Monday:

Why don’t you use the stale tortillas in your fridge to make chips instead of throwing them out? I know this is going to come as a shock, but tortilla chips are made out of tortillas. Wild. I know, my mind was blown too. I’ve been frying up some stale corn tortillas in vegetable oil and tossing them with various spices. They’re better than they really should be. And now it feels like I’m in a delicious Mexican restaurant and I feel like a thrifty pioneer.

Tuesday:

Why don’t you watch the BBC’s adaptation of Dracula on Netflix? Dracula is one of my favorite pieces of literature and until now there has never been an adaptation that meets my rigorous standards. (Like anybody cares!) This three-part miniseries truly blew my mind. It remains lovingly faithful to Bram Stoker’s novel but reinterprets almost everything about the story in a way that rarely failed to shock and surprise me. Yes, there were some moments of the show that were ridiculously bad…like the first half of episode three…but there were other moments that rose to the level of a modern masterpiece. It was brilliant. Get to watching!

Wednesday:

Why don’t you take the longest bath of your life? I am obsessed with bathing. A shower is a wonderful quick indulgence, but it can’t compare to the luxury of sliding underneath boiling hot water. In quarantine, I’ve been taking too many baths — if such a thing is possible — and I’ll even take two in a day for fun. Yesterday, I read the entirety of an Agatha Christie mystery whilst my skin pruned up. It was good fun. The hours fly by in a different fashion when you’re utterly and totally relaxed. 

Thursday:

Why don’t you, if you’re able, join a scholarly society to support their work and enrich your mind? I can’t tell you why I’ve never done it before, but I just became a member of the Egypt Exploration Society which is headquartered in London. It’s a major player in Egyptian archaeology, particularly in the early days of the science, and now I’m a full member. I get to vote on things. I was delighted to learn that membership also allows me full access to their library of Egyptological material if I’m ever in London again! Go away, Coronavirus, I have old books to look at!

Friday:

Why don’t you go drive around the block if you own a car? Due to the pandemic, I haven’t driven in over a month. I get everything delivered because of health concerns, and I’m enormously thankful and appreciative for my deliveries. My car has sat for longer than a month before, but it’s good to make sure it works. Turns out mine didn’t! A few miles from home my brake locked somehow and a tire EXPLODED. It was incredibly dramatic. Had to pay for repairs and a new tire. Ugh. I’m just glad I wasn’t on the highway when it happened. That would have been hella annoying. Maintain your stuff, dear reader, don’t be like me! [UPDATE: After getting a new tire and driving it home, THE EXACT SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN. I’m cursed…maybe?]