What I’m into – June 2018

June is always one of my favorite months (the “Friday night of summer” as it were). I’m loving the roses in our yard, and the whiffs of honeysuckle I catch here and there as I run. I haven’t been strawberry picking yet, but I hope to soon.

Anyway, a few things I’ve been into lately.

New podcasts! Yes, we keep recording Best of Both Worlds (doing two sessions today). But one of the upsides of promoting a book is that I am learning about a lot of other podcasts and being introduced to some great ones. For instance, I was just on Ellie Knaus’s Atomic Moms talking about guilt, planning, and how it might help to stop thinking of ourselves as the center of the universe. It turns out that other people pay less attention to what you’re doing than you might think, which is kind of liberating.

I’ve been on a lot of great ones lately: Leadercast, Productivity Paradox, Give and Take, the Accidental Creative, Beyond the To-Do List, the Running Lifestyle, and Marathon Training Academy, just as a sample.

The podcast world is growing rapidly, partly because it is something you can do during time that is hard to use otherwise: while you’re in the car, while you’re doing chores, while you’re working out. This is also why audiobooks are a swift growing segment of the publishing industry.

Apple Music. I signed up for this at some point but forgot it was on my phone. I know I’m late to the party here, but wow! I can just load up almost any album and play it. So all those albums I didn’t buy as a kid but was curious about…I can listen to. (I listened to Joshua Tree on the train the other day.) If I hear a song on the radio and like it, I can just go listen to it whenever I want. Again, I know everyone else figured this out in 2008 but whatever.

Original Works school fundraisers. I am not a big fan of school fundraisers generally. I don’t want overpriced wrapping paper. I don’t like my kids wheedling me to buy useless stuff so they can get plastic prizes. Galas are sometimes fun, but they take an incredible amount of volunteer time. My rational economic heart thinks it would be best to be told my expected contribution and then write a check. However, the fundraiser our elementary school did this year was good as these things go. Original Works has the kids create artwork, and then it can be printed on various conference swag type items. I chose to buy three large coffee mugs with each of the three elementary school-aged kids’ artwork on them. I use the coffee mugs so that’s good.

My local post office. I have visited a lot over the last month between mailing books (via priority mail) and constantly needing to buy more stamps (I mailed signed book plates to people who pre-ordered Off the Clock and sent me their mailing addresses). The clerks are so sweet, and funny too. I walked in the other day and said “Can I buy three books of stamps?” and the clerk deadpanned “No.” There have often been treats for the 3-year-old. He’s great friends with them all now — a friendship totally bought and paid for in lollipops.

Low-brow food. A few things hitting the spot right now: my grocery store sushi (specifically, the California rolls with spicy mayonnaise), Jersey Mike’s subs (specifically the roast beef and provolone), big bowls of cornflakes with whole milk and a tiny bit of heavy cream, and Reese’s dark chocolate mini peanut butter cups. Oh, I know it’s summer and I should be raving about farmers market produce but I like what I like.

In other news: In case reading the blog isn’t enough…did you know I write a weekly newsletter too? It hits inboxes on Saturday mornings with a short essay and various links. You can sign up here. (Check that you want to receive “A Week’s Worth”). Thanks!