- Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros 📚 - I did not realise it was romance in addition to fantasy but I’ve started now, and it’s the holidays so I plan to keep going。
- I have bought a new copy of House of Leaves and it’s sat there judging me for not starting but I need to be in the right frame of mind.📚
- Sultan and Shephard - Loving their music. This mix is a nice place to start. 💿
- I’ve enjoyed Teach Sleep Repeat for being very relatable about how I feel about teaching at the moment. It’s often too much. It’s that thing of there not being enough time and always feeling rushed about everything. That i am always thinking about work-life balance too. So ultimately feeling like I could be doing better (father, husband, teacher) but I’m not.
- Mannequin Pussy on KEXP Her voice. ❤️ 🎤
- KAOS on Netflix. Lyra and I really enjoyed this Greek Mythology in the present world show. We made time to watch it, which as two time-poor people tells you something. Funny but so dark in places. Jeff Goldblum as Zeus was great. 📺
- The Wild Robot - All 4 of us loved this tale of a robot washed up on an island, laugh out loud funny in places. I cried twice. They definitely said “On your left” at one point too, which tickled me. 🎬
My week in media
I think for those of us of a certain age who remember when these dance tracks came out, the orchestral element is perfect. This show from Auckland is awesome.
Advice for Teachers, Policymakers, and Donors | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice
I only read the advice for teachers but I liked the three suggestions. Even if I struggle with the speaking out part.
Huush
Huush - Full Performance (Live on KEXP) - YouTube
No idea what inspired me to click this link from KEXP’s YouTube channel. I follow it but rarely click anything honestly. Occasionally I’ll go back to one of Kae Tempest’s or IDLES videos. I don’t know why I did, but I’m glad I did. They are described as deciding to…
And I’m on board for that. There’s only a single song on Apple Music so I’ve been playing this short set on repeat in the meantime.
To love. Some say it’s what makes us human. That it defines our existence. But it’s not without risk. Love teaches us about pain, heartbreak, and resilience. It encourages us to do the small things that make a big difference. Love shapes our days, weeks, months… Our years. Because the act of devotion eventually reveals a path to fulfillment we can’t find anywhere else. From its Latin roots, the word Amateur simply means “To Love.” In running, we are all amateurs.
The Year of the Amateur | Tracksmith
Love this video but I just can’t do running.
Your water is haunted by the ghosts of other people. All the other people.
Things I haven’t thought about before. Where has your water been?
nobody really buys a drink, they just rent it
reciprocal virtues
The happiest older people I’ve ever seen are hanging out with each other. The crankiest ones seem to be quite solitary. Here are the ten reciprocal virtues I’ve gleaned via some sloppy ethnography (i.e.: eavesdropping) on giggling and gray coffee clutches.
A nice reminder for parents.
You think you’ve got your act together, then you have kids. You think you’re someone with a good handle on their emotions…then toddlers and teenagers alike disabuse you of this notion. Because that’s what kids do, they stress test us,
For example:
If I wake up and check messages and social media … would I like to spend that time in meditation and journaling instead?
Source: We’re Always Training Something - zen habits zen habits
Ask. Our need for help is simply not obvious to others, so make it clear that you want help. Do you hate to ask for help? — Aaron Bieber -
Everything in your life has a tiny string tugging at your attention.
I like this way of thinking about minimalism.
This job is hard enough. You are flawed enough. You have screwed up and will screw up enough. We don’t have room or time or the luxury for guilt. We have to focus on right now.
Shared joy is double joy. Shared sorrow is half a sorrow.
Swedish proverb.What joy or sorrow have you been keeping to yourself? Who can you share it with?
Source: Shared joy, shared sorrow – Mike Crittenden
Got this thought stuck in my head.
5 Nice Things
Kottke just linked to this post titled An Easy Way To Practise Gratitude which is about a game where you simply name 5 nice things in your life. The rules are ‘don’t overthink it, and be specific.’
It ties in nicely for me with something I do about noticing nice things in my life, which I got from this Kurt Vonnegut quote
Anyway, here are mine…
-
The security guard at school said good morning in English to me yesterday. Normally they would greet us in Chinese but he’s obviously been practising. Even though I had my headphones in it made me smile. Going against my normal programming I shared it in a school chat group and it turns out other people had noticed too. It made me feel a little more connected with people at school/work and I’m glad I shared it.
-
A teacher’s friend is doing takeaway food from his flat. Yesterday he did bbq chicken with chips, peas and coldslaw and it was amazing. We ate it with a few friends and I had a couple of drinks and didn’t even get too annoyed with the kids!
-
It’s the weekend and Lyra and I are going on a date tonight while the grandparents babysit. Curry and cocktails. I think I might get my hair cut today aswell. “My hair is long because I haven’t had the time to have it cut.”
-
It’s the morning, Lyra and Yumo are asleep. I’m having coffee and Elise is getting some screentime. No one is crying or angry and it’s a very pleasant start to Saturday morning.
-
The Apple photo widget has such a noticeable, positive impact on my life. Opening my phone to old photos of my wife, kids and family is just THE BEST.
Welcome back for the 2020 school year! [A letter from your local superintendent and school board]
Welcome back for the 2020 school year! We are incredibly delighted to have our children and educators back in school again, particularly after such a challenging spring and summer. We couldn’t be more excited to see your kids’ smiling faces back in our classrooms!
As you know, some things will be different this fall. We wanted to share a few things for us all to think about over the next few months…
First, some of our children and families probably will become very ill.
If you haven’t seen it, this video of Alanis Morrisette performing via the internet while holding her daughter is de-lightful. Link