The Liz List - July 24, 2020
We made it to Friday! I don’t know about y’all, but this week has flown by for me. I had a bunch of personal appointments for me and Kate plus spent a lot of time getting the house ready to host my brother and sister-in-law for a few days. They arrived Tuesday, and we’ve been having the best time catching up! Plus, my dad and stepmom came over for dinner one night too, which was so fun.
Then yesterday, we all checked in to a rental house on Lake Austin for the weekend. My mom and stepdad plus all my family from Houston (minus my grandmother, who’s sadly skipping due to COVID) will be joining us. It’s supposed to rain, but maybe we’ll get lucky and the weather will cooperate for us! Either way, I know it will be a blast. 😎
Since we’re leaving next week for our RV trip, the timing is great to spend some QT with my family so they can hang out with Kate before we head out of town. Good timing for sure! And speaking of our trip, I’ll be sharing more about it on the blog next week, so stay tuned for that if you’re interested.
One housekeeping note… this will be the last Liz List until we’re back home after Labor Day. I want to enjoy the trip and unplug and spend as much QT with family as possible, so I’ll be taking a break from posting. I might get a wild hair and share a couple updates from the road, but the plan right now is just to document the trip on Instagram. Several people have mentioned that they’re looking forward to following along , so I’m excited to share! 💃🏻
Without further ado, here’s what I’ve been into this week…
POP CULTURE: Y’all know I always give you the Kanye/Kardashian news, so I’m not going to stop now! At this point, I’m sure everyone has seen the tweets and marriage speculation. So instead of focusing on that, I want to instead highlight a very important message as it relates to mental health. Of course it’s easy to get caught up in meme culture, but this is a good reminder that jokes at someone’s expense - no matter how famous - aren’t always appropriate. Pop-artist Halsey said it best, so I’ll quote her here: “No jokes right now. I have dedicated my career to offering education and insight about bipolar disorder and I’m so disturbed by what I’m seeing. Personal opinions about someone aside, a manic episode isn’t a joke. If you can’t offer understanding or sympathy, offer your silence… Taking this opportunity to make offensive remarks and villify [sic] people with mental illnesses is really not the way to go…this is the exact triggering s–t that causes people to keep quiet about it.” AMEN! Thank you, Halsey. 👏🏻
CORONAVIRUS: One topic I’ve been seeing more discussion about lately as it relates to the coronavirus’ impact on society is the toll it’s taking on working moms. And before I go any further, I must give credit to my friend and fellow Austin blogger Jessie who’s been talking a lot about this important topic on her Instagram. This article talks more about the challenges facing working moms and why the coronavirus is gender-blind but not gender-neutral. Here’s another from the New York Times that puts emphasis on the fact that kids always go to mom first. I hate this for all the working moms out there! It’s so important to highlight what some women are experiencing, and I hope it brings awareness to employers to please extend grace to women and families during this unprecedented time. 🦠
TELEVISION: Have y’all watched Netflix’s reboot of Unsolved Mysteries yet?! I have, and it brought back all the 90’s kid nostalgia! Once I finished the series, I did some googling to see whether investigators have gotten any solid new leads since the show aired. I was thrilled to see there have indeed been some updates (spoiler alert for those who haven’t watched yet)! This article broadly provides updates for every episode and this one highlights a case the FBI has reopened in light of the series. The original show lead to the closing of 260 cold case files, so I’m super excited to see if the reboot has the same positive impact on justice being served! 👩🏻⚖️
HEALTH: Anyone else up their daily step count during quarantine? I know I definitely hit the pavement before the weather got too hot here in Texas. It definitely helped lift my mood during the worst of quarantine. And apparently, that’s science because walking is one of the best things you can do for your body. Here’s a look at all the good things that happen to your body when you take a walk. 🚶♀️
TRAVEL: Y’all know I bring the COVID-related travel industry updates every week, so here’s what I’ve read lately.... I really enjoyed this interview with Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson (who is the best, btw!). In it he talks about the future of hospitality, masks, furloughs, and more. In other travel updates, here’s a list of last-minute flights Americans are booking lately, American Airlines and Jet Blue announced a new strategic partnership to (hopefully) allow them to survive the pandemic, and the CDC has officially extended its ban on cruises through September. For the BIG travel nerds like me… here’s a long article from the Wall Street Journal that lays out American Airline’s all-in strategy. Finally, American hotels have announced their plan (the “Safe Stay Guest Checklist”) to keep guests safe at their properties during these times.
SOCIAL MEDIA: Facebook is yet again set to launch an update that will knock-off a popular competitor. Last time it was Snapchat, but now the company has its sights set on TikTok. Instagram is set to launch its “Reels” feature, which will allow for some of the same functionality as TikTok. Reels has already launched in Brazil, France, Germany, and India and will launch in the U.S. soon, according to reports.
PODCASTING: Spotify has added yet another major podcaster to its roster of talent. Former First Lady Michelle Obama will be hosting a relationship podcast. The Michelle Obama podcast will chronicle “the challenges and the joys of being a parent or a spouse, the friendships that help us through the toughest times, or the growth we experience when we lean on the colleagues and mentors around us.” Sounds interesting! I’ll for sure give it a listen once it launches!
I hope you enjoy your weekend!
XOXO,
Liz