Five Familiar Feats

I'm running again! Plus, French gaffes and TCBY.

Sep 16, 2022

I went for a run this week. I know. I’m as shocked as you. I’ve had an on-again, off-again relationship with the sport for the past 10+ years or so. I can’t even remember the last time I laced up. Sometime during the pandemic, I guess. But, like, the thick of the pandemic, not the where-we-are-now-pandemic.

So, how’d it happen? Well, walking seems to be the only kind of exercise I can partake in due to my injured rib. (Yoga, sadly—my go-to—has been the hardest.) And it’s not reallllly exercise if I’m not sweating, so I decided to see if I could pick up the pace. Turns out I could, and boy did it feel good…when I finished. :)

Just kidding. It wasn’t that bad in the thick of it either. My shins were definitely on fire, and it took practically the entire time I set for myself to catch my breath: a whopping 15 minutes! But I am glad I did it. In fact, I may do it again tomorrow.

Other activities that buoyed my spirit this week? FaceTiming with my friend Liz and her pooch, Chloe. Watching a video of my nephew Calvin taking his first steps. Restarting Friday Night Lights from the beginning. Seeing Arcade Fire live in concert.

Me chatting with Chloe who now lives in London with her mama, my friend Liz.

They may have been minor, but each of these five familiar feats reminded me of what lights me up when I’m feeling down: endurance, connection, evolution, and artistry.

What added some pep to your step this week? If you can’t think of anything, go ahead and borrow any of the above, inserting your preferred exercise to try, friend (or dog) to FaceTime, baby to gush over, band to see perform, or favorite TV show to rewatch.

Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose.

Bon week-end, friends! xx — Sara

Clickable

RIP to the Group Chat. | The Cut
Tasting menus: “They’re supposed to amuse your palate. They don’t.” | FT
Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner says classic rock is dead. | NYT Magazine
NYC changes so quickly. | The New Yorker
Author Emma Straub reflects on losing her father, also an author. | Vulture
Aesop soap still means you have good taste. | The Cut
Oh Drew. How TV audiences love your giggly ways. | The New Yorker

Watchable

“We were the lucky ones,” said Sally Schmitt, the original co-founder of famed restaurant, the French Laundry. “We found a way of life that we enjoyed.” Here, the restaurateur who put “California Cuisine” on the map shares the fascinating tale of how the Napa Valley hotspot came to be, what she gained from running it with her family, and why she ultimately sold it to Thomas Keller. “I didn’t want to change the world,” she said. “I just wanted to cook.” Prepare for goosebumps!

Currently Overthinking…

…the French gaffes I’ve made recently such as calling a “fracture” (break) a “facture” (invoice); telling a chef that I didn’t really care for the restaurant he once worked at, and misreading an email regarding a press lunch causing all sorts of awkwardness and tail-between-the-legs feelings. Meh. Bof.

Souvenir: TCBY (not tcby)

I saw an updated logo for the Arkansas-born brand recently (they went from UPPERCASE “TCBY” to lowercase “tcby”), which means that, yes, it’s still around. But make a change like that and your heydays are gone, amIright? Plus, I haven’t had it since high school, back when there were over 1,500 locations in America. (Now there are less than 500.) The real question is: Do they still have white chocolate mousse with hot fudge? Cause that was some good soft serve froyo!