What's IN/OUT this week

Yesterday was Opening Day and while my team (Pirates) will likely underperform yet again this season, I am never disappointed by hot dog and beer in the sunshine.

IN: Pasta salad. I had some leftover orzo in the fridge, so I tossed together a pasta salad so good that I woke up thinking about it and made Dave listen as I rattled off the ingredients. I made a simple red wine vinaigrette with some dried herbs, then tossed in the orzo, cubed ricotta salata, spinach, capers, roasted peppers and onions (chilled), and cubed cured meat. Mamma mia... OUT: Uncomfortable minimalism. A messy home can be a sign of depression, yet we never talk about the opposite end of the spectrum: extreme, uncomfortable minimalism. Neutral shades and a single couch are somehow deemed artsy and modern, rather than inching ever closer to the white, padded walls of a psychiatric hospital. Coming home from a long day of work to “relax” in this chair?

IN: Ranunculus. I bought a couple bouquets at Trader Joe’s, and now I can’t stop walking by my little arrangement and admiring my work — which isn’t even that impressive. This as close to trad wifery as I get. OUT: Allergies. I rubbed my eyes for 17 hours total the other day.

IN: “My horrible robot children!” Emily Gould, writing for New York Magazine’s Dinner Party newsletter, mentioned that she’d been accused of using AI to write the newsletter, but realistically she’s probably inadvertently helped train large language models, considering she’s been writing online for 23 years. Calling what might be spit out by AI in her voice “my horrible robot children” is so funny. OUT: My horrible fur child. Please know that I’ll never use that phrase to refer to my dog again, but it just worked too well with the IN. Anyhow, Dottie started tearing up our big couch blanket while we were at the wine tasting Sunday, and she got back to work on it while I was at yoga Tuesday. Instead of buying myself a new electric kettle, I bought a new couch cover. But I always have to remind myself: I brought an animal into the home.

IN: A pointless question that’s just kind of fun to answer. I asked one of my group chats for their top three pasta shapes and a really compelling conversation ensued. I recommend asking a low-stakes question and watch the magic unfold. My favorite shapes are penne (workhorse), farfalle (whimsical), and orecchiette (romantic). OUT: Sleeping on orzo. Hi! Still thinking about the Extremely Impactful Pasta Salad! 

Tell me your favorite pasta shapes!