Sydney's Sunday Reads: #5
Happy Sunday, friends! Have you ever held on to something for way too long? A grudge, a bad experience, a terrible feeling? There’s one that I hadn’t been able to really shake until this week when a bit of news knocked me off my feet. At first, I felt validated because I was no longer alone in how I felt, but as the days passed I started to realize: I had actually moved on more than I thought and it was no longer healthy to put myself back in that headspace. They say that time heals all, and I agree, but there is no one-size-cures-all temporal salve is there? The best medicine I’ve found is just moving on with your life. Show them that you’re thriving by focusing on what makes you happy. You’ve got too much to offer not to share it with the masses.
Sydney's Sunday Reads is a weekly blog series that highlights some of my favorite stories, articles, think-pieces, and more from around the Internet.
Hold on tight because here…we…go!
Why the face? - In many countries, but America especially, the more “A-List” you are, the more your face is plastered on the cover of every single magazine known to man. So what happens when you decide to alter that face? Well, millions notice, and because expressing an opinion is free (and they figure they’ll never actually meet the celebrity they’re trashing in real life), they comment on it…a lot. It might seem like a celebrity going under the knife and later making multiple headlines for it is unique to the social media era, but the phenomenon of mega-star celebrities suddenly getting "a new face” and everyone making it their business to talk about it has been a thing for nearly a century. Admit it, you’ve stared way too hard at the pictures in those “Before and After” articles just like the rest of us. (Jezebel)
Myth busting a superfood. - Avocados have become my ultimate go-to snack during the pandemic. I put them in grain bowls, on toast, in eggs, and even, occasionally, I eat one half raw with a spoon. But if you’ve ever bought an avocado you know what an incredibly slim window of time you have between under-ripe and ripe: if you wait too long, you’ll open yourself up to more brown spots than green. But as popular as avocados have always been, I bet there are a few things you didn’t know about them. For example, did you know you could freeze them? Real Simple has compiled a list of busted myths we’ve all grown up hearing about our favorite oval-shaped eggs of green goodness. (Real Simple)
If I could turn back time… - Fans of time travel fiction should be excited about this one! University of Queensland student Germain Tobar has mathematically proven that time travel is actually possible. His peer-reviewed findings were recently published in Classical and Quantum Gravity. The math is understandably complex but here’s one super interesting takeaway: traveling to the past would more than likely not alter the present as long as at least two major aspects of a scenario remain the same. For instance, you could go back in time to the Titanic, interact with passengers, and even experience the ship hitting an iceberg, but you couldn’t warn the crew of the imminent threat or try to save someone who was meant to perish, as that would drastically change the present. Here’s another example outlined in a statement released by the university: you could go back in time to find Patient Zero before they spread the coronavirus, but by doing so, you would alter your entire motivation for traveling in time to stop Patient Zero at all. A fascinating paradox indeed! (Yahoo Finance)
Life’s a picnic! - To me there is nothing more soul uplifting or romantic than dining outdoors. There’s just something about packing a basket to the brim with goodies for yourself or to share and taking in the nature around you that totally puts me at ease. Ever wondered how our friends around the world celebrate dining al fresco? Wonder no more! (Smithsonian Magazine)
The New Spice Girls. - We all know how vital spices are for elevating literally any food, but how often do we take the time to learn exactly where the jarred spices on our rack come from or who’s growing them? In this article on MarthaStewart.com, you’ll meet a group of female entrepreneurs who are disrupting the spice trade by bringing small batch, high-quality spices directly to consumers, while also empowering growers and harvest teams around the world! (Martha Stewart)
I always cry at weddings. - Just when I thought I had gotten every Zoom-hosted television and movie reunion I could ever want or ask for this year, romantic comedy queen and superfan of the sun-soaked coastal kitchen aesthetic Nancy Meyers goes and makes Father of the Bride 3 (ish). Not only were we blessed with an update on the beloved Banks family during quarantine, we were also treated to a super sweet surprise event! Best of all? This was done to raise awareness for a nonprofit I love, World Central Kitchen, which provides meals to those in need in the wake of natural and man-made disasters. Get your tissues ready for all the happy-crying you’re about to do!