Quote
“You can’t be a success if you make halfhearted efforts. You need to follow through on your chosen path to the very end.” – Daisaku Ikeda
Food
We signed up for Blue Apron to get two meals per week sent to us. This was our first one: gnocchi with spinach and artichoke in a cream sauce with prosciutto and parmesan. It was easy to make, basically, just dump all the ingredients into the provided pan, cover it with foil, and bake. Clean-up was a breeze. It was one of the ‘ready to cook’ recipes. Tonight will be a salmon recipe but it will require a few more steps
The box arrived Friday morning, which works perfectly because the only nights we get to spend eating meals together are on the weekends. If we end up going out with friends on the weekend, I can always make one of the meals for my dinner after work and Tennessee can have it for her dinner when she’s done working.
It’s not cheap, and I know we’re lucky that we can afford to do this, but it is less expensive than eating out and there’s no food waste. You don’t have to buy a whole bag of spinach and then throw out the spoiled unused remains weeks later like you do when buying groceries for trying out new recipes because you get only the amount of ingredients you need for each specific recipe.
It also helps with the hardest parts of cooking which are deciding what to make and then planning how to get everything together to make it. You only have a handful of options available for each week so you don’t get paralyzed with too many options, but the options change each week so you won’t get bored and you get a chance to try foods you might not normally try.
Books
Weyward by Emilia Hart
I finally got this back on my library shelf and was able to listen to the final hour of the audiobook. I love that if you don’t finish a library book, the Libby app opens right back up to where you left off when you check it back out again. I thought I’d have to go back quite a bit to remind myself of where I was in the book, but I only had to start at the beginning of the chapter where I left off and I was easily right back into the lives of the amazing characters in this book. Highly recommend this book!
Agents of the Crown series by Lindsay Buroker
I’m finally on book five of the series and about halfway through this final book. I still don’t know if the main romantic characters are going to get together or not, though I have a feeling I know how the author is going to make it happen. We’ll see if I’m right. Superb high fantasy.
Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur
Also, started listening to the September selection for my SLC book club. I’m only in the second chapter, but the meet-cute of the lesbian and bisexual main characters was pretty good. I have several friends who’ve read it and recommended it so I’m looking forward to finishing it.
US Open
Coco Gauff is the real deal and she won her first major tournament yesterday with grace and poise not normally found in a 19-year-old and definitely not found in her 25-year-old opponent whose little ‘medical’ stunt in the third set did not work to throw off Coco’s exceptional play. Fortunately, Coco was too focused to fall for that, having had plenty of practice from dealing with earlier opponents.
Coco received the championship trophy from Billie Jean King, who helped pave the way for Coco and all other women’s tennis champions to get the same amount of prize money as the men, which in this case was $3 Million. That is no small thing, and neither is her new world ranking which is 3rd. Way to go Coco!
Vols
Got to wear my new Vols cap today. We missed part of the first half of the game because we were watching tennis and the Vols were slated to win by like 65 points. We didn’t figure we were going to miss a very good game. But the Vols did not in fact win by 65…only by 17. It was a much better game than the talking heads predicted.
Hat’s off to Austin Peay for keeping the score close and giving the Vols a much tougher game than they thought they’d get. It’s not only a real boost for the Austin Peay team but it’s also a good life lesson for the Vols, I think. Never overlook an opponent and don’t get cocky. The Vols are ranked at number 9 and deservedly so, but a shot of humility is not a bad thing and will help them in the long run. Go Vols!
Tarot
I’ve decided to not do a reading today because frankly, I don’t want to know what the universe has in store for me this week. I’m just going to wing it. To be honest, even when I do a reading I almost always have forgotten it by the time I get up on Monday morning. Tarot cards are fun and when I’m truly struggling with a decision, they do help me sort through my subconscious better than just journaling does, but they don’t hold the same power for me that they do for others.
Pen Pals
I need to make sure I have the mailing addresses for all my closest friends, not only so I can make sure to send them Christmas cards, but so I can send them notes and letters throughout the year. I do love to write, and I know how wonderful it is to get handwritten cards and letters in the mail, so I want to make sure I do this regularly. I think it’ll be good for me, and it’ll hopefully maintain strong friendships.
Parting Words
My wish is that the week ahead holds love, laughter, and light for each of you.
Be well, my friends.
Baby Gay When You're Fat and Gray - All Grown Up 