Did you lose work in Microsoft Word?
Twice in the last month, my computer has crashed or rebooted while I had files open and work unsaved. These issues were caused by hardware, not software, by the way. When I restarted and reopened the files, the work was gone—and in both cases it was work I really, REALLY didn’t want to have to rebuild. The first case was so horrible that I went looking for solutions–and I found one! It worked great for the second case, too, so I wanted to share it here—both for you and for me, since I’m guessing it will happen again.
- In Word, click on the File menu, and then on Options, near the bottom left.
- Click the Save option on the left.
- Hope and pray that you have Save AutoRecover information every X minutes checked. If you don’t, this probably won’t work. It’s legit essential.
- If it is, copy the URL for the AutoRecover file location.
- Hold down the Windows key (generally between FN and ALT on your keyboard) and press the E key. OR open File Explorer from your Start menu.
- Paste the URL into the address bar of the File Explorer and hit enter.
- The folder should show, and you ideally should be able to find your file.
- Then double-click the file name and it should open up.
- Then save the material elsewhere and move on with your life, appreciating that you live in this advanced era of indoor plumbing, effective vaccines, chocolate, and autosave.
- If this doesn’t work, I got nothing. Maybe you saved it somewhere else? Anyway, back up your files, and good luck!
You Should Host a Tea Party
This past father’s day, I felt like we needed a change of pace and something fun to do, so I decided we should have a tea party. The specifics were inspired in part by a tea party we go to most years at a sci-fi/fantasy convention in Williamsburg, VA, called Marscon. While theirs is Dr. Who-themed, I also wanted to keep our tea party fairly simple, so there was no theme, though that shouldn’t be hard to weave in if you feel so inclined.
My first step was to plan the menu, with suggestions from my stepdaughters. Much of our menu was inspired by Marscon’s, but I simplified it a bit, and added some things I knew my husband would enjoy. My aim was to have some homemade things, mixed with a few things from the store, and a few others that just needed basic construction. That way, we’d have lots of variety, lots of food, and some great teas. Of course, you can serve absolutely anything you like. As a rule, offer things in small amounts, like cucumber sandwiches cut into 4 triangles, because it’s fun to eat lots of different things.
How did I fail to get a decent photo of the tea party itself? It’s a mystery and a tragedy.
Our menu:
- Pimento cheese on celery: This is pretty easy to make if you have a food processor, though you can also buy it pre-made, at least if you live in the south. There are tons of recipes out there, but give this one a try if you don’t have a favorite. I do usually add more pimentos, because I love them! Then just spoon some into 2- to 3-inch sections of celery. Very tasty! The pimento cheese can be made a day or two in advance.
- Caprese skewers: Use bamboo skewers for grilling, or even toothpicks. Or just treat it like a salad. Add mozzarella balls, grape tomatoes, and fresh basil leaves to a skewer, and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Our kids love them–and best of all, my oldest daughter made these herself. Don’t make these in advance–and don’t refrigerate fresh basil, or tomatoes unless they’ve been cut.
- Curry chicken salad on mini croissants: I found curry chicken salad at Trader Joes that was quite good, though possibly a little strong. You could also use any kind of pre-made chicken salad, or make your own. I found mini croissants at WalMart, but you could also cut up larger ones. (I actually cut the minis into two.) Or use crackers, or whatever else appeals.
- Ham and cheese biscuits: My husband loves biscuits and ham, so this was an easy choice for me. I wanted them to be fresh and good, without my having to bake them from scratch, so I bought one of those tubes of you-bake biscuits at the grocery store. I also got some thick pre-sliced ham, and sliced some extra-sharp cheddar. Offer condiments based on your crowd’s preferences. You might also brush the biscuits with butter and add garlic powder or whatever appeals before putting them in the oven.
- Deviled eggs: I love these so much, and the kids enjoy making them without supervision or assistance (!), so it was also an easy choice. If you hard boil and even peel the eggs a day or two in advance, these are pretty fast to make.
- Cucumber sandwiches: Use thin white bread, put a thin layer of spreadable cream cheese on each side, add thinly sliced, peeled cucumber, and cut off the crusts. (These are the only sandwiches I’d ever do that for, but they’re meant to be delicate.) You can also add dill weed or other things, to your taste. These are big favorites, and my youngest daughter made them perfectly.
- Mini scones with lemon curd and jam: During the plague, I have made scones twice, and both times they were dreadful. So, I started with a different recipe, but also one that was new to me. Risky, but it paid off. They were delicious! Leave out the vanilla, because that has no business being in scones, and add raisins or currants. Cut into small pieces to make mini-scones. (I also learned that you can freeze the dough, and they bake up perfectly later on. That was a wonderful treat–especially because the kids scarfed these up with lightning speed.) I found lemon curd at Trader Joe’s, but I understand it’s not hard to make. I also would have liked clotted cream, which is traditional on scones, but couldn’t find any. I’ve been told it’s not hard to make either, so maybe next time. I made the scones the night before, and they were perfect.
As for the tea, we had four different varieties. That’s one aspect of the Marscon tea that I’ve always enjoyed, though I often don’t like some of their teas. The solution to that is to understand your audience, and then offer them three new teas that you think they’ll like, plus one old standby for when they’re done being adventurous. That means no bergamot for us, but mint for my husband. First, we had Tazo’s Cucumber White tea, which is low caffeine. It has black tea and lime flavors, and it was good, though subtle. This tea made me wish I’d offered lemon or lime wedges at the table. We also had Teavana’s Peach Tranquility, which is decaffeinated. It has apple, pineapple, and chamomile flavors as well as peach. I quite liked it. The tea I enjoyed most was one I first tasted at the last (2020) Marscon, which was held shortly before the world went sideways. It’s called Williamsburg Port, from Discover Teas, and it’s a mix of black tea, apple chunks, cranberry, blackcurrant, hibiscus, and other flavors. It’s absolutely delicious, as well as a dramatic rich red color.
One issue with this part of the shindig is that, as I realized very late in the planning (shortly before we were due to sit and eat), we didn’t have any teapots in the house. I have at least two or three, but most of my stuff is in storage right now for a variety of reasons (long story). So, please have teapots handy, or a reasonable substitute. (I used a glass 2-cup measure and it was not a reasonable substitute.) Note that they’re easy to find at thrift stores, which it will one day be safe to go back into. Heat the pots with hot water before making tea, to help keep the tea warm, and wrap the pot in a towel for insulation. Also, don’t over-steep the tea (leave the teabags in for too long), as it will tend to make the tea bitter. Part of the fun for us, once we’ve tried all of the teas, is going back for our favorites, so make extra. And if you have picky drinkers, keep some juice handy. Of course, incclude a sugar bowl on the table, and some honey if that’s your thing. Asking people to pass the food and the sugar and so forth is one of the charming aspects of the event, to me.
For next time, I’ve decided on a few changes. I will try to add one more item to the menu (though not sure what yet), and bring the food out in two or three courses, to slow things down a bit. If any of your partiers are the kind to wolf their food, I recommend this approach. We also ran out of a few things, so I will generally make more food–though we were also quite ravenous by the time we sat down.
I’m also going to try to bring in a theme in some way, if only in the form of trivia cards. We have Harry Potter trivia for sure, and probably Dr. Who, and maybe more. It’s key to pick trivia or another non-space-intensive game that everyone can play, or you will lose the kids. Consider a phone app for that as well.
I’ve already told my husband I want a tea party of my own sometime this year, so he’s ready for it. It’s a great opportunity to involve the kids in the prep, and it’s fun to use nice china if you have it. If you don’t: well, it’s easy to find china for cheap these days. Apparently the Millennials aren’t really into china. But it’s pretty, and fancy, and nice for special occasions. If you own a home and aren’t planning to move soon, maybe pick some up at a yard sale or a thrift store and have fun with it. Or check and see if your parents or grandparents have some they don’t use and would like to pass on.
In the end, though, it’s all about gathering at a table with friends or family to eat, drink, and be merry. Enjoy it, as often as you (safely) can!
Meriah’s Kitchen Hacks Part 1: The Principle of Multiples
I have said for years that I want to cook more, and once I got married (July 27, 2020), both my husband and I committed to doing that. But, you know, life is busy, and often it was easier logistically to stop at a restaurant while we were out doing other things, or maybe pickup takeout on the way home. And then COVID-19 happened, and there wasn’t a lot of “on the way home” for me anymore—plus, I did my best to avoid even those quick interactions. That made cooking at home a way of life—and it’s been wonderful!
Along the way, I’ve learned a few things that have made my life a lot easier in the kitchen, and I wanted to share in the hope that they make cooking easier and more fun for you. First is the principle of multiples. This is something I learned years ago. I spent way too much of my life looking for a pair of scissors or a hammer, because I had only one, and sometimes someone would use it and fail to put it back where it belongs—assuming it even has a “place.” The solution, I realized during college, was largely to buy several of each. I currently have maybe five pairs of scissors: positioned in pen cups, that one kitchen junk drawer, a small bedroom drawer for things like nail clippers and razors, and one in my toolbox for good measure. Even if one gets put somewhere weird or ends up covered by a stack of papers, I can always find another one. I also have three hammers, four or five tape measures, and a similar number of fingernail clippers. It’s awesome.
This year, I put that rule into action in my kitchen. I’ve been gradually buying extra measuring spoons, often at thrift stores, but I picked up more tablespoons on Amazon, since I didn’t have enough of those. Bonus kitchen hack: the biggest problem with my large array of measuring spoons was that I always had to dig through the kitchen tool drawer every time I needed one, and sometimes at a critical juncture when I really needed to add a spice to a sizzling or bubbling pot quickly, or when my hands were coated with food. So, I did what I’d often considered in the past, but rejected because I didn’t think I’d use them enough: I put every one into a coffee mug to keep on the counter. It’s seriously the best. When we eventually go back to normal and my cooking reduces in frequency—though hopefully never back to pre-COVID-19 levels—I will find a cover for the mug to keep the dust off of them. But in the meantime, they are getting used, almost daily.
Another item that used to cause me problems was dish towels. I often spent too much time digging through clean laundry piles (not mine, you understand) and the dryer looking for one of the few we had—some of which really weren’t very absorbent—and realized I needed to apply the principle of multiples to this situation too. So I hit Amazon and looked at reviews, and selected this 12-pack of dish towels. Now we always have several in the linen closet ready to go. If I spill water, like yesterday, I can just throw a couple on the floor to soak it up and go grab another. I can use a towel for baking and wipe my hands and mop up spills with it, and go grab another. Etcetera. It’s the best. They also help cut down on paper towel overuse, which makes me crazy.
I similarly realized that what the kitchen was missing was dishrags. We didn’t use them at home growing up, but my grandmother did, and now I appreciate their value. I also discovered that you can get them with a layer of plastic scrubby stuff on one side. They’re perfect for countertop cleanup, in particular when you don’t want to use the kind-of-gross scrubbing sponge you use to get food off of dishes. And, look, a 10-pack!
Other multiples that I appreciate are cutting boards, glass baking dishes (with lids!), silicone scrapers, spatulas, and mixing bowls. Most of these things are quite inexpensive, and they have more than earned their place in my kitchen. Best of luck to you in yours!
[Top]Building and tracking habits (bullet journaling part 2)
As I continue to learn about bullet journals and evolve my own practice, I thought it would be helpful for me, and hopefully you as well, if I recorded some notes about stuff that’s helping and stuff that isn’t. Today (29 May 2020), I spent some time thinking about habit tracking and weekly planning. Here’s what I came up with, mostly about habits.
Done right, habit tracking in a bullet journal can help both with building habits and with supporting your use of a bullet journal (which is, itself, a habit). If building or improving habits is important to you, recording them will support the habit. If you’re enthusiastic about doing and recording those habits, it will encourage you to use your planner. Win-win!
One of the ways to support that cycle is to make sure the habits are specific, measurable, and practical, and that some of them, at least, are small*. Small habits include things like taking vitamins, flossing, or doing stretches–actions that might take just one to five minutes and are easy to fit into your day. This is why I track the number of servings of veggies and fruits I have in a day, rather than to just assign a habit of having 5 or more. I’m almost always going to have *some*, and that’s much better than an all-or-nothing approach.
Of course, it’s also important for habits to be meaningful. One issue I struggle with for my habits right now relates to definition and meaning. Specifically, one of my goals is movement or exercise, but what does that mean for me? I have a dog (he’s amazing!), and I get a fair bit of exercise just walking him every day. What I want and need is *more* exercise. But I haven’t yet determined how to define that. If I garden for 45 minutes, or go for a 30-minute walk, or work out on the treadmill and/or exercise bike I have access to for 30 minutes or more, that definitely counts. But what about 15 minutes on the exercise bike, or 10 minutes of vigorous weeding? Where is the line?
I don’t have that answer yet, but more on that when I do. Meanwhile, check this video out for more on weekly planning, which is another thing I’m still working out.
[Top]I would never do a bullet journal
Or so I said to myself. Why? Because of all the fancy art projects I’ve seen that people call bullet journals. So many of the ones I’ve seen online are elaborate, colorful, artful, and clearly took an enormous amount of time to create and maintain. In some cases, they appear to be an end in themselves, And that, to me, is precisely what I don’t want in a planner. A good planner (and a bullet journal is really mostly a planner) should serve me, not the other way around. And so, I discounted bullet journals entirely. (Though, let me add, you do you. If you want your bullet journal to be an elaborate art project, have at it. This is aimed at people who’ve ignored them, as I had, because of that side of bullet journals.)
But then, during the early stages of the COVID-19 stay-at-home orders, I watched a video purportedly about productivity but that was mostly about bullet journals, and what I saw surprised and intrigued me. The bullet journal method was originally designed by a graphic designer named Ryder Carroll, who wrote this book. I confess, I haven’t read the book (though I did just buy it). Instead, I’ve been learning my way around bullet journals through the YouTube channel of Matt Ragland, who made the video I mentioned at the start of this exciting paragraph. I use Matt’s videos because he’s very straightforward and very likable, and his work was my entry point, but you might also want to check out Ryder Carroll’s videos. Also, bonus video link! Matt posted this one recently about his morning routine and I really like it.
I’m not going to explain to you how to do a bullet journal (the videos do a great job of explaining that, along with the essential visuals), but I am going to tell you why I see them as valuable. First, I’ve always had trouble with regular planners. One major reason is that there are stretches of time where I just don’t need them. Like, during the semester, I teach two days a week, have office hours another, and sometimes those three days are just very straightforward. And over the weekend, I might (or might have, in the olden days) just be out doing something with my family or my husband. And then there are trips, whether for vacation or work. Do I need a planner for those days? I mean, maybe—but often I don’t. Even today, I have just one meeting, and a vague intention to do laundry (didn’t happen) and do some writing (check it out—I’m writing right now!). I don’t necessarily feel the need to write that down in a planner. What that means, when I’m using a “normal planner,” is that I have a ton of blank pages. And blank pages mean failure and guilt. And then, at some point, I never pick it up again. Sigh.
With a bullet journal, though, there’s more flexibility. I can start and stop whenever I want. If I skip a day or a few days, or even a few months, I can just start the next day right where I left off. Not that that’s an ideal approach, mind you, but it’s efficient, welcoming, and easy, and I like all of those things. It also means I don’t have to start in January or, with an academic year planner, in August. Perfect!
There are two other benefits I will mention before I stop talking and (I hope) you go check out those videos, if you haven’t yet. One is that you can use almost anything for bullet journaling. The dot grid format is standard, but not in any way required. If you elect to get fancy as I did (total notebook and pen fan!), you can find lots of nifty notebooks on Amazon or elsewhere. There’s one made by Ryder Carroll, one made by Leuchtturm, and (among many others) the lovely book I got, by Tumbitri Meri. That last one has the benefit of being relatively inexpensive, as well as having lots of bells and whistles, like three ribbons for marking your place, page numbers (which are super useful), and a pen loop.
And finally—and this is actually pretty key for me—bullet journals are fantastic for habit tracking. On the right-hand page of my full month spread, I note when I’ve gotten exercise, when I’ve written, and when I’ve eaten my fruits and veggies. All three of those are more likely to get done if I record my progress, so I’m hoping this will work.
There are other benefits—lots of them—so if you haven’t found a planner that’s just right for you, give the minimalist bullet journal style a try and let me know how it goes. I will, meanwhile, keep at it and post an update down the line.
Stay safe and be well!
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