And Red thinks she receives a lot of emails from her sister, Black. Well, that's nothing compared to the approximately 1,000 emails a day that Dr. Fauci received during the height of the pandemic.
BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: The release of thousands of pages of Dr. Fauci's emails has generated a remarkable amount of media coverage, each putting their own "spin" on it (has anyone compared it to the Pentagon Papers yet?) and, of course, Red sees things very differently than Black.
Red, the straight-A- student, knew there was no way she'd read through the mountain of emails made available through the Freedom of Information Act but was curious what all the fuss was about. It didn't take long, whether just through scanning the headlines or watching a few video clips, to see that there were a handful of key take-aways. But her theater degree kicked in when Red wondered if an alien from another planet appeared (well, UFOs have been in the news lately), if they would think Dr. Fauci was a celebrity scientist given his cult status or a political traitor specializing in scientific espionage.
Regardless, Red couldn't help but wonder (out loud to Black) why any of us "mere mortals" would feel compelled to read through such an enormous volume of emails. And, Black's response?
Remember the word problems we did in school? Here is a new one … if the average email Dr. Fauci received consisted of 100 words, which would be relatively short and to the point (this paragraph contains 67 words), and it takes two minutes to read 500 words, how many hours would it take to read 4,000 emails? Yes, the answer can be calculated, but who cares?
Well, if nothing else, Black's approach to things is consistent – pragmatic and sarcastic. And Dr. Fauci's also consistent. From the smattering we've seen, his emails "read" like he comes across on TV – humble, logical, unemotional, and polite. But, just as would be expected if culling through thousands of someone's emails, some may be interesting, but most would probably be boring. Of course, Black can't help but mention another thing to consider,
Remember when you were going through your "crisis" and I was explaining some financial topic to you, and I declared that, "You are my best student. Ever." Technically that statement was accurate, although, at that point, you were also my only student. So, there is no way to know if quotes from the emails have been taken out of context without going back to the source documents. And, personally, I have much better things to do with my time.
Black certainly brings up an excellent point. We all have more important things to do than spend our weekends on electronic gizmos, so we respectfully request that you stop reading this … and find something more important to do …
Empowering girls – one cookie at a time. Ok, maybe one box of cookies at a time.
BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: It’s that time of year when many people’s New Year’s resolution of eating better is challenged by the arrival of Girl Scout cookies; something that poses a problem for Red, while for Black, it's an opportunity.
Red remembers growing up with Girl Scout cookies, with her favorite being shortbread (now known as the Trefoil), while hating (yes, it’s a strong word, but that’s how she feels about anything flavored with mint) Thin Mints. However, what she finds interesting is that as an adult, she’s been far more tempted by all the flavors (excluding anything mint, of course) even though she doesn’t consider herself a cookie person.
She bought last year’s “new” cookie, Adventurefuls, but was able to resist the brownie-based cookie with the center of caramel-flavored cream as she’s a brownie purist, but this year’s a very different story,
I’ve been doing so well getting back on track with healthy eating, but with the arrival of the Raspberry Rally, I could be in real trouble. A thin, crispy cookie infused with raspberry flavor, dipped in chocolaty coating, this is going to be almost impossible to resist. The good news is that it’s only available online as I always find it hard to resist all the Girl Scouts who “camp” out, pun intended, in front of my grocery store.
Black, who isn’t a fan of cookies or even sweets (unless you count sweet potatoes), buys a box of each flavor and immediately delivers them to the break room at her high-rise. Of course, she’ll ask the staff to let her know their favorite, but she won’t even try one cookie, not even in the interest of market research.
Black has always been fascinated by the history of the Girl Scout cookie and how a simple idea of selling cookies to finance troop activities has grown over 100+ years into an iconic and extremely successful way to raise funds. But, more importantly, it’s a powerful (and delicious) way for the girls to have fun while at the same time learning valuable business skills and life lessons. Which explains why Black always buys cookies, even if she doesn’t eat any,
Each year I seem to buy more cookies than the prior year since our local Girl Scout council has a program where you can buy cookies to be donated to military and first responders. It is a part of my “calorie free – for me” plan, as it is a great way to support the Girl Scouts and show appreciation for others because everyone loves Girl Scout cookies.
Whether you buy them as “thank you” gifts or just sweet treats for your family and friends (or yourself), please support your local Girl Scouts!
Two years ago, on MLK Day, Red learned the power and inspiration of the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. And the power of dreams. And as long as there's social unrest and social injustice in the United States (stop and think about the first word … as we’re supposed to be united), the more we can learn from him … as not only did he fight for equality for all, but his approach is proof of the power of peaceful protests.
For most of us, writing and delivering one powerful and/or inspiring thing would be a very difficult task. To be remembered for hundreds is truly amazing.
We grew up in New York, where bagels are almost sacred, but even though they may have started as a Jewish food in Europe, they’re now enjoyed by everyone everywhere (including Red and Black, but in very different ways) – why else would there be a National Bagel Day?
National holidays aren’t the time to count calories.
BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: We both agree that happiness has a hole in it, although one of us may only eat one bagel a year while the other tries to keep it to only one bagel when she does indulge.
Red admits that although she knows bagels aren’t a healthy choice, she’ll occasionally treat herself, not only because they remind her of growing up in New York when almost every town on Long Island had at least one bagel shop, but because she loves whipped cream cheese almost as much as the fresh, squishy bagel on which she smears it. And while she was a fan of both cinnamon raisin and onion bagels as a kid, the introduction of the “Everything” bagel was a turning point. However, her all-time favorite is technically not a bagel, as it’s a bialy.
On the other hand, it only takes one look at Black’s “selfishly svelte figure” to know that she has the willpower to resist bagels (including her favorite, sesame) as well as all the other carbs that she loves, but when it comes to National Bagel Day and the “health” issues of bagels, she has an interesting perspective,
Bagels are one of life’s true culinary pleasures, often tied to wonderful memories, so you cannot always measure their value in terms of nutrition. But, when it comes to healthy eating, it might be interesting to remember that bagel-cutting injuries are common and result in thousands of people having to go to emergency rooms or urgent care centers … so, celebrate carefully.