Summer Chaos [#101]

Goodbye, Choco Taco. Hello again, for good, Mexican Pizza.

In this time of despair, let’s take the wins. Kansas voters soundly rejected the proposed constitutional amendment that would have let lawmakers prohibit abortion. Boris Johnson is a lame duck UK Prime Minister. Taco Bell, after selling out the Mexican Pizza’s necessary parts (tostada and sauce) just weeks after bringing it back, is resupplying and bringing back my favorite menu item, FOR GOOD, on September 15.

Reading/Listening

Why big demonstrations and protests don’t work like they used to. A bored Chinese housewife single handedly manipulated Russian history on Wikipedia. Dive back into the Tuskegee Syphillis Study and its long tail impacts. For my fellow Texans: What would Molly Ivins do? Um, this story exists. A kimchi fried rice playlist to enjoy while you’re making the dish. And RIP, Choco Taco. I remember when you first launched and were available at Taco Bell locations. The good ol’ days.

Werk Werk Werk

It’s crunch time on book revisions! And of course, just as I want to lock down the manuscript, I have come across a bunch of good reads that intersect with the topic, like this HBR piece on how self-care became so much work. And this investigation into the wild wild west of med spas.

Watching

The Bear (Hulu). Every performer absolutely brings it. And if you already inhaled it like me, then enjoy this podcast episode from The Ringer on why it’s so good. And The New Yorker’s food writer Helen Rosner wrote beautifully about the show and its sense of place.

Change Days (Netflix). K-culture aficionados, this is a dating show more interesting and less annoying than Singles Inferno. Four couples in distress go stay at a resort where they switch partners for various dates, drama ensues. Fun premise. Revelatory.

On the Road

On the recommendation of trusted friends, we are trying our first Costco(!) Vacation Package next week, to the Cancun area. The package includes hotel, lodging, transportation, five meals a day and unlimited passes to the eco theme park Xcaret. As Friend Sarah joked, we will be enjoying our “cruise on land.” Wish me (and my gastrointestinal system) luck.

Have a restful rest of summer,

Elise