Friday recommendations (one movie, lots of music), 4/25

1. The Revenant. We watched this movie from 2015 on Tuesday night. I'd never seen it. I noticed it was in our Disney+ queue because Scott had been watching it at one point. Very much recommend. 

2. The reason we ended up watching The Revenant is because Scott had been trying to get me to watch The Expanse, as he'd basically made his way through all five seasons (on Amazon) either after I went to bed or early in the morning on the weekends. He swore the characters and storylines are ones "you get really attached to". 

No. 

Don't do it. The first episode was good once you wrapped your head around how disturbing and weird 300 years from now could be. But I promise you, you will not care. It is awful. Every evening, Scott was like "ready to watch?" and I was like "ugh". I could think of nothing less fun than watching The Expanse. I don't care what's going on and there's way too much going on. 

3. I fell down a Spotify rabbit hole last night. Do you remember The Spill Canvas? Gold. This video is what you would get if you were trying to recreate 2008 in a lab. Like, future generations could study it if they wanted to write reports about 2008. 

Just kidding. No one writes reports anymore. 

They have ChatGPT do it. 

4. I hate ChatGPT. I hate it when educators use it, especially. Like, no. Do the work. Don't be lazy. 

5. Speaking of a gold mine, do you remember Cartel? Never mind: THIS is 2008 in a bottle. 

And then the actual gold standard of the early 2000s: Taking Back Sunday.

Or, cinematic gold: Brand New. 

6. Honestly, kids today have it too easy: I had all of that ^^^ downloaded *quite* illegally back in college. And if you want to know where all of our Away Message Lyrics™ came from, they were from songs like those. 

7. Okay, well, that was nice, but I spent last night listening to that music while putting reading data into spreadsheets because I'm woefully behind, put together half of a Walmart grocery order, and fed the dogs multiple treats after the kids went to bed. 

I'm officially *officially* old. 

Longest 4-day week ever

 

Everything I buy in Costco-form, I end up forcing on them. 

The people with student loans they don't think they should have to pay back... also don't know the difference between male and female... and also have big opinions on tariffs. Change my mind.

(If you understand this, you are not Gen Z.)

Every once in awhile,  I come across an NFL meme and I crave fall. This is a hard time of year for those who dislike golf, baseball, Nascar, and basketball.

This is what midwest nice is really like, underneath the facade: 

When do dogs start to listen? (asking for me)

(or when do kids start to listen?)

Another spring is here so dog-walking weather is back. When I didn't work, I would try to walk multiple times a week year-round with baby Sutton and two dogs since Wells was in preschool. 

Now, Wells is almost 7 and old enough to listen and pay attention and not randomly scooter off into traffic. 

Sutton, not so much. She has taken over the whining and complaining role that Wells used to fill. 

(No one tells you that when your kids are about 4 years apart, one will get really easy all of a sudden and the other will slide into that hard age. They take turns, basically.)

I'm back to walking a puppy, which I haven't really done since 2014-15. 

Here's the thing: Scout has always been terrible on a leash. Always. He's almost 12. He is still terrible on a leash.

Jett was worse than worse than worse on a leash. Jett was so bad that I took him to obedience school for a few months and they didn't even know what to make of him. He did not graduate (that I recall). I think we literally just quit. It was getting to be embarrassing. Joke was on them: he turned out to be the best possible dog to walk and 3-4 year old Wells often held Jett's leash because he was so obedient and protective of us when we were out. 

Maverick, comparatively, is not that bad. He's more just dumb and I don't trust him. But a couple of shocks and he realizes what's up and he'll walk along at my side. 

Scout does not care. He's also deaf now so it doesn't matter if he cares or not. 

I remember taking Jett and Scout to a dog park in Colorado Springs in probably 2015, and they were awful. So so so awful. Like, it was embarrassing. 

I talked to a man there who was older and he had a 12 year old dog who wasn't doing well, health-wise, and he said he'd love to have a disobedient puppy again. I get it: I'd love to have another day with puppy Jett (well, maybe 5 year old Jett). I understood what he was saying even if I hadn't experienced it yet. But anyway, I really thought Scout would've calmed down by this point. Even Maverick can hold it together. Scout is insatiable when he comes to running and sniffing and hunting. He hyperventilates the whole way to the destination, and knocks small children over to get to where he wants to be. 

So while clearly this is personality-dependent, 12 is not the age when a Brittany spaniel starts to listen.

4 Friday things. 4/11

 

1. There were Easter egg hunts at school yesterday. I put stickers in Sutton's eggs and stickers and quarters in Wells' eggs. Each kid had to take in 6-8 eggs, so then when the class hunts for eggs, everyone has contributed. (I have been so completely and totally radicalized against candy lately, I didn't even consider putting it into the eggs.)

2. I put this sweatshirt in the Amazon cart the other day because Instagram told me it was $9.99 and I've had it on my wish list...only this very summery color is on sale...but Scott bought it when he was ordering something else so that was a nice surprise to come home to yesterday. I got a medium and I'm 5'6", for reference. It's brighter IRL!

Here's a few other things I've grabbed from Amazon lately. 

3. I've had what can only be a case of plantar fasciitis lately and I know it's from wearing 2-3 particular pairs of shoes without great support to school and walking on the hard floors all day. (One pair is from 2019 and I have literally worn these boots out. There's nothing left.) So I got new sneakers (it took 5-6 DSW orders) and I've been wearing those most days because that's where I'm at right now. I ordered these Adidas which go with pants, dresses, etc...they're more of a fashion sneaker. 

I love the pop of hunter green. Fun fact: each class gets class shirts for the end of the year. The teacher choses the color from a list of like 30 available..I chose forest green and the P.E. teacher, who is in charge, said he knew when he put that on the list that I would choose it. I think I give off a jewel tone vibe.

4. TV things real quick: The Pitt finale was kind of a letdown last night. Nothing exciting about. Glad season 2 is coming though! The White Lotus finale was better than any episode of the season but still, it wasn't a great season. I keep getting articles on my feed that are about the show and I do wonder why the people at these news outlets don't have anything better to write about than how awkward and weird parts of the show are...most of what they say is so obvious that I feel like they're writing satire. It also wasn't that interesting to begin with. I think Saxon was the most interesting character.

And now I'm floating out there without a TV show to watch...

A few Amazon things.

 I've been backing off on Amazon but I still will default if I need something. This is two months' worth of finds!

These sandals, I've been wearing as slippers around the house. I've been wearing a couple of pairs of shoes lately that I just need to throw away because they don't have arch support and I have very low arches. I'm paying for it, for sure. These help!

In my quest for non-toxic products, I ordered these, but in lemon. I diluted them with some water in a glass spray bottle because I spray them on counters and tables and I did really like them. I can't find anything like this in the regular grocery store. Usually I go with the Ecos brand but I also have to order that. 

It's next to impossible to find non-toxic soap in the stores. I like these a lot. Bonus: the bottles are great to fill with water and use as a bath toy when you're done with the soap. 

It's always cheaper on Amazon...I think it was $25 for 3...but it's unavailable now :(

My round brush dryer tool finally died after 5 years. It was $30 way back in January 2020 and since I don't heat-style in the summer I really thought I could make it to warm weather with just a blow-dryer but my hair is too wavy and coarse for that. I had to find something to replace it. This paddle brush is great for smoothing...better than the round brush version!

I got these for Wells for summer. They're going in his Easter basket. These are what my kids wear in the summer. We've had Natives, Cat and Jack, and now the Amazon brand. If these don't work out, I'll splurge on Natives but I think they're all honestly created equal. 

Continuing my descent down the supplement rabbit hole, I ordered this. I think it's fine? I have been trying to finish some other products so I will take this more regularly soon. It does taste terrible so I mix it with a shot glass of orange juice. The benefits of black cumin seed oil are numerous, so it's worth looking into!

When I got my hair highlighted recently, I was told I need a texture spray, not pomade or dry shampoo or gel or anything. So I'm trying this. It's almost like a light hold hairspray. 

And this was my win of the last two months.

I've used Dove forever, with a very limited look into "natural" deodorants. Someone I follow recommended this and it only costs about $4 more than Dove, so I tried it. 

I love it so much. It WORKS. And it smells amazing. 

It has baking soda which apparently some people don't do well with but, otherwise, it's worth the $11 for sure!

Memes on Monday.

Lastly, so niche:

March Recommendations. 2025 ("Struggle" is the theme)

Kid thing. Being able to kick them both outside. No secrets here: Sutton is 3 now so she and Wells (and Mav) can go out by themselves and chase each other around. All three of them are working on digging a hole. Praise the Lord for independence while I make dinner. 

Food thing. Speaking of dinner, I am struggling here. I keep skipping Dinnerly orders because I'm not going to do it anymore (too expensive) and I look at the recipes but I don't have the desire to make new things. (You know how some people fall into ruts in the late fall or in January? I'm like that in the spring.) I haven't actually done a Dinnerly order since fall so I need to cancel it for good. I really just rotate the same 5-7 dinners and mostly it's Mexican food. Though, last night it was a sheet pan and Monday it was pancakes because at least both kids will eat pancakes. 

Health thing. I've been completely 110% red-pilled when it comes to health in the last few months, even going down the rabbit hole of trying to find a holistic vet for when we move. 

But I started taking schisandra maybe two months ago. I don't know that it helps but it's not hurting, that's for sure. I am pretty much anti-SSRI at this point (and I also don't think that people who haven't tried an SSRI get a weighted opinion on them :), but I think finding some natural remedies for stress and anxiety is good for everyone. 

Listening. Totally in a listening rut, which is unusual for me. I'd say what I've spent the most time listening to in the last month is Alex Clark's podcast Cultural Apothecary (I hate that word). I even tried some Crime Junkie again over the weekend because I want to get lost in storytelling but that didn't do it. Any recommendations?  

Watching. Finished Reacher. There's 3 seasons out there if you need something to binge on Prime. Still watching The Pitt and still dragging on with The White Lotus. We're also finishing up season 2 of American Rust. It's a great show and very moody and kind of depressing. That's what I like I guess. 

But, I'm rewatching Better Call Saul, as I tend to do each spring. It's so brilliant. I'll probably watch Breaking Bad next. I don't know what your comfort TV is, but this is mine. 

Reading. Ugh. I can't do it. I'm in SUCH a rut. I've gotten 5 library books in the past 2 weeks and I've not gotten past the second chapter in any of them. 

I did listen to Blind Spots by Marty Makary and it's worth your time, for sure. The chapter on peanut allergies explains a lot. 

Recommend a book or a podcast or a show! 

While there are some super jaw-dropping and endearing moments to this season of TWL, I recommend seasons 1 and 2. 

Memes for Monday.

I was so busy doing allthethings last week that I didn't even think to blog because when I get overwhelmed, time seems to speed up and drag on at the same time.

But I did put this on Substack but I want to start building up the professional side of my online life. For so long, I've compartmentalized teaching but now I want to start documenting that side of it all because I'm moving on from the classroom next year. I don't know what I'll be doing next (not working full-time anyway) but I want all of this out there for someone else to use as a resource.