So there’s this huge pothole in front of my house… and no this isn’t the start to a dad-joke or dirty-joke… there’s actually a pothole. ย I’ve reported it to the city, they’ve smiled and nodded, and now it’s my turn to decide if I maybe somehow fill the pothole myself (someway somehow) before my car sinks into it never to be seen again, or… not? ย If you’ve ever seen a New Orleans pothole you know that I’m talking about a hole in the street the size of the Grand Canyon and not just a bump in the road.
In other very important and very pressing news, I’ve learned this week that if people find you annoying or bossy on a deserted island, they will do anything they can to be away from you…. namely, vote you off the island… and yes, I’m talking about Survivor because I still can’t stop watching it.
I hope you’re looking forward to a focused and productive week. ย The best way to do that is to let Sunday be easy and breezy, and to ease into Mondayย with an extra cup of coffee and a give-a-crap, but-not-too-much-of-a-crap attitude + doughnut.
Here’s some things to think about:
โข ย Why Luck Matters More Than You Might Think: ย when people see themselves as ‘self-made’ they tend to be less generous. ย Pure luck and good fortune takes away that extra sparkle from the success story, but good grief it’s in there! ย May the fortunes smile down upon us all.
โข ย How our politicians and media are helping terrorists win. ย Creating power where there is none. ย This is an interesting read.
โข ย If you don’t pay attention to basketball, you still might be interested to know thatย Steph Curry is a unicornย and the best thing since Michael Jordan.
โข ย The branded fashion of the ‘farm to table’ restaurant and some truths about what we’re eating. ย Farm to Fable. ย See that pun? ย It’s a longread and worth it.
โข ย Your Healthy Lifestyle Won’t Necessarily Make You Healthierย which is preciselyย why I’m stuffing my face with candy right now.
โข ย I’ve ordered my pair of flattering lady chef pants and I want you to know about them too. ย Polka Pants!
โข ย Old but worth a revisit: ย The Moral Bucket List. ย What are we working towards? ย Resume virtues or eulogy virtues?
โข ย Weekend Read: Renting hell in New York City, how my hoarderย landlord ruined my life. ย A two-part deal with the devil. ย Would you rent a 2400 sq ft Brooklyn apartment for $1000? ย It’s the stuff of legends and horror stories.
โข ย Do you getย Sift Magazine by King Arthur Flour? ย It’s fantastic.
โข ย Related / not related: ย Ruth from King Arthur Flour told me about this article about the people who blur out the naked bits in our reality television. ย The Lord’s work. ย For Staff on ‘Naked and Afraid’ Work Is Just a Blur
โข ย I’m tremendously excited about this upcoming kitchen book by Julia Turshen.ย Small Victoriesย isย worth a pre-order.
โข ย I do love a good pencil. ย Lucky for me they’re coming back in to style. ย (Wait… what?) ย Turning a Profit Selling Pencils. ย Right on with it.
โข ย Brown Butter Baked Pistachio Donutsย because they’re absolutely delicious and very pretty and I’m sorry to make you buy another baking pan.
โข ย Knowing nothing about fashion, it seems like things this Spring are very off-the-shoulder. ย I’m still wearing shirts like this.
I hope your Sunday is fine and good. ย I’ve got Strawberry Crumble in our future!
xo Joy
50 Responses
Methinks you should give Wanksy a call. :)
Survivor!!! Evey episode this season leaves my jaw dangling. So sad about the latest person voted out. I feel ya on the pot hole problem: how do you shift bureaucracy?
Thank you for the Polka Pants! I haven’t bought chef pants in years because of how unflattering they are! Just wish I had seen these before ordering 3 pairs of pants from Prana to wear in the kitchen…
How are they though?! The photos on their website look super lovely!
I get my Polka Pants later this week. I hope I’m as enamored by them as I think I’ll be! You’ll have to let me know what you think too!
Love your Sunday posts – they’re the best! Your comment about the pot hole in front of your house reminds me of the HBO series Treme wherein Steve Zahn has this hilarious encounter with a huge pot hole and what happens after that. If you haven’t seen Treme, I highly recommend it – excellent series. My French is terrible so I’ll wish it in English – May the good times roll (and hopefully I got that right!).
Good luck getting it filled. The SWB and the Public Works Dept. love to volley the responsibility back and forth. There was a giant pothole/sinkhole in front of my house for 7 YEARS. I filled that thing with Quick Crete at least once a year. You know when it was finally fixed- THE DAY AFTER I SOLD MY HOUSE! lol. New Orleans.
Fun links! Love that donut!
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com
Not sure if this would help, but I read about this person who decided to plat a bunch of flowers in a pothole because the city wouldn’t do anything to fix it. I understand, that it also wasn’t huge – and not in the middle of the road.
I love those chef pants. But I’m not a chef, okay to just get them for cooking around the house? ;)
Totally reasonable!!
Joy, I’m a longtime reader. I love your wit, sensitivity and brilliance. Always waiting for your Sunday blog. Be well. Be happy! You’re grand. ????????????
haha whenever i think of fixing potholes, i think about rob swanson a la parks and recreation taking it upon himself to fix those damn things https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1r1srQ6RC7w
great articles! that naked and afraid one had me rolling with laughter
OMG where did I see those pants? You must have snapped them. But basically, I saw these last week and spent a ridiculous amount of time staring at that woman’s butt and then decided if mine would look like that in those pants. Are the pants magical? They must be, right?!
I bet if you put on your Polka Pants and sashayed (love that word) down to city hall, they would definitely take notice of you with the pot hole complaint! :) Or you could throw some mud on your pants and tell them you Fell in the pot hole and where is the city attorneys office! :))
If you ever tire of Survivor and or the Naked and Afraid…there is always the Outlander Series on tv now. If nothing else you will be watching it just to see Jamie! :)
Love your Sunday posts!
I really do need to get on this Outlander train.
Also, if something happens to your car because of said pothole, it should be the city’s responsibility to fix your car. That would get them to fix the pothole quickly, although would make you out of a car for a bit. I hope it gets fixed soon!
I’m new to Sift magazine and the King Arthur weekly email, and I love them both!
My ex’s sister got me a pair of Polka Pants, which I thought was a bit weird since I’m not a chef… But they’re fantastic! So comfy and even stylish, if you ask me.
Thank you for your Sunday lists! I’ve got some reading to do.
I love Julia Turshen….the Buvette Cookbook! She so deserves her turn in the sun!
regarding potholes…here is link to a group in Hamtramack(Detroit) who have been filling their own…https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjh_8nurZbMAhVGyYMKHWa3ATYQFggcMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.freep.com%2Fstory%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fmichigan%2Fwayne%2F2015%2F07%2F27%2Fhamtramck-residents-decide-fill-potholes-themselves%2F30758405%2F&usg=AFQjCNE-b011_MoMWCxNCcUdPVQhhh8CgA Good Luck!
I look forward every Sunday to your post, the WSJ and something made with cinnamon.
Thanks for the articles! Read a few already with a squirmy toddler in my lap while skipping church :) I think the personal responsibility vs. systemic problems for health issues could be a good analogy to help people understand racism, sexism, etc. Being a “good” person just isn’t enough.
Hi Joy, I just joined your newsletter and was expecting it to be lots of recipes, then I read it, and thought??? I LOVE it, so many interesting facts and places to look. I know I will enjoy reading this every Sunday, and other days, but I gather your Sunday newsletter is different? I’m excited. :-)
Farm to fable – maybe for city folks who don’t make the effort to drill down past the obvious profit motive and find out the truth.
I’m a left coast denizen and fortunate to live mostly in the country with access to the city, perfect combo for the arts addict I admit to being. Lucky me – no fable here because I actually KNOW the farmers where I buy fresh organic seasonal produce and yes they do keep the best bits for their customers to make the road trip out in the countryside to visit their farm stand. (That having been said, all their produce is phenomenal.). I personally know the three meat growers I patronize for my dogs’ food, as I home cook a canine nutritionist-designed diet for them (I’m vegetarian though not vegan). I personally know the owners/operators of the two conventional fruit orchards I visit as well as the heirloom organic orchard I patronize during their all-too-short season, a season that includes farm-table dinners with no mileage in between as the al fresco dining tables are set up within sight of the orchard and the fields. Within walking distance for me (or, running distance with dog loping alongside) is an old fashioned “truck patch” with not only fruits and veggies in the ramshackle shed serving as the “farm store” but also flowers – iris and sweet peas and roses and best of all peonies.
My Kansas-raised mother and grandmother taught me about the real farmers markets when we were living in Seattle with the amazing resource known as the Pike Place Market which is still in existence. I never forgot those lessons – buy what you know from whom you know, in person, and cook it for yourself.
My stepdaughter lives in Brooklyn (NYC) and she along with many of her neighbors don’t bother with the farm stands or the uber-expensive “farm to table” branded restaurants. They are too busy with their own rooftop, balcony and even fire-escape urban gardens.
You’ve provided a unique group of articles for our perusal this Sunday.
A quick scan of the articles indicate that they will require a more thorough reading through the week.
I am most interested in following up on Simon Jenkins” article on terrorism and the media and Laura Reiley’s “Farm
to Fable”
I enjoyed the story on pencils and am looking forward to reading “Small Victories” and trying some of the recipes.
Through the week I’ll work on getting the rest of the articles read.
I will say from a purely male point of view, I think the ‘Polka Pants” are definetely going to be a hit.
Have a great Sunday
hahahahha. Right on JD.
I look forward to your Sunday posts – yours is the only blog that I read regularly who posts on Sunday. Please share a photo of your pothole. I’d love to see it! Maybe we can come up with a creative solution.
It’s not glamorous… just car destroying. Picture soon!
You’ve provided a unique group of articles for our perusal this Sunday. A quick scan of the articles indicate that they will require a more thorough reading through the week.
I am most interested in following up on Simon Jenkins” article on terrorism and the media and Laura Reiley’s “Farm
to Fable”
I enjoyed the story on pencils and am looking forward to reading “Small Victories” and trying some of the recipes.
Through the week I’ll work on getting the rest of the articles read.
I will say from a purely male point of view, I think the ‘Polka Pants” are definitely going to be a hit.
Have a great Sunday
I especially love your Sunday posts!
I always look forward to your Sunday posts! Thank you!
I’m glad you’re here!
Just as suggestion – https://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/index.ssf/2015/06/flowers_potholes_protest_city.html
I see you! My pothole is in the middle of the road that people have to drive over.
Would it be wrong to wear Polka pants if I’m not a chef? Hope you actually purchased the polka dot pair. So cute!
I’m not a chef and I’m totally wearing Polka Pants! Just make sure you pay attention to sizing since they’re made in London.
Love you, Joy. Thank you!
Love you sister!
Your intro made me think of this article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/32448103/mystery-artist-highlights-bury-potholes-with-penis-drawings
Ha-ha!
Love your round up :)
There was a pothole for years on my old street in NOLA, the neighbors planted various “trees” and decorated with ornaments. Highly Suggested :D
Just finished the Laura Reiley article on “farm to table”. Eye opening but I guess it shouldn’t come as as shock to anyone, as deceptive marketing practices seem to surround us.
Joy, if you have the chutzpah for it, annoy the crap out of the city about that pothole. Find out if there’s code compliance issues or regulation issues and you may even be able to get code compliance in on it. I would hope they fix it quickly! xo, A reader in a different city with giant cracks in all the streets
P.S.Small Victories looks like an amazing cookbook I might buy my sister.
P.P.S I read the hoarder article a while ago and it’s horrifying. All the satisfaction of the show, but scarier because it’s an article and not a TV show for ratings.
I’ve definitely got the chutzpah.
Are you using NOLA 311 to complain? It generates a reference number which is helpful when you call back to annoy them…it works!
Definitely done-did that!
This is a particularly awesome round-up, Joy… thanks for introducing me to CW Pencils and Small Victories… and love the moral bucket list reminder… I read his “Road to Character” last spring – so inspiring! Good luck with that pothole, and have a fantastic week!
Yep, need those doughnuts to get me through Monday. Shall spend my Sunday dreaming of them!
I see those donuts in my future.
Hopefully you will finally find a solution for your pothole :)
xx from Bavaria/Germany, Rena
http://www.dressedwithsoul.com
Oh my god I just saw the prettiest donut in the world! Starting my Monday with one myself ;)