Friday Links 2/2

Let’s just roll right in…

• A super powerful spoken word/poem by singer Halsey about sexual abuse.
• University of Washington says if you swat mosquitoes they may learn to avoid your scent. Can we put that in a perfume, please?
• Casey Affleck pulls out of presenting the best actress Oscar. Probably a good idea.
• But if Gary Oldman wins best actor, will he be the presenter backing out next year?
• There’s going to be a sequel to The Shining.
• “This is not normal.” Nutella riots hit France.
• Ten to watch from Sundance, courtesy of Alicia Malone! I’m super excited for a bunch of the new films. Possible list coming?
• Ignore the clickbait title. Instead: “There are a million ways to say no, and we need to stop ignoring them. We need to make “enthusiastic consent” our mantra and keep it in mind whenever we might have sex.” Read it.
• How Netflix personalizes its services for every person. Pretty intense.
• A great read: The female price of male pleasure.
• Is this going to be the big under the radar horror film of the year?
• There’s going to be a new royal baby (I missed this somehow)! British bookies are taking bets on baby names.
• I’ve been having a bit of imposter syndrome recently, and this piece on the ‘friendship complex’ was a reassuring read.
• Why people are eating tide pods? 1) I’m officially old, now that I’m having to google this kind of internet fad thing. 2) Gen Z is screwed.
• Two fashion industry tops under fire after a racial slur leads to the rediscovery of past homophobic and transphobic comments. Superficial apologies ensue.
• And to wrap up on a lighter note: Four teddy coats to look like a faceable Paddington Bear. As if Paddington wasn’t already incredibly sexy. Mmm, marmalade.

Wake & Bake (Breakfast)

I’m not a big fan of the American breakfast, except insofar as it involves home fries.  Ahhh, I wrote home fires and that is not what I meant!  Instead I lean toward baked goods (on the semi-sweet side).

Living Vacationing in France and Italy was brilliant because the countless local cafes and patisseries were stocked up with just the kind of thing I get a taste for in the morning.
But when I’m at home I settle down to baking for myself.  Baking is a lot of fun- it requires much more exactitude than ordinary cooking- and there’s less room for experimentation- but there’s also something so satisfying about the delicious smell of baking, the rising of sweet loaves, and the blossoming of muffin tops in their metal trays.

As a creature of habit- especially early in the morning- I have a few tried and true recipes that make the *most important meal of the day* even more special.