My “strengths finder” says I’m a “learner”. I usually don’t put much stock in such surveys, but this one is dead on. At any one time I have 10-12 podcasts going, at least one or two audiobooks, and then plenty of good ‘ole fashioned bound paper books. Don’t get me started on my Twitter rabbit-holes.
Here are five things I discovered or enjoyed this week.
Favorite Podcast Episode
This week’s favorite podcast episode is actually a rebroadcast of episode 87 of the Peter Attia Drive podcast. For the record, I learn so much from this podcast. Although I probably don’t understand 1/3 of what I hear, I still walk away from the podcast feeling smarter. Episode 87 with Rick Johnson is on the metabolic effects of fructose. It doesn’t sound sexy, but with the amount of fructose in our food supply, especially in the form of high-fructose corn syrup, it’s fascinating to discover how your body metabolizes it. Spoiler alert: too much is not a good thing, for more reasons than you probably know.
Catch the episode on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbSic4Oo8ME
Quote of the Week
This is actually my favorite quote from last week, but I didn’t get a chance to post a newsletter.
Last week I was deep in the planning stages for my first “Life Plan Workshop” for twenty-somethings. The universe dropped this quote in my lap through the most recent James Bond film, “No Time to Die“. In the film, they only give you a brief snip but the full quote is gold. It’s from an interview with Jack London just weeks before his death at age 40.
I would rather be ashes than dust!
I would rather that my spark would burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry rot.
I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.
The function of man is to live, not to exist.
I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them.
I shall use my time.
(Emphasis mine).
Tech Tool I’m Using
Recently a photographer friend of mine mentioned how he was down-sizing his tech travel bag. He’s touring with a band and tired of carrying so much gear with him. As part of the process he ditched his standard external USB hard drive for a 1 TB SSD. I haven’t looked at these lately because they were so expensive when they first became available. With his recommendation, I started searching and found this 1 TB USB 3 SSD stick. Wow. So much lighter than my 500 GB external drive, and FAST. Blazing fast. I, too, am downsizing my tech bag, and I’ll bring more updates as they come, but this is a great first step.
BUFFALO External SSD 1TB External Solid State Drive Stick on Amazon
Snack I’m Enjoying
I don’t actually snack on this granola, but my family does. However, I eat so much plain yogurt during the week that I need to dress it up a bit from time to time. That’s where this Purely Elizabeth Grain Free +MCT oil granola comes in. I add a little to a serving of yogurt, along with some low-carb berries and it adds a bit of variety to my day. A serving size is 1/3 cup, which has 9 g of total carbs, (7 g net). I usually keep my serving to about 1/4 cup to restrict the carbs even further. Grain free is important to me; I just can’t eat grains unless I want to stay on the toilet all day, so this checks all the boxes for me. Warning, though; like any “snack”, if you just opt to eat it straight from the bag instead of dosing it out, you’ll destroy it. It’s that good.
Purely Elizabeth, Vanilla Almond Butter + MCT Oil, Grain-Free Granola on Amazon
Series I’ve Started
I know we’re late to the party, but we don’t watch much TV at the Scott house. And we’re loathe to commit to any series, since it lends itself to habitual watching. This week out of curiosity (and because my son has an HBO Max subscription) we started watching “Westworld”. My interest comes from watching the original movie as a kid (yes, I’m that old). So far the series has the right amount of tech, reality, smart writing, creepiness and star-power for me. I’m afraid it’ll become too predictable, as most do, and I’ll give up on it, but for now, I’m hooked.