The Weekly Wrap: September 26, 2021

If the weather pattern is any indication, fall is (finally!) here.

Let's ignore the fact that global warming is lengthening summer to the detriment of all other seasons, and just relish this cooling time of year. It may be "basic" but I don't care. I love fall. I am that woman wearing a scarf, carrying a pumpkin spice coffee (not a latte - never lattes), and shuffling her feet happily though the fallen leaves.

Here is why I love fall:

• Goodbye DC humidity.
• The trees change into a riot of glorious colors.
• Apple cider donuts.
• No more mosquito bites.
• Open windows all day and night.
• Wearing long sleeves but pushing the arms up to my elbows and being perfectly comfortable.
• Football and hockey are back.
• Back to school vibes (and supply shopping)
• Feeling like it's a good time to start a long non-fiction book.
• More slow cooker meals.
• Wearing a hoodie and yoga pants and curling up under a blanket on the couch to veg with a binge watch, binge read, or the internet.
• Those cute little tiny gourds and pumpkins.

What do you love (or hate) about fall.

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• There are too many managers. [The Atlantic]
• Insurers are reinstating cost sharing for COVID. Meaning, if you get sick, you could now face huge bills. [WaPo]
• How to get the most out of an academic conference. [Chronicle of Higher Ed]
• When it comes to free time, the duration needs to be just right. [WaPo]
• "Borders are incredibly arbitrary and we make equally arbitrary decisions about who we allow within those borders." [The Audacity]
• First - stop banning books. Second - the kids get it! [CNN]
• Ban homework! [Is My Kid the Asshole]

• A score composer you likely don't know by name but do know by ear. [The Daily]
• People should just stop interrupting. But, if they don't, here are some ways to be heard. [Life Kit]
• What we think when we think like a group. [Hidden Brain]
• We need to stop demonizing laziness. [Life Kit]
• Why is there a stop sign here? [Planet Money]
• At what level of celebrity do we take away the right to free speech? [By The Book]

• I knew I would eventually watch The Chair because it is my life. I am an academic librarian. This show, while dramatized, is so damn accurate it's scary... and sad... and hilarious. It's a short season with short episodes - easily binged in one or two days. Also, just give Sandra Oh all the awards. [Netflix]
• Halloween is not a holiday I have strong feelings about. That said, I do love all the Halloween cooking and baking competitions that pop up on Food Network. It's amazing what people can carve out of pumpkins and make with cake or sugar. Someone needs to explain to me what exactly modeling chocolate is. Does it actually taste like chocolate? [Food Network]

• In my bullet journal is a list of things I want to try to do. One of those things was cook with tofu. This week, I finally did it. I made these peanut tofu noodle bowls and they were a hit. I thought the kiddo would eat the noodles and nothing else. She surprised us by eating several cubes of tofu and lots of cucumber. Next time I make these, I am doubling the amount of sauce. [Budget Bytes]
• Meatless Monday this week was butternut squash and black bean tacos. I used frozen butternut squash which made this a fast meal. The downside was the squash did not hold it's cube shaped so the overall texture of the dish was mushy. We had some pickled red onions on hand and those made a great extra topping in addition to the goat cheese. [Real Simple]
• One pot dishes are some of my favorite. This one pot beef and mushroom stroganoff comes together in about half an hour. I would recommend adding some peas. It feels like this dish needs peas. [Budget Bytes]

• During football/hockey season, I like to be "productive" while watching the games. (If it's a Notre Dame game, I need something to destress my mind to keep me from yelling at the television.) One project I tackled this week was scanning a bunch of documents and our kiddo's artwork pile. I also got around to filing stuff in our fire safe... it's only been a year or so since I last did that.