Some Happy Scribbles...
Happy Friday! How has your week been?
The highlight of my week (it was a quiet one!) was the night the kids decided to make dinner for themselves. With Sadie in the lead and Teddy sous-cheffing, they made Lemon Pasta Shells from Ali Slagle’s I Dream Of Dinner So You Don’t Have To, and it was a satisfying experience for everyone concerned.
Even though it wasn’t the first time they’d cooked for themselves, it felt like a milestone - probably because I was entirely uninvolved, from choosing the recipe to cleaning up. If you’re looking for an easy dinner for kids aged 11+ to make, I highly recommend this one! NB: I couldn’t find an online version of the recipe, so scroll down to the very bottom of the page for an image of it.
On the topic of kids and cooking, I can’t stop thinking about how true (not to mention adorable) this advice about deepening friendships and effortless entertaining from a twelve-year-old is! I always find that when I spontaneously reach out and invite people to come over for a casual meal or hang out, most of the time they’re available - and thrilled! And I do love a theme, but sometimes I try too hard to come up with something clever, so in future, I’ll just keep it simple: “fancy or pajamas” dress code is genius!
Another highlight of the week was watching The Big Short, the movie based on the Michael Lewis book about the 2008 financial crisis, with Sadie and Teddy (Jim was traveling all week). It hadn’t occurred to me to watch this with the kids, but a conversation with friends last weekend provided the inspiration, and I decided to give it a go. While some of the concepts went over their heads, it was a very good primer - and discussion starter - about how money, and the financial system, works, and, of course, what can go wrong.
Which brings me to a strange (but delightfully) recurring theme of my week: Mr. Ryan Gosling.
I had forgotten how excellent R.G. was in The Big Short, and it seemed that after watching that movie, the very versatile and handsome Mr. G kept popping up everywhere I looked…
For example: he made a random appearance in this hilarious New Yorker piece that spoofs the type of stuff you hear on well-meaning advice podcasts: How to Simplify Your Life with the 80-20-17-30-5-1-17-0.29-0-6-66 Rule:
Minimalists say only awesome stuff—nothing else. Remember to be precise, helpful, and fascinating with your words, and to never utter anything dull or superfluous, while at the same time being open, playful, and whimsical, though never in a way that makes people go, “You’re too whimsical and weird, and it’s super-annoying.”
It’s the Ryan Gosling Rule: be the cool, quirky, grounded, vulnerable, strong, expressive, silent type.
Ironically, this week I also happened to listen to Glennon Doyle’s “Why We Should Stop Doing Our Best” podcast episode, which touched on this very topic - doing less, not Ryan Gosling!
From minutes 16 to 24, Doyle talks about how “taking it medium” instead of “giving 100%” is her new approach to life.
After that, there’s an interesting discussion about how, as adult children, using our parents’ first names when thinking about them (instead of Mom/Mum and Dad) can be a powerful way to promote compassion and forgiveness, especially when those relationships have been difficult.
O.K., so I’m now going to admit that all other Ryan Gosling “sightings” were because I went looking for him. Did you know he has his own band? And a Moroccan restaurant in LA? And, like all true Canadians, he loves jean jackets? Finally, here he is with Jimmy Fallon talking about Ken, nail polish, facial hair, and action.
My birthday is coming up at the end of the month, and I like to make goals for the year ahead, so I briefly toyed with endeavoring to watch every Ryan Gosling movie ever made over the next 12 months, but after perusing this list, I decided against it. But someone should definitely do this - and if you do, can you please report back to me?!
I also went down a deep time-wasting rabbit hole searching for a scene I remembered loving in La La Land (which could be my favorite Gosling movie) where Emma Stone’s character tries to humiliate Gosling’s character by forcing him to perform I Ran by Flock of Seagulls. Their facial expressions do all the work.
Here it is!
And if you haven’t seen La La Land, you must do so immediately! I’m downloading it to re-watch during the plane rides on our upcoming family adventure out west.
Too much Gosling? I’m sorry, I got carried away!
Here’s a complete change of pace: do you know any Betty White or Golden Girls fans? If so, I have the perfect gift, which I happened upon when looking for birthday bouquets on 1800Flowers.com: yes, it’s a cardboard bouquet of “a dozen Golden Girls red roses.” Definitely a unique present for the right person - and given that these “roses” will never die - a bargain at $24.99!
Before things get any more random, I’m off to start packing for our big trip. Thank you so much for reading - and for indulging my Gosling-mania!
The Scribble Pad is going to take the next two weeks off for vacation, so I’ll see you in September when we return.
Have a wonderful weekend - and a happy Golden Girls / very Gosling start to September!
xo
Amelia
P.S: Here’s the Ali Slagle pasta recipe the kids made!
Safe travels
thank you Christy!!