This was a treading water kind of week.

Since we were beset with illness, my usual standards for daily life management did not apply. We delayed laundry and recycling runs. Our robot vacuum did not run. I let the piles accumulate. Straightening up was not a thing that happened.

Instead, we focused on the essentials. Did our required work things get done? Was everyone fed? Did we occasionally bathe? Did we get decent amounts of sleep? Those are the things that mattered. Everything else could wait.

And, you know what? It was all fine. We healed while our home was a little messier.

​I have a tendency to think I'm not good enough when my life management standards slip. I need to stop doing that. The world will continue turning, our kiddo will be healthy and happy, and getting to things later is a perfectly acceptable course of action.

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I’m like 10 pages from the end of Onyx Storm. I am equal parts wanting to race to the finish and savor so it lasts. I’m already grumpy that I have to wait at least a year for the next book.

*Books shared here are affiliate links for Bookshop.org

• The allure of forbidden foods. [TASTE]

• Dining at the CIA. [WaPo - gift link]

• The inconvenience of being a Null. [WSJ - may be paywalled]

• Life is about savoring. [The Atlantic - gift link]

• What the US can learn from Canada. [The Indicator]

• The rise of corporate run skiing. [Booming]

• The encroaching imperial presidency. [Throughline]

• The voice of a robot. [Radio Atlantic]

• I knew literally nothing about the Tom Cruise anchored sci-fi film Oblivion before we turned it on. I'm pretty sure he took the role so he could ask for some fun tech props. There are a lot of high-tech looking props in this movie. The movie is pretty to look at but the plot was too fussy. Plus, you get the sense that something is off from the start. Not the best film but a fine Friday night popcorn watch. [Netflix - but I believe it just left]

• Just in time for the Oscars, we watched Conclave. This had more art house vibes than I expected. But those vibes come with gorgeous cinematography and a stacked cast. We had no clue what it was about to start but we had fun guessing the various scandals. As some raised Catholic who went to THE Catholic University, the attention to detail amused me. I literally cackled in recognition of some of the character traits. [Peacock]

• The Husband decided to rewatch Firefly as his late night show. I've caught snippets and was reminded that this show was cancelled far too soon. It's a galloping space western with witty writing and fun stories. I also adore the world building. [Hulu]

• I wanted curry but I didn't feel like making it from scratch. Enter a curry simmer sauce. I grabbed a jar that looked good, tossed in some shrimp and spinach, then served the whole thing over rice. It was easy and delicious. The husband did say he missed having naan and I agreed with that assessment. [Maya Kaimal]

• The flavors of stuffed peppers are one of my favorite things, but the actual stuffing and cooking process is so time consuming. This stuffed pepper casserole gave me all of the taste in about half the time. Plus, the ratio of "filling" to pepper was a bit better. This reheated really well the next day. [Eating Well]

• For my lunch meal prep, I tossed together mashed chickpea salad with dill and capers. It was good but I really should have used the entire jar of capers. They got lost and I missed their briny bite. I scooped this up with some whole wheat pita and it was filling lunch. I am going to add this to my rotation. [Eating Well]

Our work book club is reading a title about AI in education. This is the graphic I shared in our internal chat and I feel it will be constantly relevant to all things AI.

Wikenigma is a fun little wiki that catalogs the unknown. What don’t we know? What questions do we have? What clues do we have to work with? You can search by topic or browse the A to Z list.

It’s midterm exam week and I’m preparing to see all manner of student weirdness in the library.