Editor’s Note: I have changed the format of my Friday posts a bit, focusing on the TGIF rather than having five items. Forgive me but sometimes I just can’t come up with five (although maybe someday I’ll have SIX) and I’m not sure I ever did the whole Friday Five thing right anyway! But this week I do indeed have five so let’s get rolling.

TGIF my friends. We made it through another long, dark winter week and having spots of brightness and optimism helped.

1. As Van Jones said:

I’ve never been a big watcher of inaugurations but I will never again take for granted the ceremony and meaning of these occasions. After being so deeply in fear that a peaceful transition of power would not take place, the symbolic importance of the day, and the presence of so many different voices and people from both sides of the aisle, was something I was very grateful for. 🇺🇸

The Bernie memes have been amazing. My faves:

The inauguration was of course the biggest high point of the week but I also have some superficiality- so now on to the minutiae!

2. I read a review of L’Oréal Elvive Wonder Water and for $9 I was intrigued to try it. The texture is weird but it really works to make my hair soft and shiny. Without a blowout and a straightener, my hair is wavy underneath and straight on top which can make it look poofy and unkempt. This product makes it noticeably straighter and more manageable without styling. Which is good, because in the age of remote work, I still shower and wash my hair every day – yes, every day, it’s a tic that I cannot feel clean or productive if my hair isn’t washed- but mostly I’m just blowing it a bit dry and twisting it up into a clip. Warning, it does make the shower floor extremely slippery so use caution.

3. I am a huge fan of Finnish writer Tove Jansson and I recently saw a collection of yarn inspired by her Moomin characters. uhhh…. this could get expensive.

4. Speaking of knitwear…my parents got me Bombas for Christmas…FROM THE SESAME STREET COLLECTION. This is my fave sock brand and I can’t tell you the happiness it brings me to look down during the day and see Grover or Oscar on my ankle.

5. Josie aka Pot Roast is by far the cleverest cat I’ve ever had. One day I pulled up a YouTube video on my computer monitor and let her chase a cartoon mouse across the screen for awhile. I called it “feline enrichment” a la the Kitten Lady (check her on IG). This was all cute fun and games until Pot Roast caught sight of the television monitor. Now she chases Green Bay Packers across the screen, punches out Audrey Hepburn during “Charade”, and thinks she can dunk a basketball like a Laker. Her particular faves, however, are Brandon’s old Kung fu films that he likes to watch before he falls asleep. The funniest thing is hearing a bit of a scuffle in a dark bedroom then seeing Pot Roast’s little ears and head rising up in silhouette against the television screen, looking like Tom Servo or Crow from MST3k. We don’t have the heart to discourage her but that will undoubtedly change when she knocks the TV off the wall and feels pleased that she finally bested Commander Wong.

I hope you have a fantastic Friday and weekend ahead. xo