Well, that escalated quickly
Oh. My. Cron. 🙈
I had a list of relatable end-of-year professional topics to cover here that I planned to tackle with service and humor and festivity. But then… well, you know. COVID now accounts for at least 7 of 8 slices in the pie chart of my brain.
Yesterday I wrapped up my work by mid-day and took myself to a solo movie matinee. This is one of my greatest seasonal pleasures, along the lines of my well-established and long-cherished summer Fridays strategy, which I wrote about for Business Insider.
I kept moving around in the theater until I landed on this seat in the front section, with just one other guy nine seats away in a mask:
I still couldn’t get comfortable. So I left five minutes into Westside Story.
Is part of this unbridled paranoia? Yes, absolutely. Part of it is also about trying to calculate risk.
My top priority is protecting the high-risk members of our family.
Our second priority is getting on our international flight on January 1. This was originally scheduled as our 10th wedding anniversary trip in 2020, but needless to say, that couldn’t happen. We’re generally COVID-risk-averse people but we’re still hoping to strap on those N95s and get on that flight this time. To do it, we’ll need negative COVID tests.
So we’re back to running everything through that old familiar mental filter: How badly do I want to see this movie? (Not badly enough.) How badly do I want to be on a naturally socially distanced tropical island? (Badly enough to suit up and navigate LAX and eight hours in coach while explaining to 7-year-olds that they can’t eat snacks because they have to keep their masks on.)
So that’s where I am: trying to balance fear with festivity, safety with sanity. How are you?
Wishing the happiest, healthiest, safest Christmas possible to all those who celebrate! I’m sincerely grateful for each and every one of you and I hope you are able to enjoy some downtime with loved ones this week. Cheers!
Et Cetera
Winter product (and last-min stocking stuffer?) rec: Thanks to PR mailers, I learned about cult-fave Lanolips and now I’m obsessed and include it in tons of guides. The 101 Ointment is the richest lip balm… and a balm for literally everything else too. It’s teeny and a little dab will do ya, so it’s genius for travel.
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Open Press Opportunities
I’m finally slowing way down to round out this year, but I’m always open to hearing about home cooks to profile as subjects for my bi-monthly budget grocery column (Allrecipes).
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