Tender Times: Issue #5
Sarah:
Tender Times was created as a soft space for two soft people.
Deborah:
p.s. no affiliate links or ads. just a love of stuff.
Sarah:
This is already going to start out as such a petty complain when I begin this story, but here we are. So, when I went to see my TTRPG fam in Boston a few weeks ago a cute lil stationery store was giving away FREE 2023 planners. Obviously I couldn’t help myself and I grabbed a Leuchtturm1917 Daily since I don’t currently have a paper planner for work. When I opened it to use it I realized it has the most inefficient layout for a daily planner that I have ever seen. Are planner people even DESIGNING these? Here are my issues:
2/3 of the page is just lines with hours on them - 16 hours. Who is planning out their day hour-by-hour? Am I just going to write meetings I already have on my calendar again? Apparently yes.
The bottom is a tiny little section that just says “Notes” - WHERE IS THE TASK LIST?
And further taking up space on every single space are mini calendars for future months - 3 months on each page. Again, I ask why?
So effectively three-quarters of the daily pages are…kinda useless?
Deborah:
while i’m glad to be nearing the end of a streak of 100+ºF degree days, and to feel the relief of a cold breeze once the heat breaks, i’m sad that summer is ending. i’m officially giving up on watering the tomatoes and the basil (which oddly tastes minty now, i think past its prime or rootbound or something).
i would also like to complain that sourdough loaves get rock-hard so quickly. i love the soft plushness of a fresh-baked boule, but it’s so ephemeral!
Sarah:
Deleted everything I wrote because today I had my FaceTime cooking show with my friend K and we were making caesar salads. I made croutons, air fried chickpeas, boiled a pasta quintet, but the best part of all of this was the vegan caesar dressing. It’s so creamy and capers replace the saltiness from anchovies. I used a vegan parm by Thrive Market that worked perfectly. I spent a while waiting for the pasta water to boil just chatting and dipping croutons in dressing.
(Also EatFigsNotPigs is such a solid vegan blog for comfort food. I made her caramelized onion pasta for Valentine’s Day and literally ate it out of the pan.)
Deborah:
i usually pan-fry (now air-fry) medium firm tofu for 두부부침 and toss it with soy sauce, sugar, garlic, green onions, sesame oil, and gochugaru, but since it’s been so hot this week i’ve been trying to avoid anything on the stove top and oven, which can make the kitchen (and my adjacent office) feel like a furnace. i’m used to the side dish of acorn jelly topped wih a similar sauce, but i’ve seen you can do the same for a raw block of silken tofu, so i ate just that for lunch. it’s delicious and surprisingly filling (20g protein). the downside is the aftertaste of raw garlic so i would recommend a chaser.
for dinner, j made scarlett’s tuna salad which has avo, cucumber, pickled red onion, lime juice, green onions, and herbs. very bright and refreshing — another no-cook meal!
Sarah:
Since I am currently restricted to walking (ugh), I have been taking it very seriously and clocked a few 6 mile walks around town last week. I realized I hadn’t bought a new pair of sneakers in at least 2 years, so there are quite a few miles on my Marimekko x Adidas Ultraboosts. But how could I replace my beloved Marimekko sneakers? Obviously by going on Poshmark and buying a different pair of Adidas x Marimekko Ultraboosts from 2021. I actually have a sweatsuit in this print, so I can really go over the top with the matchy-matchiness, as I am wont to do.
Deborah:
INCREDIBLE. ➕
i just subscribed to cheyenne barton’s patreon for her august postcard, which is a vase of tulips. i love everything about it.
i also bought repair service for my nintendo switch, which still refuses to power on after 72 hours in a bag of rice. 🥲
Sarah:
So I have an adhesive allergy I always forget about until I have to get an IV or have blood drawn and the tape gives me an itchy rash. Well last week after surgery they put three giant band-aids on me and sure enough, ITCHY RASH. Not great when it’s also surrounding SURGICAL INCISIONS. So after several days of treating it with hydrocortisone, I found out band-aid makes sensitive skin bandages! I tried them out and they don’t give me a rash and they also come off MUCH GENTLER.
Deborah:
last month, sarah got me a neck fan which has really come in clutch this week (103ºF, 105ºF, 101ºF, 100ºF). we don’t have central air, though we do have a couple solid a/c units. we even have very effective vornado fans. but there’s only so much they can do — it’s 84 degrees inside as i type this (91 and 88 later, damn). however, with this neck fan, i feel much more pleasant! and like i can actually do things!
Sarah:
I also have this neck fan and I wore it to a. Carmen Maria Machado reading at a museum last month and it saved me because it was SO HOT in there and I was mildly panicked. Love you, neck fan.
Sarah:
MY FRIEND KAYLIE SENT ME A PEN. It’s a beautiful TWSBI Eco in the most perfect 70s orange ever to exist. She also sent me ink samples AND FaceTimed me to teach me how to fill it. I have some really gorgeous amber ink in it and I actually got up early over the weekend so I could write in my journal with it. Like a kid on Christmas over here.
Deborah:
j surprised me by booking us a pool after the heatwave! i am looking forward to lounging, reading, eating snacks, and chilling. 😎✌️
i mentioned that i’m looking for a riso workshop to my friend e and she immediately found one that’s run on saturdays. i haven’t booked one yet, but i would love to take a painting or print workshop with friends!
Sarah:
Deborah:
