How is it August already? All those plans…to learn Chinese, to get really good at yoga…I am a failure. What have I done?? I’ve spent a lot of time on TikTok. TikTok is very entertaining. The music! (What came first? The song? OR the song on TikTok?) The dances! (I can do the Blinding Lights dance.) My darlings, iPhone usage is WAY UP. I have no problem admitting this to you. Trying to be as kind to myself as I can be when I am a GenXer who of course feels like I could maybe be selling anything, buying anything, or processing anything bought or sold or processed when I’m not on TikTok. Here’s what the Blinding Lights in my life are right now…
Peloton App
I really wanted to buy a Peloton but because I live in a sh*tty apartment that needs a lot of work done, I just couldn’t justify paying $2700 for a Peloton. ($2700. For the love of God.) So I bought a Bowflex C6 bike (The Schwinn iC4 is exactly the same and available on Amazon.) and am using my really old iPad to do all the workouts. And while it’s not perfect — I don’t have access to the Peloton leaderboard or to the “output” data — life is not a competition so I’m fine. I’m more than fine. I love it. There are a few points in my life where I’ve been in my very best shape…2000, 2008, and now today, 2020. Thank you, Peloton. (And to be fair, I’ve been working on my yoga –thank you Dennis — so I am sorta meeting one of my pandemic goals.)
Summer BBQ Playlist on Spotify
I’ve spent a lot of time driving these last few months and have loved jamming to this playlist on Spotify. It’s got a mix of oldies (Bill Withers, Luther Vandross), reggae (Jimmy Cliff, The Maytals), and new stuff too (Hot Chip, Major Lazer). If you need a good dose of sunshine, especially during these trying times, this is it.
New York Times Spelling Bee
Sort of addicted to Spelling Bee, a word game the New York Times created. I dip in all day long, finding new words as I go. I’ve made “Queen Bee” ONCE — that’s where you find all the words — and my daily goal is to get to Genius.
Korean Face Masks
Self-care is important in these trying times. I’m glad I bought a ton of these because I’m doing all the face masks all the time now with social-distancing. I can’t recommend any one specific brand. Just go to Amazon and look for them and then buy all them and then do one a day until this pandemic is over.
Kimchi and Pickled Anything
I read a Reddit post from a guy in Wuhan back at the beginning of all this SHITE. He talked about trying to feed yourself during a pandemic. In his experience, it was really hard to get fresh vegetables so he found himself relying on pickled veg to perk up meals. Thank you, mysterious Reddit user, wherever you are. You reminded me that I love kimchi so I went out and bought myself a big jar. Also tiny gherkins and Chicago giardiniera.
Asian Supermarkets
Asian supermarkets are my lifeline at the moment. No queues and plenty of fresh veg , rice, noodles, oils and vinegars. All the sesame oil all the time.
Google Flights
I can seriously spend forever putting dates and destinations into Google Flights and seeing what comes up. When this is all over, I want to take an epic trip through the parts of Europe I’ve never been to before and spend all the money supporting the tourism industry. I had originally planned this trip for April/May. A lot can change between now and WHENEVER but I’m thinking something like… Lake Bled, Ljubljana, Zagreb, Sarajevo , Vienna (I’ve been to Vienna a few times already — I love it and it’s also a good flight hub), Prishtina, Skopje, Cappadocia, Istanbul. Always good to have something to look forward to. I will do all the research now but not book anything until we’ve got a vaccine.
Roomba
I hate carpet but do you know how much engineered floors cost? A LOT. So I had to buy carpet for the bedrooms in my new condo. Which meant I needed a vacuum. So I bought a Roomba and I love it. It’s loud but it’s just amazing how it bops around and I don’t have to do anything.
Laser Distance Measure
No one uses tape measures anymore. I’ve had umpteen workers in my new apartment and all of them have measured using this little laser “tape measure.” So I bought one. I love it. Everyone needs one of these!
OK, That’s It…
I have this whole other thing I need to write about musical discoveries and specific TikTok discoveries and then there’s a whole lot of Florida I should probably write about plus elder care, always a super fun topic. All at some point. When I’m not selling, buying, or processing anything please.
