I dump my thoughts into my Notes app constantly, tapping away at my iPhone, hoping to leave a trace of all the important nonsense knocking around in my brain. In an effort to digitally de-clutter, I thought I’d share some recent musings that felt important enough to record.
Zoom Mtg Icebreaker
My department at work has a monthly team meeting and we all take turns hosting. We run through updates, teach-backs, announcements, successes and problems, etc. The host also determines an icebreaker at the beginning of the meeting, and if we have time, a fun activity at the end.
I don’t think I’ll be hosting again for maybe another seven months, but an idea I had for my next group activity is “This Meeting is Sponsored By”:
If you had to shill out for a product or corporation, what would it be? What is something you’d truly recommend to the group? Start your answer with “This Meeting is Sponsored By…” and tell us why you’d personally recommend that thing.
This was inspired by a TikTok I saw where someone said that if you’re leading a meeting, you should sneak in a ‘paid sponsorship’ to spice it up (i.e. “use code MEGAN at checkout!”). I wanted to take that idea and give my coworkers a chance to share something they’re into at the moment in an interesting way.
Ramen Report
My partner and I are dedicated to finding the best ramen in Portland, OR. We’ve been scoring ramen shops for the last few years, but haven’t been keeping those scores in a meaningful place. I also felt like our score was lacking nuance—we were scoring out of 5, but I felt it needed to be more granular, to take into account the price, vibe, noodles, broth, etc. So I’ve devised the following ramen rubric, each out of 5 with a total score of 25 possible:
Broth — I’m looking for complexity, umami, spice level (or chilli oil availability), and overall taste.
Noodle — I’m looking for homemade if possible, and I will score lower for anything resembling instant noodles in texture or look.
Toppings — I’m looking for at least three sizeable pieces of meat, a whole and perfect soft-boiled egg, and green onions. There shouldn’t be too many toppings that overwhelm me; I’m open to interesting or different toppings, but they shouldn’t detract from the broth and noodles.
Value — I’m looking for affordability, which I know is a difficult ask in these times. I’ll always be on the hunt for something that is not only delicious, but is priced to feed the community.
Vibe — Vibe can’t be quantified, but I’m going to try! High-scoring restaurants are usually family-owned, warm and welcoming, a place that I genuinely would return to with family and friends in tow.
We’ve tried two ramen places since I’ve introduced this rubric: Kozan Ramen and Yokohama Skyline. Kozan earned a 19.5, scoring highest in vibe with a perfect 5/5. I also enjoyed their chewy noodles and delicious toppings (large meat, mushrooms, corn, green onion, egg mmmmmm). The view from their windows looked out into some greenery, and the staff was welcoming with amazing service (including letting me take a refill of iced tea to-go). Although technically in Beaverton, I would happily drive through the west hills to get back to their cozy spot.
Yokohama also had a great vibe but scored lower with a total of 17. I liked the spice level of the broth, but felt it lacked the complexity I crave (I’ll note here that I’m a harsh broth critic). I loved the thin, decently chewy noodles, but was bummed that you only got half an egg. I did like the fact they didn’t overwhelm you with toppings and that they included pickled ginger. Was maybe a bit expensive for what you got, but the two owners were kind and welcoming. The restaurant itself felt like a great date spot and had enough room to bring a gaggle of friends.
Alezheimer’s poem
Whenever I see an article or study about a cure or treatment for Alzheimer’s, I save them for a future poem. It’s a grief poem I’ve wanted to write for years, although I’m unsure what structure it will take. Here’s a quick notes app poem I wrote in July that I hate, but is the crux of what I want to write in the future:
I log onto that app again and all
the recommended news articles
are about new research into a cure
(insert list)
I read them obsessively, pouring
over their words with inane hope,
not because I'm foolish enough
to think treatment would have saved you
but because I hope, selfishly,
to save myself from the same
end. Sometimes I feel like I write down the feeling I want to evoke in a poem first; then I go in and completely replace what I’ve written with imagery and metaphor that conveys that same feeling. I hate what I’ve written so far, but it’s a reminder that I have a poem rattling around in my brain that I hope to write. Maybe if I collect 10 more articles…10 more cures…10 more treatments…
What have you recorded in your Notes app? Mine is still mostly shopping lists, household chores, and recordings of how much I owe (to utility companies, to my partner, to friends). Maybe I’ll make another post of any other interesting things I find as I sift and purge.
My apologies for my long absence—I hope to rededicate myself to this substack and to daily writing practice in general! Send your tips for motivation please and thank you <3
Megan