My insomnia is back. Fantastic. So a sleep-themed episode of The Weekly Edit it is.
Here’s everything I was thinking about and writing about when I should have been sleeping.
As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t drink coffee. Where most people get just a pleasant buzzed feeling and increased focus, I get sweating, heart palpitations and the shakes. So how do I stay awake when I don’t sleep the night before?
Most days, I just power through. It isn’t pretty. It involves a lot of grumbling. But if I need more of a boost Tootsie Roll Pops and Jolly Ranchers work as well as coffee. For a really bad week, when I’m running on less than two hours a night, I break out my B12 vape pen (I’m not a doctor, so talk to yours before you try it).
Occasionally, I drink tea. I like Orange Pekoe and Earl Grey. But drink one sip too many, and I get the same side effects as coffee, so I don’t rely on it.
One of my favorite things about London was the British commitment to baked goods — cakes, pies, biscuits, tarts, and puddings. They’re delicious and they’re everywhere.
As proud as I am to be an American, I’m glad that I missed the Revolution because I’m not sure I could be trusted to abandon a land where department stores serve snacks in favor of something as paltry as liberty. Give me trifle, or give me death.
So it’s no wonder that one of my favorite late-night TV programs is The Great British Baking Show. First off, watching the contestants create these show-stopping baked goods is really fun. Secondly, the show is almost entirely free of the manufactured drama that plagues other reality shows. And lastly, if you’re trying to fall asleep, the show is more soothing than stimulating.
Also, for fans of GBBS, let’s take a moment to admire what is inarguably the show’s greatest moment — when Beefeater Paul created this spectacular lion out of bread.
Even after a long night, I can usually get away with a bit of Bobbi Brown corrector and some Glossier Stretch Concealer. But not this week.
This week, it’s time for the big guns, the Howitzer of concealer. This Bye Bye Under Eye Concealing Pot should be kept under glass that says, “Break in Case of Insomnia.” It doesn’t crease. It doesn’t crack. And it will cover even my most stubborn darkness.
So why don’t I use it every day? Because this stuff is thick. It doesn’t feel heavy when you wear it, but you need to spend several minutes blending it in to prevent it from looking heavy.
I use this large concealer brush from Hourglass to blend it in. The brush is solid so you can paint and pat with confidence. Or you can use your fingers, which sometimes works better. Just make sure to use your weakest finger, your ring finger, to protect your delicate eye tissue.
I was a 28-year-old Hill staffer when a social worker from the Blackfeet Reservation sent me an exhaustive public health report on violence against women in America. “Notice anything missing?” was all her e-mail read.
The report was over 50 perfectly cited pages filled with full-color charts and graphs breaking down violence rates among women from different ethnic backgrounds. Native women were not included. Surprising given that Native women are (conservatively) 2x more likely to be raped than their fellow Americans, and 3x more likely to be victims of domestic violence.
Eight years later, white actresses continue to get the bulk of the #metoo coverage, while women of color struggle to be recognized by a movement that they started. And the closest we’ve come to giving Native women a platform to share their stories is the movie Wind River.
Until today. #notinvisible
I’m obsessed with the GBBS!! I’m not sure how I feel about the new judges (the latest season released on Netflix last week) but I agree, the bread lion is probably one of the best creations I’ve ever seen on TV.
I miss Mary,Mel, and Sue. I’m having a hard time trying to like the new Mel and Sue. They really made the show.
I like them, but they’re not as good. I like Prue. But Mary was a lot of fun. It’s not as good as it was before, but I still enjoy it.
We’re foster parents and just had the sweetest part Native American girl with us for the last 6 months. The tribe would not allow us to adopt her, and so she was moved two states away, even though she has siblings in our state. The tribal family they moved her to is working so hard to help change the horrific things happening in Native cultures, so even though I don’t necessarily agree with the foster laws that are specific to Native Americans and no other cultural group, I appreciate this family and what they are trying to do. They shared the terrible statistic that 20% of the kids in their particular tribe are in foster home, and that percentage is close for a lot of tribes. It’s much more than any other culture in the US. It’s tragic in so many ways. We turn a blind eye to most, if not all, of the issues in Native American cultures.
While I don’t always support the outcomes of the Indian Child Welfare Act, I do understand why it exists. The history of how their children were torn away from the tribe, and the impacts it had is really troubling. So I’m glad to see that there are people in the tribes doing what they can, but we need to stop using the bureaucracy as an excuse not to do more. Yes, the patchwork of tribal and federal laws are a mess. Yes, the money was mismanaged and misused. But we have to stop feeling sorry about what’s going on and start addressing it, because these populations are small enough (I hate to say it that way, but it’s true), that we could have a real impact if we could just get over ourselves and work together.
Thanks for sharing the #notinvisible articles. What a devastating human tragedy. With what they know about epigenetics now it makes it easy to imagine how the unimaginable trauma suffered by Native populations ripples on through generations with little being done to stop it by our government agencies. The bureaucratic red tape standing between these women and prevention of violence, let alone justice, is shameful. Hopefully shining light on it will help change things.
Well, there is a department store in London called Liberty, so you could have your cake, etc.
CBC has an incredible podcast on Missinf and Murdered indigenous women in Canada called Missing and Murdered – both seasons are infuriating and deeply moving.
Apparently I am not the only one here in Spokane struggling with insomnia. Do you think we can blame it on our fair city? Sleep well tonight.
Maybe the city is in retrograde.
Wind River was one of the most moving and haunting films I have seen in a long time. Highly recommend.
If you’re looking for more British sleepy-time tv and you have BritBox, try Gardener’s World. It’s been around since the 60s and the current host is Monty Don and and his lovely golden retrievers, Nigel and Nell. Very soothing and intensely British.
I swear by a magnesium supplement, like Natural Calm, before bed.
I also love Natural Calm when I’m constipated! Maybe TMI but it totally works.
Have you tried Lady Grey tea by Twinings? It’s my favorite. It’s got less caffeine than all their other black teas and has orange blossoms in it. It is DELICIOUS and doesn’t give me the caffeine shakes. I adore coffee but if I have too much, or its too dark, I get the same reaction and it makes it almost impossible for me to work. Here’s hoping that insomnia slips away sooner than later! xoxo.