Over the weekend, I realized that I have a whole bunch of things to talk about that aren’t related at all to Coronavirus, and I thought a fun, random list that doesn’t mention the pandemic at all is in order! Let’s discuss.
1) No more PLAY!. I’m so very sad about Sephora shutting down their monthly PLAY! beauty box. I really enjoyed it. It allowed me to expand my lipstick collection, try new types of perfume, and experiment with all types of skincare products. Plus, you can’t beat the $10 a month price! So now I need to find a new monthly beauty subscription box—I have my eye on the Ipsy Glam Bag or the Allure Beauty Box—but I think I’ll wait to subscribe to anything new until normal life resumes. My makeup is actually collecting dust right now because I haven’t worn makeup since mid-March!
2) When White Claw attacks. Have I mentioned how I’m semi-allergic to alcohol? I think so, but maybe not. It’s the weirdest thing, honestly, because I can never predict when I’m going to have a reaction to drinking alcohol. Take last Thursday night, for instance. I decided to crack open my last White Claw and took one refreshing gulp, then another, and another. And then—bam. Hives. My face got flushed and overheated, the tips of my ears burning. And then I broke out in hives all over my face, neck, and arms. Ugh, it was awful. Now, what makes these reactions so weird is that I can never predict when they will occur. Every other time I had a White Claw from the pack I bought in March, I was fine. There’s no rhyme or reason for these allergic reactions. It’s not due to drinking a specific type or brand of alcohol. I honestly cannot figure out what will cause a reaction. It’s like playing Russian Roulette with my body. Thankfully, I’m not much of a drinker anyway and never have been, and the upshot to this weird allergy is that it gives me a great excuse for not drinking when everyone else is, heh.
3) Podcast recs! I’ve finished two podcast miniseries over the past few months: Heaven’s Gate and Bad Batch. Heaven’s Gate is about the cult of the same name that committed mass suicide in 1997. The host dives deep into how this cult was founded, interviews the families of some of the members, and even talks with former cult members who got out before the suicide. On the other side of the spectrum is Bad Batch about the stem cell industry. It follows a company that sold a “bad batch” of stem cells to a clinic, and the patients who had those stem cells injected wound up in the hospital and nearly died. (Bad Batch is hosted by the same person who hosted Dr. Death, btw.) Both podcast series are incredibly consuming and great at taking your mind off things.
4) Sciatica pain. I’ve been dealing with sciatica pain for longer than I’d like to admit, and it’s gotten particularly bad over the past few weeks. I think it’s because I’m sitting way more than I used to, and my workout of choice has been long walks, which always trigger my sciatica pain. (Also, I haven’t had a massage in over two months, which isn’t helping things, I’m sure!) I’ve been trying to get better about stretching out my hips and lower back (especially before I go for a walk), and I have definitely noticed a difference. I’m also trying to ice the area at night to reduce any inflammation. I know the best thing I can do to lessen the stress on my back and sciatic nerve is to lose weight (I carry almost all of my extra weight in my belly) and see a chiropractor on a regular basis, but this is working for now! And lemme tell you, those lower back stretches feel amaaaazing when my muscles feel extra tight. Some of them even make me groan out loud because they feel so good.
5) Internet Brunch newsletter. I can’t remember which blog linked to this newsletter, but I’m so glad they did! Internet Brunch is a daily email (Monday-Friday) that corrals all the best memes, gifs, and viral moments from around the Internet, along with pop culture and political news. It arrives around lunchtime, and it’s the perfect dose of happiness I need!
6) “You said we were having cake!” Remember last week, when I said I was going to make Eloise a special treat for her birthday? Oh boy, it did not go as planned. They turned their little noses up to my special birthday cake, even Lila who I thought would eat anything. Luckily, I had a can of tuna in my cabinet so I was able to open it up and give them something they enjoyed much more. Lila’s birthday is next Friday so I think I’m going to pick up some mini cupcakes from the bakery for them. I think they’ll be much more into that!
7) Morning candles. I have probably 15ish candles, but I’ve always been so bad at remembering to burn them! I’m not sure why—it just never crosses my mind to get one out and light it. But now that I’m home all day, I’ve taken to keeping one on my desk and lighting it every morning. It makes work feel so much cozier! I’ve already burned through three candles (two of them were already half-finished) and I’m excited to finally make a dent in my collection!
8) Book of the Month! BOTM released their May books already and I have a hankering to place a larger-than-usual order. I decided on my monthly pick (A Good Marriage by Kimberly McCreight) and then I decided to add in Beach Read by Emily Henry and Untamed by Glennon Doyle. Both of those books are getting rave reviews from trusted sources, so I think they’ll be good additions to my shelves.
I really want to read Beach Read! I requested it from the library LOLOLOL. Sigh.
I am glad the stretches are helping that sciatica pain, until you can see the chiro and get massages! Sciatica pain is NO joke!
Aww, I am sorry the girls did not like the cake! I hope the cupcakes are a hit!
That is so strange about the alcohol. Was it scary when that happened at home or not since you know it sometimes happens? Sounds scary to me!
If ever there was a time to add books to your BOTM order, this is the time! I have heard of 2 of the 3 books and the ones I’m familiar with sounds good and very page turny!
That is so odd about alcohol. Especially since you can have different reactions to the same exact drink (I assume the flavor was the same?). I guess it does give you a good excuse to not drink if you aren’t feeling it, though! I have a cousin who would get a super red face when she drank certain drinks, but it was very predictable so she could cut things out to avoid the red face. But hives is so much worse than a red face!!
Bummer about the girls not liking the cake you made. I think Oscar would be the same way, though. She is so picky and finicky about things. So we always go the tuna route when we want to give her a special treat.
I have been having sciatic pain a lot lately, too. It is TERRIBLE — and walking is my favorite form of exercise so it is a huge bummer. What stretches have you found that are most effective at preventing/combatting it?
I’ve found glute strengthening work (you can do clam shells and glue bridges with bands at home) to be super helpful for lower back pain. Also general hamstring strength work and stretching out the hamstrings with a strap gives me relief. Repeated sun salutations (down dog to lunge to cobra) have also helped. I’ve also used yoga blocks under my lower back to sort of decompress my back. If it gets too knotty, I use a lacrosse ball on the corresponding glute muscle. But yes walking and also standing kinda makes it worse. It’s possible to get in under control but I’ve never had it go away completely 😭
We are hardcore candle people here. More often than note, if we’re home, one is lit somewhere (just not on my desk, because of that one time Nala JUMPED INTO THE CANDLE AND SINGED HER TAIL. She is so dumb lol).
On the cat front — I need to know more about the treat you tried to create! Hopefully the cupcakes go over better (and hey, if all else fails…there’s tuna)
I have heard good things about Beach Read! It’s on my TBR once I get through the PILES of books I have yet to read.