What I'm _____________________ Wednesday: The Potpourri Edition
Anyone else's brain all over the flippin' road these days?
So, what’s going on in my “free” time these days? Not much yet oh so much. I don’t feel frantic or frenetic, but I’m also not particularly locked in…maybe it’s because I really can’t concentrate, or maybe it’s some weird subconscious way of introducing variety. Whatever it is, I don’t recall having Bouncing Brain Syndrome before being holed up at home interminably…at least not to this degree. That said, I call this the “Potpourri Edition” mainly because that’s what they do with the odds and ends category on Jeopardy! and also because it has way more positive connotation than, say, “The Mental Midf-ck Edition” or the “Societal Sh-tshow Edition.” And then maybe that potpourri positive framing had a subconscious downstream effect of some sort, because by the time I finished taking inventory of what I’m ___________________ lately, I realized that it’s less a matter of me being all over the road and more a matter of life being at once fragmented yet compartmentalized…albeit not particularly neatly or with obvious order. Legit method to the madness. Kind of.
What I’m Reading
Pre-pandemic, I was all about a single title at a time—no multi-booking for me. If I hated it I mentally muscled through. Why? To finish. But really why? For no reason. And it was neither time well spent nor time well wasted so the lesson there is simple—life’s too short to waste time reading something you hate reading. Save your valuable time (and headspace) for things that make you happy, at least on some level.
I’m looking past the piles of everything that I want to read (that’s a whole other story) and am focusing on what I am actually reading, as in “I have bookmarks in these books and pick them up regularly yet irregularly as the spirt moves me,” reported on in the order that I spy them on my desk.
Why We’re Polarized by Ezra Klein (link below to the podcast ep that started it all). The podcast was so interesting to me particularly in how it demonstrated, essentially, the manner in which we go about irrationally loving or hating people based on stupid sh-t. You’re a Tar Heel? You hate Blue Devils, obviously. Duh. You’re a Republican? Your kids will marry a Democrat over your dead body. I was following what he was saying but at the same time I had a hard time believing it…I needed to know more so I ordered the book, and I am slooooooooooowwwwwwwwwlllllllly chipping away at it. Not because it’s not good but because it’s cerebral…so I have to take notes and look stuff up (sound the nerd alert; I admit it, I’m a bit nerdy and if you don’t believe me you should see my new Knockaround blue light glasses)…but also why hurry through because, what’s the rush? We’ll be polarized for a while, and we’ll be socially distanced for a while, so, time to take it slow. It’s a great look into why we are so divided right now, and I am hoping that understanding that will help illuminate how we can re-unite, and what hyper-local role I can play in that. I think that helping me understand new things from a different vantage point is equipping me with some new processing mechanisms and some new ways to understand and explain things.
wow, no thank you by samantha irby. This is the second book in a two-book surprise for no reason package from a bestie that I received in the mail. (I have some pretty awesome people in my life!) I just typed the title and the author’s name as written on the book and I’m suddenly both thrown and surprised by the thought that Samantha Irby is the kind of person who lives in lower case, but maybe it’s just a design thing and since I’m here to talk about the book I’ll just move along. The essays are laugh-out-loud funny in some places and scarily poignant (poignantly scary?) in others; we may not be meeting in real life (her first book is titled we are never meeting in real life) but our brains and experiences definitely intersected at points. Some of her characterizations can make you blush but once you realize that she is intentionally stripping it all away to reduce us all to the same place where baseless pretension and bias can’t be used as crutches, it has led me to re-think some things I had already (in some cases long ago and far away) processed and filed away (forever, I thought) and it validated a lot of things I had no idea I needed validated. Go figure.
Last Boat Out of Shanghai: The Epic Story of the Chinese Who Fled Mao’s Revolution by Helen Zia is my “fun” Kindle read. It was recommended to me after I had the opportunity to travel to China last year, and I love a good bit of nonfiction that reads like fiction, so I jumped on it…figuring it would take me back to an adventure of a lifetime and teach me something at the same time. Of course the downside with Kindle books is that you have no real sense of how long a book is, because all books are the same size, the size of my Kindle…but I just looked it up and it is 544 pages long. So there may be another revolution that takes place and is written about in the time it takes me to finish it. My reading pace aside, it is a very compelling account of the experiences of four young people and their experiences leading up to, during, and after the mass exodus from Shanghai in the 1940s.
Measuring and Improving Social Impacts by Marc J. Epstein and Kristi Yuthas and Measuring Social Change by Alnoor Ebrahim are two distinct books, but since I am reading them simultaneously and with a singular purpose, I am grouping them together. I work for a nonprofit and in the course of my work am expected to set strategy. Since there’s a bit of organizational disconnect between strategy and tactics, I am looking to build a bridge between the two by understanding cause and effect so we can make some informed decisions about which programs and approaches we can sell (we’re self funded) and to understand how we make a difference when we do invest in programs. The books are informative and if I finish reading them with some sort of framework I can test in the market, then more the better. (Sound the nerd alert, again.) These books talk about some foundational pillars in a way that is driving me to act. Typically these cause-effect relationships are looked at at the organization level, but I don’t have that “luxury.” So my challenge becomes how to implement these tools and approaches using plain language in a way that will be locally managed and drive results that speak for themselves—essentially I need to figure out how to implement effectively despite the fact that I can’t do it the way the book prescribes. I need to “right size” it based on what I’ve got to work with, and that’s ok…for now…in any case I’m enjoying opening up a whole new (to me anyway) way of aligning activity to drive results that generate a positive social impact. Anyone who has done any work on theory of change and/or building logic models and/or measuring outcomes, hit me up. I’d love to chat about your experience.
And then there are the electronic piles of long-form articles on my “to read” list…but I’ll spare you some of those (that said, hit me up if you want to chat about what I’ve been reading in news/mags lately)…I suspect you’re as inundated with info as I am. But in these troubled times I feel like it’s important to stay engaged and learn the facts—it’s a lot of work!
So what do I make of all these random titles? They aren’t random at all—I’m reading in a different way than before, but it’s providing me with something I didn’t necessarily need before. Goal for the next time I write on a Wednesday? To finish at least one of the books listed above and to have made noticeable progress on the others.
And I can’t forget to mention The Daily Stoic—because I read that every day to keep me focused and grounded.
What I’m Listening To
Given the number of, uh, downers and drainers that the world is providing us with lately, music has been my go-to mental hug—now more than ever. Who else has had it with being drowned out by the world soundtrack, Cacophony Monotony??? When I look at what I have been listening to, my choices have been upmusic or offmusic—no downmusic. I listen to songs that either pump me up or pick me up (sometimes it’s more of a push me up)…or shut off the noise in my head or level me off…but no songs that drag me down. Songs that recall personal triumphs are ok, but nothing that brings me down. There are enough unavoidable things that could bring me down if I let them—why do it to myself??? I’m not suggesting that you put Happy by Pharrell Williams on repeat, but I am saying that listening to music that keeps things in perspective can really help.
My quarantine playlist continues to grow, and I’d like to call attention to three songs on it that have been providing me with some much-needed perspective, and in a very pleasant way.
One conversation, a simple moment
The things that change us if we notice
When we look up, sometimes
Yes! Look up! Notice the changes, even the small ones.
Great melody, and lyrics all about the small things…a swim in the ocean, making tea…finding joy in what’s around us.
I watch the sun as it comes up I watch it as it sets
Yeah this is as good as it gets
In these upside-down times, I am finding that “nothing” is in fact everything.
If you went to college in the 80s chances are the Talking Heads are on the soundtrack of those formative years, and this recent release does not disappoint.
I complete my tasks one by one
I remove my masks when I am done
Then a peace of mind fell over me
In these troubled times I still can see
We can use the stars to guide the way
It is not that far one fine...
One fine day
One fine day...
Better days are ahead. It gives me hope without diminishing or marginalizing the fact that I’m feeling it in a wistful way. Let’s face it…some of the silver linings these days are tarnished black and who has the wherewithal to polish silver???
Of course there also are the songs that have always been go-tos for when I needed a boost of some sort, like Eyes of the World or Ripple by Grateful Dead. Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield or The Sound of Sunshine by Michael Franti or Be Okay by Oh Honey. I could go on and on…
In terms of other listens, well, I’ve been listening to a playlist that was created and shared by a friend…who happens to be a (big) bit younger than me. I love it because playlists actually give you a look inside people’s minds, and I also love listening to music that keeps me hip/relevant. (Kidding, kidding…I love being exposed to new music, period.) Big takeaway here is the reminder of how important it is to cultivate friendships across generations—gives life such a fun new dimension.
There’s this beauty of an EP (Biome by Phaeton), the work of a former colleague’s adult children that recently was released; it’s transcendent and left me feeling at once deeply rooted in the earth yet floating high above it…check it out when you’re looking for some chill sounds.
Lastly but not leastly an entrepreneurial friend of mine has been busting into the podcasting space, first with Forging Ahead and now with Lemon Wedge. Tom’s a regular, good guy (the ultimate compliment if you ask me) and his work focuses on regular people doing good (hard) work. Check out his pods and if a topic is of interest, enjoy the dialogue.
What I’m Watching
My “To Watch” list is shorter than my “To Read” list but it’s still long, and I’m sure it has a lot of the shows you love on it. We don’t watch a ton of tv so when we do it’s more background/filler as we unwind from the day. I like The Voice for that (so much talent in the world, but I get sad when no chairs turn around or someone doesn’t get stolen/saved) and also American Ninja Warrior (how do they do that?). The show that gets me to laugh out loud, regularly, is Young Sheldon. And no we haven’t watched the final season of Schitt’s Creek. We’re saving it for when we really need it. So we’ll watch it soon, I’m guessing.
What I’m Cooking
I’m trying to shake it up and try some new recipes. I have more time to meal plan and cook, so might as well put some variety on the table. I’ll take whatever variety I can get. Two things that have jumped out, one main and one side are this Crispy Sheet Pan Gnocchi with Sausage and Peppers and these Instant Pot Syracuse Salt Potatoes.
The sheet pan dinner (I’m on the hunt for more recipes that fit the bill) is great for when we are entertaining out back but want something other than grill food (plus it’s an all-in-one situation so I can hang out while it cooks). The potatoes are another winner in the IP, and well, what’s better than that? Also the IP allows me to set it and forget it so I can have fun out back socializing while dinner cooks inside.
And this old gem from Martha Stewart, Whole-Grain Toast with Yogurt and Pistachios, which doesn’t count so much as cooking, is a great breakfast or lunch, despite seeming like an odd combination. Especially good for shaking up an avo toast routine.
What I’m Drinking
Local brews all the way. Well, local brews and bourbon. Oh, and on warm days, tequila. Except when I’m at my mom’s…then it’s wine. Access to cans from Vitamin Sea is one of the great up sides of this pandemic. Widowmaker is turning out some great brews as well, and BHZ has some solid off-the-beaten varieties. Been upping my trade game and have had access to some tasty offerings from Tree House as well—bonus. Down side to all these good brews is the negative nutrition impact, but I have tried to stick to my two-beer limit and daily walks.
Cheers, friends!
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I need to try the salt potatoes!
This made me happy, hungry, thirsty and longing for adventure and those elusive better days, all at the same time. Thanks for your words of wisdom. I cherish the time I get to sit and focus on reading and processing your writing, makes my day!