1. If you caught Matt’s birthday cake debacle on #jak_daily Monday night, here is the recipe that saved the day. Thank you Martha Stewart! This is also problematic because the recipe was so simple. Essentially you are always just 30 minutes and a few ingredients away from a warm, deep dish cookie skillet.
  2. Speaking of #jak_daily, I have been toying around with the idea of doing Week in the Life posts here and posting a bunch of the photos I take over the course of each week. In theory this maybe sounds like fun for you and will be a lot of work for me (but eventually rewarding? I hope?) But I worry that it may get repetitive with what you guys see on #jak_daily – if I EVER get caught up to date that is… Thoughts? Comments? Concerns? Let me know!
  3. I read a few of these Madame Clairevoyant horoscopes for the week and they all feel so relevant. I signed up for the newsletter to get them in my email every week and can’t wait.
  4. This marks my third week attempting to end the “quarantine diet” of snacks all day and millions of carbs. And no, not three weeks in. I mean three weeks of making it to Wednesday before I say “ah, maybe next week.” Help.
  5. This NYT op-ed was really eye-opening. Realizing what it will take financially for our favorite bars and restaurants to re-open in post-covid NYC is really shocking. Not to mention this article was written by the owner of a restaurant that has been deemed the maker of the best cosmo in NYC by both myself and NY Magazine! (To my 19th at 9 fam: I am gutted)
  6. My FitBit has gone through an entire wash and dry cycle in the pocket of my sweatpants two times in the last month and still works. Thankful for small blessings lately!
  7. This week I picked up So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo and it has been one of the most informative books I’ve read in a really long time, if not ever. I highly recommend it if you are looking to get more educated on racism in general. But also a great reminder to read books that teach you things. In a effort to use reading as an escape during these last few months, I had forgotten about reading to learn. It’s so rewarding and I need to do more of it.
  8. I think my family is single-handedly responsible for keeping our local Ralph’s open during this pandemic. I’m not exaggerating when I say that we order it at least twice a week – it is OUT OF CONTROL but we can’t stop. See also: more reasons for my failed attempts at ending the Quarantine Diet. *sigh*
  9. If you haven’t already seen this video that’s going around on Instagram, you need to. I promise you it is worth the five and a half minutes of your day.
  10. This weekend has almost felt normal in spite of everything that’s going on in the world. Whether it’s the fact that we’ve adjusted to this new “normal” or the fact that it’s finally feeling like summer, or the fact that we’ve just learned to make the best of it all, I am here for it. Bring on the normal.

Wishing you a happy Sunday and sending hugs if you need ’em (and even if you don’t.)

with love, jak