Greetings, pals.
Did you have big rewards in elementary school? We used to earn points for doing good things, and once we had enough, we would earn things like extra 5 minutes of recess or even a pizza party. I would always be so bummed out when our bank of points was empty. This week was a little bit of an empty bank week, with all the points spent on Monday as I gave out treats on Halloween. I don’t have special words in this edition of Christina’s Corner: just tips to ease nausea, keep you on the edge of your seat with mystery, or fill your belly with laughter, and maybe make someone smile. But then again, maybe some joy can be found in those things, too.
Eat: I’ve been reminded by my occasional bouts of nausea this week how meaningful it is to have a non-prescription anti-queasiness tool on hand. If you haven’t tried Tummydrops before, let me tell you: I swear by these things. The mint flavor is my favorite, with ginger running in a close second. And while it isn’t the ultimate deciding factor, I’m a sucker for good branding, and these are cute sitting on my desk.
See: I have been an unapologetic fan of Unsolved Mysteries since it was in its first run with that guy with thick hair as the host. (Update: Google has informed me that his name was Robert Stack.) It technically started to air even before I was born, but I watched that show as it moved broadcasting homes until its stint on Lifetime in 2002. Unsolved Mysteries is now back on Netflix, but you don’t have to be a true crime fan to delve into the mysterious and strange. There are a few new episodes about the supernatural in the Netflix launch, Season 3, Episode 2 (“Over 300 residents of western Michigan report seeing unearthly lights on the night of March 8th, 1994. Decades later the event remains unexplained”) or Season 1, Episode 5 (“Residents of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, recall their baffling, terrifying experiences with a UFO on the night of September 1, 1969″). For fun, you can also watch episodes from the original run, featuring a young Matthew McConaughey playing a murder victim in a 1992 episode. See him talk proudly about it here.
*Dear Reader, choose your adventure carefully, so you don’t end up like middle and high-school babysitter Christina, who spooked herself in big houses once the kids were asleep. Maybe give yourself an episode of a comedy after to lull yourself to sleep.
Do: Call someone out of the blue this weekend. Or if that’s out of your comfort zone, or the recipient’s comfort, send a voice memo. In this era of texting, it can be good to hear folks’ voices.
Have a wonderful weekend, friends.
Christina
