Friday Unwind #20: Educated; Sebastian; White Sea Bass; Pain Hustlers; The Fastest Car on Earth

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📚 FROM THE BOOK NOOK: EDUCATED, by Tara Westover

“We are all more complicated than the roles we are assigned in stories. Nothing has revealed that truth to me more than writing this memoir - This is the best I can do: to tell that other story next to the one I remember. Of a summer day, a fire, the scent of charred flesh, and a father helping his son down the mountain.” (excerpt from Educated)

Author Tara Westover was born in 1986 to survivalists living in the mountains of Idaho. They had no access to medical treatments or formal education. Serious falls, burns from explosions, concussions, and mental illness were all handled at home. Tara was seventeen the first time she entered a classroom.

Somehow she survived.

Educated is her story of family, finding her own way through education and her recounting of a life so shocking that even her memory of events comes in to question.

#1 New York Times Bestseller.

Much thanks to reader, Mr. Switter, for rekindling my interest in this book.

In the six minute interview below, you can get an amazing look into Tara’s life and what prompted her to write Educated.

🐾 DOG DAYS: Sebastian Finds a Leaf Pile

You know how dogs just love to romp and leap joyfully into leaf piles? Maybe Sebastian’s owners didn’t have a leaf pile in their yard, so he had to find his own…. unfortunately for him that pile was in a storm drain.

Animal Care and Control of Lexington, Kentucky was up for the challenge…. although no one seems to know how the heck Sebastian managed to squeeze himself into that drain.

To see Sebastian’s tail wagging escape click here.

🐟 WHITE SEA BASS

We’re back at the beach which means most dinners are fresh from the sea. It’s a short morning walk to Harbor Pelican to discover what the fishermen have caught the night before.

This week our table included Blue Fin Tuna, Jumbo Shrimp, and last night…. White Sea Bass. White Sea Bass is a tender and fairy dense fish that practically melts in your mouth. It’s easy to prepare. Yay!

Pan Fried White Sea Bass Recipe

1 pound sea bass, cut into 2 pieces, skin on one side
Extra virgin olive oil
2 T grated parmesan cheese
2 T (about) salted butter
Salt and Pepper to taste

Put about 4 T extra virgin olive oil in a fry pan. Heat on medium until hot but not smoky
Pat the sea bass with paper towels, then coat each side with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and then put 1T of parmesan on the flesh side of each piece of fish
Put the fish in the fry pan, flesh side down. Cook for 4 minutes, then flip. You’ll know it’s ready to flip when the fish doesn’t stick to the pan.
When you flip the fish, the flesh side should look browned.
Cook the fish another 4 minutes.
The fish is done when it flakes easily with a fork (also 165 degrees if you like to measure it)
Serve with rice and a salad (or anything else you like, or nothing else!)
Enjoy!

💊 🎬 MOVIE REVIEW: PAIN HUSTLERS

I’m a big fan of Emily Blunt. So when the 2023 movie, Pain Hustlers, came out I totally ignored the 23% rating from Rotten Tomatoes. I’m really glad.

It’s a touchy subject. Fentanyl. Disguised as a pain reliever for cancer and called Lonafen. The movie is based on the true crime story of John Kapoor who founded Insys in 1990, raking in millions of dollars before the FBI was able to stop him.

With key roles from Blunt, Chris Evans, Catherine O’Hara and Andy Garcia, Pain Hustlers got my attention. I think it might get yours, too.

🏎 THE FASTEST CARS ON EARTH, 1913

One hundred and ten years ago, on December 1, 1913, Henry Ford created the fastest car on earth…. well, the fastest built car. Ford launched the first automated assembly line for automobiles. Production time for one car plummeted from twelve hours and eight minutes to one hour and thirty-three minutes. In 1912 Ford built 69,000 vehicles. In 1914, Ford produced 308,162 vehicles.

Initially workers starting leaving Ford Motor because the work seemed monotonous. But when Ford more than doubled wages ($2.34/hour to $5.00/hour) and decreased the work week by an hour, mechanics flocked to Detroit to be part of the company. Critics thought he would bankrupt the company. The rest is history.

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💬 COMMENTS

Do you have a favorite book to share? (Thanks to Mr. Switter for suggesting Educated)

What’s the goofiest thing you have seen a dog do?

What’s your favorite fish? Or do you even like fish?

Hi there! Whatcha got going this weekend?

Got a Ford? Car fetish?

Whatever your generation, if you’d like a sweet retreat where Friday meets you on the way to little pleasures…..I hope you will Subscribe to After 21 Club. You’ll get a little treat in your Inbox each Friday.

Wherever you are, I hope life is sunny. 🌞❤Heather