Day two without my phone and I’m acutely feeling its loss. People glued to their devices get a bad rap, the assumption being they are constantly refreshing social media feeds and not doing something ‘important.’ I’m guilty of the mindless scrolling at times, but my phone is so much more than that. Those precious pictures of my family! Editing photos and making collages! Screenshots of crucial documents/conversations! Capturing a moment on camera! FaceTime with my son! Texting with my man! Googling things that interest me! Answering questions instantaneously! Editing blogs on the go! Reading the news! You just don’t know how heavily you rely on the iPhone until it’s gone.
Treasure promptly sent me an email upon seeing the news of my stolen phone. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside knowing she regularly follows– and enjoys– this blog. I also contacted The Half Sibling via Gmail so they’re aware of the situation as well. Thanks also to the man of my dreams for sharing his phone with me. Who even needs a cell phone when you have a snazzy Apple Watch?!
In a previous post I mentioned my lack of communication with Treasure. As per usual I assumed the worst case scenario, thus snowballing my anxiety. Turns out she left her phone at the office. Oops. That’s what I get for overreacting. Why do I always think it’s something I’ve done? Here’s a perfect example– the Assistant Manager at Kroger asked me to his office for a conference a few weeks ago. Panicked, I racked my brain wondering what possible infraction I’d committed. Was he going to fire me?! A feeling of dread washed over me and my stomach was queasy. Despite being a friendly, enthusiastic, reliable, and hardworking employee who was good at what I did, it never once occurred to me that he might be complimenting me. Or maybe he wanted to check in and see how things were going, or ask if I wanted additional hours. Sure enough he told me I was doing a fantastic job and that my willingness to step up combined with my flexibility and competence made him think of me as the perfect candidate to be trained in an additional department. And here I am terrified I’m about to get the ax.
Casbah’s vegetarian platter
Readers in the Memphis area– run, do not walk to Casbah. This hidden gem on Germantown Parkway [Cordova] serves some of the best Mediterranean food I’ve ever eaten. Allen and I could not believe how delicious this cuisine was. We will be ordering as often as we can afford it and look forward to actually visiting the restaurant to sit down and dine. Just thinking about how mouth watering it was makes my tummy grumble. Baberz savored every bite of his lamb gyro. We loved the thickness and spice of the lentil soup we shared. And my vegetarian platter probably ranks in my top ten meals EVER. Hands down the best spanokopita I’ve ever tasted, dolmas, falafel, veggies, and hummus came alive with seasonings that enhanced the already rich flavor. Perfection. Cannot recommend enough. Will definitely be writing more about this glorious establishment at a later date.
I laughed so hard tears started falling out when I first saw this meme. 😂
No doubt “Operation Varsity Blues” has been all over various media sources, implicating dozens of well-to-do folks. Among these were actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Laughlin a.k.a. Aunt Becky. In case you’ve been living under a rock click here to get up to speed. Quite frankly the whole scandal has me baffled. Not entirely surprised, but baffled nonetheless. Are these parents so insulated by celebrity, affluence, and privilege [or any or all of them] that they could be so out of touch? Completely blind to reality and the possible consequences of their actions they acted with no regard for the effect it could have on their children– or their careers. Not only have they becoming laughingstocks, they’re facing felonies and jail time. They’ve put their children at risk [total and utter humiliation at best and expulsion at worst – assuming they were unaware] and jeopardized their own careers. So full of arrogance and ego they felt this route was an option, throwing money at Rick Singer to make apathetic students wanting only to party into top-tier athletes. It’s bizarre. And it will be tabloid fodder for a long time.
One would think a sizable donation [the type that builds a new library, for example] would be enough to sway the jury in favor of a prospective student. Money talks. Giving funds to an educational establishment shouldn’t make or break admission…but let’s be real here. If the aforementioned individuals and their peers can afford to part with up to $500,000, why didn’t they just donate?! Doing so would be considered ‘charitable’ [in a sense] and eliminate the need to blatantly cheat by rigging the system. My heart goes out to any of those deserving students who were passed by as a result of this deplorable scheme.
[[ NOTE: The CBS News story linked above references an intriguing title. How exactly does one become a ‘Hot Pocket Heiress?’ 🤷♀️ ]]
Some of the Grace House ladies enjoy the sunshine at Overton Park [summer 2014]
Few internet behaviors irk me more than being put in a Facebook group or group message without my consent. I can’t stand to see my alerts cluttered with constant feedback and activity [even most of the organizations I support and joined voluntarily I’ve long since turned their notifications off] or hear the non-stop ping of a conversation between multiple people. Rather than keep up I make my exit as quickly as possible. Two notable exceptions include the secret GH Mafia group and the associated chat with my Sisters from Grace House. Trying to explain our bond to those who aren’t a part of it is futile– they couldn’t possibly understand. I would go to the ends of this earth for each and every one of these ladies and I know unequivocally they’d do the same for me. Watching the GH Mafia spring into action when we were concerned about a fellow Sister reminded me just how lucky I am to have them on my team. I love you all more than words can express. 💖 #platitudes
The first photo we took at the first restaurant we visited
Two years ago my beloved Shay treated me to the trip of a lifetime. We drove to Orange Beach, Alabama to get some much needed R&R. Shortly after we settled into our hotel we decided it was chow time. Tourist-y areas on the beach have no shortage of food options, but if you’re wanting something affordable that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg– that’s a different story. After inspecting a few menus we settled at Hurricane Grill & Wings. This is the only picture we took of us both [though there were several selfies] on that first day. When it popped up in my ‘Memories’ I knew what the next few days would have in store….it’s bittersweet. Last year Shay and I reminisced over the anniversary of our trip and said we needed to plan another one. She was murdered a month later and we never got that chance. 😭😭😭
My idea of a perfect weekend.
I can think of no better topic to follow a remembrance of Shay than reading. Oh, how we loved a good read. We proudly proclaimed our dork status and relished the bookworm label– though we were magazine mavens as well. Speaking of magazines, based on the flood of subscription renewal notices I received it’s about that time. In addition to the three titles shown above I need to add Bitch and National Geographic to the roster. I’m also strongly considering a subscription to my favorite weekly, People, because it would save me over $100. That seems like a no-brainer but the cost of a year looks pretty pricey, especially compared to these other totals coming it at a fraction of that amount. I just need to bite the bullet and do it.
It is no secret my deep love for Elephant Journal [a post detailing my contest winnings is in the works] and unlimited access for $24 is money well spent. For those who are not certain they want to take the payment plunge or cannot afford to do so, Elephant Journal offers a daily newsletter delivered to your email. Typically containing links to relevant articles and a letter from the editor, Waylon Lewis, readers can view up to four pieces a day for FREE. Initially this was the route I went but it became a source of great apprehension trying to narrow it down to just four.
Recently, however, I noticed something was very wrong. My beloved EJ wasn’t waiting for me each morning in my inbox. Quelle horreur! I checked the ‘Social’ and ‘Promotions’ tabs, no luck. No sign of it in my spam folder either. So I tried to subscribe again– twice. Still no cigar. Finally, I checked my block filters and lo and behold….there she was. How did this sacrilege transpire?! I asked [only somewhat jokingly] Allen if he was responsible for this blasphemous act. He teases me about my EJ obsession and made the stunning revelation that he does not read the 324403253453 links I send him per week. Did he imbibe a little too heavily and play a prank? Yes it would be comical– and I’ve been stumped for over a week now– so it would be a bit over the top at this point. But he swears up and down he did not and would not do that. I’m still at a complete loss as to how this happened. Sigh. I may never know. Praise the Universe that we have reunited!
With infinite love, gratitude, and respect,
Sloane
Cocktails With Hemingway 