I think it’s worth noting that while these are great ways to begin a mindfulness practice for those who struggle with straight meditation, it’s still worth working toward actual meditation.

I feel like this would be a perfect opportunity for a July 4 themed trifle, which is similarly just assembling pre-made ingredients, for the most part. But if making for guests, it’s slightly fancier.

Why does no one love The Hour like I do? Lix Storm is my hero. I don’t think it’s on Netflix though.

Never Have I Ever is cute and sweet.

There’s a great kdrama like this. A HS girl is trapped in a manga, and she only has agency “in the shadow” that is, away from the main storyline. Once she returns to the main storyline, whatever she did in the shadow world disappears. And the tone is a lot more bubbly and charming, but still goes deep on women and…

I think there are some clear signs of abuse: isolation, gaslighting, financial abuse ... You see it with the control of the car, spending large sums without telling her, the repeated phone calls when she’s away, calling the cops on her, the literal isolation that happens when he has their anniversary party in the…

We make Refrigerator Salad all summer as a cheap cold meal that keeps for like 4-5 days. It’s basically chilled quinoa with veg (fresh or tinned) and a lemon/parsley/salt/oil dressing, and we add a legume, usually chickpeas, to up the protein.

Same.

Yikes. Alex, I’ll take, how fast can I spot a racist for $200.

I really like that second-to-last paragraph; it’s important to see the strengths implicit in the obstacles. I have a “tenacious” son. That’ll be amazing.. someday.

This is an interesting question. I’ve never been a fan of kpop, but I’m a big fan of kdrama, and I think the things that make kpop popular are also true of a lot of kdrama. And I have a lot of friends who are big kpop stans, so, this is my take:

I totally do this. I make one pre-made cocktail (this weekend: Dark & Stormies) and then a short cheat-sheet next to the ice chest with a curated set of ingredients. In summer that ends up being vodka, bourbon, soda, tonic, lime-lemon-cran juices, simple and peppermint syrups, and some aperitif. You can hit a…

If you have the time, it’s worth visiting the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale, MS or perhaps driving the Blues Trail around the Delta. While it’s only one subset of Black American history, it’s an easy stand-in for lots of aspects of the history. (E.g., visiting Clarksdale means a visit to Dockery Farm, “birthplace…

Oh I’m not dissing the general idea of overall attractiveness improvement. Maintaining a reasonably conventionally-attractive weight (which as you say is a thing that has changed over time) is a thing I try to do as well.

My parents are great, but I’ve lost a lot of my extended family to all that zealotry, people I was very close to as a child. I have a lot of sympathy for you and people like you, dealing with this as it applies to parents. I can’t begin to imagine. A good friend of mine hasn’t seen her parents in probably two decades…

All the stuff that’s more about attractiveness than fitness is dumb. All you can really do is work to become the best version of whatever you were born with.

Same. I walk very quickly (3.5-4 mph) and run very slowly (4.5 mph). At that point, the only difference is that running makes me sweaty and cranky. 

• This article supposes that what we’re dealing with is disagreement. It’s not disagreement. Covid “truthers” are in a cult. They need deprogramming, not sincere exchange of ideas.

This has long been one of my arguments in favor of church (or other religious institutions). There are very few other organizations that both grab from all generations and also are intentionally meant to initiate serious, deep conversations. And bonus, there are support structures to make life at every age in the…

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