It's lap blanket season!
Now that fall is here (*ignores the 80 degree temperature we hit this weekend), it's time for me to bust out the lap blankets. I've got them stashed everywhere and don't you dare try to take them away.
Now, there are fancy lap blankets you can buy, but I like anything that keeps me warm and folds up nicely in my seat. In my office cubicle, I've got a freebie Washington Capitals fleece giveaway. For my desk at home, I have a lovely sheep's wool square blanket that I swiped from our kid. (She doesn't care.) On our bed, I have a boucle style throw. And, finally, on the couch chaise (it's my seat - get out), I've got a knotty throw with some tassels.
When I'm going to be sitting for more than 15 minutes, I like to burrito my legs up in one of these lap blankets and settle in. They are one of life's joys. They keep me warm without overheating plus they create a hygge feeling that makes me feel extra productive.
How do you stay cozy?
After I finished book five of the Dark Olympus series, I rolled right into book six: Cruel Seduction by Katee Robert. Once I finish this title, I will be caught up. I'm kind of sad about that. As formulaic as these titles are, they've been enjoyable to read. Also, at this point, I've finally admitted to myself that this series falls firmly in the erotica category of romance. This book in particular. It leans heavily into polyamory.
*Books shared here are affiliate links for Bookshop.org
Don't marry your glass ceiling. [Marie Claire]
0% surprised that certain politicians want to obfuscate information. [WaPo - gift link]
How not to ruin your knives! [Serious Eats]
Looking at language attrition. [The Atlantic - may be paywalled]
I co-sign these rules of phone etiquette. [WaPo - gift link]
For love of zines. [The Syllabus Project]
The meaning behind outdated words and what to say instead. [RWJBarnabas]
How to research your home's history. [WaPo - gift link]
The important financial conversations you need to have with your parents. [Life Kit]
There's a lot to consider around banning caste discrimination. [The Daily]
This is why we have peer review. [Science Vs]
The probation/parole system is broken. [Code Switch]
We brought back rocks from space! [Short Wave]
*sluuuuurrrp* [Gastropod]
This is accurate. [@rachelgrowlaw_author]
We've entered season two of Only Murders in the Building. It's just so good - the wit, the writing, the allusions to podcasting. I also love the stage production. The Arconia is really coming alive this season. I love to look at all of the apartments. It feels like a real condo building. [Hulu]
I've found that one of the best ways to ensure we eat up our farm share is to just put a protein plus "farm share" on our weekly meal plan. This week, we sous vided a pork tenderloin. Then, I sauteed up the collard and radish greens from our farm share with some onion and bacon. It was delicious. (Made for decent lunch leftovers too.) [Smithfield]
For our vegetarian Monday dish, I whipped up white beans with mushrooms and marinara. We forgot to buy the second can of beans, but this dish was still filling. It helped that we served it with a side of garlic bread. It's a key dipping component. [Budget Bytes]
Whilst looking for an image to use in a webinar slide deck, I was shown this lovely photo. It’s a good thing that Portugal is already on our travel list. If it wasn’t, I would be adding it right now. [Alessandro Aviles via Pexels]
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What are these empty blocks of time on my work calendar?!?! Am I actually going to be able to get some project work done?
Maybe your schedule is more open because it's October. At least in my experience, September is the #1 most insane month for meetings and kicking off new projects. True, October is nearly as intense, but it usually has a little more flexibility.