Currently June 2020

Currently | 6.29.20

Life in the Age of the Queen

[Explaination of the name in April's Currently.] 

After 97 days of confinement, not leaving our home except to walk a few times a week in our community, we got into our truck and went to Costco and Trader Joe's to restock. Our initial stocking that took place at the end of February/beginning of March when we first moved into our new home lasted us more than 90 days (supplemented by our weekly CSA order and a few Instacart purchases for eggs and dairy). With the increase in cases in North Carolina, we decided to make a run for it and stock up for another 60-90 days. It certainly was a strange experience to be in a car again and to be in a store.

I am back to closely counting carbs. It's not like I was wolfing down plates of pasta, rice, or bread, but I was getting sloppy with multiple servings, more snacking between meals, and lots more wine. Counting carbs helps me remain disciplined. It doesn't mean I don't go over my daily carb count, but at least I am not doing it every day. It's been just about 4 weeks and I've lost 5 pounds. Another 5 and I will be back down the original 40 pounds that I lost when we first went low carb 3 years ago. 

Travel and food are always top of mind in the Misadventures household and are discussions have taken on an “if we win the lottery” type of slant:

When this is over, I want to go [you name the place, we've probably discussed it] or I want to eat [you name the food, we've probably discussed it].

We watch the news every morning, at lunch and in the evening. We watch the French news every day as well. I said last month I wouldn't judge personal choices, but I believe I need to modify that. I won't judge people's travel and food choices, but I am having a hard time not getting pissed off with people who refuse to wear masks. Do whatever you want, but please wear a mask and protect others. That is all I want so we can get through this quickly and get on to traveling and eating out again. (As of last Friday at 5 PM, you are required to wear a mask in public in North Carolina.)

Black Lives Matter

Introverts tend to internalize their thinking and I have been doing a lot of that since Memorial Day when the latest murder of a black person spark the nation. I haven't said much because I am an observer, I tend to watch my environment a lot (Mr. Misadventures says I should have been a detective…). Also at this moment, I think it is extremely important just to listen, to experience the discomfort, and understand that this is happening to everyone. In the first couple of days after George Flloyd's murder, I watched on social media as people (bloggers, grammers), etc. critiqued other bloggers, grammers, on how to do things to support #BlackOut Tuesday, or to do this and to do that. There were a lot of people who jumped to action so that they could check a box, not necessarily because they were truly interested in listening.

This isn't a moment to judge other people, we need to let people find their own lane, whether that be a financial contribution, supporting protestors, or simply learning about race in this country by reading, watching, and most importantly, listening.

I am white. The world centers around white people as the hero and I have never faced racial injustice. I never once thought it was weird that I spent a year living in Fort Lee, a military base in Virginia named after a confederate general. I was a kid when I lived there and my best friend was black, Thandie was her name, and I now wonder if she even understood the insult of she and her family living on a base with that name. I certainly didn't.

It's not that I didn't care, I just didn't pay attention, it wasn't happening to me. I wasn't racist. I supported the demonstrations after Rodney King and everything in between and up to Rayshard Brooks. But that was it.  And it isn't that racism has never been on my radar, because it has. I ended a friendship that I had for decades because my friend was racist and despite my request to stop making racist comments, it continued. My sin was that I stayed friends with the person for more than 2 decades before I ended it (this was 5 years ago now).

It is not enough to not be racist. We must be antiracist.

And there is a difference. That doesn't mean you have to pick up a sign and march in a protest (although you could) but you do need to challenge racists beliefs and systems when you see them. And you should take the time to educate yourself. And you should listen. A lot.

Of course, all lives matter BUT NOT UNTIL

2020

I've seen a lot of people lamenting the terrible year that 2020 has become. But I am someone who tries to be positive and seek positivity. I also absolutely believe that everything, and I mean everything, happens for a reason. (Ask Mr. Misadventures, it drives him crazy that even when bad stuff happens, I will say it is happening for a reason, to be patient and all will eventually be revealed.) 

I am just not willing to go there, and I find inspiration in this poem from Leslie Dwight

What if 2020 isn’t canceled?⁣
What if 2020 is the year we’ve been waiting for?⁣
A year so uncomfortable, so painful, so scary, so raw — that it finally forces us to grow.⁣
A year that screams so loud, finally awakening us from our ignorant slumber.⁣
A year we finally accept the need for change.⁣
Declare change. Work for change. Become the change. A year we finally band together, instead of⁣
pushing each other further apart.⁣
⁣
2020 isn’t canceled, but rather⁣
the most important year of them all.

Now, onto June and what's been going on in the Misadventures world!

Watching | Yellowstone 

> We watched the first 2 seasons of Yellowstone and while I love the Montana scenery and Kevin Costner, I did not love all the drama. It was a little too much and a little too heavy for the times we are living in at the moment. The kids in the Dutton family are all totally messed up and I just get aggravated watching them be total idiots! Not sure I will watch season 3. Space Force was a huge disappointment and I didn't get past episode 2. Thankfully there was the SpaceX launch that occupied a good portion of a weekend this month. I did finally nag Mr.Misadventures enough to get him to rewatch Enterprise. It is his least favorite Star Trek series (however he won't even give Deep Space 9 a try), but he is more into it this time. Maybe because there isn't a lot of choice as an alternative! I am looking forward to the new Tom Hanks movie, Greyhound, coming out in a few weeks. And I cannot wait for Hamilton this Friday!

Reading | How to be an Anti-Racist

> I have nearly finished the Bruno Chief of Police Series by Martin Walker I only have number 15 left but interrupted its completion with How to be an Anti-Racist from Ibram X. Kendi. I saw Mr. Kendi speak on CNN or MSNBC and liked his commentary so I picked up his book to educate myself further. It is not a leisurely read and I find myself having to reread paragraphs but it has been very educational.

Up next…
The Last Train to Key West – the third book in the When We Left Cuba series.
Code Name Hélène – much anticipated!
Anthony Bourdain Remembered – I can't believe it has been 2 years already. I still can't watch his show, but I would like to read this book.
The New Parisienne: The Women & Ideas Shaping Paris – my friend Lindsey’s new book!

Best Bite | Sticky Toffee Lava Cake from Pots & Co

> As I mentioned above, I am back to counting carbs, but that doesn't mean I don't have a treat from time to time. And this past month that was the sticky toffee lava cake from Pots & Co (they also have chocolate fudge lava cake which will be my next treat!) and wow was it decadent…and worth it! Mine were graciously gifted, but for my Northern California friends, run to Whole Foods and get yours! Do not visit their Facebook page or Instagram feed if you are hungry! A total bonus is the adorable ceramic pots that these desserts come in, we are reusing them in our kitchen!

Working On | Day Trips

> Since longer trips seem to be off the table for the moment, we are working on some day trips. First up will be some scouting at Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We'll check out the park and camping situation and scout some photo sites before we return this fall for some camping. We'd also like to go to the beach for a day or weekend, but need to find the right spot. Our initial foray in February was not the right area and I think we need to go remote to find what we need. We aren't looking to sunbathe, so don't need those types of locales, but rather more remote, rugged spots. 

Feeling | Triumphant!

> We moved to Raleigh in February and lived in a hotel for a month before moving into our new home at the end of February. Then the Queen came to town and we did not have an opportunity to go to the DMV to get new driver's licenses, registration, and register to vote. Some North Carolina DMV offices opened for appointments and I quickly snatched 2 for Mr. Misadventures and I for last Monday morning. Bet DMV experience I've ever had! Four chairs in the waiting area and not long to wait. I got my new license, but my heart dropped to my stomach when doing the eye test. As a bonus, there are 10 street signs that you have to identify by their shape and color. There are no words and symbols written on them, so that makes it a bit tough. Luckily I passed that. I was mainly concerned about getting registered to vote in North Carolina in time for the presidential election. This is one state where my vote will most definitely matter!

Planning | A Haircut

> Mr. Misadventures suggested that now that salons are opened up, I may want to go get my haircut. I took that to mean that my self-care wasn't as successful as I thought 😉 When we first arrived in Raleigh I went to a salon downtown that was recommended by some of my teammates at work and got a really good cut and color and made monthly appointments between March and May. Then you guessed it, the queen came to town and all the appointments vanished. The salon did a great job of communicating during the last couple of months and despite a reopening, they are only working at 50% capacity with a whole bunch of procedures to ensure the health of their clients. 50% capacity means less availability for appointments. It is a good thing the hubby did make the suggestion because the first available appointment isn't until the end of August! Until then it will be me, Madison Reed, and my texturizing scissors! Still that photo of me with the dessert pot above doesn't look too terrible!

Loving | Milanote

> Truth: I am a long time user of Evernote, but what I have found after using it for a few years is that it is very “linear” and one-dimensional. For the most part, things go in but with a few exceptions, things rarely get re-visited or used. That's why I am digging Milanote. It allows me to organize my content projects into beautiful visual boards (kind of like what Pinterest used to be before it was a social media platform slash search engine. The folks at Milanote say they created it to replicate the feeling of working on a wall in a creative studio – and having a hubby who loves sticky notes and whiteboards, I get it.

I just started using it so I have yet to take advantage of their built-in templates. They have a sharing feature so I can build a board for a trip, say like our future trip to Brittany or Normandy and I can share my thoughts with Mr. Misadventures. I can also export it to a document that I can print our and use on the road. I'm digging it! Their basic plan is free with no time-limit, but I was gifted a Pro Plan which gives me unlimited storage ($9.99/month).

My Favorite Photo | Cardinal

> I haven't published much to Instagram (I've been consuming it though) so I am sharing a favorite that Mr. Misadventures took. Our house is surrounded on 3 sides by trees/small forest as well as our entire community is surrounded by trees everywhere so there are lots of birds (and rabbits and squirrels and deer…). We especially love the cardinals. Of course, there were cardinals in Arizona (hence the football team name) but we only saw them in Tucson at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. Here in North Carolina, they are everywhere! Like this beauty above.

It is also nesting season and some of these birds just aren't smart about where they place their nests. We had high hopes for a female cardinal who created a nest in a very young tree outside our bedroom window, but I think our movements in the room every morning and evening finally scared it off. And then we have another bird the built a nest in the newspaper slot of our mailbox. If that one survives to hatch eggs I am not sure what the daily visit from the postman is going to do!

Published in June

• What to Wear in Paris: Tips for Packing for Paris in the Summer
• Our first ever video added to my recently updated White Pocket post

That’s my month, what’s CURRENTLY going on with you?

Like it? PIN it!