What We're Doing: Books, Movies, and TV Shows

"Have you ever had so much to do that you just take a nap?"

When I heard this joke from Jim Gaffigan, I'd never felt so seen in my life. As the person overseeing all of the digital maintenance in the library, my to-do list can get quite long. (Which, ironically, reminds me that I forgot to do something last week.) And, in trying to keep up with, well, everything, we can often forget to take the downtime necessary for our wellbeing.

So, in honor of taking some time off for yourself, we thought we'd take this blog and tell you what we're doing to relax (or, in my case, avoid doing chores).

What We're Reading

Two online Manhwa (Korean comics and print cartoons)  – Limit Breaker and Seoul Station Druid. – Mike

I am currently reading books on safe baby sleep, baby puree recipes, introducing solids… In other words, just a whole lot of baby books as my baby is at that fun age where he can start tasting foods! – Lyanne

I'm currently reading How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix. He's one that I read every new release. If you're interested in checking him out for the first time, I suggest starting with Horrorstör, which is about an IKEA-like store experiencing supernatural craziness. – Kristina

I am on the last Dark Tower book by Stephen King. It's good, but at just over 600 pages in, I'm ready for it to be over! I also recently finished Anxious People by Fredrik Backman. It had a slow start, but I really liked it in the end, so it was worth sticking with it. – Alexis

Says Who? A Kinder, Funner Usage Guide for Everyone Who Cares About Words by Anne Curzan, Ph.D. – Carla

I am deep into The Secret Life of Groceries by Benjamin Lorr. At first, I thought it would be similar to a micro-history, but there is so much more to the products we pick up at the local grocery store. The author explores all aspects of the American supermarket (supply chain, pricing, labor, Trader Joe's success!) in a voice that makes me feel like I'm listening to him tell me stories over lunch. – Nicole

What We're Watching

On the Small Screen

Resident Alien on Netflix. It's really funny, like laugh-out-loud funny, but also heartwarming in a quirky way. It's kind of a dark comedy, but not really that dark. It's about an alien who ends up in a small town in Colorado. He takes human form and is supposed to destroy the planet, but he ends up making friends with the humans and decides to help them instead. The main actor who plays the alien, Alan Tudyk, plays a weirdo so well! – Julia

I am watching several different anime shows on Crunchy Roll. I prefer the English dub to the subtitled versions, so I am watching them as they finish dubbing them. Solo Leveling, The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic, and Ranking of Kings. – Mike

I am really excited to start watching the new show on Amazon Prime Video, Fallout. – Lyanne

My parents and I just finished Fallout, and we're starting School Spirits. I'm not going to lie; Fallout got a little weird at the end for me, but it was decent overall. I've also been catching up on my list of Netflix documentaries. – Alexis

The Fall of the House of Usher on Netflix. – Carla

Leverage on Amazon. It's an older series about a group of thieves and grifters who use their skills for good. I enjoy a good caper show, and it's pure mind candy, which I really want when I get a chance to relax at night. – Nicole

On the Big Screen

Barbie. This movie has been analyzed to death, so I won't try to do that, but I loved it. It's a very smart social commentary about gender equality but wrapped in a fun, bright package. – Julia

I just saw Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. It's the kind of movie where you can scarf popcorn and candy, frequently zone out, and encounter a fight scene every few minutes. – Kristina

I have been rewatching all the Shrek movies. – Lyanne

What Else We're Doing in Our Free Time

My wife and I are getting ready to go to Rocky Point, Mexico, for our friend's 50th birthday. I was dabbling with breakfast foods over the weekend and working on a recipe for breakfast tacos to make while staying in the resort. Typically, we eat out for lunch and dinner and make breakfast in the rooms. – Mike

Fun for me nowadays is squeezing in some time at the gym and some me time with my beloved 9-step skincare routine. – Lyanne

I recently went to the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival. Tulips are one of my favorite flowers, and this was so blissful. – Kristina

I went to a tulip farm in Eagleville, Tennessee, and picked tulips! – Carla

I'm grabbing any and all opportunities to be outside before the temperatures climb into the "broil" range! – Nicole

What We're Doing At Work

I would be remiss if I didn't at least mention one thing we've done lately at the library. While we don't get paid to read books all day, we do get to make How Do I guides (which we find oddly enjoyable). Our latest guide, Select an Industry Database, helps you narrow down which database you should choose for your industry research based on the information you need.

Let us know in the comments if you have any book, TV, or movie recommendations!

Mike's Crispy Cheesy Breakfast Tacos

Ingredients:
1 bag shredded medium cheddar cheese (you can use any cheese as long as it is not a blend of cheeses)
6 flour street taco tortillas (no hard taco shells)
3 large eggs
12 strips of bacon
1 jar of salsa (Whatever you prefer. I like to use medium chunky salsa.)
Mexican crema

Cooking equipment:
Nonstick pan
Spatula
Nonstick turner
Spoons for the salsa and Mexican crema
Taco rack if you have one. You can make one by taking aluminum foil and making an accordion tray. Take a long sheet (24") of heavy-duty foil out. Fold it in half length-wise and then in half width-wise so it is quadruple thick. Then, going down the length of the foil, fold it over about two inches at a time. Alternate back and forth. Gently pull it apart until you see "V" shaped pockets. Set it on a cookie sheet. Now you have a homemade taco rack.

Directions:

1. You want to get everything out and ready to go before you start cooking the tortillas. Assemble the cheese, tortillas, salsa, and Mexican crema.
2. Cook your bacon however you usually cook it. (I always bake my bacon in the oven at 375 degrees F. for about 15 minutes. I like crispier bacon that lies flat, but any kind of bacon works in this recipe.)
3. Set up your taco stand for the cheesed tortillas next to where you will be cooking them.
4. Start by heating your nonstick pan. Once it gets hot, put a handful of cheese into the pan in a loose pile. The pile size should be slightly smaller than your street taco tortillas. Let the cheese melt and start to brown at the edges.
5. Place a tortilla right on top of the melted cheese. Push it down with your tongs to ensure the tortilla gets pushed into the melted cheese. Push down until you see the cheese come out from the sides of the tortilla. Don't worry if the cheese does not come out. It just means you didn't have enough cheese on there to begin with. Just remember that for the next tortilla. Now wait until that cheese starts to brown a bit, and then take your turner and flip it over. You should see the cheese is nicely browned and sticking to the tortilla. Wait about 10 seconds, then scoop out the tortilla with your turner and place it over one of the spaces in your taco stand. Gently push it down to make a taco "V" shape. Repeat this process with all your tortillas. You can make a couple at a time if you have a big enough pan. Just make sure to space out the cheese piles so you have enough room for the tortillas. NOTE: Do not remove the oil left over from the melted cheese. You are going to use that to cook the eggs.
6. Once you finish making all the tortillas, it's time to use all that tasty cheese oil left in the pan. Crack the eggs into a bowl and mix them up. You are making scrambled eggs now. (You can season the eggs however you like. And whenever you like. I usually season the eggs as I mix them in the bowl. I use Tony Chachere's seasoning.)
7. Now, pour the mixed eggs into the hot, cheesy oil pan. Start slowly, stirring the eggs to scramble them. (I usually cook my scrambled eggs so no moisture is left. I know some people like them a little wetter. I say you do you and make them however you like them. You're the one eating these breakfast tacos.)
8. Once the eggs are scrambled to your liking, turn off the stovetop and set them aside.

Now it's time to assemble the tacos and eat them. YAY!

1. Line two strips of bacon side by side in the bottom of the taco shell. Think of the bacon as two loving hands that will hold your cheesy eggs.
2. Next, take some eggs and place them between the two strips of bacon. Don't waste too much time if this seems too hard. I had an extra finger separating the bacon as I spooned in the eggs to try and get this right. It honestly doesn't matter.
3. Once the eggs are in the tortilla, spoon some salsa over the eggs and then dollop the Mexican crema on top of the salsa. (I also put some taco sauce on mine to make it spicier).

Now, eat your breakfast tacos!

Alexis Soard is an associate university librarian and oversees the library's systems and operations. She likes all things autumn and the smell of books.