Chicken and Rice Soup Recipe
I’ve been making this fail safe lemony delicious recipe on repeat this winter - can’t overcook it, you just find the consistency with the rice you feel like. I followed a tip in the comments and now usually turn it into an avoglemono adaptation: beat 3 eggs with lemon juice and some of the soup, then pour that into each bowl and ladle the soup into each. Mix well and serve.
Time management
As an Australian (13hr+8hr ish flights back to back, one way, to go to Europe), these are my tips: From the moment your flight takes off, set your phone time to destination. Plan to sleep and eat accordingly. This is a jet lag hack, but somehow it helps on the flight itself too. Noise cancelling headphones and eye mask help with this. Somewhat contradictory- look at the time as little as you can. Relax into the idea that you just live on this plane now. Clock watching is demoralising and induces a white knuckling feeling. You live on the plane now, relax in. Seat choice matters! If in economy 3-4-3, the aisle of the middle 4 tends to be the best because you have only one stranger to deal with. (Even better if you’re travelling with someone you know - edit: saw you’ll be in flat lay seats, which should mean this isn’t a problem!) Drink more water than you ever would and the toilet breaks will give you the movement you need. Before the flight, find some relaxing music and train your body to relax to it. If restless mid flight, pop it on and your body will respond. When you arrive, get as much sunlight as you can. Do not nap unless you arrive first thing in the morning, in which case you can have a 1-2hr nap but you must wake up and stay up until evening. Soft, loose clothing is ideal. Some sort of wrap/pashmina scarf is nicer than an airline blanket. What you want to watch/read/listen to is somehow different than normal. I love sitcoms on a plane, the way I might if I had the flu. Even if you aren’t usually a back to back movie watcher, you might stumble onto something on in flight entertainment and just go with it. Download whole seasons of shows in case the mood takes you.
Life changing Opal screen time app - like Brick but an app and free
Losing hours (days/years) of your life to corporations who spend billions to retain your attention is not an individual failure. You cannot compete with their massive machine. I’ve set up Opal to allow me two 15-20 min bursts each day of Instagram and - crucially - the news! I had locked socials then realised I was punctuating my day with looking at news. I blocked all the news sites I tended to look at. Proof is in the pudding: I’ve written a novella and the first draft of a novel this year, as well as a bunch of other stuff. My time to look is 9.30am (by then I’m usually too into my day to even care) and 7.30pm (after dinner, a little treat). When you are setting it up, it makes it seem like you have to pay, but you don’t. I just use the free version. Paid gives you access to more harsh restrictions that I don’t (as yet) need.
Long game: Around kids, always talk into a banana like it’s a phone
Start when they’re young. Tell them someone wants to speak to them and they will squeal when you hand it over. In the middle of a game of Monopoly, the banana phone might ring and tell you everyone gets a bonus $200. In an awkward moment, or stand off during a tantrum, the bananaphone can be out when it rings and suggests a walk to the park. Eventually you will have a teenager send you a selfie of them talking into a banana or a 6 year old send you a video of them singing this song. Long game, a lot of pay off!
