The neverending, time altering summer goes on

I haven't updated in a couple of weeks because, well, I was feeling out of sorts. A typical July 4th weekend pre-pandemic would be just another long weekend for me, but there's usually the opportunity to invite people over to watch the fireworks from our roof. Not only could I not do that, but the official shows were all cancelled. That didn't stop every yahoo in the area from picking up some illegal ones. They've been popping off way earlier and more extensively than previous years (as the Nextdoor folks will attest) and the actual night of the 4th was INSANE! There were full on rockets going up within a block of us and apparently the entire Southern California landscape was covered with them. 

Normally I love a good fireworks show but this year, I felt like it was just representing people being selfish for their own enjoyment, f* other people, and this year we can little afford that attitude (as currently skyrocketing COVID rates will attest). 

The one good thing that came out of that weekend was that I got my first Hello Fresh delivery. I'd been pondering starting a meal kit service just because my ability to conjure up interesting and varied meals has been pushed to its limits. I was getting so BORED with trying to figure out what to eat for 3 meals a day and I'm not one to love repeats. I enjoy a good leftover but there's gotta be a variety. The first 3 meals turned out really good! I had 2 chicken dishes and 1 vegetarian pasta and since they all come with 2 servings that's 6 meals for me. I did realize I need to cook them up quickly as the veggies start getting limp but they were all quite tasty and didn't involve trying to find stuff in the grocery store that I only need a tiny bit of. I could also control spice levels for those dishes that included them. I didn't mind the chopping and prep work, I think it's not a bad thing to practice. 

After the first delivery, I realized I wanted to switch my day to Friday so I had weekend nights to cook. That meant a long break to my next delivery. Well while the first one went without a hitch the second one was problematic. The delivery was delayed although the customer service staff had no way of knowing what was going on so I had no idea if I'd need to shop for food for the week or not. It took 4 calls and 24 hrs to get my delivery. After firing off some strongly worded emails, I did make the first recipe of pork burgers which turned out to be delish! I left the second serving unassembled for another day. If despite the delivery snafu, you're still interested here's a discount code to try it out: HS-4X55DOOFB.

Last weekend I got a boost out of a brunch with a couple of my dance friends. We went to class first and then went to The Rose Venice to celebrate Kelly's birthday. It was the first time at The Rose since this whole thing started and we had a nice secluded outdoor table that felt very safe. Our meals were delicious, service was great, and I ran into a vendor I hadn't seen in ages which made the whole thing feel very LA. 

These days it doesn't take much to add some joy to our routine.

This past week I was invited to a vendor event that involved getting a bucket of flowers delivered along with supplies, and joining an online group to learn how to arrange them! The florist walked us through using oasis, how each flower should be treated (when to peel off leaves or petals, which stems were fragile or tough, where to cut, etc) and we all ended up with gorgeous arrangements that looked like a million bucks! When I posted a pic of my masterpiece on FB, I must've gotten more likes and comments than possibly any post ever! I think people are really feeling our restricted lives, and flowers are one thing that makes people happy. Every time I walk by my arrangement the scent of the roses and the beautiful colours still makes me happy. I'm thinking of joining the florist's Bucket of Blooms service. For not a lot of money, it means learning flower arranging and having a splash of beauty every few weeks. 

This weekend was also when comet Neowise was visiting our solar system. It was bright enough to try and spot even from my urban light polluted roof. On Friday, my neighbours told me that the ISS was also flying by. It turned out to be doing its pass at about the same time and in roughly the same place as the comet. We managed to spot the fast moving space station, and with binoculars could clearly see the comet as well sitting just under the Big Dipper. (Neighbour teens could see it with bare eyes. Darn youth.) It won't be back for almost 7000 years. It really does put our small lives in perspective.