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Category — Consumption

Consumption 3

by Mel

This is a monthly series, published near the end of the month summarizing what I found, ate, watched, googled, and felt this month. New categories added from time to time.

Books Added to My TBR (e.g., books I just learned about that I’m excited to read… maybe)

Notable Meals (new recipes, old favorites, and restaurant items we ate this month)

  • Vegetarian mushroom pate served on tiny toasts with caramelized onions and roasted red peppers.
  • Smitten Kitchen’s shaved asparagus pizza.

Television, Movies, and Music (watching and listening)

  • Finished The Pitt. I miss spending evenings with my medical family. What a great group of characters.
  • We started Traitors UK, Season Two.
  • Leicester vs. Ipswich (Vardy’s last game. No, we didn’t know who Vardy was until we saw the game, but now we’re pretending we watched it for Vardy.)

Added To My Ongoing Mix Tape

Tabs I Left Open (things I Googled and left up on the screen)

  • A recipe for Aztec hot chocolate, which came from a conversation about Aztec hot chocolate and wondering if a recipe existed. (Spoiler: it does.)
  • Capezio dance shoes because Josh asked how he knew the brand Capezio, and I went into a long monologue about childrens’ dance shoes.
  • How to make caramelized onions in the oven.
  • The Theakston long list for best crime novels on 2025.
  • A Wikipedia page on concealed shoes. That was a rabbit hole that began with Real Housewives of Cheshire and ended up with hidden shoes.
  • Dura-Europos synagogue images.
  • A guinea pig sling carrier. (Don’t judge.)
  • A 2001 review for the play Humble Boy, which was at the Royal National Theatre.

Micro-Joys

  • Soloists at the symphony sometimes return to the stage for a tiny encore of their choosing. Most of the time, they either have an encore piece they’re known for or they choose something for the occasion. One night, the cellist returned to the stage and played Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” and had the audience join along for the final chorus. It was almost 2,000 people singing “Hallelujah.”
  • Listening to Quentin happily talk to himself while I rub his back.

Mood

  • My heart is lighter since bringing Quentin to our home and having the twins back for summer.

What about you? Let me know what you’re eating, seeing, listening to, googling, feeling this month.

May 28, 2025   1 Comment

Consumption 2

by Mel

This is a monthly series, published near the end of the month summarizing what I found, ate, watched, googled, and felt this month. New categories added from time to time.

Books Added to My TBR (e.g., books I just learned about that I’m excited to read… maybe)

Notable Meals (new recipes, old favorites, and restaurant items we ate this month)

  • Tomato risotto and a fig and burrata salad for Pesach.
  • Southwestern salad with cilantro lime dressing.
  • Vegetarian “chicken” parmesan. (I know… sounds odd. Tastes great.)

Television, Movies, and Music (watching and listening)

  • White Lotus 3. Finished it. Do not understand why Rick went to Thailand now vs. years ago but enjoyed it nonetheless.
  • The Diplomat 2. Finished it. The second season felt a little uneven, but we’ll definitely watch the next season when it comes out.
  • The Pitt. Started it. It’s intense.

Added To My Ongoing Mix Tape

Tabs I Left Open (things I Googled and left up on the screen)

  • A Google search on jackalopes because I thought it was a real animal (a small wild hare?) and discovered it was not.
  • Checking a statement that neutering extends the life of male guinea pigs. Unlike dogs and rabbits, it does not.
  • An article about how Lay’s is now selling All Dressed chips in the US.
  • The menu for a new ramen restaurant.

Micro-Joys

  • Another Beorn story — Beorn couldn’t eat his beloved vitamin C tablet. He normally begged for it every morning. One day, I had the idea to dissolve it in water — it took about an hour — and then thicken the solution with a little critical care. I have it to him with a syringe, and he got to enjoy the taste of his tablet and get the super important vitamin C. I felt like a superhero.
  • Having my nephews hold my hands while we were crossing the street.
  • Lunch with my niece at a cute sandwich place, relaxing in the sun.

Mood

  • Pretty damn sad after worrying through Beorn’s infection and then losing him. This has not been a good month.

What about you? Let me know what you’re eating, seeing, listening to, googling, feeling this month.

April 30, 2025   2 Comments

Consumption 1

by Mel

A few weeks ago, Scientist on the Roof had a post that I loved where she rounded up books and television shows and mood commentary into a single post. The Road Less Travelled also has a monthly “right now” post. I decided to jump aboard and create my own, which I’ll update on the last Sunday (or close to that) of each month.

Books Added to My TBR (e.g., books I just learned about that I’m excited to read… maybe)

Notable Meals (new recipes, old favorites, and restaurant items we ate this month)

  • Perfected my recreation of the artichoke parm.
  • Falafel at Shouk.
  • Walnut pesto sandwich with fresh mozzarella.

Television, Movies, and Music (watching and listening)

  • The Traitors UK, Season 3. We saw our first episode of The Traitors while in the UK, and we came in mid-season and left before the end. It was finally added to Peacock, so we went back to the beginning and saw the whole thing.
  • Augustin Hadelich playing Bach Sonata No 2 – Andante and Allegro.
  • Severence, Season 2.

Added To My Ongoing Mix Tape

Tabs I Left Open (things I Googled and left up on the screen)

  • The Wikipedia page for Frusen Glädjé.
  • A lot of pages about guinea pig health issues.
  • The real life Lumon building. (Was debating whether to mess with the kids and drive there without saying anything until we got to the parking lot. Decided against it.)
  • A recipe for Cornish pudding.

Micro-Joys

  • Inexplicably remembered the lyrics to a song I called “Mystery Love” back in the 90s that I heard on the radio. Tried to find said song. Failed. Looked up lyrics to the song, and Google delivered the true title: “Miss Freelove ’69” by Hoodoo Gurus. Wondered how many other song titles I’ve written down wrong on mix tapes throughout the years.
  • One night, while Beorn was sick, he was making this terrible moan, and we all became terrified. It went on for at least five minutes, and I finally took out my phone to record it so I could play it for the vet. I was bringing the phone closer and closer to his face to make sure I captured the sound. I was inches from his nose when he let out an enormous sneeze, and we all shrieked. The whole thing was just a build-up to his sneeze, and then he went back to sleep.
  • Passing along a pair of favourite pants to the ChickieNob and watching them get a new life.
  • Jelly beans while we watched television.

Mood

  • Feeling fairly panicked between Beorn’s health and the state of my country. In both cases, I feel powerless because nothing I’ve tried has made a big enough change.

What about you? Let me know what you’re eating, seeing, listening to, googling, feeling this month.

March 30, 2025   3 Comments

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