April 22, 2016
A weekly rundown of all my weaknesses including the things I’ve read, heard, or found that might interest you too…

The Picture Above
The bedroom floods every day with the best morning light in our entire house. If I’m not at work or traveling, I take advantage of this by treating myself to a breakfast tray in my room on the weekend mornings that I’m home. Along with strawberries, scrambled eggs, and an iced latte, last week’s breakfast tray included this simple but satisfying avocado toast. I got the recipe (technique?) from Smitten Kitchen  awhile ago. You may ask why one needs a recipe for smashing avocado onto toast. I would reply, “you do.” Using a hearty, grain-filled bread (I used Ezekiel Sprouted Oatmeal); sprinking a little salt and lemon juice; crushing red pepper flakes and drizzling olive oil turn this bland, boring breakfast into something I look forward to every weekend.

It’s so hard to be woman. Seriously. 
I am an eternal hysteric always striving to be the chill girl. In Girl Writer: Why Women Need to Drop the “Chill” Act and Embrace the Hysterical, the Girl Writer reminds us that it is ok to have our thoughts, feelings, and desires–and to express them! Furthermore, the author is absolutely correct when she posits that pretending to be chill doesn’t get what her what she wants in the end either. Being an overweight woman in America is its own special hell. Losing that weight from your body and not your mind might be an even mightier task to accomplish. I don’t relate with all of The Things No One Ever Tells You About Losing 100+ Pounds, but the insight to her emotional workings and process intrigues me.

The Tragic History of RC Cola
I find the use of “tragic” especially fascinating. And the food politics surrounding sugar and sugar substitutes always spark my interest.

It’s National Park Week!
National Geographic’s May issue is dedicated to Yellowstone the National Park Service’s Centennial year. It asks the important question: Is Yellowstone in Danger of Being Loved to Death and Fresh Air‘s take on it. A little closer to home, here’s how to participate and #findyourpark in North Carolina: 100 Things You May Not Know About North Carolina’s National Parks.

Gasoline by Halsey
Skipping every song in my 2016 playlist to get to this one this week. Turning up the volume nob and screaming the lyrics at the top of my lungs as I race to and fro around town. Wishing the coach would play it during the WOD at Crossfit.

Dawes & The Lone Bellow at Pisgah Brewing
Dawes and the Lone Bellow are going to be at Pisgah Brewing on Wednesday, July 6th. Dawes needs no explanation, but the Lone Bellow has been in rotation in my 2016 playlist. It’s knee-slapping, head-bobbing Americana.

Matchbox Twenty
Taking this last track back. My favorite Matchbox Twenty song for my favorite anecdote this week. I went into Gap to return some summer dresses. The bearded and manbunned store employee helping me out had on a Matchbox Twenty tshirt. When I saw this, I chuckled and quietly told him that I liked his shirt. He promptly took me down a couple notches in one sentence: “It was my girlfriend’s dad’s shirt. I don’t listen to them.”

Product Placement: Band-Aid Advanced Healing Blister for Fings & Toes
After working out consistently for many years and going to Crossfit for going on three years, this week saw my first serious burns and rips. I don’t have rope climbs. We worked on rope climbs. I did not know that I would be practicing rope climbs. I was not prepared for rope climbs. I burned my shins and my thighs. I ripped the skin off half of my ring finger, and I clumsily tapped it up until I could figure out what to do. The tape allowed water into the open wound and it stung like a bitch every time I washed my hands and while the sweat dripped off my body during yoga. Getting home, I realized that I had previously bought Advanced Healing Blister Band-Aids. Most likely for blisters on my feet during a festival.  These Band-Aids are the perfect solution for this injury. They look like skin. They feel soft. They wrap nicely around my fingers. No water has gotten to the raw rips. They haven’t peeled off. For a not-so-serious athlete like me these bandages are the perfect fix.

Krispy Kreme’s Super Hero Day
You might as well find this out now. I have a doughnut obsession. And my personal opinion on the subject is that Krispy Kreme > Dunkin Donuts. Next week KK offers a buy one get one special for Superhero Day on April 28th.