Hello and welcome to Consistent Distant Love, my brand new weekly quarantine newsletter inspired by connecting and spreading the love to friends no matter how far. I am used to seeing some of you every single day and some I only have the pleasure of seeing once a year or less, but now quarantine has become the great equalizer and now I never see any of you! Whether you skim this letter or deeply read every word I hope it makes you smile at least a little :)
Tweets of the Week
I am an avid twitter user, but I know many of you aren't so I have compiled a few fun tweets I saw this week to give you a glimpse of what you are missing!
I appreciate this tweet because it is relatable and references the television classic, Shark Tank.
This tweet is a winner because it is topical and uses one of my favorite slang terms "zoomer."
Fun Fact: every muppet has a twitter account and they are all splendid.
Investigative Journalism: Whatever happened to my middle school teacher's dog?
Those of you who were not Kent Falcons never had the pleasure of meeting my eccentric yet charming 8th grade English teacher. He was quirky, he is the only educator I have had where we watched hit 90s rom-com Notting Hill in class on three separate occasions and where extra credit was offered on spelling tests based on knowledge of Mediterranean food or the topography of major cities. Of all his traits, the most endearing of all was his partner in crime, Miles the dog. Miles one of a few service dogs on the Kent campus and he was well known for his impressive skills such as carrying my teacher's newspaper or staying perfectly silent for an entire class period. I had a particular connection to Miles, he goes down in history as being one of my all-time favorite dogs, so it is no surprise that in the past few weeks I have begun to wonder and wonder and wonder: where is Miles now? Is he alive and thriving? Or did he go to heaven as the 1989 animated feature film promised?
So then I began my investigative reporting journey, because I know I am not the only one who begs this question. My idea was to email my former teacher and simply ask him how he was doing and what was up with Miles, but that would have been too easy because of course he is retired so his Kentfield school email is no longer active. The next step was venturing into more uncharted territory, friending him on Facebook. Though I follow a few of my teachers on Instagram, Facebook seems a little more personal to me. But did not have much to lose, I did have this teacher for two years and I am pretty much a graduated senior after all. Before I could second guess myself, I bit the bullet and hit request. He accepted in minutes, then it was game time. I quickly got to work and scrolled through his photos to find my favorite pup. After viewing what seemed like hundreds of wine country photos and political commentary, I finally hit the jackpot: a beautiful photo of miles frolicking on the beach. The date on the post was in the summer of 2019 and the comment section had no evidence of mourning or condolences, and based on his content on Facebook he seems like the type to post any significant updates about his dog. So I can confidently confirm the Miles the dog is alive and well. (Note: I understand this may have been boring to those who did not attend Kent Middle School)
Here is a photo of the star of this story, seemingly thriving.
Distanced Jams
his week I am recommending my Social Distancing Playlist on Spotify
listen for a mix of bedroom pop, mainstream hits, and nostalgic tracks.
Reply to this email with a link to one of your playlists that is a good social distancing soundtrack to be featured in a future newsletter!
Sassy Celeb of the Week
Jason Derulo has been a passive fav of mine for years, but he truly won me over in his performance in Cats. He particularly is killing it on Tik Tok, a platform that many adult celebrities have had difficulties harnessing! I am personally hoping that he is spending his quarantine writing an autobiography.
Something Inspiring!
My lovely friend Kylie is doing amazing work with local Marin businesses to support frontline workers and essential workers in our community! We have a podcast episode in the works so I'm not giving too much away now, but if you want to learn more or support the organization check it out here!
The news from Hanken Drive (what's up with Grandpa)
My grandpa is at the ripe age of 90 somewhat at risk in this time but he still is maintaining a positive spirit and cheery outlook (of course from the comfort of his own home). I have been visiting him regularly (maintaining extensive precautions for his safety), and I will share with you some highlights of our times.
1. Grandpa's apple tree is in bloom! With just a short walk to the front yard, we were able to smell the sweet flowers and evaluate the promise of a robust apple crop this summer.
2. Grandpa is writing a memoir! (stay tuned)
3. As usual, we have been extensively discussing our family history. I learned this week that I am related to a family of Idaho based cherry farmers.
4. We are hoping to plan a trip to Ashland once quarantine is over!
5. He is currently very interested in the springtime diet of squirrels. (if you have knowledge on this topic let me know!)
Ooh La La
Layla made this wonderful collage and I absolutely adore it (even though she made it instead of her calc homework).
Recipe of the week
As you may have experienced, there have been many baking supply shortages in grocery stores! This almond cookie recipe is only a few ingredients, relatively healthy, and requires ingredients that may not necessarily be the most desired on the supermarket shelves. Check it out here!
Gamer Time
Recently I have really been enjoying the iMessage Game Pidgeon version of Crazy 8s. Gather three or more friends in a group chat (all must be on at the same time because the game plays in real-time) and start a game by sending a Crazy 8s game through the Game Pidgeon app. This works best if you are simultaneously on group facetime for game time banter!
Gosh, Claire. What did Tik Tok make you do this time?
It's no secret that I spend a little more time on Tik Tok than I should, so it is not surprising that the app has a pretty heavy influence over my quarantine lifestyle. So far Tik Tok has made me learn some ridiculous dances, make whipped coffee (I hate coffee), and try many more bizarre fleeting trends. This week I was convinced to take my mirror outside for a photo shoot. The pictures turned out great, but warning it is much harder to pull off the right angles than Tik Tok makes it seem. Also, my mirror is ceramic so it is very heavy and twice as breakable as a regular mirror. When all is said and done I rate this Tik Tok trend an 8/10, it was fun, and it did set a record number of likes for my Insta gram (I think). Here are some of the results:
What are you reading? Submit your quarantine reads here so I can include some in the next Newsletter! That's all for this week and I hope you enjoyed it! I love you all so much and please feel free to reach out with newsletter ideas (playlists, art, investigative journalism ideas, or something totally different) or to just chat :) xoxoxo Claire
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