The Weekly Wrap: September 11, 2022

The day the queen died, I was presenting a webinar. The news broke a few hours before the session was scheduled to start. On a day that is considered historic, it felt weird not saying anything. But, I'm an American citizen. She's not my queen. Also, aside from the fact that royalty are highly photographed, there were no ties to the content I meant to cover.

I chose to not say anything. While I came to that decision on my own, I did discuss it with my colleagues and the webinar organizers. Everyone seemed to be of the same mind. Yes, this is a moment we'll remember, but there's really no need to offer a response.

The next day, I opted to walk over to the British Embassy because it's not far from where we live. I was just curious and had no real intentions in mind. The press were numerous. As it was early, I was one of the few "regular folks" there. Three reporters approached me at once to ask if I would like to share my comments. While I have "thoughts" about the Queen and the monarchy in general, I declined. I didn't feel the need to share those thoughts beyond discussions with those I know.

As a constantly online person, when certain things happen I always have the urge to respond. But I have a rule that I need to wait at least a few hours. What happens is that gut reaction often disappears and I find that my voice is not one that needs to share. Yes - certain things I will opine on but, more often than not, I find that it's best to not comment.

At what point do you comment on important events? 

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• Another example of why toxic masculinity is dangerous. [Vox]
• Sand: The precious natural resource you probably didn't know we were running out of. [BBC]
• A meditation in visualizing sounds. [Syllabus]
• If we tried to make suburbs today, the NIMBYs would vote against them. [The Deleted Scenes]
• How to open a can without a can opener. [Lifehacker]
• A fascinating history of the poodle skirt. [@HottyCouture]

• Where the money you pay for gas goes. [Planet Money]
• The town with a lot of historical plaques. [Atlas Obscura]

• I'm still not sure what I think about ​The Man From Toronto. It's an action comedy but it's also a little bit weird and over the top. Kevin Hart plays a screwup up who is mistaken for an assassin for hire. Woody Harrelson plays the actual assassin. It's definitely entertaining but, beyond that, I'm not sure what to think. [Netflix]

• Two steaks we cut off a beef tenderloin have been sitting in our freezer for longer than I care to think about. We sous vided them and then seared them off with a bourbon smoked spice blend someone gifted us. On the side, I made a new gnocchi and green bean dish. It all worked really well together. [Real Simple]
• I love a quick meal and zucchini sausage ravioli is super fast. We used uncased Italian sausage which makes this dish a cinch. We have a new non-stick pan and it gave the zucchini a wonderful golden hue. [Budget Bytes]