Earlier this week, we were watching Felicity. A random character shared that he has this theory that everybody was better than everyone else at three things. While I don't agree with that theory, it did prove to be an interesting conversation prompt . What would our three things be?

After some deliberation, I landed on the following:

• Spatial Reasoning - I am fantastic at figuring out how things fit into spaces. I will make it fit and I will keep it accessible based on usage scenarios. When it comes to packing a fridge, pantry, or closet, get out of my way because I am better at it than you.

• Public Speaking - I freely admit that this skill is because I have an overabundance of confidence in  myself.... and that plays well in front of an audience. I am not afraid to be on stage. I am not embarrassed if I trip over my words. I can vamp and ad lib with the best of them. I am a presence at the podium. 

• Ability to Disconnect from Physical Stuff - Except for my wedding dress, I have zero problem getting rid of physical items that are no longer useful to me. I do not tie emotions with objects. They are things. They don't have feelings. My donating items will not remove them from my memory or history. If I were to lose every object in my home today, I would upset that it happen ed but I would get over it.  

What are you three things?

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I’m a few chapters from the end of The Sicilian Inheritance by Jo Piazza. It took me some time to warm up to the story, but I am fully invested now. I cannot wait to see how the author wraps this one up. Piazza delicately balance two timelines and just enough characters to keep things interesting without losing me.

*Books shared here are affiliate links for Bookshop.org

• Pick linen on hot days. [WaPo - gift link]

• Do yourself a favor and write a will. [The Atlantic - gift link]

• Cancelling congestion pricing is an example of why we can't do big things anymore. [The Deleted Scenes]

• What intimidates you? [Career Contessa]

• Tips for better small talk. [Real Simple]

• Misinformation is literally bad for your health! *she screams in librarian* [Your Local Epidemiologist]

• How to clean your (probably filthy) reusable water bottle. [WaPo - gift link]

• The importance of tidal science. [Short Wave]

• The science of addiction. [StarTalk]

• The cold chain, climate change, and what's next in food preservation. [Gastropod]

• Immigration's true impact on the US labor market. [The Indicator]

• You should know CPR. [Life Kit]

• It is possible to retire early with proper planning. [The Daily]

• The husband tossed on Murder Mystery and followed it with Murder Mystery 2 . They were fine. I just don't care about Adam Sandler or Jennifer Aniston.  These mostly ended up being background noise for me. I thought the plots were intentionally convoluted to hint at Agatha Christie. They are not, in any way, Agatha Christie. [Netflix]

• My movie pick for the week was Hit Man. I have this theory that the male lead, Glen Powell, is one Oscar-bait film away from being an A-list star. This movie gets him close. He has to do a lot of acting in a short period of time. Also, the chemistry with his co-star is fantastic. As a side note, the designers got the academic staging of his bookcase just right. Literally perfect. No notes.  I would happily watch this movie again - even with an ending only Richard Linklater could pull off. [Netflix]

• It was my turn to pick our weekday series watch. I opted to throwback to Felicity. Watching this right after seeing Keri Russell in The Americans is kind of hysterical. We keep making snide comments about her future "job." This series was a CW teen hit from the early aughts. It is a show of it's era - even when it's doing once "edgy" storylines. Also, the 3:4 aspect ratio is a hoot. And the image quality is complete crap compared to now. But it's still a fun show! It brings me back to my college days. [Hulu]

• I asked the husband if he wanted to use our farm share lettuce in a regular salad or a "fancy salad." He chose the latter which is how I ended up making Thai crunch salad. I substituted our lettuce for the cabbage. That made it less crunchy but it was still tasty. We're not sure about the peanut dressing though. It was just an odd thing for us. Also, if I had read the recipe closely ahead of time, I would have realized that all I needed to do was thin out the leftover peanut sauce in our freezer. [Gimme Some Oven]

• After two weeks of marinated cauliflower salad, I decided a third week would be too much. To use up this week's head of cauliflower, I made roasted cauliflower taco bowls. They were fantastic as a lunch meal prep. I skipped the rice entirely and subbed fire-roasted canned corn for frozen. These reheated really well in the microwave and the dressing was a delightful flavor contrast. I will make these again. [Budget Bytes]

This photo is not AI generated. It is also not a composite. It’s a stunning example of luck and composition. [PetaPixel]

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I’ve got a dermatologist appointment this week. Get your annual skin checks, people! They’re important.