What I’m Reading: The Seas, by Samantha Hunt. This strange little novel takes place in a poor seaside town that has been hit hard by dwindling economic resources, leaving its residents depressed and trapped. Our main character is a young woman who believes she is a mermaid because her father told her so, before he drowned himself in the sea. It’s a whirlwind of a story, stream of consciousness and magical realism, where the reader has trouble determining what is real and what exists only in our narrator’s head. The book was originally published in 2004, but was a bit before its time and so was re-released last year. One of my summer reading list books!
What I’m Learning: This Atlantic article explains how American laws have been shaped and formed to intentionally force us to drive. “Mundane road regulations embed automobile supremacy into federal, state, and local law. But inequities in traffic regulation are only the beginning. Land-use law, criminal law, torts, insurance, vehicle safety regulations, even the tax code—all these sources of law provide rewards to cooperate with what has become the dominant transport mode, and punishment for those who defy it” (Shill, 2019, para. 5)
What I’m Eating: A lot of rabbit food! Since it’s summer, using the oven makes the apartment hot, and vegetables are beautiful this time of year, I’ve been making The Wicked Noodle’s chopped Thai salad with coconut-curry dressing. I substitute with whatever vegetables I have on hand and have added baked tofu for more protein. Eating a gigantic salad is so satisfying, and this one has some higher fat ingredients in the dressing (the coconut milk and peanut butter), so I’m still full hours later.
What I’m Loving: My absolute favorite face mask is this rosehip & clay mask from Formulary 55. It’s nondrying and mildly exfoliating and leaves my skin so, so soft. The directions say to use half a package per mask, but I use much less than that and have gotten about 10 uses out of one envelope. My skin loves French clay, and this one also smells really nice!
What I’m Grateful For: Urban nature. We were able to visit a few parks in the city this last week, including Seven Bridges and Milwaukee Rotary Centennial Arboretum. It’s so nice having these easily accessible, quiet pockets of green space in the city. Easy to drop by for an afternoon or a short walk.
What I’m Trying Out: Milwaukee’s Bastille Days festival is this weekend. Apparently it’s one of the largest French-themed events in the country (who knew). There is live music, food and drink trucks, and a giant replica of the Eiffel Tower.
Have a happy weekend!
pieces of paper (cranes & airplanes) 