my travel for the year is over!!!!!!!!!!!!!! home home home. our last stop was Death Valley National Park with Danny, his mom, and Ash.
this year we went to six national parks: Death Valley, Mesa Verde, Volcanoes, Great Sand Dunes, Arches, and Canyonlands. The year before, we went to Big Bend. I am working down the list!!
final sales push before the holidays. take 20% off everything at Five Nine with code TAKE20.
I love my store, my kid, and my dog, and I don’t need anything else
My favorite things I bought this year
Sleeper pajamas with feather fringe - This was a bf/cm splurge, but I have already gotten so much wear out of these. They are my ideal post-(mid?)pandemic formalwear. I dressed up this outfit for a state elected officials event in Washington DC earlier this month and was the belle of the ball to be honest
This neck massager - It has little cushioned straps that you can put your hands through to increase pressure. I use it almost every night before bed while I watch tv. I can also set my legs in it which feels great. It’s soooo ugly, but every electronic massage thing is, so whatever.
3-in-one plug-in charger - I didn’t actually buy this, I got one at a work conference trade show, but it’s the most genius thing and I have since bought a few as gifts. charge everything, no cords. it’s all self-contained. this battery charges my iphone (lightning), my noise canceling headphones (micro usb), and my laptop (usb-c), and plugs into the wall to recharge. when my kid forgets to charge their ipad for school, I also send it to school with them. (And cross my fingers that it ends up coming home.)
Kendrick Trunk Bag by Brandon Blackwood - Mine is brown leather with gold hardware. I love this Black fashion entrepreneur who is deep into the “luxury for all” space also pioneered by designers like Telfar Clemens. I use a Telfar as a carry-on, and my Kendrick bag as an everyday purse.
Gucci Nail polish in Peggy Sunburn - just one coat works. it stays on for a while. but the thing is the color. I think its my favorite nail polish color ever.
Border and Rule: Global Migration, Capitalism, and the Rise of Racist Nationalism by Harsha Walia - my most-underlined book of 2021. Border and Rule is an extraordinarily-researched analysis of the causes of migrant displacement and the commodification of human labor as a way to maintain ethnic and racial hierarchy. Just extremely solid and smart. "While workers are declared illegal, the surplus value they create is never deemed illegal." And there you have it.
More to come. If you know someone who would like this in their inbox, forward it to them and tell your friends to subscribe. Follow me on Instagram and Twitter, too. If you have a question about navigating the system, getting a benefit, or are generally pissed at the government, contact my fed account at mhunt@leg.ne.gov. Help me pay my rent and validate the work that fulfills me by shopping at 5/9. Get vaccinated, mask up indoors for sure, and stay safe!
Meg