the lonesome lows don't quite go away overnight

I hit "skip 100" for the first time in a long time, and am sorry for my absence but not really sure how to remediate it. In short - love and miss you all, feel weird commenting on things too far back, offering virtual hugs. My more-or-less singular "me time" time has been a bit tricky as E is extra clingy to me on the times when I'm home, and especially home as the solo parent. I'm lucky if I get a single episode of Call the Midwife in, but am not really complaining. It is nice to just snuggle with her. 

TV Seasons (13/10)
Finished Rutherford Falls, s1. Very hit and miss on tone in an effort to get through what seems to be largely set up for s2, which is odd? But I didn't dislike any of it, and there is some very good material. Season 2, so far, is much more even. 

We tried Paper Girls and HATED it, but your mileage may vary of course. 

Full Album Listens (10/10)
Miel, Tourist Season. Lovely, dreamy, precisely the opposite of her podcast personality, though that is worth checking out as well! Her cover of "I'll Be Holding" is absolutely pure gold. 

Podcast Recommendations (9/10)
Punch Up the Jam, specifically the Mel-hosted run, which is through Episode 1 through Dec. 24, 2020. Have I recommended this show before? Oh my god, I haven't! The premise is the host(s) and guest(s) select a song, typically one that is more or less universally loved/famous. They break down the song, usually with much hilarity. Then, present a new "punched-up" version of the song. Sometimes this is a straight-up parody. A great segment, primarily in the 2020 episodes, is a formal music breakdown from musician Rob Moose (who has done strings on just about every indie pop album in the last 5 years, Phoebe Bridgers' Punisher and Copycat Killer included). Highly recommend the episodes on Ginuine's "Pony" (must be deeply immature, but you can imagine the topics) and Dashboard Confessional's "Vindicated."

Also, I'm almost finished with Orphan Black: The Next Chapter, Season 1. It is quite good! Better(?!?!) than season 5. I'm enjoying the new characters' characterization quite a bit. Tatiana Maslany is excellent. The show does make some interesting sound effect choices, but I'm willing to overlook them. 

New Recipes (16/12)
Cajun Chicken and Pasta, recipe from Taste of Home (linked). Wow, okay, no one needs that much Cajun seasoning unless your Cajun seasoning is weak af which Slap Yo Mama is most certainly not. That said, love that the sauce is nice and mellow, offsetting the CAJUN flavor. The recipe also doesn't specify how much tomato, and my recommendation is "more than you think" especially if you have made your chicken CAJUN. The tomatoes are a nice, fresh touch. 

Blogs for Work and Sales for Work (Both past goal) :)

I'm not doing great at the Internet right now, including dropping my summerofhorrorexchange assignment, which, as a rule, I don't do. I still have no idea what I would write, if I were aiming to finish it. Got nothing. 

That said, lots of new media stuffs to talk about. 

Movies (14/15)
Last Night in Soho: Look, I'm not saying that men can't make movies about women (or whatever other gender distribution you care for) but I'm pretty sure THIS man (Wright) shouldn't make movies about THESE women. One of whom is clearly t( spoilers )

Cha Cha Real Smooth: This one had me won over for about an hour before reality set in and I fucking hate this guy, but also, I still kind of love him and WHY is Dakota Johnson so hot and moving when her character isn't written AT ALL. Probably the biggest gap between how much I liked it while watching (I LIKED IT SO MUCH YOU GUYS) and post-watch thoughts. I just wish we had a movie that's actually about a guy being good at hosting parties for tweens, or a movie about Dakota (Domino? WAS HER NAME ACTUALLY DOMINO YOU GUYS?) and Lola. Also, is the Jewish culture totally different around here, because I was never invited to a single bar or bat mitzvah, and yet somehow the girl no one wanted around her her mother who none of the parents liked (????) were invited to every single one. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND.

TV Seasons (10/10)
The Clone Wars, season 2. Getting steadily better, but Anakin is still Anakin and space battles are still fucking boring. 

Full Album Listens (9/10)
Soccer Mommy, Sometimes, Forever: Grungier and stickier than color theory, with roughly the same repeatable tracks. Less cohesive as an album, but I like the sound just a smidge better, and love the sonic evolution. The guitar and bass here are chef's kiss.

Metric, Formentera: After giving a cold hard pass to their last album, I was planning to skip this one as well. I even tried the opening track, the 10-minute art piece "Doomscroller" and quit in a panic because, well, I was having a mild anxiety attack. NPR convinced me to try again, and "Doomscroller" is worth the initial angst. Around the middle minutes it transforms and the journey is worth it. I don't plan on listening to the song ever again, to be honest, but I'm glad I did. There are a few tracks on the rest of the album (title track included) that are really, really great. 

Recipes (goal met)
Slow Cooker Jambalaya Risotto: Good flavor, needed more heat and for the rice not to be overcooked. Sad.

Creamy, Cherry Tomato Garlic Pasta: A+ LOVE a savory cream sauce. (Got this one from Instragram)

A few goal tracking updates:

TV Seasons (5/10): We wrapped on Abbott Elementary season 1. Love love love these babies. Gregory, Jacob and Zach are all autistic, right? Also, unrelated to that question, apparently what I love most about Britta, Ann, and Pam is that they are the straight man in love with a very enthusiastic protagonist. SO wild to have that flipped to a man. **GREGORY** Abbott also helped me identify a trope I HATE which was also recently featured on OFMD, where a previous connection (member of out group) is brought in to the in group and they proceed to bull in a china shop social norms. It gives me absolute HIVES.

New Recipes (10/12): Y'all I'm a cooking machine. Cheesy Tomato Shrimp Pasta was super easy because both sauces (mixed together, DOUBLE SAUCE) were 90% from cans. I chose to use cascatelli as the pasta because they look like octopus legs!

I'm enjoying exploring bethefirst. My piece is I was never that kind (female!Alien/female!Cowboy, from Allison Ponthier's Cowboy music video)

Hi to new people from the friending meme! 

New Recipes (8/12)
Grilled chicken and veggie kabobs, on the grill! Everything marinated in this wonderful soy/honey/garlic mixture that was just *mwah.* May consider cooking veg and chicken separately next time to soften the veg a little more.

Sales (9/5)
DOIN WORK

Impactful Podcast Sharing (4/10)
Finished Twin Flames this week and hoo boy did it make me feel weird. I feel like I probably shouldn't have listened to it, and it probably shouldn't have been made, but also it is important to excavate these scam artists so folks can steer clear next time, maybe? The way Angie was broken down so completely doesn't pair well with having her lay herself bare for the show's purpose. I don't know. Feels bad.

Album Listens (5/10)
If you're not afraid, then I'm not afraid by Queen of Jeans. Pleased with my decision to dive further into their music as I didn't know when starting that the two leads are queer, but I did know that they have a lovely muddled electric guitar sound and great voices. The album has a few highlights, but doesn't feel SUPER cohesive as an album-album. "Only Obvious to You" is a favorite. 

Did I mention that I deleted Facebook from my phone like a month ago? I've only checked it once since then and I'm glad to be rid of it, even if I did cut a bunch of potential friendships off at the knees. 

I am tired of being in quarantine. 

Haven't watched anything but trailers for a week. Have some:

Jordan Peele's follow-up to Get Out and Us, Nope. Which looks funny and scary and weird and wonderful.

Bella Healthcote & Toni Collette's new show, Pieces of Her. Bella plays a cop (:/) but Toni plays a badass. No spoilers, as I haven't read the book. 

And, Cheesy Garlic Meatball Bombs, which is not a movie or a show, but reader, I moaned in pleasure watching the video (scroll down for the video). 

And some goal progress, though none of it in the last week. 

Ghost Ship. Infamous for being so-bad-its-good, but the so-bad-its-worst moment was the metal soundtrack to the "plot" reveal montage. Guys. No.

We tried Green Chef box for a week - it is way too pricy to do past the initial discount - and I got a winner. Bell Pepper Quesadillas with Mango Salsa and Cholula Crema. Holy smokes, did NOT expect it to come together like that. Absolute banger. (We also got a dud. Turns out I don't like truffle butter at all.)

A few goal progress notes

1. My first movie of the year, The Neon Demon, has (one of) the same problems as my final tv season of last year (The Great, season 2): Elle Fanning. I think she may just... not be a good actress. But also, (and I'm open to persuasion here, my ranking has been fluctuating) I think Neon Demon is also just garbage masquerading as art. Hot take for, oh, six years ago. Also: did I know going in that Jena Malone [spoilers] a [spoiler]? Because YIKES double yikes all of the yikes. (May be spoilers in the comments.)

2. Second movie of the year was Encanto. I have a lot of feelings and thoughts but others are expressing them better, so I'll just stick with Mirabel and Luisa are both super gay. Abuela can eat my shorts. 

3. Two sales contracts were signed today, one of which meets our initial sales goal for the first six months of the year. 

4. Our January Every Plate box took care of my first three new-to-me recipes, and they were all winners with at least half the household. (E shouldn't count. E just hates dinner in general.)

- Linguine carbonara
- Mashed potatoes with meatballs and green beans
- Veggie pot pie (planning to do this one again and introduce new ingredients each time)