It’s Wednesday, so here’s what I’m ________________.
When I first sat down to write this I was thinking about what’s going on and initially started feeling like I’m not doing much. But once I started thinking about it, I discovered it’s actually not true. I’m doing a lot. It just doesn’t follow the same pattern or construct as neatly as before. (Glad I took a moment to think it through vs defaulting to beating myself up for being a slug. Lesson learned.)
It’s that time of year when the days are longer, the pool is open, neighbors’ trees fall over the fence, and the gardens grow so I’m outside a lot more. I’m reading and watching less than before but that doesn’t mean I’m slacking. It just means that I’m spending my time differently. I’ve had a busy month. More daylight has me doing stuff after work rather than getting into pajamas, throwing on my Comfy, and curling up with a book.
I am still reading. And here’s what’s on my desk, end table, and nightstand of late:
For pure pleasure reading, I’m still enjoying Life After Life which is so good but quite long. The combination of the length and the time shifting story means that it’s not something I can skim through. I have to pay attention for long stretches of time.
I finished my professional development read of Extreme Ownership which had an interesting way of looking at fundamental but often overlooked leadership lessons. I read it because it’s a really popular book among a lot of people I work with in the fire service and I thought reading it would give me something to connect with them over. What I didn’t love about it was the military focus and writing style makes it kind of a “bro book”, even though the lessons are universal. Spoiler alert: leadership, like life, is all about finding the right balance.
Next up in the business-growth category is Think Again by Adam Grant. I just started it but already I’m intrigued by its premise—to be successful you have to be committed to continual unlearning and relearning. Interestingly (though I’m only 42 pages in), I can see some connections between this and Ezra Klein’s Why We’re Polarized, which I wrote about a bit ago, and more than once. Our brains are fluid, so the notion that our thoughts are set in cement is preposterous. I’ve found satisfaction (if not success) when I am committed to staying open…I think there’s a connection in there in the form of the importance of openness to unlearning and relearning. Looking forward to learning more on this.
In terms of my personal development, I finished Well-Read Black Girl which was an enjoyable and easy read although a bit redundant. I suspect the repetition is needed to hammer home the important point of the extent to which representation matters. I don’t think enough people get why it is.
For my next personal enrichment read, I’ve picked out The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein, but I have yet to crack the cover. I was fascinated when I read Isabel Wilkerson’s The Warmth of Other Suns when it first came out in 2010 and I had the wind knocked out of me when I watched the Ava DuVernay documentary 13th last summer, so I think it’s time I develop a little bit deeper understanding of how our problems were created, how they’re rooted in the legal system, and why they persist—so I can speak about matters from a more informed perspective, with an eye on doing what I can to untangle my own thinking and approaches to certain situations.
The audiobook experiment is on pause. First thing that bumped the train off the tracks was trying to let my ears read Lincoln in the Bardo. Apparently I needed to pay more attention than I was capable of while walking and I just couldn’t get it. Then my headspace shifted (life!) and the audiobook train jumped the tracks—my concentration isn’t there, and I need music to take me away. Apparently the audiobook works for me when it’s the right title at the right time, so I am sure the train will chug along again eventually, but for right now it’s music and its escapism as my walking partner.
I’m not really watching too much on TV now that the network seasons have wrapped (and let’s face it, network dramas have way too much drama, but alas I still tune in). My “To Watch” list on the streaming services is getting ridiculously long, to the point of unwieldy, and I’m still enjoying my junk TV in the form of RHONY and The Bachelorette. And after the Bruins tanked, the only sports I have left are the Red Sox, but how many games a week can you watch, really?
You probably guessed I’m watching Jeopardy! though it’s a bit early in the run to give a verdict on Savannah, so I won’t slot her in my rankings yet. That said, my new rankings through last week look like this: 1) Buzzy, 2) Mike, 3) Mayim/Blossom, 4) Aaron, 5) Katie, 6) Ken, 7) Bill, 8) Anderson, 9) Oz. Believe me, I am as surprised as you that Blossom is that high on my list, wardrobe notwithstanding. I was expecting to not like her, but hey, look what happens when I stay open…Blossom gets a bronze! (But she did also annoy me in some ways so I’m not sure I could handle her full time.)
Oh, and I did binge the 6-episode second and final season of the quirky but funny and sweet show Feel Good on Netflix yesterday. I wrote about Season 1 here and Season 2 did not disappoint. It was more sensitive than Season 1 which was kind of manic. But it was a show that made me feel good on many levels (repeat “representation matters,” even if it’s retroactive.) And the music this season was fantastic. The whole series was just under 6 hours of programming yet I’m strangely sad, borderline gutted, that it’s over. On to that really long “To Watch” list, I guess…but I’ll miss Mae and her crew.
What I’m Cooking
One of the best things for me about working from home is Thursday Night After Tai Chi Dinner. Last year as soon as it was safe we started having my mom over for dinner after her tai chi class on Thursdays. She takes class on our side of town, it ends at 6, and we could eat out back, so it really was the perfect setup for a regularly scheduled visit with quarantine laws…and it gave me an opportunity to menu plan a bit more deliberately and try some new recipes. I wish (hindsight is 20/20 after all) I had kept track of our menu each week, but that’s water over the dam at this point. Two weeks ago we did an Italian night--Aperol spritz warmup, Italian Sub Sheet Pan Dinner from the NY Times (way better than you might expect), and a cannoli tart. Last week I freestyled and did some grilled fish tacos with roasted tomato salsa and some other toppings—the first time for Kerri and my mom eating fish tacos. Who knew? We also had a special guest that night, my eldest nephew, recently graduated from Trinity College, so the night was pretty close to perfect. This week my mom is going to lunch on Thursday so she isn’t coming for dinner, but she is coming by for a visit. So I suspect she’ll be hungry just not for a full meal, so I’ll plan something accordingly, later today.
I’ve also got a few things from Trader Joe’s on repeat for breakfasts and lunches, shown below. TJ’s also is absolutely clutch for stocking the freezer for those nights when you just don’t have the wherewithal to make a decision about what you want so instead you shop at home. (Our favorite lazy dinner consists of frozen fried rice (real rice or cauliflower rice) with some eggs scrambled in hibachi-style.)
And in the new drink category, we’ve got Jackson Morgan Southern Cream Salted Caramel Liqueur. No relation to Morgan Freeman or Kendall Jackson, but a dream of a drink that’s perfect for certain occasions, like say on a cool night outside by a fire. Picture the love child of Bailey’s and Butterscotch Schnapps, and that’s Jackson Morgan Southern Cream Salted Caramel Liqueur.
What I’m Listening To
Three songs in particular are speaking to me right now. I’m sure it means something.
Happy Endings by Mike Shinoda featuring iann dior and UPSAHL. I think the lyric that gets me is: Hey, at least in my mind/I'm feeling like I'm the hero that saves me/There I hold my head high/Get everything right, delusional maybe/If I'm pretending, why not write happy endings? I hear that as “get it in your mind and then get the happy endings out of your mind and into your life”—reminds me of how much control I have, especially when things are a shitshow. Plus how do you not love a song that uses the word shitshow?
If Not Now (Then When) by The Bamboos featuring Durand Jones. I love the retro vibe of the song, and I think it takes me to the happy retro places in my mind, heart, and soul. And I think the notion of “if not now, when” coincides with a certain stirring I’m feeling and can’t shake. Someone’s at a crossroad, and someone needs to cross the goddamn street.
Head Full Of Doubt/Road Full of Promise by The Avett Brothers. I suspect that this song is one that I stop and actively listen to for some guidance/motivation/inspiration about crossing the aforementioned goddamn street. “Decide what to be and go be it.” Such a time of reflection and transformation here, and as I noted last week, I have no interest in going back to the old way. I’ll happily go forward to the new way, but going back to normal? Never!
Almost halfway through the work week—hope it’s going ok for you. Thanks for being here. I appreciate you so much. If you’re up for it, have a listen to these fresh tracks. Have a great week—“see” you in eight days.