friday link love

Good morning and happy Friday, friends! We moved! We survived! We’re still unpacking (and looks like we’ll be at it for some time)! Forrest, our neurotic, can’t-leave-the-apartment, i-don’t-go-into-cat-carrier super coddled cat was transported wrapped in a blanket with the help of our friend Tina. Huge, bottomless thanks to her for helping with this part of the move. Forrest’s first day in the new apartment was spent wedged between some Ikea boxes and our fridge (currently in the living room), but he emerged the following day (much to our surprise) to explore for a little bit and then to take up residence in the lining of our couch (raccoon-style). Anyway, we are slowly settling in. Our books are largely unpacked and my cookbook shelf is almost all set up. The sad part is that I can’t cook until we’re done with kitchen renovations. I didn’t even bother unpacking our kitchen boxes, so currently, we’re eating off two plates and two bowls, with plastic spoons and knives (I have no idea where the real silverware is). Mornings are cereal or yogurt with coffee; lunches are turkey or peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches with apples, carrots, and hummus for snacks, and dinners are largely cheap’ish take-out. I miss cooking so much, it’s making me batty. Also, not knowing where all my kitchen items are is oddly disorienting – like I don’t know where true north is anymore.

I did, however, find our coffee grinder and maker, so mornings aren’t too traumatic. Until yesterday morning, I was, largely, offline, which was nice, but now I feel horribly behind on work. So hoping to make up for a lot of time lost these few days.

Yesterday, our Ikea kitchen cabinets arrived. Today, Andrew and I will take stock of what is and isn’t here. But the number of pieces matched (I think!) the manifest slip, so that’s good. I have a longer post in the making about what it is like to get Ikea cabinets delivered and how to go about checking everything. It might not be up for awhile as I may still learn a thing or two about the process, but I’m carefully taking notes and making observations for folks who might want to do this in the future. Hopefully, the lessons I will have learned will be helpful to others.

Not too many links today, given my current unpacking and work preoccupations, but some things I found interesting and wanted to share – hope you do too! I hope to post before the New Year, but in case I get caught up in work and home things, here’s wishing you all a happy and healthy 2014 ahead!

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For fitness, intensity matters.

The origins and meanings of Ashkenazic Jewish last names. I found this to be totally fascinating!

Looks like the Tea Party isn’t going anywhere just yet.

The essential kitchen skills no one taught but everyone should know.

The lethal dangers of a popular contraceptive NuvaRing – I couldn’t believe what I was reading!

A helpful gathering of valuable apps that help freelancers get more done. I use some of these and others were new to me – I plan on checking a lot of them out in 2014.

James Franco writes on the meaning of the selfie.

I loved all of these SNL sketches in 2013 – and looks like a good compilation of this year’s best SNL work.