Meghan Kowalski - Blog

The Weekly Wrap: September 6, 2026

9/6/2026

There were two days in a row this week that I woke, unexpectedly, from a deep sleep before 6am. Pair that with an unplanned late night because of a rowdy thunderstorm and my brain was complete mush.

I dragged through the work day on Friday. Thank goodness it was a work from home day. I stayed in cozy clothes and drank some extra coffee. At one point, I caught myself just blinking at my laptop screen without comprehending anything. It was not the best day.

But now it's the middle of a long weekend and we're trying to soak in some extra pool time. It's not the last pool weekend of the season, but it might be the best chance left to savor a cooling dip in hot weather. Then again, DC always has a week in October that feels like July.

I'm still catching up on sleep so maybe a nap in the lounger by the pool is also warranted.

Plane taps. [WaPo - gift link]
The point of the pied-a-terre tax. [The Atlantic - gift link]
Alternatives to shopping when you're looking for a dopamine hit. [The Life Edit]
Handwriting, as much as I love it, is not a magical solution. [Engaged Learning Collective]
Halfway through reading this newsletter, I went to update my library's website. [Stop Making It Hard]
Crayfish are invading the Netherlands. [The Atlantic - gift link]

Dolly wrote the anthem for a movement that's still at work. [Planet Money]
Seashells are the story of humanity, earth, and our climate. [Short Wave]
Sports betting is not a sound investment strategy. [The Indicator]
1-800 history (and you'll likely get a jingle stuck in your head). [99% Invisible]

The Sheep Detectives is way better than it has any right to be. The premise is chaos. There's no way a movie about CGI sheep solving a murder should work. But it does. And it does it really well. This film is utterly charming. And the way the sheep actually solve the crime makes sense. [Amazon Prime]

I messed up making one-pan basil chicken meatballs with “orzotto." I skipped putting the lemon zest in the meatballs because I thought it would be unnecessary. Turns out, it was a vital flavor component. Also, I criminally under seasoned the meat mixture. But, aside from that, this one was good. The orzotto ends up being wonderfully cheesy. [Caroline Chambers]
I might have been trying to force fall with one pan apple cinnamon pork chops. I dropped the pork chops in the sous vide instead of searing them off. And I added the cloves to the apple and onion mixture. I did toss the pork back in the pan at the end to mix it all together. This dish made our kitchen smell like an autumnal wonderland, particular because I paired it with roasted sweet potatoes. [SkinnyMs]

Just Good Things: Update

9/4/2026

I'm continuing to rethink how I use this space. So I have opted to sunset this weekly post. Thank you for reading about all the things, big and small, that made me smile. I still believe in the power of remembering what makes you happy. But, I'm changing what I write here.

Have a great weekend!

The Weekly Wrap: August 30, 2026

8/30/2026

The news alerts were not kind this week.

When the notices about the passings of Dolly Parton, Tim Curry, and Yayoi Kusama landed in my inbox, I was genuinely sad.

I was not alone in my feelings.

People have shared widely about how each of these artists impacted their lives and communities. And those stories have been of uplift, recognition, and joy. In our grief, we shared the widespread influence of these amazing people. It's heartening to see nothing put positivity shared in those stories.

I think our grief is more profound because Parton, Curie, and Kusama were all creators. Not in the "content creators" trend of today, but in the true meaning of the word. They took their medium, whatever it was, and made something. They made us feel. They made us think. They made art where there was none before.

They were human. They made human things. And they shared their gifts with the world.

They will each be missed.

Hit the unsubscribe button. [The Life Edit]
The politics of a cinched waist. [NOTUS]

Following in the steps of Lewis and Clark. [Short Wave]
How the rocks moved. [Atlas Obscura]
This episode gave me a list of more adulting things to do. [The Savvy Patient]
Dolly left us a gift. [Atlas Obscura]

We finished The Last Ship. The final season was not the best, but I mean that more for production and plotting. The story was good, the writing punched above its weight, but the CGI was a dumpster fire. Missiles would explode and engulf things in flames, and then there would be no damage to the item hit. Also, the final scene is hokey fan service. I was okay with that. [Netflix]
Nashville leaves Netflix in a few weeks. Luckily, the husband didn't complain when I asked if I could binge the last two seasons as fast as possible. This show is purely a telenovella at this point. Once you use that framing it feels less over the top. The music continues to be the best part. [Netflix]

When I need a quick, weeknight dinner, it's hard to go wrong with shrimp and white beans with spinach and feta. The hardest (and most time consuming) part of this dish is peeling the shrimp. I would use a little less broth next time. It took a bit for that the cook down. [skinnytaste]
When I bought a bag of farro, I didn't think it would last forever. It seems to never end! To help use up more of the bag, I made chickpea, beet, and cucumber salad as my lunch meal prep. Aside from worrying about getting beet juice everywhere, this one is easy and tasty. But my cutting board does end up looking like a crime scene. [Eating Well]

Whenever I see one of those lifehacks online, I presume they are too good to be true. Because, often, they are. So I was amazed when the hack of microwaving corn on the cob was as easy as the internet claimed. I will never cook corn another way. This was so easy and you don't end up with silks stuck to everything. You do need to cut off the bottom row of corn though. I didn't do that with the first ear and it was a bit hard to shake off the husk. [inthekitchenwithmatt]

Just Good Things: August 28, 2026

8/28/2026

Every Friday, I make myself a big salad for lunch. I've been doing this for nearly a year and it still makes me happy.

Here's what else made me smile this week:

Kiddo is back to school (and in class with some of her besties)
Sushi dinner with my bestie
And perusing some bookstores after dinner
Found a flavored water I wanted to try in our neighborhood market
My brother popped into town for a quick visit
Having students back in the library
Managed to work out even when I wasn't in the mood
The husband waited to walk with my part of the way to work
Kiddo was sad when the first day of school was over

What I've Been Reading: August 27, 2026

8/27/2026

The Odyssey
Home (author), Emily Wilson (translator)

It’s a good thing I wasn’t expecting it to be like the movie, cause it’s not. Not at all. I'm a few books into the epic and there is far more involvement of the gods. And Odysseus hasn't even shown up yet! I'm enjoying Wilson's translation choices. Her more modern prose is making the text easily readable and well paced.

*Books shared here are affiliate links for Bookshop.org

The Weekly Wrap: August 23, 2026

8/23/2026

During my solo week at home, I ended up watching a few movies that were pure nostalgic picks.

I can't say they all held up after a few decades, but one thing hit unexpectedly: the end credit songs. When the screen turned to the scroll and the song kicked in, my brain was back to when I first watched these films. It was a wonderful feeling!

I was shocked by how I still knew the lyrics. Since no one was around, I ended up singing along. It's amazing what musical memories can do to you. I think I might need to make a playlist of these songs for when I need some good vibes.

Which end credit song do you remember most?

When movie theaters found air conditioning. [PetaPixel]
The value of keeping the score. [WaPo - gift link]

The knotty story of knitting, crochet, and lace. [Articles of Interest]
The climate change fighting power of beavers. [Up First]
AI is making scamming easier, but there are signs to help you avoid being a victim. [Booming]
Everything you probably didn't want to know about ticks. [Wellness, Actually]

One of my nostalgic movie watches was Ever After. This film holds up! More two decades later, I can still quote half the script. Drew Barrymore isn't your typical princess pick, but this movie isn't your typical Cinderella. It's way more feminist and creative. I love it. I can't wait to show this one to my kiddo. [Disney+]
I've been meaning to watch The Last Duel for some time. I kept putting it off because I couldn't get over Ben Affleck's bad blonde dye job. But the Ridley Scott direction and medieval historical setting won out. The story structure was interesting. The film is split into three parts and told from each of the main characters point of view. I liked how they showed different interpretations of the same scenes. Jodie Comer is phenomenal in her role as Marguerite. [Amazon]
I managed to squeeze in one documentary this week, What's the Story, Wishbone. Growing up, this was one of my favorites. I never realized just how much effort was put into the creation of this children's show. That care is why it was so good. It was bittersweet to hear that the show ended because it was a victim of its own success. Wishbone was too good, and too highly produced to survive an every day format. It needs a revival. [Amazon]

Before my solo week at home, I swung by Trader Joe's to pick up some things. While I was there, I remembered to grab an item I wanted to try: strawberry brioche style Liège waffles. I expected them to be crunchy. They're much softer but still firm. I liked the flavor, but getting these once was enough. They're a bit sweet. [Trader Joe's]
For some reason, I've been craving a cold shrimp salad. I had a pre-made one on a vacation years ago. It was so good and I've wanted to recreate it. I didn't recall the exact flavor but this Italian shrimp salad seemed like it would come close. I made sure to cook and chill the shrimp before mixing all the ingredients. This one got better the longer it sat in the fridge. I think the shrimp marinated more deeply in the dressing. [Skinny Taste]
Apparently I wanted seafood and cold things this week. I also made crab and corn salad. Our store did not have the chili pepper the recipe called for and nothing available looked like a good substitute. After tasting the mixture, it needed the heat for the flavor kick. I mixed in some red pepper. It worked but the actual pepper would have been better. [SkinnyMs]
Continuing my seafood selections, I rolled into smoked salmon flatbread at the end of the week. This is basically a bagel and lox. There's a bit more to it than that, but not much. It goes really well with a nice champagne. [Real Simple]

Just Good Things: August 21, 2026

8/21/2026

Today is the last full day in my solo week at home. As much as I miss my family, I will also miss this alone time. I don't often get our space to myself and it has been nice. As an introvert, this has been healing. Which is good, cause the chaos of the new school year starts Monday.

Here's what made me happy:

Work providing lunch twice
Enjoying my favorite bottle of wine
Hearing the end credit songs from old movies I used to love
Reading while soaking in a hot bath
Texting with the husband
Caught my error with travel planning before it became a big problem
Getting pictures of the kiddo's vacation week
Knocking lots of movies off my watch list

Kid Reads: August 20, 2026

8/20/2026

I've decided to sunset this series.

After several years of sharing what I've loved reading with the kiddo, she's doing more reading on her own. We still read together, but the era of nightly books is slowly coming to an end. Books will always be a part of her life. We will read to her for as long as she'll tolerate. But now it's time for her take over her own biblio-story.

Maybe, when she's older, I'll have her start writing guest pieces on what she's enjoyed.

Thanks for following!

The Weekly Wrap: August 16, 2026

8/16/2026

Intro is going to be short this week. Normally, I take this week of the year off. (Everyone deserves a vacation.) But, I forgot to block it out in my calendar, and this post was already half written. So you get a (slightly shorter) Wrap! Just not a real intro. Cause I don't wanna.

Enjoy the links!

Do we need to bring back color? [The Atlantic - gift link]
Racoons are friend-shaped but probably shouldn't be pets. [The Atlantic - gift link]
We're doing our children a disservice by not letting them explore their independence early. Their world keeps shrinking. [NYT - gift link]

Is there an age roadblock in the labor market? [Planet Money]
It can be worthwhile to see where your time actually goes. [Life Kit]
Things are really not going well. [The Daily]
The bots blocking you from touching grass. [Booming]

While my family was here, my dad wanted to check out what our local PBS station offered. We ended up watching a documentary Barry Farm. This is an historic slave plantation, turned public housing, turned displacement for development neighborhood of Anacostia. It was a fascinating look at the history of a few blocks of my city. Also, I can think of several professors who could use this in their courses this year. [Empower DC]

I got my hands on some limited edition cinnamon bun Oreos. They were a disappointment. The flavor was too subtle. I was expecting a center of a gooey, warm cinnamon bun experience. Instead, I got a golden Oreo with a hint of cinnamon. They weren't bad tasting, just way too quiet for my liking.
When I saved Parisian gnocchi with roasted cherry tomatoes, corn, and zucchini, I didn't read the entire recipe first. Rookie mistake. I didn't realize that this dish called for you to make gnocchi from scratch. That wasn't happening. So my dish became "inspired by." I used store bought mini gnocchi, tossed everything on a sheet pan, and tossed it in the oven. Much easier and still delicious. [Serious Eats]

Just Good Things: August 14, 2026

8/14/2026

This week, I got to grant my kiddo's wish: visiting our local kitty cafe. She was finally old enough. My parents were in town so we all went out to spend 70 minutes petting and playing with adorable cats. It's been a long time since I've gotten to snorgle a fluffy. One of them was named Miss Fuzzy Pants. It was perfect.

Here's what else made me happy:

I drove new to me roads and didn't freak out!
Finally got all of the electronic recycling out of our home
Kiddo's giggles when she played with her grandpa
New robot vacuum! This one is smarter and we can watch it work on a map.
Tasty leftovers - enough for two lunches and a dinner
We tried a new local restaurant. It was tasty. The kiddo ate 8 steamed dumplings!
Kiddo kept waving to the restaurant's robot waiter
Chatting with my family while sitting pool side
Waiting out the worst of a thunderstorm