Circle Time // 2.19.26

A personal catch-up, ICYMI news, viewing ANTM with a developed frontal lobe, and the book that made me heave-sob.

It feels like I just hit “publish” on my last Circle Time, blinked, and found myself here again, because it’s been a whirlwind of a week— so here’s a brain dump in lieu of recent joy igniters:

Benny’s pain got significantly worse last week after his unknown reason for re-injury, so I schlepped my ass to Manhattan at 6am to pick up some good ol’ controlled drugs for him that I had to sign multiple forms for, promising I WOULD NOT SELL THE DRUGS. Him being hurt for reasons I do not have a solution to is wrecking me in a way I cannot fully process at the moment, if I’d like to keep functioning with my current responsibilities.

We had a chill, sweet Valentine’s Day at home: cooked up some steaks and crispy smashed rosemary potatoes, and watched Eternity again, which hit even more the second time. Had to work throughout the weekend because after a bit of a brand partnerships drought the last couple months, a handful of amazingly aligned partnerships came in, but all at the same time, of course. Naturally, this also coincided with when the rest of my accounting and taxes were due to my accountant to pay our federal government for horrible things (anyone else having a visceral reaction to this?).

Lunar New Year / Seollal came around, and we did our classic ddukgook (rice cake soup- here’s a basic recipe) for good luck and I wore a full ‘fit of red for the first time in my life, because I’m taking no chances this year. It’s also the year of the Fire Horse, and I’m a Metal White Horse (every 60 years), so I’m calling on all the astrological juju available out there to bring us all some better energy this year.

And of course, I’ve been heavily tuned into the Olympics throughout, and looking forward to the women’s free skate this afternoon to wrap up the skating events! It’s been a wildly emotional Olympic Games for so many skaters, with the highest of highs for some and some nightmarish outcomes for others— sports like this will truly rip your heart out.

Some joyous skating highlights to watch if you’re looking:

• Miura and Kihara’s gold medal-winning comeback pairs free skate (and their reactions from their competitors after the results were finalized!)

• Alysa Liu’s deliciously smooth short program

• Mikhail Shaidorov’s shocker gold medal free skate

• Ami Nakai’s stunning short program complete with a triple axel

• Isabeau Levito’s delightful artistic short program

Onto the rest of Circle Time we go!

• Peanut butter recall in 40 states: check if yours is on the list.

• Civil rights icon, Jesse Jackson, has passed away at 84 years old.

• A UN panel is saying that the acts detailed in the Epstein files may amount to crimes against humanity (we know).

• ICE illegally (violating their no-chase policy) chased someone after they fled a traffic stop check in Georgia, and the driver killed a special-ed teacher, Linda Davis.

• The Dilley, TX detention center has inhumane conditions (that are worse than Russia’s), and a 2-month year old baby, Juan Nicolas, spent 3 weeks there ill with bronchitis, before being deported despite being reported as “unresponsive” following a hospital visit.