#fridaylist

Happy first Friday of November!

 I so enjoy November for the cooler weather, the bluer sky, the closeness to Christmas, and for being able to celebrate Thanksgiving with family and friends. I have a smattering of things for you to check out today. As always, I hope that you find something to enjoy. Have a restful, enjoyable weekend.

I’ve also included some pictures from my recent vacation. The bumblebee you’ll see seemed to be frozen to the flower and according to the lady that owned the store, in the summer you can pet the bees they are so docile.

 One last thing, don’t forget that Daylight saving time is this weekend in the US. So, we “gain” an hour.

Why Is Aldi So Cheap and Successful? | WSJ The Economics Of - YouTube, We finally have an Aldi as of this Summer and I am thoroughly enjoying it. Specifically for the meat!

Amazon.com: LEGO Icons Tiny Plants Building Set, Cactus Décor Gift Idea for Flower-Lovers, Carnivorous, Tropical and Arid Flora, Build and Display, Botanical Collection, Creative Building Sets for Adults, 10329 : Toys & Games, I received the bonsai tree several years ago and so enjoyed building it. These tiny plants are so cute.

Amazon.com: LEGO Icons Tranquil Garden 10315 Creative Building Set, A Gift Idea for Adult Fans of Japanese Zen Gardens and Meditation, Build-and-Display This Home Decor Set for The Home or Office : Everything Else, definitely need to add this to my Christmas list. It is beautiful!

The Crucial Difference Between Distraction and Diversion (nirandfar.com), in all honesty I have never thought about the difference between these two words. Nir clarifies them well and also clarifies which is “bad” and which is “good” to experience.

Giant white stag made of boulders re-emerges on Aberdeenshire hill - BBC News, this is incredible! Originally built more than 150 years ago, the stag has been built again.

Home Free & Brooke Eden - Delta Dawn - YouTube, I have loved this song since I first heard it. This is a great cover.

 C.Debussy - Clair de Lune, Maria João Pires live at Jardin Musical - YouTube, perhaps one of the most beautiful pieces of music….there is something hauntingly sweet, bittersweet in its beauty. And in Maria’s hands, it’s exquisite.

THE LAST RIFLEMAN Trailer (2023) Pierce Brosnan - YouTube, this looks to be a really good film. Supposedly based on this story here.

Welcome to September and a holiday weekend here in the US, for most people anyway.

This week I have a much shorter list than last week and a very random one at that.

This coming Monday (the 4th) is my Mama’s birthday, and I am looking forward to celebrating! She is beautiful, clever, highly efficient, and a joy to be around (super short list). I am incredibly grateful for her.

 I hope you enjoy this short list I’ve compiled. Have a wonderful weekend of rest, fun, and all the fun things on this Labor Day weekend.

·       Bearded Dragon Spoons With His Favorite Sock | The Dodo - YouTube, I trained on showing a bearded dragon when I first began working at the zoo. His name was Buford and he was so much fun to work with. Did you know that they have a third eye?!

·       Sean Magee - Tippin' It Up To Nancy [Official Music Video] 4K HDR - YouTube, love this – it’s so good.  

·       Gibson Girls Clocking in - AI Breathes New Life into 1904 Film - YouTube, it’s always fascinating to me to find and view footage like this Glamour Daze has done an incredible job restoring the video and adding sound. Their wee purses hung right at their belts is so clever.

·       Dolly Parton - Magic Man (Carl Version) (feat. Ann Wilson) (Official Audio) - YouTube, I enjoyed this cover by Dolly with an appearance by Ann.

·       Heart-Magic Man - YouTube, and of course here is the original. Heart is one of my favorites.

·       The Edwardians had Cosmetic Surgery & it Wasn't Dissimilar to Today - YouTube, just in case you think 2023 is special…and they are “correcting” essentially the same things that people correct today. Fascinating!

·       Chinese Snowball Viburnum Bush Vs Hydranga - Birds and Blooms, I didn’t realize how very similar the two of these plants are! An easy way to distinguish them is by size. The Chinese Snowball is much taller than a Hydrangea, up to five feet more!

·       8 Nutty and Fun Facts About Squirrels - Birds and Blooms, one of the saddest parts of leaving the Midwest for the South…was no longer seeing black squirrels. Did you know that squirrels can run up to 20 mph?!

Happy Friday! Not sure if it’s just me, but this week has felt long. Definitely not bad, just drawn out. Today is my wonderful parents’ anniversary and I am incredibly grateful for their relationship and the mutual love and respect and fun that they have!

Also! Yesterday it rained for a good 15 minutes which was so, so needed….I don’t remember our last rain, maybe early July? Our water association sent out a message last week asking people to not water their yards unless it was around 2 AM because of the strain on the system. Hopefully the rain went south of us as well to help the farms there in desperate need of it.

I have quite a long list for you today. It’s been a while since I’ve had a longer one so I thought it would be fun. I’ve broken it into categories of: History, Love, Learn, Food, Movies/Music. As always, I hope that you are able to find something you really enjoy.  

 History

o   How ancient 'skywells' are keeping Chinese homes cool - BBC Future

“In Huizhou, a skywell is small but tall, and the rooms around it can block out sunlight on hot days, enabling the bottom of the skywell to stay cool, he adds. Meanwhile, hot air inside the house can rise and escape through the opening above the skywell, which "works just like a chimney".”

o   Seminary Square Historical Marker (hmdb.org)

This is in my hometown, since 1828 -195 years!- there has been a school building on this piece of land.

o   ‘The Iron Butterfly’: How Eloise Page Became the CIA’s First Female Station Chief (coffeeordie.com)

o   The Tigris: The river that birthed civilisation - BBC Travel

“Mosul's Arabic name, Al-Mawsiil, means "the linking point", likely because it was a crossroads of trade and a major hub along the Tigris between Diyarbakır and Basra. Established in the 7th Century BCE, it's one of the oldest cities in the world, and during its pinnacle in the 12th-Century AD, it not only wielded great power and influence over the region but became ethnically and religiously diverse.”

 Love

o   Ocean Springs couple celebrates 70 years of wedded bliss (wlbt.com)

“He does what I ask. I get along with her. I not only love her, I like her, and respect her. Those are three things. You’ve got to like them, you’ve got to love them and you’ve got to respect them.” Tony & Jean Ann Petricca

o   Pratt farmer plants 80 acres of sunflowers for wife of 50 years - KAKE

 August 10th was Lee and Renee Wilson’s 50th wedding anniversary, so he planted her “about 1.2 million sunflowers.”

Learn

o   Four scientifically-proven ways to live longer - BBC Reel

o   Kelly McGonigal: How to make stress your friend | TED Talk

How you think and how you act can transform your experience of stress. When you choose to view your stress response as helpful, you create the biology of courage. When you choose to connect with others under stress, you can create resilience. The compassionate heart that finds joy ad meaning in connecting with others, and yes, your pounding physical heart, working so hard to give you strength and energy.”

o   Organize Your Bookmarks with the PARA Method for Lightning Fast Web Browsing (fortelabs.com)

“The key principle is organizing by actionability. PARA helps you keep the information you need the most right now front and center (while keeping everything else accessible but out of sight).”

o   Isometric Exercises, Planks, Wall Sits Are Best For Blood Pressure, Study Says (forbes.com)

This is so exciting to me, this has been my favorite exercise (wall sits) since high school and it is super easy to do almost anywhere.

 Food

o   Ghetto Gastro

My sister found these for me the other night at Target, I’ve only tried the Ghetto Gastro Toaster Pastries Chocolate Raspberry - 7.2oz : Target, they are so good!

o   Home - TruFru

We also have recently found these and become obsessed with these. These are our favorite ones: Raspberries White & Dark Chocolate 8 oz - TruFru and Blueberries White & Dark Chocolate 8 oz - TruFru. The dried strawberries are also really good!

o   Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice Latte Turns 20: How It Was Invented | Entrepreneur

It seems that you either love or hate this drink….I am not a pumpkin fan, yet I really enjoy this drink every Fall. Can you believe it’s been 20 years?! In my opinion, the drink is best made with oatmilk.

Movies/Music

o   Video shows three humpback whales jumping out of water in unison - YouTube

Whales terrify me, but this is a beautiful video!

o   From Dumb Money to Saw X: 10 of the best films to watch in September - BBC Culture

This is a good list of different genres coming out next month. I am most excited about MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 3 - Official Trailer [HD] - Only In Theaters September 8 - YouTube!

o   Dan Tyminski - Hey Brother (Official Video) - YouTube

Dan just did his own version of this Avicii song after appearing on the record for Avicii a decade or so ago. Here’s the original if you’d care to listen, it has a neat music video. Avicii - Hey Brother - YouTube

Today we sent out our July newsletter, check it out here. In light of our newsletter, where I have a lot of neat links listed, I only have a short list today on the blog. As always, I hope that you find something you enjoy.

Stop looking for The One: The Inverted Pyramid of Life - Ness Labs, The self-complexity that arises when we invert our pyramid of life also encourages personal growth and self-discovery, as you can explore and evolve across various aspects of your identity, which means a richer, fuller life. When you stop trying to nail down your narrative and focus only on the most obvious relationships, life becomes a giant sandbox where we can learn anything, grow in any direction, and connect with anyone. Maybe then, instead of asking, “So, what do you do for a living?” we’ll start asking: “So, what makes you feel alive these days?”

Hawk Alarm (for chickens) - YouTube, this is so great – here is a comment on the video, “The two geese at the end are like two tourists in a foreign country not understanding the emergency announcements.”

THE GREAT ESCAPER Trailer (2023) Michael Caine - YouTube, Michael Caine AND Glenda Jackson?! This film looks so good.

Happy Friday!

I hope that you have had an enjoyable week with hopefully decent weather. I know that in many places this week the weather has been devastating. I have compiled a list for you to enjoy and as always I hope that you find one or two things to enjoy. I have also added some podcasts that I have been enjoying as well as a new to me book that I’ve begun.

 May your weekend be one of rest, activity, joy, and calm – whatever it is that you need in this moment.

 ·       Why adults should read children's books - BBC Culture, “So it's to children's fiction that you turn if you want to feel awe and hunger and longing for justice: to make the old warhorse heart stamp again in its stall.”

 ·       Texas Author Reunites with TikToker Who Made Him Bestseller (people.com), what a neat story!

 ·       The Pink grasshopper - Erythrism (roeselienraimond.com), oh my I have never seen one of these and didn’t know it was possible for them to be pink. It would seem more likely to find one of these in Alice in Wonderland than out and about in real life. Here’s another beautiful one, Anglesey: Rare pink grasshopper spotted in garden - BBC News

 ·       Six Triple Eight: The battalion of black women erased from history - BBC News, how incredible! Such an impressive accomplishment and I am so glad they are finally being recognized as they should have been. Tyler Perry is currently filming a Netflix film about them with Kerry Washington starring as well as producing in it.

 ·       Sounds of Motown (A cappella Medley) - Kings Return - YouTube, I really enjoy Kings Return…harmonizing is impeccable and covering Motown?! Even better.

 ·       DREAMIN' WILD Trailer (2023) Casey Affleck - YouTube, this looks to be a really great film.

 ·       Tiny Octopus Gets So Excited When His Diver Friend Comes To Visit Him | The Dodo - YouTube, oh my goodness – this is the sweetest little mollusc (yes I did have to google that.) I am always fascinated when animals interact with humans that aren’t animals that we keep as pets.

 ·       Elizabeth Cotten - In the Sweet By and By - YouTube, Learned something new today…”cotten picking” was created by Elizabeth. She was left-handed so she played her right-handed guitar upside down, which apparently is not the easiest thing to do.

 ·       Woodland (2020) – Sarah Anne Johnson, I saw Sarah Anne’s art on a house tour on youtube and fell in love with this Woodland series that she has. This is what she has to say about the series, “ I then transformed the photographs with paint, metal leaf, holographic tape, photo-spotting ink, and photoshop to create a more honest image that reflects my personal experience with the landscape.” I once had a friend tell me how she edited her photos so beautifully and she said the same thing as Sarah Anne, she edits the photo to appear in the photo as her own eyes and mind experienced it in person.  

 Podcasts I’ve been binging:

·       Lionsgate Sound | Scamanda, this is an incredible story….that I can’t quite wrap my mind around. I have found that I prefer podcasts that are hosted/created by journalists. Charlie Webster did a great job researching this story along with her team and the original investigative journalist that began the work and then she does an excellent job telling the story.

·       Betrayal on Apple Podcasts, another well done podcast. Heavier material than Scamanda, well it’s a different sort of heavy. Depending on how you handle things, you may want to read up on it before you listen. Both seasons so far have been so well done. The first season is now a documentary on Hulu.

·       Huberman Lab, I just began this one today. In the episode I began listening to today, Dr. Malenka is on it discussing how the brain changes in response to learning and reward and reinforcement. Fascinating and exciting stuff!  

New book:

Welcome to the third Friday in June! Weather-wise we have had a bit of an eventful week for June, check out this hail that fell just northeast of us last night. I think that this was our third hailstorm this year, the local roofing companies are staying busy. Happy Father’s Day to all of the fathers! I am incredibly grateful for my own.

As always I hope that you have something enjoyable and or restful planned for your weekend. Enjoy this Friday list and a few pictures at the end!

Bat acts like a dog, demands belly rubs - YouTube, I have been fascinated with Flying Foxes for the last several years. And Eddie is a good example of why, he’s clever and strong with lots of personality.

Stormy Weather in color - The Nicholas Brothers and Cab Calloway | Colorized with DeOldify - YouTube, Fayard and Harold were incredible self-taught dancers. The sheer energy and strength that it takes to dance how they danced matched with an incredible preciseness is amazing to watch. In this clip they are dancing to Cab Calloway and his orchestra playing “Jumpin’ Jive.” Two of my favorite things….incredible dancing along with incredible music! 

VIVALDI SUMMER - SYMPHONIACS - Violin Concerto In G Minor, Rv 315 III. Presto (The Four Seasons) - YouTube, I am working to break my record of the use of the word “incredible.” But The Four Seasons is such an incredible piece of music and you don’t even have to enjoy Classical music to appreciate its value. The Symphoniacs do such a great version of Summer here, so enjoyable.

The Hu - Yuve Yuve Yu - Live Acoustic at the Mongolian Embassy, Paris, France - YouTube, this was filmed after The HU was nominated as an Artist for Peace by UNESCO. Their use of the Morin Khuur (horsehead fiddle) mixed with some metal is a beautiful mix of old and new.

The HU - Yuve Yuve Yu (Official Music Video) - YouTube, I am sure that I have shared this one before but it’s worth resharing. It’s best if played with earbuds in and volume perhaps a bit higher than should be for the health of ones ears.

Facts don’t change minds: a case for the virtues of propaganda | Psyche Ideas, I learned a few new things reading this article which is often a very good thing. A good example of the use of positive propaganda.

The 12 Best Wireless Earbuds of 2023 – Robb Report, I personally prefer the Beats earbuds for quality of sound yet if I had an extra $300 to spare I would snatch up the Bose QuietComfort earbuds in a second! 

A Brief Overview of Pre-Raphaelite Art - Invaluable, this was an enjoyable, short  read on Pre-Raphaelite art, specifically its origins. Waterhouse has been one of my favorite artists since I was in high school. I had a print of the  Lady of Shalott for years, Boreas is my second favorite.

This week, per usual, I have written a list for you to peruse. This is quite a random list so I have broken it up into categories. I hope that you are able to find at least one thing that you enjoy. I am also including some photos from life lately (mostly outdoors).

Happy Mother’s Day to all of the mothers and those that mother, a gift indeed.

 Books

Bittersweet - Susan Cain, “Most of all, bittersweetness shows us how to respond to pain: by acknowledging it, and attempting to turn it into art, the way the musicians do, or healing, or innovation, or anything else that nourishes the soul. If we don’t transform our sorrows and longings, we can end up inflicting them on others via abuse, domination, neglect. But if we realize that all humans know-or will know- loss and suffering, we can turn toward each other.”

1920: The Year that Made the Decade Roar: Burns, Eric, if perhaps you think that our current times are turbulent and fearful and evil….1920 will help you know how far we have come, and again how far we have to go. Have hope. FYI, it was not a decade full of parties a la Great Gatsby at all….

The Secret History of the Mongol Queens: How the Daughters of Genghis Khan Rescued His Empire: Weatherford, Jack. The Genghis Khan believed in the duality of nature, that there are male and female attributes that hold the world together. And as such, he trained his daughters to be rulers and then placed them on thrones around the world with the assurance that they, not their husbands, would be in power.

 Art

Thomas W Schaller - Work Zoom: Evening Descends - San Marco (thomasschaller.com)

Picturebook Makers

Yoyogi Fukamachi Mini Park - THE TOKYO TOILET

 History/Current

Russia’s Tsushima moment | Peter Caddick–Adams | The Critic Magazine, two words: imperial overreach. Fascinating article worth your time.

Myanmar Rohingya violence is genocide, US says - BBC News, genocide should always be noted as such and dealt with accordingly.

Wrapping The Art Treasures Of Lviv (rferl.org), art has the power to galvanize people around beliefs, humanity, and history.

 Music

Sam Smith - Love Me More (Lyric Video) - YouTube

Red Velvet 레드벨벳 - Psycho @ReVe Festival FINALE - YouTube

ALPHA - OSTIN BA? (acoustic ver.) - YouTube

ONE OK ROCK - Wonder [Official Video from "Field of Wonder at Stadium"] - YouTube

The Four Seasons, Violin Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, RV 315 "Summer": III. Presto - YouTube

Yo-Yo Ma - Bach: Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, Prélude (Official Video) - YouTube