Weekly R.E.P.O.R.T

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Apparently the cool kids are doing a weekly REPORT. The acronym stands for: stands for reading, eating, playing, obsessing, recommending, and treating. Obviously content creators also include pics but yeah, not happening here, So here goes

Reading: Thick: And Other Essays

Eating: The best kingklip

Playing: Apple Music’s 30 Years of Freedom playlists (Laduma and Brenda Mtambo especially)

Obsessing: Backseat car organisers

Recommending: The podcast No Stupid Questions

Treating: Woolworths’ Almond Milk and Vanilla handwash and lotion

Sunday Reads

• Why many older women are saying “I don’t” to marriage
• Really fascinated by people’s home offices.
• Imagine returning to the office to book a quiet room to work away from colleagues when you were sold culture, communication and collaboration.
• I really enjoyed listening to this podcast about the role and importance of platonic relationships in our lives. I wish I could go back and listen to it for the first time all over again.
• Parental burnout is a thing.

Recipes

• Yummy roasted carrots

Recent podcasts I’ve listened to and loved

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In one sentence or less, I will summarise the different podcast episodes I listened to last week and loved or learnt something from.

• Purely catastrophic that women were ignored by Science for so long.
• There is a side of Jamaica we think we know, but we actually know nothing of.
• Natural events as a difference-in-difference tool.
• Oh to be young and finishing school with the whole world ahead of you.
• So many lessons for a working mom
• What happens to old people in prison?
• The kid dynamics in this family are so interesting and cute.
• What if you or your friend is in love with a narcissist?
• My view(s) on addiction was changed totally by this episode. Radio at its’ BEST.

Anything interesting you have listened to recently?

Some more podcast recommendations

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• I loved how Dr Gotian talked about important vs interesting work and how she thinks about mentoring and her daily work practices.
• How To Speak Up So Others Listen and why you should develop a writing habit
• This podcast looks at birthing experiences of black mothers in America. This episode was jarring but very good listening.
• This Freakonomics MD episode “Would you rather see a computer or a doctor?” raised some fascinating questions and research findings.
• I loved learning about the female con artist.
• Yes!! Open up space to people of all abilities.
• About Black Fatherhood.
• Ear hustle takes the road.
• Such injustice and inequality! Jeez, when does it let up.

Sunday Listens (Podcast edition)

Over the holiday I got a bit tired of listening to the same subscribed podcast content so I challenged myself to listen to shows I wouldn’t normally do or I had heard but did not want to commit to full subscription just yet. So here are some of those fantastic episodes.

• Young Love – Where should we begin by Esther Perel.
• I felt my back stand up when I first listened to her views on infidelity so I wasn’t open at all but I liked it so much I listened to this other episode on sexlessness.
• Radio Diaries’ Teenage Diariesrevisited. I love that kind of radio soooo much. I was hanging on the edge of my seat listening. Definitely subscribing.  As a teen I would have loved to participate in such an activity, to be honest, even now I would.
• Other episode I loved was Thembi’s Diary.
• BBC Woman’s Hour had a phone-in on Monday on #Megxit. Hot mess.
• I love that Motherhood Sessions is back but jeez that first episode? Messy.
• Borders Between Us by The Nod stressed to me how as parents we do the best for our kids and hope.
• I have been listening to this podcast following three pregnant teens (ethics and judgment suspended) and in this episode we meet four generations of teen moms in one family. Give it a listen, it’s nothing like what you expect.
• Still Processingdiscussed Michelle Obama’s book Becoming. JUST GO AND LISTEN. IT’S GOOD.

I know it’s a lot but do yourself a favour and just listen.

Podcast Recommendations

​I love podcasts and on my commute to work and back home, I have been catching up on some good episodes this week.

• I love Ear Hustle and this week they had a Q&A session, I particularly loved the bit where they went round asking the guys what their prison theme song would be. If this is you first time, the boom boom room is definitely my all-time favourite episode.
• This is Uncomfortable, a new podcast I got into was talking about class anxiety. Something that I can definitely associate with. Well, I loved how the lady in question just broke it down in a way that made me think of my own discomfort with money.
• Aminatou and Ann also talked about all the money feelings we have. One of their subjects was saying how they sit with a group of their friends and everyone writes down their annual salary, they jumble them up and pick them out say them aloud so even if you do not know who earns that much, you at least know they are in your friendship circle. Mind-blowing, would love to see the same from my friends.
• Woman’s Hour talked about period sex – the good, the dirty and freaky J
• The Mr is left handed so this episode from Radio Lab hit me personally. The previous two stories were also quite impressive.

Happy Listening 🙂

Sunday Reads

• I have been thinking of asking my female (mama) pals to a slumber party and stuff, it would make me so happy.
• Helping kids develop critical thinking skills.
• Parenting Podcasts For Parents Without Any Free Time
• Getting rid of clutter 🙂
• … and maintaining things that way.

Recipes

• Pasta Recipes

 

Podcast Recommendations

In the past couple of weeks I have listened to some really interesting podcast episodes that I thought I should share.

• Before The Next One – This American Life

• Is Ron Brown High School Working?  – Code Switch

• The Sports Trilogy (Episode 349 – 351)  – Freakonomics
• Catch a Kite 3 – Ear Hustle
• Be a Good Ancestor – Call your Girlfriend
• Blacklisted in China – Planet Money

Have you listened to something interesting recently?

Sunday Reads

• Show some love for my new hood.
• What was the first meal you cooked for your beloved other? I went with lamb, not sure why!!
• Podcasts by black women, for black moms.
• I love how this former lesbian talked about her Christian faith.
• Sometimes false Christian theology masquerades itself in variously.
• Don’t dumb yourself down for a marriage partner!
• 10 Outstanding Short Stories to Read 
• Essential Indian Street Food

Recipes

• Lemongrass Poached Chicken Salad With Rice Noodles
• Tomato & Grilled Eggplant Stacked Sandwich
• Smoky Instant Pot Lentils and Rice (Pressure Cooker)
• Spicy, Sweet, Tart, and Savory, Eggplant Side
• Stracciatella Gelato 
• Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

How I want to make Adult Friends

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I have a friend who is a maverick at making friends. One on one, she seems incredibly shy but I love her attitude to making friends and how deliberate she is about it all. So when I think to myself that I would like to make friends, I always think of some kind of organised activity that brings people together on the regular.

When I think of this though I always wonder how I would go about starting one because it involves putting myself out there in some way or another which is not exactly my thing. But, if / when I get over this hurdle, these are some things I would like to do:

• Listen to a key podcast each month and then meet and discuss
• Start an article club – pick a Longread article and then chat about it
• Pick a cuisine and then assign various parts of the meal (starter, protein, desserts, salad) to different people and thus have a supper club or a cookbook club if you are fancier.
• Good old Book club
• Board games with a group of friends, I really have mine eye on this one.
• A cheese/ wine tasting club.

Do you live in Joburg, would you be keen to do any of this with me and meet some new people?

Happy Mothers Day / Sunday Reads

Source

• What is the motherhood penalty?
• Kid-centric podcasts.
• I like the idea of going through life with a pre-mortem analysis.
• Praying in the Holy Spirit.

Recipes

• Yummy chocolate cake.
• Cauliflower rice
• More chickpea recipes.
• Suggestions for a picnic.

Belated Sunday Reads

Where are you going. You cannot leave with so many pieces of me still inside you. How will I ever put myself back together again.

Nikita Gill

• Breaking up with your phone.
• The loneliness of motherhood.
• Podcast recommendations for kiddos.
• On raising a boy.
• Women and their self selection into low-status and/or low-paying jobs.
• Mhhhh, the true state of media in Kenya.
• I can’t imagine purging any books but this is how you could go about it.
• Hospitality and church planting go together.
• Women and active ministry.
• Black Panther will inspire a lot of hair styles.
• Do you Airbnb during your travels?
• Are you part of a momarazzi crew?

Recipes

• I love the idea of baking only two doughnuts.
• Have your way with vegetarian quinoa recipes.
• Lemon, garlic and shrimp, yummmy!!

Sunday Reads

• Podcasts for the economist / development practitioner on holiday.
• Game of Thrones meets poetry
• On waiting eagerly and patiently.
• On building your instincts.
• Trusting God through financial difficulty
• Loss in motherhood will always defeat me.
• The hashtag #MeTooPhD had me shaken.

Recipes

• Styling a charcuterie and cheese board.
• Butternut humus sounds like a good idea.
• Did someone say seafood and  rice in a pilaf?

 

I Got You Friend

I miss my gal pals the most when I see stuff like this that we could do together .

I particularly think of the things that I have missed out on with my better female friends: baby showers, bridal showers, high tea, being able to do random things together, road trips, dinners, first homes, come meet my new guy, the new baby, watch a new show together and laugh about it – just a lot of stuff. Yes, IRL I have friends and people I do this but it’s also different.

From the blog post:

I particularly love #2,6, 9 and have done #3 – adult baking dates are awesome – 10, 13.

The comments as usual provides such gems and so here is my to do with a friend list.

• Volunteer together at a cause that’s meaningful to either or both of us.
• More concerts – I watched John Legend with a pal and her cool mom and it was awesome!
• Coworking sessions. Yes to these.
• Sit together and read dates.
• Sleepovers with no husbands or kids.
• Pottery / learn something class.
• Try and commit to an exercise class together.
• Talk about podcast episodes we both love. Tried to get so many pals into this that I am glad I can do it with my sister and partly with The Mr.
• Watch TV shows together and make comments in between, ideally together or even if separately, concurrently.
• Same day road trips and do stuff along the way or at the destination.
• Supper club where each person brings one.

In fact, I decided to have a little snacks and games afternoon at my place next month! Done!!

Podcast Love

I have spoken about podcasts and how much I love them here so many times before. Here are some of my favourites and as an added bonus recent episodes I have listened to that I just loved (please click on the image to get the episode that I loved).

• NRA-Backed Gun Laws & The State Legislature

• ‘The Life And Times Of Michael A.’ This was especially sad for me because I recently read the book: The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace.

• Hilary Rodham Clinton’s interview.
• Roxanne Gay’s interview.

 

Sunday Reads

• The biases that women face in Economics.
• Motherhood makes women better workers.
• This podcast on how these communities in Tanzania deal with the taboo around first periods.
• Great empirical evaluation of the assertion that foreigners in SA take jobs from locals.
• Love this article on boundaries within marriage – for example I don’t share nail cutters with the hubs.
• I think, sorry I know, I love Gordon Ramsay.
• I have tried to get my sisters to call me llama llama.
• Yes, hospitality is broader than entertaining.
• My sister has us on a plant-based diet so I wanna try and make this cake or this one.
• I have the urge to make this for the hubs.
• This eggplant dip looks yum.
• Getting the most from your food processor.

I Hear Myself Everywhere

I consume a lot of stuff online or on television and I know that the stuff I like best is anything that I can read and feel in some ways that it represents my inner voice. Like what you ask?

• Rory Gilmore from Gilmore Girls. In many ways she is my inner voice from when I was 16 until now at 32 – she is what the inner me wants to be.
• Cup of Jo. This blog is what I wish that my own little corner of the internet would grow up to be.
• Call your Girlfriend. This podcast reminds me of conversations I would have with my best gal pal and sans the cursing. As the tag line promises, it is the podcast for long distance besties which we happen to be.
• Julia Braverman and her family because I REALLY loved the show Parenthood.
• Tamar and Vince. Something about this show reminds me of the Mr and I . I also say that Tamar is the inner last born I always wish my family allowed me to be.
• Randal and Beth Pearson from This is Us is another portrayal of how I think the Mr and I relate to each other. If ever there was a couple on TV that I would happily squeal #Relationshipgoals it would be them.

And you, who/ what represents that inner voice?

 

 

Sunday Reads

• We live in times that are not friendly to Black women.
• So many fantastic ideas for African focused and produced podcasts. Just yes already!!
• African history is fascinating and powerful.
• Occasionally Joburg has some interesting events.
• And Cape Town’s history and racial inequality can drain you for days.
• This exhibition in Nairobi sounds like it was so exciting.
• I wanna be friends with this mama.
• I love how this article talks of the changes to female friendship as their own roles diversify.
• And this sensitive and practical response to that.
• Practical ways to teach your children the Bible.
• Life is all about perspective.
• Are you Ok being alone or does solitude scare you?

 

10 things that make me smile

1. Discovering a lovely brand of tea.
2. Sleeping in on a Saturday morning during the BSF break.
3. A wonderful chat with my sisters and friends.
4. I read my first Bessie Head (Maru) this week and it was lovely.
5. Successfully parallel (flash) parking in one attempt.
6. Trying a recipe and immediately knowing you will do it again.
7. Enjoying Season 7 of My Kitchen Rules.
8. Seeing my nephew and niece as they start to interact as siblings.
9. Really enjoying the study of James. Quite challenging but very interesting.
10. Discovering a great podcast and then going back to download all 80 episodes  

Sunday Reads

• BEST piece on the Dolezal woman!!
• I also loved this essay on how fallible our icons are, including sob Chimamanda.
• What separates great from average people?
• Sounds like an interesting podcast episode.
• A colleague is going through a break-up and this was a great read to share. This too.
• Feel fear but act anyway.
• I’d have a similar reaction when my boss walks in on me reading non-work stuff.
• This article put into context the French election happening today.
• Dying or being enslaved to get to Europe.
• Senegal remains on my to-visit list.
• 8 book recommendations for your father.

 Recipes:

• I love a good lassi.
• Placing vegetables in the centre of your meals.