progress.
A Drink Recipe from The Two-Headed Calf:
Backstory: The Two-Headed Calf is the dry bar we inherited from The Great Husbando’s grandparents. While it’s not healthy to romanticize the “drunk writer” lifestyle of yore, it’s still fun to do. Not be a drunk. That’s not fun. But romanticizing your passion or career can be fun if no one is getting hurt. Besides, a little libation can (sometimes) get the words flowing when I find myself feeling hindered.
“Gin and Tonic”
I didn’t think I used to be a fan of gin until one of our friends mixed up my first gin and tonic. Since then, this has become one of my go-to drinks when it’s warm out or if I want something refreshing and cool. He had the heart and the cooking prowess of an Asian mom, however, and concocted the recipe “by taste.” With no actual recipe, I’ve had to fiddle with a few of the generic recipes a bit. As far as I can tell, this is as close as I can get to what he served us.
Things you’ll need:
- A couple of fresh mint leaves
- A couple of lime slices
- A couple of medium-sized ice cubes or one large ice cube
- One ounce of gin
- Four ounces of tonic water
What to do with those things:
- Muddle the mint leaves and one of the lime slices in a collins glass.
- Add the ice cubes and the gin.
- Add the tonic water.
- Stir.
- Squeeze the last lime slice into the glass.
- Swipe the fruit around the rim of the glass and then drop it in as a garnish.
- You can also garnish with more mint leaves. If you squeeze or pinch the mint leaves, you’ll be able to get a whiff of the mint essential oils while you drink.
- Enjoy responsibly with a couple of cocktail straws. Unless you have a penchant for chewing on small mint fragments.
Jocelyn DeVore 