The Weekly Wrap: October 31, 2021

My brain is spent. The online conference I presented at was this week, my Friday was a full day of overlapping meetings, it was Spirit Week at our kiddo's daycare, both sets of grandparents are in town, and general work/life just continues. It was a lot and I felt like I was grasping at straws to keep track of it all.

So, instead of an incoherent introduction, let's jump straight to the Wrap.

Happy Halloween! ​🎃

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• If you're buying books for the holidays, choose backlist titles to avoid supply chain issues. [Popular Science]
• Stunning landscapes made from clay.  [kottke.org]
• A materials list syllabus for drafting and design. [Syllabus Project]
• The Dead Sea is disappearing. [ABC News]
• House plants that are hard to kill. [WaPo - gift link]
• Poaching is causing rapid evolution in African elephants. [Telegraph]
• TV shows are too damn dark to see. [The Audacity]
• The higher education lobby may have killed free community college. [New Republic]
• Millennial nostalgia alert - What's the story, Wishbone? [Book Riot]
• Green buildings can increase urban biodiversity and happiness. [Bloomberg CityLab]

• Language is always moving. [Hidden Brain]
• Do not sign me up for early dentistry. [Every Little Thing]
• Sea level rise is coming. Can we engineer our way out of disaster? [Hidden Brain]
• The long border between Canada and the US has led to some pretty interesting stories. [99% Invisible]
• The history and tastiness of Halloween. [Gastropod]

• You might still have time to whip up these adorable pumpkin rolls. [nm_meiyee]
• I am going to have to try my hand at making this french toast omelette sandwich. [The Cooking Foodie]

• My parents were in town this week and my mom made ropa vieja one night. She served it over rice with a side of black beans. It was delicious. Anything that includes olives is a winner in my book. [Food 52]
• I tried a new rosemary garlic rub for our salmon. I aced the garlic but I added too much rosemary. It came across as piney. We served the salmon with rice pilaf and roasted carrots, so at least our taste buds got a break from the rosemary. [Sitka Salmon Shares]