Cramped Style Weekly
Issue No. 217: January 23, 2026
Isn’t it funny how the one thing everyone can talk about without fear of conflict is weather? Why are we all so excited over this thing we can’t control anyway? According to my two weather apps, Baltimore is in for anywhere from 8 to 22 inches of snow this weekend, so that’s cool.
I am personally very ambivalent as someone who doesn’t get to look forward to (like my husband who is a teacher) or dread (like all my friends who are parents) school closures. I blessedly do not need to leave the house for work, so I don’t really need to shovel out my car urgently. I can enjoy a cozy morning. But the older I get, the less I like falling, so I guess I come down (no pun intended) on the side of not really looking forward to a bad storm. I also don’t like having anxiety about if I am buying enough at the grocery store EVEN THOUGH I WILL BE ABLE TO WALK THERE IF NEEDED IN A BLIZZARD. Really why are we Marylanders like this? I have heard the shelves are already cleared and the snow isn’t supposed to start until early Sunday morning.
Anyway, in summary, I guess I just hate winter.
What I’m reading
After watching the Hulu mini series of the same name last year, I finished Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe about the young members of the Irish Republican Army in Belfast in the 70s. The show gripped me and so did the book. 10/10 I recommend both.
What I’m listening to
Spotify made this Tulum Vibes playlist for me and I am quite enjoying it for some ambient, beachy background music (and hoping none of the music is AI-generated ugh). In less chill listening, I recommend the NYT “The Daily” episode, “On the Front Line of Minnesota’s Fight with ICE.” It’s terrifying, but also incredibly inspiring. I have to give kudos to Minnesota. Their food is garbage, but they’re tough mofos.
What I’m watching
Since I am reading The Man Who Died Twice, by Richard Osman, the second installment of The Thursday Murder Club series, Scott and I decided to watch the movie adaptation of “The Thursday Murder Club” on Netflix. It was…bad. If you liked the book, I don’t recommend the movie, which I am sad to say, since it has a great cast.
Also in the book adaptation realm, we are watching the Hulu mini series “Under the Banner of Heaven” based on John Krakauer’s book of the same name. I have not read the book, and TBH, I did not want to watch this series about a gruesome double murder in the 80s in one of Utah’s fundamentalist Mormon communities. But Scott wanted to watch it, and I have to admit, it is really good, even though the whackadoo people involved make me furious.
What I’m eating
This black bean and sweet potato chile is full of veggies and flavor and perfect for winter weather.
This week’s local favorite
I made my second visit to Clarity Eyecare and was delighted to learn my eye doctor (who also happens to live right behind me, a fact I did not know until after I saw her for the first time last year), only dilates patients’ eyes every other year! What the dentist is to other people, the eye doctor is to me. I hate having my eyes dilated more than I hate having a cavity filled, so she kind of made my whole week.
This week’s obsession
The anti-ICE protest at Patterson Park this week. I love my neighborhood and our community.
How I’m staying healthy
Staying inside and not falling on my ass?
Stay warm and safe this weekend friends!
