January 30, 2023
The best way to butter me up 🥐
GIMME SOME CARBS!
Happy National Croissant Day! I love carbs in all forms, but baked goods have a special place in my heart. That said, croissants are a food I can only fully enjoy alone, since it's impossible to eat one without looking like a sloppy goblin. They're so flaky and messy that two bites in you'll find me covered in crumbs, my fingers greasy with butter. They might be tasty, but they're not the most dignified snack. How do those fancy Parisians do it and manage to still look so chic? Tell me your secrets!
While reading up on this occasion I learned that the croissant's creation is actually credited to an Austrian military officer, August Zang, who opened a Viennese bakery in Paris in 1839 and introduced the French to his creation. So croissants are really an Austrian creation and "French" fries are Belgian — can we really trust the French after they've led us astray about so many delicious treats? What next, France, what next?!
Love and lies! The French do make champagne though, so I guess they can sit with us.
GIF via Screen Media Films
*****
Want a few January 30th famous birthdays and historical facts to impress people with? Here are a few...
• Born on this day: actor Christian Bale (1974), actor Gene Hackman (1930), 32nd US President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882), and singer/musician Phil Collins (1951)
• On this day in 1969 The Beatles gave their last public performance
• Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated on this day in 1948
• British paratroopers opened fire on Northern Ireland protesters on this day in 1972, killing 13 people
• Lastly, on this day in 1982 the first computer virus was released "into the wild" by a 15 year old as a practical joke
*****
Alright! Scroll on down to learn a bit about fellow Boredwalk fan Laura! If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Monday email (and are a customer with some Boredwalk tees, tanks, hoodies, towels, bags, or books to show off), just reply to this and let us know, and we'll send you some fun questions to answer (along with our undying gratitude)!
We'll be back here in your inbox on Wednesday with some more random holidays to observe, historical tidbits to acknowledge, and fun links to entertaining content! Until next time...
Peace, love, and baked goods,
Meredith
Laura playing the long game in her Kill Them With Kindness scoop-neck fleece.
Dream job: I'd be lying if I said I wasn't happy now BUT if I'm dreaming it would be a travel writer or a flight attendant — basically I haven't seen enough of the world and want to.
from a friend gone too soon: "Writing — it's just talking on paper."
from a meme: "Learn to say "no" without explaining yourself."
from Leslie Knope: "Now go find your team. Get to work. Whatever that work is that you find worth doing. Do it, and find some people to love who'll do it with you."
I have a visceral reaction to creamed corn but love creamed spinach.
1. What's your actual day job and what's your dream day job?
Day job: I am an Education Leader in non-profit arts which is incredibly fulfilling and rewarding but also pretty intense at times despite the subject matter being something I truly love.
Dream job: I'd be lying if I said I wasn't happy now BUT if I'm dreaming it would be a travel writer or a flight attendant — basically I haven't seen enough of the world and want to.
2. What's your biggest pet peeve?
"It is what it is" NO IT IS NOT. If you work towards change, change can happen — albeit slow and steady sometimes — but the tortoise often wins.
And when people chew with their mouths open, floss their teeth in public, and leave poop on the sidewalks because they're too lazy to pick up after their dogs.
3. What's a life pro tip the Boredwalk community needs to know?
from me: Get a planner. Everyone should have one and they are magical.
from a friend gone too soon: "Writing — it's just talking on paper."
from a meme: "Learn to say "no" without explaining yourself."
from Leslie Knope: "Now go find your team. Get to work. Whatever that work is that you find worth doing. Do it, and find some people to love who'll do it with you."
4. What's a book you think the Boredwalk community should read?
Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk, Girl, Interrupted by Susana Kaysen, Miles: The Autobiography by Miles Davis with Quincy Trope, Acid for Children: A Memoir by Flea, There's a Monster at the End of This Book by Grover. These are a few of my favorite things....
5. What experience do you most want to cross off your bucket list?
Wine and chocolate croissants* in Paris, pasta and gelato in Italy, Holi in India, Northern Lights in Norway. Publish a book. Earn a Doctorate or be awarded an honorary one — less work, all the glory.
(Editor's note: how serendipitous! Find our their secrets re: chic croissant consumption and report back!)
6. You can curse your nemesis with a minor annoyance for eternity; what do you choose?
Pens that always run out of ink halfway through their writing.
7. If you drink: what's your go-to drink? If you don't drink: what's your go-to dessert or snack?
Coffee and wine. Cheez-Its. I will never turn down a basic vanilla cake and vanilla frosting combo. Preferably with sprinkles.
8. What is a surprising fact about you?
I play over 15 instruments (not surprising considering my field) (my primary instrument is the flute).
I have a visceral reaction to creamed corn but love creamed spinach.
9. Where can the rest of the Boredwalk community find you?
IRL: Reading at home while my kids lego and color or working in a basement office so kids can make music on the UWS of NYC.
Leave a comment