Gemini season has come to claim me as its rightful prey. As you read this, I'm on summer break in Seattle. I'm celebrating my birthday, eating lots of salmon, watching whales and generally slinking around misty corners looking moody.
The newsletter will be dark next week for the above marine-related reasons. Until I return, here are a few current summer loves. Let me know what you're loving!
Jammy eggs
I'm on a mission to make perfect jammy eggs and slap them on everything. Toast, soups, pasta, eggs on eggs. Bon Appétit suggests six minutes and 30 seconds. Seven minutes on a simmer left my whites too soft. Eight minutes on a medium boil left my yolks too hard. My next stab will be seven minutes on a medium boil. This is the kind of cutting-edge commentary for which you come to this space.
Book light
My husband got me this book light for Mother's Day (I'm a stepmom, so we call it StephMom's Day). It wraps around your neck and has adjustable arms. You can aim light at the book without having to clip on a clunky device. The bonus perk is that it serves as a quasi-headlamp, lighting the way for all kinds of activities: nail polish, crafts, spelunking into the kitchen in search of a handful of crackers, a wedge of cheese, a sliver of cake, a forkful of cold pasta and a refrigerated jammy egg. Or something like that.
'Widow's Bay'
Our favorite show at the moment is this pitch-black horror comedy on Apple TV starring Matthew Rhys of "The Americans." Some people don't understand that it's a comedy, which both baffles me and leads me to believe this show is for an extremely narrow demographic of nerd (hi). "Widow's Bay" is hilarious, I'm sorry. It's a satire of so many genres of horror with references to "Halloween," "Jaws," "The Shining, "It" and more. The show is particularly fond of sending up Stephen King; real fans only need one glimpse at the promotional font to know that.
'Pop Culture Jeopardy!'
Regarding nerds, let me sink into the cushions and shout answers in the direction of "Pop Culture Jeopardy!" on Netflix, OK? Just leave me to my own little bar trivia night minus the bar. Turn off the lights. Do not ask any questions when you hear "Megan Thee Stallion!" or "Stephen Sondheim!" flow from the crook of the couch in the vicinity of a book light casting a glow upon a plate of jammy eggs.
Gallimaufry
I stopped into this vintage furniture store in Lutz last weekend. OH MY GOD. It's so cool. It's spacious and well-organized with treasures big and small. The music was exclusively 80s prom, which tickled my brain nicely, and I thought the prices were fair. Gallimaufry, only open Saturdays and Sundays, describes its offerings as "mid-century, post-mod, traditional and whatever was in your grandma's house that she needed to get rid of when she downsized to a condo." Exactly my vibe. I didn't buy anything, but I've had a piece of art on my mind since we left. I might be heading back to Lutz real soon.
