Put in a piece of unglazed ceramic material (we used to have a cute little terra cota thing made specifically for brown sugar). If you live in a humid climate, put it in the oven for while to dry it out and then add it to the sugar to slowly absorb moisture. If you live in a dry climate, soak it in water for a little while and put it in to release moisture slowly into it.
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How have I never watched “Community” before today? Now I have several hours to fill with 6 seasons worth…
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Community is just the right kind of weird and I love it
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I don’t have that accessory but I do keep mine in an OXO POP container and it stays soft. Actually it’s in a ziplock bag inside of the container for a double barrier…
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Ah, I didn’t know the original French was four volumes! Mystery solved 
Thanks for all the brown sugar tips, guys! It occurred to me that brown sugar never went hard in my parents’ house, so the proximity of my pantry to the dehumidifier in the basement may actually be the culprit. Maybe I’ll get one of those brown sugar keepers. It can be a race to see whether it is delivered first or we go to the grocery store and buy more brown sugar first…
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I know I’ve softened it up before but I don’t remember how; probably just looked for tips on Google haha.
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When the sugar was hard I microwaved it to soften it. Works fine as long as you pay attention 
Now we’re just out of brown sugar.
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Do you have molasses and white sugar? That’s my usual trick because I always forget to buy brown sugar. I’m sure you already know these things since you bake a lot more than I do…which is probably why you remember to buy brown sugar 
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I do know that trick, but we don’t have enough white sugar to bake anything with either. It’s OK. We are out of brown sugar because I made cinnamon rolls. We will live without more sugary baked goods until the next time we go to the store
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I have wavy/curly/frizzy hair. It’s pretty fine but usually looks like a lot more because it is so… active.
I have long hair now but used to have it very short with an undercut, kind of like this. 
I found short hair to be MORE work, but that’s because I wanted my hair straight with that cut so I’d blow it dry every morning. If I go short again I would definitely try to find something that worked with curls.
Oh, and I second the suggestion for a buff, especially for a half-length one. Ponytails can give me a headache and forget about headbands - no way. But the buff works.
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That’s similar to the cut I’m thinking! Actually, it’ll probably end up being basically my husbands hair cut, because he knows how to do that one 
just… curly. I do worry it’ll end up being more work though, to keep looking tame. Like I need to choose between bigger time investments Being the washing and drying, versus the cuts and Daily styling. And I’m being utterly indecisive. I cut my hair very short in 6th grade (before the concept of “embrace the curls”) was a thing, and I looked like a goddamn mushroom. 
so I have some fear for sure haha.
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I rub gel through my hair when it’s wet to weigh it down, then comb the inch or two closest to the part. I used to leave in some conditioner as well, but then I got allergic to it. If you use conditioner and gel it can be very managed.
It feels weird giving hair advice when I’m deeply and truly not a hair person and I’m pretty sure I look homeless most days.
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That is pretty much what I tell the person every time I go get my hair cut. “Do what you want, just don’t make me look like a mushroom.”
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I have the opposite hair as you but I’m going back to a pixie cut once I can get to the salon and I will get something very similar to that cut. I think if you get a product you like for your curls it could be really easy to manage. For me, if I was going out I’d wash it and maybe blow dry a little (great since now it only takes 3 minutes with short hair, vs the full hour with long) and then I’d rub in some Kevin Murphy Un.Dressed paste to keep it where I wanted it, give a little texture to my super straight hair and go. All in takes me less than 10 minutes, 5 if it’s already dry to start with.
No idea if that product is good for curls but I’m sure KM has one that is. I love that it doesn’t make my hair at all crunchy or gross
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Same…the shorter my wavy/curly hair gets, the more horizontal it gets. I’ve found a hairstylist I like but the second time she did a cut I took a pic and texted it to her labeled “mushroom hair” so she could see how it was(n’t) working. 
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Those who make oat milk, do you prefer soaking first or not soaking? And I assume always needs straining?
I have the mushroom problem too, which for years scared me off of layers at all, although layers actually work really well for my hair now that I’ve found people who can cut them. I highly highly recommend chatting with a stylist who does only curly cuts before doing the DIY thing and also trimming it dry rather than wet.
The funny thing about my wavy hair is that it actually looks best when cut and styled like I’m trying to be a curly haired person, but then actually combed out and worn straighter. It ends up the least frizzy this way and the least in my way. I keep hair out of my face by doing a lazy partial french braid (will try to send photos later) but the buffs seem like a great idea too. So much softer and stretchier than most headbands. I haven’t gone short since I figured out I have wavy hair (rather than just - this hair is awfully hard to get a good haircut with!) so no advice there. I’ve been on team hair must be long enough to pull back for awhile.
that said, I think my hair is a lot shorter than yours, and right now it’s just long enough to pull back into a half back, or with french braids. The bottom is too short to get into a ponytail. So maybe that would be a compromise that would keep you being able to pull back but with shorter drying time?
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How can I support a friend who is experiencing a loss? They live nearby. I have sent my love and condolences and offered to run errands or anything else they need. They are a close friend, but I am always afraid of “intruding” on someone who is grieving.
I did some googling, and am considering leaving some comforting-type objects on their porch, such as chocolate, a book/collage with lots of colorful pictures, or a homemade hot/cold pad or pillow. I also thought about walking around on a nice day and taking pictures of pretty things to text them.
A sentence about type of loss will be hidden behind a summary in case anyone has specific advice for supporting someone with this type of loss.
One sentence about the type of loss
They just found out they will probably miscarry this week.
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I’m so sorry your friend is going through this. In my experience any kind of gesture will be welcome, everything you’ve said sounds great.
Similar Loss & What I did
Depending on the medical details of the process, your friend might need some supplies if that is something you could offer to pick up but that would depend on your relationship. When our friends lost their daughter I texted and said “I am going to the store & coming to your house. What can I bring to you?” and I grabbed some of the postpartum supplies she needed so that her husband didn’t have to go out. Obviously that is all more complicated now, but being specific about what you’re offering helps I think. People don’t want to ask for help even if it’s already been offered so phrasing it like “I am doing this thing anyway right now and I want to help you, what do you need?” makes it easier.
On the anniversary of our friend’s stillbirth I made some art on a tiny canvas with a line from an ee cummings poem that I felt fit. I was worried about how they’d receive it but I figured it was better to acknowledge the loss and let them know their daughter was missed by others in the world than to be afraid of acknowledging it. Worst case, they throw it away. In my case it went well and I think they appreciated it.
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