The Weekly Edit: What Day Is It?

My computer has a Post-It tab affixed to the upper left corner.  It’s hot pink and reads: Today is Wednesday, May 6, Day 62.  Because, as we fell into the repetitive sameness of the stay-at-home order, I lost track of the days.

The pandemic is messing with our concept of time.  When weekdays and weekends look the same, it’s difficult to remember what day it is.  Add in a loss of milestone events, Cinco de Mayo or the Kentucky Derby, and weeks can pass in the blink of an eye.

I realized on Monday, as I wrote out my Post-It, that I had been in self-isolation for two months.  And now that I’ve adjusted to the “now normal,” I’m trying to figure out how to make the most of time.

In a few weeks, I’ll turn 38.  And I’m increasingly concerned that I could lose precious time, just treading water, waiting for the pandemic to end.  And that’s frightening.

To paraphrase Bill Gates, time is the only thing you can’t buy more of.  I need to start figuring out how to make some of this stagnant time matter.  Not in a high-pressure, be-productive-or-perish kind of way, but in a way that creates meaningful moments during a time when every day looks the same.

Several years ago, I was deeply besotted with my Clarisonic facial scrubbing device.  But as my skin has aged (thanks, time), I’ve had to abandon my deep exfoliations in favor of something gentler.

This PMD Clean Pro is a silicone cleansing device that vibrates 7,000 times per minute to breakup dirt and oil, lightly exfoliating and cleaning out your pores.  It’s a gentler clean than the Clarisonic, but very effective.  And if you have acne prone skin, I find the non-porous silicone is much more sanitary than the Clarisonic brush.

And the real game changer?  The rose quartz warming stone on the back.  Use the warmed stoned to open up your pores and provide a light massage.  It helps reduce inflammation and allows your serums and skincare products to penetrate more deeply into the skin.

Looking for a more affordable silicone cleansing device?  Foreo’s Luna runs <$80 and has a similar scrubbing mechanism.

Yesterday, I had an overwhelming craving for pound cake (a food I haven’t eaten since high school).  So when I spotted The Country Cook’s Southern Pecan Pound Cake on Pinterest yesterday, all I could think was, “Yes, this. Now. Thanks.”

I own this NordicWare Angel Food Cake Pan because I sometimes make savory Monkey Breads.  It is a marvel.  Somehow, even in my ancient oven, it still cooks evenly.  But if you don’t have an Angel Food pan on hand, you can adjust the baking temp and time for a regular loaf pan using this recipe from Cookie Rookie.

Also, if you’re feeling like some A+ baking, a light brown sugar glaze would really kick this up a notch.

As you know, we like documentaries in my house.  And sometimes, I like to put together a curated pairs and trios of documentaries on the same subject.  I think hearing stories about the same topic from multiple perspectives makes things more interesting.

Since many of us are watching The Last Dance on ESPN, I got thinking about basketball documentaries.

Sole Man tells the incredible, jaw dropping story of Sonny Vaccaro, the man who signed Michael Jordan to Nike and birthed the sneaker movement.  You will not believe the shenanigans that go into signing players to lucrative shoe contracts.

The next doc on the list is At All Costs, the story of how the shoe industry dives into AAU basketball recruiting kids as young as 12 trying to find the next Lebron or Steph.  Because if you give them the shoes young, maybe they’ll remember you on Draft Day.

And lastly, fresh from HBO, The Scheme.  The story of a young AAU basketball prodigy who gets caught up in the tangled world of the NCAA and its alleged “amateurism” rules, and winds up on the wrong side of an FBI investigation.  Because when there’s billions of dollars on the line, shady things happen.

I need quiet time.  Blissfully silent time.  And it is impossible to get while staying at home with another person full-time.  So I’ve taken to sending Kyle to do yard work (which he loves, actually), so I can have 20-minutes to just take a bath and unwind.

Maude’s Coconut Milk Bath is utterly phenomenal. It has a subtle scent, and gives the water a lush, milky quality.  I also love their  Soak Bath Salts for when my back aches from sitting in the same chair all day.

If you haven’t window-shopped the new online retailer Verishop, you should.  Their beauty department is my favorite late night browse.  And speaking of Verishop…

Liquid IV drink mix has more electrolytes than sports drinks and contains vitamins and minerals to give you a little morning energy boost.  It is just the thing for a one-too-many-cocktails-last-night morning after.  Kyle and I bring it with us when we travel in case that fun new bar gets too fun, but in self-isolation it works for the nights we decide to open a bottle of the “good wine” and can’t let it go to waste.

Now Liquid IV is making a drink mix to keep you hydrated while aiding your sleep.  I am a notoriously fitful and light sleeper, and I am always SUPER skeptical of products that say they can help me sleep.  I tried this and was really surprised to wake up the next morning when my alarm went off having slept for seven straight hours uninterrupted.  So if you’re having a little difficulty getting a good night’s rest, I highly recommend.

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