SWTLO(micro)

Finished The Resort, s1. 📺

Had its moments. And a good cast overall. For me, after that ending, I’d say “good not great”.

Dear Past Self, there will be a time in your life when you look forward to 97F. Love, Future Self.

Finished reading: The DAM Book 3.0 by Peter Krogh 📚

Version 3.0 was nicely updated. Worth the reread for me (from the original version). Solid refreshers and reminders of things I should be doing.

Finished reading: The World’s Worst Assistant by Sona Movsesian 📚

Funny and sweet. I’m a fan of their relationship. And Sona is one of the reasons I love the podcast.

An apt issue of Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal, especially after reading various news items this morning.

Amber Case’s TED Talk, “We are all cyborgs now”, given in 2010, has some very poignant points today. Thinking, seeing us as cyborgs now, with our various devices attached to ourselves, is… mind blowing.

Recently Read

• [Book] Humankind, by Rutger Bregman. A very interesting perspective on history’s events and consequences. I’m taking a lot of the lessons from this book to try to apply more “benefit of the doubt” to my daily life.

Recently Watched

• Bad Sisters: currently at s1, e3. They’re doing a really good job at making sure we know just how horrible a person JP is/was.
• The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel: currently at s1, e4. Definitely worth the praise it has been getting all this time.
• Only Murders in the Building: finished s2. Another fun season, and a great teaser for season 3.
• Reservation Dogs: currently at s2, e5. Continues to be stellar. I love the “slice of life” episode approach they’re taking.
• Resident Alien: currently at s2, e11. There are some character storylines that are full of heart and feel very genuine. And then there are others that feel like very unnecessary additions to the series.
• Star Trek: Lower Decks: currently at s3, e1. So happy it’s back!
• The Resort: currently at s1, e7. I’m (trying) to hold judgement until I see how this season plays out but, really I’m just waiting for this season to play out.

Recently Listened

• [Podcast] Wildfire: an incredible and educational series on wildfires and the many stories that surround them. I’m learning a lot.

This week’s rotation included The Mountain Goats, “Bleed Out”. Great album!

Each morning, I check on our new neighbor because I like her presence there. It means she is keeping our front porch safe from other pests. She and her web are situated a few feet away which is a bit alarming but I (think) I have gotten used to it.

I started calling her “Joan Callamezzo” because I think it’s funny, and because of all of the great Parks & Recreation characters, Joan Callamezzo seems to be most like a giant spider kicking it in the middle of a huge web.

Suppose this succulent is satisfied.

This week I’m grateful

• for a lot of the in-person interactions I got to have with coworkers, during this week’s (hybrid) return to office.
• for really good customer service.
• for that first sip of cold beer at the end of a long day.
• that even though I felt tired for the majority of the week, it was a good week overall.

“clutter is a postponed decision”

via Kerry Thomas

…“if you don’t schedule a break, your body will take one for you. And it probably won’t be at a convenient time.”

via Sara Schonfeld

Recently Read

• [Poem] “Old Man Eating Alone in a Chinese Restaurant”, by Billy Collins. Speaks to me.

Recently Watched

• Bad Sisters: currently at s1, e1. Was curious so watched the first episode. Not too bad but not sure this series is for me. Not sure if I’ll continue watching.
• The Bear: finished s1. Well-deserving of the accolades it’s getting, as it is well-acted and very well-written. Intense!
• Hacks: finished s2. I liked this season overall better than the first though, the ending felt a little rushed.
• Only Murders in the Building: currently at s2, e9. Fun as always.
• Reservation Dogs: currently at s2, e4. Episode 4, titled “Mabel” was both touching and heartbreaking. One of the best episodes of the series.
• Resident Alien: currently at s2, e10. Silly fun and I’m not ashamed of loving this series.
• The Resort: currently at s1, e6. Not necessarily a “slow burn” but it did take me a while to get into it. Still not sure I like it but definitely want to see how the rest of the season plays out.

Recently Listened

• [Podcast] Wild Ideas Worth Living: Riding Waves with the Boogie Board Wave Chasers. So full of joy, with so much wisdom, and so much inspiration.

This week’s rotation included David Bowie, The Black Crowes, and The Coathangers.

This week I’m grateful

• for a very kind neighbor who went out of his way to help us with something around the house, and without wanting anything in return.
• for a very kind coworker who went out of his way to help setup my new in-office workspace for me, making sure to send me pictures along the way to be sure I was good with it. Looking forward to going back in the office a few days a week, starting next week.
• for finishing this term pretty strong, with my assignments turned in early in the week leaving the rest of the week a little less stressful.
• for photographers who write blog posts on their own websites rather then depend on social media to communicate and engage.
• that our recently installed new AC system is efficient… very efficient.

Looks like I have a new neighbor.

Recently Read

• Your House Will Pay by Steph Cha. Wow, well written to convey a lot of tension between families, dynamics within families, races, neighborhoods, and a lot more.

Recently Watched

• Hacks: currently finished s1. Just in awe of Jean Smart’s performance throughout this series.
• Only Murders in the Building: currently at s2, e8. Fun as always.
• Reservation Dogs: currently at s2, e3. Do not sleep/pass on this series. Some of my favorite characters across the board.
• Resident Alien: currently at s2, e10. Silly fun and I’m not ashamed of loving this series.
• The White Lotus: finished the s1. Jennifer Coolidge absolutely deserves the accolades she is getting for her performance in this. She is, IMHO, the best thing about this series. It’s good overall, with a lot of commentary on class, money, and entitlement. It did really make me want to spend time at a resort.
• East Meets West, Marco Polo: The China Mystery Revealed: I’m a longtime fan of Michael Yamashita, and it was interesting to see this story through his lens (pun intended).

Recently Listened

• [Podcast] KQED’s “Perspectives” is a good, short daily podcast that has a lot of insight and (I feel) adds value to my day.
• [Single] Yard Act, “100% Endurance – feat. Elton John” – this grew on me with each listen, and watching David Thewlis (in the linked video) was wonderful.

This week’s rotation included Courtney Barnett’s “Things Take Time, Take Time”, The Black Crowes, Rachael Yamagata, and Japanese Breakfast.

On Saturday morning I woke already looking forward to breakfast, even though we planned it to be simple. What I didn’t plan was to get right to the weekend’s chores immediately afterwards.

As soon as I cleared my dishes from the table I was outside watering the garden, which lead to me straightening up and even doing a little sweeping, which lead to taking apart the front part of the grill to replace the broken (electrical) lighter. That then lead to giving the grill a pretty decent cleaning.

Meanwhile, my wife began taking apart the kitchen and diving into the reorganizing/downsizing that we had been talking about. So much unused, and now bad food items hidden in the depths of our pantry, baking, and spice cabinets. So many unused “gadgets” and so many things we even forgot that we had.

Our “chore paths” eventually merged and we found ourselves working on the kitchen until lunch. “What?!? We just ate breakfast!” it seemed.

The afternoon slowed, though I puttered around the office still working along the “organizing” front. Soon we found ourself unwinding in front of the TV, laughing out loud while watching “Hacks”.

Sunday morning, we found ourselves running errands after breakfast and watching some utterly incompetent people attempt to move their cars through parking lots. I’m still not sure how some people manage to get their driver’s licenses.

I then spent the afternoon writing, catching up on a couple podcasts, and getting (mentally) prepared for the week.

I keep thinking about how much more I want to get rid of (i.e., donate, sell, discard) and while I’m glad that I am pacing myself (at least feel like I am), I can feel myself getting increasingly anxious about losing motivation and momentum.

Empty space is literally being created by this process and, as intended, it is starting to (positively) affect my mind. But there’s the constant tendency to try to fill that space rather than let it sit, and fending off that tendency takes a lot of energy.

Weekend’s misc.

• Pro tip: move your applications towards the top of the screen when working on your computer. It will help raise your eye-line and help to reduce the strain on your neck.
• I recently joined the “large text club”, bumping up the text size on my smartphone and eReader. And you know what? So happy I did so.

This week I’m grateful

• for the little rush of happiness I get when I send people things in the mail.
• for the feeling I get when I get rid of (donate, throw away, etc.) something, like the weight feels almost physically removed from me.
• for headphones and music and how they combine to let me escape into a separate world.
• for writing offline, and how not worrying about posting online helps my writing become more open, honest, and as a result, has much more depth.

Another take from the other day. I like the late afternoon color in this.

Watching Hacks, s1 📺

Slightly late to the party. Loving the performances, especially Jean Smart’s. Hilarious at times and very poingant at others. Definitely a fun watch.

White rose siblings

Sleeper 🐈😴

I think I needed this weekend for recovery. It’s not that I was feeling sick but, it’s not that I was feeling 100% either.

We spent Saturday organizing some things around the house, including getting rid of some things that have been sitting in boxes in closets (“we’ll get to that later”) for too long. Feels good to have that finally taken care of.

I did some reading and writing for school, which was nice because I not only completed everything for the week but got a little head start on next week.

This morning (Sunday) I spent some time watering the garden and looking through the different raised beds. Not for anything in particular but making a point to pay attention and look for details, whatever they may be. The heat (95˚F plus) for the past few weeks have taken its toll, especially on the tomatoes and strawberries. They’re alive but very wilted.

Will keep an eye on them throughout this week, hoping to nurse them back.

After some meal planning and food prep I spent the rest of the afternoon vegging out in front of the tv. Which sounds bad but, as I said, I needed some recovery and it worked. At least, I think it worked.

Looking ahead to tomorrow (and the rest of the week) I’ll be focusing my efforts on making sure time spent on recovery was not wasted, and continues for at least a few days more.

Priority: physical and mental health.

Weekend’s misc.

• Watched Luck (2022). I know I’m not the target audience for this and that said, this movie could have been much better than it was. I felt like it just took too much from other movies and nothing felt original.
• Watched Lightyear (2022). Again, probably not the target audience. There was potential and I wanted to like it. But everything felt rushed and forced and far too formulaic.
• Watched The White Lotus, s1. Interesting with some funny moments. Strong commentary on class, entitlement, money, and relationships. Very few characters with redeeming qualities which is disappointing but, I get it.

This week I’m grateful

• for generous and kind people who look out for others.
• for this weekend, used to reorganize some things around the household.
• that I kept up with work and schoolwork throughout the week.
• for the upcoming week and my plan to slow down and focus more on the things that matter.

This will be the last of the “weekday things” posts, at least for a little while. As I said, yesterday, I enjoy these and their overall purpose needs to be thought through a little more if/when I start posting them again.

I like projects with end dates because well, that is part of what makes it a “project”. Defining goals and other parameters, along with identifying a deadline/end date. Otherwise it’s just work? Even just “the thing you do”.

Sometimes a project can become “the thing you do” which is perfectly fine. Blogging just might be “the thing I do” and I just might be overthinking it by trying different “projects” for it.

Perhaps it’s semantic, and I’m confusing “project” for “post format” or “template” or “approach” or “prompt” or “theme” or…

I did give it an end date, though. And I wrote 5 posts past that end date. And it was a fun project.

Friday’s misc.

• So happy for the new episodes of Reservation Dogs. The first two episodes of season 2 were great. I really missed these characters.