I mean I should really just write two sentences for this post.
Find your oven.
Head that oven to 375 degrees.
Grab a dozen eggs.
Place an egg into each space of a muffin tin.
Put that tin in the oven for 30 minutes.
Most important step! When the eggs come out, plunge them into an ice bath immediately to stop the cooking process. Keep the eggs there until they're completely cooled.
Eat 'em, decorate 'em, whatever your heart desires.
(Seriously though, why did no one tell me about this sooner?)
One of these days, I'm gonna make every single one of you come up here on top of this mountain. Max Patch is just ridiculously fabulous every single time.
On Sunday, I got to meet a sweet friend's parents and hike up this familiar trail with a group of folks who'd mostly not been to this heavenly spot. When you crest the mountaintop, you get a 360 degree view of layers and layers of mountain ranges. I am positive that's not the correct way to describe it, but I have cake on the brain and "layers" seems okay. Always so wonderful to experience it anew all over again through other people's eyes.
If you would like to see shots of it, complete with a cheesy score, watch this video!
So anyway, it was totally fabulous. Cindi, my friend whose parents were with us, brought an adorable vintage picnic "basket" (several deep metallic discs that stacked on top of each other) full of deliciousness: cookies, broccoli salad, berries, pimento cheese...we had it all. So yesterday, we sat up there, ate, and talked about how good it was to be alive.
Here are some pictures (my favorite is Jordan making a dog tent for the two Frenchies that were with us who were overheating a bit. Hehe!):
Hope you guys had a great, relaxing weekend filled with a little bit of outdoor beauty. On to Monday!
In case you missed it, Congress voted to dismantle a law that protected lots of elements of our online privacy. We've all had that moment when an ad for something we were just looking at on another website pops up on Facebook, but this is about more than cookies and ads.
The dissolution of this legislation will allow internet service providers (ISP's) to sell private information like your browsing history, app usage, location, who visits your house and logs onto your WiFi, location services, e-mail content, and more, to the highest bidder without your permission. Go ahead and imagine the most embarrassing thing you've ever Googled. Mmhmm. That's up for grabs, people. Yikes.
While many think that the government has probably had access to this sort of information already (I mean, think CIA here - what can't they do??), the big difference is that this (often very personal) data would be sold to financial companies, insurers, financial companies, etc.
SO. How can you give yourself a little protection?
1. Use HTTPS.
Most URL's begin with "http://." By enabling "HTTPS Everywhere," available here, your ISP will be able to see what website you're on, but not what specific page you're viewing. Installing the extension will automatically take you to the HTTPS version of the website (exactly the same as the HTTP version) and add a layer of protection to your Internet browsing.
2. Encryption.
Using encrypted texting is really easy through apps like Signal or WhatsApp. They allow ISP's to see that you're using the app, but not who you're texting or what you're saying.
3. Two-step e-mail verification.
E-mail is one of the scariest things that I can imagine getting compromised, because once someone has access to your e-mail, they can reset all your passwords for any other websites (like banking). If you have GMail, it's super simple to turn on a two-step verification (meaning, if you log in to your e-mail from an unknown network or computer, you'll have to complete a second step in order to get to your inbox, like entering a code you receive via text). It's a tiny bit inconvenient, but it's worth it when considering the alternative!
4. Don't click on links directly from texts or e-mails unless you're expecting them.
This one is definitely a pain in the ass, but, again, may be worth it. Experts have discovered that many links passed through e-mail or texts have picked up malware (software that will cause your computer to run poorly and/or shut down) along the way. Instead of clicking links directly from your e-mail, copy/paste them into a search bar and go to the website from there. Rule of thumb: don't click on any links, especially to services that require login information like your bank, Amazon account, etc., without being 100% that the e-mail is legit.
Okay, so that's only four things. But hopefully they're helpful! It's easy to get spooked during moments like this one, but fear not. We're all okay. Deep breaths. Just take the extra steps, protect yourself, and, as always, if you don't like that this took place, call your legislator.
Happy weekend, folks!
Available on HuffPo, linked here:
Sound the alarm!! All seven episode of S-Town, the new true crime podcast from the creators of Serial, dropped today.
This series is set in good ol' Alabama - here's how it's described on the website:
"S-Town is a new podcast from Serial and This American Life, hosted by Brian Reed, about a man named John who despises his Alabama town and decides to do something about it. He asks Brian to investigate the son of a wealthy family who’s allegedly been bragging that he got away with murder. But then someone else ends up dead, and the search for the truth leads to a nasty feud, a hunt for hidden treasure, and an unearthing of the mysteries of one man’s life.
Brian, a longtime This American Life producer, started reporting this story more than three years ago, when he got an email from John with the subject line “John B McLemore lives in Shittown Alabama.”"
Available for instant download here. I absolutely can't wait.
...FriPo on HuffPo?
Yeah, too much. I agree.
Click and read!
