Friday Files 2.10.2023

The  simple luxury of an everything bagel, toasted, with a liberal application of cream cheese, topped with a layer of cucumbers and sprinkled with Himalayan salt is chef's kiss. Happy Friday, everyone!

I switched to this brush a few months ago after my friend and hairstylist of forever Kristi at Salon Harmony used it on me while I was getting my hair done. I don't dry or style my hair and I certainly do not wash it daily so the brushing is important LOL. This really reduces static and helps with tangles which I always have in the back of my head. It's $10 at Target.

Once again I am a fool who is sitting at 50% read of a book at 11 pm and stays up to finish it. More of a fool last night because this was hair raising in multiple places. I know a lot of you love the thriller genre also. This comes out in May and you should know that I paused in several spots because the description of violence specifically regarding women and children was graphic - I read books like this all the time and if I'm pausing over it, I should do the courtesy of giving others a content warning heads up. 

Last night was the perfect night to return to the beach for the first time since January 29. 

I've got a lot of balls in the air personally and professionally but juggling schedules and sharing a car is no longer one of them. On the 55th day after his car was totaled, MFD purchased one yesterday and the universe wept with relief. I'm not a sharer in general, and I'm really not a check in with someone else before I schedule things person. I've also gotten used to being a person who does not live with their spouse full time and that has been a bit of a shock to go back to. Next week is a nightmare schedule-wise so this is perfectly timed. Say goodbye to your viewing post, Billy Hicks. Philly doors that were ordered in August - and have needed to be replaced for many years - are being replaced next week. 

It is clear that the person who feeds dogs off of plates does not eat in peace and the person who does not feed dogs off of plates does eat in peace.

I assume you've seen or heard of the absolutely unhinged blackface video courtesy of Northeast Philly white girls as it's viral now. I posted about it on Instagram as soon as I saw it and when I woke up the next morning the three stories were gone. Instagram had removed it for hate speech. No shit. White people wonderwhining(tm) why everything is still about race should pay particular attention. This is why, numbnuts. Because this shit still happens. Because this country was built off the backs of the unpaid labor of Black people who were enslaved by white people and we've never reckoned with it or paid for it. Because Jim Crow never ended it just became Jim Crow 2.0 and Jim Crow 3.0. Because the prison system in this country is the current iteration. Because we excuse and protect and tsk tsk white kids who do stupid shit and vilify and incarcerate and harm Black kids who do stupid shit. Because racist white folks elected by racist white folks are attempting to whitewash history and remove Black history from schools so what they teach their kids at home - that shit like this is acceptable or funny or excusable or kids will be kids - sticks and carries through the generations versus being ripped out at the fucking root and discarded.  

I am not going to go into how fucking unhinged Marjorie Taylor Green is, and how unable she is to function as an adult in society. 

My favorite sheet pan dinner is kielbasa, red onion, bell pepper, banana peppers, and sweet or red potatoes. 

Crew this week

Even I use the standard Go Birds greeting/pleasantry/hi/bye and watch the Super Bowl when the hometown team is in the Super Bowl.

Have a great weekend!

Common Mistakes never to make with your pet cat

Common Mistakes Never to Make with Your Pet Cat

Cats are fascinating and absolutely adorable animals and make the perfect pet, especially

when you are looking for an animal that likes its independence and is as playful as it is lazy

in equal measure.

Whether you are already the proud owner of a beautiful kitty or are looking to adopt one in

the near future, you have come to the right place. Continue reading to learn about some

common mistakes that you should never make with your pet cat.

Never Only Feed Your Cat Dry Food

Unlike dogs and rabbits, cats are often reluctant to take large gulps of water, even if you

have fresh bowls dotted around your home and encourage them to drink during hot weather.

Because of this, it is important to always feed your cat a combination of both wet and dry

food, as a great deal of their necessary hydration comes from their wet food.

Never Miss Your Cat’s Annual Vaccinations

Even cats that, perhaps due to hearing issues or bad experiences when they were a kitten,

either do not want to go outside or are unable to go outdoors still need to be taken to the vet

for their annual vaccinations.

If you do not have a house cat, and instead your cat loves to explore on solo adventures

regularly, it is even more important to register with a reputable vet, such as easyvet.com,

and always keep on top of your pet’s vaccinations.

Never Leave Your Cat’s Food Out All Day

Some cats often like to graze on their food throughout the day and are not interested in

overfeeding. However, the vast majority of domesticated cats are prone to eating exactly

what you give them and are unable to regulate their intake.

Leaving large amounts of food out throughout the day is by far the most common cause of

obesity in cats, which can then lead to serious health concerns, especially in older cats.

Instead, either choose exact mealtimes whereby you can place their bowl on the floor or else

invest in an automatic and timed food dispenser.

Never Leave Your Cat for More Than a Day

As cats are independent creatures, the temptation for cat owners can be to feel confident

that their cat can ‘look after itself’ for a couple of days or more.

This is a huge mistake, and this false impression that cats take care of their own interests

and can entirely look after themselves is often to the detriment of the species. When going

away for more than a day, it is absolutely essential, therefore, that you should arrange for a

loved one or neighbor to check in on your cat every day and ideally every evening that you

are away from home.

Alternatively, there are plenty of reputable and renowned cat kennels where your cat can be

entertained and cared for while you are away, which will ensure your own peace of mind as

well as the health of your cat.

***

This post was written with the Life According to Steph readers in mind. Timely as Billy Hicks was in the ceiling last night - add do not leave access panels open to this list

Thursday Thoughts: We were standing on the edge with the sand under our feet

Feels like summer. Do do do do do do do do

I have seen my BFF Kim and her family nearly every day this week and loved it. A sweaty as F Farmer's Market outing Wednesday. 

Brown's donuts are delightful even if they arrive mangled. The combination of a hot off the press and long walk doesn't make for pretty, but their recipe is always delicious. As is Steve's breakfast. 

Lots of time on the boards this week - storm rolled in on Tuesday.

Libby and I met up with Amanda, Eva, and Donna on Wednesday. Then I had a glass of wine with Kim & Steve on the deck. Solid Wednesday night, they are rarely that good. 

Glimpses of nice evening skies, but no super moon on Wednesday. There was a shelf of clouds just off-shore. 

Nail talk. I got gel polish at the nail salon before we went on our road trip vacation. The last time I got gel polish was before I went to Ireland in 2016. I absolutely hate my nails after and that's what I'm going through now. That shit under the lights absolutely weakens your nails and they are bending and chipping and annoying AF right now. And I say that as someone who has almost superhuman strong nails. 

The first month without Show Us Your Books linkup since October 2014. It would have been Tuesday. It still feels like freedom. I'll be posting a what I've been reading post at the end of July. 

My black and white animals frequently conspire.

My Ben and Bruce are much nicer. Bruce, much lazier.

I watched snippets of the Uvalde school shooting video yesterday. This wrecked me for the day. To see police standing lackadaisically in the hallway, getting hand sanitizer. Looking at the freaking punisher screen saver on the phone in their hand instead of rescuing children who were getting shot. The shots are heard clearly in the video. The screams of the children were edited out. Not for those police standing in the hallway though. They heard the screams. And did nothing. So much for the good guys with the guns counteracting mass shooter theories, huh? Hero worship, near blanket immunity from prosecution, a ruling of the supreme court in 2005 that police do not have a constitutional duty to protect people from harm, and back the blue flags have led to this. It is not fixable within the current system. It is not fixable when governors like Greg Abbott fight to not release the videos. And when the Mayor instead of criticizing the lack of response criticizes the media for releasing them. Is this not clear to people, still? 

Local to me abortion supporters: I hope you have followed abortionfunds and signed up for more info - if you have, and you are near me, you should have gotten an email from Abortion Liberation Fund of PA. Please follow them on IG, access/read/share their Post-Roe Tool Kit, and consider making a one time - and, ideally, monthly donation if you are financially able to, and if not share their organization. They were formerly Women's Medical Fund and have been operating in Philly since 1985, and in a post-Roe world protecting and expanding abortion access through direct service and community organizing. With PA state senate having begun the process through the passage of SB 956 to add an amendment to the state constitution that would criminalize abortion and other critical reproductive healthcare - denying the right to abortion care in Pennsylvania even in cases of rape, incest, or life threatening conditions AND pre-empt any state court from protecting abortion care in the absence of federal protections...which is weird since people have been shrugging their shoulders and saying it's not illegal, it's just back to the states...then GOP state senators are passing bills like this out of committee at 11:45 at night, past curfew, and without input from the citizens they represent; federal GOP going after abortion access everywhere for the last 50 years, and democrats not being aggressive enough, we are responsible at the community level to keep each other safe and rely on the networks established abortion funds have built over years. At this time, that mostly means talking about abortion, sharing resources like these, and donating as much as you can. Sharpen your teeth and protect each other.

In the background of everything, an attempted presidential coup it is quite clear the majority of elected GOP officials knew was happening with a false claim of a stolen election and they did absolutely nothing about it. So the attempted coup, then, is not just presidential, but Republican, and now there is a judicial coup in process while republican legislatures in states attempt to limit voting rights and criminalize abortion so that people convicted lose their voting rights. Fascism isn't coming, it's here. What are you going to do now? Nothing, like the DOJ is doing to people who will not comply with subpoenas? Nothing, like the DOJ is doing with the former White House squatter who is attempting to contact witnesses that have not yet testified against him?

To think about, as collected by We the Urban:

Endlessly becoming. I don't know why anyone ever thinks they are done becoming in this life. We are becoming constantly. Done means dead to me. I love this poem by Lucille Clifton. I mean... a changed changer, I continue to continue. How can you not think about that at pop up points always after first reading it 20+ years ago? It is amazing writing.

I'm off tomorrow. Hallelujah & amen

What appears beyond the hyphen in Thursday Thoughts titles is what I'm listening to when I'm starting this - this week is Feels Like Summer by Samuel Jacks

Thursday Thoughts - I think you're sweet like rock candy

Essie Expressie, recommend. I hate the brush, but cannot deny the love I have for the punchy colors and the way it wears. This is my second time wearing the pink and it is perfection. Sometimes you need a quick dry polish, and this wears better than Sally's, which was my top standard for a quick dry. I have it in Trick Clique and just got it in the red this week, so I'm excited to try that. 

Don't you forget about me. 

End of dogs on the regular beach season tomorrow. We are sad. Dog Beach is only 10 min away, but in season we will go less because it's more of a pain to lose a parking spot, and the insane crowds over there mean it's like a 6 am or 7 am trip which I am not as keen on these days. If Ben didn't really love to run I wouldn't take them nearly as much.

Spackled several spots that I've been meaning to spackle for three years. Victory. I'm not great, but I'm passable, and I'll slap a coat of paint on it this weekend. I'm also an absolute fucking mess with things like this because I do not cover anything or remove anything I just start things and leave myself with a lot of cleanup.

Ben is happy for a laundry basket ride. Only when it's dirty.

PA Voters, Monday is your last day to register to vote in the primary. The primary is May 17. Only registered democrats or republicans can vote in it, not independents, because PA is a closed primary. Fart noise. If you are a registered democrat or republican, please make a plan to vote in the primary on Tuesday, May 17 - we have an open Senatorial seat and both parties have an array of candidates up. Make sure to vote for that and all other races - local politics impact your life more than a presidential election any day. Vote twice a year, every year. Believe me, I know that it feels like no one is listening to jack shit but less engaged voters is not the way to address that. For more info on elections and what is on your ballot, visit the League of Women Voters Education Fund site vote411.org - anyone can do this, not just PA voters - you input your address

Yesterday was packed AF and I did it all on five hours of sleep from the night before. I was up by 6, on the train, OPC, set up at my office, dentist appointment at 8, picked up a bagel, work, pick up salad for lunch, work, lyft to acupuncture appointment, killer painful but necessary appointment to address arm nerve issues and numbness, lyft back to work, finish up at office, train, home, eat, more work, return things to two stores, hair appointment, home at 9. Whew. Art outside of Salon Harmony below. Always a fun night with Kristi & Maria even if I am dog ass tired and delirious.

I've missed train reading.

Forever a fan of Philly street photos. 

Looking good, Philly. The news shows so much bad shit, but on the streets to me it feels like a comeback. 

Yesterday's out of home food. A bagel after my dentist appt from Philly Bagels. A chimichurri salad from sweetgreen. 

Home food of the week. Grilled cheese on rye, always a little burnt please. Breakfast burritos to freeze. If you eat bone in chicken thighs and are not making them in the air fryer, what are you even doing? Pre-heat air fryer. Season well. Cook skin side down for 12 min on 380. Skin side up for 11 or 12 on 380. My basket fits four perfectly. Serve with salad, boom and done

Billy Hicks turns 1 next week. I feel like securing a tiny cat hat. He would loathe it.

Testing Password keepers. So far I like LastPass best. It feels the most intuitive. 

For your perusal. The New York Times continues to whitewash right-wing extremism in Chris Rufo profile,  Mainstream coverage adopts Elon Musk's "free speech" framing - despite his anti-union, anti-speech, anti-worker history. 

What else...save public ed. Biden is republican lite. Defending Elon Musk's billions as if you might one day have them is a fucking joke. Close the racial wealth gap. Drink your water and stretch today. If you are woman of a certain age consider taking Magnesium/k Aspartate supplements. Peace. 

What appears beyond the hyphen in Thursday Thoughts titles is what I'm listening to when I'm starting this - this week is Watercolor Eyes by Lana Del Rey

Thursday Thoughts - You can look inside another world, you get to talk to a pretty girl

1. The big news of the week in this house is the surprise to me arrival of Billy Hicks. I wanted a cat and said as much last September. MFD said no. Tuesday night close to 9 pm him and his niece came in and were like here is your cat. Billy is mostly sequestered in the office but I'm not sure for how much longer. He is super curious and is not fazed one iota by the dogs. They are obsessed with him but are only allowed near him in supervised situations even though he seems intent on being one of the dogs. He has spent this morning playing with Ben and his spring toys Aubrey brought over. Bruce is out of his mind enamored so has to be separated from time to time now. Mae is fangirling. Gus does not know we have a cat. However the first night Bruce and Ben were furious with me and would only sit with Carol. My Dad and Carol are living with us right now as their house gets finished in what is now Animal House LOL. Billy Hicks will be a member of the traveling band and heads to the shore for the first time this weekend. 

2. And he is of course named not after Billy Hicks the human comedian but after Billy Hicks who led the band Billy Hixx and The New Breed in St. Elmo's Fire. MFD is convinced it is Billy Hixx but that is just the band name. The more you know, friends. 

3.Otherwise in Animal House:

4. This new family member arrived on the eve of my first time in the office in a month. Great timing. I went in because I had to go to the dentist and looped in acupuncture too in the afternoon. I do not miss the commute.

5. I do miss the interest of downtown and all the things you can see right outside of the office building: how quickly the weather changes can be measured in Comcast towers. A random parade down the street in the middle of the day.

6. I miss the color and art and movement of downtown.

7. What's the best season? Tomato season. Thanks to my aunt Maria and to Fran & Denny via my dad & Carol for the goods this week.

8. This world. Places to donate to or share if you do not have the resources at this time in this post.

9. Reminder:

10. Ecards: 

What appears beyond the hyphen in Thursday Thoughts titles is what I'm listening to or most recently heard when I'm starting this - this week is She's a Beauty by The Tubes