Weekly Report

Weekly Report: May 27th - June 2nd 2024

Good Morning Magpie

02 Jun 2024 — 3 min read

The Week in Summary:

I went down to Social Cut & Shave to get a shag mullet on Thursday. The hair stylist I saw, Draya, was wonderful and they absolutely delivered on the look I was going for. There is something revitalizing about getting a fresh haircut - I've had an extra spring in my step all week!
On Friday, we went to Las Canarias with a couple friends for paella and tapas. While I liked the paella quite a lot, the outdoor patio was not ideal and it was fairly expensive for what you got. Afterwards we went to Shelf Life Books and got some ice cream from Made by Marcus before coming back to our place to hang out.
On Saturday, Taylor and I spent the day hanging out at home continuing to listen to our audiobook on tomatoes.
For Sunday, we went to the 4th Street Lilac Festival. It was very crowded, but we managed to pick the right time, because we got into Class Clown without having to wait much. Afterwards we walked around and enjoyed the crowded lively streets before coming back home to finish our audiobook whilst Taylor did some needle punch.
Over the week, we tried two new recipes. On Tuesday, I made a mushroom and lentil ragu (which worked, but I would have preferred more spices). On Saturday, Taylor and I made chickpea noodle soup (more vegetable stock would have made it better). Both recipes were found on sustainable food blog that I have been checking out lately called Lowly Foods.
I played some Chivalry II (which recently had an update) and Age of Empires IV this week. I have definitely slowed down with playing video games recently. Elden Ring is a hard game to follow, especially with the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion coming out on June 20th.

Recommendations:

Ten Tomatoes That Changed The World: A History by William Alexander (Book): A fun microhistory following tomatoes throughout human history from their early domestication by the Aztecs to today's high-tech greenhouses of Ontario. We listened to the audiobook together and we really liked his liberal use of humour and the narrator's voice.
Your Childhood Home Might Never Stop Haunting You by Faith Hill (Essay): A beautiful and existential meditation of the power of childhood homes and the legacy that physical space has on episodic memory. I know that one day, when my parents' acreage is either is sold or succumbs to suburban expansion, I will feel a profound grief that I am likely not going to be prepared for. I particularity appreciated this quote: "All of this can feel odd, maybe even a little heartbreaking. Confronting change requires confronting loss. And confronting loss, of course, means acknowledging our mortality: If our old selves have slipped beyond our grasp, our current self will too."
Ooh Rap I Ya by George Clanton (Album): A dreamy hypnagogic pop album with a lot of varied sonic influences like vaporwave, 90s boy bands, and trip hop. All of this works to create an album sounding of the near-past (exemplified by this music video). Personal highlights from the album include songs like: Justify Your Life, I Been Young, Punching Down, For You I Will, and Ooh Rap I Ya.