The Weekly Wrap: March 10, 2024

This week, I had to submit my annual faculty portfolio. This is in addition to the promotion portfolio I submitted several months ago. It's a lot of work. It frustrates me every year. This year was no different. But, it's always a good reminder about just how much I've managed to accomplish. 

Plus, gathering all my "evidence" requires me to deep dive into my email. This includes my folder of happy emails. 

About two years ago, I started saving all the positive feedback students and faculty send me. At first, I did this so I could "prove my impact" in my portfolio. While I still do that, I mostly use this as pick-me-up on hard days. I like to open that folder and read all the good messages. Even re-reading just one message can help improve my day.

Do you have a happy emails folder?

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• I think all that chopping can make some sandwiches tastier. [EATER]
• We're only just now studying women's bodies for science. [Culture Study]
• The reasons we procrastinate. [A Cup of Ambition]
• Fresh herbs belong in salad. [The Department of Salad]
• I am here for more train travel. [AP News]
• Digital rot is real and dangerous. [Nature]

• I started a new podcast this week, Noble Blood. It looks at various royals and royal adjacent figures throughout history. The first episode, about the death of Marie Antoinette, is a good beginning. Great audio storytelling. I'm going to enjoy this series. [Noble Blood]
• We need the everglades. [Up First]
• Eradicating giant African land snails from Florida - one by one. [Atlas Obscura]
• The intellectual property of pizza. [Gastropod]
• The influential Pope who never existed. [Noble Blood]
• Some tips to find more sustainable seafood. [Life Kit]
• The Oscars aren't actually about what is best. [Planet Money]

• Just as I did with the book, I struggled with the ending of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. The flip from "good" Coriolanus to bad is just hard to believe. The movie struggled with that same narrative issue. You have to like him to be invested in the film but we know how his story ends. Despite this, it was a well done movie in terms of bringing the early world of The Capitol to light. The costume design draws heavily from from 20s/30s, pre-war wardrobe. Same goes for the set design. Those choices very much set the stage for the cruelty to come. [Amazon Prime]
• We wrapped up season two of Leverage: Redemption. My favorite episode was the one where the main cast ended up being the side story. It was just a lot of well done storytelling and staging. Also, the writers love to drop little jokes and bits of wit. If you get it, it's hilarious and adds a lot to the characters. If you don't, those moments sail past you but don't affect the story. I love that type of smart writing. [Amazon Prime]

• We haven't eaten ravioli in forever. I put tomato ravioli on the meal plan and the husband whipped it up. We skip the sheet pan step and just cook the tomato mix in a skillet. It's a bit faster without sacrificing flavor. This one tastes a lot more complex than the few ingredients would have you think. [Cooking Light]
• After out ski trip, we came home with an extra carton of eggs. As much as I love always having eggs around, two dozen of them is a bit much. I opted to hard boil a bunch and turned them in to egg salad. I took this to work as my lunch prep and it was great. I should do it more often. Also, life hack, don't dice your eggs - smash them with a potato masher. [Serious Eats]