Five things for the week
1. Balance
I work from home and I love it. It's definitely a privilege that I try not to take for granted. Like many remote workers, I do struggle with "clocking out". I sometimes feel guilty for even stepping away from my desk during business hours. As the time passes, I am getting more comfortable with it.
I do want to start mixing things up a little more, such as working out of coffee shops and other locations more often. If not just to get some more "social" tine around people. I have written about this before but, I do want to start networking and participating in some meetups more often as well. So I joined Meetup.com to check out what is happening in the area.
2. Habits
I fell back on my "no screen time other than e-readers after 9 pm" habit forming so, will I'll have to put more focus on that, this week. The second bad habit that I started working to eliminate is working on multiple things simultaneously. In other words, I have been trying to focus more on single tasks, even adding time to my calendar dedicated to them. I would gauge my success rate in doing this at 50% for last week. I have some ideas to implement, this week, to help improve that.
3. Read
Inside the black (cherry) market of vintage Kool-Aid packet collectors - After reading this, for a while I sat and tried to think of any food and/or beverage that I felt as much passion for as the people this highlights. The answer? Nope, not a single food item.
The Pu-erh Brokers of Yunnan Province - A good cup of Pu-erh rivals the best cups of coffee out there. I love this tea and appreciate this article's behind the scenes insight on it.
There Is Too Much Stuff - Yes.
L.A. Son, by Roy Choi - I started to reread this. I have the hardcover sitting on my dining room table so that I can visit a few pages at a time. Chef Choi is doing some really admirable work.
4. Watched
Good Omens - Close to when the book was first released, I attempted to read it. I didn't finish, mainly because the religious aspect turned me off (I had a huge chip on my shoulder about religion at the time). Thew previews intrigued me so, my wife and I decided to give this show a try. It's good! It's got a wonderful blend of British humor and good storytelling. Perhaps I'll pick up the book again soon.
A Tale of Two Kitchens - The more I learn about Chef Gabriela Cámara, the more my admiration grows. This short documentary juxtapositions her two restaurants with the many issues across the US-Mexico border. It's an excellent look at the people we often overlook. As a bonus, here is Evan Kleiman's Good Food interview with Chef Gabriela (13 min). Another bonus, here is Dave Chang in conversation with her (68 min). I enjoyed both interviews very much.
June 17th, 1994 - This was unique in that there was no narrator nor talking head(s), it was a documentary made from actual news clips and file footage to tell the story. And it was super effective; I found myself remembering exactly where I was and what I was doing as some of those clips were played (and I remembered hearing them the first time).
I remember that, during the chase, I was working (as a busboy at Black Angus). I was irritated because I had to work and all I really wanted to do was watch the NBA Finals. So every chance I got, I would find my way into the bar area to take peeks at the TVs. I very vividly, thanks to the refresher from this documentary, remember the split screen between the game and the white Ford Bronco. I also remember that it felt like the whole restaurant had frozen all activities, as more people filed into the bar area to watch the chase. Very surreal.
5. Listened
Prince's Batman (1989) soundtrack - I linked to Prince's "Batdance" video. The first time I saw that music video was at my grandparents' house with my cousins, who were visiting from Colorado. We were all so hyped for this movie. The entire soundtrack is just so fitting with the look and tone of the movie. I still love it. "Partyman" is my favorite track.