Wake Up, the Aliens Are Here
Here's what I'm bringing with me to Mars
In case you haven’t heard, the arrival of our alien overlords is upon us. Just days after the U.S. shot down an apparent Chinese spy balloon floating over the South Carolina coast, American jets shot down an unidentified flying object hovering over Alaska. One day later, they shot down another one—this time over Canada.
It’s self-involved, I guess, to think it’s actually aliens. Why would they choose America to infiltrate first? Why not New Guinea, or Japan or Spain?
Also, historically, people who have been invaded have been wiped out pretty fast, rather than watched from afar in silence (or, in this case, from a UFO). But the objects have already inspired countless memes and lots of conversation.
For me, they’ve inspired a packing list. If I’m being taken to Mars, it’s going to be in style. Here’s what’s coming with me.
I refuse to live without my cup of coffee in the morning. Here on Earth, the kind folks at Atlas Coffee sent me a bag of beans last week and they are delicious (I wasn’t paid or anything, just wanted to shout them out for the kind gesture!). I think it’s a great concept and I love having something to look forward to, which is kind of the whole point of any subscription service. Each subscription box comes with beans from a different part of the world, with tasting notes and information about the coffee’s history. You can use the code VIRGINIA50ATLAS to get 50% off some coffee.
Of course, if you want to have fun with your coffee, you can add some flavor with a fancy vanilla syrup. This one is perfect for lattes, plus you can actually see the flecks from the vanilla beans so you know it’s quality. It would make for a fun Valentine’s gift, too, if you’re in the market for that sort of thing.
These de-puffing masks are worth the hype. You leave them on for 20 minutes and your skin is calmed, juicy and a little bit more plump. I like to leave mine in the fridge for a true spa-like experience. (Hey, we’re gonna need all the relaxation we can get during our space travels.)
I recently unveiled some new prints on Artfully Walls and this one is my favorite. You can choose your own frame, but I’m partial to the ornate, gold-leaf wood variety.
This is the perfect sweatshirt. It’s black (so it’s hard to get dirty), super cozy, and it actually looks really chic with jeans and loafers but pairs equally well with leggings and sneaks. I think our alien overlords will appreciate that. And here’s how I’d wear it, spaceship or not:
Sweatshirt/Sneakers/Pants/Earrings/Bag/Hat/Lipstick
What I’m watching/reading/listening to and loving:
Who’s your daddy? If you’re me, it’s Pedro Pascal. Here’s why.
I binged the Sarah Lawrence Sex Cult doc over the weekend and…wow. Lots to unpack here. I had read the New York Magazine story when it first came out and was always fascinated with this (if you liked The Vow you will like this). I still can’t totally wrap my head around it but it’s a fascinating look at how even brilliant people can get sucked into a cult-like situation.
This article, on managing hormonal acne, has some really good advice (from dermatologists), like avoiding sugar to manage inflammation. I think we lack nuance in a lot of our online conversations so I will often see very extreme takes on things like supplements and foods to eat avoid (i.e. “Supplements are worthless and don't trust anyone who says they do anything” vs. “Take supplements and don’t trust mainstream medicine.”) The truth is that there’s a happy medium! I visited my primary care physician last year for my annual bloodwork and she prescribed me a supplement I was lacking. I’ve been taking it once a week and just had my annual check-up and now I’m not lacking it. So she told me to keep taking the supplement. It’s not woo-woo or weird, it’s just science. As for diet, I find that when I avoid dairy and sugar, and up my intake of colorful foods (leafy greens, beta carotene-rich carrots and beets), my skin looks better! Not surprising but, again, backed by science (as the doctors quoted in this article attest).
And I’ll leave you with this…