Jessica Mitford was once dubbed the “Queen of the muckrakers.” A British aristocrat, she wrote two landmark books. The first was The American Way of Death, published in 1963, which exposed the abuses of the funeral industry. Three decades later, she published The American Way of Birth, which spotlighted the medical profession’s efforts to outlaw midwifery and increase profits for doctors and hospitals. One review called it “an indictment of the medical practices surrounding something that should not make us sick — giving birth.

Welcome to It’s A Shanda, one Northeastern Jew’s quest to find a decent bagel in Seattle (and beyond). If you’re interested in taking this journey with me, make sure you subscribe so you never miss a review. If you want to make sure I review any specific bagels (or want to let me know why I’m wrong), you can email me at seanmatthewkeeley@gmail.com. I think it was pretty obvious heading into my initial review of Eltana that I was a bit skeptical.

“Then He said to them, “But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one.” - Luke 22:36. This verse has been the subject of debate in meaning, with some urging total pacifism as Christians and some urging outright aggression as Christians. I seek to find the Royal Path of this verse and what it entails for us who dare to call ourselves Christians.

For some reason this week I decided to watch one of those reality tv shows about real estate agents, called Selling the Hamptons. It’s about a group of realtors who try to sell obscenely expensive (and often very ugly) houses in the Hamptons, a waterfront enclave on the tip of Long island, about 90 miles away from New York City. The Hamptons has become a place for the ultrarich to have second or third homes that they use mostly to host parties at during the summer (between Memorial Day and Labor Day).

It’s 2023!! Whether we like it or not, another new year has turned, and we are resolved to make ourselves, our lives, our relationships, our health, our everything…better. Did anyone else feel like this holiday season flew by? I am overwhelmed with deadlines and deliverables, trying to squeeze work into every cranny and crevice of available awake time. Since I’m devoting most of my 2023 efforts to growing Eat Happy Kitchen, 10x’ing my content, and connecting with YOU as much as possible, I don’t foresee anything slowing down anytime soon.