Emchap's Shit from the Internet 01/13/21 đ
As those of you who know me in real life are aware, I live in a small complex of little houses and am friends with three of the other households in it. It is an absolute gift to be able to live near people I like, particularly in a pandemic, particularly when the house next to me is undergoing the worldâs slowest-motion not-breakup, very loudly, every night.
Itâs because of that that I was chatting with my across-the-driveway friend at some point about the neighborhood. She mentioned that she kind of missed the guy who lived across the real street from us who used to go out on his lawn and get drink and sink Spanish karaoke most Fridays. Heâs not been out this past year, presumably because itâs less fun to do that if your friends and family canât come over, which has been quieter but also more boring.
Wednesday isâin addition to being newsletter dayâtrash day for me. I only remember to actually take the trash out one week out of three, but tonight I managed it. (In part because Iâd recycled a bunch of cardboard; my life is very exciting and also cool.)
In between dodging a dude on the sidewalk and wondering what the giant metal tube was on the street (it was my old water heater) I noticed that though he wasnât on the lawn I could hear my neighbor singing, loudly, to what I can only assume is a pop song from the 90s. It was a small moment of joy in the midst of the absolutely terrifying combo of being a pandemic hot spot and waiting for the other white supremacist shoe to drop.
Shit to read
This story about bisexuals who donât come out until after their teens and enter a self-reinforcing cycle of being afraid of gay sex was good but also just a reminder of how much more stressful literally anything about being a person was in my early 20s before I realized at least a generous plurality of people is always terrified in the presence of others. Nobody knows anything about shit.
A writer I follow was musing on the concept of terror sex after last weekâs Wednesday Coup Attempt and shared this piece from immediately after 9/11, and though I donât particularly identify (my horrible traumatic event being one where you really canât be around other people) I very much identify with the overall attempt to remind yourself that you do have a horrible meat body. Relatedly, Iâve been doing a lot of yoga lately.
And funny!
The concept of formal debate is the stupidest thing (no itâs not just because my worst boyfriend was a high school debate guy itâs also other things) and I liked this piece my friend sent me about the ways in which that model fails us. The appropriate response to Nazis is to deplatform them/punch them until they stop being Nazis.
lololOLOLOLolol dipshits.
I enjoyed this mean book review of a terrible book.
As I mentioned last week I broke the news of the coup attempt to my boss and it was a super weird one, so this AHP piece on working through a coup felt incredibly resonant. What the fuck are any of us supposed to be doing right now.
Shit to eat
Realize that you have a fridge full of one (1) packet of moldy corn tortillas that you are sad to have lost, and eight (8) packets of flour tortillas with one tortilla in them.
Make beans and blend them, if youâre at that point of quarantine, or grab a can of refried beans.
Dump a big spoonful of flour, of chili powder, and an equal amount of oil into a pan. Heat for a few minutes while whisking. Youâve made a roux before.
Into it add a couple of scoops of tomato paste and a cup of water, and a little salt.
While thatâs happening, toast your tortillas a little bit on each side over an open flame or in a dry pan. Shred cheese if you have block cheese.
Keep stirring the sauce until itâs thick enough to coat a spoon, or until all the tortillas are toasted and youâre hungry. Adjust salt.
Dump half the sauce in an 8x8 casserole.
Into each of the tortillas put a little cheese and a little beans, and then roll them up. Put them into the dish next to each other.
Extra sauce on top as well as whatever cheese you didnât already use. The tortillas are all different sizes. Itâs fine.
Pop it in the oven at 350 for 25 minutes, surprised once again that enchiladas are a thing you can just make.
When the timer goes off, open the oven, scoop a third of the pan onto your plate, top with sour cream (by which I mean yogurt because you never buy sour cream anymore) and cilantro, and go to town. If you have avocado put some on top since thatâs whatâs in the original recipe, but also, you donât have to.
(Adapted from Budget Byteâs Weeknight Bean and Cheese Enchiladas, which are a great fridge cleanout meal if you have my fridge.)
Shit to listen to
I was reminded of George Washington, a stupid Youtube video from when I graduated high school/there were still time limits on Youtube videos, and now you should be, too. âHeâll kick you apart/Heâll kick you apart/Oooh!â kills me still. No I do not know why John Green was commenting on the video three months ago.
The other Green brother referred to this as âa tiktok songâ the other day and Iâm still mad about it. Also AJJ is doing Youtube livestreams now and itâs great to see how much the dude is just very much Some Guy in the most classic angry-leftist-in-the-good-way way. (Particularly good for my fellow Professionally Sad folks is AJJ covering âThis Yearâ with the very funny intro âIâm pretty sure this is about a car.â)
Shit to buy
Iâm going with a few weeks of groceries for hunkering down, if you are someone who has already eaten down the pantry.