Five things for the week

1. Newsletter

I have been toying with starting a weekly email newsletter. I like the format but was never really sure that I would have anything to write about consistently. I have quite a few ideas forming, though, so I decided to move forward with the first step; creating an account on the newsletter platform that I want to use (Substack).

I don't know when I'll write/send the first one but, if you want to, you can subscribe here.

2. Habits

Last week, I started to work on eliminating one bad habit while tying to replace it with a "good" habit. This was simply to stop work, social media, and other unnecessary screen time by 9:00 pm to begin reading (books, articles, non-digital magazines). I would gauge my success rate at 60%.

So, this coming week, I'll try to keep that going while working to eliminate the second (of three) bad habits.

3. Read

Save Me the Plums, by Ruth Reichl - I loved the "behind the scenes" look at what Ruth Reichl had to do to move from the freelance to the corporate world. It still sounds very glamorous, considering the travel and prestige she experienced. It was a fun read, with excellent writing as always (from her). I always thought that I would go into journalism (photojournalism) after high school. That didn't pan out and I'm kind of happy it didn't.

USWNT Inspires Older Fans, Too. One of Them Was My Mom - Grant Wahl's touching tribute to his mother, after she passed. I love sports for what they mean, and can mean, for people who watch sports. Sure, there is the sport itself but, the journeys and the representation and the stories... this is what I love best abut it all.

Are McMansions Making People Any Happier? - I found this interesting as I watch developers and builders, around Sacramento, straddle the line between building neighborhoods with large houses and trying to fit as many of them into their subdivision as possible. It's so weird to look out your window and directly into the window of your neighbor's house. Part of me wonders if it would just be better to have townhouses/rowhouses and give the homeowners more back and front yards.

4. Watched

I watched a lot of YouTube this week, mostly watching updates and gameplay videos on Nintendo's E3 announcements.

I also found myself watching a lot of the Food Wishes videos. I know I'm late to the party on them but, they're really informative and entertaining. I like Chef John's humor.

5. Listened

Song Exploder, ep 161: Sheryl Crow - A powerful, powerful track. Love the episode as Sheryl walked us through the process of combining her vocals with Johnny Cash's.

The Moth: Mets Magic - I found Marie Hershkowitz's story to be very endearing. One because it has to do with baseball fandom, and two because it talks about the sacrifices one makes for others.