Friday Five | 8

It’s been a few months since I’ve done one of these!

1. Stranger Things: I can’t say enough about this Netflix series. Marisa brought it to my attention and so I dipped into an episode one evening a few weeks ago and was enthralled. It makes me want to retreat back to the 80s! So much good stuff in this series: I hope Winona Ryder has a comeback career after this. The kids in this series are fantastic actors. Eleven…oh, Eleven!! I can’t wait to see what else they do with this series!
2. The DNC renewed my zest for politics and of course I had to imbibe in some (balanced) political discussions…though in this election cycle I’m not sure that’s easy to find. However, Pantsuit Politics podcast is a bipartisan podcast that has been uplifting to listen to. I don’t watch the political pundits on the cable news stations because it’s a bunch of b.s. (though sometimes I like to get a little spin from Bill Maher) but this podcast was just what I needed to satisfy that zest for politics without wanting to punch someone. Also, I love the name because I abhor everyone hating on Hillary for wearing pantsuits. I don’t enjoy wearing dresses (though I do like a good outdoorsy skirt) and much prefer pants. Also, the pantsuit and pants are of course a big eff you to patriarchy establishment:
   

   Here is a true fact: It wasn’t until 1993 (1993!) that women were allowed (allowed!) to wear pantsuits on the Senate floor. The “allowing” occurred, in the end, only because Barbara Mikulski and Carol Moseley Braun decided to defy an arcane rule, leading, eventually, to its erasure. (Or to its modification: Pants-clad women are now allowed in the Senate chamber so long as the pants in question are accompanied by a jacket.) The rebellion was fitting: Pants are, in their way, political. Women started wearing them in the U.S. around the same time that they won the vote, and the garments reflected their egalitarian ambition. And suits are symbolic from the other side of the spectrum: They are the ultimate totems of cheerful corporate conformity. They whiff of willful captivity.

   From You’re Fashionable Enough Hillary in The Atlantic.

   That said, if you like dresses–wear them! But enough with the pantsuit and fashion critique nonsense.

3. Alright, something more frivolous. Getting off two hours early today and going to Target to pick up some school supplies for Forest and other miscellany—because, it’s Target. My trips to Target are few and far between these days and when I do get there it is usually with a toddler in the shopping cart. An hour to myself to browse? Pretty darn nice.
4. Working out! After 2.5 months off I was definitely feeling the lack of movement other than the ocassional walk and gardening. I put together a weight lifting program for myself to get back into the swing of things at home. Hoping to add cardio sessions on weekends for now and eventually add a day or two in during the week at lunch when it cools off. We’ll see, but for now it feels good to be working out again.
5. It’s been a lot of monarch talk this summer but yesterday I finally saw a gulf frittilary caterpillar on a native passiflora vine. We have a ton of passiflora but I haven’t really seen many gulf frittilary butterflies around here until recently.

   Alright, that’s it for this week! What’s up in your world?