5 Quick Things

Arlyn HernandezJanuary 22, 202111 Comments

Happy Friday, internet (& real) friends! What a week: the tension I felt leading up to January 20th quickly dissolved. So much fear of what might happen held for the past two weeks, released. That feels nice! Physical therapy is, literally, kicking my butt. In a few weeks, you’ll be able to bounce quarters off this rear, I tell ya. My new doctor is wonderful and we’re inching closer to resolving my body’s mysterious ailments. So many wonderful, heartfelt comments from you all. Have I mentioned your comments are my favorite thing? They truly, truly are. When you’re writing into the void of the internet, it can feel like an echo chamber, but when my phone chirps at me in the lovely way it does when a new comment was left, it’s a reminder that you’re out there. Reading. How lucky am I?!?

Today, I have a mix of things to read, things to buy and things to follow for this week’s quick things. Let’s see what we have here:

Quick Thing #1

This article from Cup of Jo was so much fun. A very fast read about the movies that gave you an unrealistic expectation of adulthood (for the writer, it was My Best Friend’s Wedding). Uh, 13 Going on 30 anyone?!? Jenna Rink was 30…nearly six years younger than I am today, and while she was a hot mess, I STILL watch that movie and assume she’s older than me. With her sprawling Manhattan apartment, glamorous, obviously high-paying Executive Editor job (FWIW, I was an executive editor and, yeah…that was a very false depiction).

Quick Thing #2

Do you sit all day, every day? OF COURSE YOU DO. A few months into working from home on my dining room chairs (I’ve since gotten a proper office chair, fear not), my hips were aching so badly. I splurged on two of these Purple seat cushions, one for me, one for Charles, and they’ve been butt savers. The gel grid inside is a little weird to get used to, but now I couldn’t imagine getting through my days without it. It’s a splurge, but a well-worth one.

Quick Thing #3

Women spend their lives in search of a few “perfect” things: the perfect bra, the perfect partner, the perfect mascara…if the perfect underwear falls on your list, I’ve got you(r bum) covered. These hipsters from GAP are my favorite cotton underwear. Now, a few things to know: I wear proper underwear. I like this tush packaged up nicely, comfortably wrapped in cotton. No dental floss bottoms for me really.

Fair warning, these are not “attractive” but they are VERY comfortable. They’re the underwear (really trying to avoid saying the “p” word since I know it’s a trigger for some) I reach for most often when I just need to feel good…which is every day, frankly. If you’re looking for everyday cotton underwear that fit great, don’t ride up (or down), and won’t cost you your next stimulus check, give these a whirl.

Quick Thing #4

Sometimes I recommend underoos, sometimes I recommend hand steamer cleaners. This is one of those times. I just got this this week, so I still need to put it through the wringer, but once I do, I’ll be sure to do a post on it with proper photo proof. I already used it on a small section of my tile kitchen counter and promptly screamed “CHARLES COME SEE THIS!” Will be sure to report back, but so far, so good.

Quick Thing #5

A lovely reader (the one who recommend that Ann Patchett essay on Harper’s the other week that I shared) emailed me thinking I might like this Instagram account. Ding, ding, ding. She was right! Stop what you’re doing and go look up The Korean Vegan on Instagram. I’m not vegan, I’ve never cooked Korean food in my life, but her videos are not your standard overhead hands & pans. They’re not the Tik Tok sped up frenzy all over social media. They’re quick one-minute videos yes, but with each recipe she shares, she tells a little story about herself or her family or her friends (or her dog…that one got me!). It’s such a delightful departure from “fast food” content (what I mean by fast food is not burgers and fries, but rather all these tortilla hacks and dizzyingly fast recipe Reels that flood my feed). I spent an hour earlier this evening just sitting in bed, enjoying her stories and her beautiful cooking. In fact, I got lost in it in the best way.

See you tomorrow, friends!

Project 365

Rusty says:

January 22, 2021 at 5:39 am

That’s a great mix of rec’s! Sounds like the steam cleaner works great…yes?

I’m interested in a floor steamer. I gave solid wood floors in the whole house, concrete with tile in the bathroom. By solid wood, I men thick, solid planks for floors. In old Australian homes, we don’t have such things as sub-floors. We have stone or brick piers, huge wooden beams, then big, thick planks of wood that are what you actually walk on. (sometimes worker’s cottages have wooden stumps instead of piers).
I don’t like mopping mh floors. I have big ol’ rugs, really big, in the main bedroom, dining and living rooms and floorboards in the rest of the house. I havd a precious scruffy sawg, Rosie, and while she’s not a slobberer, she drip-drools a bit when I’m getting her dinner into ger (very cute) bowl. She’s also a dog and dogs can be messy.
I’d love a floor steamer that does a great job with just water and doesn’t hurt the sealed jarrah floors.
I dunno where to start coz my money is slim and I don’t want to buy garbage. ANY REC’S???

Oh, I’m also wah-really i terested in a weighted blanket that doesmake you hot. I’ve found “Calming Blankets” make a bamboo one, but it’s pricey even on sale.
Again…any rec’s???

Hoping someone can share some good ones with me. I’m in Australia, so maybe not all brands are available here, but share and I’ll tracl ’em down.
Thank you so much, in advance! xx
1. Emie says:
  
  January 22, 2021 at 7:36 am
  
  I have hardwood floors here in the US that aren’t thick like you described. I routinely use a floor steamer on them and for the past 20 or so years, no problems. I also have one of the cheapest models that Shark makes… it fact, it’s still my original mop all these 20 years. They unfortunately don’t make the same model any longer but it was their most basic offered. No bells, no whistles. The only caveat… after you steam just make sure no puddles are left behind. The water usually evaporates very quickly but standing water could cause issues.
  1. Rusty says:
    
    January 22, 2021 at 7:47 am
    
    Oh, Emie, thank you!🤗
    We have the Shark brand here in Oz.
    None of my friends have one, so it’s great to hear they last and do the job!
    I’ll be keeping my eye out for our end of financial year sales (end of June in Australia ).
    Thanks again! x
2. Arlyn Hernandez says:
  
  January 24, 2021 at 11:12 am
  
  Hmmm I haven’t gone down the weighted blanket research hole. Hopefully someone here can recommend something!
Rusty says:

January 22, 2021 at 5:41 am

Does NOT make you hot.
Damn dodgy numb fingers. Sorry.🙄
Deb says:

January 22, 2021 at 7:08 am

Arlyn,

If possible I think you should do one of these once a month.
I can not wait for your review on the steamer.
Did you get blue or yellow and how did you pick which brand of steamer? I have had a steam mop for years and love it’s simplicity
and the fact it is easy to use. I bought a 50 year old house and replaced the counters in the kitchen and one of the baths.
However that bath has the original tile and a brown tub.
How do you know when a brown tub is actually clean?
I would love to buy a steamer for that bathroom but once I read the reviews of what people were using this steamer for it sounded like one could really get their money’s worth in a few weeks. So let us know the pros and cons.

Glad to hear you are feeling better .
1. Arlyn Hernandez says:
  
  January 24, 2021 at 11:12 am
  
  I’ll be sure to report back fully on it! I got the yellow one. Felt more “serious cleaning machine” hahaha and the brown tub…hahaha how DO you know when it’s clean??
  
  Stay tuned!
Emie says:

January 22, 2021 at 8:58 am

Arlyn, I did exactly what you said to do and went right over to “The Korean Vegan on Instagram” and what was the first thing I saw??? Her tweet “My rage isn’t toxic. Your silence is.”. That right there sold me on her without having to see anything she’s posted. That’s my kind of person!!!
1. Arlyn Hernandez says:
  
  January 24, 2021 at 11:11 am
  
  Right?!? She’s wonderful!
Andrea says:

January 23, 2021 at 9:18 am

I also have tiled countertops (and backsplash) and the grout was disgusting! Since I’m a renter, I couldn’t rip it out and spent so much time trying different cleaners, including a steam cleaner. It got better, but it still had stains and was very discolored. I finally found a solution that felt like nothing short of a miracle! I used a product called “Polyblend Grout Renew”. Look it up on the Home Depot website and view the before and after photos. This product completely covered all discoloration and I was even able to lighten the grout color. I applied it years ago and it has held up well. I haven’t had to touch up the backsplash but the area around my sink which gets heavy use needs to be touched up a few times a year. It is less than a 10 minute task though for touchups. I recommend checking it out if you’re still not happy with your tile after steam cleaning!
1. Arlyn Hernandez says:
  
  January 24, 2021 at 11:08 am
  
  Oh! I’ll have to look this up!

Rabbit, Rabbit & Catching Up With Old Friends

Exercise Sucks But I’m Doing It Anyway

8 Final Favorites: Everyday Bowls, Low-Waste Laundry Detergent + More

My Favorite Day & Night Moisturizer

My Favorite Way to Keep My Coffee Hot Every Day