That’s right, it’s everyone’s favorite time of year, my belated Valentine’s Day gift from me to you: a list of…
Personal Recommendations
Bob and Brad.
Did you know the muscles and ligaments in your body are all connected in one wicked web? Terrible yet true. So, if you were to fall down a flight of stairs and sprain your ankle— let’s say, just as an example— after a few days, you’ll probably have some lower back pain as your body compensates for your bum leg. Someone on Twitter said these guys are an over-30 rite of passage and baby, I’ve arrived. They’re like two goofy uncles, if your goofy uncles knew a lot about anatomy and gave away massage guns.Time Timer.
I saw this early last year on Casey McQuiston’s TikTok. I was skeptical at first ($30 timer, please) but it’s helped me in three different ways: getting focused through short bursts, reminding me to take breaks when I get too far in hyperfocus mode, and visualizing the passing of time. Mine is currently sitting right in front of me and I have 16 minutes left. My cute lil’ blue one is currently on backorder but Dreamsicle Orange is quite nice too.Trader Joe’s Greek Chickpeas with Parsley and Cumin.
You: “Andrea, what is this? A can of chickpeas, oil, spices, lemon, and garlic, ingredients that you could assemble yourself, but instead it does that for you so the nights when dinner would normally consist of too many Babybel cheese pucks, you can sauté a can of this with spinach or even a diced onion and throw a little hot sauce on top, so you’ll feel like some semblance of a human being before crawling under your weighted blanket and calling it a night?”Me: “Yeah, that’s exactly what it is.”
You know those places that hold an allure in your mind from a really young age, usually thanks to books? Maybe places such as Concord, Mass., the home of Louisa May Alcott. Jo Girls know, ya know? If you can hear the score from the 1994 movie in your head, you’re my people (also, it’s excellent writing music).
Around mid-October, it hits me that I’m in New England now and that I can use my adult money to do things like take little road trips to fulfill a small childhood desire that’s lingered for over 20 years. I look up tickets for Orchard House and there was one left at the second-to-last time slot for the following day. Okay, now I HAVE to go.
Y’all know I’m a total dork, so yeah, I wore my Greta Gerwig t-shirt. I was curious if anyone would notice the connection and say anything. Here’s how it went:
Everyone around me in downtown Concord: Nothing
Everyone around me at Orchard House waiting in line: Absolutely nothing
Older woman behind the counter when I went to get my ticket: Hello, yes— OH, YOUR SHIRT!
She calls over another tour guide, she loves it too, and now they’re gushing about how great Greta was work with on the movie and how they filmed the schoolhouse scene on the property. The lady goes, “You HAVE to sit at the same desk where Florence sat!” and I’m all, “Oh, okay, sure!” Like, if we have time, maybe, whatever.
I sit in the back for a short film presentation. After it’s over, the tour guide explains how they filmed the schoolhouse scene in that very building. Then, to the entire group, she says, “Now, if you’ll please step to the side a moment, I have to take a photo of this young lady before we can begin the tour.” She gestures to me to come forward and I’m like, oh, okay, sure?! Like, we do have time, definitely, right now.
And that’s how I have half a dozen photos of myself sitting in a replica 1800s school desk where Florence Pugh once sat for a scene in the 2019 Little Women movie while off-camera, a dozen confused strangers stood around waiting for this photo shoot to finish. What can I say, it’s great. Of course, I cried when I saw LMA’s tiny writing desk where she wrote the book and I cried some more walking back to my car on that beautiful autumn day. A+ all around.
A couple weeks later, my friend Ariana put on this song as she gave me a ride to my car and I’ve been obsessed ever since. It’s lovely, makes me feel cozy, and reminds me of how the stories that mean so much to us as kids never really leave us.
Hot tip: Parking at Walden Pond costs $8 for someone from Massachusetts but $30 for out-of-state plates (a real Masshole move, IMO). However, it’s possible to park at the gift shop for at least 20 minutes without purchasing a damn thing. Do with this as you’d like.
“The Orange”
At lunchtime I bought a huge orange—
The size of it made us all laugh.
I peeled it and shared it with Robert and Dave—
They got quarters and I had a half.
And that orange, it made me so happy,
As ordinary things often do
Just lately. The shopping. A walk in the park.
This is peace and contentment. It’s new.
The rest of the day was quite easy.
I did all the jobs on my list
And enjoyed them and had some time over.
I love you. I’m glad I exist.
— Wendy Cope
Personal Recommendations: A much more affordable option to Oprah’s Favorite Things. Any typos are due to the dying battery on this laptop. The links to more of my nonsense can be found below if you want to check those out. A cup of coffee would be greatly appreciated and you can do that here or here. Love you all, take care! <3 <3
YKWIM #91: It made me so happy, as ordinary things often do