Plain plate of noodles with a little bit of butter
Hi friends, thanks for letting this newsletter come to you a few days late. Last week was great but a little frenetic, so when I got home from Colorado on Sunday afternoon, I decided to just chill and go to evening church and read Dune and wash my hair. And I’ve been better for it.
Here’s the scuttlebutt, I am working my way through my second Hello Fresh box, and I like it; I’m not totally sold. It was so nice to come home Sunday evening and have semi-prepped, semi-healthy meals waiting to be cooked. They keep sending me these e-mails like “time is running out to send your friends free boxes!” and I don’t know if they’re actually free, but if you’ve been wanting to try, get in touch and I’ll put you in the “e-mail your friends a free box” thing, there’s supposedly eight boxes, so your odds are good. This is the referral link that I think you still get a $40 discount, but I also get a kickback. I’m not a Hello Fresh truther yet, so feel free to scoop up the free boxes.
All that to say, this evening I am not H-Freshin’ it, and instead am enjoying a plain plate of noodles with a little bit of butter.
This sentence now has links to the 100th issue master spread sheet, my instagram, my Outdoor Voices referral link, and old issues of the newsletter.
Number One: Work Tennies
Each of the last three falls I’ve tried to invest in some fall work shoes. First I got the Madewell Frances Loafers (dollars per wear less than a penny, these shoes rock), last year I got some Everlane heels (dollars per wear probably like $20, I slide around, and they make my feet look weirdly small), and this year I bought these Madewell tennies because who knows how long casual dress at work will last, so I’m going to take advantage.
These shoes are in the same category as my Athleta Sculptex pants, like I put them on and I feel sexy and unstoppable and like I can do cool jumps. Plus yesterday my boss’s boss complimented them, so I felt justified in wearing tennies on a Monday.
Number Two: Reply All discusses who QAnon probably is
If you are like “what on earth are you talking about?” I recommend this primer on the QAnon conspiracy theory.
If you are like “I know a little bit, but this situation needs some peace” I HIGHLY recommend last week’s ReplyAll Episode. They present (in my opinion) a very convincing theory of who could be behind the QAnon drops - or at least who gate-keeps them. It’s all very side of the internet I don’t hang out on, so I really appreciated the context. After my deep dive a few weeks ago, I sort of felt overwhelmed by all that I didn’t know, but also the goofiness of it. This podcast episode felt a little bit like when they discover the Bigfoot suit in a guy’s garage.
Number Three: Bookin’ It with Sacred Road
If you are looking to make an impact with an Indigenous community, look to further than Sacred Road’s Bookin’ It fundraiser.
I visited Sacred Road in Yakama, Washington in 2017 with my RUF students - it was maybe the only time I’ve been on a short term mission trip and thought “it’s actually really good that short terms missions are happening here, and we’re actually making an impact.” I whole-heartedly believe in the work Sacred Road is doing in White Swan, and this is a cool project that’s helping kids who are way under-resourced.
Number Four: Ginsburg and Scalia really were pals
This morning I was talking with a friend about the state of the Supreme Court and I said, “If our friendship survives another Supreme Court nomination, that’s God.”
I loved this Op-Ed on the genuine friendship of between Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia.
It has sometimes been suggested that the media loved the friendship between Ginsburg and Scalia even more than the justices themselves. But it was quite real. As the awful news of Ginsburg’s death spread, one of Scalia’s sons shared a story I’d never heard before, about how his father once bought her two dozen roses on her birthday. When one of Scalia’s former clerks, Jeffrey Sutton, asked him why, given that she never gave him the vote he needed on a 5-4 case of any significance, Scalia replied: “Some things are more important than votes.”
It’s hard to remember sometimes that political disagreements, in the not-too-distant past, weren’t necessarily cause to retreat into our respective corners, and that ideological differences weren’t viewed as moral defects.
Number Five: 3-1-1
More than one person asked me how they too can get a “street been put back in” e-mail from the city of Kansas City, so let me introduce you to 3-1-1. You can call 311 for general city services, or go to the website to report stuff.
In my experience calling is best for when you need something done with some immediacy and you have time to be on hold for 30 minutes. And the website is great for stuff like pot holes. Don’t e-mail Quinton Lucas or your council rep, I have my opinions on their productivity…
Don’t get me started on Kamala Harris talking about fixing pot holes as a common grace, but here in KCMO we pay that stupid earnings tax, so make the city work for you! Get your street been put back in! Call about the construction company that has illegally blocked off the street then call the construction company and point out they don’t have a permit and you can and will call the authorities if they don’t move out the way! Complain about the red light that takes too long!
As promised, here’s the link to Ticket to Ride. Congratulations to Five Things reader, Andrew, who is now registered to vote! Are you registered? Do you have a plan?