The Weekly Wrap: October 26, 2025

Earlier this week, I opened our front door to discover that we had been "Boo-ed!" Hanging on our doorknob was a goodie bag of treats clearly meant for our kiddo. I brought it inside for her to find when she got home from school. She delighted in the surprise.

Included in the bag were two pieces of paper. The first shared that we had been "boo-ed!" and ask us to pass along the joy to two additional neighbors. There was also a sign to hang on our door so others knew we'd already taken part.

Some unknown resident in our building started this trend, and I am so grateful they did. Our kiddo not only loved the unexpected treat, she delighted in picking out goodies to give to others. She found just the right things to give to two neighbors - one who is a friend from school and another who happens to be her babysitter. She insisted on delivering the bags herself. It was adorable seeing her walk up to each door on tip-toes with a whispered voice so as to not ruin the surprise.

Want to try it? Here's a website sharing how.

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• Not eating the last bite. [Serious Eats]
• And don't get me started on the DRM! [The Atlantic - gift link]
• I love it when Nikon Comedy Wildlife Photography awards time comes around. [PetaPixel]
• It takes time to read this comic, but it's worth it. [xkcd]
• The crime that, somehow, doesn't quite feel like one. [Men Yell at Me]

• When those in power try to control the information landscape. [The Daily]
• The battle to uphold sanctions while protecting the environment. [Planet Money]
• Adding this to my to-do list. [CityCast DC]
• Why the stock market is on the rise while the economy, overall, feels like trash. [The Daily]
• Ingenuity is resistance. [The Kitchen Sisters]
• The fashion industry and the US military are incredibly intertwined. [Articles of Interest]
• The power of sonic branding. [Planet Money]

• Only Murders in the Building continues to delight. At this point, I just let the fact that it is stuffed with too many celebrities just wash over me. Who cares if it's unnecessary? It's fun to see these faces all together. I really enjoy how they keep expanding the world of The Arconia in ways that (mostly) make sense.  Also, the early episode that starts as a faux documentary of NYC doormen was exceptional. I would watch a real documentary of that if one was made. [Hulu]

• Some time ago, the husband received a "spice calendar" as a gift. Each month had a different spice packet plus a recipe. We're slowly working our way through the mixes and, this week, I made braised chicken and lentils. The featured spice was berbere which I've never had. It has a heat to it but in a warming way. We liked it enough for me to digitize the recipe. My only complaint is that lentils always take longer to cook than the recipe says. [My Evernote]
• I found a new way to make gnocchi! Crispy gnocchi with tomato sauce and peas is a tweak on a way we normally make them. I skipped the pan cooking and opted to bake the gnocchi since that's what we like. We also skipped the arugula but I bet that would be a good peppery addition. [TASTE]
• Since our sweet stash was running low, I randomly grabbed a shareable bag of peanut butter and jelly M&Ms. Kiddo was not a fan, but her father and I were. These are a nice spin on the traditional peanut butter M&Ms. We think they just threw some freeze dried fruit into the mix. That gave a nice pop of brightness and tart. [M&Ms]