I've had a note to clean our HVAC unit sleeves on my to-do list for 4 months. The note to change the batteries in our smoke detectors just hit 5 weeks. I've been meaning to replace the screen protector on my phone since I cracked it over Thanksgiving. 

All of these items are neatly listed in my bullet journal. I just keep transferring them to new task lists each month. None of the items is immediately pressing. There's no real problem if I don't get to them - but they do need to get done. If I were to put them in an Eisenhower matrix they would be listed as important but not urgent. That's why I keep procrastinating them. 

These are strictly needle list items that are going to nag at me until I get tackle them. If I didn't already have annual leave scheduled for a friends getaway this month, I would put a vacation day on my calendar just to handle some life maintenance.

Maybe in March...

What items are on your needle list?

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Last night, I started reading the most recent book in the Dark Olympus series by Katee Robert. Midnight Ruin follows Eurydice, Orpheus, and Charon. It’s too early for me to have an opinion on the story, but I am excited to dive back into this world.

Earlier this week, I read The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Deya Muniz. It’s a graphic novel with a sapphic romance and a lot of cheese puns. It was a delight.

*Books shared here are affiliate links for Bookshop.org

• YouTube is essential infrastructure now. [The Atlantic - may be paywalled​]

• This entire thread about an object in space is an absolute delight. [@latifnasser]

• "Zoning has induced the housing equivalent of a famine." [The Deleted Scenes]

• Explaining statistical significance. [Parent Data]

• Most of us have a laundry chair. [WaPo - gift link]

• A "hack" to communicate more effectively. [HBR - may be paywalled]

• American parents are overthinking it. [How to Keep Time]

• The hidden Emily Dickinson. [The Kitchen Sisters Present]

• The transcendence of church, kink, and magic mushrooms. [Code Switch]

• How do you memorialize a pandemic? [99% Invisible]

• Naked mole rats at war. [Short Wave]

• You don't have to be partnered but the world is not built for singlehood. [How to Keep Time]

• Your appendix has a purpose! [Short Wave]

• This is probably the third or fourth time I've seen this writer talking to her romance heroine and it's perfect every time. [@jillbearup]

• I remember when Gerard Butler was an art house actor in Scotland. (If you haven't seen Dear Frankie, go watch it. It's excellent.) Since then, he's completely sold out to become a typical Hollywood action movie star and, you know, that's totally fine with me. We watched Hunter Killer. It wasn't a "good" movie but it was an enjoyable submarine action flick. The submarine work on this is legit. In many scenes I think they used an actual navy crew. Everything else felt Hollywood in comparison to those scenes. [Netflix] 

• The husband and I both wanted to watch Dumb Money after we saw the trailer. It was slower than we thought it would be but there were hints of The Social Network to the writing and storytelling. The structure and setting development really bring you back to those early, pre-vaccine days of the pandemic. The movie also reminds you just how rigged the economy is. Money protects money. [Netflix]

• Queenpins had the comedy vibe we were originally expecting to see in Dumb Money. It follows two women as they defraud dozens of companies through a coupon scheme. It was a real-life (and creative!) criminal enterprise. They are eventually caught and that process is played off like a buddy cop comedy. Vince Vaughan plays a postal inspector and it feels like he phoned this one in. The rest of the cast holds up. [Netflix]

• For my lunch meal prep, I made cold tahini noodles with vegetables. I accidentally purchased vacuum-packed udon noodles when it called for dried, but I don't think it made a huge difference. The bigger change was how I adjusted the sauce for my taste. I amped up the tahini, rice wine vinegar, and chili-garlic sauce. It was a bit tangier and spicier than what the recipe called for - just how I like it. [WaPo - gift link]

• The husband requested a pot roast for dinner. We haven't had one in several years. I threw New England style pot roast into our slow cooker and let it simmer all day. Our grocery store didn't have turnips so I added extra potatoes. We served this with slices of sourdough bread to dip in the jus. Delicious. This made a lot so we have leftovers waiting for us in the freezer. [andie mitchell]

This is present me to past me most work days. [Hedger Humor]

Not sure what to make for dinner? My Fridge Food can help! Check off the ingredients you have and get back a list of recipes. You can use the website online or download an app. Create an account to bookmark recipes that look good.

I’ve got a calendar full of candidate interviews. This week is going to be a mix of excitement and exhaustion.