I am going to be writing much less long-form(ish) pieces on Tuesdays through the end of the year as some other life obligations are picking up steam, but I do still want to provide weekly or bi-weekly emails like this for a place to share what I’ve been watching, reading, etc. I apologize it’s been a while since I’ve done one of these. September was bananas, in no small part because I was basically sick with some kind of nasty cold bug virtually the whole month. But we’re back, and I hope to write up one of these with some consistency, even as I write little else, here in this newsletter anyway.
Here’s the rundown for this week:
Looking Back…: highlights from the last week or so
The Funny Part: a funny piece of the internet that hasn’t yet made it to The Funnies
Looking Ahead…: something(s) I’m excited about
A Quote to Consider: something to think about from something I’ve read recently
Wildlife Photography of the Week: exactly what it sounds like
Looking Back
Let me tell you what I’ve been up to this week and perhaps make some recommendations for you (or tell you things to avoid, even!).
What’s been on my mind this week? I dunno, not much really—or maybe too much, actually yes that’s probably right. What is there at the front of my mind right now…? Oh yes:
I’m beginning to think that AI is just going to eat everything and that the world we’re living in is going to be totally shaken up and reorganized, so I’ve been feeling extra existential lately. Which, I’m already pretty existentially-minded, so if I’m feeling extra existential I’m basically flirting with Camus over here. What matters? Does anything matter, really? Of course eternal, kingdom things matter. But what about other more earthy things. Does paying debts matter? Does democracy exist? What happens when people stop reading? Are we hurtling toward an economic system made up of the hyper-rich and the hyper-poor? What does that mean for me, who’s living a solidly middle class life? Does it even matter what it means for me anyway?
Anyway.
Something fun we’ve been doing lately with the girls is “coloring parties.” The 90 minutes or so between dinner and bedtime can sometimes be hard to fill in constructive ways, especially if the weather is less than favorable and the girls are tired to the point of being kinda cranky, so we’ve made a big shindig out of something I have dubbed “coloring parties.” These coloring parties consist of turning on chill, lofi music on the Apple TV and all sitting around the kitchen table coloring our own coloring sheets. I just did this Lisa Frank one the other day.
What am I reading? Right now I am reading three books: The Lost World (Jurassic Park Book 2) by Michael Critchton, The Fires of December by Brandon Sanderson, and Dominion by Tom Holland. I’m enjoying all three, but Dominion has been a bit of a slog at times. I just finished Hollywood, Ending by John Green, and, as usual, he did a great job of getting me to stop and think simply in his storytelling. One day I want to be able to write fiction like Brando Sando or John Green. Or both. Alas, I have coloring parties to coordinate.
What did I eat? A new friend recently moved to Middle Tennessee, and he came to visit me in my town the other day. I gave him a few categories of food to try—Thai, Indian, Mediterranean, or a burger place. He chose the burger place, so I took him to a place called Jack Brown’s. Solid burger joint. I had a burger called “The Popeye,” which includes a single patty, pepper jack cheese, fried onions, and spinach artichoke dip. It was a great burger. I’ve never had spin dip on a burger, but it was very good.
What did I watch? Probably the best YouTube video I’ve watched in the last week is this interview between David Brooks and Jonathan Haidt for The Atlantic in which Jonathan Haidt shares his concerns with the invasion of AI into everything. He has great thoughts on, particularly, AI’s impact on education. But I thought his best work was sharing about how AI is going to cause us to need each other less, which will further degrade our societal trust and relationships beyond even what social media has already done. What happens when social capital evaporates? Everyone feels even greater licenses to be mean to other people and treat them poorly.
…Cool.
I want off this ride.
What am I listening to? Every October, my default music during the workday becomes a mega-playlist of all the Harry Potter soundtracks. Just wonderful October music as we get into fall and spooky season. So I’ve been listening to the Harry Potter soundtracks a bit. I am not an accomplished musician by any means, but in the John Williams’ work, it’s just so easy to also hear other soundtracks of his at the same time (Star Wars, E.T., etc.). Lovely. For instance, in the song below, I hear hints of Home Alone, Star Wars, and maybe even a bit of Jurassic Park.
The Funny Part
Looking Ahead
I don’t think there is any part of the year I enjoy more than the second half of the month of October, year-in and year-out.
This weekend we will welcome my parents and my brother’s family to town to enjoy time together and belatedly celebrate Daisy’s third birthday. Saturday is shaping up to be a picturesque fall kind of day here in Middle Tennessee, so the annual trip to the pumpkin patch, with extended family in tow, will be especially fun.
Then comes the annual Halloween party at our local park on the 23rd, my birthday on the 24th, and then a work trip to California, which will be great. After that October is capped off by, of course, Halloween itself and the fall festival at our church on the same day.
What a wonderful couple of weeks ahead. Praise God for October.
A Quote to Consider
If you will but let it, suffering is the guardian angel who keeps you from slipping out into the fragmentariness of t he world; the fragmentariness that seeks to rip apart the soul. And for this reason, suffering keeps you in school—this dangerous schooling—so that you may be properly educated for eternity.
Søren Kierkegaard
Wildlife Photography of the Week
A rabbit has made its home near our air conditioning unit. We named it Peter, until I believe I may have seen it mothering a baby bunny, so now we call it Poppy. She is wonderful and we borderline love her more than our recently-skunked dog. We sometimes give her apples as a treat. Here is Poppy our outdoor rabbit pet. Enjoy.
Have a great week!