Allie

7:54am – I wake up with Clairo’s “Second Nature” in my head. My tortoiseshell cat, Notorious, jumps onto my bed and starts purring loudly, which is how she begs for food. NPR is playing on my alarm clock radio. They’re talking about Harris’s running mate, who might be announced today. My bet is on Shapiro.

8:16am – I’m reading a book called Bullshit Jobs by David Graeber. It’s the type of book that a progressive-thinking dad or grandpa would enjoy, with section titles like “On the Misery of Ambiguity and Forced Pretense.” I like it, but it’s pretty dense, and it’s taking me a long time to get through. What happens if you don’t return a library book on time? I think they stopped late fees. Still, I hate breaking rules that are reasonable.

9:18am – I finish the Wordle in under 30 seconds (3 guesses). I work from home, so I can put a podcast or show on and eat breakfast while I get my mindless morning tasks out of the way. I put on Teen Mom 2, mostly for background noise, but I’m also trying to figure out if Jenelle is a psychopath (someone with an egocentric and antisocial personality marked by a lack of remorse for one’s actions, an absence of empathy for others, and often criminal tendencies), or a sociopath (like a psychopath, but with a weak conscience rather than a lack thereof). Either way, I think her condition is caused by severe trauma and I feel sorry for her.

For breakfast, I have the same thing every day: leftovers from the previous night’s dinner. Today it’s walnut “ground beef” tacos with mushrooms and onions, avocado, and greens, and elotes that my partner Doug made.

9:24am – Kamala picks Tim Walz as her prospective VP. I’m relieved, I think.
9:29am – A coworker announces that she put in her 2 weeks’ notice. I’m happy for her even though

I’ll miss her. Another coworker shares a GIF of Tobias Fünke crying in the shower.

12:49pm – Returned from my daily lunch walk. I was on a mission to find some Philly goodies to bring to my friends, Sarah and Ian, whom I’m visiting in Massachusetts next week. I was unsuccessful, but I had a nice walk regardless and even ran into my friend Sterling. One great thing about living in the same neighborhood for 6+ years is that you rarely go a day without running into a neighbor that you know.

I’ve taken this walk countless times, but there are always new things to see. Today, it’s a couple of cute dogs and some creatively updated Biden/Harris signs.

I pass my favorite mid-century modern homes and daydream about a world in which I could afford to live in one of them. One was recently on the market for a little over $500K, which was pretty dream-crushing.

Sometimes I’ll grab a coffee from Knockbox, ReAnimator, or Milkcrate, but today I opt for a cinnamon pistachio cold brew at home.

Pistachio cold brew recipe

• Fill a quart-sized mason jar 3⁄4 with ice. Add just enough cold brew to cover the ice.

• Add enough milk to fill the mason jar with about an inch of room on the top, then add a

  sprinkle of cinnamon and pistachio syrup (I use Jordan’s Skinny Syrups Pistachio Latté) to

  taste.

• Put a lid on the mason jar and shake for 30 seconds or so.

  It’s SO HOT today - 92° and humid – but my little black and white cat/soulmate, Bijou, wants to sit on my lap all day. I allow it.

6:04pm – Just got back from trying something new: Pilates. It was fun, and I can feel the strength I’ve built through weightlifting for the past couple of years. I was pretty physically weak and uncoordinated for most of my life, so it’s cool to feel strong.

Going to make dinner next. The plan is breaded buffalo tofu with roasted potatoes and salad because I’m bad at planning meals that don’t require the oven on 92° days, apparently.

Buffalo tofu recipe (measure with your heart)

• Slice tofu (I use Trader Joe’s Super Firm) into cutlets. Marinate in a shallow dish with tamari until it’s time to bread the tofu.

• In three separate bowls, prepare:

  1. Your flour mixture (flour of your choice, a sprinkle of salt, and pepper)

  2. Your milk mixture (milk of your choice, optionally add a teaspoon of apple cider

     vinegar)

3. Your breading mixture (panko, garlic powder, paprika, parmesan, nutritional yeast, salt)

• Bread your tofu cutlets one at a time by coating both sides in flour and shaking off any excess, then coating both sides in the milk mixture, and then coating both sides in the breading mixture. Add breaded pieces to a baking sheet lined with a silicone liner and a tiny bit of oil.

• Bake at 400° for about 20 minutes, flipping halfway through. It should be starting to brown.

• Coat cutlets with buffalo sauce and continue baking for another 5-10 minutes.

  The rest of the evening was: Dinner with Doug, planning for a few shows we’re going to this week, scrolling through endless political TikToks – some horrifying, some hopeful – cuddling with my cats, lighting a candle and listening to the thunderstorm, reflecting on how lucky I am to have had a nice day.

Allie is a cat mom who lives with her partner in West Philly.