The Weekly Wrap: September 20, 2026

I started working at The University of the District of Columbia in 2018. After a decade at another university, I took the chance to hop into an outreach librarian position that was, literally, my ideal job. Every day, I get to do a mix of creative, scholarly, and  service work. 

During my research into the role and position, I learned a lot about the history of the institution and the community it serves. What I discovered showed me that this University was the place I needed to be. UDC is a mission driven HBCU that is the only public institution of higher education in the city. The student body is diverse which means I get to connect with students from all walks of life. 

Last spring, I happened to be around while The College Tour was filming an episode about UDC. On Friday, I finally got to see the show. Honestly, I teared up. The show features not only the story of our University, but the personal stories of some of our students. They are all amazing.

For years, UDC's reputation has not been the best in our city. But that reputation is not the University I know. It is not the students I know. We may be small, but we are mighty. Our students are driven, and they take what they learn back into the greater community. The College Tour perfectly captures the University I know and love.

A university doesn't need an Ivy league name to make an impact. I am proud to support our Firebirds, every day. 

---

• Learning to unfreeze. [The Atlantic - gift link]
• Maybe go check on your local culverts. [NYT - gift link]
• What kind of garlicky are you going for? [Serious Eats]

• It can be okay to quit. [Life Kit]
• Not your type. [99% Invisible]
• Plant milks have been around way longer than I thought. [Gastropod]
• Harvesting the ice. [Atlas Obscura]

• One thing I love about streaming services is that they make it so easy to watch foreign films. Facing el Chapo is Mexican crime thriller about the recapture of the drug lord El Chapo Guzman. It's an incredibly tight story told in only 90-minutes. The story structure keeps you guessing about whose side everyone is on until the end. [Netflix]
• The husband was scrolling for something to watch when he landed on the documentary Sour Grapes. It was later in the evening and I had no intention of sticking around for the whole thing. But the story sucked me in. It focuses on one man and how he inundated the high-end wine market with fraudulent bottles. I recommend watching this one while drinking a glass of your preferred red. [Amazon Prime]
• Pressure is another example of why we need more 90-minute movies. The short run time can make them better than 3-hour epics. The main character is the head meteorologist for the D-Day invasion. He had the hard decision of predicting the weather and making a "go" or "no go" call. It's quite good as a film but it does have the usual adapting history for a movie issues. I loved seeing Brendan Fraser as Dwight Eisenhower, but he comes off a bit too much like Rick O'Connell. [Peacock]
• We are a few episodes away from finishing the limited series, The Bombing of Pan Am 103. The writers humanize the story and forefront the victims and their families. Yes, there is still a lot of thriller and police procedural elements, but this one is mostly about the human impact. It's well acted and well produced. [Netflix]

• It's late in the season to be trying La Croix's PineApple CocoNut flavor, but the husband got his hands on the last pack at our local market. It takes like a tropical mocktail mixed with hints of sunscreen. I mean that positively! I wish we found this in the midst of summer. Would have been a great poolside option. [LaCroix]
• I don't know what I keep making stuffed peppers. They are not the easiest things to eat! But I did enjoy the flavors of falafel inspired stuffed peppers. While I was cooking, I discovered that our tahini had basically turned solid. I pivoted and made the sauce with lemon and hummus. It was fine, but the recipe's version would have been a lot better. [Real Simple]
• We're putting more dumpling recipes on the table because the kiddo is eating them... as long as they're steamed. I steamed her portion when I whipped up stir fried dumplings. I really like bok choy and should remember to cook with it more often. The chili crisp we used was a bit hotter than the last brand. The sauce was a touch spicy, but it worked. [WaPo - gift link]
• On Thursday, I had to work at my library's other location. Since I'd be arriving home late, we needed a quick dish that they husband can make while also helping the kiddo with her homework. Enter summer pea and roasted red pepper pasta. I made the roasted red pepper sauce the night before and stored it in the fridge. That made the actually cook just boiling the pasta and peas then mixing in the sauce. [My Evernote]