Top Five Picks for 11/29/2020

Here are my Top Five this week:

1. The Gap Factory Parka

Category: Product

Review: As weather continues to drop, I am sure many of us are looking to update our wardrobes if we haven't already with new winter warm gear. This parka is sherpa-lined to keep you cozy and oh-so warm on a sunny but cold day. It it made well, and also serves to block out wind because of how heavy-duty it is. I love mine in the Army Green color, but would consider buying in other colors as well. Did I mention it looks great with a pair of jeans and booties or rain boots?!?

2. The Edge of Midnight (Miley Cyrus ft. Stevie Nicks)

Category: Song/Music

Review: If you are anything like me and completely missed that Miley Cyrus released a new album at the end of the summer of 2020, don't feel badly. This year has been a complete blur and I'm sure it will take me years to find out about all of the things I have missed this year.

While I am not usually a fan of mainstream pop artists, Miley is an exception and in my mind almost deserves to be put in her own category as an music artist. Every once in a while she releases or performs something new and reminds us all that she is more than a young and wild pop artist looking for hits: She is a musician who truly loves music for what it brings to people of all ages. In this song, she pairs up with two-time rock & roll hall of fame inductee Stevie Nicks, who is a living legend in her own right, to remix one the singles off of her new album.

Listen to the recorded version here, but there is also a live performance worth checking out if you want to see two female powerhouses killing it on stage together.

3. Pan Seared Salmon coated with honey lemon butter

Category: Recipe (takes about 20-25 minutes total!)

I found this recipe recently and my husband and I absolutely LOVED it. It's so simple that I have no idea how I haven't tried it before since I make salmon fairly often.

The quick instructions are to heat a pan to medium-high heat and add a little olive oil. Then place salmon fillets (frozen or unfrozen) skin side down. They will need to cook anywhere from 6-10 minutes on each side, (depending on if you started from frozen or unfrozen). Meanwhile, on the side, mix together equal parts honey and lemon depending on how many fillets you have (for two fillets a tablespoon of each should do). You can also add minced garlic, paprika, and salt/pepper to this mixture if you like these flavors as well. Once you have turned the salmon over once, pour the mixture onto the fillets and let them cook in the liquid. Once the fish is cooked, serve over rice, on top of a mixed greens salad, or with seasoned, roasted veggies.

So good! If you are someone who likes video recipes, a really similar recipe to what I described above can be found here.

4. The 100

Category: TV Show

Review: The seventh and final season of this show came to Netflix in October of 2020 and I'll be honest, I burned right through the episodes FAST. I am considering writing another blog post going more in depth about some of the themes of this show, but a couple some of my favorite things about it are listed below: (SPOILERS ahead!)

-I love that the show seemed to evolve beyond what even its creators seemed to set out for it to be. In the first season, there is a sense that you are watching a teenage drama, with frequent sex scenes, love affairs, and general angst and fighting in which characters' behavior is often a bit petty and melodramatic. However, as the seven seasons continue, you see less of all of this as the show begins to morph into a true sci-fi story about human beings struggling against forces which are often out of their control. As a great appreciator of science fiction and good storytelling, this was right up my ally.

-I appreciated how dynamic many of the characters are throughout the seven seasons. The most dynamic of course is Octavia, who goes from being a shy girl who largely follows and relies on her older brother, to being a strong fighter and lover after meeting Lincoln, to becoming bloodreina, respected leader of the grounders and Wonkru who will do anything to ensure the survival of her people, to being the villain of an entire season (powerfully shown and realized in that scene when she burns down the Hydrofarm), to fulfilling a role at the end of the season as both a strong leader and fierce protector to those she is most loyal to. Her evolution as a character is really incredible and she is by far my favorite character on the show.

5. The Ethiopian Civil War (began November 2020)

Category: World Affairs worth knowing about

Review: Obviously, this topic is far more grave than the others in this post, but I believe it is important that the world not simply pass this event by without recognizing that it is happening. This conflict, despite having massive humanitarian implications, has been largely glossed over by the mainstream media.

As someone who has a lot of interest in International Affairs and who believes that awareness should be raised about humanitarian crises all over the world, I have summarized the events of the civil war up until this point in a separate blog post here.

The even shorter summary is that this conflict began on November 4th of 2020 and since then a reported 100,000 people have been displaced from their homes, including 40,000 people who were forced to immediately leave their homes in Ethiopia and seek refuge in neighboring Sudan. Ethiopia is a nation found in east Africa, and over 50% of their population is Christian, with the second largest religion being Islam.

Last and final thoughts for the week:

Tayshia > Clare. If you know you know, and for me, it ain't even close!

I have not been sponsored by any of the brands, products, affiliate blog sites, or otherwise listed above. All opinions are solely my own.

Top Five are chosen from 10 possible categories: Products, Recipes, Health Tips, Money Hacks, Books/Articles, Movies/TV shows, Podcasts/Apps, Songs, Organizations/Small Businesses, and News/World Affairs.

Thanks so much for reading!

Please share your thoughts about any of my Top Five in the comments below! I would love to hear from you :)