This morning the whole family ran the Cambridge Winter Classic 5k. It was a first for my mom, dad, and Charlotte. It’s a favorite race of mine because it’s the first formal race I ever ran (after my high school track career). It’s my fifth time running the course; my times have slowed way down since having Charlotte, but it still feels good to get out there. My family also did an amazing job – my parents especially beating their time goals, having fun and feeling great. Afterwards we celebrated with Jack’s Abby beer on the lawn until Charlotte got too cold (it was in the 30s), then went inside for brunch.
Here’s what I’m reading and eating this week:
You’ll Grow Out of It by Jessi Klein
The comedy kick continues, and Jessi Klein (a writer on Amy Schumer’s show) wrote a memoir that is a welcome addition to my 2016 reading list. About halfway through, I stopped assessing whether I liked the book or style and starting laughing. I’m pulling a few quotes worth sharing and remembering, although none of them are the funny bits. Here goes:
“And it occurred to me that imagining death must have been to me on some level less frightening than imagining living — i.e., going forward into this risky, terrifying unknown despite the possibility of failure.”
“And then [my father said], ‘Well, that doesn’t sound like much of a job at at all.’ And as soon as I heard that, even though I wrestled with it for a few more days, I knew I wouldn’t take the offer from Letterman. I hated myself for not taking it… when the next offer came, I took it… but it was a year later. It took me that full year to gather my confidence enough to leave.”
— I read this passage out loud to David. I’ve written before about the need to listen and amplify, and I’m encouraging him to read books written by women and POC. This passage exemplifies the need to so, because even reading about how other women relate to their fathers (in both positive and negative ways) will help him be a better father. And to get this perspective, it’s important he read it from the daughter’s point of view.
“Much is made of the modern phenomenon of FOMO – the fear of missing out – spawned by millions of Instagram and Facebook and Twitter photos of people having more fun than you, being closer to the ocean than you, showing off better tits and ass than you, standing closer to celebrities than you. You think, I wish I was there, not here. But then you get there. And you think, I thought here would be different. I thought it would be more like there. But it’s more like here again. And it never ends.”
— This resonated with me because I felt the need to know what work would look like after graduating from school, and now as I’ve gone back to grad school and embarked on my own business venture, I’ve found that yup, you never arrive at a final arrangement. While once this was scary, it actually feels kinda awesome now.
“There is a Zen saying that all men’s miseries derive from not being able to sit in a quiet room alone.”
Here’s what I’ve been cooking lately (in case you need meal planning or menu inspiration):
Saturday: Lobster bisque and shrimp scampi pasta
Sunday: Chickpea-quinoa burgers with kale salad (the burgers were a bit wet and came together with some difficulty, but they tasted good)
Monday: Leftover burgers and beets & berries salad (which was just OK)
Tuesday: Greek chicken and cabbage slaw pitas with sautéed green beans
Thursday: Pizza (exhausted)
Friday: Thai steak noodle bowl
