Five things for the week

Site and Blog changes coming

I'm still in my planning phase for some upcoming changes to this site. While I don't have anything concrete to update you on now, I will say that this site will remain an "everyday" general blog. I'm putting together a personal photography website, which will have a portfolio and a photoblog where I will share more pictures and posts on photography. And no, I still haven't yet determined what my newsletter will be about and when I'll start pushing that. It's all just a work in progress for now.

2. Photography

During our weekend trip to Ventura, I deliberately left my cameras behind, opting to travel light and use just my phone for taking pictures. And while my phone worked out just fine, I did regret not taking a camera for two reasons, 1) using my phone as a camera means that I always had my phone out, so chances for being distracted by it were higher than if I had just been able to keep it in my bag. Not to mention my battery drained pretty quickly. And 2) I just feel better when using a camera (instead of a phone).

3. Read

If You See Her, by Ania Ahlborn - An entertaining, quick read that definitely has the author's signature storytelling. I like her other books, my favorites being The Bird Eater and Brother. This, for me, wasn't as good but I still enjoyed the read. I think that she self-published this one? At least she published only through Amazon so it's only available there.

I Wrote This on a 30-Year-Old Computer - It's definitely nostalgia but I like reading about people using old technologies. This one brings back memories of typing out school reports and fighting printers the night before they were due. It also reminded me of fighting with family members for computer time so that I could write stories and poetry, and play games. What I really liked was the author reminding me how much you could really focus in one one task, not being distracted with multiple programs running, as well as sitting down to a dedicated place and machine to do that. Not being so readily available and connected has an increasing amount of draw for me.

The Lingering of Loss - Jill Lepore's touching post about her best friend.

Blowin’ in the Wind - I enjoyed the photos in this post. I also learned that tumbleweeds are edible? I remember, in the small town I grew up in, before all of the new home construction how often we would have to deal with tumbleweed buildup around our house.

Why Megan Rapinoe's brother, Brian, is her greatest heartbreak, and hope - This is a great profile on Megan and her brother. There's so much that so many are going through. All the more reason to be supportive of as many people as you can.

4. Watched

This Old House, s. 40, ep. 26 - I always like the end of season episodes where they finish a project and turn it over back to the homeowner. While I didn't like this style (mid-century modern), I did like seeing the different techniques used to modernize it.

Stranger Things 3 - Binged during our midweek day off (weird). Sure, the series has its faults but I like the ride, and season 3 was no different. These kids are growing up, fast! Hopper P.I.!!! And the Neverending Story scene was *chef's kiss*.

Women's World Cup matches, including the quarter, semi, and finals - USA! USA! USA! There's a lot of people that can/will write about this much more eloquently than I can. I will say this: I am inspired.

5. Listened

Why'd You Push That Button - I especially liked the Jibo episode but, more recently I listened to the Celebrity Death Twitter episode and I found it interesting how so many things could be perceived from slight differences in how and when people tweet.

Song Exploder, ep. 162 Big Thief - This episode, breaking down their "Cattails" track, had me listening to the band for the majority of the rest of the week. I just really like playing their songs in the background while I'm working. I find them very relaxing.

Bear Brook, ep 7 - We listened to this update during our drive down to Ventura. It's a bittersweet update where 3 of the 4 victims are identified as a result of years of research and persistence from volunteer researchers. I sent a thank you to one of them, Rebekah Heath, on Facebook to for the work that she did.

The Mountain Goats - I've grown into the habit of just bringing up their Essentials playlist, on Apple Music, and letting it loop over and over again. I love the songwriting.

//My Read, Watched, and Listened lists are two week's worth, even though it might not seem like it. I'm pretty happy that I didn't spend a lot of time watching anything. The reading list is also low due to our extended weekend getaway and then the weird holiday midweek, which made the whole week kind of lazy (and nice).