Probably This Week (February 12, 2020)
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Good morning and howdy do! In the words of Elizabeth Warren at every speech she’s ever given, I’m “fired up!!!” thanks to an early start on my second cup of coffee.
I hope you’re having a good week. This past weekend we went to our first parade of the Mardi Gras season! Around this time of year, we often have a lot of folks from out of town ask about how Mardi Gras works–whether it’s just a day or a week etc–because I guess it is kinda confusing. So, if you don’t know, think of Mardi Gras season like Christmas season.
About a month before “the big day,” hype builds up and there are parties and celebrations. In the case of Mardi Gras, there are parades around the city in the two to three weeks leading up to Mardi Gras day, which is “Fat Tuesday.” On Fat Tuesday, the whole city erupts in parades and celebrations that look a million different ways. In some parts of the city it’s very family friendly, some parts just looks like your standard St. Patrick’s Day-esque drunkenness, and in some parts you can watch a bunch of free spirits dance in the streets on stilts and in full makeup. The world really, really is your oyster. If you’re visiting New Orleans, check out our New Orleans guide which has all of our favorites!
So, anyway, this parade we went to this past weekend was Krewe du Vieux. Compared to a lot of the huge uptown parades, it’s pretty tiny, but its members put so much work into creating outrageous floats that are usually political and always perverted. We got to watch it with a few of our best friends and then finish the night off trying on bejeweled wedding veils. It was a good time!
Other than that, we’ve been working on a few projects around the house, cheering for Parasite’s massive win at The Oscars, and drooling over the number of folks making our Valentine’s Day scones. It’s always really touching when we post something (a recipe, or DIY) and like the next day several people are sending us pics of their recreation, so seeing how many friends made the Raspberry White Chocolate V Day Scones really made my weekend!!! Y’all!!!
Our actual plans for Valentine’s Day is a party with friends to celebrate another friend’s birthday. You know what’s funny? Almost every romantic “day,” including our anniversaries, we’ve spent with one or a few of our best friends. Several of our anniversaries we’ve spent by going out to a nice dinner with a bff. It’s kinda become a tradition, actually, and I really like it? We spend so much time day-to-day celebrating our love and lives together because we… live and work together and post about all of it online for an audience… so when we want to celebrate * us * in a special way, it’s always been fun for us to include our bffs in that. Weird personal traditions are weird and personal, right?
Right.
Weekly reading and new blog posts below!
Weekly Reading
First: A long, good read. There’s been an uptick of anti-Chinese rhetoric in response to the coronavirus, and a lot of it seems to just be bringing to light pre-existing xenophobia. This article in Bon Appetit explores that xenophobia—including a French newspaper headline “Yellow Peril?”—through the lens of Wuhan’s signature dish, re gan mian, it’s such a good read and I’ve been so impressed by the in-depth pieces Bon Appetit has been putting out lately. As Coronavirus Panic Spreads, I Went in Search of Wuhan’s Defining Dish (via Bon Appetit)
Second: Look, I get it, you love me but you don’t understand why I support Bernie Sanders so strongly! I’m just kidding you probably don’t love me. Anyway, this (admittedly biased) article does a good job of laying out some un-biased facts and feelings that I feel really reflect why I support the straight old white man! Mainstream Democrats Shouldn’t Fear Bernie Sanders (via Vox)
Then: It’s 2020 and in this day and age we root for people!!! Macauly Culkin Sounds Like He’s Doing Great and Honestly? Good for Him. (via Vice)
Also also: Sometimes you just can’t help but be in awe. That’s how I’m feeling about Vashti Harrison and her new series: Little Legends, an illustrative story book profiling the successes of exceptional black men in history—focusing on a lot of names you may have never even heard of. It’s meant for kids but looks like it would be great for adults as well. Read more here: Little Legends Celebrates Big Lives of Black History (via NPR) or purchase the book here: Little Legends: Exceptional Men in Black History.
Finally: Things I’ve drooled over this week, a comprehensive list. These chukka boots in “wheat suede,” this set of affordable dog bandanas (I want Fox to have a bandana for each season, okay?), and all chocolate from Tony’s Chocolonely—after trying their tasty af product and learning about their commitment to slavery-free chocolate, I’m a stan for life.
Finally finally: While I know I’ve made up my mind re: primary election candidate, maybe you’re undecided and maybe you just want to read a piece that sheds light on that feeling, and maybe you’ll enjoy this one… Nevertheless, She’s Undecided (via The Atlantic)