Photo by Amber Patrick / A Terror Musical

Last weekend, we gathered on Zoom with friends (as friends are wont to do these days) for an evening of trivia. Each couple wrote a round of 10 questions on a pre-determined theme. Mike & I chose a round we dubbed "Kaput Your Mind To It," which was ostensibly a miscellaneous round... comprising topics our friends would expect from the two of us.

We came in third overall, if only because a few of the rounds were basically impossible (lookin' at you, friends who chose the topic of "space"). I thought it'd be fun to share the questions we chose & see how hard you think they are. We thought they were really easy, but... you know, we're probably a little biased.

On a Roll: My Quest to Bake Allll the Carbs While Quarantined

Hello again, from my surprisingly active adventures in quarantine baking!

These locked-down weekends have been spent whipping up all the carbs & breads I could ever dream of, & more than I could ever consume on my own. Luckily, between putting some in my freezer & participating in exchanges with friends, I've been able to experiment my heart out while making sure none of it goes to waste.

Last month, I received my first box from Love Local CLE, which I first told you about in a recent post. A project of Central Kitchen, they've partnered with local farms to create weekly bundles of fresh produce, meats, & more, originally intended for restaurants - with contact-free pick-up near downtown Cleveland.

"Don't Live It Twice": The Advice That's Getting Me Through the Pandemic

I once had a coworker, a rabbi named Marcus, who gave me some of the best advice I've ever received: When you worry about events you can't control, you live every experience twice: once as you worry about it, & again as it happens. 

And isn't that exhausting, he asked? Why force yourself to do so much extra living when you could cut it in half & only live each experience once, as it is?

 Marcus died of cancer in 2016, but his advice has always stuck with me - especially now, in the middle of a global pandemic, when I am worried about everything.

Passover Under Quarantine: How We Got Creative with Our Seder

I work for a Jewish organization & very much identify with my Judaism, but I am not always what you might call a "practicing Jew." I don't belong to a synagogue, I don't observe all the holidays, I rarely observe Shabbat. I've always eaten bacon, & I rarely fast when it comes time for the holidays that call for it.

But I love Mike's & my annual tradition of holding a small Passover seder at home, just the two of us. I love the seder plate he bought me a few years ago. I love remembering the time we ended up going out for Thai food because I couldn't scrap together a Passover dinner. I love trying.

This year, I felt like I needed Passover more than ever – so even though it was, in fact, more difficult than ever to observe it, I knew I wanted to. I couldn't go out to acquire most of the items the holiday requires... so I knew I had to get creative.

Learning to Cook Under Quarantine: 9 Things I've Made Recently

What are you up to under quarantine? I know we're all sick of being asked that, but I, for one, am a little surprised how I've been spending my time: I haven't been reading. I've barely been watching TV. I've been working & playing Words with Friends. And in between, I've been cooking.

I've never enjoyed cooking, & for the most part, I never needed to do much of it. Mike cooks at home, & we live in a restaurant-heavy area so until now, I got by on eating what he makes, going out, & ordering in.

But we're not going out or ordering in right now, & Mike can't be expected to do all the cooking under quarantine - so here I am, learning to cook, & feeling surprisingly enthusiastic about it.

Here are a few of the best things I've made lately, including links to recipes & behind-the-scenes tips where applicable. Tell me: Whatcha makin'?

Quarantine Life: A List of 8 Good Things During Bad Times

The world is bonkers right now. You don't need me to tell you why. No matter where you are, we are all in some sort of similar situation right now, the world over.

I mean, sort of - in a general way.

I know, of course, that all of our specifics scenarios & circumstances vary greatly, & know, too, that I am incredibly fortunate to have a work-from-home job, good health & health insurance, a safe home, & relative overall security during a time when so many people do not.

I do not want to discount all of those; they are, truly, the epitome of privilege in this moment. I just mean to convey that... well, we're all dealing with this, in some way or another. We're all scared. We're all sad. We're all unsure. We're all hurting, somehow or another.

And so, I'm keeping a little list. It's a big list, actually - a big list of little things that are still good, that are keeping me happy, that are allowing me to find joy in the everyday, even when the everyday is so very unstable & unknown.

I Was Supposed to Be in Israel Right Now, But...

Mike & I were supposed to go to Israel on March 19th. Did I tell you that? Well, we were. Following a surprisingly rigorous application & interview process, we were absolutely thrilled to be selected as participants on a Honeymoon Israel trip with a bus full of other couples from Cleveland.

We were scheduled to spend 10 days in Israel – 10 whole days of shuk shopping, camel riding, history learning, Goldstar drinking, Masada climbing, falafel eating, & friend making in the Holy Land.

And then coronavirus started to spread.

What I Read: February 2020

I finished a significant number of books (six), given that I mostly felt like I didn't do any reading whatsoever. Guess I must've!

I'm still making my way through two book club books: How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi for my work book club & A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles for my book club with friends.

What are you reading? Give me a follow me on Goodreads and/or let me know where to find you there so we can keep in touch...

What Are You Looking Forward To?

The last few months have been weird. Is it a cop-out to say that? I mean, when it comes to feeling a little "off," a few days or a couple weeks - even a month or two - is one thing. But a weird six months? At what point does it stop being a phase & start being, just... life?

Still, I have faith, that things are starting to go back to the version of normal with which I am most comfortable. After a lot of travel & some big shake-ups at work & the health issues I've experienced thus far in 2020, life is finally starting to feel familiar again - & one of the ways I'm trying to help it along is by putting some things on my calendar that I can be really excited about.

Here are a few of the things I'm looking forward to in the coming weeks. What about you? Do you, like me, try to stay positive by having stuff to look forward to?

How to Send Long-Distance Love to a Friend Who's Struggling

As I recover from a few weeks of medical bullsh!t, I feel extremely grateful for the love & support of the friends, family, & coworkers, who have sent that love & support in various ways. Some have visited, bearing flowers & frozen dumplings, while others have texted from afar, sent Instagram messages, & even deposited a little something extra into my Starbucks account.

Anyone who knows me knows that sending gifts is my Love Language®, not sorry - & while I am far less accustomed to receiving gifts, I have been, truly, blown away by the kindness & creativity of some of the ways people have reached out to us. I thought I'd share with you some of the ways people sent things - so that you know that these services exist, too, should you ever want to support a friend in a similar way.