FLINGS

The most interesting, odd, inspiring and aptly-timed album I've heard in forever.  The title track couldn't be more spot on: 'Fetch the bolt cutters, I've been in here too long'.  You said it girl.

I've had it on repeat all weekend - to the point where Tad asked 'wow, we're making this a daily thing, huh?'.

I've read Fiona compared to an unbelievable mash0up of super-stars on this album - Elton John, Beyonce, Tom Waits, Joni Mitchell, Nina Simone, Kate Bush, Shakira and Lorde.  Good lord, right?  This is a must listen - all the way through, but I particularly like "I want you to love me" - for me, it sends an undeniable ASMR shiver down your spine.

If an influencer takes a picture in a striped dress in their house during a quarantine, does anyone really hear it at all?  I'm lucky - there are people around to hear me fall out of the crazy tree.  I have Tad, both pups and a couple of friends we've kept it tight with during all this.  The point being: this dress is fun, and on sale.  I bought it for a striped-theme birthday party, and it was a hit.

I've never been at the kondo for this long - we've all been in our houses way longer than ever, and without traveling, the confinement is helping me realize several things about this home that have been keeping it just a house. Our kitchen has finally been put to the use - Tad cooks daily, so we're seeing that a hood was probably something we should have included in the reno. And there's no good place to put our rain jackets. And, the concrete floors are hard. I worry that increased exposure to them is bad for our joints, and the pups, so I've been adding more rugs (yes, it's still possible) and heavy-duty rug pads for cushioning. I snagged a few vintage pieces from our latest batch, and I've ordered several of these super-thick eco plush pads that I've put down and then thrown the scatter rugs over. It's helping!

Other findings of fact during this stay-at-home are that I cannot drink a bottle of wine after opening before it goes bad.  I also cannot do the air-sqeegey + rubber stopper thing on top - I still take too long.  I serendipitously (because that's the purpose of Serendip, right - to show us ways we can be more effective at drinking?) found the site Usual Wines, and quickly saw a solution: 1 serving glass size bottles of small batch, sustainably farmed, no sugar added wine that ships right to your door. I ordered a box of 6 glasses. My thoughts: I realize that single servings are more crappy for the environment than 1 bottle, but there's the waste issue to consider - maybe it evens out; However, I'm thinking I can take the pretty empties, and craft something to give to friends, like an infused olive-oil or a spicy marg mix. 

I've had this pair of Christopher Spitzmiller lamps saved on my computer for weeks now - I have literally started inspiration boards around them, entire blog posts, and countless daydreams about how improved my general disposition would be were I to live with them.  I'm more likely to get a pony.

And it was week six when every candle ran out.  I've burned through them all.  The fancy ones and the drug store ones.  When they discover my fossilized remains in kondo in a few thousand years, they will be able to date back to the exact day of demise by judging from the dust layers built up in my depleted Diptyques.  So dramatic, right?  Here's what I've got in my cart to replenish, if I even have the strength...

This three-episode new series on Netflix was fascinating.  Another shining star of the shut-in.

In addition to this, we've binged all three seasons of Maisel, then did some Ozarks, but I didn't understand because I didn't see the first two seasons (and Tad, who did, said it'd jumped the shark), and now we're into American Playboy: the Hugh Hefner story, which is surprisingly really good, and I have lots of feelings about it that I will make sure we discuss when there's more room.  Notably: all the naked women.